Lifeboat Foundation

Getting a colonoscopy is important to screen for colorectal cancer. But how often you should get a colonoscopy depends on several different factors.

Current guidelines suggest that you get your first colonoscopy at age 45 if you are at average risk for colorectal cancer. If no polyps are found, you won’t need another colonoscopy for another 10 years. But in certain situations, you may need a colonoscopy more often.

We spoke with gastroenterologist Mazen Alasadi, M.D., to learn more.

In one sense, it is undeniably new. Interactions with ChatGPT can feel unprecedented, as when a tech journalist couldn’t get a chatbot to stop declaring its love for him. In my view, however, the boundary between humans and machines, in terms of the way we interact with one another, is fuzzier than most people would care to admit, and this fuzziness accounts for a good deal of the discourse swirling around ChatGPT.

When I’m asked to check a box to confirm I’m not a robot, I don’t give it a second thought—of course I’m not a robot. On the other hand, when my email client suggests a word or phrase to complete my sentence, or when my phone guesses the next word I’m about to text, I start to doubt myself. Is that what I meant to say? Would it have occurred to me if the application hadn’t suggested it? Am I part robot? These large language models have been trained on massive amounts of “natural” human language. Does this make the robots part human?

Over millennia, humans have observed and been inspired by beautiful displays of light bands dancing across dark night skies. Today, we call these lights the aurora: the aurora borealis in the northern hemisphere, and the aurora australis in the southern hemisphere.

Nowadays, we understand aurorae are caused by charged particles from Earth’s magnetosphere and the solar wind colliding with other particles in Earth’s upper atmosphere. Those collisions excite the atmospheric particles, which then release light as they “relax” back to their unexcited state.

Continue reading “What is an aurora, and why do they come in different shapes and colors?” »

A hacking group believed to be behind a cybercrime spree in 2021 is once again involved in an active hacking campaign targeting a file transfer tool that could lead to a wave of data breaches, according to US cybersecurity officials.

The hacking group, named “CL0P,” is targeting a file transfer tool called MOVEit that belongs to Progress Software Corp., according to a joint advisory by the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency and FBI on June 7.

Officials say CL0P has been attempting to steal data belonging to MOVEit clients since at least May 27. A confirmed victim includes Zellis, a UK-based payroll services provider whose clients include British Airways and the BBC, reports Law360.

Four experts explore technologies that could play roles in computers of the future.

If you tuned into Apple’s WWDC conference on June 5, you may have spotted the term ‘spatial computing’ in the company’s keynote.

Keep reading to learn everything you need to know about spatial computing.

Spatial computing is a term used to refer to machines that use human interaction to retain and manipulate real-life objects and spaces.

Researchers at the University of Chemistry and Technology in Prague have made progress in the field of assistive technology with the development of a novel auditory human–machine interface using black phosphorus–based tactile sensors. Research led by Prof. Martin Pumera and Dr. Jan Vyskočil has the potential to revolutionize communication for visually or speech-disabled individuals by providing an intuitive and efficient means of conveying information.

Assistive technology that utilizes auditory feedback has traditionally been employed by individuals with visual impairments or speech and language difficulties. In this study, the focus was on creating an auditory human-machine interface that utilizes audio as a platform for communication between disabled users and society. The researchers developed a piezoresistive tactile sensor using a composite of black phosphorus and polyaniline (BP@PANI) through a simple chemical oxidative polymerization process on cotton fabric.

The unique structure and superior electrical properties of black phosphorus, combined with the large surface area of the fabric, enabled the BP@PANI-based tactile sensor to exhibit exceptional sensitivity, low-pressure sensitivity, reasonable response time, and excellent cycle stability. To demonstrate the real-world application, a prototype device was created, incorporating six BP@PANI tactile sensors corresponding to braille characters. This device can convert pressed text into audio, aiding visually or speech-disabled individuals in reading and typing. It offers a promising solution for improving communication and accessibility for this demographic.

A former executive of Samsung Electronics stole the juggernaut’s confidential semiconductor data to build a copycat chip facility in China, South Korean prosecutors alleged on Monday.

The 65-year-old defendant, who also previously worked for Korean chipmaker SK Hynix, has been arrested. He has been accused of violating industrial technology protection laws and stealing trade secrets from 2018 to 2019 to establish a copy of Samsung’s semiconductor plant, just 1.5 kilometers away from Samsung chip factory in Xi’an, China.

The ex-Samsung exec’s attempt to build the copycat chip plant allegedly fell through after his backer, purportedly an undisclosed Taiwanese company, canceled more than a $6 billion (approximately 8 trillion won) investment into the project, prosecutors said. Instead, he received capital from investors in China and Taiwan to produce trial chip products based on Samsung’s technology.

Exploring Mitochondrial Bioenergetics, Optogenetics, Human Health And Aging — Dr. Brandon Berry, Ph.D., University of Washington.

Dr. Brandon Berry, Ph.D. (https://halo.dlmp.uw.edu/people/brandon-berry/) is a postdoctoral researcher in the Kaeberlein Laboratory at University of Washington where his research focuses on how aging and metabolism are linked.

Continue reading “Dr Brandon Berry, PhD — Exploring Mitochondrial Bioenergetics, Optogenetics, Human Health And Aging” »