Advertisement Instagram is expanding its ban on content related to suicide and self-harm. Instagram will no longer allow drawings or memes about suicide and self-harm on its platform. And the accounts posting this content will have their reach severely limited.Hundreds of thousands of people take their own lives each year. And suicide is one of the leading causes of death amongst young adults. There are a myriad of different reasons for this, but the internet and social media certainly play a part.The Death of Holly RussellThe role social media plays in this problem was felt most keenly when Molly Russell took her own life in 2017. The British teenager was found to have viewed graphic material concerning suicide and self-harm online in the run-up to her death. “Instagram helped kill my daughter” Molly Russell, 14, took her own life in 2017 Her family found graphic material about self-harm and suicide on her Instagram account pic.twitter.com/qZH7Fl9lCG — BBC News (UK) … [Read more...] about Instagram Bans Memes About Suicide and Self-Harm
Why fast food is harmful for health
New Anti-Aging Clinical Trial Begins. For $1 Million, You Can Be a Participant.
An American biotech company has launched clinical trials in Colombia to test a new therapy designed to reverse the aging process, and in turn, treat age-related diseases, according to news reports. But to steal a sip from this purported fountain of youth, participants in the trial must first fork over $1 million — a fee that seems even more astronomical when you consider that most clinical trials are either free or provide participants with financial compensation, according to a report by OneZero, a Medium publication about tech and science. The pricey trial is being run by Libella Gene Therapeutics, a Kansas-based company whose website proclaims that "the future is here." The company announced its intention to test its anti-aging remedies in Cartagena, Colombia, in 2018, and began recruiting for the trials in October of this year. Using a single-gene therapy, Libella aims to "prevent, delay, or even reverse" the general effects of aging, as well as treat diseases that … [Read more...] about New Anti-Aging Clinical Trial Begins. For $1 Million, You Can Be a Participant.
Eating Only Dessert: Why Your Information Diet Is Probably Terrible [Feature]
Advertisement “How many people here know what the resolution is on the new Macbook Pro So What's The Deal With The New MacBook Pro? So What's The Deal With The New MacBook Pro? Read More ?”Clay Johnson asked that question earlier this year while speaking to a class in Washington, DC. Eighty percent of the class knew the answer (it’s 2880×1800).Johnson asked another question. “What is the child poverty rate here in DC?”Not one student knew the answer (29.1 percent).“What’s more relevant if you have $2000 to spend?” he asks me. “Your laptop works fine. I don’t want to lay a guilt trip on you, but somebody should know, out of a class of fifty people – one person should know that the child poverty rate is 29 percent.”I’m talking with Johnson over Skype; he’s in DC, I’m in Boulder, Colorado. I have to admit: I don’t know the child poverty rate in Boulder (17.5 percent).The point, … [Read more...] about Eating Only Dessert: Why Your Information Diet Is Probably Terrible [Feature]
Teenagers will eat veggies—if you tell them they’re sticking it to the man
Adolescent behavior is notoriously difficult to change because teens are very sensitive to anything they perceive as a threat to their autonomy. And, as many parents know, many problematic behaviors come about because teens aren’t particularly motivated by thinking about long-term consequences. Combine those two, and you get teens doing stupid things—and not being willing to listen when that's pointed out to them. Among other things, these attitudes make it hard to convince teens to eat healthily. However, a recent study published in PNAS demonstrates that it’s possible to use teens’ social values to motivate them to adopt a better diet. The approach makes sense, considering that teens are known to place a high value on their social environments. The study in question tapped into teens’ tendency to develop social justice goals during their adolescent years—they often do this as a reaction to authority figures whom they perceive as unjust. The … [Read more...] about Teenagers will eat veggies—if you tell them they’re sticking it to the man
Aaptiv, the workout app, launches a new AI-based personal trainer called Coach
After raising at least $20 million last year from the likes of Amazon, Disney and Bose for a mobile app that offered workouts led by professional, human trainers, Aaptiv is now taking a tech turn. Today, the startup is beginning a pilot of a new service it calls Aaptiv Coach, an AI-based assistant that builds personalised fitness and lifestyle plans based on a user’s goals, current fitness levels, eating habits and data input from external devices like smartwatches and fitness trackers. Coach will mark a notable departure for the startup. Aaptiv built its name on human-led workouts produced by Aaptiv itself. (“We might be the only people willing to acknowledge that we will not use AI to replace trainers,” founder and CEO Ethan Agarwal told TechCrunch last June. “The trainers create the classes and that will be always the same. That relationship and drive and the passion cannot be matched by anyone or anything.”) While the company is not removing … [Read more...] about Aaptiv, the workout app, launches a new AI-based personal trainer called Coach
