Closer Look
Opinion: It's time to focus AI on the immune system
Adobe
Covid-19 wasn't the first infectious disease to show us what a black box the human immune system can be. HIV and non-communicable illnesses from cancer to neurodegenerative diseases to metabolic disorders are testament to those mysteries, too. Writing in a STAT First Opinion, Wayne Koff of the Human Immunome Project, Eric Schmidt, former CEO of Google, and Nobel laureate in immunology Peter Doherty make the case for bringing AI to bear on the immune system's network of genes, proteins, cells, and tissues, billions of times larger and more complex than the human genome mapped a generation ago.
AI is already helping identify and improve monoclonal antibodies, and revealing predictive sequences in immune repertoires relevant to immunotherapy, they point out. "Imagine a world where we prevent pandemics before they spread, develop effective vaccines in a matter of weeks, and find ways to effectively treat cancer, Alzheimer's, and other non-communicable diseases." Read what it takes to get there, from better understanding human biology to building global cooperation.
pandemic
Older adults are more vulnerable to Covid's dangers, but few are up to date on vaccines
From the pandemic's outset, Covid-19 has hit older adults the hardest, including those who live in nursing homes. Two new CDC reports tell us how Americans over 65 are doing when it comes to keeping up to date on vaccination against Covid. In the first one, covering this year through August, older adults made up almost two-thirds of people hospitalized with Covid, but fewer than one-quarter of these patients were up to date on the recommended bivalent Covid vaccines. In that same timeframe, older adults made up nearly 90% of Covid-associated deaths in the hospital, but only 25% were current on Covid vaccines.
The second analysis, drawn from data gathered at long-term care facilities from October 2022 to May 2023, showed up-to-date vaccine coverage was lower in the South and Southwest compared to the West and Pacific Northwest. Black and multiracial residents had lower rates of vaccination coverage than other racial and ethnic groups.
science
In sync with strangers hearing music, body and soul
Phil Dera
I think we'd all agree that music moves us. And we'd also say our bodies — breathing, heart rate, mood — can be in sync with someone close to us. A new study in Scientific Reports asked whether that connection could be felt more widely, as in a classical music audience. To find out, researchers rigged 132 music lovers with wearable sensors for movement, heart rate, breathing rate, and electrical conductivity of the skin (a tell for arousal of the sympathetic nervous system).
Overhead cameras watched them while a string quartet (above) played pieces by Ludwig van Beethoven, Brett Dean (the least popular), and Johannes Brahms. The participants also answered questionnaires about their personality and mood before and after the concert. And yes, there was synchronization, especially of breathing rates, in the group. But wait, there's more: People deemed the most agreeable or open based on that questionnaire were more likely to be in sync with others; those tending more to the neurotic or extroverted were less likely to be in sync.
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