The human microbiome is known to affect our immune systems, but it could affect sleep as well. To determine the effects of space travel and microgravity on the microbiome, sleep, and cardiometabolic health, a research team will be working with astronauts from the Ax-1 space mission. The researchers will be tracking astronauts’ sleep patterns through actigraphs (devices that track one’s sleep), analysing their stool, and examining blood work done before, during, and after the space mission. Read full article here
Societal Issues
AI Predicts Crime A Week In Advance With 90 Per Cent Accuracy
An artificial intelligence model built by Ishanu Chattopadhyay and his colleagues analysed crime data in Chicago from 2014 to 2016 and managed to predict future levels of crime down to the nearest 300 metres, a week before they actually happened. While extremely useful, this artificial intelligence has been shown to expose racial prejudice in law enforcement. Hopefully, as the study’s data and methodology have been made available for others to evaluate, these prejudices can be avoided in the next iteration. Read full article here
Merv
August 15, 2022
