solve

3Apr

By THEIRL1ADMIN01No Comments

AI, TECHNOLOGY

Can AI Could Help Solve The Privacy Problems It Has Created?

The stunning successes of artificial intelligence would not have happened without the availability of massive amounts of data, whether its smart speakers in the home or personalized book recommendations. Artificial systems use reams of data to get a better profiles of individuals. And the spread of AI into new areas of the economy, such as AI-driven marketing and self driving vehicles, has been driving the collection of ever more data. These large databases are amassing a wide variety of information, some of it sensitive and personally identifiable. All that data in one place makes such databases tempting targets, ratcheting up the risk of privacy breaches. The general public is largely wary of AI’s data-hungry ways. According to a survey by Brookings, 49% of people think AI will reduce p...

How Not To Solve The Climate Change Problem

24Jul

By THEIRL1ADMIN01No Comments

ENVIRONMENT

How Not To Solve The Climate Change Problem

When politicians talk about reaching “net zero” emissions, they’re often counting on trees or technology that can pull carbon dioxide out of the air. What they don’t mention is just how much these proposals or geoengineering would cost to allow the world to continue burning fossil fuels. There are many proposals for removing carbon dioxide, but most make differences only at the edges, and carbon dioxide concentrations in the atmosphere have continued to increase relentlessly, even through the pandemic. I’ve been working on climate change for over four decades. Let’s take a minute to come to grips with some of the rhetoric around climate change and clear the air, so to speak. What’s causing climate change? As has been well established now for several decades, the global climate is changin...

For The Millions Of People Who Need It Most Building More Homes Won’t Solve The Affordable Housing Problem

15Nov

By THEIRL1ADMIN01No Comments

IN OTHER NEWS

For The Millions Of People Who Need It Most Building More Homes Won’t Solve The Affordable Housing Problem

Alex Schwartz, The New School and Kirk McClure, University of Kansas Even before 2020, the U.S. faced an acute housing affordability crisis. The COVID-19 pandemic made it a whole lot worse after millions of people who lost their jobs fell behind on rent. While eviction bans forestalled mass homelessness – and emergency rental assistance has helped some – most moratoriums have now been lifted, putting a lot of people at risk of losing their homes. One solution pushed by the White House, state and local lawmakers and many others is to increase the supply of affordable housing, such as by reforming zoning and other land-use regulations. As experts on housing policy, we agree that increasing the supply of homes is necessary in areas with rapidly rising housing costs. But this won’t, by itse...

Want To Solve Society’s Most Urgent Problems? Cash Prizes Can Spur Breakthroughs

2Oct

By THEIRL1ADMIN01No Comments

LIFESTYLE

Want To Solve Society’s Most Urgent Problems? Cash Prizes Can Spur Breakthroughs

Innovation is a critical part of tackling problems in areas as diverse as transportation, housing, public health and energy. But the scientists, inventors and entrepreneurs who might generate creative solutions often investigate issues or pursue economic opportunities in other less urgent fields. Incentives for science and innovation try to steer efforts toward the most pressing societal problems. Prizes – cash rewards for scientific, engineering and other achievements – are one form of incentive that has been around for a very long time. In the 18th century, for example, organizations such as the Royal Society in the U.K. awarded medals to scientists for their breakthrough research. Today, in addition to this type of scientific award, there are also prizes for solutions to diverse probl...

Will the new 15-minute COVID-19 test solve US testing problems?

2Sep

By THEIRL1ADMIN01No Comments

COVID-19

Will the new 15-minute COVID-19 test solve US testing problems?

On Aug. 26, the Food and Drug Administration granted an Emergency Use Authorization to a new rapid antigen test for COVID-19 called the BinaxNOW test. I study public health policy to combat infectious disease epidemics. Testing is one of the most powerful tools available to fight the spread of COVID-19. The new test is inexpensive, rapid and easy to use. It will massively scale up access to testing, but hurdles remain in achieving widespread, frequent COVID-19 testing. The Abbott BinaxNOW rapid antigen test claims to give results in 15 minutes. Abbott What type of test is BinaxNOW? The credit-card-sized test is an antigen test that detects a specific viral protein from SARS-CoV-2. It costs US$5 and doesn’t require a lab or a machine for processing. Performing the test is simple. A health...

Herd immunity won’t solve America’s COVID-19 problem

2Sep

By THEIRL1ADMIN01No Comments

LIFESTYLE

Herd immunity won’t solve America’s COVID-19 problem

After months battling the COVID-19 pandemic, the idea of “herd immunity” is back in the news. This has been stoked by reports about the White House’s new pandemic advisor, Scott Altas, who has argued in favor of ending social isolation measures and simply allowing healthy people to get infected. The idea is that the virus wouldn’t spread as quickly once enough people became immune. But trying to reach herd immunity without a vaccine would be a disastrous pandemic response strategy. As mathematics and computer science professors, we think it is important to understand what herd immunity actually is, when it’s a viable strategy and why, without a vaccine, it cannot reduce deaths and illnesses from the current pandemic. What is herd immunity? Epidemiologists define the herd immunity thresho...