Concerns Raised Over FDA Approval of AI Medical Devices Without Real Patient Data

Hello and welcome to Monday’s STEAM newsletter.

In today’s edition:

• Science - Harnessing Evolution: Bioengineering New Pathways for Sustainable Energy and Pharmaceuticals, and more.

• Technology and AI - Airborne Communication Stations: A Solution for Global Internet Access, and more.

• Engineering - MIT's Disordered Rock Salt Cathode Breakthrough Enhances Battery Performance, LiMnO₂ Electrodes: A Sustainable Alternative for Electric Vehicle Batteries, and more.

• Astronomy & Space -AI Advances Precision in Cosmological Parameter Estimation, Reevaluating Humanity's Role in the Search for Alien Life, and more.

• Health & Medicine - Concerns Raised Over FDA Approval of AI Medical Devices Without Real Patient Data, Breakthrough in Remote Surgery: Zurich Researchers Perform Remote Magnetic Endoscopy on Live Pig in Hong Kong, and more.

• Neuroscience - Dopamine's Role in Memory Dynamics: Insights from Fruit Fly Studies, and more.

• Environment - Global Study Links Low Trust in Drinking Water Safety to Perceptions of Corruption, and more.

• Nature - Alaskan Snow Crab Population Collapse: Climate Change's Devastating Impact.

• Other Sciences - Uncovering Ancient Rituals: Unique Iron- and Viking-Age Mortuary Houses Found in Norway.

Until Tomorrow.

~The STEAM Digest

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This newsletter is curated by The STEAM Digest.

SCIENCE

Harnessing Evolution: Bioengineering New Pathways for Sustainable Energy and Pharmaceuticals: Scientists at the University of Illinois have used evolutionary principles to bioengineer cyanobacteria-yeast hybrids capable of photosynthetic carbon assimilation. These hybrids can produce valuable hydrocarbons, like limonene, under photosynthetic conditions. This research opens new pathways for sustainable energy and pharmaceutical production, potentially allowing for the creation of complex compounds using carbon dioxide as a primary resource.

Dual Protein Analysis Uncovers Potential to Slow Cancer Growth: Scientists at Scripps Research have developed a dual protein analysis technique that identifies over 300 cancer-related proteins and their binding sites. This approach, combining two forms of activity-based protein profiling (ABPP), reveals key protein targets that, when disrupted, could slow cancer cell division. The findings offer a new strategy for developing targeted cancer therapies by interfering with critical stages of the cell cycle.

Accelerating Simulations of Irregular Particles with Machine Learning: Researchers at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign have developed a machine learning technique to significantly speed up the simulation of irregularly shaped particles, such as microplastics, which are challenging to model with traditional methods. By training neural networks to predict particle interactions, the new method achieves simulations up to 23 times faster while maintaining accuracy. This advancement could improve our understanding of particle behavior in various environmental and engineering contexts.

TECHNOLOGY AND AI

Airborne Communication Stations: A Solution for Global Internet Access: Around one-third of the global population lacks reliable internet access due to infrastructure challenges and geographic isolation. High-altitude platform stations, using uncrewed aircraft like balloons and airships, offer a promising solution by providing stronger, high-capacity signals. These airborne stations could bridge the digital divide, enhancing connectivity, supporting emergency response, and enabling real-time communications in remote areas, all while being more cost-effective and environmentally friendly compared to satellites.

AI Tool Enhances Hate Speech Detection in Southeast Asian Languages:
Researchers from the Singapore University of Technology and Design have developed SGHateCheck, an AI-powered tool tailored to detect hate speech in Southeast Asian languages. This tool addresses the limitations of existing models, which are primarily based on Western contexts, by incorporating culturally specific tests for languages like English, Mandarin, Tamil, and Malay. SGHateCheck is designed to improve content moderation on social media, fostering a safer online environment in the region.

Chaos Engineering Enhances Cloud Resilience Against Cyberattacks: Researchers are leveraging "chaos engineering" to bolster cloud computing systems against cyberattacks. This approach involves deliberately introducing faults to understand system vulnerabilities, enabling the development of more resilient infrastructures. By learning from these induced failures, cloud systems can adapt and strengthen over time, reducing susceptibility to disruptions such as Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) attacks. This method is crucial for enhancing the reliability of cloud services globally.

Future Cybersecurity Incidents Deemed Inevitable by Global Computing Experts: The Association for Computing Machinery's US Technology Policy Committee has warned that future cybersecurity incidents are almost certain, following a major global outage caused by a software update error from CrowdStrike. The incident exposed significant vulnerabilities in both technical and legal infrastructures, underscoring the need for stronger international cooperation and more robust system architectures to prevent similar disruptions in the future.

ENGINEERING

MIT's Disordered Rock Salt Cathode Breakthrough Enhances Battery Performance: MIT researchers have developed a new class of cathode material called disordered rock salt-polyanionic spinel (DRXPS) for lithium-ion batteries. This innovation combines rock salt and polyanionic olivine structures, offering high energy density and improved cycling stability. The use of manganese, an abundant and inexpensive element, makes this technology more sustainable and cost-effective, potentially revolutionizing energy storage for electric vehicles and renewable energy systems.

LiMnO₂ Electrodes: A Sustainable Alternative for Electric Vehicle Batteries: Researchers from Yokohama National University have developed a nanostructured LiMnO₂ electrode, offering a promising alternative to nickel and cobalt-based materials currently used in electric vehicle batteries. The new electrode boasts a high energy density of 820 Wh/kg, outperforming existing nickel-based materials, and exhibits excellent fast-charging capabilities with minimal voltage decay. This innovation could lead to more sustainable and cost-effective battery solutions for the electric vehicle industry.

Breakthrough in 2D Transistors Promises Longer Battery Life for Devices: Engineers from the Shanghai Institute of Microsystem and Information Technology have developed a new two-dimensional field-effect transistor (FET) using ultrathin single-crystalline aluminum oxide. This innovation addresses issues like high gate leakage and low dielectric strength, enabling smaller and more energy-efficient transistors. These 2D FETs could significantly reduce power consumption in devices such as smartphones, potentially extending battery life and supporting the development of advanced technologies like AI and IoT.

Enhanced Virtual Walking Experiences Through Synchronized Foot Vibrations: A study by Toyohashi University of Technology demonstrates that synchronized foot vibrations significantly improve the sensation of walking in virtual reality (VR) environments, particularly when users are in a standing position. These findings suggest that integrating such tactile feedback into VR systems could enhance realism and immersion, benefiting applications in training, rehabilitation, and entertainment, especially for individuals with mobility limitations.

ASTRONOMY & SPACE

AI Advances Precision in Cosmological Parameter Estimation: Astrophysicists at the Flatiron Institute have utilized AI to significantly refine the estimation of the universe's fundamental cosmological parameters. Their method, SimBIG, processes galaxy distribution data to calculate these "settings" with unprecedented precision, reducing uncertainty by over half compared to previous techniques. This breakthrough enhances our understanding of dark matter, dark energy, and cosmic expansion, with implications for resolving the Hubble tension and other cosmological mysteries.

Reevaluating Humanity's Role in the Search for Alien Life: Philosopher Vojin Rakić challenges the anthropocentric approach to the Fermi Paradox, suggesting that alien life may be imperceptible to human senses or exist in dimensions beyond our understanding. His proposal questions whether our search for extraterrestrial life is limited by human-centric biases, advocating for a broader perspective that considers unknown aspects of the universe and the potential limitations of our sensory and technological capabilities.

SETI Institute Begins First Low-Frequency Search for Alien Technology in Distant Galaxies: Researchers from the SETI Institute and Curtin University have initiated the first search for technosignatures—indications of alien technology—at low radio frequencies in galaxies beyond the Milky Way. Utilizing the Murchison Widefield Array (MWA) in Australia, the study covered 2,800 galaxies, focusing on signals powerful enough to originate from advanced civilizations. Although no technosignatures were detected, the study sets important benchmarks for future research.

Record-Breaking Dark Matter Search Yields New Insights: The LUX-ZEPLIN (LZ) experiment, the world's most sensitive dark matter detector, has set new limits on the properties of weakly interacting massive particles (WIMPs), a leading dark matter candidate. Conducted nearly a mile underground, the experiment analyzed 280 days of data, refining the search for dark matter by exploring previously uncharted regions of interaction strengths. Despite no direct detection, these findings narrow down the possible characteristics of WIMPs, advancing our understanding of dark matter.

HEALTH & MEDICINE

Concerns Raised Over FDA Approval of AI Medical Devices Without Real Patient Data: A study reveals that nearly 43% of FDA-approved AI medical devices lack clinical validation using real patient data. The research, conducted by a team from UNC, Duke, and other institutions, suggests that many AI tools authorized by the FDA may not have undergone rigorous testing for effectiveness and safety. The findings urge the FDA and manufacturers to enhance transparency and validation standards to ensure AI technologies are reliable for patient care.

Breakthrough in Remote Surgery: Zurich Researchers Perform Remote Magnetic Endoscopy on Live Pig in Hong Kong: Researchers from ETH Zurich and The Chinese University of Hong Kong have successfully conducted the first-ever remote-controlled magnetic endoscopy on a live pig, with the procedure managed from Zurich while the pig was in Hong Kong. This milestone showcases the potential for teleoperated medical procedures, particularly in remote or underserved regions, and could lead to advancements in minimally invasive surgeries and diagnostics.

Acute Kidney Injury in Older Adults Linked to Higher Dementia Risk: A study by Karolinska Institutet reveals that older adults who experience acute kidney injury (AKI) are at a significantly higher risk of developing dementia. The research, which followed over 300,000 individuals, found that AKI increases the risk of dementia by 49%, with even higher risks for specific types such as Lewy body dementia. These findings suggest that AKI may have broader implications for brain health, highlighting the importance of early intervention.

New Discovery Could Reduce Breast Cancer Recurrence: Researchers at Duke-NUS Medical School have identified the protein Gα13 as a tumor suppressor in estrogen receptor-positive (ER+) breast cancer, challenging previous views that it promoted cancer growth. This finding opens new avenues for personalized treatments targeting Gα13 to prevent cancer relapse, which affects nearly half of ER+ breast cancer patients after initial therapy.

E-Cigarette Use Disrupts Nasal Microbiome, Raising Health Concerns: A study by UNC researchers reveals that e-cigarette use disrupts the nasal microbiome, leading to an imbalance in bacteria that can compromise respiratory health. The research found increased levels of harmful bacteria, such as Staphylococcus aureus, in e-cigarette users compared to non-smokers, highlighting potential risks like increased susceptibility to respiratory infections. These findings stress the need for further investigation into the health impacts of vaping.

NEUROSCIENCE

Dopamine's Role in Memory Dynamics: Insights from Fruit Fly Studies: Researchers from Stanford and Yale have discovered how dopamine mediates short-term and long-term memory interactions in fruit flies. Their study shows that dopamine helps encode and stabilize memories by processing both innate and learned sensory information. The findings could provide insights into memory mechanisms in mammals, potentially leading to treatments for memory-related disorders like dementia.

Environmental and Disease Factors Accelerate Brain Aging: New research highlights that environmental exposures, socioeconomic inequality, and diseases can accelerate brain aging, leading to a biological age that exceeds chronological age. The study, involving diverse global populations, found that regions with greater inequalities tend to exhibit older brain ages, especially in those with neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer's. These findings underscore the need for public health policies that address environmental and social factors to promote healthier brain aging.

Understanding Brain Networks for Visual Object Memory: A recent study by Japanese researchers explores how different brain regions, particularly the anterior ventral temporal cortex (aVTC) and the orbitofrontal cortex (OFC), work together to support visual object memory. Using advanced imaging and chemogenetic techniques on macaques, the study found that top-down signals from the OFC regulate memory-related activity in the aVTC, providing insights into memory functions that could have implications for treating human dementia.

ENVIRONMENT

Global Study Links Low Trust in Drinking Water Safety to Perceptions of Corruption: A global study led by researchers from Northwestern University and the University of North Carolina reveals that more than half of adults worldwide fear harm from drinking water within two years. The study found that perceptions of public corruption are a key factor in this distrust, even in areas with access to safe water. The findings highlight the need for improved water safety communication and infrastructure to rebuild public confidence.

India's Wind Energy Expansion Disrupts Desert Herders' Livelihoods:
India's rapid wind energy expansion in the Thar desert is negatively impacting local herders, disrupting their traditional way of life. The construction of wind turbines on grazing lands has reduced available pasture, damaged critical water sources, and led to power shortages in local communities, all while providing energy to distant industrial centers. Despite the national drive for green energy, the local population is bearing the cost of this transition.

Ancient Climate Insights from Fossilized Shells: Researchers at the University of Utah have analyzed microscopic fossilized shells from the Paleocene-Eocene epochs to reveal ancient climate change patterns. By studying the chemical composition of these shells, they reconstructed sea surface temperatures and atmospheric CO₂ levels, showing a close link between CO₂ emissions and global warming. These findings offer valuable analogs for understanding modern climate change, highlighting the sensitivity of the climate system to carbon emissions.

NATURE

Alaskan Snow Crab Population Collapse: Climate Change's Devastating Impact: A new study links the drastic decline in Alaskan snow crab populations in the Bering Sea to climate change. Warming ocean temperatures have disrupted the cold-water habitats crucial for young crabs' survival, making them vulnerable to predators. The research highlights how marine heatwaves and rising sea temperatures, attributed to climate change, are directly responsible for the species' collapse, with potentially worsening conditions in the future.

OTHER SCIENCES

Uncovering Ancient Rituals: Unique Iron- and Viking-Age Mortuary Houses Found in Norway: Archaeologists in Norway have unearthed three unique Iron- and Viking-age mortuary houses dating between AD 500 and 950. These structures, discovered during road construction, likely played a significant role in funerary rituals, allowing the living to interact with the deceased. Interestingly, no permanent burials were found inside these houses, suggesting they were used for temporary purposes or rituals, reflecting evolving burial practices over centuries.