In the New York Times Science section is this article; The Coronavirus Attacks Fat Tissue, Scientists Find (subscription paywall) The research may help explain why people who are overweight and obese have been at higher risk of severe illness and death from Covid. “This could well be contributing to severe disease,” Dr. Catherine Blish, a … [Read more…]
‘He touched a nerve’: how the first piece of AI music was born in 1956 Long before Auto-Tune and deepfake compositions, university professor Lejaren Hiller premiered a concert recital composed by a computer and became an overnight celebrity The Guardian Electronic music Jeff Gage Tue 7 Dec 2021 Illiac Suite
Dr. Sherif R. Zaki, Acclaimed Disease Detective, Dies at 65 He helped identify numerous viruses, including Covid-19, as well as the bioterrorism attack that spread anthrax in 2001. By Sam Roberts Dec. 4, 2021 Dr. Sherif R. Zaki in 2006. He was, a colleague said, considered to be “among the most influential infectious disease pathologists … [Read more…]
In the Atlantic, Dr. Monica Gandhi writes about The New COVID Drugs Although molnupiravir—which is named after the Norse god Thor’s hammer, Mjölnir—was being tested for the treatment of the Ebola virus, researchers had not settled upon a purpose for the drug before SARS-CoV-2 arrived on the scene. Early studies of molnupiravir showed that its … [Read more…]
On Ars Technica, there is an article Dubious $56,000 Alzheimer’s drug spurs largest Medicare price hike ever. I wrote this comment after reading the article and a lot of the comments which followed it: Auguste_Fivaz Ars Centurion et Subscriptor Nov 15, 2021 9:05 PM I’m on medicare part B with a gap policy. I also … [Read more…]
I can’t believe I didn’t post about this back in 2016 when I was following it, getting updates often and hoping for the success of the voyage. http://www.seacharger.com/ SeaCharger completed its voyage from California to Hawaii on July 22, 2016! Distance: 2413 miles Time at sea: 41.4 days Average speed: 58.3 miles per day, 2.43 … [Read more…]
A NYT guest essay with some interesting and sobering facts on the current state of global battery technology. By Steve LeVine – Mr. LeVine is editor of The Electric, a publication focused on batteries and electric vehicles. His most recent book is “The Powerhouse: America, China and the Great Battery War.”
In the 11/04/21 New York Times, Farhad Manjoo wrote an opinion piece on what to do about Facebook. In that article, he references a system called SIFT; “Mike Caulfield, an expert on digital literacy at the University of Washington, has developed a four-step process called SIFT to assess the veracity of information. After Caufield’s process … [Read more…]
In the Guardian today (10/08/21) is an article Could the global Covid death toll be millions higher than thought? A data scientist and economics student joined forces in search of the real pandemic death toll – and the results are startling. Excess mortality, defined as the increase in deaths from all causes over the level … [Read more…]
Climate Change: Atmospheric Carbon Dioxide Author: Rebecca Lindsey August 14, 2020 The summary: