The National Institute of Standards and Technology has established the AI Safety Institute to develop guidelines and standards for AI measurement and policy.
The U.S. AI Safety Institute is a consortium of AI creators and users, academics, government and industry researchers, and civil society organizations. [ more ]
The Dean W. Lytle Electrical & Computer Engineering Endowed Lecture Series is an annual event featuring renowned researchers in the field of communications and machine learning.
The lectureship is supported by an endowment established in 2006 through fundraising efforts led by Louis Scharf and donations from the UW ECE community. [ more ]
Leveraging AI and Automation to Streamline Clinical Trial Data Management - DATAVERSITY
Clinical trials are critical in developing and approving new medical treatments and technologies.These trials generate massive data that needs to be managed efficiently and accurately to ensure patient safety and successful research outcomes.The good news is that advances in AI and automation technology, such as AI-based data extraction, virtual clinical trials, and predictive analytics, are making it easier for clinical trial managers to streamline their clinical trial Data Management processes and gain insights that can help improve patient outcomes.
Why Reddit's decision to cut off researchers is bad for its businessand humanity
Reddit CEO made a strategic error by introducing paywalls for accessing Reddit data without considering the impact on valuable community members and researchers.
Reddit promised to provide increased access through an online application, but many public interest researchers have heard nothing back and key archives of historical data remain inaccessible. [ more ]
Canada names more than 100 Chinese, Russian institutions it says pose a threat to national security | CBC News
Canadian universities and researchers studying advanced technologies will be ineligible for federal grants if they're affiliated with foreign institutions deemed a threat to national security.
The federal government released a list of over 100 institutions in China, Russia, and Iran that are connected to their respective countries' militaries and state security agencies.
Researchers in sensitive research areas will need to attest that they aren't working with or receiving money from any foreign organizations and institutions cited as threats to national security. [ more ]
Canada names more than 100 Chinese, Russian institutions it says pose a threat to national security | CBC News
Canadian universities and researchers studying advanced technologies will be ineligible for federal grants if they're affiliated with foreign institutions deemed a threat to national security.
The federal government released a list of over 100 institutions in China, Russia, and Iran that are connected to their respective countries' militaries and state security agencies.
Researchers in sensitive research areas will need to attest that they aren't working with or receiving money from any foreign organizations and institutions cited as threats to national security. [ more ]
TikTok restricts tool used by researchers - and its critics - to assess content on its platform
TikTok has restricted a tool that researchers use to analyze popular videos, including specific hashtags.
The change comes after criticism of TikTok's handling of content related to the Israel-Hamas conflict and allegations of suppressing topics not aligned with the Chinese government. [ more ]
'Gay furry hackers' break into Idaho National Laboratory nuclear lab
A hacktivist group known as Siegedsec broke into the Idaho National Laboratory (INL) and leaked the names of researchers online.
The leaked data included personal information such as full names, dates of birth, email addresses, and physical addresses.
The group has previously targeted organizations like NATO and Atlassian, and their motive appears to be causing disruption rather than financial gain. [ more ]
'Gay furry hackers' break into Idaho National Laboratory nuclear lab
A hacktivist group known as Siegedsec broke into the Idaho National Laboratory (INL) and leaked the names of researchers online.
The leaked data included personal information such as full names, dates of birth, email addresses, and physical addresses.
The group has previously targeted organizations like NATO and Atlassian, and their motive appears to be causing disruption rather than financial gain. [ more ]
#ICYMI: FPF published âThe Playbook: Data Sharing for Research,â a set of #best practices for instituting research #data-sharing programs between corporations and #research institutions. Check out the Playbook and our companion infographic. â¬ï¸ https://t.co/ViRI4PbORJ
FPF Releases "The Playbook: Data Sharing for Research" Report and Infographic
1. The Playbook for Data Sharing for Research report provides a comprehensive overview of the different approaches to sharing data for research purposes.
2. The report includes guidance on best practices for data sharing, including considerations for privacy, security, transparency, and accountability.
3. The Playbook also includes an infographic
#ICYMI: FPF published âThe Playbook: Data Sharing for Research,â a set of #best practices for instituting research #data-sharing programs between corporations and #research institutions.
FPF Releases "The Playbook: Data Sharing for Research" Report and Infographic
1. The Playbook for Data Sharing for Research report provides a comprehensive overview of the different approaches to sharing data for research purposes.
2. The report includes guidance on best practices for data sharing, including considerations for privacy, security, transparency, and accountability.
3. The Playbook also includes an infographic
#ICYMI: FPF published “The Playbook: Data Sharing for Research,” a set of #best practices for instituting research #data-sharing programs between corporations and #research institutions.
FPF Releases "The Playbook: Data Sharing for Research" Report and Infographic
1. The Playbook for Data Sharing for Research report provides a comprehensive overview of the different approaches to sharing data for research purposes.
2. The report includes guidance on best practices for data sharing, including considerations for privacy, security, transparency, and accountability.
3. The Playbook also includes an infographic
#ICYMI: FPF published “The Playbook: Data Sharing for Research,” a set of best practices for instituting research data-sharing programs between corporations and research institutions.
FPF Releases "The Playbook: Data Sharing for Research" Report and Infographic
1. The Playbook for Data Sharing for Research report provides a comprehensive overview of the different approaches to sharing data for research purposes.
2. The report includes guidance on best practices for data sharing, including considerations for privacy, security, transparency, and accountability.
3. The Playbook also includes an infographic
The Republican Lab-Leak Circus Makes One Important Point
A congressional investigation into the potential lab leak origin of the COVID-19 pandemic has revealed that the US government has failed to adequately investigate the issue.
The investigation has highlighted the need for increased transparency and oversight in the field of biosecurity research.
Despite the limited evidence available, the investigation has suggested that the lab leak hypothesis of the COVID-19 pandemic should not be ruled out. [ more ]
What California Can Do as Home Insurance Companies Retreat in Face of Mounting Climate Change Risks | KQED
A home burns as the Camp Fire rages through Paradise on Nov. 8, 2018.(Noah Berger/The Associated Press)
After State Farm declared in late May that it wouldn't sell any new home insurance policies in California, people shopping around for new insurance had one fewer option.When days later it was revealed that Allstate had quietly made the same decision last year, Californians are now left wondering: How bad is this?
How Greyhound Racing Drove the Evolution of a Superparasite
In 2017 Ray Kaplan, a parasitologist and veterinarian then at the University of Georgia, started receiving e-mails from colleagues around the U.S. asking for help with resistant parasitic infections in dogs.The parasites were hookworms, a group of roundworm species that target animals and humans.Kaplan specializes in livestock animals, not pets.
New Ohio Gender-Affirming Care Ban Requires Erroneous Mental Health Screening
This provision ignores scientific consensus that conditions like depression don't "cause" someone to be trans.These screenings don't provide access to gender-affirming care for trans youth; rather, they erect a formidable barrier to even obtaining mental health care.StockRocket / Getty Images In a concerning turn of events, Ohio has become the newest addition to the growing list of states progressing gender affirming care bans for transgender youth out of legislative committees.
Pebbles from an Asteroid Are about to Be Delivered to Earth, and It's Totally Awesome
What would it be like to hold a piece of outer space in your hand?Some lucky scientists will find out soon when NASA's OSIRIS-REx spacecraft (shorthand for Origins, Spectral Interpretation, Resource Identification, Security-Regolith Explorer) returns from its seven-year mission.The probe will drop off a canister holding about a cup of pebbles and dust from the surface of the near-Earth asteroid Bennu.
Nikki Haley, the former governor of South Carolina, was the first prominent candidate to announce a challenge to former President Donald J. Trump's bid for the Republican presidential nomination.Since entering the race in February, Ms. Haley has weighed in on social issues and tapped into her experience as a former United Nations ambassador under Mr. Trump to criticize current U.S. foreign policy.
Everyone Says Social Media Is Bad for Teens. Proving It Is Another Thing.
There have been increasingly loud public warnings that social media is harming teenagers' mental health most recently from the United States surgeon general adding to many parents' fears about what all the time spent on phones is doing to their children's brains.While many scientists share the concern, there is little research to prove that social media is harmful or to indicate which sites, apps or features are problematic.
Meta to Lower Age for Users of Virtual Reality Headset to 10 From 13
Meta, the owner of Facebook and Instagram, plans to lower the recommended age for using its Quest headset to 10 years old from 13 years old, the company said in a blog post on Friday, a move that could set off new privacy and safety concerns with parents and global watchdogs.The company is discussing its plans with regulators, two people familiar with Meta's conversations said, and is trying to assuage immediate concerns over whether younger children using the headset could be subject to greater risk.
Podcast challenges narrative of 1997 Bridgeport hate crime
The new podcast " You Didn't See Nothin " takes a critical look at the media narrative that followed the 1997 Armour Square neighborhood beating of 13-year-old Lenard Clark Jr., a Black child who lived in the Stateway Gardens public housing development, going to get air for his bike tire, by a group of white Bridgeport teens ages 17 to 19.
Immigrants Face Medical Neglect, Solitary Confinement and Torture in ICE Jails
Members of the activist group Rise And Resist gather in a silent protest inside the World Trade Center on September 12, 2019.Erik McGregor / LightRocket / Getty Images This story was originally published at Prism.CW: This story includes descriptions of torture in immigrant detention and mentions of death by suicide At least three facilities operated by the private prison company CoreCivic systematically use torture as retaliation against immigrants who denounce the conditions of detention, according to advocates, attorneys, researchers, and detainees.
Found: Giant Freshwater Deposits Hiding under the Sea
On a clear September day in 2015, after 10 years of working to get funding, my colleague Kerry Key and I stepped aboard the R/V Langseth, a research ship docked at the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution in Massachusetts.We were about to lead a 10-day expedition to map a deposit of fresh water, size unknown, hidden 100 meters (about 330 feet) under the rocky seafloor.
My wife was annoyed, I couldn't do chores or hold the baby - even the doctors were fed up with me: my life with chronic pain
Chronic pain can affect more than just physical health, with many individuals struggling with depression, anger, and frustration due to the lack of control they have over their bodies.
While medical support is important, it is also important to remember that those living with chronic pain need emotional support and compassion from their family and friends in order to cope with their condition. [ more ]
California reaches settlement with Bay Area developer in first enforcement under Tenant Protection Act
(Rich Pedroncelli / Associated Press)
A Bay Area developer has agreed to lower rent for several tenants and pay hundreds of thousands of dollars in fines and penalties as part of California's first settlement under the Tenant Protection Act, the state attorney general announced Friday.The settlement was reached with San Jose-based Green Valley Corp., also known as Swenson Builders, a Silicon Valley landlord, which raised rent for 20 of its employees more than 150% on average and evicted six of them during the pandemic in 2021.
Germany's return of sacred Kogi masks to Colombia may have health risks
Germany has returned two wooden masks of the indigenous Kogi community to Colombia but conceded that wearing the sacred artefacts in ceremonies may come with a health risk because they were treated with toxic pesticides during their time in German museums.The masks, which date back to the mid-15th century and have been held in ethnological collections in Berlin for over a century, were handed over to Colombia's president, Gustavo Petro, by his German counterpart Frank-Walter Steinmeier at a ceremony in Berlin on Friday.
Daniel Ellsberg, former defense analyst who released top-secret Pentagon Papers, dies at 92
Daniel Ellsberg, the defense analyst whose unauthorized release of the top-secret Pentagon Papers triggered court battles over freedom of the press and led to calamity for the presidency of Richard M. Nixon, has died.One of America's most famous whistleblowers, Ellsberg died Friday at his home in Kensington, Calif., his family said his death in a statement to the New York Times.
New species of dinosaur with armoured body discovered on Isle of Wight
Scientists have discovered a new species of dinosaur on the Isle of Wight for the first time in 142 years.Vectipelta barretti, which belongs to a group of plant-eating dinosaurs known as ankylosaur, was found in the island's Wessex Formation a fossil site dating back to somewhere between 145 to 66 million years ago.
First armoured dinosaur discovered on Isle of Wight in 142 years'
A new species of dinosaur with an armoured body has been discovered on the Isle of Wight for the first time in 142 years.Belonging to a group of plant-eating dinosaurs known as ankylosaur, its remains were found in the island's Wessex Formation a fossil site dating back to somewhere between 145 to 66 million years ago.
Ocean temperatures are off the charts, and El Nino is only partly to blame
(Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)
In a world of worsening climate extremes, a single red line has caught many people's attention.The line, which charts sea surface temperatures in the North Atlantic Ocean, went viral over the weekend for its startling display of unprecedented warming - nearly 2 degrees (1.09 Celsius) above the mean dating back to 1982, the earliest year with comparable data.
Astronomers can measure how fast stars spin by observing starquakesseismic tremors that are the equivalent of earthquakes on our planet.Yet these observations have posed a puzzle because many stars seem to be spinning slower than they should be.In a new study, researchers modeled how a magnetic field could grow in the internal layers of a star, dragging its rotation down.
Climate Change Has Made California's Wildfires Five Times Bigger
CLIMATEWIRE | The amount of land scorched by wildfires in California has been on the rise for decades, and human-caused climate change is almost entirely to blame.A new study, published Monday in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, finds that California's summertime burned area has increased fivefold since 1971.
In the early 1990s, when I was a Ph.D. student at the Free University of Berlin modeling the evolution of bee color perception, I asked a botany professor for some advice about flower pigments.I wanted to know the degrees of freedom that flowers have in producing colors to signal to bees.He replied, rather furiously, that he was not going to engage in a discussion with me, because I worked in a neurobiological laboratory where invasive procedures on live honeybees were performed.
Scientists Create Human Embryo-like Structures with Stem Cells
Scientists have created synthetic blobs that resemble a 14-day-old human embryo for the first time, meaning they can study embryo development beyond a particularly tricky period of pregnancy.Historically, international rules prevent research on human embryos more than 14 days after fertilization.But the new technique uses stem cells, which have the potential to transform into any other type of cell, such as a heart, skin or even brain cell, to mimic embryos.
When I asked ChatGPT to name the editor in chief of Spektrum der Wissenschaft, the German-language sister publication of Scientific American, the answer was, I have the latest information until 2021, and at that time Dr. Florian Freistetter was the editor-in-chief of Spektrum der Wissenschaft.However, it is possible that the information has changed since then.
Campaigners call on Government to extend paid paternity leave to six weeks
Campaigners are calling on the Government to extend paid paternity leave from two to six weeks in the UK after research found it could reduce the gender pay gap.A report from the Centre for Progressive Policy think tank (CPP) and charity Pregnant Then Screwed (PTS) analysed Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) data to explore the economic and health impacts of extending the statutory entitlement to paternity leave and pay.
Neuroscientists usually investigate one brain at a time.They observe how neurons fire as a person reads certain words, for example, or plays a video game.As social animals, however, those same scientists do much of their work togetherbrainstorming hypotheses, puzzling over problems and fine-tuning experimental designs.
Wrist-Worn Mobile Alcohol Sensor May Boost Alcohol-Use Research
A new wrist-worn mobile alcohol sensor may help researchers better understand and monitor alcohol use.
The sensor provides accurate readings of alcohol levels in sweat and requires minimal effort from the user.
The sensor's data can be used to create personalized feedback for people who use alcohol in order to help them make informed decisions about their drinking habits. [ more ]
Testosterone Therapy Does Not Raise Heart Risk in a Group of Men
The largest study ever done to evaluate the safety of hormone replacement for men has reassuring news for a limited group of patients whose bodies don't produce enough testosterone, finding that the hormone does not increase heart attacks, strokes and cardiac deaths.The new results, which come from a large clinical trial of the kind considered the gold standard in medicine, do not put all concerns to rest.
Why sharks are at a much greater risk of going extinct than previously thought
A Caribbean reef shark at the surface near the Bahamas.(Alexis Rosenfeld/Getty Images)A massive new survey of nearly 400 coral reefs around the world reveals sharks once common in those waters are vanishing, a troubling sign that the fearsome fish are at a much greater risk of going extinct than previously thought.
June temperatures briefly passed key climate threshold. Scientists expect more such spikes
Worldwide temperatures briefly exceeded a key warming threshold earlier this month, a hint of heat and its harms to come, scientists worry.The mercury has since dipped again, but experts say the short surge marked a new global heat record for June and indicates more extremes ahead as the planet enters an El Nino phase that could last years.
Intel is set to be the first company to ship a commercial quantum processor, with the launch of its 49-qubit chip planned for the end of 2023.
This milestone could mark a significant step towards the development of quantum computers for commercial use, as it will allow scientists and developers to start exploring the potential of the technology. [ more ]
On Tuesday, an autopsy report shared with The New York Times showed that the Olympic sprinter Tori Bowie, who was found dead in May, was eight months pregnant and in labor at the time of her death.She was 32 years old.The report identified complications of childbirth as the cause of death, listing eclampsia and respiratory distress as possible factors.
Tools to Assess Crime Risk for Young Cohorts Likely to Fail over Time
Technology-based tools intended to predict crime risk among young cohorts are likely to become obsolete over time due to changing social and economic conditions.
Effective crime prevention strategies should be tailored to the needs of each individual community, taking into account changing social and economic conditions.
An interdisciplinary approach combining machine learning, social science, and public policy is required to develop reliable tools for assessing crime risk. [ more ]
At Last, Astronomers May Have Seen the Universe's First Stars
The James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) was built primarily to transform our understanding of the early universe.Less than a year after it was switched on, it is delivering, finding galaxies earlier in the universe than any seen before.Yet the telescope has another, less publicized goal in probing those earliest moments after the big bang 13.8 billion years ago.
Wireless Olfactory Feedback System Lets Users Smell in VR World
A new wireless olfactory feedback system developed by the University of Tokyo provides a new way of experiencing virtual reality by allowing users to smell the environment of the virtual world.
The system uses an array of scent-emitting devices connected to a computer and is able to detect and respond to user movements in real-time. [ more ]
Robotic Dog Spots Invasive Fire Ant Nests Better Than Humans
Robotic dogs can be effectively used to detect invasive fire ant nests more accurately and efficiently than humans.
Automation of pest control can help reduce the need for labor-intensive manual checks, and can help protect the environment from further damage caused by fire ants.
Artificial Intelligence and Robotics can help us solve many environmental challenges and make pest control more efficient and cost-effective. [ more ]
GOP Is Trying to Slash Food Aid to Kids Who Are Already Struggling to Access It
A crucial form of federal nutritional assistance failed to reach the majority of eligible young children in recent years, even as conservative lawmakers have tried to smear public benefits recipients and further curtail their access to food aid.A study published last month by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) found that in 2018, 53.4 percent of kids between the ages of 1 and 4 weren't receiving help through the Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children (WIC), despite receiving benefits through the Supplemental Nutritional Assistance Program (SNAP).
When the web and the iPhone appeared on the scene, they forced businesses to adopt new ways of interacting with their customers by investing in websites and mobile apps and reimagining business processes along the way.This created opportunities for companies like New Relic to help the world build better applications.
How Self-Compassion Can Improve Teen Mental Health - Mindful
Teens in the US are suffering.The reasons are many, including the lingering effects of the pandemic, fears stemming from unrelenting school shootings, and anguish about climate change.As a result, suicide rates have skyrocketed over the last decade, with suicide now the second leading cause of death among teens.
When Disaster Strikes, Is Climate Change to Blame?
Last November the spring weather in South America jumped from cold to searing.Usually at that time of year people would have been holding backyard barbecues, or asados, in the lingering evening light.But on December 7 the temperature in northern Argentina, near the borders of Bolivia and Paraguay, hit 115 degrees Fahrenheit, making it one of the hottest places on Earth.
Bluestreak cleaner wrasses are entrepreneurial fish.This tiny, shiny species sets up shop in coral reefs, where it eats parasites off of client fish, some of them big and hungry.It's a dangerous business that requires impeccable social skills.No wonder, then, that these fish can identify other individuals by their facesand even recognize their own, according to a recent study in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences USA.
Roger Payne, who shared whale songs with the world, dies at 88
Biologist Roger Payne aboard a research vessel in 2002.His discovery that whales can sing galvanized a movement to end commercial whaling.(Christopher Johnson/Ocean Alliance/AP)Roger Payne, a biologist who put his ear to the ocean and pioneered the study of whale songs, recording the creatures' hypnotic, intricately patterned vocalizations - haunting wails, birdlike chirps, playful squeals and mournful moos - for a hit album that galvanized the anti-whaling movement and seemed to suggest the animals had a far richer inner life than previously imagined, died June 10 at his home in South Woodstock, Vt.
Using gaps in location data to track illegal fishing
Speaking of non-location in the seas, researchers at the University of California at Santa Cruz, NOAA Fisheries, and Global Fishing Watch are trying to use the absence of data to identify boats fishing illegally.Harry Stevens for The Washington Post has the maps showing when fishermen turned off their transponders to hide location.
These are California's dirtiest beaches. Is your favorite on the list?
(Luis Sinco / Los Angeles Times)
Most of the time, California's waves are safe for swimmers and surfers to enjoy, but water quality experts warn there are certain times - and certain spots - that beachgoers may want to avoid.Heal the Bay outlines those locations in its annual report card of the state's beaches.
Getting Federal Dollars to Communities: An Action Agenda - Non Profit News | Nonprofit Quarterly
It's not sexy, but it's true: the most important part of policy is implementation.It is all well and good to have bill signing ceremonies, such as when President Joe Biden the Inflation Reduction Act.But legislation only creates the opportunity for social change.Federal legislation like the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, the Creating Helpful Incentives to Produce Semiconductors (CHIPS) and Science Act, and the Inflation Reduction Act could be game changers or duds.
AI Chatbots Could Help Provide Therapy, but Caution Is Needed
On Reddit forums, many users discussing mental health have enthused about their interactions with ChatGPTOpenAI's artificial intelligence chatbot, which conducts humanlike conversations by predicting the likely next word in a sentence.ChatGPT is better than my therapist, one user wrote, adding that the program listened and responded as the person talked about their struggles with managing their thoughts.
Battle for Oak Flat: How Apache opposition to a copper mine became a religious liberty test
On a recent morning about an hour outside Phoenix, the pounding of tribal drums reverberated across the desert from a stand of oaks in the Tonto National Forest, where nearly 20 men had packed into a squat green sweat lodge to pray.Members of several Native American tribes, the men had come to take part in the grueling spiritual ceremony under the guidance of Wendsler Nosie Sr., a 64-year-old Apache elder who has emerged in recent years as an influential religious and environmental activist - not only in this small pocket of Arizona, but nationally.
Wildfire burn areas in California are growing ever larger due to greenhouse gas emissions
(Luis Sinco / Los Angeles Times)
Although California may be enjoying a lull in this year's wildfire season - courtesy of a wet winter and a cool spring - scientists say humanity's relentless burning of fossil fuels has ensured that wildland fires will scorch ever larger portions of the state, perhaps as much as 52% more by midcentury.
How California schools are spending billions in record pandemic aid
(Jason Armond / Los Angeles Times)
California schools districts are largely on track to spend billions of dollars in pandemic aid before their 2024 deadline - with much of the funding targeting summer and after-school learning - but questions persist over how well the money is being spent to help students make up ground academically, researchers have concluded.
Brand colors shape how people perceive your business.Up to 80% of snap judgments about products are solely based on color alone.That's right, 80%!
Think about McDonald's for a moment.What pops into your mind?The yellow arches, right?McDonald's has done a fantastic job of using its colors to establish a memorable brand identity that stays with you long after you've finished your burger and fries.
Around the world, most of the 1.4 billion tons of food thrown away each year goes to landfills.As it rots, it pollutes water and soil and releases huge amounts of methane, one of the most potent greenhouse gases.But not in South Korea, which banned food scraps from its landfills almost 20 years ago.
Facing Crisis, Egypt's Leader Tries New Tack: Talking to Opponents
Facing a ruinous economic crisis, President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi recently decided it was time to hold talks with what was left of Egypt's political opposition, giving them a seat at the table after nearly a decade of repression, prison and exile.But to an authoritarian leader like Mr. el-Sisi, reconciliation only goes so far.
About 60 percent of U.S. voters do not have a four-year college degree, and they live disproportionately in swing states.As a result, these voters often described as the American working class are crucial to winning elections.Yet many of them are deeply skeptical of today's Democratic Party.Republicans retook control of the House last year by winning most districts with below-median incomes.