“[The] implicit feel of where you are in a book turns out to be more important than we realized.” Reading an ebook is a markedly different experience from reading a printed book, and researchers suggest that it could be, in part, due to “a lack of ‘spatiotemporal markers’” — indicators of physical location, involved with tasks such as “mentally flipping back to specific information” — that cause readers to lose track of crucial information involving characters and plot. Read full article here
Societal Issues
To curb drug deaths, communities turn to Reddit, texts and wastewater
With drug overdose deaths on the rise, authorities are attempting to curb the epidemic by tracking and sharing information in real time. In one unique effort, a nonprofit in New York City is using drug-testing equipment and stamping or marking habits of dealers to identify drug batches that may endanger users. Other approaches are also being used, such as monitoring drug-related chatter on Reddit and analyzing local wastewater for opioid and other drug levels. With the combination of these efforts, researchers hope to put a dent in the opioid crisis and reduce overdose deaths. Read full article here
Merv
June 1, 2023
