AI Offers New Hope To Couples Suffering With Male Infertility
The Columbia University Fertility Center used a tiny camera to find viable sperm within hours in a man who had almost no detectable sperm. In other lifestyle news: the cognitive consequences of chatbots; a new AI test shows 87.9% accuracy at detecting Parkinson's; and more.
The Washington Post:
Finding Viable Sperm In Infertile Men Can Take Days. AI Did It In Hours.
After 18 years of infertility, a couple could finally have a baby thanks to artificial intelligence. The father had a rare condition that left him with almost no detectable sperm. Then fertility specialists found a novel path to the mother’s pregnancy. A tiny camera captured millions of images in a semen sample. AI scoured them for viable sperm in hours — a process that might have otherwise taken days. The result was a speedy extraction of the sperm that could at last fertilize an egg. Researchers at the Columbia University Fertility Center say this procedure, conducted in March, amounts to the first-known use of AI-enabled conception using this particular technology. (Malhi, 6/27)
The Washington Post:
Is AI Rewiring Our Minds? Scientists Probe Cognitive Cost Of Chatbots.
In our daily lives, the use of artificial intelligence programs such as ChatGPT is obvious. Students employ them to churn out term papers. Office workers ask them to organize calendars and help write reports. Parents prompt them to create personalized bedtime stories for toddlers. Inside our brains, how the persistent use of AI molds the mind remains unclear. (Ovalle, 6/29)
Newsweek:
This New Test Could Diagnose Parkinson's With AI
A new artificial intelligence (AI) tool analyzing short smile videos achieved high accuracy in screening for Parkinson's disease (PD), according to research published by Tariq Adnan, M.Sc., and colleagues in the New England Journal of Medicine (NEJM) Thursday. The model was trained on the largest known video dataset of facial expressions to date, enrolling 1,452 participants, including 391 living with PD. (Silverman, 6/28)
On food additives —
AP:
J.M. Smucker Plans To Remove Artificial Colors From Its Jams And Other Products By The End Of 2027
J.M. Smucker Co. plans to remove artificial colors from its products by the end of 2027. Orrville, Ohio-based Smucker said Thursday it will also remove synthetic dyes from foods sold to K-12 schools by the 2026-2027 school year. Smucker said the majority of its products – including its Uncrustables sandwiches – are already free of synthetic dyes. But some products still have them, including sugar-free jams and ice cream toppings. (Durbin, 6/27)
The New York Times:
How Might Jell-O Look And Taste When Artificial Dyes Are Removed?
Turning wobbly blobs of clear gelatin red or orange using natural ingredients takes beet juice and a touch of annatto from the seeds of a tropical tree. But making gelatin green? That one is difficult for Simple Mixes, a company that makes naturally flavored and colored gelatin. Its founder, Malathy Nair, uses a blend of yellow turmeric extract with spirulina, an extract from algae that produces shades of green and blue. (Creswell, 6/29)
On parenting —
The Washington Post:
Most Working Dads In Study Took Less Than Two Weeks’ Parental Leave
Research points to paternal leave as good for both dads and babies — yet just 36 percent of fathers reported taking more than two weeks of leave when their child was born, and 64 percent said they took two weeks or less, according to a new analysis. Published in Pediatrics, the study is part of a first-of-its kind initiative that measured fathers’ behavior and health in the months before and after their children’s birth. (Blakemore, 6/28)
