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Jeanette Erdmann (1965–2023)
Jeanette Erdmann, professor of human genetics at the University of Lübeck and the German Center for Cardiovascular Research (DZHK), sadly passed away on 9 July 2023 at the age of 57. We grieve the loss of an extraordinary woman who embraced her scientific profession with unwavering dedication, contributing to groundbreaking work in the field of…
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Planting the milestones of human genetics in Senegal
Implementing human genetics research: an itinerary of a researcher from low-income settings. I remember, after my PharmD graduation, how happy my mother was. She said, “Now that you are done with school, you have to set up your own drugstore, find a good husband and settle down.” However, my destiny was far from supporting this…
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Machine culture
Abstract The ability of humans to create and disseminate culture is often credited as the single most important factor of our success as a species. In this Perspective, we explore the notion of ‘machine culture’, culture mediated or generated by machines. We argue that intelligent machines simultaneously transform the cultural evolutionary processes of variation, transmission…
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Research can help to tackle AI-generated disinformation
Generative artificial intelligence (AI) tools have made it easy to create realistic disinformation that is hard to detect by humans and may undermine public trust. Some approaches used for assessing the reliability of online information may no longer work in the AI age. We offer suggestions for how research can help to tackle the threats…
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LLMs differ from human cognition because they are not embodied
Large language models (LLMs) are impressive technological creations but they cannot replace all scientific theories of cognition. A science of cognition must focus on humans as embodied, social animals who are embedded in material, cultural and technological contexts. There is the technological question of whether computers can be intelligent, and also the scientific question of…
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We need a decolonized appropriation of AI in Africa
Technocoloniality is when the use of technology in a particular way causes a colonial way of thinking that seeks to exert power, control and domination, often to replicate colonial patterns of oppression. For example, digital technologies — such as the internet and mobile telephones — and the process of colonialism can be understood as historically…
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Looking at frailty and intrinsic capacity through a geroscience lens: the ICFSR & Geroscience Task Force
On 22 March 2023, the Geroscience Translational Research & International Conference on Frailty and Sarcopenia Research (ICFSR) Task Force met in Toulouse, France to discuss avenues to foster the development of intrinsic capacity and frailty clinical trials under a geroscience perspective. A synthesis of these discussions and a set of recommendations are presented in this…
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AI and imaging-based cancer screening: getting ready for prime time
New data show that AI could enhance imaging-based screen for pancreatic cancer; however, its evaluation must be rigorous and adhere to the same standards used for conventional screening. In recent years, artificial intelligence (AI) has become a pervasive element of our lives. Consciously or unconsciously, we interact with AI techniques when using search engines on…
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Inequalities in noise will affect urban wildlife
Abstract Understanding how systemic biases influence local ecological communities is essential for developing just and equitable environmental practices that prioritize both human and wildlife well-being. With over 270 million residents inhabiting urban areas in the United States, the socioecological consequences of racially targeted zoning, such as redlining, need to be considered in urban planning. There is…
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Living in a brave new AI era
Although artificial intelligence (AI) was already ubiquitous, the recent arrival of generative AI has ushered in a new era of possibilities as well as risks. This Focus explores the wide-ranging impacts of AI tools on science and society, examining both their potential and their pitfalls. No AI tool was used to write this editorial. Twelve…