Are tomorrow’s engineers ready to face AI’s ethical challenges?

Are tomorrow’s engineers ready to face AI’s ethical challenges?

Finding ethics’ place in the engineering curriculum. PeopleImages/iStock via Getty Images Plus By Elana Goldenkoff, University of Michigan and Erin A. Cech, University of Michigan A chatbot turns hostile. A test version of a Roomba vacuum collects images of users in private situations. A Black woman is falsely identified as a suspect on the basis of facial recognition software, which tends to be less accurate at identifying women […]

April 22, 2024 33

Lifestyle

Why you shouldn’t be afraid to start running after middle age

Exercise is actually very good for the joints. Fotokostic/ Shutterstock By Alister Hart, UCL As someone who started marathon running in mid-life, I know how many aches and pains (and doubts) you can have if you take on the challenge to start running at an older age. But as an orthopaedic surgeon who has replaced thousands of worn-out hips and knees throughout my career, I also know […]

April 22, 2024 21

Environment

Snack giant PepsiCo sourced palm oil from razed Indigenous land – investigation

By Andrew Wasley, Aramís Castro, Elisângela Mendonça In the last few years it is likely that PepsiCo has been using in its production palm oil from deforested land claimed by the Shipibo-Konibo people in eastern Peru, a new investigation has found. Palm oil from Peru enters PepsiCo’s supply chain via a consortium that shares storage facilities with Ocho Sur, the second largest palm oil producer in the country which […]

April 22, 2024 26

Science & Technology

TikTok fears point to larger problem: Poor media literacy in the social media age

Tiktok is not the only social media app to pose the threats it’s been accused of. picture alliance via Getty Images By Nir Eisikovits, UMass Boston The U.S. government moved closer to banning the video social media app TikTok after the House of Representatives attached the measure to an emergency spending bill on Apr. 17, 2024. The House voted on each of the four components of the bill, […]

April 22, 2024 31

World

Israel hits back at Iran: How domestic politics is determining Israeli actions

By James Horncastle, Simon Fraser University Israel has carried out a missile strike on Iran in retaliation for a recent barrage of missiles and drones launched by the Iranians towards Israeli soil. Notably, Israel’s strike against Iran appears to have been more symbolic than substantive. Nevertheless, the overnight Israeli strike is the latest escalation in tensions between the two countries. The hostilities boiled over after Israel’s April […]

April 22, 2024 34

World

How will US foreign policy affect Joe Biden’s chances of re-election in November?

By Emma Shortis, RMIT University When big questions about American foreign policy collide with an election, it’s rarely good news for a sitting president. Like many leaders before him, US President Joe Biden has had some of these questions thrust on him, such as Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Some have their origins in past administrations, such as the withdrawal from Afghanistan. Most are a mixture of both, […]

April 22, 2024 28

Africa

Blue whales: first discovery near Seychelles in decades – what our study found

By Jeremy Kiszka, Florida International University Blue whales are fascinating animals. At 24-30 metres in length (longer than a basketball court) they are the largest creatures on Earth. They are also among the rarest. Estimates suggest that there are only around 5,000 to 15,000 blue whales left in the world. Their populations experienced a 89-97% decline due to commercial whaling activities worldwide that started in the North […]

April 22, 2024 18

Africa

Lagos’ slum dwellers are excluded from decisions that affect them. 3 ways to change that

By Oluwaseyi Omowunmi Popogbe, Crawford University Lagos is a city of two halves: money dripping in the corridors of corporate offices, and stagnant water dripping in the slums that are home to over 20 million. Residents of informal settlements grapple with the daily challenges that come with inadequate infrastructure, limited access to essential services, and social exclusion. Social exclusion means being excluded from participating wholly in the […]

April 22, 2024 12

Business / Economics

South Africa’s security forces once brutally entrenched apartheid. It’s been a rocky road to reform

By Sandy Africa, University of Pretoria One of the important tasks that faced South Africa’s democratic government after 1994 was to reform the apartheid-era security apparatus. The African National Congress (ANC), which was voted into power, had a laudable vision in the 1990s for reforming the police, military and intelligence services. Determined that South Africans would never again be subject to the brutality of the security forces, […]

April 22, 2024 26