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Rattlesnakes are more social than we thought

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:00:17 GMT

(The Hill) -- A new discovery suggests reptiles may be far more social than we thought.Place a rattlesnake in a bucket and shake it, and the result will be predictable: The stressed-out reptile will begin rattling its tail to warn off the enemies outside. But place two rattlesnakes in a bucket and something entirely different happens, according to findings published Thursday in the journal Frontiers in Ethology.In the presence of a comrade — even a stranger — the jostled rattlesnakes' heart rates stayed lower than when the snakes were alone.That finding is potentially revolutionary, as it represents the first peer-reviewed discovery of reptiles that draw emotional support from each other's presence.The phenomenon the researchers were studying is called "social buffering," and it has been widely documented across the bird and mammal families — as well as being a nearly universal human experience.Anyone who has felt a stressful situation eased by the presence of a frien...

Heating up

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:00:17 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) -- The area had two days with highs at or below normal. Thursday's high was 92°, 3° below normal. Yesterday's maximum was 95°. That is the normal for July 7. Highs will be warmer than normal for at least the next seven days. In fact, many locations will return to highs reaching 100° and higher starting today and going out to at least Friday.Afternoon highs back to triple digits starting todayThis means, of course, that heat index values will be rising with maximums today likely to average around 102° to 106°.Higher heat index readings this afternoonBoth the high temperatures and the heat indices will be increasing through the week. While there won't be any record highs set (today's is 106° in 2009) there may be some records tied or set for the warmest lows.There is no rain forecast (10% or higher) today, but a spot shower over Fayette County from the sea breeze this afternoon is possible. The center of the upper-level high is southwest of El Paso. It's going to move ve...

Man accused of lewd act near children at Collinsville water park

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:00:17 GMT

MADISON COUNTY, Ill. - A 32-year-old faces criminal charges after being accused of masturbating near children at a Collinsville water park. The Madison County State’s Attorney's Office has charged Chad A. Green, 32, with sexual exploitation of a child and disorderly conduct over alleged actions at the Collinsville Aqua Park.Investigators say Green was engaged in an act of masturbation Thursday while in the presence of children. Suspect found beaten and bloody in field, police involvement investigated Green is jailed in Madison County as of Friday afternoon on a $50,000. A judge also granted a prosecution request that, in the event Green is released on bond, he would be prohibited from having contact with anyone younger than 18The Madison County State’s Attorney's Office asks anyone with additional information relevant to this case contact Collinsville Police at 618-344-2131.

AI may someday work medical miracles. For now, it helps do paperwork.

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:00:17 GMT

Dr. Matthew Hitchcock, a family physician in Chattanooga, Tennessee, has an AI helper.It records patient visits on his smartphone and summarizes them for treatment plans and billing. He does some light editing of what the AI produces, and is done with his daily patient visit documentation in 20 minutes or so.Hitchcock used to spend up to two hours typing up these medical notes after his four children went to bed. “That’s a thing of the past,” he said. “It’s quite awesome.”ChatGPT-style artificial intelligence is coming to health care, and the grand vision of what it could bring is inspiring. Every doctor, enthusiasts predict, will have a superintelligent sidekick, dispensing suggestions to improve care.But first will come more mundane applications of artificial intelligence. A prime target will be to ease the crushing burden of digital paperwork that physicians must produce, typing lengthy notes into electronic medical records required for treatment, billing and administrative purpo...

Denver top in nation for rent gains, outstripping income gains since Great Recession

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:00:17 GMT

Metro Denver apartment rent inflation has outstripped income gains by a higher margin than in any other major city in the U.S. since 2009, according to a study from Clever Real Estate subsidiary Real Estate Witch.From 2009 to 2021, rent growth outpaced income growth in 46 of the 50 largest U.S. metros, with only Providence, R.I.; Buffalo, N.Y.; Cleveland and Pittsburgh able to keep housing costs in line with wage gains.Nationally, median monthly rents went from $817 in 2009 to $1,163 in 2021, a gain of 42%. Denver’s gain was 82%, going from $856 a month to $1,554. That jump, almost double the pace experienced nationally, was second to only San Jose, the hub of California’s Silicon Valley, where monthly rents went up 85%, from $1,360 to $2,511.Seattle; Portland, Ore.; San Francisco; Nashville; and Austin, Texas, were other heated rental housing markets. Rounding out the top 10 were Salt Lake City, San Diego, and Los Angeles.A big difference between Denver and San Jose, ho...

New study bolsters room-temperature superconductor claim

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:00:17 GMT

A magical material that could effortlessly conduct electricity at room temperatures would probably transform civilization, reclaiming energy otherwise lost to electrical resistance and opening possibilities for novel technologies.Yet, a claim of such a room-temperature superconductor published in March in the prestigious journal Nature, drew doubts, even suspicion by some that the results had been fabricated.But now, a group of researchers at the University of Illinois Chicago reports that it has verified a critical measurement: the apparent vanishing of electrical resistance.This result does not prove that the material is a room-temperature superconductor, but it may motivate other scientists to take a closer look.Ranga Dias, a professor of mechanical engineering and physics at the University of Rochester in New York and a key figure in the original research, had reported that the material appeared to be a superconductor at temperatures as warm as 70 degrees Fahrenheit — much...

Uncensored chatbots provoke a fracas over free speech

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:00:17 GMT

Artificial intelligence chatbots have lied about notable figures, pushed partisan messages, spewed misinformation or even advised users on how to commit suicide.To mitigate the tools’ most obvious dangers, companies such as Google and OpenAI have carefully added controls that limit what the tools can say.Now, a new wave of chatbots, developed far from the epicenter of the AI boom, are coming online without many of those guardrails — setting off a polarizing free-speech debate over whether chatbots should be moderated, and who should decide.“This is about ownership and control,” Eric Hartford, a developer behind WizardLM-Uncensored, an unmoderated chatbot, wrote in a blog post. “If I ask my model a question, I want an answer, I do not want it arguing with me.”Several uncensored and loosely moderated chatbots have sprung to life in recent months under names such as GPT4All and FreedomGPT. Many were created for little or no money by independent programmers or teams of volunteers,...

Q & A: What you need to know about new Alzheimer’s drug

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:00:17 GMT

This week the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved the drug lecanemab after research showed it slowed the progression of Alzheimer’s disease in some patients with mild cognitive impairment.This is undoubtedly a breakthrough for treatment of an irreversible, progressive brain disorder affecting more than 6.5 million Americans. While the drug was granted so-called accelerated approval in January, full FDA approval means wider coverage by Medicare so it can better reach patients.Named Leqembi, lecanemab’s approval has triggered less controversy than a related drug called Aduhelm, or aducanumab, because its clinical trial results are more definitive.With help from Stanford and UC San Francisco experts, we answer questions about the new drug.Q: What is lecanemab?A: It’s a drug that is designed to remove amyloid beta, a sticky plaque that builds up in the brain in people with Alzheimer’s disease, causing disease progression. It is the first anti-amyloid treatment to earn...

Borenstein: Why Bay Area transit bailout deal is likely doomed to fail

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:00:17 GMT

When Gov. Gavin Newsom and the state Legislature agreed on a $5.1 billion statewide package to bail out public-transit systems, they missed an opportunity in the Bay Area to impose meaningful reform on wasteful spending and a confusing web of 27 transit agencies.The region needs a functioning, fiscally responsible and coordinated transit system to help unclog freeways and reduce carbon emissions. Clearly what we have now is not working. Traveling by bus, train or ferry involves struggling with a confusing maze of agencies, schedules, uncoordinated connections and differing fare structures.Transit was used for only 12% of all commute trips in 2018, while 75% used cars. That was before the pandemic struck and transit patronage plummeted.Meanwhile, Bay Area residents pay dearly through taxes, tolls and fares for transit agencies that have some of the proportionately highest administrative expenses in the country and costliest and slowest capital projects.Rather than directly address th...

McEnery: San Jose needs a common sense approach to BART extension

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:00:17 GMT

The multi-billion dollar project to extend BART six miles into the heart of San Jose is about to begin. One question must be answered: Should it?It is said that you should never start a project without knowing the reason why. We must have that answer and another about the commitment of an accountable leadership, not a board of elected officials from other places.They should also have the judgment to see the facts and do their job of looking at the financial reality of both construction and operation. There can be no magical thinking, no manna from heaven hopes, and they must be ready to commit something beyond “thoughts and prayers” to those who will be collateral damage in a rush to attend this ground breaking.The billion-dollar VTA boring mole will soon be traveling beneath our streets, operated by the scandal-plagued BART management team. This is a group dominated by its unions and an assortment of contractors and consultants. To add to that, the politicized BART board and manage...