SCROLL NEWS / DISCOVERY
Search headlines
Find the stories shaping the conversation.
Results for " Nos " 2,036 found 🔀 AI-powered Shuffle
A flawed diagnosis of Cuban health care
Progressives who praise communist systems just prove how gullible they are.
Snooki reveals regrets after cancer diagnosis (exclusive)
After being diagnosed with cervical cancer, Nicole 'Snooki' Polizzi is opening up on her big health regret.
#EarthDay: Protecting Rhinos With Nuclear Science
Poaching remains one of the greatest threats to rhinos — a powerful symbol of our planet’s biodiversity. In South Africa, scientists are addressing this challenge with an innovative approach: using safe radioactive isotopes as invisible markers in rhino horns, enabling authorities to detect and trace them at borders.
Apex High senior makes return to soccer after cancer diagnosis
After being diagnosed with Hodgkin lymphoma her senior year, an Apex High student is back on the field — and finishing the season she once thought was over.
Experience Science City's Brand-New "Jurassic Journey"
Shane and Kerrigan join Floor Lead Travis Brown at Science City to explore their new, interactive dinosaur exhibit.
Scientists sculpt Einstein onto a crystal using only light
A light-sensitive crystal is opening the door to a new era of “light-written” technology. Arsenic trisulfide can be reshaped and permanently altered using simple light, creating ultra-fine optical patterns without expensive manufacturing tools. Scientists even etched a nanoscale portrait of Einstein and high-density patterns that could act as secure optical signatures. This breakthrough could power everything from advanced sensors to next-generation AR devices.
I was a triathlete in peak health — but my 'wavy' vision problem turned out to be something devastating
🗞️ Front pages: glory and future collide on Tuesday
A quick trip to the newsstand to check out today’s front pages.From excitement and Real Madrid’s future to Barça’s transfer plans, via a historic party in Donostia. A varied cast of main charac...
After her cancer misdiagnosis, Lucy Liu advocates for early screening
Lucy Liu shares how a misdiagnosis led to surgery and changed how she advocates for her own health.
UNE’s fourth Health Care Story Slam puts a human face on chronic illness
UNE’s fourth Health Care Story Slam on April 15 put a human face on chronic illness and the long road to diagnosis as seven speakers took the stage to explore this year's theme of balance in the Harold Alfond Forum on UNE's Biddeford Campus.
Memory and nostalgia: ‘The science and poetry of who you are’
Memory and nostalgia: ‘The science and poetry of who you are’
Advancing epidemic and pandemic preparedness through research readiness: SEAR Unity Studies Network Sites chart the way forward in 2026
On 25 March 2026, WHO Regional Office for the South‑East Asia Region (SEARO) convened the first meeting of the SEAR Chapter of the Unity Studies Network Meeting in 2026 to take stock of progress and plan next steps for strengthening epidemic and pandemic preparedness across the Region. The meeting focused on reviewing the ongoing adaptation of selected, standard Unity Study methodologies, sharing field implementation experiences from 2025, and identifying key priorities to guide collaborative work in 2026.Held virtually, the meeting brought together representatives from six Unity Studies network sites across five countries (Bangladesh, India, Nepal, Sri Lanka, and Thailand) as well as participants from all three levels of WHO.The meeting took place against the backdrop of ongoing regional efforts in South‑East Asia to strengthen early investigations and studies for epidemic and pandemic preparedness, with a focus on pandemic influenza and other emerging respiratory pathogens with epidemic and pandemic potential. In this context, and as part of preparedness for the rapid generation of evidence, the WHO Health Emergencies Programme in SEAR (WHE/SEAR) encourages Unity Studies sites to adapt prioritized, standardized Unity Study protocols to their national contexts. This approach supports the generation of timely and reliable evidence to inform public health decision‑making during epidemics and pandemics.These efforts are supported through a combination of experience sharing, participation in the global Unity Studies network webinars, capacity‑building of the national public health workforce, and regional collaboration that promotes inter‑country, inter‑agency, and inter‑ministerial action. In parallel, sites are encouraged to explore diversified funding sources to help sustain research preparedness over the long term.Discussions highlighted the importance of WHO’s catalytic financial support through the Pandemic Influenza Preparedness (PIP) Partnership Contributions (PIP‑PC). When combined with national and institutional resources, this support enables countries and sites to maintain continuity of activities at a core level and remain prepared to respond rapidly and effectively to future epidemics and pandemics.Regional and Global Updates: Opening the session, Dr Pushpa Ranjan Wijesinghe, Programme Area Manager, Pandemic and Epidemic Management (PEM) Unit, WHO Health Emergencies Programme, highlighted the progress made in operationalizing the Unity Studies Network across the Region and acknowledged the collaborative efforts of WHO at all three levels, together with country unity studies sites. He emphasized the availability of limited but catalytic funding through the Pandemic Influenza Preparedness (PIP) Partnership Contribution (PIP‑PC) workplan at SEARO to sustain network activities in 2026, while encouraging sites to leverage additional funding sources to expand implementation.Representing SEARO, Dr Ashok Basnet, consultant, Pandemic Influenza Preparedness reported that, at the regional level, the Unity Studies Network currently includes six sites across five countries: Bangladesh, India, Nepal, Sri Lanka, and Thailand. He noted that in 2025, catalytic funding supported protocol adaptation, training, and pilot implementation. In addition, a regional Unity Studies symposium held during the Global Public Health Summit in Sri Lanka strengthened and advocated collaboration between the Unity Studies site, national decision‑making forum, relevant technical units of the ministry of health, WHO and other partners.The symposium also highlighted the role of early investigations and studies as a key component of a multi‑source surveillance system needed at country level to generate a broad range of evidence. It underscored the critical role of country Unity Studies sites and similar research entities in generating evidence to support public health decision‑making during epidemics and pandemics.Participants of the WHO GISRS Unity Studies Sites Network- SEAR Chapter Meeting 2026 (Photo credit- PEM/WHE/SEARO). SEARO also updated participants on ongoing efforts to develop a regional Unity Studies webpage and to promote participation in global knowledge‑sharing platforms, including webinars and the WHO Community of Practice. Priorities for 2026 include supporting the implementation of Unity protocols, strengthening collaboration and experience sharing across sites, documenting and publishing findings, integrating Unity Studies activities as a component of multi-source national surveillance systems, and building workforce capacity.Dr Nickle Boddington of the Global Influenza Programme (GIP) at WHO Headquarters, which coordinates the Unity Studies Network globally, provided updates on global Unity Studies activities, noting that the network has expanded to 16 sites worldwide. New and updated protocols, including rapid clinical severity assessment tools and standardized data platforms, are being developed to support implementation. The global Community of Practice has also been launched to facilitate technical exchange, and continued support will be provided to sites for protocol adaptation, ethical approvals, and readiness for early investigation during outbreaks. Updates from Unity Studies sites in SEAR in 2025Unity Studies sites shared progress and experiences in implementing protocols across diverse country contexts. Sites initiated activities in 2025 using catalytic funding from SEARO, complemented by the mobilization of internal national resources. The Institute of Epidemiology, Disease Control and Research (IEDCR), Bangladesh, reported the adoption and piloting of investigation protocols on non‑seasonal influenza and emerging respiratory diseases during recent avian influenza outbreaks, demonstrating a multi‑source funding approach involving government, WHO and One Health partners.The Hamdard Institute of Medical Sciences and Research (HIMSR), New Delhi, India, highlighted the piloting of household transmission investigation studies, the expansion of the national Unity Studies network, and the contribution of study findings to global evidence through published outputs. The All-India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), New Delhi, India, shared experiences from large‑scale seroprevalence studies conducted during the COVID‑19 pandemic, recent efforts to strengthen national Unity network sites through training activities, and plans to initiate multi‑centre studies on respiratory viruses.Similarly, Prince of Songkla University, Thailand, highlighted its experience in developing integrated surveillance and diagnostic protocols for multiple respiratory pathogens, enhancing readiness for targeted investigations of emerging threats. The University of Sri Jayewardenepura, Sri Lanka, reported ongoing engagement with the Ministry of Health and exploration of additional funding sources to initiate studies. Meanwhile, the National Public Health Laboratory, Nepal, provided updates on continued coordination with national stakeholders to initiate implementation, despite delays related to the country context.Across sites, shared experiences underscored the importance of protocol adaptation, multisectoral collaboration, and sustainable funding to operationalize Unity Studies and generate evidence for public health action.Discussions and Way ForwardThe meeting reinforced key priorities for 2026, including strengthening unity studies protocol implementation, enhancing collaboration, knowledge sharing, integrating research as a component of national multi-source surveillance systems, and ensuring that generated evidence informs public health decision‑making. Participants also emphasized the importance of documentation, visibility, and leveraging multiple funding sources, and agreed on the following action points.Unity Studies Sites and WHO Country Offices:Advance adoption and implementation of at least one Unity protocol, continuing activities initiated in 2025 with catalytic funding, supplemented with other sources of funding where feasible.Document site-specific experiences, outcomes, and lessons learned; participate in regional and global knowledge-sharing platforms including WHO webinars and the Community of Practice.Work closely with ministries of health to establish unified national platforms for translating generated evidence into national public health decision-making. WHO Country Offices may facilitate technical support and complementary, synergistic funding opportunities where feasible. WHO Regional OfficeCoordinate with WHO Country Offices to support implementation of core unity studies activities by network sites through catalytic funding and provide technical guidance and virtual engagement opportunities throughout 2026.Facilitate the participation of all Unity Studies sites in the regional meeting on Unity Studies implementation in October 2026, to be held back‑to‑back with the Annual SEAR Regional PIP‑PC Meeting; develop and host a SEAR Unity Studies website; and mobilize support from academic institutions within the SEAR Unity Studies Network to support the development of regional manuscripts that showcase Unity Studies activities to scientific audiences and promote knowledge‑sharing.Explore complementary funding opportunities and partnerships to sustain and expand network activities across the Region.WHO HeadquartersProvide global technical guidance, updated protocols, and toolkits to support the implementation of Unity Studies in SEAR.Facilitate engagement of SEAR sites in global webinars, the Community of Practice, and opportunities to showcase their work.Support joint publications, inclusion of SEAR experiences in global outputs, and identification of additional funding and collaborative opportunities to strengthen Unity Studies activities.
Padre Guilherme hosts rave in Argentina’s capital honoring late Pope Francis
A Portuguese priest, Father Guilherme Peixoto, hosted a rave in Buenos Aires to honor the late Pope Francis.
Nancy Guthrie Update: Sheriff Speaks Out Amid Reports of ‘Bombshell’ Development
Nanos’ comment came after Nancy Grace shared reports that a person of interest had been detained.
Nancy Guthrie Update: Sheriff Speaks Out Amid Reports of ‘Bombshell’ Development
Nanos’ comment came after Nancy Grace shared reports that a person of interest had been detained.
Leeds run riot at Huddersfield to go top
Brodie Croft scores four of Leeds Rhinos' 10 tries as they go top of Super League with a big win at Huddersfield Giants.
His Business Sells a Nostalgic Childhood Hobby That Gets Kids Off Screens. It’s On Track for $12 Million This Year: ‘Absolutely Life-Changing.’
Andy Loveland didn't want to raise his kids on screens. His business offers a solution.
The nation’s cartoonists on the week in politics
Every week political cartoonists throughout the country and across the political spectrum apply their ink-stained skills to capture the foibles, memes, hypocrisies and other head-slapping events in the world of politics. The fruits of these labors are hundreds of cartoons that entertain and enrage readers of all political stripes. Here's an offering of the best of this week's crop, picked fresh off the Toonosphere. Edited by Matt Wuerker.
Dodgers fan awarded $11.8 million by jury after partial blinding by LAPD during World Series celebration
Esports player Isaac Castellanos was out celebrating the Dodgers' 2020 title when he was hit in the eye with a less-lethal projectile.
With navigating nematodes, scientists map out how brains implement behaviors
An MIT Picower Institute study provides maps out exactly what happens in the brains of C. elegans worms when they “follow their nose” to savor attractive odors or avoid unappealing ones.
RFK Jr. to Reform Health Panel That Determines Which Screenings Insurers Cover
The health secretary said he would reform the panel, which determines whether insurance will cover preventive services like mammograms and colonoscopies.
Two Magicians Warn the Supreme Court About Junk Science
Penn & Teller filed a Supreme Court brief questioning the use of “investigative hypnosis” in a death-penalty case in Texas.
10 dinosaur science books recommended by a paleontologist
Steve Brusatte, author of The Rise and Fall of the Dinosaurs and The Story of Birds, recommends 10 dinosaur books to dig into
Sonos Era 100 SL Review: A New Era Of Affordability
If you couldn't care less about voice assistants on home speakers, the Sonos Era 100 SL is a relatively affordable option that packs in great sound.
Cancer
WHO fact sheet on cancer providing information on the health burden of different types of cancer, causes, risk factors, prevention, early diagnosis, treatment, palliative care, and WHO's work in this area.
Radiology Business Management Association elects new board members
Stacy Sanso—director of patient access for ARA Diagnostic Imaging, the Austin, Texas, affiliate of Radiology Partners—takes over as president of the association.
Re:Cognition Health Delivers Landmark International Clinical Trial to Explore Whether a Simple Finger-prick Blood-based Biomarker Test Can Provide Earlier Alzheimer's Diagnosis
Re:Cognition Health, a global leader in new treatments for Alzheimer's Disease, is delivering an international clinical trial to evaluate whether a simple finger-prick blood test can revolutionize how Alzheimer's disease is diagnosed. Compared with the current invasive and expensive diagnostic methods, this approach could provide a scalable solution for an earlier, easier, more accurate, affordable, and accessible diagnostic method. Re:Cognition Health will help enroll approximately 1,000 partic
NYC Health + Hospitals/Gotham Health Receives $3.85 Million from Brooklyn Borough President Antonio Reynoso to Enhance Patient Care Across Brooklyn - NYC Health + Hospitals
NYC Health + Hospitals/Gotham Health today announced a significant $3.85 million capital investment from Brooklyn Borough President Antonio Reynoso to
Radiology Business Management Association names new board of directors
Stacy Sanso—director of patient access for ARA Diagnostic Imaging, the Austin, Texas, affiliate of Radiology Partners—takes over as president of the association.
A crushed fossil revealed a dinosaur that shouldn’t have existed
A badly mangled dinosaur skull, once forgotten in a drawer, turned out to be a rare and important discovery. Reconstructed by a Virginia Tech student, it revealed a new species of early carnivorous dinosaur with unusual features never seen before. The fossil suggests some dinosaur groups were wiped out during the end-Triassic extinction, not just their rivals. It may represent one of the last survivors of an ancient dinosaur lineage.
After his own diagnosis, New Orleans Broadway star starts foundation for children with Type 1 diabetes
Kyle Banks was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes during his Broadway tour of Disney's The Lion King after months of struggling with symptoms. Now, the New Orleans native wants to give back to his roots by providing resources for Louisiana children and families living with the disease.
A new way to detect life beyond Earth without knowing what life looks like
Researchers from the Earth-Life Science Institute (ELSI) and National Institute for Basic Biology have developed a new method to detect extraterrestrial life without relying on traditional biosignatures. By modelling how life might spread between planets, they demonstrate that life could be detected through statistical patterns across planetary populations rather than on individual planets. This "agnostic biosignature" approach could assist in guiding future searches for life beyond Earth.
Ricky Cobb Has Built a Mini-Empire Through ’70s Nostalgia
Ricky Cobb has built a big online following with his irreverent postings about the absurdities of the 1970s.
Entertainment Host & Lifestyle Expert Josh McBride Launches New Podcast "The McBride Rewind" Featuring Iconic Voices of the 2000s/Late 1990s
Television host and entertainment personality Josh McBride is officially stepping into the podcast space with the debut of The McBride Rewind, a nostalgic, interview-style show celebrating the icons, culture, and unforgettable moments of the early 2000s.
Scientists Break Optical Limits With Quantum Dot-Powered Nanoscopy
A powerful new microscopy technique unveils hidden nanoscale light interactions, offering a glimpse into physics that conventional tools cannot resolve.
WIAA spring sports season opens with questions for area teams
Can Kaukauna softball, Xavier girls soccer, Freedom girls track defend their state titles? Here are 9 questions heading into the spring sports season.
NFL mock draft: Dallas Cowboys make trade with Arizona Cardinals
In the latest NFL.com mock draft, the Cardinals trade the third pick for picks Nos. 12 and 20.
Exynos 2600 Was Born Out Of Sheer Necessity And Wouldn’t Have Entered Mass Production If Samsung’s Mistakes Not Cost It $3 Billion Last Year
As Samsung races towards self-sufficiency in the chipset race, it only mass produced the Exynos 2600 because it lost $3 billion in 2025
Retro Rewind re-creates the glorious drudgery of working a '90s video store
What the nostalgic throwback lacks in complexity it makes up for in repetitive charm.
ESPN's Dick Vitale announces he's been diagnosed with cancer for a fifth time
"I'm four for four and I'm fully confident I'm going to make it five for five."
Dick Vitale health update: College basketball analyst confirms melanoma diagnosis
ESPN college basketball analyst Dick Vitale shared another health update on Monday in which he announced he was diagnosed with melanoma.
No Doubt guitarist Tom Dumont reveals early onset Parkinson’s diagnosis
The announcement comes just one month before the band is set to reunite for a residency at The Sphere in Las Vegas beginning May 6.
Longtime WDIV sports reporter Jamie Edmonds reveals breast cancer diagnosis
Longtime WDIV sports reporter Jamie Edmonds revealed Monday morning that she has been diagnosed with breast cancer.
Mid-America Science Museum opening interactive dinosaur exhibit April 25
Dinosaurs will return to Mid-America Science Museum starting April 25 with the exhibit "Expedition: Dinosaur."
USC Brain Health Center could be hub for Alzheimer’s treatment, new tech for mental health
A new $30 million Brain Health Center at USC in Columbia will be a magnet for advanced diagnosis and treatment of Alzheimer’s disease and dementia but also deploy new technology for mental health.
Bayern planning second summer signing
After joining Bayern Munich on loan from Gambinos Stars Africa in January, Bara Sapoko Ndiaye finally made his debut for the German champions in their 5-0 win over FC St. Pauli on Saturday, coming off...
No Doubt guitarist Tom Dumont reveals early-onset Parkinson's disease diagnosis
No Doubt guitarist Tom Dumont reveals that he's been diagnosed with Parkinson's, one month before the band is set to reunite for their Las Vegas residency at the Sphere.
Woman, 26, Had Excessive Itching but Was Told 'It's Just One of Those Things.' She Then Self-Diagnosed Her Cancer (Exclusive)
A young woman suffered from excessive itching and was dismissed by multiple doctors, before she eventually self-diagnosed herself with cancer. Sumbul Ari recalls her health journey in an exclusive interview with PEOPLE.
Who Had “New OS For The Z80” On Their 2026 Bingo Card?
Some might say the venerable Z80 doesn’t need another operating system, but [Scott Baker] obviously disagrees. He has come up with a brand new, from scratch OS called NostOS for the Z80-based…
Deion Sanders says he's in good health during Colorado's spring game
A year after being diagnosed with bladder cancer, Deion Sanders insists he's in good health.
Deion Sanders back on the field at Colorado's spring game
After a season that saw Colorado go 3-9, Buffaloes coach Deion Sanders, 58, was hands-on as he watched his team scrimmage on Saturday at the spring game, telling reporters that "I'm good, I'm good," after being diagnosed with bladder cancer last year.
“AI polls” are fake polls
A few weeks after Donald Trump’s second presidential win, I took the train up from London (where I was living at the time) to Oxford to attend a conference on polls and forecasts of the 2024 election. Most of the attendees were pollsters or academics, but I also watched presentations from Aaru and Electric Twin, two companies that do what is interchangeably called synthetic sampling, silicon sampling, or synthetic audiences. Stripped of startup jargon, that means they use large language models (LLMs) to simulate responses to public opinion polls by having AI agents take on the role of survey respondents. I had already heard of Aaru thanks to some articles with eye-catching headlines like “No people, no problem: AI chatbots predict elections better than humans” in the months leading up to Election Day. The founders were making some big, some might even say far-fetched claims, such as: “within two years, we will simulate the entire globe — from the way crops are grown in Ukraine to how that impacts production of oil in Iraq, trade through the strait of Malacca, and elections for the mayor of Baltimore.” When Semafor asked Aaru’s cofounders — Cameron Fink and Ned Koh — about my boss, they said “we respect all those who came before us.” Nate (as he so often does) shared his thoughts on Twitter: Fink and Koh were relatively good-natured about this back-and-forth when we spoke at Oxford. They even offered to mail me one of the t-shirts featuring Nate’s quote they apparently had made. I never took them up on the offer, which I now somewhat regret. These synthetic sampling companies fell off my radar for a while, but they do still exist. In fact, Aaru recently received a $1 billion valuation. Is what they’re doing anywhere close to the most important frontier in AI development? Not by a longshot, especially when Anthropic just developed a model so adept at exploiting software vulnerabilities that it’s only being released to 40 companies. Still, silicon sampling is increasingly finding its way into public polling. Axios reported in March that “a majority of people trust their own doctors and nurses” based on findings from Aaru — without mentioning that the “people” in that sentence were actually LLMs. Around the same time, the Public Sentiment Institute “boosted” their online sample of 373 real survey respondents with 114 AI agents.1 (Spoiler alert: even the co-founder of Electric Twin doesn’t think that’s a particularly defensible approach.) Polling companies like Qualtrics and Ipsos are also developing synthetic data panels. So, what should we make of these … “polls”? Let’s get one thing out of the way: whatever they are, they’re not polls in the way that term is usually defined. Subscribe You can’t replace polls with AI On one hand, using LLMs to essentially make up fake survey respondents sort of sounds like the dumbest idea ever, one that will at best imperfectly replicate real polls while introducing all sorts of biases. On the other hand, with LLMs improving at a remarkable, perhaps even alarming rate, maybe that means I’m a dinosaur at the ripe old age of 24 because I still want to rely on polls that talk to actual people. I’m not going to argue that synthetic samples are completely useless. In fact, as I’ll return to later, there is evidence that some techniques can replicate topline survey results quickly and cheaply. But the marketing from certain companies can be slightly optimistic. “No traditional poll will exist by the time the next general election occurs,” said Fink in 2024. We’re just 206 days away from the midterms, and based on the fact that I still have to collect a bunch of polls every day, I’d say he should have run that prediction by a sample of AI agents before the interview.2 To see why synthetic samples can’t replace polls, here’s a quick primer on how they work. The simplest version of these models involves taking a LLM (like ChatGPT or Claude), giving it a demographic profile (e.g., a white, college-educated woman who lives in Utah and makes $70k a year), and then asking it to respond to a survey question. You repeat that process a few thousand times using different demographic profiles and end up with a sample of synthetic survey responses. The actual models used by private companies are more sophisticated than this, usually because they incorporate more hypothesized demographic characteristics for each agent and provide them with extra information. Aaru, for example, feeds agents a diet of news and information they’d be likely to consume, while Electric Twin incorporates their customers’ proprietary data about the audience they’re trying to replicate. The way Ben Warner, the co-founder of Electric Twin, explained it to me was “we have a large amount of data on […] for instance, 5,000 people. Can we make an accurate prediction of how they would respond to another question?” Still, it should be obvious why synthetic samples can’t replace polls. Polling is fundamentally a data collection process. We might use surveys to make predictions by feeding them into election forecasts, but the main purpose of a poll isn’t prediction, it’s gathering new data about what people think and how they feel. Silicon sampling, on the other hand, produces no new data. It’s simply a model: you input LLM training data, demographic prompts, and a bunch of other information, and it spits out a prediction for what a poll would say. We love models here, but models aren’t polls. That difference is an important philosophical sticking point for most pollsters I talk to. “I think politics should stay away from [synthetic sampling], because we’re trying to […] represent the voice of the people,” said Natalie Jackson, a vice president at GQR Insights. Democratic pollster John Hagner told me: “I think I’m just incredibly skeptical of this idea. I don’t think it’s research. At that point, you’re asking the machine to tell you what you already believe.” Hagner has seen some presentations of early synthetic sampling experiments, but so far, “if it’s being used in a campaign, people are keeping it incredibly quiet.”3 But Eli, I hear you saying, aren’t polls themselves increasingly governed by modeling decisions? Indeed they are: pollsters’ choices on which sampling method to use, how to define their likely voter models, and how to weight their samples can and do lead to dramatic differences in the results they publish. Aaru even referenced these limitations in the methodology statement included with that maternal mortality “poll” — although I’m using the term “methodology statement” loosely here, because it doesn’t really explain how the model works at all. We can ignore the (frankly preposterous) implication that synthetic sampling isn’t subject to a separate set of biases. The important point is that there’s still a meaningful difference between using weighting and other statistical techniques on actual polling data and using a model to predict what a poll would say. The latter is far closer to election forecasts or techniques like MRP — potentially useful models, but not a replacement for polls.4 To be fair, other synthetic sampling companies are perfectly happy with the distinction between polls and models. Warner compared polling and synthetic sampling to different tools in a toolbox. “The mistake I think we make is we think that these new tools should either work in exactly the same way or somehow replace these old tools,” he said. “Rather than thinking of it as, okay, so we’ve always had the hammer, we’ve always had the screwdriver, now we’ve got a saw. But don’t use a saw to try [to] do the job of a hammer.” A quick comment from Nate Eli didn’t ask me for a comment — rather rude of him, don’t you think? But since I’m editing this story, I figured I’d add a few quick thoughts rather than putting words in his mouth. Beyond the frequently misleading marketing, what bothers me about the AI “poll” hype is that as AI tools make statistical inference cheaper and/or better (note that these are not synonyms) that actually increases the comparative value of collecting original data. You might be able to train a model to make a reasonable estimate of what some hard-to-reach poll respondent would say — say, a young Black man who voted for Trump. (Such a person checks a number of boxes for a voter who is usually hard to reach in surveys.) Indeed, this is closely related to what models like the Silver Bulletin forecast already do. They essentially smooth out the kinks in noisy survey data by making inferences based on past voting patterns or national polls or surveys of other states. But you don’t actually know what these voters think unless you’re reaching them directly. If there’s a shift in opinion among this subgroup, you’re not going to detect it. So if I were running a campaign, I’d invest more in going the extra mile to find a representative sample of those voters. And then I’d hire some smart quants — or Claude? — to figure out the implications for campaign strategy based on proprietary data that my competitors didn’t have access to. -Nate Silver Are these models any good? If synthetic surveys are just a new type of model, the next obvious question is whether the models are at least accurate. The answer very much depends on who you ask. On one end of the spectrum, you have the maximalist argument that synthetic sampling is more accurate than actual polls. “It’s an incredibly challenging problem to go to someone and say ‘hey, we’re going to be more accurate at predicting human behavior than you, even when you talk to your customers directly’,” Koh recently told CNBC. In his view, synthetic sampling isn’t a saw to polling’s hammer, it’s “magic.” There’s certainly evidence that synthetic samples can replicate certain survey toplines. But if Aaru does have any examples of their approach outperforming the polls, they’re keeping those to themselves.5 Aaru’s 2024 election model, for example, had Kamala Harris leading in Michigan, Nevada, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin on November 4th. And although they’ve since taken down their forecast page, they gave Harris a 50.5 percent chance of winning the race on November 2nd.6 After the election, Fink told Semafor he was happy enough with those results because they were “within margin of error,” a term that is completely meaningless when applied to a “sample” of AI agents. And of course, Aaru says their models have improved since 2024, so supposedly now they’d be more accurate than the polls? Still, their stronger argument is on cost: “We are significantly faster and cheaper than traditional polling, and still more accurate,” said Fink. The first two claims are undeniably true, but the third brings us to the opposite end of the spectrum. Both Jackson and Hagner are skeptical that these models are reliable for anything beyond replicating common survey toplines. “I just […] don’t think the machines are what we want when we’re looking for nuanced views. My example on this is people in Arizona and Nevada in 2024 who voted for Trump and voted for expanding abortion in their states on ballot initiatives,” said Jackson. Hagner identified another issue. Maybe the synthetic respondents, like sycophantic LLMs, are inhuman in one important way: they’re too nice. “The reports that have come through at the meetings that I’ve been at are that the early experiments on this, they cannot get respondents to be as racist or sexist or, frankly, as negative as human respondents,” he said. Academic research mostly agrees on this point. While there are some papers that show promising results when using LLMs to replicate polling data, most show that LLMs suffer from various quirks like producing too few “don’t know” responses and can seriously overpredict the favorability of politicians like Donald Trump and Kamala Harris. They also seem to struggle with too little variation between demographic subgroups, so the difference in predicted opinion between Democrats and Republicans, for example, is too small. When I asked Warner about these studies, his response to these papers was that just because academics can’t get synthetic sampling to work doesn’t mean that the technique doesn’t work in general. “Actually, the argument is, okay, yours does not [work]. That does not mean […] for this complex set of machinery, which uses a lot of investment, a lot of time, a lot of money, you can’t get it to work.” Cards on the table, I’m somewhat sympathetic to this argument because academics aren’t exactly great at making election forecasts. Usually, the people with skin in the game are the most accurate. Warner’s argument is that the approach Electric Twin takes — which includes, for example, making multiple predictions for each synthetic respondent using different models and prompts and subsequently averaging those to get a final prediction in a sort of ensemble forecast — produces better results than the simpler academic models. Warner shared a comparison between his method and the method from a recent academic paper with me, and Electric Twin was indeed able to get more accurate replication. But even still, he acknowledged that synthetic sampling “is not a crystal ball.” “If you asked me, do I think using other data sources will be more accurate than asking somebody who they will vote for, I would probably say no. But if you asked me ‘would your system be useful for our turnout modeling today?’ I would say yes.” For better or worse, it looks like the method is already getting more popular in the market research world. Most of the clients Aaru touts these days are businesses like EY and McDonald’s. And AI will probably begin to pop up in other parts of the political polling process. Pollsters are already using it to code open-ended survey responses, and some firms, like YouGov, are testing using LLMs to ask survey respondents questions. More worryingly, one danger to actual polls is that AI agents can be used to infiltrate online surveys. Most online polls use various checks to prevent that from happening, but there’s conflicting evidence on how effective those filters are and how prevalent AI agents currently are in online panels. If those agents ever become impossible to detect, it might spell the end of online polling, but the solution isn’t to replace all of your respondents with ChatGPT. Silver Bulletin is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support our work, consider becoming a subscriber. Subscribe 1 That particular poll obviously doesn’t meet Silver Bulletin standards for aggregation. But we exclude all Public Sentiment Institute polls from our averages because we classify them as an amateur polling firm. 2 You could argue that Fink meant the next presidential election, but (a) I’m also confident we’ll still have real polls in 2028 and (b) in that case he should have asked an LLM to define “general election.” 3 Quick caveat: that’s reporting from a Democratic pollster. It’s possible that Republicans are more willing to use AI in political campaigns. 4 Indeed, Silver Bulletin does not include “polls” produced by MRP in our forecasts or averages, and we think it’s extremely misleading when their practitioners describe them in a way that suggests original data had been collected among a large number of states or Congressional districts. 5 A recent report from Aaru and EY did show two examples of a synthetic estimate being closer than a survey to a real-world benchmark — but I’d take those findings with a grain of salt because the report reads more like an ad and didn’t involve any sort of prediction being made ahead of time. 6 For comparison, our odds for Harris on the same day were 48.2 percent.
Engadget review recap: ASUS ZenBook A16, AirPods Max 2, Sonos Play and LG Sound Suite
A roundup of the latest reviews from Engadget.
Your nose could detect Alzheimer’s years before symptoms begin
Losing your sense of smell might signal Alzheimer’s far earlier than expected. Scientists found that immune cells in the brain actively destroy smell-related nerve fibers after detecting abnormal signals on their surfaces. This damage begins in early stages of the disease, well before cognitive decline. The discovery could help identify at-risk patients sooner and improve treatment timing.
These women had their breasts removed to thwart cancer. Then came the pain.
Many women are afflicted by post-mastectomy pain syndrome, which spans from uncomfortable to disabling and can last years. It’s inconsistently diagnosed and treated, leaving some women in agony as they hunt for relief and struggle to find doctors who take their pain seriously.
Yankees news: Volpe slated to start upon return
Volpe expected to retake starting gig once healthy; flaws emerge as Yanks nosedive from hot start; Average salary in MLB rises; Mike Ford retires, takes role in Rays’ front office.
13 years ago, a young Rostraver mom prepared to die; the ‘super responder’ now shows no signs of cancer
In 2013, 28-year-old Kate Crawford threw herself into preparing for her death. She had a fresh diagnosis of metastatic breast cancer, an estimated 18 to...
Science students find mentorship and pathways to career success
Batool Abdulruhman and Alyssa Rivera both grew up in rural Valley communities where doctors are scarce and medical care is difficult to access. Now they are on a path to become doctors practicing in the Valley because of the support and mentorship they received through the Center for Access to Science for All (CASA) in […]
The nation’s cartoonists on the week in politics
Every week political cartoonists throughout the country and across the political spectrum apply their ink-stained skills to capture the foibles, memes, hypocrisies and other head-slapping events in the world of politics. The fruits of these labors are hundreds of cartoons that entertain and enrage readers of all political stripes. Here's an offering of the best of this week's crop, picked fresh off the Toonosphere. Edited by Matt Wuerker.
Evers signs bill to allow sports betting in Wisconsin
Gov. Tony Evers signed a measure into law Thursday that will pave the way for people to place bets online in Wisconsin.
Kansas City health leaders announce new integrated theranostics research and treatment center
The center will unite diagnostics, molecular imaging, radiopharmaceutical production and targeted therapies under one coordinated platform.
G7 One Health Summit launches global diagnostics initiative, and other health stories
Top health news: G7 launches global diagnostics initiative; Five actions to end tuberculosis; Middle East conflict impacts healthcare.
HGTV’s Jenn Todryk Shares Positive Health Update With Fans
Todryk has been diagnosed with hyperthyroidism and Hashimoto's disease for several years.
HGTV’s Jenn Todryk Shares Positive Health Update With Fans
Todryk has been diagnosed with hyperthyroidism and Hashimoto's disease for several years.
Are AI scribes actually driving higher health care costs?
In this edition of STAT's AI Prognosis: A closer look at a recent analysis that implied AI scribes are driving up the health care costs, and more.
State House hearing focuses on gaps in racial wealth, home, business ownership
Despite some modest gains, Blacks and Latinos in Massachusetts are trailing whites in homeownership, business ownership, and wealth accumulation, state officials said during a State House hearing held last week.
Lakefront Brewery closes Public Brewing Company in Kenosha
Lakefront Brewery closed Public Brewing Company in Kenosha, citing industry challenges and profitability issues. Employees can apply for jobs in Milwaukee.
Vision Pro is about to get Steam Link app for gaming, download beta here
Apple Vision Pro will soon offer access to a lot more games than ever before, as visionOS is gaining a native Steam Link app.
‘Live’ Emcee Déjà Vu Shares Update on Recent Health Diagnosis
The TV personality sported a face mask during the show's Tuesday, April 7, episode.
Chicago Bears HOFer Steve McMichael diagnosed with CTE year after death
McMichael died in April 2025 following a 5-year battle with ALS.
Public health alert for frozen dino chicken nuggets retracted
FSIS retracted the public health alert for frozen, dinosaur-shaped chicken nuggets after follow up testing found no elevated levels of lead.
Walmart's dino nuggets are safe to eat after high lead scare, USDA says
A public health alert for Walmart's Great Value dinosaur-shaped chicken nuggets, suspected of lead contamination, has been retracted.
Overwatch's Anran redesign is a massive improvement from Blizzard
Though it still features an 'Ozempic chic' nose
Health Law Navigator: The Compliance Department vs. The Machines: A Playbook for Using AI
In 2026, health care facilities are under relentless pressure to use AI. From diagnostic algorithms that outperform radiologists to predictive
Diagnosis for 4.6.26: Checking the pulse of Florida health care news and policy
Caregivers power Florida economy amid legal battles and health care innovation
Terry Crews' Wife, Rebecca, Reveals Parkinson's Diagnosis, Had New Treatment: EXCLUSIVE
She's sharing her diagnosis publicly for the first time after undergoing an exciting new treatment procedure.
Weekend News Roundup
It was an eventful long weekend for Jays news. The big one was that Alejandro Kirk fractured and dislocated his thumb on an Austin Hays foul tip late in Friday’s game. His actual prognosis won’t be known until he meets with specialists on Monday. In the best case scenario, though, it’ll be several weeks before […]
The revolution in dinosaur science started 50 years ago—here's what we have learned
The study of dinosaurs has been through a revolution in recent decades. The story began half a century ago, when Robert McNeill Alexander, a professor of zoology at the University of Leeds, showed how ...
In Focus: Kenosha Area Business Alliance aims to grow industry in the region
Nicole Ryf, president of the Kenosha Area Business Alliance, joined Spectrum News to talk about its mission.
Houston Rockets jersey history No. 10 - Jabari Smith Jr. (2022-26)
During his time suiting up for the Rockets, Smith wore only jersey Nos. 1 and 10 and put up 13.6 points, 7.3 rebounds, and 1.5 assists per game.
Scientists trap light in a layer 1,000x thinner than hair
Researchers have created a nanoscale structure that traps infrared light in a layer just 40 nanometers thick—over 1,000 times thinner than a human hair. By using a unique material with exceptional light-bending properties, they can confine and intensify light far beyond previous limits. This setup also dramatically boosts light conversion effects, turning infrared into visible blue light. The advance could pave the way for smaller, faster photonic technologies.
Nose-Picking May Have a Surprise Link With Alzheimer's, Study in Mice Suggests
Do you really need to pick it?
Siemens Healthineers Diagnostics Review Puts Valuation And Business Mix In Focus
Siemens Healthineers (XTRA:SHL) is reviewing options for its Diagnostics business, including a possible sale. The review follows moves by Siemens AG to reduce its majority stake in Siemens Healthineers. Any decision could reshape the company’s business mix within the global healthcare diagnostics market. Siemens Healthineers operates across imaging, diagnostics and related healthcare technologies, giving it a broad role in hospital and lab workflows. A potential change in the Diagnostics...
Okaloosa County School District opens employee health clinic
The Okaloosa County School District has opened an employee health clinic. The ribbon cutting was April 2, 2026.
Take-Two lays off AI team
Take-Two Interactive, the parent company of GTA developer Rockstar Games, has reportedly laid off its AI team, includin…
I’ve Been Testing the New Sonos Play for Weeks. It’s My New Favorite
With great sound and versatility, this new speaker may be Sonos’ best.
Album Review: 6WA by BigXthaPlug & 600 Entertainment
BigXthaPlug spent eight months in Nashville making a country-rap album that debuted at No. 7 on the Billboard 200, put “All the Way” with Bailey Zimmerman at No. 4 on the Hot 100, got him a Rolling Stone cover, and filled arenas with Jelly Roll. And then he came back to Dallas, rounded up four of his signees, and made a gangsta-rap record with N.W.A’s Straight Outta Compton on the cover. 6WA is the second group release from 600 Entertainment, named after the 600 block of Meadowridge Street in Ferris, Texas, where BigX and his people grew up. The whole thing is loaded with West Coast samples. From N.W.A.’s “8Ball,” Eazy-E’s “Real Muthaphuckkin G’s” and “Boyz-N-The-Hood,” Ice-T’s “6 in the Mornin’,” Snoop Dogg’s “Nuthin’ but a ‘G’ Thang” and more. BigX is staking his name on the lineup he built—Rosama, MurdaGang PB, Yung Hood, KevanGotBandz, KaineMusic—and claiming a lineage from 1,400 miles away while insisting Dallas is its own thing. A million dollars in cash, split and handed straight to his mother. That’s the first place BigX goes on “From the Bottom.” He’d probably still be in the streets if he didn’t have his son and daughter. He only started rapping to make life better for Carter. Couldn’t start his car back then, now people get starstruck at Starbucks, and he throws the whole field away in one sentence: “How you think we competin’? You on the same bag, I just made me some millions off country.” Goyard bags off a Nashville payday, and he wants you to know exactly how far he’s come from everybody else. “Safe to Say” does something similar but looser. It’s a straight Ice Cube “It Was a Good Day” flip, and BigX nails it. Wakes up, checks both phones, nobody’s locked up, kid accounts look good. Gets pulled over, only catches a warning. Pulls up on the squad to liquor, ladies, and haze. Rosama takes the second verse and matches him. Wakes up to his girl cleaning his cuticles, twins playing peekaboo, pays off his car, calls a cousin, sees the opps and they don’t trip. Lawyer calls, he beat his case. Rosama is the strongest voice in the 600 camp after BigX, and “Life of a Gangster” is why. Third person, riding low, blacked-out windows, snub-nose revolver. A character who chose sticking people up over selling dope. “Quick eraser like a number-two pencil.” He never breaks character, and his delivery drops lower and slower than anything he does on the group cuts, like he’s telling you something at a cookout that he probably shouldn’t. Then on “Long Live Fre$h” he’s a completely different rapper. “Short-bus diamonds, these bitches retarded,” wide-body Durango he can’t even park. That kind of range matters on a group record. MurdaGang PB’s best verse is on the title track. Feds at his door at 6 AM, cameras busted, flushing dope, ram truck putting everybody on the floor. Yung Hood on “The Hottest” just lays out four reasons to keep hustling. Who wants to be broke, women cost money, you need bail, and home has to be straight. It’s funnier and more honest than most rappers get when they’re trying to explain why they sell drugs. KevanGotBandz on “Ain’t Never Slowin’ Down” talks about his father getting caught on the dope while he’s sitting on $300K somewhere in the hills, which is a specific kind of guilt that doesn’t usually make it onto crew tapes. KaineMusic, the newest signee, takes the back half of “Who Dunnit” and introduces herself in third person—“Took flight just to show these hoes how to perform”—but it’s too short to know if she can hold a full song. The flex tracks fill the middle of the LP and mostly run together. “I Go” is Rosama and PB trading brands, guns, and food punchlines. Rosama’s “anemic, my iron tucked low in this shirt” is a slick gun bar, PB fires back with “.223 with a clip ‘bout as big as a toddler” and “I go Burger King, stay with that whopper.” Quick, funny sometimes, but it’s all shopping lists. “Dopeman” is a chant. “6ixer Party” brings Snoop Dogg, who does exactly what you’d expect Snoop Dogg to do. BigX contributes the night’s wildest overshare: “She say she brought a friend too, well, I’m tryna put sausage on her dental.” These songs move fast and don’t overstay, but three or four of them could trade verses and nobody would catch it. Midway through, The D.O.C. shows up for a spoken-word interlude. Tracy Curry. West Dallas native, former N.W.A affiliate, co-writer on a lot of the records getting sampled on this very album. He thanks BigX for the tribute and then gets direct: “This your time, this DFW time. You need to do it like we do it down here.” Leave bread crumbs so everybody behind you can eat. Keep God in your life. It’s fatherly and generous, and it does raise the question of whether 6WA follows that advice. The album borrows heavy. The cover art, the Eazy-E samples, “Amerikkka’s Most Wanted” opening with a direct “Boyz-N-The-Hood” lift, Yung Hood rapping “Flag on my left side, Crip until I die.” But the stuff that actually stays with you is Dallas. BigX talking about Pleasant Grove, Rosama calling himself a country boy, PB recounting a raid that could’ve been last Tuesday. The record smells most like itself when it smells like Ferris, Texas, and least like Compton. BigX on “The Hottest” says his father was the first person he knew who had chickens. Not the way rappers usually wave at the drug trade. He means his actual father, his actual family. On “600 Degrees,” Rosama compares his chopper’s stutter to a speech disorder, PB claims he still has the block on his back even after leaving the city. BigX closes that one saying he used to spin and smack, and now the plaques are platinum. Thirty-two minutes was right for this. Nobody overstays, Tony Coles and Rance and Charley Cooks keep the production punchy, and BigX gives his signees real room instead of crowding every song. 6WA doesn’t reinvent anything. Five rappers, good beats, short clock. Most of what they say you’ve heard before. Some of it—the million to his mother, the cuticles and peekaboo, the four reasons to hustle—you won’t forget. Solid (★★★½☆) Favorite Track(s): “Safe to Say,” “From the Bottom,” “The Hottest” Subscribe
Scientists discover hidden gut signals that could detect cancer early
A new study reveals that gut bacteria and metabolites may hold the key to detecting serious digestive diseases earlier and more easily. Using AI, scientists found that biomarkers linked to one condition can often predict others, showing these diseases are more interconnected than previously thought. This cross-disease insight could lead to faster diagnoses without invasive procedures.
A Meat Plant Closed in Nebraska. Then Politics Became a Focus for These Latinos
Politically disconnected young men, especially Latinos, helped fuel President Trump’s victory, but in this economy, they could move to unconventional candidates like Dan Osborn in Nebraska.
Galaxy S26 FE Is Up To 33% Slower Than Exynos 2600-Powered Galaxy S26 In Benchmark Leak, Highlighting Samsung’s Lack Of Interest In This Lineup
Samsung is once again treating its non-flagship smartphones with poor specifications, with the Galaxy S26 FE shipping with an inferior SoC
We all need to become better science storytellers. Here’s why and how.
Last week, in a lovely New Haven bar, six people gathered in front of a crowd to tell stories that were somehow related to science and public health. It was magical. One person talked about learning how social determinants of health helped them forgive their mother’s alcoholism. Another shared what it’s been like navigating a dementia diagnosis. Another described their last dinner with their mother before they left Nigeria to come to the U.S. and how that moment, plus the diagnosis that followed, shapes their career goals today. As the Executive Director of The Evidence Collective at Your Local Epidemiologist, I was ecstatic to bring this event, “Science and Storytelling,” to the community surrounding the Yale School of Public Health. Stories are not the default way most people communicate about science and public health. In fact, we are taught to take all the emotion out of data, but that makes it pretty darn boring to everyone else. And if people can’t see themselves in it, feel themselves in it, or influence it, how can we ask them to support it? Why do stories stick? How can we all—from community members to public health scientists—do better? And what are some examples?
New Mexico Museum of Natural History and Science Reopens April 4 with Traveling Exhibition
"Animal Armor: The Evolution of Armor in Dinosaurs and Prehistoric Animals" puts the spotlight on armored animals and the history of the evolution of armor in prehistoric creatures.
Certain radiology subspecialties less likely to score promotions than others
In particular, rads working in breast imaging and pediatrics appear to score the lowest rates of career advancement, experts write in Current Problems in Diagnostic Radiology.
The nation’s cartoonists on the week in politics
Every week political cartoonists throughout the country and across the political spectrum apply their ink-stained skills to capture the foibles, memes, hypocrisies and other head-slapping events in the world of politics. The fruits of these labors are hundreds of cartoons that entertain and enrage readers of all political stripes. Here's an offering of the best of this week's crop, picked fresh off the Toonosphere. Edited by Matt Wuerker.
Kenosha barbershop owner sees higher prices due to tariffs
A White House spokesperson defended the President’s tariffs, saying he's use them to renegotiate trade deals and lower drug prices.
New Mexico U.S. Rep. Vasquez says unregulated sports betting hurting tribal sovereignty
Unregulated betting platforms are bypassing tribal casinos, depriving pueblos and tribes in New Mexico of vital revenue, leaders said.
CDC pauses dozens of types of lab testing during evaluation and in wake of downsizing
The federal government’s disease-tracking agency has paused its diagnostic testing for rabies, monkeypox and a number of other infectious diseases.
Apple employee #8 Chris Espinosa on working his whole life at one company
It used to be common in Japan for someone to spend their entire working life at a single company, but...