Since the US Supreme Court overturned the right to an abortion, estimates suggest that there have been tens of thousands of pregnancies as a result of rape in states with near-total abortion bans. Very few, if any, of those pregnancies were ended by a legal in-state abortion, even if states had exceptions for rape […] Read more about US states had 65,000 rape-related pregnancies after banning abortion[…]
One of the dumber things we’ve seen over the last couple of years is the supposed “war on woke” and (more recently) attacks on “diversity, equity, and inclusion” efforts (often shortened to the acronym DEI). In almost every case, these attacks misrepresent reality to generate culture war bullshit, and make a bunch of false claims Read more about Investigative Report Proves What Most People Already Suspected: The ‘War On Woke & DEI’ Mostly Pushed By A Bunch Of Censorial, Racist Shitheads[…]
[…] The Council of Europe (CoE), an international human rights body with 46 member countries, is approaching the finalisation of the Convention on Artificial Intelligence, Human Rights, Democracy, and the Rule of Law. Since the beginning, the United States, the homeland of the world’s leading AI companies, has been pushing to exclude the private sector Read more about The US really really wants private companies out of EU AI Human Rights treaty – because you can trust them more than governments?[…]
The humble membranes that enclose our cells have a surprising superpower: They can push away nano-sized molecules that happen to approach them. A team including scientists at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) has figured out why, by using artificial membranes that mimic the behavior of natural ones. Their discovery could make a Read more about Cells’ electric fields keep nanoparticles at bay, scientists confirm[…]
Private equity firms are increasingly buying hospitals across the US, and when they do, patients suffer, according to two separate reports. Specifically, the equity firms cut corners, slash services, lay off staff, lower quality of care, take on substantial debt, and reduce charity care, leading to lower ratings and more medical errors, the reports collectively Read more about Hospitals owned by private equity are harming patients, reports find[…]
Aerial surveys have revealed the largest pre-colonial cities in the Amazon yet discovered, linked by an extensive network of roads. “The settlements are much bigger than others in the Amazon,” says Stéphen Rostain at the French National Center for Scientific Research in Paris. “They are comparable with Maya sites.” What’s more, at between 3000 and Read more about Ancient cities discovered in the Amazon are the largest yet found[…]
eBay agreed to pay out a $3 million fine—the maximum criminal penalty—over a twisted scandal that saw top executives and other employees stalking a couple in Massachusetts who published a newsletter that criticized the company. The harassment campaign included online threats, sending employees to surveil the couple’s home, and mailing them disturbing objects—including live spiders Read more about eBay Sent Critics a Bloody Pig Mask and more. Now It’s Paying a $3 Million Fine[…]
Facing more than 30 lawsuits from victims of its massive data breach, 23andMe is now deflecting the blame to the victims themselves in an attempt to absolve itself from any responsibility, according to a letter sent to a group of victims seen by TechCrunch. “Rather than acknowledge its role in this data security disaster, 23andMe Read more about 23andMe tells victims it’s their fault that their data was breached. DNA data, it turns out, is extremely sensitive![…]
As December 2023 was underway, some streamers cleverly thought to play around with Twitch’s restrictions around nudity, broadcasting in such a fashion that implied they were completely naked on camera. Twitch, in response, began banning folks before shifting gears to allow various forms of “artistic nudity” to proliferate on the platform. However, after immediately rescinding Read more about Twitch Is Being American Strange and Bans Implied Nakedness In Response To ‘Nudity Meta’[…]
[…] Among sportspeople and military vets, traumatic brain injury (TBI) is one of the major causes of permanent disability and death. Injury statistics show that the majority of TBIs, of which concussion is a subtype, are associated with oblique impacts, which subject the brain to a combination of linear and rotational kinetic energy forces and Read more about Novel helmet liner 30 times better at stopping concussions[…]
Dame Esther Rantzen says a free vote on assisted dying would be top of the agenda if she were PM for a day. “I think it’s important that the law catches up with what the country wants,” the veteran broadcaster told Radio 4’s Today podcast. Earlier this year, the 83-year-old announced she had been diagnosed Read more about People discussing Assisted Dying (Euthanasia) in the UK – apparently it’s still illegal there[…]
Gig workers in the EU will soon get new benefits and protections, making it easier for them to receive employment status. Right now, over 500 digital labor platforms are actively operating in the EU, employing roughly 28 million platform workers. The new rules follow agreements made between the European Parliament and the EU Member States, Read more about European Commission agrees to new rules that will protect gig workers rights – hopefully in ~2 years they will get the rights they need[…]
Using only a sensor-filled helmet combined with artificial intelligence, a team of scientists has announced they can turn a person’s thoughts into written words. In the study, participants read passages of text while wearing a cap that recorded electrical brain activity through their scalp. These electroencephalogram (EEG) recordings were then converted into text using an Read more about Mind-reading AI can translate brainwaves into written text[…]
Mechanical engineers Shervin Foroughi and Mohsen Habibi were painstakingly maneuvering a tiny ultrasound wand over a pool of liquid when they first saw an icicle shape emerge and solidify. […] Most commercial forms of 3-D printing involve extruding fluid materials—plastics, ceramics, metals or even biological compounds—through a nozzle and hardening them layer-by-layer to form computer-drafted Read more about Ultrasound Enables Remote 3-D Printing–Even in the Human Body[…]
The number of birthdays you’ve had—better known as your chronological age—now appears to be less important in assessing your health than ever before. A new study shows that bodily organs get “older” at extraordinarily different rates, and each one’s biological age can be at odds with a person’s age on paper. […] The team sampled Read more about Your Organs Might Be Aging at Different Rates[…]
City lawmakers in Brazil have enacted what appears to be the nation’s first legislation written entirely by artificial intelligence — even if they didn’t know it at the time. The experimental ordinance was passed in October in the southern city of Porto Alegre and city councilman Ramiro Rosário revealed this week that it was written Read more about Brazillian city enacts an ordinance that was written by ChatGPT – might be first law entered by AI[…]
Our mouths might help keep our hunger in check. A recent study found evidence in mice that our brains rely on two separate pathways to regulate our sense of fullness and satiety—one originating from the gut and the other from cells in the mouth that let us perceive taste. The findings could help scientists better Read more about Your Tastebuds Help Tell You When to Stop Eating, New Research Suggests[…]
“The 100-year-old man set off in his pee-slippers (so called because men of an advanced age rarely pee farther than their shoes),” ― Jonas Jonasson, The 100-Year-Old Man Who Climbed Out the Window and Disappeared Guys, as you get older your bladder power goes down. This has some consequences – you don’t pee very far Read more about Aging (for men) – what nobody told you: pee slippers[…]
Researchers at the Zurich-based ETH public university, along with a US-based startup called Inkbit, have done the impossible. They’ve printed a robot hand complete with bones, ligaments and tendons for the very first time, representing a major leap forward in 3D printing technology. It’s worth noting that the various parts of the hand were printed Read more about Researchers printed a robotic hand with bones, ligaments and tendons for the first time[…]
A team of scientists at Northwestern University has developed a synthetic version of melanin that could have a million and one uses. In new research, they showed that their melanin can prevent blistering and accelerate the healing process in tissue samples of freshly injured human skin. The team now plans to further develop their “super Read more about ‘Super Melanin’ Speeds Healing, Stops Sunburn, and More[…]
There is no shortage of researchers and industry titans willing to warn us about the potential destructive power of artificial intelligence. Reading the headlines, one would hope that the rapid gains in AI technology have also brought forth a unifying realization of the risks—and the steps we need to take to mitigate them. The reality, Read more about AI Risks – doomsayers, warriors, reformers[…]
There was a hidden spectator of the NFL match between the Baltimore Ravens and Tennessee Titans in London on Sunday: artificial intelligence. As crazy as it may sound, computers have now been taught to identify on-field head impacts in the NFL automatically, using multiple video angles and machine learning. So a process that would take Read more about AI and smart mouthguards: the new frontline in fight against brain injuries[…]
In July, Seattle-based and tech-backed nonprofit Code.org announced its 10th policy recommendation for all states “to require all students to take computer science (CS) to earn a high school diploma.” In August, Washington State Senator Lisa Wellman phoned-in her plans to introduce a bill to make computer science a Washington high school graduation requirement to Read more about Code.org Presses Washington To Make Computer Science a High School Graduation Requirement – this should be everywhere globally[…]
While the draft EU AI Act prohibits harmful ‘subliminal techniques’, it doesn’t define the term – we suggest a broader definition that captures problematic manipulation cases without overburdening regulators or companies, write Juan Pablo Bermúdez, Rune Nyrup, Sebastian Deterding and Rafael A. Calvo. Juan Pablo Bermúdez is a Research Associate at Imperial College London; Rune Read more about The AI Act needs a practical definition of ‘subliminal techniques’ (because those used in Advertising aren’t enough)[…]
In the wake of the onslaught of the covid-19, employees across the world grew chummy with a perfectly appropriate remote work schedule that allows them to work from home. However, one of the companies that carried pandemic digital infrastructure on its back, Zoom, isn’t too keen on keeping remote workers away from the office since Read more about Zoom CEO Says It’s Hard to Build Trust Over Zoom[…]