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Bluesky has launched RSS feeds

Now that Bluesky's got its own RSS feeds, here's what you should know
Source: openrss.org

Evidence grows of air pollution link with dementia and stroke risk

Long-term UK study adds to body of research associating pollutants with declining brain health
Source: theguardian.com

'It hasn't delivered': The spectacular failure of self-checkout technology Sam Becker.

Unstaffed tills were supposed to revolutionise shopping. Now, both retailers and customers are bagging many self-checkout kiosks.
Source: bbc.com

AI beats real doctors on 149 remote OSCE-style tests

blog post image "We tested performance in consultations with simulated patients (played by trained actors), compared to those performed by 20 real PCPs using the randomized approach described above. AMIE and PCPs were assessed from the perspectives of both specialist attending physicians and our simulated patients in...
Source: research.google

5 expert tips for behavior change in 2024 - Stanford Report

Looking to eat better? Exercise more? Get unstuck in life or career? Stanford scholars offer research-backed advice for making moves in the new year.
Source: stanford.edu

What (else) happened? A key question for learning programmes.

blog post image Good paper from 2013 on the need to go beyond just asking 'did our programme work?' "It is clear that programme evaluations using traditional ‘outcomes-based’ models are inadequate for the health professions context. Consequently, the scholarship in health professions education has begun to incorporate...
Source: wiley.com

Huge ancient city found in the Amazon

The city was built 2,500 years ago but may have been abandoned after a volcanic eruption.
Source: bbc.com

How the Post Office's Horizon system failed: a technical breakdown

"From bugs to unqualified staff, the Post Office's point-of-sale system was inadequate on many levels." The code was poor from the start and the small team of developers were not up to the job. However, the problems were apparent in 1999 before it was launched. Includes a discussion of the Dalmellington...
Source: theguardian.com

Yaws could soon be eradicated — 70 years behind schedule Jones, Sam. Nature 2024.

Researchers are cautiously optimistic that the neglected tropical disease could be gone by 2030, but new barriers — including antibiotic resistance and primate reservoirs — might stand in the way. Researchers are cautiously optimistic that the neglected tropical disease could be gone by 2030, but...
Source: nature.com

Assessing learners - a mindset for the era of generative AI.

ChatGPT assignments to use in your classroom today. "Teachers and faculty everywhere first need to adopt a mindset that acknowledges the availability of AI and the likelihood that students will use it. As a result, we need to adjust our expectations of students. With online tests, maybe we should stop...
Source: ucf.edu

The Vulnerable World Hypothesis

blog post image "This paper introduces the concept of a vulnerable world: roughly, one in which there is some level of technological development at which civilization almost certainly gets devastated by default, i.e. unless it has exited the ‘semi-anarchic default condition’. Several counterfactual historical and...
Source: doi.org

Is Vaccination Approaching a Dangerous Tipping Point? Peter Marks. Robert Califf. JAMA.

This Viewpoint discusses declining vaccination rates in the US, specifically against COVID-19, and the ways in which clinicians and the Food and Drug Administration can counter the current large volume of vaccine misinformation.
Source: jamanetwork.com

Workplace well-being initiatives don't boost employee mental health

"The mental health of people who undertake mindfulness or meditation courses offered by their employer is generally no better than those who are not offered such programmes." "Instead of offering these initiatives, Fleming suggests that employers focus on bettering the work environment. For example,...
Source: newscientist.com

Elevated genetic risk for multiple sclerosis emerged in steppe pastoralist populations

"The last 10,000 years have seen some of the most extreme global changes in lifestyle, with the emergence of farming in some regions and pastoralism in others. While 5,000 years ago farmer ancestry predominated across Europe, a relatively diverged genetic ancestry arrived with the steppe migrations around...
Source: nature.com

Mozilla launches a new startup focused on 'trustworthy' AI | TechCrunch

Mozilla, the nonprofit behind software like Firefox, has launched a new startup, Mozilla.ai, focused on developing trustworthy AI systems.
Source: techcrunch.com

Trust in Scholarly Publishing - The Scholarly Kitchen

How do we define, track, and measure trust in scholarly publishing?
Source: sspnet.org

How machine learning might unlock earthquake prediction

Researchers are applying artificial intelligence and other techniques in the quest to forecast quakes in time to help people find safety.
Source: technologyreview.com

A New Kind of AI Copy Can Fully Replicate Famous People. The Law Is Powerless.

New AI-generated digital replicas of real experts expose an unnerving policy gray zone. Washington wants to fix it, but it’s not clear how.
Source: politico.com

Isomorphic Labs kicks off 2024 with two pharmaceutical collaborations - Isomorphic Labs

Isomorphic Labs kicks off 2024 with two pharmaceutical collaborations
Source: isomorphiclabs.com

Wearable Soft Robot Helps Parkinson's Patients Avoid 'Freezing'

A collaboration between Harvard University and Boston University, this device offers a solution to one of the most debilitating hallmarks of Parkinson's disease.
Source: extremetech.com