Poster for the course “Artificial Intelligence Methods for Social Good.” Credit: Fei Fang | Carnegie Mellon University Years after it became a running gag on HBO’s show “Silicon Valley,” the idea of companies automatically “making the world a better place” through profit-driven technological development has lost much of its shine. The next generation of computer engineers and tech entrepreneurs may benefit from a more socially ...read more
Last fall, a tour company in Australia stumbled upon a rare find: a dead whale. But what they had spotted turned out to be even rarer than that, as the video footage captured both sharks and a large saltwater crocodile tearing at the carcass—something no one had ever seen before. [embedded content] It was an exciting enough observation to catch the attention of Austin Gallagher, chief scientist and CEO of Beneath the Waves. “I saw the post online on Facebook, ...read more
(Credit: Monkey Business Images) Do the lives of our ancestors still determine how we act today? That’s the question at hand in a new study by U.S. and Chinese researchers, and they come up with an interesting means of testing the question. To test whether individualistic and cooperative tendencies learned centuries ago live on in descendants of Chinese farmers today, the scientists looked to a common denominator of modern life today: Starbucks. And they set up a situation that anyo ...read more
Bone daggers from New Guinea. a) Human bone dagger attributed to the Upper Sepik River. b) Cassowary bone dagger attributed to the Abelam people. (Credit: Hood Museum of Art, Dartmouth College) Daggers made of human bone were regularly used in mortal combat in New Guinea, and now scientists find these weapons were specially engineered for strength so they could find repeated use in violent confrontations. Bone daggers were once widespread in New Guinea. The weapons were worn on men’ ...read more
Ancient latrines. (Credit: Søe et al (2018)) Archaeologists might not get into the field to go digging through ancient toilets. But, that’s just what a team from the University of Copenhagen did, and with good reason, too. What goes into human mouths must come out, and the leavings can offer a glimpse into ancient lifestyles. Especially interesting, as it turns out, are findings that aren’t even human. The parasites that live and reproduce in our bodies say a lot more a ...read more
Acne, bronchitis, pink eye, ear infections, and sexually transmitted diseases are just a few of the illnesses treatable by antibiotics — assuming that the bacteria that cause these illnesses are not resistant to antibiotics. Antibiotic resistance, one of the most urgent threats to public health, occurs when antibiotics are unable to kill the bacteria causing an infection. According to the Centers for Disease Control, each year in the United States at least 2 million people become infected ...read more
