Thinking Allowed

medical / technology / education / art / flub

showing posts for 'scientist'

Scientists identify first known prehistoric person with Turner syndrome

Studying skeletons could provide further insight into the past's gender variability.
Source: arstechnica.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

Why Are Alaska's Rivers Turning Orange?

Streams in Alaska are turning orange with iron and sulfuric acid. Scientists are trying to figure out why
Source: scientificamerican.com

Monkeys in Thailand took up stone tools when covid-19 stopped tourism

Long-tailed macaques on the island of Koh Ped appear to have learned a new way to forage when the pandemic put a stop to feeding by tourists
Source: newscientist.com

Citations show gender bias — and the reasons are surprising

Homophily is the tendency for people to stick with similar people. Could this partly explain some of the gender bias in citations? "Women still tend to build more on women’s work, and men still tend to build on men’s work more." "Gender bias in paper citations is less common among younger scientists,...
Source: nature.com

2023: A year of groundbreaking advances in AI and computing

"This has been a year of incredible progress in the field of Artificial Intelligence (AI) research and its practical applications." A review of 2023 posted by Jeff Dean, Chief Scientist, Google DeepMind & Google Research, Demis Hassabis, CEO, Google DeepMind, and James Manyika, SVP, Google Research,...
Source: research.google

NFTs died a slow, painful death in 2023 as most are now worthless

A reminder that early adoption of technology is not without risk. "Non-fungible tokens promised to revolutionise the concept of ownership using the blockchain technology behind bitcoin, but the market seems to have all but collapsed."
Source: newscientist.com

The Biggest Discoveries in Computer Science in 2023

"Artificial intelligence learned how to generate text and art better than ever before, while computer scientists developed algorithms that solved long-standing problems." Links to further papers and discussion on topics including: Tackling "P versus NP" Emergent behaviours in large language models...
Source: quantamagazine.org

AI can tell which chateau Bordeaux wines come from with 100% accuracy

A machine-learning algorithm was able to tell which estate 80 Bordeaux red wines came from with 100 per cent accuracy by assessing their chemical signatures
Source: newscientist.com

Quantum microphone works even better than a regular one

By detecting tiny movements of particles of light, a quantum microphone has recorded human speech that is easier to understand than if it is captured by an equivalent classical version
Source: newscientist.com

Particle physics could be rewritten after shock W boson measurement

“The standard model of particle physics has stood the test of time for decades, but now a new measurement of a particle called the W boson could indicate a chink in its armour.” The scientists took 10 years to do the analysis as it was so complex! “The analysis was so complex that the result took...
Source: newscientist.com

Senior health professionals call for urgent climate briefing of all MPs by the chief scientific adviser: open letter to

Dear prime minister, We wish to make you aware of our concern for the health of Angus Rose, a 52 year old man, who at the time of writing is on day 34 of a hunger strike outside Parliament, consuming only fluids, vitamins, and minerals. His not unreasonable demand is that all members of parliament...
Source: bmj.com

Health impacts of wood burning cost EU and UK €17 billion a year

Wood-based home appliances are responsible for 63 per cent of the health costs from air pollution related to heating and cooking in homes in the European Union and UK
Source: newscientist.com

International Women's Day: UTI testing '50 years out of date'

Areas of women's health have been neglected for too long, says scientist developing rapid test.
Source: bbc.com

6 expert essays on the future of biotech

How will biotechnology transform our approach to human health? Scientists from the World Economic Forum's Global Future Council share key insights. World Economic Forum future of biotech DNA technology - genetic screening for disease, recombinant protein production, CAR T cells, gene therapy, organoid...
Source: weforum.org

Fusion energy record demonstrates powerplant future

"Landmark results from EUROfusion scientists and engineers at world-leading UK Atomic Energy Authority’s Joint European Torus (JET) facility in Oxford. "Record-breaking 59 megajoules of sustained fusion energy demonstrates powerplant potential and strengthens case for ITER." "The record and scientific...
Source: ukaea.uk

Omicron-variant border bans ignore the evidence, say scientists Mallapaty, Smriti. Nature 2021.

Researchers say travel restrictions in response to the newly detected coronavirus variant come too late and could even slow studies of Omicron. Researchers say travel restrictions in response to the newly detected coronavirus variant come too late and could even slow studies of Omicron.
Source: nature.com

The unhealthy industry playbook

What Public Health Practitioners Need to Know About Unhealthy IndustryTactics. Attack legitimate science. e.g. Accuse science of deception, calling it “junk science” or “bad science,” claiming science is manipulated to fulfill a political agenda. Attack and intimidate the scientists. e.g. Create...
Source: aphapublications.org

Will MIT Scientists' Powerful Magnet Lead Us to Nuclear Fusion Energy? - Slashdot

"A start-up founded by scientists at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology says it is nearing a technological milestone that could take the world a step closer to fusion energy, which has eluded scientists for decades," reports the New York Times: Researchers at M.I.T.'s Plasma Science and Fus...
Source: slashdot.org

Cauliflower and Chaos, Fractals in Every Floret

Scientists take a crack at recreating the hypnotic fractal spirals of the Romanesco cauliflower.
Source: nytimes.com