NASA researchers have found that since February, pandemic restrictions have reduced global nitrogen dioxide concentrations by nearly 20%. Source: https://earthsky.org/earth/how-much-covid19-related-pollution-levels-deviated-from-norm-2020…
Tag: Human behavior
Offices Resort To Sensors In Futile Attempts To Keep Workers Apart
An anonymous reader quotes a report from Bloomberg: Millions of workers in recent months have returned to offices outfitted with new pandemic protocols meant to keep them healthy and safe. But temperature checks and plexiglass barriers between desks can’t prevent one of the most dangerous workplace behaviors for the spread of Covid-19 — the irresistible desire to mingle. “If you have…
Cats Can Imitate Humans, Scientists Show For First Time
sciencehabit writes: A number of animals, from dogs to chimpanzees, can imitate human behavior. Now scientists have shown that cats can too. Under controlled conditions, a Japanese cat named Ebisu copied the movements of her owner when she touched a cardboard box and rubbed her face against it. Researchers say it’s evidence of complex cognition, because the cat must be able…
Latest online courses in data science, tech, and health in 2020
With new courses launching every week, there’s always something to explore. These new courses cover everything from using TensorFlow to deploy machine learning models to the tools public health experts use to mitigate the spread of infectious diseases. What will you learn next? Data Science TensorFlow: Data and Deployment Specialization by deeplearning.ai Industries all around […]
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Mental Health Tips for the COVID-19 Outbreak
Dr. Steve Joordens, a professor of psychology at the University of Toronto, Scarborough, regularly connects psychology to world events. Below, listen to the conversation or read the transcript, and hear Dr. Steve Joordens’s thoughts on: Tips to manage anxiety and fear around the new coronavirus pandemic How often you should check the news How parents […]
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Poll reveals climate change as most important issue for U.S. adults
A Harris Poll survey – conducted online in December on behalf of the American Psychological Association – reports that more than half of U.S. adults (56%) cite climate change as the most important issue facing the world today. Source: https://earthsky.org/earth/poll-reveals-climate-change-as-most-important-issue-for-u-s-adults…
What is quantum cognition? Physics theory could predict human behavior.
Some scientists think quantum mechanics can help explain human decision-making. Source: https://www.livescience.com/quantum-like-model-of-decision-making-proposed.html
How a Fake Murder-For-Hire Site Led To Real Convictions
Harper’s profiles sys-admin Chris Monteiro, who moonlights as a white-hat hacker monitoring dark web sites claiming to offer murder-for-hire services. For example, he tipped off one local police department to a $5,000 bitcoin payment someone made to try to arrange the murder of a teenaged girl on a site run by someone named “Yura”. [U]sers set up an anonymous account, select…
The Dangers of ‘Black Box’ AI
PC Magazine recently interviewed Janelle Shane, the optics research scientist and AI experimenter who authored the new book “You Look Like a Thing and I Love You: How Artificial Intelligence Works and Why It’s Making the World a Weirder Place.” At one point Shane explains why any “black box” AI can be a problem:
I think ethics in AI does have to…
Smart TVs Are Data-Collecting Machines, New Study Shows
A new study from Princeton University shows internet-connected TVs, which allow people to stream Netflix and Hulu, are loaded with data-hungry trackers. “If you use a device such as Roku and Amazon Fire TV, there are numerous companies that can build up a fairly comprehensive picture of what you’re watching,” Arvind Narayanan, associate professor of computer science at Princeton, wrote in…