A team of researchers led by the University of Cambridge found that out of the more than 300 COVID-19 machine learning models described in scientific papers in 2020, none is suitable for detecting or diagnosing COVID-19 from standard medical imaging, due to biases, methodological flaws, lack of reproducibility, and "Frankenstein datasets", reports Tech Xplore. "... any machine learning algorithm is only as good as the data it's trained on," said first author Dr. Michael Roberts...
A supermassive black hole (SMBH) is on the move, it seems. About 230 million light-years from Earth, the black hole is moving peculiarly at a speed of around 177,000 kilometres per hour, reports CNET. In a study published in the Astrophysical Journal, a team of astronomers cited abnormal activity in galaxy J0437+2456. A possible explanation is that the SMBH is from an external galaxy that collided recently with J0437+2456 ... but there is a big hole in...
Bob McDonald, host of our favourite CBC radio show Quirks & Quarks, makes the case for lightweight, gas-filled creatures, possibly as close as 128 light years from our planet.
https://www.cbc.ca/radio/quirks/birthday-balloon-inspires-speculation-about-alien-life-1.5946513
Tech columnist Geoffrey Fowler suggests we can learn a lot about our priorities by taking a good look at what is hot and what is not on our smartphones.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2021/03/13/phone-app-home-screen-covid/
This short article by Ingrid Fadelli of Tech Xplore sent us to our science dictionary several times, but it sounds like there could be a breakthrough with those nanoparticle things.
https://techxplore.com/news/2021-03-transistor-based-metal-nanoparticles-ionic.html
Netflix is clamping down on people sharing passwords among different households, CNET reports. Some users have been greeted at the login page with a notification saying, "If you don't live with the owner of this account, you need your own account to keep watching."
https://www.cnet.com/news/netflix-cracks-down-on-password-sharing/
In his annual internet birthday letter, World Wide Web creator Tim Berners-Lee highlights how a digital divide affects young people, reports CNET. He points to a 2020 report from the International Telecommunication Union that notes that one-third of young people don't have access to the internet. Many are turned away by negative experiences. "How many brilliant young minds fall on the wrong side of the digital divide?" he wrote. "How many voices of would-be leaders...
Scientists have discovered that some decapitated sea slugs can regrow hearts and whole new bodies, the CBC reports. Biology researcher Sayaka Mitoh and Nara Women's University aquatic ecology professor Yoichi Yusa cut off the heads of 16 sea slugs. Six started regeneration and three survived. One lost and re-grew its body twice.
https://www.cbc.ca/news/technology/sea-slug-regeneration-1.5942055
France's foreign ministry said a "compelling reason" was no longer needed for travel to Australia, Israel, Japan, Singapore, South Korea, New Zealand, and Britain, reports the BBC. Non-essential travel was banned by the French government on Jan. 31. French Tourism Minister Jean-Baptiste Lemoyne said the decision to ease restrictions was taken because of the improving health situation in the seven countries.
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-56364290
The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission issued today a warning to investors about buying shares of special purpose acquisition companies (SPACs) based on endorsements from Hollywood actors, professional athletes, and famous musicians, reports Bloomberg. “It is never a good idea to invest in a SPAC just because someone famous sponsors or invests in it or says it is a good investment,” the agency said in a statement. In a related news flash, BIG Media...
