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—James Ball
What do psychedelic drugs do to our brain? AI can help us find
Big picture: Psychedelic drugs have long been touted as possible treatments for mental health disorders such as depression and PTSD. But little is really known about what these substances actually do to our brains. Understanding how they work can help unlock their potential.
A new methodology: some scientists uses artificial intelligence to understand this. A team from McGill University in Montreal used natural language processing to examine written “trip reports” of users’ experiences with various drugs. The team then combined this data with recordings of neurotransmitter receptors in the brain that each drug is known to interact with. Together, these steps allow the team to identify which receptors are linked to particular drug experiences.
What’s next: The study may shed light on how hallucinogens trigger certain mental states, such as euphoria, anxiety, or a sense of oneness with the world. It could also help design new drugs for mental health disorders – something some companies are already trying to do. Read the full story.
—Jessica Hamzelou
must read
I scoured the internet for today’s most entertaining/important/scary/fascinating stories about technology.
1 Russia steps up campaign to bomb civilians in Ukraine
He just bombed a theater in Mariupol, where hundreds of people took shelter. (AP)
+ US intelligence estimates that Russia has already lost more than 7,000 soldiers. (NYT $)
+ Zelensky urges more US companies to leave Russia. (Quartz)
+ Biden has committed another $800 million for Ukraine’s war effort, including drones and anti-aircraft systems. (Reuters $)
+ The tractor became the symbol of the Ukrainian resistance. (assistant)
+ Ukrainian influencers document what happened. (Boundary)
+ What is the risk of nuclear war? It’s not zero. (NYT $)
2 Facebook and YouTube removed the deep dishonesty of the President of Ukraine
It showed surrender to Russia but was quickly disproved. (CNN)
+ Not before yesterday caused some chaos. (assistant)
+ The biggest threat of deepfakes is not the deepfakes themselves. (EN)
3 There is a link between Covid-19 deaths and internet access
It’s not clear why exactly, though. (vox)
+ Covid cases are on the rise again all over the world. (Ars Teknik)
+ Citizen science is back. (wired $)
4 NASA has released its first image from the James Webb Telescope 🔭
And this is astonishing. (Ars Teknik)
+ NASA’s early warning system to detect asteroids gets its first test. (CNN)
5 Pieces of Kenya are slowly sliding underwater
And as a result, hundreds of thousands of people are displaced. (Guard)
+ How rising groundwaters caused by climate change can devastate coastal communities. (EN)
+ The promise of solar duct panels. (Next Web)
How did Chinese professors fall into spying panic in the US?
And in some cases, they’ve seen their livelihoods shattered as a result. (New Yorker $)
+ The US government ends the China Initiative. What will happen now? (EN)
7 In group chats of a ransomware gang
The Conti gang blackmailed $180 million from companies last year. Now he wants to diversify into crypto projects. (wired $)
8 Netflix thinks paying for passwords you share can blame you
Immediately after, it increased prices significantly. Good luck. (Gizmodo)
How will Instagram avoid hosting stolen NFTs?
It sounds like a minor consideration but it really isn’t, the world of NFTs is teeming with them. (Next Web)
+ Spotify plans to join the crypto craze. (FT $)
10 Elon Musk argues with Chechnya’s brutal dictator on Twitter
Warning: Extremely high levels of toxic masculinity detected. (assistant)
“I think he’s a war criminal.”
—President Joe Biden handing over his mandate the sharpest rebuke Russian leader Vladimir Putin yet.
We can still have beautiful things
A place for comfort, fun and distraction in these strange times. (Any ideas? Write me or tweet me.)
+ Happy St. Patrick’s Day to all who celebrate! And before deciding whether to celebrate it or not, this exam.
+ This is social media accounts it has to cheer you up.
+ Surprisingly touching interview With the living legend who is Denzel Washington.
+ Learning the world’s biggest ‘potato’, actually, not potatoes.
+ Where to find some of the best sunsets and sunrises around the world.
+ The child in me it was totally pointless but also fun, weapon.
+ one of a kind bat Found in Rwanda not seen for 40 years.
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