The Icepick Surgeon: Tales of Scientists Gone Rogue (or Worse)
Author Sam Kean follows the long trail of amoral scientists, and their justifications.
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2:00PM Water Cooler 7/23/2021
By Lambert Strether of Corrente. Bird Song of the Day “Neural representations of space in the hippocampus of a food-caching bird” [Science]. “Spatial memory in vertebrates requires brain regions homologous to the mammalian hippocampus. Between vertebrate clades, however, these regions are anatomically distinct and appear to produce different spatial patterns of neural activity. We asked […]
Read more...Artificial Intelligence Wants You (and Your Job)
Yves here. Two things about increased automation frost me. One is its stealth or main purpose as forcing planned obsolescence. So irrespective of the impact on job/labor content, any savings won’t necessarily accrue to users. Two is automation/AI serving as an excuse to shift costs and tasks onto consumers. How many times do customer service […]
Read more...Links 7/23/2021
Quelle Surprise: Covid Cases Surge in Europe’s Tourism Hot Spots, Just One Month After Grand Reopening
It turns out that a massive increase in cross-border travel — particularly by air — is a great way of spreading an airborne virus.
Read more...Reconstructing US-China Relations
Can the US and China be friends, or at least not so hostile? Jeffrey Sachs has some ideas.
Read more...A Round-Up of Anti-Covid Nasal Spray Research
Nasal sprays for vaccination, treatment, and prophylaxis (the last with two over-the-counter products not delivering drugs).
Read more...2:00PM Water Cooler 7/22/2021
~ Today’s Water Cooler ~
Read more...DOE Quietly Backs Plan for Carbon Capture Network Larger Than Entire Oil Pipeline System
Obama Energy Secretary Ernest Moniz and major labor group AFL-CIO are behind the “blueprint” for a multi-billion dollar system to transport captured CO2 — and offer a lifeline to fossil fuel plants.
Read more...Links 7/22/2021
The Delta Variant Thrives in a State of Political and Public Health Discord
More worries about Delta.
Read more...2:00PM Water Cooler 7/21/2021
~ Today’s Water Cooler ~
Read more...UNESCO Strips Liverpool of World Heritage Status
Liverpool now seeks to have UNESCO’s decision deferred or overturned at a meeting scheduled to occur in July.
Read more...Links 7/21/2021
Are We Prepared for Pandora’s Box of Climate Catastrophes?
There’s still time to avoid the climate catastrophe we have set in motion, but it’s going to take drastic behaviour change and huge grassroots pressure on governments.
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