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Tech NewsNewsA DARPA Sarcasm Detector Is Good
Members of the media are sarcastically complaining about a sarcasm detector developed by researchers partnering with the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA). Using sarcastic language, they indicate that it is a stupid killjoy only useful to GOP politicians. Before eye-rolling on Twitter, hear me out. An optional sarcasm detection tool could do a profound … Continued
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Tech NewsGadgetsThe Truth Behind the Kickstarter Gadget That Was Accused of ‘Child Torture’
It all started with some tweets. “I really don’t want to live here anymore… fully funded child torture device. Will no reporters cover this…” @roryreckons tweeted. Embedded in the tweet was a link to a Kickstarter page for a wearable device called NOIT. In the main picture, you can see a patch and rectangular device … Continued
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ScienceHealthNew Poll About Vaccines Is a Huge Bummer
Many Americans have lost faith in the importance of vaccines over the past two decades, while more than half are unsure or wrongly believe that they can cause autism. At least, those are the somber conclusions of a new Gallup poll released Tuesday. Even worse is that parents of children under 18 have grown more … Continued
By Ed Cara -
ScienceHealthPolice Let Mom Keep Feeding Son Bleach After She Showed Them YouTube Videos, Doctor Approval
Search YouTube for “Miracle Mineral Solution” or “MMS” and you will find a trove of videos about how consuming bleach will treat various illnesses—acne, flu, malaria, HIV, hepatitis, cancer, and autism. But MMS is just chlorine dioxide—an industrial bleach. The Food and Drug Administration has warned that MMS “can cause serious harm to health” and … Continued
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Tech NewsNewsFacebook Suspends Natural News, Founder Calls for President Trump to Use Military Against Tech Giants
Facebook has suspended Natural News from posting on the social media platform where it has amassed almost 3 million followers. Natural News, which pushes wild conspiracy theories and once published an injectable DIY homeopathic “vaccine” for Ebola, had already been banned from Twitter and YouTube. The site was also blacklisted by Google in 2017. The … Continued
By Matt Novak -
ScienceHealthIntriguing New Drug Therapies May Boost Social Skills in People with Autism
New research seems to show encouraging progress in helping treat the complex neurodevelopmental disorder autism. Two unrelated clinical trials, involving men and children with autism, suggest that using drugs to interact with a hormone called vasopressin could improve the social functioning of people living with the disorder, though one approach may be better than the … Continued
By Ed Cara -
ScienceHealthNew CDC Report Shows Autism Is Still on the Rise
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s new report on autism spectrum disorder (ASD), released Thursday, offers little good news. It estimates that about one in every 59 children nationwide has the complex developmental disorder, a figure that seems unchanged from its previous estimate a year ago. But, for a few reasons, it’s likely that … Continued
By Ed Cara -
Tech NewsNewsTwitter CEO’s Newest Podcast Bud Is a Guy Who Claims Vaccines Cause Autism
Man, it would be great if tech CEOs would maybe not appear as guests for podcasts during which they smoke blunts or engage in casual conversation with anti-vaxxers. And yet here we are. In a move that unsurprisingly resulted in Jack Dorsey getting ratioed to hell, the Twitter CEO on Tuesday evening thanked Ben Greenfield—a … Continued
By Catie Keck -
Tech NewsAmazonAmazon Pulls Books Peddling Toxic ‘Autism Cures’
Amazon has pulled two books peddling pseudoscientific “autism cures” that promote giving children potentially toxic chemical baths and medication for mercury poisoning. Healing the Symptoms Known as Autism and Fight Autism and Win, the books in question, were amongst those highlighted in a recent report from Wired about Amazon carrying multiple books peddling dubious, potentially … Continued
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Tech NewsRobots
How Robots Could Help Autistic Children Improve Their Social Skills
As excited or terrified as we might be by the latest advances in robot technology, they’re still far from being the ubiquitous helpers portrayed in science fiction. But a new study published Wednesday in Science Robotics does seem to offer a glimpse of their potential in assisting children who have communication differences due to autism … Continued
By Ed Cara -
ScienceHealth
The Rate of Kids Diagnosed With Autism Is Still Climbing—CDC Estimates 1 in 59 Has It
There are few solid things we know about autism spectrum disorder (ASD), maybe save that vaccines don’t cause it. But a new report, released Thursday by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, seems to reaffirm a long-standing pattern: The rate of autism diagnoses is continuing to increase. Researchers from 11 states enrolled in the … Continued
By Ed Cara -
Tech News
Pioneering Psychologist Hans Asperger Was a Nazi Sympathizer Who Sent Children to Be Killed, New Evidence Suggests
The term “Asperger’s syndrome” will never be heard the same way again, owing to new research showing that Hans Asperger—the Austrian pediatrician for whom the disorder was named—was an active participant in the Nazi eugenics program, recommending that patients deemed “not fit for life” be sent to a notorious children’s “euthanasia” clinic. New research published … Continued
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ScienceHealth
Many Children With Autism and Their Siblings Aren’t Getting Vaccinated
Decades of research has shown that vaccines do not cause autism spectrum disorder (ASD). But the fear of that connection continues to linger. And a new study published today in JAMA Pediatrics suggests that it’s scaring families affected by autism into not getting their children vaccinated. Scientists from the research arm of Kaiser Permanente, America’s … Continued
By Ed Cara -
ScienceBiology
23andMe Data Shows That Kind People Might Have Empathy in Their Genes
Scientists have long been interested in understanding the underpinnings of empathy. Being able to share the feelings of another person plays a critical role in our inner lives, how we behave towards others, and the way human societies function as a whole. Harnessing the power of empathy, some suggest, could go a long way toward … Continued
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ScienceHealth
Researchers Say They’ve Created a 90% Accurate Blood Test for Autism
Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a complicated neurological condition caused by a variety of risk factors, including our genes and environment (but no, not vaccines), that interact in ways we still understand little about. Its symptoms are varied, too—from problems with social interaction to being unable to speak or process sensations normally. This complexity extends … Continued
By Ed Cara
