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The development of generative artificial intelligence, and in particular of large language models, could generate between 1.2 and 5 million tonnes of accumulated electronic waste between 2020 and 2030, according to a study published in Nature Computational Science. The study estimates the mass of waste generated by hardware elements such as processing units, storage units and power supply systems.
According to a Lancet Public Health commission on commercial gambling, stricter regulations are needed on a global scale to reduce its impact on health and wellbeing worldwide. The authors argue that the harms caused by gambling are a threat to public health, exacerbated by the rapid expansion and digital transformation of the industry. These harms include physical and mental health problems, increased risk of suicide, gender-based violence and financial problems.
Exposure to agrochemicals, even in doses too low to kill insects, causes significant damage to their behavior, development and reproduction, which is aggravated when the temperature rises, according to a study published in Science. The research analyzes the effects of 1,024 molecules - insecticides, herbicides, fungicides, plant growth inhibitors - on the fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster and on other insects.
Early results from a study of newborn screening methods show that DNA analysis detects many more serious preventable or treatable diseases than standard newborn screening. The study, published today in the journal JAMA, is one of the first large-scale studies in the world to use genome sequencing as a method of newborn screening and is the first to publish preliminary results.
An international team with Spanish participation has analysed which day of the week has the highest risk of suicide mortality, and it is Monday. The research, published in The BMJ, includes more than 1,700,000 suicide cases registered in 26 countries - including Spain - from 1971 to 2019. The data also show a sharp increase in the risk of suicide on New Year's Day in most of the countries analysed. Taking these results into account, the authors propose that they should be used to define plans and awareness-raising campaigns.
A study published in the journal Nature describes a tool capable of inserting watermarks into text generated by large linguistic models - artificial intelligence (AI) systems - thereby improving their ability to identify and track artificially created content. The tool uses a sampling algorithm to subtly bias the model's choice of words, inserting a signature that can be recognised by the detection software.
Current carbon capture technologies to mitigate climate change only work well when applied to concentrated sources, such as power plant exhaust gases. An international team of researchers has developed a new method using a special porous material capable of capturing CO2 directly from the air, despite its low concentration. According to the authors, who publish their results in the journal Nature, this technology ‘represents a significant step towards clean air’.
A team of researchers has analysed the evolution of 4,550 people aged 25 to 65 diagnosed with type 2 diabetes who had been studied for 30 years in the UK. They found that those diagnosed before the age of 40 had a risk of dying almost four times higher than in the general population. If diagnosed later, the risk was 1.5 times higher. The authors publish their findings in the journal The Lancet Diabetes & Endocrinology.
In pre-Hispanic Andean societies, the gender of individuals and the political organisation of the region where they lived had a major impact on the physical violence they experienced, says a study published in PNAS. Living in a state ‘drastically’ reduced the likelihood of lethal violence for women, but not for men. The study analysed archaeological data from more than 8,600 adults collected in 169 studies and dating from 155 sites.
A phase 2 clinical trial has tested the efficacy and safety of a transcranial magnetic stimulation device used at home to treat major depression in 174 patients. After dividing them into two groups, one group received the treatment and the other a placebo procedure. After ten weeks, both groups had improved their symptoms, but the improvement in the active treatment group was 0.4 points greater on the Hamilton depression scale. According to the authors, who publish the results in the journal Nature Medicine, ‘it could potentially serve as a first-line treatment for major depression’.