Artificial Intelligence (AI)
The urgent problem of regulating AI in medicine
Proto Life
How should medical AI be regulated, and who is responsible when deadly mistakes occur?
Help! My teacher thinks I cheated.
New York Times
Chatbots can do your homework, some schools are freaking out about it.
How new AI tools for doctors could worsen racial bias in healthcare
The Daily Dot
Experts are worried these ChatGPT-like apps may be misused.
Microsoft released an AI that answers medical questions, but it’s wildly inaccurate
Futurism
Microsoft’s medical AI is pretty impressive — except when it claims vaccines might cause autism, and that hospitals are haunted by ghosts.
Radiologists prone to mistakes because of AI
Oncology Compass
AI was supposed to help radiologists screen for cancer more accurately. Instead AI is making them doubt their own expertise and inadvertently harming their patients.
Chronic Illness and COVID
Breathing room: Why parents and experts are calling for a clean-air revolution in schools
TVO
Since August 2020, Ontario’s Ministry of Education has invested more than $665 million in improving ventilation and filtration in schools. But experts say the government isn’t doing enough — and that there’s insufficient transparency and monitoring.
Long Covid advocates face challenges, potential discrimination with billboard campaigns
The Sick Times
In response to the lack of support, people with Long Covid in the U.S., Canada, U.K., and Europe are buying billboard ads to raise awareness about the disease and promote the urgent need for clinical trials. However, as some billboard efforts in the U.S. have run into roadblocks, legal experts say there’s a potential case that advocates may be experiencing discrimination under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).
Canada’s MAID policy is facilitating death by poverty
Ricochet Media
A 56-year-old Vancouver woman says she will die this month because British Columbia’s provincial government is refusing to cover essential health costs for her disabling illness.
Does the microbiome hold the key to ME/CFS?
The Guardian’s Scientific Observer
Often dismissed by the medical establishment, people with complex illnesses such as ME and Long COVID are taking the hunt for treatments into their own hands.
What Long-COVID clinics can — and can’t — do for you
TVO
Thousands of Ontarians are dealing with significant post-COVID symptoms and are desperate for answers. Where can they turn?
Stanford Long COVID study blows up because of unmasked staff
The Daily Beast
A long COVID clinical trial at Stanford Medicine is in chaos after participants felt unsafe because staff did not wear masks.
Why Canada’s seeing a grim rise in medically assisted death
The Daily Beast
“I won’t be able to maintain housing and I’m not well enough to live on the street.”
‘I’m the only one still masking’: What it’s like to still be COVID-cautious at work
Fast Company
Two public-facing employees share the pressure they felt to remove their masks in the workplace.
Climate and Energy
How energy intensive are AI apps like ChatGPT
The Weather Network
So far there's little information about how much energy their AI chatbots are using, especially how much is from renewable sources.
Wildfire smoke may pose risks for brain health
The Weather Network
Human-caused climate change ‘loads the dice’ for wildfire seasons, increasing exposure to the known health risks from wildfire smoke. Researchers are now focusing on the risks to our brains.
Crypto mines are making life a ‘daily hell’ in this town
The Daily Beast
“The natural beauty and tranquility of our area is in jeopardy,” C. Roberson’s petition on Change.org reads. “Your community could be next.”
Local Texans lay into Bitcoin miners exploiting energy woes
The Daily Beast
Jackie Sawicky has a message for Bitcoin miners moving into Navarro County, Texas: “Don’t piss on our boots and tell us it’s raining.”
Health
The Truth About Brain Boosting Supplements
Being Patient
Do brain supplements work? Even though they’re sold in grocery stores and endorsed by celebrities, science does not support most claims made by nootropic brands.
You probably don’t need that probiotic. Here’s why.
Time Health
Probiotic supplements are touted as a way to make the trillions of microbes in our gut healthier.
Neuroscience
Why neurologists are calling Quest’s rapid Alzheimer’s test an absolute catastrophe?
Being Patient
Almost anyone can take this quick test for Alzheimer’s without even going to the doctor. Some neurologists are saying it’s a terrible idea.
Are doctors missing millions of cases of mild cognitive impairment?
Being Patient
We found the recent news that 92 percent of MCI cases go undiagnosed hair-raising. We asked our bank of experts for their feedback. What we heard: Too much hype, unnecessary panic, and a strange and misplaced plug for a new class of drugs.
Why is a dementia diagnosis so hard to get right?
Being Patient
Neurologists explain why different kinds of dementia are so hard to accurately diagnose, why it’s so critical to get your diagnosis right, and how to advocate for yourself until you get the answer.
The history of Alzheimer’s disease: from ancient times to today
Being Patient
Although humans have known for thousands of years that some older people develop memory and cognitive problems, the idea that this was actually a disease — and not a normal part of aging — is less than 100 years old.
Psychedelics are surging - at the expense of indigenous communities
The Daily Beast
A growing new industry around psychedelic therapy is utilizing biopiracy tactics to steal indigenous knowledge of new drugs.
Will this drug helps us beat Alzheimer’s or will it doom its makers instead?
The Daily Beast
Cassava Sciences’ new drug has no shortage of supporters and critics volleying accusations of misconduct, conflicts of interest, and online harassment.
Technology
Meet the Neuralink cofounder who left and started a competitor that's now rapidly catching up
Futurism
In the world of brain-computer interfaces, there are few names gaining notability faster than Max Hodak, the founder of Science Corp — a newcomer in the industry that kicked off just last year, but which has already raised $160 million in total funding.
Departed Neuralink cofounder locks down $47 million for secretive neuroscience startup
Futurism
When Neuralink co-founder Max Hodak announced his enigmatic departure from the company earlier this year, it was unclear whether he quit due to disagreements with fellow co-founder Elon Musk or if he was fired for moving too slow on clinical trials.