Lifeboat Foundation

YouTube’s AI tool aims to turn comment chaos into organized insights.

Last week was an important moment in the debate about AI, with President Biden issuing an executive order and the UK’s AI Safety Summit convening world leaders.

Much of the buzz around these events made it sound like AI presents us with a binary choice: unbridled optimism, or existential fear. But there was also a third path available, a nuanced, practical perspective that examines the real risks and benefits of AI.

There have been people promoting this third perspective for years — although GPT-fueled headlines of the past 12 months have often looked past them. They are foundations, think tanks, researchers and activists (including a number of Mozilla fellows and founders) plus the policymakers behind efforts like last year’s AI Blueprint for an AII Bill of Rights.

Scientists at Oak Ridge National Laboratory have used their expertise in quantum biology, artificial intelligence and bioengineering to improve how CRISPR Cas9 genome editing tools work on organisms like microbes that can be modified to produce renewable fuels and chemicals.

CRISPR is a powerful tool for bioengineering, used to modify genetic code to improve an organism’s performance or to correct mutations. The CRISPR Cas9 tool relies on a single, unique guide RNA that directs the Cas9 enzyme to bind with and cleave the corresponding targeted site in the genome.

Existing models to computationally predict effective guide RNAs for CRISPR tools were built on data from only a few model species, with weak, inconsistent efficiency when applied to microbes.

This new service has the potential to significantly increase access to care.

Researchers from the Niels Bohr Institute (NBI) have removed a key obstacle for development of extremely sensitive monitoring devices based on quantum technology.

Monitoring the heartbeat of an unborn child and other types of delicate medical examinations show the potential of quantum sensors. Since these sensors exploit phenomena at the scale of atoms, they can be far more accurate than today’s sensors.

Researchers from the Niels Bohr Institute (NBI), University of Copenhagen, have managed to overcome a major obstacle for development of quantum sensors. Their results are published in Nature Communications.

🔒 Yet another critical SQL injection vulnerability (CVE-2023–36934) uncovered in popular MOVEit Transfer—the same software that was exploited.

The University of Oxford researchers for the first time showcased that neural cells can be 3D printed to replicate the structure of the brain’s outer layer: the cerebral cortex.

In a significant breakthrough, scientists have created brain tissue using human stem cells through 3D printing. This advancement holds promise for potential future applications in treating brain injuries.

For the first time, the University of Oxford researchers showcased that neural cells can be 3D printed to replicate the structure of the brain’s outer layer: the cerebral cortex.

Continue reading “New 3D printing approach offers hope for brain injury repair” »

UCLA scientists have developed a new method to engineer more powerful immune cells that can potentially be used for “off-the-shelf” cell therapy to treat challenging cancers.

“Off-the-shelf” cell therapy, also known as allogenic therapy, uses immune cells derived from healthy donors instead of patients. The approach can bring cell therapies, like chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T cell therapy, to more patients in a timelier manner, which is one of the major barriers in getting these life-saving treatments to patients.

“Time is often of the essence when it comes to treating people with advanced cancers,” said Lili Yang, associate professor of microbiology, immunology and molecular genetics and member of the UCLA Health Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center. “Currently, these types of therapies need to be tailored to the individual patient. We have to extract white blood cells from a patient, genetically engineer the cells and then re-infuse them back into the patient. This process can take weeks to months and can cost hundreds of thousands of dollars to treat each patient.”

It’s a stormy holiday weekend, and you’ve just received the last notification you want in the busiest travel week of the year: the first leg of your flight is significantly delayed.

You might expect this means you’ll be sitting on hold with airline customer service for half an hour. But this time, the process looks a little different: You have a brief text exchange with the airline’s AI chatbot, which quickly assesses your situation and places you in a priority queue. Shortly after, a human agent takes over, confirms the details, and gets you rebooked on an earlier flight so you can make your connection. You’ll be home in time to enjoy mom’s pot roast.