A sacred pilgrimage ended up in the toilet for several travelers earlier this year. Health officials in Europe have reported an outbreak of superbug cholera traced back to tainted holy water sourced from Ethiopia. Health officials in Germany and the UK detailed the strange outbreak in a report published Thursday in the journal Eurosurveillance. At least Read more about Cholera Outbreak Traced to Holy Water From Ethiopia[…]
People “are likely to continue working full-time even if they receive no-strings-attached universal basic income payments,” reports CNN, citing results from a recent experiment in Germany (discussed on Slashdot in 2020): Mein Grundeinkommen (My Basic Income), the Berlin-based non-profit that ran the German study, followed 122 people for three years. From June 2021 to May Read more about Germany’s ‘Universal Basic Income’ Experiment Proves It Doesn’t Encourage Unmployment[…]
Described in a paper published in Nature Neuroscience this week, the neuroprosthesis is intended to allow patients with severe paralysis and anarthria – loss of speech – to communicate by turning brain signals into synthesized words. “Our streaming approach brings the same rapid speech decoding capacity of devices like Alexa and Siri to neuroprostheses,” said Read more about Speech now streaming from brains in real-time, code open sourced[…]
[…] Scientists at Stanford University led the research, published in Nature. They compared people born before and after they were eligible to take the shingles vaccine in a certain part of the UK, finding that vaccinated people were 20% less likely to be diagnosed with dementia over a seven year period. More research is needed to Read more about Unique Study Is Latest to Show Shingles Vaccine Can Help Prevent Dementia[…]
It’s well-established that, on the whole, Americans die younger than people in most other high-income countries. For instance, an analysis from 2022 found that the average life expectancy of someone born in Switzerland or Spain in 2019 was 84 years. Meanwhile, the average US life expectancy was 78.8, lower than nearly all other high-income countries, Read more about Wealthy Americans have death rates on par with poor Europeans[…]
Meniscus tears are common knee injuries that have long frustrated patients and doctors due to limited repair options.A new 3D-printed hydrogel made from cow meniscus could transform how these injuries heal, according to results of a pre-clinical study published in Bioactive Materials. from researchers in the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania. Read more about Meniscus injuries may soon be treated by customizable hydrogel[…]
Volkswagen is bringing back physical buttons to all its vehicles after pivoting to touch screens in recent years. In an interview with Autocar, Andreas Mindt, design chief at the German auto giant, called the decision to remove these buttons “a mistake.” “From the ID 2all onwards, we will have physical buttons for the five most Read more about In no-brainer, Volkswagen to Bring Back Physical Buttons to All Vehicles – but still misses some important ones[…]
[…] He was able to grasp, move and drop objects just by imagining himself performing the actions. The device, known as a brain-computer interface (BCI), worked for a record 7 months without needing to be adjusted. Until now, such devices have only worked for a day or two. The BCI relies on an AI model Read more about Paralyzed man moves robotic arm with his thoughts[…]
[…] In the study, published in Nature, the scientists say that discovering the mechanism will support ongoing clinical trials, and could lead to the targeted use of aspirin to prevent the spread of susceptible types of cancer, and to the development of more effective drugs to prevent cancer metastasis. The scientists caution that, in some Read more about Scientists discover how aspirin could prevent some cancers from spreading[…]
Rutgers Health researchers have made discoveries about brown fat that may open a new path to helping people stay physically fit as they age. A team from Rutgers New Jersey Medical School found that mice lacking a specific gene developed an unusually potent form of brown fat tissue that expanded lifespan and increased exercise capacity Read more about Special type of fat tissue could promote healthful longevity and help maintain exercise capacity in aging (a bit like taking ice baths)[…]
The measles outbreak in Texas has now turned deadly. Texas and federal health officials have just reported the first deaths attributed to the still-growing outbreak, which has sickened over a hundred people. The Texas Department of State Health Services reported the tragic death of an unvaccinated “school-aged” child Wednesday morning. In the first cabinet meeting Read more about Measles Outbreak in Texas Turns Deadly so dumbass anti vax Parents Scramble for Shots[…]
Microscopic particles emitted from brake pads can be more toxic than those emitted in diesel vehicle exhaust, a study has found. This research shows that even with a move to electric vehicles, pollution from cars may not be able to be eradicated. The researchers found that a higher concentration of copper in some commonly used Read more about Brake pad dust can be more toxic than exhaust emissions, study says[…]
Eating from plastic takeout containers may significantly increase the chance of congestive heart failure, a new study finds, and researchers suspect they have identified why: changes to gut biome cause inflammation that damages the circulatory system. The novel two part, peer-reviewed study from Chinese researchers adds to mounting evidence of the risks associated with eating Read more about Eating from plastic (takeout) containers can increase heart failure risk[…]
[…]Buy now, pay later (BNPL) is an increasingly popular payment method, allowing customers to spread payment into interest-free installments over a few weeks or months. Worldwide BNPL spending was $316 billion in 2023 and is expected to grow to $450 billion by 2027. With major retailers such as Walmart and H&M partnering with BNPL providers Read more about Buy now, pay later installment payments increase retail spending, study finds[…]
A robotic hand exoskeleton can help expert pianists learn to play even faster by moving their fingers for them. Robotic exoskeletons have long been used to rehabilitate people who can no longer use their hands due to an injury or medical condition, but using them to improve the abilities of able-bodied people has been less Read more about Robotic exoskeleton can train expert pianists to play faster[…]
You can probably complete an amazing number of tasks with your hands without looking at them. But if you put on gloves that muffle your sense of touch, many of those simple tasks become frustrating. Take away proprioception — your ability to sense your body’s relative position and movement — and you might even end Read more about Robot arm developed that allows sense of touch[…]
I don’t know if anyone else has noticed this but everything seems to be going down the tubes quite fast. And not fun tubes, like at a waterpark. The “ending in shit” kind. The issues are complicated, the reasons diverse, but there are a few culprits who have been making themselves extremely visible. Alongside those Read more about I knew one day I’d have to watch powerful men burn the world down – I just didn’t expect them to be such losers[…]
Meta isn’t stopping at moderation changes. According to both Axios and The New York Times, the company is also pulling the plug on diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) initiatives. That includes removing diversity hiring goals, eliminating the chief diversity officer position and no longer prioritizing minority-owned businesses as vendors, per The Times‘ reporting. When asked to Read more about Meta’s right-wing surrender to Trump also includes an end to DEI programs and trans Messenger themes[…]
Meta is abandoning the use of independent fact checkers on Facebook and Instagram, replacing them with X-style “community notes” where commenting on the accuracy of posts is left to users. In a video posted alongside a blog post by the company on Tuesday, chief executive Mark Zuckerberg said third-party moderators were “too politically biased” and Read more about Meta to get rid of fact-checkers, turn Facebook into a kind of X for Trump[…]
[…] In 2022, Doctorow coined the word “enshittification”, which has just been crowned Macquarie Dictionary’s word of the year. The dictionary defined the word as follows. “The gradual deterioration of a service or product brought about by a reduction in the quality of service provided, especially of an online platform, and as a consequence of Read more about ‘What many of us feel’: why ‘enshittification’ is Macquarie Dictionary’s word of the year | Oxford names ‘Brain rot’ (out of a very poor list)[…]
Education should promote deep inquiry and individual autonomy, but often, it has been used as a vehicle for indoctrination. That’s what Agustina S. Paglayan, a UC San Diego assistant professor of political science in the School of Social Sciences and the School of Global Policy and Strategy, argues in her new book, “Raised to Obey: Read more about Mass education was designed to quash critical thinking, argues researcher[…]
Tiny fragments of microplastics are making their way deep inside our bodies in concerning quantities, significantly through our food and drink. Scientists have recently found a simple and effective means of removing them from water. […] In some cases, up to 90 percent of the NMPs were removed by the boiling and filtering process, though Read more about There’s a Surprisingly Easy Way to Remove Microplastics From Drinking Water – boil it (preferably in hard water)[…]
“Habits play a central role in our daily lives, from making that first cup of coffee in the morning, to the route we take to work, and the routine we follow to prepare for bed. Our research reveals why these automatic behaviours are so powerful — and how we can harness our brain’s mechanisms to Read more about Researchers discover new cognitive blueprint for making and breaking habits[…]
Formula 1 drivers have urged the sport’s governing body to treat them like adults after Max Verstappen and Charles Leclerc were punished for swearing. The Grand Prix Drivers’ Association (GPDA) has also criticised FIA president Mohammed Ben Sulayem for his “tone and language” when addressing the topic. An open letter from the GPDA said: “There Read more about Formula 1 drivers ask FIA to treat them like adults after swearing punishments[…]
Human echolocation has at times allowed people to ride bikes or play basketball despite being completely blind from a very young age. These echolocators typically perceive their environment by clicking sharply with their tongues and listening to differences in the sounds reflected off objects. Brain-imaging studies reveal that expert echolocators display responses to sound in Read more about Anyone Can Learn Echolocation in Just 10 Weeks—And It Remodels Your Brain[…]