Environmental historian Vicki Szabo and her team of archaeologists, historians, folklorists and geneticists are trying to figure out medieval Icelanders' attitudes to blue whales. Did they revere them as their protectors? Did they hunt them for food? Was it both? @hakaimagazine's Andrew Chapman reports on the work of this multi-disciplinary team, and what their findings might tell us about historical and modern whale populations.
Backstabbing, bluffing and playing dead: has AI learned to deceive? – podcast
“Dr Peter Park, an AI existential safety researcher at MIT and author of the research, tells Ian Sample about the different examples of deception he uncovered, and why they will be so difficult to tackle as long as AI remains a black box.”
How did vitamins come to be called after letters of the alphabet? National Geographic's Erin Blakemore looks at the history and discovery of these vital dietary components, and why vitamin K bucks the naming trend.
‘Treat food companies like cigarette companies who are trying to get us addicted’
“Ultra-processed foods are designed to make us overeat and are causing both the obesity and mental health crises in the UK, says scientist and author Tim Spector.”
‘Treat food companies like cigarette companies who are trying to get us addicted’
“Ultra-processed foods are designed to make us overeat and are causing both the obesity and mental health crises in the UK, says scientist and author Tim Spector.”
Thomas Willis (1621-1675) : Neurologist, Chemist, Physician
“Willis is not only credited to be the founder of neurology, but he is also seen as the father of comparative neuroanatomy, as his work, in particular Cerebri anatome and De anima brutorum, compare the human brain with that of other species in ‘search for specific human abilities in cognitive functions’ (Molnár, p. 334).”
Thomas Willis (1621-1675) : Neurologist, Chemist, Physician
“Willis is not only credited to be the founder of neurology, but he is also seen as the father of comparative neuroanatomy, as his work, in particular Cerebri anatome and De anima brutorum, compare the human brain with that of other species in ‘search for specific human abilities in cognitive functions’ (Molnár, p. 334).”
"A Bayesian analysis showed that participants had high expectations and performed descriptively better irrespective of the AI description when a sham-AI was present. Using cognitive modeling, we could trace this advantage back to participants gathering more information."
Agnes Mercedes Kloft, Robin Welsch, Thomas Kosch, and Steeven Villa. 2024. "AI enhances our performance, I have no doubt this one will do the same": The Placebo effect is robust to negative descriptions of AI. In Proceedings of the CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems (CHI '24). Association for Computing Machinery, New York, NY, USA, Article 299, 1–24. https://doi.org/10.1145/3613904.3642633
"A Bayesian analysis showed that participants had high expectations and performed descriptively better irrespective of the AI description when a sham-AI was present. Using cognitive modeling, we could trace this advantage back to participants gathering more information."
Agnes Mercedes Kloft, Robin Welsch, Thomas Kosch, and Steeven Villa. 2024. "AI enhances our performance, I have no doubt this one will do the same": The Placebo effect is robust to negative descriptions of AI. In Proceedings of the CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems (CHI '24). Association for Computing Machinery, New York, NY, USA, Article 299, 1–24. https://doi.org/10.1145/3613904.3642633
"A Bayesian analysis showed that participants had high expectations and performed descriptively better irrespective of the AI description when a sham-AI was present. Using cognitive modeling, we could trace this advantage back to participants gathering more information."
Agnes Mercedes Kloft, Robin Welsch, Thomas Kosch, and Steeven Villa. 2024. "AI enhances our performance, I have no doubt this one will do the same": The Placebo effect is robust to negative descriptions of AI. In Proceedings of the CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems (CHI '24). Association for Computing Machinery, New York, NY, USA, Article 299, 1–24. https://doi.org/10.1145/3613904.3642633
"A Bayesian analysis showed that participants had high expectations and performed descriptively better irrespective of the AI description when a sham-AI was present. Using cognitive modeling, we could trace this advantage back to participants gathering more information."
Agnes Mercedes Kloft, Robin Welsch, Thomas Kosch, and Steeven Villa. 2024. "AI enhances our performance, I have no doubt this one will do the same": The Placebo effect is robust to negative descriptions of AI. In Proceedings of the CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems (CHI '24). Association for Computing Machinery, New York, NY, USA, Article 299, 1–24. https://doi.org/10.1145/3613904.3642633
The History of Ions: Unveiling the Electric Charge
"Around 1830, Faraday posited the existence of charged particles within molecules that migrate between electrodes during electrolysis—an idea ahead of its time."
#Image attribution: Science History Institute, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons. Page URL: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Michael_Faraday_-_Man_of_Science_-_DPLA_-_5f2b65726e7d4bb523e98ae61828bc11_(page_6).jpg
The History of Ions: Unveiling the Electric Charge
"Around 1830, Faraday posited the existence of charged particles within molecules that migrate between electrodes during electrolysis—an idea ahead of its time."
#Image attribution: Science History Institute, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons. Page URL: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Michael_Faraday_-_Man_of_Science_-_DPLA_-_5f2b65726e7d4bb523e98ae61828bc11_(page_6).jpg
The History of Ions: Unveiling the Electric Charge
"Around 1830, Faraday posited the existence of charged particles within molecules that migrate between electrodes during electrolysis—an idea ahead of its time."
#Image attribution: Science History Institute, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons. Page URL: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Michael_Faraday_-_Man_of_Science_-_DPLA_-_5f2b65726e7d4bb523e98ae61828bc11_(page_6).jpg
AI deception: A survey of examples, risks, and potential solutions
"Large language models and other AI systems have already learned, from their training, the ability to deceive via techniques such as manipulation, sycophancy, and cheating the safety test. AI’s increasing capabilities at deception pose serious risks, ranging from short-term risks, such as fraud and election tampering, to long-term risks, such as losing control of AI systems."
AI deception: A survey of examples, risks, and potential solutions
"Large language models and other AI systems have already learned, from their training, the ability to deceive via techniques such as manipulation, sycophancy, and cheating the safety test. AI’s increasing capabilities at deception pose serious risks, ranging from short-term risks, such as fraud and election tampering, to long-term risks, such as losing control of AI systems."
High levels of ultra-processed foods linked with early death, brain issues.
I found that for me, it was much easier to cut out highly-processed foods altogether (I went on a whole-food non-animal diet) that it was to "cut back." By cutting them out altogether, I lost my taste for them in just a few weeks.
This can easily be ascribed to folks that are poorer, working longer and harder jobs, without the time to make healthier meals for themselves (eating freezer meals or cheaper processed foods) die earlier than richer folks.
So its not what they eat. Its just that they're poor. So they lack healthcare and have higher stress lives.
Rich people, who have healthcare and more stability (thus lesser stress lives) tend to eat higher quality food. But its not the food that causes them to live longer, its the healthcare and lower stress.
See attached for the key points. Notice the last point on limitations by the study. The researchers SPECIFICALLY warned not to make the assumptions that the article writers (and that terribly false headline) made.
"Researchers publish largest-ever dataset of neural connections
A cubic millimeter of brain tissue may not sound like much. But considering that that tiny square contains 57,000 cells, 230 millimeters of blood vessels, and 150 million synapses, all amounting to 1,400 terabytes of data, Harvard and Google researchers have just accomplished something stupendous."
Congratulations to Harvard University History of Science doctoral candidate Aaron Gluck-Thaler on the 2024-25 CBI Tomash Fellowship. We are thrilled to have Aaron as a fellow in the upcoming academic year! #ai#artificialintelligence#surveillance#science#tech#history
DeepMind’s AI can ‘predict how all of life’s molecules interact with each other’
"AlphaFold 3 is able to envision how the complex shapes and networks of molecules – present in every cell in the human body – are connected and how the smallest of changes in these can affect biological functions that can lead to diseases."
"...our data suggested that the Japanese population could be best modeled by admixtures of three ancestral components (hereafter K1 to K3). K1 to K3 were the highest in Okinawa, Northeast, and West, respectively (Fig. 1D and table S4). K1 (Okinawa) component maintains a relatively stable fraction of around 12% in Hondo subgroups, except for South (which is a region adjacent to Okinawa), with a higher proportion of 22%. K2 (Northeast) and K3 (West) components showed a cline from West to East."
Xiaoxi Liu et al., Decoding triancestral origins, archaic introgression, and natural selection in the Japanese population by whole-genome sequencing. Sci. Adv. 10, eadi8419 (2024). DOI: https://www.doi.org/10.1126/sciadv.adi8419
Seeking Ultimates: An Intuitive Guide to Physics, Second Edition by Peter T. Landsberg, 2020
Takes us on a journey that explores the limits of our scientific knowledge, emphasizing the gaps that are left. The book starts with everyday concepts such as temperature, and proceeds to energy, the Periodic Table, and then to more advanced ideas.
"What starts off as a simple desire to get a macro shot of a droplet of water freezing quickly leads George to the very edge of scientific knowledge and a shocking fact about most of the water on Earth."
Navigating Online Class Accreditation and Legitimacy: A Comprehensive Guide
Introduction: In recent years, the landscape of education has undergone a significant transformation with the rise of online learning platforms. As more students opt for the convenience and flexibility of online classes, questions regarding accreditation and legitimacy have become increasingly prevalent. In this blog, we will delve into the nuances of online class accreditation and legitimacy, exploring what these terms mean, why they matter, and how students can navigate them effectively to make informed decisions about their education.
As students navigate the realm of online education, resources like Take My Course offer valuable assistance in managing academic responsibilities efficiently. Whether seeking help with coursework or scheduling, platforms like these provide personalized support tailored to individual needs, contributing to a smoother learning journey.
Understanding Accreditation: Accreditation serves as a crucial indicator of the quality and legitimacy of an educational institution or program. It is a voluntary process through which institutions undergo rigorous evaluation by accrediting agencies to ensure that they meet established standards of academic excellence and integrity. For online classes, accreditation provides assurance to students, employers, and other stakeholders that the education they receive meets recognized standards of quality and rigor.
For nursing students, accessing reliable academic support services such as Nursing Dissertation Help can be instrumental in achieving academic success. From crafting dissertations to refining research skills, these services offer specialized assistance that aligns with the unique requirements of nursing education.
The Importance of Accreditation in Online Learning: In the realm of online education, accreditation plays a pivotal role in establishing credibility and trust. Accredited online programs are recognized by employers and academic institutions alike, making it easier for students to transfer credits, pursue further education, and secure employment opportunities. Moreover, accreditation ensures that students receive a high-quality education that aligns with industry standards and best practices.
Evaluating Legitimacy: While accreditation serves as a key indicator of legitimacy, it is not the only factor to consider when assessing the credibility of an online class. Legitimacy encompasses a broader range of factors, including the reputation of the institution or platform, the qualifications of instructors, the availability of student support services, and the transparency of policies and procedures. Students should conduct thorough research and due diligence to ensure that the online class they choose is reputable and trustworthy.
Navigating Accreditation and Legitimacy: When exploring online class options, students should prioritize accredited programs offered by reputable institutions or platforms. They should verify the accreditation status of the program through recognized accrediting agencies and research the institution's reputation and track record. Additionally, students should look for indicators of legitimacy, such as qualified instructors, robust student support services, and clear communication channels.
In courses like Remote Collaboration and Evidence-based Care, where practical application is paramount, having access to supplementary resources can enhance the learning experience. Platforms offering collaborative tools and evidence-based resources empower students to engage actively in their studies, fostering a deeper understanding of course material and promoting academic growth.
Conclusion: In the rapidly evolving landscape of online education, navigating accreditation and legitimacy is essential for students seeking to make informed decisions about their academic pursuits. By understanding the significance of accreditation, evaluating the legitimacy of online classes, and conducting thorough research, students can confidently embark on their educational journey with the assurance that they are investing in a quality and reputable program.