Tag Archives: strategy

Implications of Trump’s Space Strategy for Future Mars Missions

Posted on by
Reply

Since January 2025, when Donald Trump returned to the White House, his administration has enacted severe funding cuts across various federal agencies, including NASA. The proposed 2026 Budget plans to decrease NASA’s institutional funding by as much as 24.3%.

This translates to a financial drop from $24.8 billion (£18.4 billion) allocated by Congress in 2025, to $18.8 billion (£13.9 billion) in 2026.

The president’s proposals are not law until they pass through Congress, where they will be scrutinized, debated, and revised in the coming months.

Nonetheless, this situation focuses attention on some key priorities Trump has outlined during his two terms in office.

Focus on Human Spaceflight

During Trump’s first term from 2017 to 2021, NASA’s budget increased from $19.5 billion (£15.5 billion) to $23.3 billion (£18.5 billion), which constitutes about 0.48% of federal spending.

Trump has reinstated the National Space Council, shaping US space policies with the US Space Force consolidating national security assets in the latest military setup.

His administration emphasizes human spaceflight, launching NASA’s Artemis program aimed at returning humans to the moon by 2024.

Although this timeline appears overly ambitious, Artemis II is still scheduled for a crewed mission around the moon in 2026. If all goes well, Artemis III may land on the lunar surface a few years later.

Near the close of his first term, Trump formalized the National Space Policy, committing to lunar exploration and future missions to Mars. This policy streamlined regulatory frameworks, increasing accessibility for the private sector.

Support for human spaceflight and exploration carried on into his second term.

In April, when announcing the NASA Budget, the White House asserted its intention to return American astronauts to the moon “before China,” which has ambitious plans for a lunar base by the 2030s.

“The proposal includes investments to pursue lunar and Mars exploration simultaneously but prioritizes vital science and technology research,” stated NASA Administrator Janet Petro, reinforcing that the agency would “continue to progress towards achieving the impossible.”

read more:

Risk Projects Due to Budget Cuts

However, the budget cuts may hinder NASA’s ability to meet its goals, as it calls for “rationalizing the institutional workforce” while cutting many support services, including IT and maintenance.

The budget suggests cancelling the costly and delayed Space Launch System (SLS) rocket and the Orion Crew Capsule, both essential for long-range space missions like Artemis.

Instead, it proposes replacing them with “a more cost-effective commercial system” to facilitate subsequent missions.

According to the White House, SLS is operating at 140% over budget, costing $4 billion (£3.2 billion) per launch.

The SLS rocket completed an unmanned Artemis I mission in 2022, but as Trump’s budget advances, Artemis II will send astronauts Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch, and Jeremy Hansen around the moon in 2026, with plans for lunar landings to follow.

Eliminating SLS and Orion, referred to as the “Legacy Human Exploration System” in Trump’s budget, could save $879 million (£698.5 million).

Artemis I’s Space Launch System Rocket Launch – Photo Credit: NASA

However, US lawmakers have expressed concerns about terminating the program, despite its notable expenses, as it has taken a decade to prepare for the flight, and cancellation could grant China a competitive advantage.

This sentiment was echoed by Texas Senator Ted Cruz: “It’s hard to think of more devastating mistakes,” he remarked during an April Senate hearing.

Another project earmarked for termination is the Lunar Gateway, a new space station intended to orbit the moon. Key hardware for this initiative has already been constructed in the US, Europe, Canada, and Japan.

While some missions might be salvaged, these cancellations risk alienating international partners that NASA has built relations with over decades.

Is There No More NASA Science?

The budget also threatens significant cuts to NASA’s Earth and Space Science Programs, with funding for the former at £1.16 billion (£921.7 million) and the latter at £2.655 billion (£2.1 billion).

“Are Mars and Venus habitable? How many Earth-like planets exist? We’re opting not to find out; such questions will remain unanswered,” the critique suggests.

The budget aims to terminate “multiple, affordable missions,” including long-term endeavors like the Mars Sample Return (MSR), which was deemed unsustainable.

This mission aims to uncover significant information about Mars’ past by analyzing rock and soil samples already collected by rovers currently exploring the planet.

Nonetheless, NASA acknowledged last year that the estimated cost of the MSR mission ballooned from $7 billion (£5.6 billion) to $11 billion (£8.7 billion), with its timeline pushed back from 2033 to 2040.

The proposed budget suggests that MSR goals may be achieved through crewed missions to Mars, aligning with Trump’s promise to “send American astronauts to plant the stars and stripes on Mars.”

However, China’s plans for a Mars sample return mission remain robust, with aspirations for execution in 2028, potentially prompting Congressional pushback against the MSR budget cancellation.

In Earth Sciences, the budget proposes cuts to various Earth monitoring satellites, many vital for tracking climate change.

Ground crews assist 19 astronauts as they return to Earth in April after a successful six-month mission aboard China’s Tiango Space Station – Photo Credit: Getty Images

The future of NASA’s Landsat Next is in question, which includes a trio of satellites set to launch in 2031 for monitoring Earth’s dynamic landscapes.

Meanwhile, several climate satellites and instruments currently operational, such as orbital carbon observatories and deep-sea climate stations, face closures even though they remain fully functional.

Another mission facing uncertainty is the Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope, scheduled for launch between 2026 and 2027, aimed at planetary exploration and investigating cosmic evolution.

This initiative is expected to be pivotal in understanding dark matter, dark energy, and answering fundamental questions about the universe.

Though Roman’s costs have escalated from an initial $2 billion (£1.6 billion) to over $3.2 billion (£2.5 billion), with 90% of the projected expenditure already incurred, the budget proposes reducing its development funding by $244 million (£133.9 million).

Ultimately, it remains unclear how the budget will be finalized as it awaits Congressional approval. Will these cuts devastate scientific progress, or usher in a new era of human exploration?

read more:

Source: www.sciencefocus.com

Untangling the Chaos: Analyzing the U.S. Climate Disaster Defense Strategy

Posted on by
Reply

The National Weather Service is gearing up to deliver compromised forecasts. Scientists are advised to suspend all but essential travel, while university-based researchers report that a multi-million dollar federal grant for climate modeling has been abruptly withdrawn.

This represents a new standard within the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), the US’s primary weather and climate agency, as indicated by interviews with current and past personnel, along with research collaborators.

Six months into the new US administration, the ramifications of significant political shifts are becoming apparent. Although official budget discussions are ongoing, a quiet dismantling is already in progress. Employees warn this jeopardizes the agency’s capacity to safeguard the public against climate-related threats such as floods, wildfires, and hurricanes.

The repercussions extend beyond US borders. NOAA’s research and data underpin the initiatives of global organizations like the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change and the World Weather Organization.

If the US steps back, other nations might need to fill that void, risking missed early warnings for imminent disasters. In fact, EU countries and academic institutions are already racing to recruit former NOAA staff in hopes of bridging the gap.

“It’s nothing but confusion and uncertainty,” said a current NOAA scientist with over 15 years of experience, as reported by BBC Science Focus. “Planning anything is incredibly challenging due to persistent unpredictability.”

Service Reductions and Research Loss

Earlier this year, the National Weather Service (NWS), a division of NOAA, entered into an agreement that led to a reduction of services at 122 weather offices nationwide, stemming from a significant staffing shortage after a wave of early retirements and layoffs.

Currently, public forecasts remain available. However, as wildfire and hurricane seasons peak, vulnerabilities in the system could quickly surface.

The NWS is permitted to hire meteorologists, hydrologists, and radar engineers to fill 450 critical vacancies, but former staff members caution that it might already be too late.

“Public safety is undeniably at risk due to a hastily executed process led by individuals who are overwhelmed by this new role in the NWS,” said meteorologist Alan Gerald, who spent 35 years with NOAA before accepting an early retirement package this year.

While recruitment and training could take months, the departure of senior personnel means lost institutional knowledge could be permanent, Gerald noted.

Even if staffing shortages are ultimately addressed, current personnel are warned that the repercussions may impact long-term preparedness. “What is sacrificed is the research aspect and our ability to continue advancing our modeling and prediction expertise,” stated NOAA scientists.

NOAA’s National Hurricane Centre provides crucial forecasts for tracking the paths of powerful storms, such as the devastating Hurricane Beryl in 2024. – Photo credit: Getty

External partners are already experiencing the consequences. A researcher associated with NOAA shared with BBC Science Focus that a multi-million dollar next-generation weather modeling initiative is now in jeopardy after losing federal backing.

“We’re already not perfect in our work,” the researcher remarked. “And with the climate changing, leading to more extreme events, if we don’t evolve accordingly, lives will be lost, property damage will escalate, and we risk missing critical storm warnings.”

Read more:

“Avoid the term climate.”

Internally, scientists have been instructed to halt all non-essential travel, including attending conferences, which are vital for collaboration across scientific disciplines. This policy was reportedly communicated verbally without formal documentation.

Several sources noted that oral directives have become the norm, often lacking written records.

Scientists added that there is growing reluctance to mention the term “climate.”

“While I’ve never been directly told, ‘Don’t publish this’ or ‘Don’t address climate,’ it’s implicit. For example, external funding guidelines suggest we approach topics differently,” explained a NOAA scientist. “So when working with external colleagues, we often hear ‘don’t mention climate and let’s frame this differently.’

This self-censorship is part of a broader crackdown on climate-related initiatives.

In April, the Commerce Department withdrew nearly $4 million in NOAA funding from Princeton University, effectively terminating three significant collaborative agreements aimed at predicting coastal flooding, sea-level rise, droughts, fires, and floods.

In a general statement, the department criticized one of the Princeton awards for promoting “unfounded and inflated climate threats” and creating “climate anxiety.” Another was deemed no longer aligned with the Trump administration’s priorities, justifying that it suggested significant fluctuations in water availability due to global warming.

The statement proceeded to describe changes in precipitation patterns and rising sea levels as “suspected” effects.

Protesters gathered at a rally outside NOAA Headquarters to protest recent staff reductions on March 3, 2025 – Credit: Getty

In May, NOAA’s Grant Management Department terminated the Northwest Climate Resilience Collaborative (NCRC), a University of Washington initiative that assisted rural communities and tribes in adapting to flooding and intensified heat.

Reports indicate that grants are being cut to “rationalize and reduce federal expenditures and size” since they no longer align with “program goals or agency priorities.”

Separately, the White House also slashed funds associated with the Sixth National Climate Assessment (NCA), despite legal mandates to prepare a comprehensive climate report every four years. Originally scheduled for release in 2028, its future now hangs in uncertainty.

“Part of this is a tactic to downplay the significance of the work being done,” remarked a NOAA scientist.

“For instance, we now refer to what we consider ‘climate’ as something broader than weather patterns. While we traditionally described forecasts as ‘climate,’ we’ve stopped using that term to avoid attracting attention to it.”

Erosion of Knowledge

Since the new administration took office, NOAA has lost around a fifth of its workforce, with over 1,000 employees, many holding senior leadership positions, opting for early retirement or buyouts this year.

“When experienced staff leave due to exhaustion, that’s one thing,” Gerald remarked. “But losing a significant portion of seasoned personnel is a different issue entirely.”

Morale has plummeted. Employees report that independent programs are being restructured or eliminated with little notice or explanation, and even if funding is restored, considerable damage may already be irreversible.

“We’re talking about a research infrastructure cultivated over 50 or 60 years,” Gerald stated. “That could essentially collapse within a year.”

Carl Gouldman, who recently led the US Integrated Ocean Observing Systems office within NOAA, echoes these concerns.

“The relationships and partnerships necessary for innovation and creating essential features are at substantial risk and may never recover,” he warned. “Humpty Dumpty is shattered, and you can’t reassemble him.”

Negotiations for NOAA’s 2026 budget are still proceeding. The White House’s proposal suggests a 40% cut in institutional funding. Alternate proposals from the House and Senate are more generous, but a compromise could still be months away.

However, Gerald is particularly worried about the interim actions of the administration. He recently referred to a public statement from Russ Vought, director of the Office of Management and Budget, who indicated that the administration “is not aligned with the legislative department’s understanding of its own authorities and responsibilities.”

“We still have a chance to reevaluate this and consider its implications,” Gerald said. “With climate change and the expanding human footprint—more people causing harm for various reasons—the demand for warnings and predictions is only escalating.”

NOAA has not responded to requests for comment.

Read more:

About Our Experts

Alan Gerald is a meteorologist with over 35 years of experience in issuing warnings and forecasts, focusing on reducing the social impacts of hazardous weather, water, and climate events. He has served for more than 20 years in senior leadership roles at NOAA and most recently was the director of analysis and understanding for the National Intense Storm Institute until March 2025.

Karl Golman is a recently retired director of NOAA’s US Integrated Ocean Observing Systems office, with 25 years of leadership experience in the agency. During his tenure at NOAA, he oversaw annual budgets ranging from $5 billion to $200 million.

Source: www.sciencefocus.com

Smoking Avatars in Online Games: Big Tobacco’s Strategy to Reach Youth in the Metaverse

Posted on by
Reply

In the image, a group of friends is gathered at the bar, with smoke curling upwards from a cigarette in hand. Additional cigarettes are in open packets resting on the table between them. This is not a photo from before the ban, but rather one shared on social media from a Metaverse gathering.

Virtual online environments are emerging as a new frontier for marketing, as tobacco and alcohol promoters target the youth without facing any legislative repercussions.

A report presented at the World Conference on Tobacco Management in Dublin last month provided several examples. New technologies such as digital token launches and sponsorships from vaping companies in online games are being utilized to promote smoking and vaping.

This information is derived from a surveillance initiative known as Canary—acting like a canary in the coal mine. The project is managed by public health organizations around the globe.




The caption for this post reads, “I’m drinking coffee at Metaverse.” Has someone stolen the writer? Photo: Icperience.id Instagram via Instagram

“Cigarette companies are no longer waiting for regulations to catch up. They are proactively advancing while we’re still trying to comprehend what’s happening on social media, and they’re already operating in unregulated spaces like the Metaverse.” “They utilize NFTs [non-fungible tokens] and immersive events to attract young audiences to their offerings.”

In India, one tobacco company has launched an NFT symbolizing ownership of digital assets, celebrating its 93rd anniversary.

Canary monitors and analyzes tobacco marketing on various social media platforms and news sites in India, Indonesia, and Mexico, and has recently expanded to Brazil and China, covering alcohol and ultra-processed food marketing as well.

The Metaverse is not fully monitored. This 3D immersive internet allows interactions in digital environments using technologies like virtual reality headsets. However, references to activities happening there are captured through links and information shared on traditional social media platforms.

Researchers suggest that children are more susceptible to tobacco marketing in this new digital arena, given the age demographics—over half of the active Metaverse users are under 13 years old.

Social media companies possess extensive insights into how to boost engagement and attract users back for more, according to Dr. Mary-Ann Etiebet, CEO of Vital Strategies.

“When you combine this with the tobacco industry’s experience in hooking individuals, these two elements converge in a murky, unknown space.”

Mark Zuckerberg, a prominent proponent of the Metaverse, has stated that in the future, you’ll be able to do almost anything you can envision. This already encompasses virtual shopping and concerts.

However, Magsambol describes it as “a new battleground for all of us,” shifting towards entities pushing products that are detrimental to health.

“My daughter is usually quite reserved, but in [the gaming platform] Roblox, while battling zombies and ghosts, she morphs into an avatar resembling a blend of Alexander the Great, Bruce Lee, and John Wick. She becomes quite bloodthirsty,” she remarked.

“Our behaviors shift. Social norms evolve… the tobacco industry is highly aware of this, making it easier to subtly promote the idea that anything is possible.”

The Metaverse art encountered by the team in Indonesia was showcased on the Instagram account of music enthusiasts linked to Djarum, one of Indonesia’s largest tobacco firms. Another instance highlighted a group enjoying coffee searching for something lighter.

All of this contributes to an initiative aimed at “normalizing” smoking and vaping, according to Magsambol. “Such behaviors are enacted by your avatar, but do they seep into your real life?”

Skip past newsletter promotions

“Digital platforms are being leveraged to evade traditional advertising barriers and appeal to younger audiences,” she states. “This scenario reflects not merely a shift in marketing strategies, but a transformation in influence dynamics.”

Other researchers have presented instances where alcohol is marketed and sold in virtual stores.

Online marketing constitutes a global concern. At the same conference, 53% of Irish researchers reported having seen e-cigarette posts daily on social media.

Officials from the World Health Organization (WHO) note that the increase in youth smoking in Ukraine can be partially attributed to Covid and the war pushing children “online,” exposing them to various forms of marketing.


In India, youth ambassador Agamloop Kaur is leading a campaign for children to stay cigarette-free, which includes social media marketing to educate school children about the risks associated with cigarettes and vaping. She has noticed vapes being marketed as “wellness” products.

“I believe it’s crucial to educate young individuals about recognizing ads, understanding their implications, and realizing that they might not even be visibly tied to the tobacco industry. [Content posted by] influencers hold significant sway, as they help build awareness. Digital natives, when engaged on social media, can discern what’s genuine and what’s not; recognizing these attractions as empty is vital, especially for younger audiences.”

The WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control mandates strict regulations regarding tobacco advertising, promotions, and sponsorships. Last year, signatories acknowledged the necessity for action to focus on “digital marketing channels such as social media that amplify tobacco marketing exposure among adolescents and young individuals.”




A boy smokes a cigarette in Yogyakarta, Indonesia. Photo: Ulet Ifansasti/Getty Images

Yet, there are no straightforward solutions, as Andrew Black from the framework’s secretariat points out.

“The difficulty in regulating the Internet isn’t inherently linked to cigarettes. Rather, it’s a tangible challenge for governments to devise ways to safeguard societal norms in a landscape where technological advancements have transcended borders.”

Nandita Murktla, who leads the Canary initiative, urges regulators to exercise caution:

Source: www.theguardian.com

Mathematics Reveals the Ideal Strategy for Winning the Lottery

Posted on by
Reply

How can mathematics help you win the lottery?

Brandon Bell/Getty Images

I’ve got a foolproof method that guarantees you’ll win the lottery you desire. Just follow my simple technique and you’ll capture the biggest jackpot imaginable. The only caveat? You need either millions yourself or a circle of wealthy friends.

Let’s use the US Powerball as an illustration. To participate, you must select five unique “white” numbers from 1 to 69, along with a sixth “red” number from 1 to 26. Notably, this last number can replace one of the white ones. How many unique lottery tickets can you create? To find out, we turn to a branch of mathematics known as Combinatorics, which helps calculate the number of potential combinations of items.

This situation is analogous to the “n choose k” problem in which n signifies the total number of objects available for selection (69 for the white Powerball numbers) and k refers to the number of objects you wish to pick. It’s essential to note that these selections occur without replacement—each winning number drawn removes it from the pool of available choices.

For this, mathematicians employ a useful formula for solving n choose k problems: n! /(k! ×(n – k)!). If this notation is unfamiliar, don’t worry! It’s simply a representation of the product of all whole numbers leading up to a given integer. For instance, 3! = 3×2×1 = 6.

Applying 69 for n and 5 for k results in a total of 11,238,513 combinations. While that sounds substantial, we’ll see shortly that it might not be enough. Enter the Red Powerball. Essentially, this means you’re effectively playing two lottery tickets at once, raising the stakes for winning the grand prize. Merely adding a sixth white ball, the combinations soar to 119,877,472 in total. However, since there are 26 possibilities for the red ball, you would multiply the white ball combinations by 26, yielding a grand total of 292,201,338 potential outcomes.

Now we’re talking about over 292 million possible Powerball tickets. The ultimate trick to guaranteed victory? Simply purchase every possible ticket. Of course, the logistics involved complicate this idea. Most importantly, you’d need over $5 billion on hand, as each ticket costs $2.

Is that enough to ensure a significant payout? It’s a bit complicated to answer. The Powerball jackpot accumulates weekly, often remaining unclaimed, which means the prizes can vary. However, there are about 15 instances of jackpots exceeding $584 million, which would not be worth pursuing under the buy-all-tickets approach. Profits are further diminished by the prospect of multiple winners choosing the same combination and approximately 30% of winnings being deducted for taxes.

It’s not surprising, really. If winning the lottery and making a profit were guaranteed, people would be doing this all the time, leading lottery operators to go bankrupt. Yet, surprisingly, poorly designed lotteries do appear, leaving savvy investors at a disadvantage.

One of the earliest noted incidents of this kind involved the writer and philosopher Voltaire, who collaborated with mathematician Charles Marie de la Codamine to create a syndicate aimed at buying all tickets in a lottery tied to French government debts. While the exact methods remain vague, there are suggestions of devious tactics employed that allowed them to circumvent the full ticket payment, resulting in the syndicate winning repeatedly before authorities shut down the lottery in 1730. In a letter to a colleague, Voltaire remarked, “The group that won the victory and purchased all the tickets triumphed over a million players.”

Modern lotteries have faced similar fates. A notable instance is the Irish National Lottery, which was taken over in 1992 by numerous syndicates. At the time, players had to select six numbers from 1 to 36. The n choose k formula indicates 1,947,792 possible tickets. With each ticket costing 50 Irishpense (the currency then), the conspirators managed to raise £973,896 and began acquiring tickets poised for an estimated £1.7 million prize pool.

Lottery organizers caught wind of this scheme and began restricting the number of tickets any one vendor could sell. This limitation meant the syndicate could only purchase roughly 80% of the possible combinations. The outcome was a shared jackpot with two other winners, leading to a loss of £568,682 for the syndicate. Thankfully, the lottery had introduced a £100 guaranteed prize for matching four numbers, bringing their total to £1,166,000.

In response to the incident, the Irish National Lottery quickly revised its rules. Players now must select six numbers from 47, elevating the total number of tickets to 10,737,573. Though the jackpot is capped at 18.9 million euros, the £2 price per ticket makes lottery investments unprofitable.

Despite ample awareness regarding the pitfalls of poorly structured lotteries, such phenomena may still arise. One extraordinary instance emerged in 2023, when a syndicate won a $95 million jackpot in the Texas lottery. Texas lottery tickets involved 54 choices, allowing for 25,827,165 possibilities, with each ticket priced at $1, making this a significant venture. However, there were speculations that the syndicate had possible support from the lottery organizers themselves. Fallout from this controversy is still ongoing, raising questions about legality. The syndicate may have collaborated through local retailers and acquired a ticket printing terminal from the Texas lottery, simplifying logistics. Organizers at the time deny any involvement in unlawful activities, and no criminal charges have been filed. As a lawyer representing the syndicate stated, “All applicable laws, rules, and regulations were adhered to.”

So there you have it. If you can secure an ample amount of upfront cash and the organizers fail to implement the n choose k formula effectively, you might just make a decent profit. Good luck!

Topics:

Source: www.newscientist.com

AMOC: An Ambitious Strategy to Preserve Vital Ocean Currents Using Giant Parachutes

Posted on by
Reply

Strategies to uphold the current involve oversized versions of parachute-like ocean anchors

Ed Darnen (2.0 by CC)

As part of an ambitious initiative to avert severe climate change, large parachutes could be deployed into Atlantic waters using transport tankers, drones, and fishing vessels.

The Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (AMOC) moves warm water from the tropics northward and helps stabilize temperatures in Northern Europe.

Nevertheless, the swift melting of Arctic ice and rising sea temperatures have hampered these currents, prompting some scientists to warn that they could falter entirely within this century. Such an event would disrupt marine ecosystems and exacerbate the cooling of the European climate.

Experts emphasize the urgent need to cut greenhouse gas emissions to mitigate the risk of AMOC collapse and other catastrophic climate “tipping points.” However, some are exploring alternative, more fundamental methods to preserve the current.

Stuart Haszeldine from the University of Edinburgh, along with David Sevier, introduced a concept from the British water treatment firm Strengite during a recent meeting in Cambridge, UK. They propose utilizing just 35 ocean tugs, each capable of pulling underwater parachutes roughly half the size of a soccer pitch, which could effectively move enough water to maintain the current. “A modest amount of energy and equipment can yield a significant impact,” Haszeldine remarks.

These parachutes, designed similarly to existing ocean anchors, stabilize containers in rough weather while also aiding in water movement across the sea surface. Each parachute features a central hole 12 meters wide to allow marine creatures to escape.

The operation would run 365 days a year in a rotating schedule, using drones, transport tankers, tugs, or wind kits. “It’s a small but consistent intervention,” notes Haszeldine.

Sevier refers to this proposal as “any Mary,” indicating a solution to stave off the severe consequences of AMOC collapse. “This is about buying time,” he asserts, emphasizing the need for the world to reduce emissions sufficiently to stabilize global temperatures at safe levels.

However, leading AMOC researchers express skepticism about the idea. Rene van Westen from the University of Utrecht, Netherlands, highlights that the density differences between cold, salty water and warm, fresh water play a crucial role in the descent and upwelling movements that sustain AMOC.

“If this idea is to work,” Van Westen argues, “you can only use surface wind to influence the top layer of water.

Stephen Rahmstoef from the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research concurs. “The challenge lies not in moving surface water horizontally but in sinking it to depths of 2,000 to 3,000 meters and returning it south as a cold, deep current,” he states.

Meric Srokosz of the UK National Oceanography Centre believes the proposal is “unlikely to succeed,” given the variable weather conditions that complicate equipment deployment in the oceans.

Haszeldine welcomes feedback from fellow scientists regarding the proposal and hopes it will inspire ocean and climate modelers to assess the ecological and environmental ramifications of the plan. “I believe this warrants further investigation,” he asserts.

More generally, Haszeldine argues for increased research focused on climate intervention strategies to sustain ocean circulation: “I don’t see anyone else working on ocean currents.”

topic:

Source: www.newscientist.com

UnitedHealth Shifts Health Care Provider Strategy, Retreats from CyberTack Loan Support

Posted on by
Reply

Two independent healthcare practices in Minnesota once aimed for expansion but have faced challenges recovering from the significant cyberattacks on the UnitedHealth Group Payment System over the past year.

Odom Health & Wellness, specializing in sports medicine and rehabilitation, and Dillman Clinic & Lab, a family medicine provider, are among numerous medical offices that faced sudden financial disruption last year. Cyberattacks on Change Healthcare, a division of United, have crippled many healthcare payment systems nationwide for months.

Billions of dollars have been lent to medical practices short on cash, with repayment demands now surfacing.

Odom and Dillman are filing a lawsuit against United in U.S. District Court in Minneapolis, alleging negligence related to the cyberattack and claiming they are incurring excessive costs due to its aftermath.

Furthermore, Odom and Dillman alleged in their court documents that their insurer, UnitedHealthcare, denied claims on the grounds of late filings despite covering patient care.

Lawmakers view the disruption caused by these attacks as a consequence of United’s relentless pursuit of acquisitions, including Change and various medical practices. This widespread upheaval highlights the deep entrenchment of United’s subsidiaries in the national healthcare framework.

“This serves as another reminder that the swift integration of major healthcare firms may be doing more harm than good,” stated Sen. Ron Wyden, a Democrat from Oregon, regarding the financial strain imposed on practices by these cyberattacks.

Last month, the American Medical Association expressed its concerns to Optum, the United Health division owning Change, regarding the pressure many practices face to repay loans despite ongoing financial hardships due to the attacks.

Since March 2024, Change has provided $9 billion in interest-free loans to over 10,000 healthcare providers, including $569,680 for Odom and $157,600 for Dillman.

A year later, approximately $5.5 billion has been repaid, according to United’s court application. About 3,500 practices, including Odom, Dillman, and six other plaintiffs, had yet to repay as of April 1. Numerous other practices and patients have also initiated lawsuits against United.

In its statement, Change emphasized it would “proactively work with providers to identify flexible repayment plans tailored to their specific circumstances.”

“We’ve also collaborated with UnitedHealthcare to ensure claims are reviewed considering the challenges we’ve faced, including waiving timely submission requirements for plans under its governance.”

Change drew parallels between its loan recovery efforts and those of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS). Following the cyberattack, CMS expedited payments to practices to assist with Medicare claims pending due to the attack. They offered accelerated payments to reclaim funds from Medicare claims.

In court filings, United reported data indicating that a minor percentage of Odom and Dillman’s healthcare claims were rejected due to being “too early,” although denials escalated after the cyberattacks.

Denouncing the plaintiff’s motion as a “group shakedown,” UnitedHealth urged the district court to dismiss a request for an injunction regarding loan repayment, asserting the right to manage relations with thousands of other loan recipients.

United contended that the injunction might permit other medical practices to “hold billions of dollars hostage.”

Dr. Megan Dillman, a specialist in pediatrics and internal medicine, opened her practice in Lakeville, Minnesota in 2022, aiming to “restore joy in practicing medicine.” She argued that her healthcare business spends significantly more time with patients compared to the average 15 minutes doctors are increasingly limited to.

“Without our existence, there are patients who might not be here today,” Dr. Dillman noted, referencing a cancer diagnosis that was missed by another hurried physician.

Her husband, Richard Dillman, manages the business operations of her practice and has called for United to fulfill its repayment obligations.

“I would rather endure the Special Forces Qualification Courses than face this situation again,” remarked former Green Beret Dillman.

At the time of the cyberattack, Change’s Medical Building Clearinghouse processed approximately 45% of healthcare transactions across the nation, amounting to around $2 trillion annually. The company had to pause services in February 2024 to mitigate damage, halting a significant portion of the healthcare system’s cash flow.

There was a breach of sensitive personal information, marking the largest breach recorded in U.S. healthcare history. In January, United increased the number of individuals whose personal data was compromised to 109 million from approximately 100 million previously reported.

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Civil Rights Office commenced an investigation in March 2024 concerning the ransomware attack. An agency spokesperson noted that they “do not comment on ongoing or potential investigations.” Some healthcare firms may face penalties for violations related to patient data mishandling.

Company executives reported that hackers exploited compromised login credentials, utilizing a portal that didn’t require multifactor authentication.

United authorities confirmed that they paid a $22 million ransom to a Russian cybercriminal who claimed responsibility for the attack. In a January revenue report, the cyberattack was stated to have cost the company $3.1 billion.

Healthcare reimbursements did not start flowing more freely through Change until June 2024, with United noting that the full restoration of services took time and some areas were still not back to 100%.

During a May 2024 Congressional hearing, a senator criticized United CEO Andrew Witty regarding the company’s response to the cyberattacks and the resulting struggles faced by thousands of providers. Witty testified that the company “will not pursue repayment until providers confirm that operations are back to normal.”

The repayment terms stipulate that Change does not require payments until “the affected billing and/or payment processing services have resumed during the service disruption period.”

The interpretation of “to be dealt with” is central to the ongoing lawsuit.

Change initiated collection attempts from Dillman and Odom, which were described in court documents as a series of increasingly aggressive letters. Both practices have been changed, barring repayment and rejecting offers for repayment plans. Change subsequently demanded full repayment in January, threatening to withhold future health care reimbursements.

“It’s disheartening, but not surprising, that United Health Group has chosen to prioritize profits over the well-being of families and small businesses,” stated Wyden, who led the Senate inquiry into the cyberattacks.

The AMA urged the company to negotiate “individual and realistic repayment plans” with each practice.

Dr. Katherine Mazzola, who operates pediatric neurology and neurosurgery practices in New Jersey, is among many others contesting United over loans.

“In my view, Optum operates like a loan shark that seeks swift collection,” remarked Dr. Mazzola, a non-plaintiff in the case against United.

Dr. Mazzola received a loan of $535,000 and later informed Change that she was unable to repay it. Despite suggesting a payment schedule, there was no response. Consequently, she began paying $10,000 monthly in January. Nevertheless, without notice, she reported that United started to withhold her reimbursements.

Currently, Dr. Odom employs around 110 individuals, many of whom assist seniors in assisted living facilities. He contended that if his practice were forced to immediately repay the Change loan, at least 22 staff members would need to be laid off. Dr. Odom asserted that this could hinder care availability, reduce services, and create further economic challenges.

“We are navigating a challenging battle as a small firm,” declared Odom President Dr. Meghan Klein, emphasizing the significant impact the financial situation poses for his company compared to United’s. “These are lives we are concerned about.”

According to the lawsuit, Dillman Clinic, which relies on United Insurance reimbursements for about 25% of its income, could face bankruptcy if compelled to fully repay the loan.

They claimed Dillman would risk losing all assets, including homes, vehicles, and retirement savings, if bankruptcy ensues.

“Part of my purpose in being here is to manage my schedule,” Dr. Dillman mentioned. However, the chaos stemming from the cyberattacks consumes their time, leaving little for their six-year-old daughter.

“I have just an hour to spend with her,” Dr. Dillman said, “I am missing out on her childhood.”

Source: www.nytimes.com

Recycling: A Key Strategy to Reduce Harmful Styrofoam Packaging

Posted on by
Reply

As legislators tackle hard-to-recycle plastics and foams, packaging firms in California are unveiling innovative transport coolers crafted from woven fibers, revolutionizing the way temperature-sensitive products like pharmaceuticals and laboratory reagents are shipped globally.

The launch of new “recycled” containers made from recyclable paper and fibers aligns with the “Expanded Producer Responsibility” (EPR) Act, pushing the U.S. towards a more sustainable product landscape.

At least 33 states have enacted EPR laws aimed at reducing the use of plastics, styrofoam, and other contaminating materials by holding businesses accountable for their lifecycle and transferring disposal costs to producers.

Over 80 million tons of packaging waste are discarded annually in the U.S., with only around half being recycled, and a mere 9% of plastic packaging finding its way back into the recycling stream, according to Product Stewardship Research Institute.

The EPR Act seeks to minimize landfill waste, boost recycling rates, and mitigate the environmental harm caused by non-recyclable materials, prompting businesses to navigate increasingly stringent packaging regulations.

Recently, seven states have adopted the EPR Act, specifically targeting packaging materials in California, Washington, New Jersey, Minnesota, Colorado, Oregon, and Maine.

“As temperatures rise globally, the need for safe delivery options becomes crucial,” stated Catherine Telloch, CEO of the nonprofit Chicago Environmentalist. “Transitioning to fully recyclable items is fantastic, as it allows for continuous cleaning and reuse, positively impacting the environment.”

Recycling staff

Last month, Container Consulting Services from Gilroy, California, announced the launch of recyclable personnel made from paper and textiles. These containers are validated by a third party to comply with ISTA Thermal and ISTA Transit Standards, meeting essential qualifications for shipping medicines.

Other companies are manufacturing comparable eco-friendly transport coolers, but according to CCS, their product utilizes unique technology that maintains the necessary cold, matching the performance of plastic options. Their patented design features open-cell woven or nonwoven fibers that range from 1.5 to 3 inches thick, sandwiched between two interconnected fiber walls, offering insulation that effectively resists heat, akin to expanding polyethylene.

CCS claims recyclers can maintain contents at cool temperatures for over 100 hours, making them suitable for long-haul and international shipments. Upon arrival, these containers can be converted into other paper products through curbside recycling.

Telloch expressed that recyclers present a viable alternative to polystyrene. A few months prior, she received a shipment of temperature-sensitive medicine that was packed in styrofoam.

“I didn’t want that; it wasn’t good,” Telloch remarked. “If they could utilize a recyclable option instead, that would be fantastic.”

The potential impact of reusable transport coolers is significant, studies indicate. Materials such as polystyrene and polyethylene commonly used in coolers are non-biodegradable and pose threats to both human and animal health. Styrene carcinogens are released during production and usage. These lightweight materials tend to break apart and contaminate the environment as wildlife ingest microplastics. Plastic foam made with these compounds can persist in nature for thousands of years, as noted by the United Nations Environment Programme.

“Polystyrene foam is particularly harmful,” said Janet Domenitz, executive director of the Massachusetts Student Public Interest Research Group, a student advocacy organization focused on public health and environmental protection. “It’s much lighter than other plastics, making it easy for wind to carry it into landfills and the environment.”

Proponents of polystyrene argue that the material is cost-effective since its lightweight nature requires less energy and water compared to paper or fiber alternatives. The plastics industry organization did not respond to requests for comment.

Nevertheless, numerous lawmakers across the U.S. are contemplating bans on polystyrene products. In March, Senator Chris Van Hollen and Rep. Lloyd Doggett introduced the Bubble Farewell Act, which aims to prohibit the sale and distribution of polystyrene products by 2028. Additionally, California enacted a law in 2022 mandating plastics and packaging companies to minimize single-use plastics, although its implementation remains pending amid uncertain circumstances.

Globally, there is a push to eliminate plastic foam packaging, with numerous countries like Canada, Germany, and Zimbabwe having banned or restricted styrofoam, particularly in food services and packaging.

Julie Etter Simpson, co-owner of CCS, emphasized that Recycoolers are developed to align with these evolving laws.

“Product versatility is key to our commitment to environmental responsibility,” she stated.

Yaniv Abitan, managing director of Insulpack Group, an international cold package distribution company, remarked that his company has evaluated the recycling personnel and believes it will drive significant environmental initiatives as the industry shifts away from single-use plastics and EPS forms.

“We recognize the urgent need for eco-friendly alternatives that do not compromise on performance,” Avitan concluded. “Recyclers symbolize the direction the industry is headed towards for domestic and international cold chain transportation.”

Source: www.nbcnews.com

Five key points from Trump’s strategy to revive the coal industry

Posted on by
Reply

The hard hat is back. So is coal that is “beautiful and beautiful.”

President Trump signed four executive orders on Tuesday to sought to bolster the country’s declining coal industry, including lifting mining restrictions and burning the dirtiest fossil fuels.

In addition to exempting air pollution restrictions and other coal regulations imposed by the Biden administration, Trump has directed the Justice Department to chase states like California, which aimed to tackle climate change by reducing the use of fossil fuels.

“I call it beautiful and clean coal. I tell people not to use the word ‘beautiful, clean’,” Trump said in the east room of the White House, surrounded by dozens of men wearing mainly stiff hats. “We are completely ending Joe Biden’s war on beautiful, clean coal.”

Here are five takeaways from Trump’s orders.

Trump has always loved coal miners as a masculine symbol.

At a White House ceremony on Tuesday, he repeatedly mentioned the Burley men who surrounded him, joking about whether the stage could handle their collective weight. He recalled that during the 2016 campaign against Hillary Clinton she was talking about Job Letrain for miners. “She was going to put them in the tech industry where you make little phones and things,” he said gestured at the hives and laughed.

Coal itself is a strong fossil fuel, he said. “A pound of pounds, coal is the single energy of the most reliable, durable, safe and powerful energy,” Trump said.

“It’s almost impossible to destroy,” he said. “You can drop a bomb on it and it will be there for you to use the next day.”

Coal releases more carbon dioxide when burned than any other fossil fuel, making it a major contributor to climate change. More mining and burning of coal adds to pollution that dangerously heats the planet, leading to more frequent and deadly heat waves, droughts, floods, sea level rise and faster melting of Greenland’s ice sheets, Trump said he hopes to win the US.

Scientists say that to avoid the most devastating effects of climate change, major economies like the United States must cut their emissions sharply, rather than increasing them.

Coal burning also releases other contaminants, including mercury and sulfur dioxide, which are associated with heart disease, respiratory problems and early death. Mining activities and coal ash from generated power plants pose environmental hazards.

No coal results were mentioned on Tuesday.

Regulations limiting the amount of contamination from coal-fired power plants have led to these plants operating more expensively and reduced industry profitability. But, as Trump said, “radical green” policy wasn’t the biggest reason for the decline in coal power over the past two decades. It was cheap natural gas by fracking.

In the mid-2000s, American excavators completed a method to unlock the enormous reserves of low-cost natural gas from Shalelock. The utility quickly realized that coal could be replaced with cheaper gas.

According to 2019 Survey At the RAND Journal of Economics, the energy market and low prices of natural gas account for almost all of the decline in coal plants’ profitability between 2005 and 2015, and as a result, retirements of hundreds of coal-fired power plants. “Environmental regulations had little impact on these outcomes,” the study found.

Trump says he wants to “drill, babe, drill” and lower gas prices.

“Did you notice that many law firms are signing up for Trump?” the president asked the crowd at a coal event Tuesday.

He was referring to the multi-million-dollar pro bono legal services some major law firms offered to the Trump administration after the president threatened to target him with executive orders.

One company covered by the executive order – Paul, Weiss – has promised concessions, including $40 million in pro bono work for a Trump-friendly cause, cutting deals with the White House. Three other companies – Milbank. Skadden, Arps;Wilky Far & Gallagher – Actively agreed to his deal with the White House.

On Tuesday, Trump indicated that these free legal services would be directed. It fights climate policy and supports the coal industry.

“We’ll use some of those companies to work with you on your leases and other things,” Trump told coal leaders.

Tuesday was a good day for the coal industry. Shares of mining company Peabody Energy rose 9%. Alliance Resource Partners led by billionaire coal tycoon Joseph W. Craft III, who led Trump’s fundraising during the presidential election, have risen nearly 5%.

But many experts are skeptical that Trump can do much to turn the coal outlook up. “Given the limitations on the use of emergency authorities and the symbolic nature of the order, we believe that Trump’s coal executive order is unlikely to have a significant impact on electricity and carbon markets,” wrote an analyst at Capstone, a research firm. They called the coal stock bumps on Tuesday a “overreaction.”

The average US coal plant is more than 50 years old, and it is often cheaper for utilities to generate electricity using a mix of gas, wind, solar and batteries. Analysts say these fundamentals are difficult to change.

Source: www.nytimes.com

Scientists suggest that this three-day diet is a crucial weight loss strategy

Posted on by
Reply

Dieting can become monotonous over time. While counting calories for a week or two may be manageable, doing it daily for months on end can be unbearable.

If you can relate to this struggle, a recent study conducted at the New Year’s trial might offer some relief. The research discovered that certain forms of intermittent fasting led to slightly more weight loss compared to traditional daily calorie counting.

Published in Internal Medicine Chronicles, the study compared two dietary approaches among 165 overweight or obese adults.

One group followed a 4:3 intermittent fasting plan (eating normally for four days, restricting intake for three days), while the other group reduced daily calorie consumption.

Calorie counting can result in deficits from weight loss, but the body’s metabolism is not an exact calculator, and individual responses to the same calorie intake can vary widely – Photo Credit: Getty

Both groups received exercise support and behavioral coaching, including food diaries, personalized feedback, and gym memberships.

After 12 months, participants in the fasting program lost an average of 7.6% of their body weight, compared to 5% in the daily calorie restriction group.

They also exhibited slightly positive changes in blood pressure, cholesterol levels, and fasting glucose levels.

4:3 What is intermittent fasting?

Intermittent fasting (IMF) focuses on significantly reducing food intake on a few days a week, unlike time-restricted eating (TRE), which involves eating within a daily window (e.g., 10 am to 6 pm).

In the 4:3 IMF plan, participants chose three non-consecutive “fast” days (e.g., Monday, Wednesday, Friday) during which they consumed only 20% of their usual calorie intake, amounting to approximately 400-600 kcal for women and 500-700 kcal for men. The remaining four days emphasized healthy food choices, but participants were free to eat as normal.

“Counting calories can be mentally taxing,” said Professor Daniel Ostendorf, a co-author of the study, to BBC Science Focus. “Limiting it to three days a week may have made it easier to follow over time.”

A 4:3 fasting approach can promote a decrease in calorie intake without conscious effort and show weight loss benefits.

Despite both groups having the same overall calorie target for the week, the fasting group achieved slightly greater weight loss. However, this study suggests that 4:3 intermittent fasting could be a promising option but is not a cure-all.

“The key finding of this study was that the 4:3 approach resulted in more weight loss than traditional calorie restriction,” commented Dr. Adam Collins, a nutrition scientist at the University of Surrey not involved in the research.

Collins pointed out that some unmeasured factors could impact calorie intake, emphasizing the potential benefits of intermittent energy restriction over daily calorie restriction.

Should you give it a try? According to Ostendorf and lead researcher Professor Victoria Catenacci, they advise choosing a dietary strategy that feels sustainable in the long term for weight loss goals.

“Our study suggests that 4:3 IMF can be a viable option based on additional evidence,” they concluded.

About our experts

Daniel Ostendorf is an assistant professor at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, specializing in designing lifestyle intervention programs for adults. His research has been published in journals such as Nutrients and American Journal of Public Health.

Victoria Catenacci, MD is an associate professor at the Anschutz Medical Campus, Colorado, focusing on endocrinology, metabolism, and diabetes. Her research has been showcased in journals like Nature reviews endocrinology and Physiology and behavior.

Read more:

Source: www.sciencefocus.com

Review of Ballionaire – An addicting, pinball-inspired strategy game | Games

Posted on by
Reply

FFrom pinball to pachinko, humanity has spent billions of hours fascinated by the whimsical effects of physics on metal balls. it's entertainment, barionaireperhaps reached its zenith. The premise is childishly simple. You drop the ball onto the pyramid-shaped course and watch helplessly as it clatters towards the gutter at the bottom. Along the way, the ball bounces off pins and bumpers it encounters along the way, causing special effects and gradually accumulating dollar-based points along the way.

Some bumpers, colorfully rendered as anthropomorphic characters, are straightforward in nature. They might add a little cash to the pot or produce a second ball. Others are more complex, such as reversing gravity or teleporting a ball to another location. Initially the board is mostly empty, but each time you roll you have the opportunity to strategically add one of three new bumpers to your layout, thereby increasing the amount of points you can earn on your next run.

Here lies the challenge. It takes 5 attempts to build a cash pot that meets or exceeds a level's financial goals. If this goal is not achieved, the game is over. Once you address a challenge, your next goal will increase exponentially. You'll soon need to make virtually tens of thousands of dollars per ball just by strategic bumper placement and the luck of the bounce. At first it's a pedestrian-only Bagatelle-esque board game, but it soon becomes a carnival of firework-like effects, with fountains of coins and balls cascading down, setting off dizzying chain reactions.

It's a simple joy to watch your score accumulate through outlandish multipliers, and while the physical aspects of the game are completely passive, you'll be able to find the most beneficial bumper placements in the game's 55 spaces. There is a world of strategies to find out. board. The year begins with a seemingly simple yet obsessive challenge.

Source: www.theguardian.com

Review of Tactical Breach Wizards: A Fun and Intense Strategy Game that Rivals XCOM 2

Posted on by
Reply

aThe best place to start with Tactical Breach Wizards, a game that relies heavily on glimpses into the future, is a little further down the line. Let’s start with the fact that this special ops tour of magical mystery is the most important turn-based tactics game since the classic XCOM 2. Its blend of inventive, flexible puzzles and highly entertaining writing is enough to warrant active play on anyone’s console. But what makes the game worthy of Special Arcane Service is how boldly it critiques the murky morality of military-themed games.

In Tactical Breach Wizards you take command of a ragtag team of witch detectives, necromancers, time-manipulating wizards and druid hitmen and use your team’s diverse abilities to overcome escalating tactical siege scenarios. A typical level requires you to break into and enter a room, neutralize six enemies, seal a door to stop reinforcements, and reach a computer that will open a passage to the next room.

This is a simplified example of the format where you don’t have to worry about base management or higher layers of strategy. Instead, it focuses on creatively using magical powers to resolve scenarios as cleanly as possible. Jen, a freelance storm witch, casts lightning spells that can push people away without causing damage and knock out enemies by pushing them into objects or out of windows. Zan, a naval seer, can foresee events a second ahead, allowing him to roughly predict how his enemies will attack, but also to set up ambushes or give his teammates extra actions. Combining powers to maximize efficiency is a key tactic, for example, using Zan’s time boost ability to have Zan use his lightning power twice.

Each room you enter introduces a new ability, enemy, or idea that increases the challenge and your ability to face it. For example, you can recruit the necromancer Dessa to kill people and resurrect them to heal them, or place interdimensional portals in your walls to push through enemies and eliminate them quickly.

Tactical Breach Wizards wants to maximize the puzzle potential by having you move lots of small enemies around a room. But unlike XCOM, it doesn’t extend lateral thinking with brute force. Most scenarios are relatively easy to solve, as you can undo decisions you made on any given turn. However, each stage also has bonus objectives, such as completing a stage without taking any damage at all. Rather than punishing mistakes and killing your allies, Tactical Breach Wizards gently guides you towards excellence.

This more tolerant attitude is also reflected in the game’s themes. Tactical Breach Wizards is never a serious game – evidenced by objectives like “jump through the Pyromancer’s window” and the fact that Zan’s “assault rifle” is a machine gun frame with a wizard’s wand rather than a barrel – but it does treat its characters and the problems they face seriously. One of my favorite bits is the heartfelt exchange that happens every time the team gathers to breach another door. Not only is it a great joke, but the conversation that follows is also incredibly witty and offers great insight into each wizard’s inner life.

But the game’s most impressive trick is how it spins a truly intriguing spy thriller out of its ridiculous concept, while refusing to abide by the uncomfortable ethics of modern military games. The team is made up of rebels and outcasts rather than government-sanctioned wizards, and their enemies are enforcers of a religious dictatorship and people hired by private military companies (plus a traffic warlock called Steve). Even when facing these foes, the team only follows non-lethal rules of engagement. You might wonder how they can do this when people are constantly being kicked out of windows, and the answer is simple: they’re wizards.

This is a nearly perfectly balanced game, with nothing wasted. do not have A wicked ode to turn-based tactics, it embraces the genre’s creative puzzles while rejecting its worst excesses. In Tactical Breach Wizards you can see into the future, raise the dead and smash windows with a witch’s broomstick, but the most powerful magic of all is empathy.

Source: www.theguardian.com

Meta says Russia’s AI strategy to interfere in US elections is failing

Posted on by
Reply

Russia has been attempting online fraudulent activities using generative artificial intelligence, but according to a Metasecurity report published on Thursday, these efforts have not been successful.

Meta, the parent company of Facebook and Instagram, discovered that AI-powered strategies have only brought minimal benefits in terms of productivity and content generation to malicious actors. Meta was successful in thwarting deceptive influence campaigns.

Meta’s actions against “systematic fraud” on its platform are in response to concerns that generative AI could be employed to mislead or confuse individuals during elections in the U.S. and other nations.


David Agranovich, Meta’s director of security policy, informed reporters that Russia continues to be the primary source of “coordinated illicit activity” using fake Facebook and Instagram accounts.

Since the 2022 invasion of Ukraine by Russia, these efforts have been aimed at weakening Ukraine and its allies, as outlined in the report.

With the upcoming U.S. election, Meta anticipates Russian-backed online fraud campaigns targeting political candidates who support Ukraine.

Facebook has faced accusations of being a platform for election disinformation, while Russian operatives have utilized it and other U.S.-based social media platforms to fuel political tensions during various U.S. elections, including the 2016 election won by Donald Trump.

Experts are worried that generative AI tools like ChatGPT and Dall-E image generator can rapidly create on-demand content, leading to a flood of disinformation on social networks by malicious actors.

The report notes the use of AI in producing images, videos, translating and generating text, and crafting fake news articles and summaries.

When Meta investigates fraudulent activity, the focus is on account behavior rather than posted content.

Skip Newsletter Promotions

Influence campaigns span across various online platforms, with Meta observing that X (formerly Twitter) posts are used to lend credibility to fabricated content. Meta shared its findings with X and other internet companies, emphasizing the need for a coordinated defense against misinformation.

When asked about Meta’s view on X addressing scam reports, Agranovic mentioned, “With regards to Twitter (X), we’re still in the process of transitioning. Many people we’ve dealt with there in the past have already gone elsewhere.”

X has disbanded its trust and safety team and reduced content moderation efforts previously used to combat misinformation, making it a breeding ground for disinformation according to researchers.

Source: www.theguardian.com

Realigning the UK’s Climate Strategy: Strategies for the Next Government

Posted on by
Reply

Climate activists protest outside the Houses of Parliament in London in March.

Andrea Domeniconi/Alamy

This week, more than 400 climate scientists from UK research institutes published an open letterAhead of the general election on 4 July, he called on UK political parties to commit to stronger climate action in the next Parliament.

Their demands included a “credible” carbon reduction strategy for the country, during an election campaign where there has been little in-depth discussion about the UK's transition to net zero.

Why are scientists worried? After all, the UK has one of the most ambitious climate targets in the world – a legally binding target to reach net-zero emissions by 2050 – and has halved its greenhouse gas emissions since 1990.

But the truth is that the UK's race to net zero has slowed in recent years, with annual emissions Half the rate needed to achieve the intermediate goal.

While great progress has been made in decarbonizing the electricity supply, with around half of all electricity now generated from zero-carbon sources, other sectors are lagging behind. The Committee on Climate Change, the UK government's climate advisers, say that outside the electricity sector, the rate of emissions reductions needs to quadruple over the next seven years for the UK to meet its commitment to cut emissions by 68% by 2030. I said in OctoberHe warned it was “unlikely” the UK would get there under current plans.

“There's a real sense of frustration in the climate science community,” he said. Emily Schuckberg “We are yet to see the level of response that is required,” said a Cambridge University researcher who co-authored the scientists' letter.

The slow progress means problems are piling up, waiting for the next administration to tackle them.

Transportation and Buildings

By the end of the decade, emissions from surface transport – roads, rail and ships – need to fall by around 4 million tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent, four times the rate of reduction over the past decade. Electric car sales may be growing strongly, but sales of electric vans and trucks are sluggish, and the number of public charging points is not growing fast enough to keep up with the volume of electric vehicles travelling. Meanwhile, public transport use has fallen sharply during the COVID-19 pandemic, It's not back to the previous level.

Getting the transport sector to net zero will require more than just convincing everyone to buy electric cars, Michael Pollitt The Cambridge researchers say that reducing the number and size of cars is a key part of the puzzle. “We need more…and electric vehicles.

When it comes to buildings, home heating is the biggest pain point. Around 23 million homes in the UK are heated by gas boilers. By the middle of the century, all of these homes will need to be heated with zero-carbon energy sources, and it is expected that most will switch to heat pumps.

But the pace of the transition is too slow: just 69,000 heat pumps will be installed in UK homes in 2022, far short of the target of 600,000 per year by 2028. Part of…addition, increasing the affordability and efficiency of heat pumps will be crucial for decarbonizing home heating.

It is urgent to solve these problems. Nick Air One Oxford professor who signed the open letter said that a gas boiler installed in 2035 would still be heating homes in 2050. “For heat pumps and cars, we need to be pretty much sorted by the early 2040s, which means we need to get very serious about it in the 2030s,” he said.

That's why the UK government's inaction over the last decade, when it should have been focusing on preparing industry for mass adoption, is so worrying.

Agriculture and Aviation

Beyond heat, power and transport, tougher choices lie ahead. For example, emissions from agriculture and land use have remained almost unchanged for a decade, but need to be reduced by 29% by 2035. Achieving these reductions will likely require actions…

“The biggest challenge is starting to implement policies and regulations that will affect people's daily lives.” Leo Mercer “If policies are not communicated well, people will react quite strongly,” said the professor at the London School of Economics.

Alongside its domestic challenges, the UK needs to rebuild its reputation on the international stage: under former Prime Minister Boris Johnson, the UK hosted the COP26 climate summit and led international coalitions on deforestation, methane and electric vehicles.

However, progress on climate change measures in the UK has slowed, cuts in international aid and climate diplomacy; Britain's international reputation has suffered, and the government's decisions to approve new fossil fuel projects in the UK while urging lower-income countries to “move away” from fossil fuels have also antagonized the British public.

Unless a country like the UK can demonstrate that net zero is achievable and desirable as a national strategy, it will face an uphill battle to persuade lower-income countries to cut emissions, which is why it is crucial the UK restores its reputation as a climate leader in the next parliament, he says.

Next year, countries are due to submit new commitments under the Paris Agreement to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 2035. “So this is a pivotal moment for the international community,” she said. “This parliament will be crucial…cing in the 2030s,” he said.

What each party is proposing

So which party can take action on the scale needed to get the UK back on track? All the major parties agree on the need to reach net zero by mid-century, and Labour and the Conservatives are remarkably in agreement on the need for renewable energy, particularly offshore wind.

But Labour has made an eye-catching promise to deliver a fully decarbonised electricity grid by 2030. Adam Bell A former senior UK government official at Stonehaven, a British consultancy, said the target was “highly ambitious” and would push government agencies to the limits of their capabilities. [Labour] It could be even more ambitious.”

But for Eyre, a credible climate manifesto should also include ambitious targets in the areas where the UK is seriously off track: home energy efficiency, heat pump adoption, industrial emissions, land use, solar power and electric vehicles. “It's not a matter of doing one or two of them,” Eyre says. “We need to do them all.”

Many experts privately doubt that the major parties have policy programmes with the pace and scale needed to get to net zero by 2050. Absent that, looking for enthusiasm for the challenges ahead may be the next best way to gauge a party's credibility. In Eyre's eyes, the next UK government is embarking on a “10-year plan on the scale of the introduction of the steam engine.” “If you don't have a positive vision yourself, you're not going to sell it to the public,” he says.

topic:

Source: www.newscientist.com

UK election: Realigning the next government’s climate strategy for success

Posted on by
Reply

Climate activists protest outside the Houses of Parliament in London in March.

Andrea Domeniconi/Alamy

This week, more than 400 climate scientists from UK research institutes published an open letterAhead of the general election on 4 July, he called on UK political parties to commit to stronger climate action in the next Parliament.

Their demands included a “credible” carbon reduction strategy for the country, during an election campaign where there has been little in-depth discussion about the UK's transition to net zero.

Why are scientists worried? After all, the UK has one of the most ambitious climate targets in the world – a legally binding target to reach net-zero emissions by 2050 – and has halved its greenhouse gas emissions since 1990.

But the truth is that the UK's race to net zero has slowed in recent years, with annual emissions Half the rate needed to achieve the intermediate goal.

While great progress has been made in decarbonizing the electricity supply, with around half of all electricity now generated from zero-carbon sources, other sectors are lagging behind. The Committee on Climate Change, the UK government's climate advisers, say that outside the electricity sector, the rate of emissions reductions needs to quadruple over the next seven years for the UK to meet its commitment to cut emissions by 68% by 2030. I said in OctoberHe warned it was “unlikely” the UK would get there under current plans.

“There's a real sense of frustration in the climate science community,” he said. Emily Schuckberg “We are yet to see the level of response that is required,” said a Cambridge University researcher who co-authored the scientists' letter.

The slow progress means problems are piling up, waiting for the next administration to tackle them.

Transportation and Buildings

By the end of the decade, emissions from surface transport – roads, rail and ships – need to fall by around 4 million tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent, four times the rate of reduction over the past decade. Electric car sales may be growing strongly, but sales of electric vans and trucks are sluggish, and the number of public charging points is not growing fast enough to keep up with the volume of electric vehicles travelling. Meanwhile, public transport use has fallen sharply during the COVID-19 pandemic, It's not back to the previous level.

Getting the transport sector to net zero will require more than just convincing everyone to buy electric cars, Michael Pollitt The Cambridge researchers say that reducing the number and size of cars is a key part of the puzzle. “We need more radical thinking about intercity transport, including prioritising lanes for small vehicles and dramatically reducing the size and weight of vehicles,” they say. “If people can travel in significantly smaller cars and public transport, that's the route to net-zero transport.”

When it comes to buildings, home heating is the biggest pain point. Around 23 million homes in the UK are heated by gas boilers. By the middle of the century, all of these homes will need to be heated with zero-carbon energy sources, and it is expected that most will switch to heat pumps.

But the pace of the transition is too slow: just 69,000 heat pumps will be installed in UK homes in 2022, far short of the target of 600,000 per year by 2028. Part of the problem is finances: heat pumps are much more expensive to install than gas boilers, and they are often more expensive to run as well, due to an additional levy on grid costs. “We absolutely have to get the price of heat pumps down,” Porritt says. “Unless the price of heat pumps comes down significantly, they will be a major obstacle to decarbonising heating.”

It is urgent to solve these problems. Nick Air One Oxford professor who signed the open letter said that a gas boiler installed in 2035 would still be heating homes in 2050. “For heat pumps and cars, we need to be pretty much sorted by the early 2040s, which means we need to get very serious about it in the 2030s,” he said.

That's why the UK government's inaction over the last decade, when it should have been focusing on preparing industry for mass adoption, is so worrying. “We know what needs to be done,” Eyre says, “but the last two years in particular have been a period of no real action being taken.”

Agriculture and Aviation

Beyond heat, power and transport, tougher choices lie ahead. For example, emissions from agriculture and land use have remained almost unchanged for a decade, but need to be reduced by 29% by 2035. Achieving these reductions will likely require actions to change the way people eat. Similarly, reducing aviation emissions will require actions to curb demand, such as taxes on frequent flyers.

“The biggest challenge is starting to implement policies and regulations that will affect people's daily lives.” Leo Mercer “If policies are not communicated well, people will react quite strongly,” said the professor at the London School of Economics.

Alongside its domestic challenges, the UK needs to rebuild its reputation on the international stage: under former Prime Minister Boris Johnson, the UK hosted the COP26 climate summit and led international coalitions on deforestation, methane and electric vehicles.

However, progress on climate change measures in the UK has slowed, cuts in international aid and climate diplomacy; Britain's international reputation has suffered, and the government's decisions to approve new fossil fuel projects in the UK while urging lower-income countries to “move away” from fossil fuels have also antagonized the British public.

Unless a country like the UK can demonstrate that net zero is achievable and desirable as a national strategy, it will face an uphill battle to persuade lower-income countries to cut emissions, which is why it is crucial the UK restores its reputation as a climate leader in the next parliament, he says. Katerina Brandmeyer At Imperial College London.

Next year, countries are due to submit new commitments under the Paris Agreement to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 2035. “So this is a pivotal moment for the international community,” she said. “This parliament will be crucial not only to ensuring delivery in the UK, but also to raising ambition globally.”

What each party is proposing

So which party can take action on the scale needed to get the UK back on track? All the major parties agree on the need to reach net zero by mid-century, and Labour and the Conservatives are remarkably in agreement on the need for renewable energy, particularly offshore wind.

But Labour has made an eye-catching promise to deliver a fully decarbonised electricity grid by 2030. Adam Bell A former senior UK government official at Stonehaven, a British consultancy, said the target was “highly ambitious” and would push government agencies to the limits of their capabilities. [Labour] It could be even more ambitious.”

But for Eyre, a credible climate manifesto should also include ambitious targets in the areas where the UK is seriously off track: home energy efficiency, heat pump adoption, industrial emissions, land use, solar power and electric vehicles. “It's not a matter of doing one or two of them,” Eyre says. “We need to do them all.”

Many experts privately doubt that the major parties have policy programmes with the pace and scale needed to get to net zero by 2050. Absent that, looking for enthusiasm for the challenges ahead may be the next best way to gauge a party's credibility. In Eyre's eyes, the next UK government is embarking on a “10-year plan on the scale of the introduction of the steam engine.” “If you don't have a positive vision yourself, you're not going to sell it to the public,” he says.

topic:

Source: www.newscientist.com

Liverpool FC and DeepMind collaborate to create artificial intelligence for soccer strategy consultation

Posted on by
Reply

Corner kicks like this one taken by Liverpool's Trent Alexander-Arnold can lead to goal-scoring opportunities.

Robbie Jay Barratt/AMA/Getty

Artificial intelligence models predict the outcome of corner kicks in soccer matches and help coaches design tactics that increase or decrease the probability of a player taking a shot on goal.

petar veličković Google's DeepMind and colleagues have developed a tool called TacticAI as part of a three-year research collaboration with Liverpool Football Club.

A corner kick is awarded when the ball crosses the goal line and goes out of play, creating a good scoring opportunity for the attacking team. For this reason, football coaches make detailed plans for different scenarios, which players study before the game.

TacticAI was trained on data from 7176 corner kicks from England's 2020-2021 Premier League season. This includes each player's position over time as well as their height and weight. You learned to predict which player will touch the ball first after a corner kick has been taken. In testing, Ball's receiver ranked him among TacticAI's top three candidates 78% of the time.

Coaches can use AI to generate tactics for attacking or defending corners that maximize or minimize the chances of a particular player receiving the ball or a team getting a shot on goal. This is done by mining real-life examples of corner kicks with similar patterns and providing suggestions on how to change tactics to achieve the desired result.

Liverpool FC's soccer experts were unable to distinguish between AI-generated tactics and human-designed tactics in a blind test, favoring AI-generated tactics 90% of the time.

But despite its capabilities, Veličković says TacticAI was never intended to put human coaches out of work. “We are strong supporters of AI systems, not systems that replace AI, but augment human capabilities and allow people to spend more time on the creative parts of their jobs,” he says.

Velicković said the research has a wide range of applications beyond sports. “If you can model a football game, you can better model some aspects of human psychology,” he says. “As AI becomes more capable, it needs to understand the world better, especially under uncertainty. Our systems can make decisions and make recommendations even under uncertainty. It’s a good testing ground because it’s a skill that we believe can be applied to future AI systems.”

topic:

Source: www.newscientist.com

The Unusual Mating Strategy of Monkfish May Have Contributed to Their Evolutionary Success

Posted on by
Reply

A type of deep-sea angler fish called the black sea devil

Doug Perine / Alamy

The unique sexual strategy of deep-sea anglerfish may have helped their ancestors move into entirely new habitats, allowing for the incredible diversity of species that thrive today.

chase brownstein Researchers at Yale University have reconstructed the evolution of more than 160 species of deep-sea anglerfish (keratioids). Known for their large jaws and bioluminescent lures, serratioids are a subgroup of the larger order of the anglerfish family, which also includes monkfish and other bizarre benthic creatures such as monkfish, sea toads, and batfish. Using genetic sequencing, the researchers discovered that the ancestors of keratioids walked on pectoral fins at the bottom of the deep ocean. But 55 million years ago, some creatures began swimming in the ocean's vast deep-pelagic, or “midnight,” zone. There, over a period of just 5 million years, they became more genetically diverse than their ocean-floor relatives.

He said this is strange because the ocean floor and coral reefs typically have a greater variety of species. elizabeth miller At the University of California, Irvine. Environments with many topographical features lend themselves to the specialization of organisms. But with constant temperatures and vast expanses of waterless ocean, “the deep pelagic zone is truly the most homogeneous habitat on Earth,” she says.

Miller and her colleagues Monkfish species family tree Although her team and Brownstein's team used different methods, their studies are largely consistent regarding the timeline and scale of deep-sea monkfish diversification.

Brownstein's team found that this surprising diversification may be due to the serratioids' parasite-like reproductive strategy. That is, the small male uses his jaws to attach to the much larger female until he is ready to mate. In some species, the two can even permanently fuse together, such as sharing a circulatory system. This unique mating technique could theoretically benefit deep-sea monkfish, as they are very unlikely to encounter other members of their species during their lifetime.

Brownstein's analysis shows that the traits necessary for this parasitism, such as the difference in body size between males and females and the weakness of their immune systems that prevent them from attacking attached males, are the result of the evolution of monkfish diving into the deep sea. It turns out that it has existed for a long time.

“Most of this complex trait existed before the serratioids entered the deep ocean,” he says. “Basically, it's not the gas inside the engine, [of diversity]Sexual parasitism was like a preparation to press the gas pedal. ”

Miller said it's “possible” that a parasitic lifestyle helped the anglerfish invade deep-sea habitats, but it’s unclear how the fish subsequently achieved so much diversification. It remains as it is.

Answering this question will be a daunting task, especially since it is difficult to recover intact monkfish samples from the deep ocean.but cory evans Rice University in Texas says having two matching comprehensive family trees will help other researchers investigate.

“I think monkfish enthusiasts will be reading a lot of these two papers over the next six months,” he says.

topic:

Source: www.newscientist.com

New Strategy Revealed by Scientists to Combat Antibiotic Resistance

Posted on by
Reply







Document

The urgent crisis of antibiotic-resistant superbugs is being solved in groundbreaking research by the University of Massachusetts Amherst and Microbiotics. Their research focuses on disrupting the pathogen’s type 3 secretion system, providing a new approach to preventing infectious diseases. This strategy, supported by innovative luciferase-based technology, could pave the way for new drugs, improve our understanding of microbial infections, and lead to major advances in public health. Credit: SciTechDaily.com

The team is developing tests to identify new drugs that neutralize pathogens and provide substantial benefits to public health.

Antibiotic-resistant “superbugs” could overwhelm efforts to eradicate “superbugs” are an imminent public health crisis, with more than 2.8 million antibiotic-resistant infections occurring each year, according to the CDC disease is occurring. Researchers around the world are struggling to address this challenge.

Recently, a collaborative team of researchers led by the University of Massachusetts Amherst and including scientists from biopharmaceutical companies microbiologypublished in a magazine ACS infection They said they have successfully learned how to interfere with a key mechanism used by pathogens to infect host cells, called the type 3 secretion system. Additionally, the researchers report that they have developed a test to identify the next generation of drugs that target this vulnerable cellular machinery and have real benefits for public health.

A typical strategy when treating microbial infections is to attack the pathogen with antibiotics, which work by entering and killing harmful cells. This is not as easy as it sounds. New antibiotics need to be water-soluble so they can easily pass through the bloodstream, and oil-based to cross the cell membranes that are the first line of defense of pathogenic cells. Of course, water and oil don’t mix. It is difficult to design a drug that has enough of both properties to be effective.

The type 3 secretion system relies on two proteins, PopB and PopD (red and blue), which form tunnels in the host cell wall.

That’s not the only problem. Antibiotics can’t cause any harm because pathogenic cells have developed something called an “efflux pump” that can recognize them and safely pump them out of the cell. If an antibiotic cannot overcome the efflux pumps and kills the cell, the pathogen will “remember” what that particular antibiotic is and create additional efflux pumps to deal with it efficiently. Develop. This means that they become resistant to that particular antibiotic.

One way forward is to find new antibiotics or combinations of them to stay one step ahead of superbugs.

“Or you could change your strategy,” says Alejandro Heuch, associate professor of biochemistry and molecular biology at the University of Massachusetts Amherst and lead author of the paper. “I am a chemist and have always been interested in understanding how chemical molecules interact with living organisms. In particular, I understand the communication between pathogens and the host cells they try to invade. We have focused our research on molecules that make this possible. If we don’t try to kill the pathogen, there’s no chance that the pathogen will develop resistance. We’re just jamming that machine. The pathogen is still alive. It’s just ineffective, and the host has no chance of developing resistance. You have time to use your natural defenses to eliminate the pathogen.”

Heuck and his colleagues are particularly interested in a communication system called the type 3 secretion system, which so far is thought to be an evolutionary adaptation unique to pathogenic microorganisms. Understanding host-pathogen interactions.

Like pathogenic cells, host cells have thick and impermeable cell walls. To overcome these, pathogens first developed syringe-like machines that secreted two proteins known as PopD and PopB. Neither PopD nor PopB can break through the cell wall on their own, but together the two proteins can create a “translocon,” the equivalent of a tunnel through the cell membrane. Once the tunnel is established, the pathogenic cell can inject other proteins that serve to infect the host. This entire process is called the type 3 secretion system, and it cannot function without both PopB and PopD. “If you don’t try to kill the pathogen, there’s no chance of it developing resistance,” Huke says. We’re just jamming that machine. The pathogen is still alive. It’s just ineffective, and the host needs time to use its natural defenses to eliminate the pathogen.

Heuck and his colleagues realized that a type of enzyme called luciferase (similar to what makes lightning bugs glow at night) could be used as a tracer. They split the enzyme into two halves. Half of it was integrated into the PopD/PopB protein and the other half was integrated into the host cell.These engineered proteins and hosts can receive a large influx of different compounds. If the host cell suddenly glows, it means that PopD/PopB has broken through the cell wall and recombined her two halves of luciferase, causing it to glow. But what if the cells remain dark? “Then we can see which molecules disrupt the translocon,” Huke says.

Huke was quick to point out that his team’s research not only has obvious applications in the pharmaceutical and public health worlds, but also advances our understanding of exactly how microbes infect healthy cells. “We wanted to study how pathogens work, and suddenly we realized that our discoveries could help solve public health problems,” he said.

Reference: “Cell-based assay to determine translocon assembly of the type 3 secretion system in Pseudomonas aeruginosa using split luciferase” by Hanling Guo, Emily J. Geddes, Timothy J. Opperman and Alejandro P. Heuck , November 18, 2023 ACS infection.DOI: 10.1021/acsinfecdis.3c00482

This research was supported by the Massachusetts Amherst Applied Life Sciences Institute, a Healey Foundation grant, and National Institutes of Health.


Source: scitechdaily.com

New Strategy by Mount Sinai to Serve a Diverse Community

Posted on by
Reply

A team at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai has developed a new statistical method, BridgePRS, to improve predictions of disease in non-European populations, particularly people of African descent. This method addresses the limitations of current polygenic risk scores, which are less accurate for non-European ancestry, and represents an important step toward personalized medicine and reducing healthcare disparities. Credit: SciTechDaily.com

Statistical methods enhance prediction of genetic diseases in non-European populations and address health care equity.

A team of scientists at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai has developed BridgePRS, a groundbreaking statistical method to better predict disease in people of non-European descent, particularly people of African descent. This development represents an important step towards reducing healthcare disparities and a future of more personalized and precise medical interventions based on genetic information. Details of their research can be found today (December 20, 2023). natural genetics.

Addressing healthcare inequalities with enhanced polygenic risk scores

Current polygenic risk scores (PRS) are essential tools for predicting disease risk; DNA, based on genetic data from individuals of primarily European descent. This bias makes statistics less accurate for people of African and Asian descent and exacerbates health care inequalities between different ethnic groups.

The researchers undertook this study to improve disease prediction from genetics in non-European populations. Although the main goal of personalized medicine is disease prevention, the current PRS is a weak predictor, especially in non-European populations.

BridgePRS improves prediction for individuals of African descent in the New York BioMe cohort.Credit: Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai

Closing the gap in genetic disease prediction

“More genetic data from diverse ancestry is needed, but our method can help combine existing data to maximize disease prediction for all people,” says Genetics and Genome Sciences. Dr. Clive Hoggart, assistant professor and lead author of the paper, explained. “This progress is possible because the biology that causes disease is strikingly similar across ancestry.”

“We hope our method opens the door to scientific investigation of disease risk in diverse populations around the world,” said lead author Dr. Paul O’Reilly, associate professor of genetics and genomic sciences. “The prevalence of diseases and the importance of different biological pathways vary globally. Understanding these differences is critical to advancing disease prediction and treatment.”

The field of optimizing disease prediction using PRS is highly competitive and is driving rapid progress. Dr O’Reilly said: “Our BridgePRS method is particularly promising for predicting disease in people of African descent, a population with rich genetic diversity that can provide new insights into human disease. ” states.

While recognizing the potential of genetics and DNA in predicting future disease and the role of PRS in precision medicine, it is important to understand that the biology that causes disease does not differ significantly by ancestry group or race. It is important.

Reference: “BridgePRS exploits shared genetic effects between ancestors to improve portability of polygenic risk scores,” December 20, 2023, Nature Genetics.
DOI: 10.1038/s41588-023-01583-9

All remaining authors are Icahn Mount Sinai and Dr. Shing Wan Choi, except where noted. (Regeneron Genetics Center), Judit García-González, Ph.D., Tade Souaiaia, Ph.D. (Suny Downstate Health Sciences), and Michael Prouss, Ph.D.

This research was funded by grant number R01MH122866 from the National Institute of Mental Health and grant number R01HG012773 from the National Human Genome Research Institute.

Source: scitechdaily.com