Source: Science Daily - Top Society

Debunking, "prebunking," nudging, and teaching digital literacy are several of the more effective ways to counter misinformation, according to a new report from the American Psychological Association. Written by a panel of U.S. and international experts on the psychology of misinformation, the report outlines the processes that make people susceptible to misinformation and offers solutions to combat it.

Source: U.S. News and World Report

A gay couple in Nepal on Wednesday became the nation's first to receive official same-sex marriage status. The Himalayan nation is one of the first in Asia to allow it. "After 23 years of struggle we got this historic achievement, and finally Maya and Surendra got their marriage registered," said Sunil Babu Pant, an openly gay former parliamentarian. Nepal's 2015 constitution bans discrimination based on sexual orientation.

Source: Google News - Health

One of the most famous things about dinosaurs is the giant comet or asteroid that slammed into earth and seemingly killed them roughly 66 million years ago. The collision was so massive, it reportedly killed about 60 percent of life in the oceans and wiped out the non-avian dinosaurs. Yet the truth may actually be more complex. According to a new study in Science Advances, climate change might also have played a key role in the extinction of the...

Source: ABC News - Science and Technology

Among images of the bombed out homes and ravaged streets of Gaza, some stood out for the utter horror: Bloodied, abandoned infants. Viewed millions of times online since the war began, these images are deepfakes created with artificial intelligence. If you look closely you can see clues: fingers that curl oddly, or eyes that shimmer unnaturally—telltale signs of digital deception. The outrage the images were created to provoke, however, is all...

Source: U.S. News and World Report

A group tracking antisemitism in Germany said Tuesday that it documented a drastic increase of antisemitic incidents in the country in the month after Hamas attacked Israel on October 7. The RIAS group said it recorded 994 incidents, which is an average of 29 incidents per day and an increase of 320% compared to the same time period in 2022. The group looked at the time period from October 7 to November 9.

Source: U.S. News and World Report

Transgender people transitioning to male (transmasculine) identity typically take testosterone therapy as part of the process. There have been worries that the treatment might spur erythrocytosis, an abnormally high concentration of red blood cells in blood that could prove dangerous. But new research should help allay those fears: The largest study on the subject to date finds no significant risk.

Source: U.S. News and World Report

Ahead of international climate talks, U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres visited globally-important Antarctica, where ice that's been frozen for millions of years is melting due to human-caused global warming, to underscore the need for immediate action. "What happens in Antarctica doesn't stay in Antarctica," he said. At the annual Conference of the Parties, or COP, nations are supposed to curb climate change but so far have failed to do...

Source: Google News

A new study comparing magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) images of patients with long COVID, fully recovered COVID survivors, and healthy controls shows microstructural changes in in the brains of long-COVID patients. The findings will be presented next week at the annual meeting of the Radiological Society of North America. The research is the first to use diffusion microstructure imaging (DMI), which looks at the movement of water molecules in...

Source: United Press International - Science News

Authentic, a word that has shown up everywhere from discussions on identity to artificial intelligence, is the Merriam-Webster Word of the Year for 2023, the publisher said on Monday. The word, which has several dictionary definitions, outpaced other candidates such as rizz, deepfake, and coronation as the most-searched word, driven by stories and conversations about artificial intelligence, celebrity culture, identity, and social media.

Source: Google News - Health

The world's top climate summit has become mired in a hypocrisy scandal, days before the start of key talks. The United Arab Emirates schemed to use its position as host country of the upcoming COP28 United Nations climate talks to discuss oil and gas deals with more than a dozen countries, leaked documents show. Briefing notes include talking points from Emirati energy companies, according to documents published Monday by the Centre for Climate...

Source: U.S. News and World Report

Tens of thousands of people, including former U.K. Prime Minister Boris Johnson, gathered in London on Sunday for a march against antisemitism, a day after large crowds turned out for a pro-Palestinian rally. Johnson was joined by U.K. Chief Rabbi Ephraim Mirvis and other senior government officials at the march to express solidarity with the Jewish community. Organizers billed it as the largest gathering against antisemitism in London for...

Source: United Press International - Health News

A novel artificial intelligence system could diagnose autism much earlier in children, according to research to be presented this week at the annual meeting of the Radiological Society of North America. The new system analyzes specialized MRIs of the brain and accurately diagnoses children between the ages of 24 and 48 months with autism 98.5% of the time. Therapeutic intervention before the age of three can lead to better outcomes and higher...

Source: PBS Health

Indiana is among at least 10 states that have enacted laws banning or restricting students from using pronouns or names that don't match their sex assigned at birth—a restriction that opponents say further marginalizes transgender and nonbinary students, who already face a high risk of bullying and abuse. "School is supposed to be a safe spot for us where we can be ourselves without [being bullied]," said one nonbinary high school student in...

Source: BBC News - Science and Environment

Online search queries related to "climate anxiety" have risen, according to data gathered by Google. In the first 10 months of 2023, search queries in English around "climate anxiety" were 27 times higher than the same period in 2017. Climate anxiety—defined as feelings of distress about the impacts of climate change—has been reported globally, particularly among children and young people, and studies suggest women are more affected by it...

Source: Science Daily - Top Health

Machine learning algorithms designed to diagnose a common infection that affects women, bacterial vaginosis, showed a diagnostic bias among ethnic groups, researchers have found. Although AI offers great potential for improving health care, it also risks perpetuating racial inequities. Published Friday in the Nature journal Digital Medicine, this is the first paper to evaluate fairness among AI tools in connection to a women's health issue.

Source: BBC News - Top Headlines

Transgender women have been barred from playing in international women's matches under new regulations from the International Cricket Council. Any player who has gone through male puberty will not be eligible for women's internationals regardless of any surgery or treatment undertaken. The governing body said its new policy, which takes effect immediately, was based on "protection of the integrity of the women's game, safety, fairness and...

Source: ABC News - International

South African President Cyril Ramaphosa accused Israel of war crimes and acts "tantamount to genocide" in Gaza during a virtual meeting Tuesday of leaders of developing countries, including Russia's Vladimir Putin and China's Xi Jinping. Ramaphosa also condemned Hamas for its attack on Israeli civilians that sparked the war in Gaza and said both sides were guilty of violating international law.

Source: U.S. News and World Report

Countries' current emissions pledges to limit climate change would still put the world on track to warm by nearly 3 degrees Celsius this century, according to a United Nations analysis released Monday. The annual Emissions Gap report assesses the gap between promises and action. At 3C of warming, scientists predict the world could pass several catastrophic points of no return, from the runaway melting of ice sheets to the Amazon rainforest...

Source: CBS News - U.S. News

U.S. President Joe Biden honored transgender Americans on Trans Day of Remembrance, which falls on November 20 each year and serves to pay tribute to trans people who have lost their lives to violence. "Today, on Transgender Day of Remembrance, we are reminded that there is more to do... as we grieve the 26 transgender Americans whose lives were taken this year," Mr. Biden said in a statement Monday.

Source: Google News - Health

Rosalynn Carter, the former first lady and humanitarian who championed mental health care, provided constant political counsel to her husband, former President Jimmy Carter, and modeled graceful longevity for the nation, died Sunday at her home in Plains, Georgia. Carter was 96. In a statement, former President Carter said: "Rosalynn was my equal partner in everything I ever accomplished."