Curating the Internet: Science and technology micro-summaries for August 21, 2019

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(Edited)
Authored by @remlaps

Studying the psychology of human-machine interactions; Native American artifacts unearthed in Pennsylvania; A scandalous theory: cancer might be able to evolve into multicellular species; Watching brain activity during memory recall; A Steem photo-essay with pictures of microscopic objects
Straight from my RSS feed
Whatever gets my attention

Links and micro-summaries from my 1000+ daily headlines. I filter them so you don't have to.

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pixabay license: source.

  1. A Psychological Approach to Human-Automation Interaction - University of Alabama in Huntsville researcher, Nathan Tenhundfeld says that we're at a unique turning point in the deployment of technology where computers are transitioning from being tools to being team-mates. Because of that transition, it is important for psychology researchers to understand how people are affected by different aspects of computer design. For example, there is a phenomenon known as, "the uncanny valley" such that although people are most comfortable engaging with human-like machines, they are put off by machines that have almost, but not quite, human characteristics. Aside from the uncanny valley, other research areas include the areas of war-fighting and autonomous vehicles. For war fighting, researchers might like to know, for example, if humans are reluctant to put robots in harms' way if they have human-like visages. For autonomous driving, research indicates that although automation is often safer than humans, humans don't like to release control. As people learn to become more trusting of a particular robot, however, they develop empathy and become attached to them, which limits repair options since people may be reluctant to accept a replacement with cosmetic differences. The article is summarized in the following excerpt: "In short, the increasingly digital nature of the world introduces a seemingly endless list of considerations when it comes to ensuring automated systems can successfully meet human needs ".

  2. Dig at Pa. ghost town unearths prehistoric past - Digging in an abandoned village in Indiana County, PA, 17 archaeology students from the Indiana University of Pennsyvlania spent six weeks excavating native American artifacts that might be as old as 8,000 years. Faculty advisor, Ben Ford said that the items will be analyzed in coming months to ascertain their exact ages, then turned over to the Army Corps of Engineers for curation. The archaeological record on native Americans in Pennsylvania stretches back 19,000 years, starting with finds in Washington County's Meadowcroft Rockshelter, which was first excavated by James Adovisio and his team in the 1970s. Research suggests that the native Americans became more numerous and established settlements about 3,000 years ago that began to resemble the settlements that the European immigrants found when they arrived. h/t archaeology.org

  3. Can New Species Evolve From Cancers? Maybe. Here’s How. - A theory recently appeared in Biology Direct suggesting that certain cancers may learn how to roam free from their host and begin spreading like an invasive parasite. This theory suggests that these cancers could eventually evolve into their own multi-cellular species. Now scientists are examining an enigmatic marine parasite, known as myxosporeans, to see if they might be the first known example of this phenomenon. This species contains the smallest known animal genome, and its place in the evolutionary ladder is uncertain. After starting off as a thought experiment, the idea of a cancer evolving into an independent species is so controversial and potentially disruptive that the creator, Alexander Pancyin, named these organisms, Scandals. Other researchers are quoted, offering varying levels of support for the theory, but even the most skeptical think that the theory deserves more investigation.

  4. Electrodes show a glimpse of memories emerging in a brain - According to a new study in Science, there is a sharp jump in a particular type of activity in the brain's hippocampus one to two seconds before recalling a memory. This type of activity, sharp-wave ripples, has been implicated before in memory formation, but this is the first time it has also been observed to coincide with recollection. This activity was observed in a study of patients with epilepsy who had implanted electrodes that were monitored while the subjects were shown photos of familiar objects, and then asked to recall the photos while blindfolded. The article contains an embedded image to show the locations of the electrodes and the brain activity that they detected. h/t RealClear Science

  5. STEEM Microscope Photography: Biology Edition - Microscope photography by @phoenixwren includes images of plants, hair, animal fur, dirt, ashes, as well as materials and fabrics like leather, silk, cotton, and metal. (A 10% beneficiary setting for @phoenixwren has been applied to this post.)

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Some interesting reads here. The cancer hypothesis is likely true, as a cancer has spread for thousands of years from Tasmanian Devil to Tasmanian Devil. It's the same organism, spread from individual to individual by their intraspecific aggression. When they bite one another, they deliver cells of the organism to uninfected individuals. Other examples probably are extant.

Thanks!

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