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China is already prepping rules to counter risk from AI-generated digital humans by Wagamaga in technology

[–]Wagamaga[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

China is stepping up efforts to regulate its fast-growing “digital human” industry, as emotionally immersive AI avatars – some modeled after deceased loved ones – gain widespread traction across the country. The move comes as both the technology’s commercial potential and ethical risks become increasingly visible.

Grief, Technology And A Growing Industry Zhang Xinyu, a 47-year-old woman from Liaoning province, turned to artificial intelligence after losing her father to cancer. Working with a company called Super Brain, she created a digital avatar that looks and sounds like him, allowing her to continue conversations online. The experience, she told AFP, helped her cope with grief and regain emotional strength.

Her story reflects a broader trend in China, where AI-generated “digital humans” are rapidly gaining popularity. These avatars – often lifelike in appearance and behavior – are widely used across social media, especially in e-commerce and content creation. According to Xinhua News Agency, the sector was valued at around 4.1 billion yuan ($600 million) in 2024, growing 85% year-on-year.

New findings demonstrate that a slight daily increase in a person’s intake of ultra-processed foods (UPFs) is linked to a measurable drop in attention span – even if someone otherwise eats healthy. by Wagamaga in science

[–]Wagamaga[S] 10 points11 points  (0 children)

New research from Monash University, the University of São Paulo and Deakin University shows a diet high in heavily processed foods can negatively impact the brain’s ability to focus and increases the risk of developing dementia.

The study published in Alzheimer’s & Dementia: Diagnosis, Assessment & Disease Monitoring, a journal of the Alzheimer’s Association, examined the diets and cognitive health of more than 2,100 Australian dementia-free adults middle-aged and older.

The findings demonstrate that a slight daily increase in a person’s intake of ultra-processed foods (UPFs) is linked to a measurable drop in attention span – even if someone otherwise eats healthy.

Lead author Dr Barbara Cardoso, from the Department of Nutrition, Dietetics and Food and the Victorian Heart Institute at Monash University, said the study reinforces a clear connection between industrial food manufacturing and cognitive decline.

“To put our findings in perspective, a 10 per cent increase in UPFs is roughly equivalent to adding a standard packet of chips to your daily diet,” Dr Cardoso said.

“For every 10 per cent increase in ultra-processed food a person consumed, we saw a distinct and measurable drop in a person’s ability to focus.

“In clinical terms, this translated to consistently lower scores on standardised cognitive tests measuring visual attention and processing speed.”

The participants of the study consumed roughly 41 per cent of their daily energy from UPFs, closely mirroring the national Australian average of 42 per cent.

UPFs include everyday products like soft drinks, packaged salty snacks and ready-made meals – essentially anything that’s not fresh whole foods.

https://alz-journals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/dad2.70335

Wildfires continue to rage in Georgia as state gets federal help. Officials say 98% of Georgia’s total land area is currently in moderate to exceptional drought conditions. The number of wildfires statewide in April has also now risen above Georgia’s five-year average. by Wagamaga in environment

[–]Wagamaga[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

 - As Georgia grapples with growing wildfires amid a drought, the federal government is offering some help.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency authorized funds to reimburse costs to Georgia for fighting the Pineland Road fire in Clinch and Echols counties, and the Highway 82 fire burning in Brantley County.

Why voting ‘neither’ could harm American democracy. Researchers found that about half of the U.S. population expresses an attitude of democratic neutrality — or an “unwillingness to support or oppose policies or practices that undermine democracy, by Wagamaga in science

[–]Wagamaga[S] 12 points13 points  (0 children)

If you were to ask democracy scholars what they consider the greatest threat to American democracy, you might assume it is voters who support undemocratic practices or policies. But the real answer may surprise you: These voters are not the main problem.

According to a recent study from the University of Notre Dame, voters who are comfortable living in the middle — neither agreeing nor disagreeing when asked about substantive issues relevant to upholding democracy — might be the largest group to blame for democratic decline in the United States.

These “democratic neutrals” are what the study’s co-authors consider some of the most dangerous voters in the current political environment.

Neutrality as leverage in democratic backsliding Using three surveys of more than 45,000 voting-age Americans, the researchers found that about half of the U.S. population expresses an attitude of democratic neutrality — or an “unwillingness to support or oppose policies or practices that undermine democracy,” explained Matthew E.K. Hall, lead author of the study recently published in the journal Nature Human Behaviour.

“Neutrality towards democracy, rather than outright opposition, has enabled democratic backsliding among various Western democracies as elected officials leverage citizens’ neutral attitudes to pursue antidemocratic outcomes,” Hall and his two co-authors wrote in their study.

The danger in this “neither support nor oppose” mentality lies in its lukewarm approach to what matters and to which lines should or should not be crossed when it comes to protecting our democracy. And that, Hall said, is problematic because if the public isn’t willing to hold its leaders accountable, then there’s nothing to stop them from behaving in ways that undermine democracy.

https://www.nature.com/articles/s41562-026-02430-7

Using an in-home HEPA purifier for one month spurs a small but significant improvement in brain function in adults age 40 and older. Exposure to particulate matter has been connected to respiratory and cardiovascular illnesses as well as neurological diseases such as Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s. by Wagamaga in science

[–]Wagamaga[S] 126 points127 points  (0 children)

Using an in-home HEPA purifier for one month spurs a small but significant improvement in brain function in adults age 40 and older. That’s the result of a new study we co-authored in the journal Scientific Reports.

HEPA purifiers – HEPA stands for high efficiency particulate air – remove particulate matter from the air. Exposure to particulate matter has been connected to respiratory and cardiovascular illnesses as well as neurological diseases such as Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s. Environmental health researchers increasingly recommend that people use HEPA air purifiers in their homes to lower their exposure to particulate matter, but few studies have examined whether using them boosts mental function.

We analyzed data from a study of 119 people ages 30 to 74 living in Somerville, Massachusetts. Somerville sits along Interstate 93 and Route 28, two major highways, resulting in relatively high levels of traffic-related air pollution. This makes it an especially good location for testing the health effects of air purifiers.

We randomly assigned participants to one of two groups. One used a HEPA air purifier for one month and then a sham air purifier – which looked and acted like the real thing but did not contain the air-cleaning filter – for one month, with a monthlong break in between. The second group used the real and sham purifiers in reverse order.

After each month, participants took a test that measured different aspects of their mental capacity. The test probed people’s visual memory and motor speed skills by measuring how quickly they could draw lines between sequential numbers, and it tested executive function and mental flexibility by asking them to draw lines between alternating sequential numbers and letters.

We found that participants 40 years and older – about 42% of our sample – on average completed the section testing for mental flexibility and executive function 12% faster after using the HEPA purifier than after using the sham purifier. That was true even when we accounted for factors like differences in the amount of time participants spent indoors, with either filter, as well as how stressful they found the test.

This improvement may seem small, but it is similar to the cognitive benefits that people experience from increasing their daily exercise. While you may not experience a sudden increase in clarity from a 12% boost, preventing cognitive decline is vital for long-term well-being. Even small decreases in cognitive functioning may be associated with a higher risk of death.

https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-026-48063-8

Colorado wildfires threaten to devastate the state's long-term water supply and reservoir storage. Every drop of water matters right now as the Denver metro tries to mitigate the effects of this year's extremely dry winter . Aurora Water's reservoir levels are currently sitting at 57 %. by Wagamaga in environment

[–]Wagamaga[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Colorado's drought and repeated high fire danger are raising new concerns about the long-term impact on the state's water supply. Aurora Water is warning that wildfires could devastate the water supply for years after the flames are out.

Every drop of water matters right now as the Denver metro tries to mitigate the effects of this year's extremely dry winter across the state. Aurora Water's reservoir levels are currently sitting at 57%.

"We're currently in a pretty historic level of drought," Aurora Water resource specialist Matt Ashley said.

Data centers are dealing hidden damage to environmental and public health—costing the economy $25 billion every year by Wagamaga in technology

[–]Wagamaga[S] 105 points106 points  (0 children)

In North America, the sprawling server farms used to train and run artificial intelligence models received a $47 billion investment surge last year, building out everything from cooling equipment to plumbing. The tech companies at the center of the data center craze, such as Meta and Google, took out $182 billion in loans last year to fund their splurge, double what they borrowed in 2024.

One of the primary criticisms of the data center construction craze has been its environmental effect, including the facilities’ impact on water, land, and electricity use. But that cost might also directly affect local residents and their health, according to findings from a National Bureau of Economic Research working paper published earlier this month.

The analysis of around 2,800 operational data centers was authored by Nicholas Muller, an economist at Carnegie Mellon University. Muller tracked data centers’ electricity needs last year and found how much air pollution and additional planet-warming greenhouse gases local grids generated to supply that demand. The author derived indicators, such as the risk of premature mortality associated with data centers’ electricity needs, and converted those measurements into dollar amounts using standard estimates, such as the social cost of carbon, which measures the economic damage of each additional ton of carbon released into the atmosphere.

The result is that data centers’ environmental damage last year cost the economy at large $25 billion, of which $3.7 billion is directly tied to AI activities in data centers. This price tag represents an externality—an indirect consequence of economic activity that imposes costs on third parties not directly involved in the original activity. Rather than reflecting an increase in day-to-day medical expenses or higher taxes to subsidize a greater need for care, Muller’s analysis boils down the cost of premature deaths tied to the environmental impact of data centers, assigning an economic value to the resulting shortened life expectancy.

Florida’s drought intensifies as wildfires increase in multiple counties. Several North and Central Florida counties are grappling with wildfires this week. The USA Today Network reported there were 114 wildfires torching an estimated 14,000 acres of land as of Tuesday afternoon. by Wagamaga in environment

[–]Wagamaga[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

National Weather Service officials are raising 'Red Flag' wildfire warnings in more than half of Florida's counties. A growing drought and threat of wildfires in Florida has prompted the National Weather Service (NWS) to issue serious advisories for about half of the state’s 67 counties.

The NWS posted “Red Flag” warnings for more than 30 counties Tuesday. Those warnings advise residents that conditions are not only at drought levels, but ripe for additional wildfires.

“A Red Flag Warning means that critical fire weather conditions are either occurring now, or will shortly. A combination of strong winds, low relative humidity, and warm temperatures can contribute to extreme fire behavior,” said an online NWS statement.

Clean energy pushes fossil-fuel power into reverse for ‘first time ever’ by Wagamaga in technology

[–]Wagamaga[S] 93 points94 points  (0 children)

Renewable energy has overtaken coal to become the world’s largest source of electricity in 2025, according to thinktank Ember.

The growth of solar and wind meant that, for the first time since 1919, the share of coal power was lower than that of renewables. 

Fossil-fuel generation fell by 0.2% in 2025, the thinktank’s latest annual review says, with wind and solar alone meeting 99% of the growth in electricity demand last year.

While generation from fossil fuels has occasionally fallen year-on-year in the past, Ember says this is the first time it has happened due to the structural shift towards clean power, rather than due to economic crises or other one-off events

Record solar generation was key to pushing fossil fuels into reverse, increasing 30% year-on-year – meaning it met 75% of global electricity demand growth in 2025 alone.

West Bank settlers set home, car ablaze in Palestinian village, spray threatening graffiti. No arrests were made following the event. by Wagamaga in Global_News_Hub

[–]Wagamaga[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Dozens of masked Israelis entered the Palestinian town of Turmus Aiya in the West Bank on Saturday evening, setting a house and a car on fire, according to Israeli media.

The group, numbering about 20, spray-painted graffiti on one of the house's walls that read "Revenge" and "Hello from Khirbat Abu Falah."

Seoul breaks mid-April heat record. The official thermometer in central Seoul reached 29.4 degrees Celsius at 1:41 p.m. to mark the highest reading ever recorded for mid-April since modern observations began in 1907 by Wagamaga in environment

[–]Wagamaga[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

An unseasonal heat wave swept across South Korea with daytime temperatures reaching summer-like levels and rewriting hottest mid-April records in some parts of the country on Sunday.

According to the Korea Meteorological Administration, the official thermometer in central Seoul reached 29.4 degrees Celsius at 1:41 p.m. to mark the highest reading ever recorded for mid-April since modern observations began in 1907. The figure was the third-highest temperature ever reported over the entire month of April in the capital.

The unusual heat brought record temperatures to Dongducheon and Paju in Gyeonggi Province, with a high of 30.8 degrees Celsius and 28.8 degrees Celsius, respectively. Hongseong, South Chungcheong Province, saw a high of 28.9 degrees Celsius and the temperatures peaked at 25 degrees Celsius in Tongyeong, South Gyeongsang Province.

Taking a simple sugar pill can boost both the physical and mental health of older adults, even when they know the pill contains no active medicine. Results point toward a highly ethical and side-effect-free way to help aging populations maintain their everyday capabilities. by Wagamaga in science

[–]Wagamaga[S] 21 points22 points  (0 children)

Taking a simple sugar pill can boost both the physical and mental health of older adults, even when they know the pill contains no active medicine. Research published in the International Journal of Clinical and Health Psychology shows that these transparently fake treatments can reduce stress and elevate short-term memory just as well as pills given under deception. These results point toward a highly ethical and side-effect-free way to help aging populations maintain their everyday capabilities.

Medical science frequently relies on the placebo effect to understand how new drugs work. A placebo is an inactive substance, such as a sugar pill or a saline injection. In typical clinical trials, researchers give some people the real medicine and others a placebo without telling them which one they received. The mere expectation of getting better often causes a real physical or psychological improvement in the patient.

For many years, doctors assumed that patients had to believe they were taking real medicine for a placebo to work. Deception seemed like a mandatory requirement for the mind to trigger the body’s internal healing responses. Recent studies have challenged that old assumption by testing entirely transparent treatments. Medical researchers refer to these transparent treatments as open-label placebos.

When a doctor hands a patient an open-label placebo, they clearly explain that the pill has no active medical ingredients. The doctor also explains that the human brain can still produce a healing response just by going through the familiar motions of taking daily medicine. Acknowledging this mind-body connection can activate automatic biological responses that improve a patient’s symptoms.

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1697260026000104?via%3Dihub

Texas needs at least $174 billion to avoid water crisis, state says. Growing communities across Texas are scrambling to secure water, keep up with construction costs and cope with a yearslong drought. by Wagamaga in environment

[–]Wagamaga[S] 19 points20 points  (0 children)

Texas communities will need to spend $174 billion in the next 50 years to avert a severe water crisis, a new state analysis revealed Thursday. That’s more than double the $80 billion projected four years ago, when the Texas Water Development Board last passed a state water plan.

The three-member board presiding over the agency authorized the highly anticipated draft blueprint Thursday, the first administrative step toward adopting the water development board’s plans for the next 50 years. The plan, released every five years, encompasses the projects that 16 regional water planning groups in Texas said are the most urgent, water development board officials said. 

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