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Disney axes 4K re-release of 'The Empire Strikes Back' in UK cinemas
Disney is walking back on its promise to show a 4K version of 'Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back' in UK theaters.
US pushes Europe to reject Chinese baggage screening tech over spying fears
The US is pressuring Europe to kick out a Chinese tech company, Nuctech, making screening systems for airports.
Apple's COVID-19 screening tool can anonymously share symptoms with the CDC
Apple's COVID-19 screening app and website now let you share anonymous symptom and health info to help the CDC.
Alexa can tell you what to do if you think you have COVID-19
Amazon is joining Alphabet's Verily and Apple's Siri in offering a COVID-19 screening tool. If you're in the US, you can now ask your Alexa devices to assess your risk level for the disease, as well as what to do if you think you have COVID-19. Alexa will ask you a series of questions and provide Centers for Disease Control (CDC) guidance based on your risk factors and symptoms.
Senators ask Alphabet how it will protect COVID-19 screening site data
Alphabet's COVID-19 screening site might serve as a relief to those eager to determine if they need to get tested, but it's also raising some privacy concerns in Congress. Five Democratic senators have sent letters to Vice President Mike Pence and Alphabet chief Sundar Pichai asking if they've studied the potential for privacy and security holes in Verily's Baseline triage system. The politicians wanted to know if users will be asked to "forfeit" their data to participate, and if Google will be barred from either using the data for its own purposes or selling it to third parties.
Alphabet's Verily launches coronavirus screening service in California
Verily -- Google's sibling healthcare brand -- has launched a website that will help adults in northern California determine whether they need a test for coronavirus. The "triage" pilot is available to those in Santa Clara Country and San Mateo County, and asks users questions about their recent health and travel. The site will, if necessary, help users obtain a free test.
FDA clears algorithms that detect heart murmurs and AFib
The FDA just granted clearance to a suite of algorithms that could help healthcare providers in the US more accurately screen for heart conditions during routine physical exams. The algorithms, developed by Eko, can help detect both heart murmurs, indicative of valvular or structural heart disease, and atrial fibrillation, or AFib, which can lead to blood clots, strokes, heart failure and other complications.
YouTube reportedly considered screening all YouTube Kids videos
YouTube paid the FTC a $170 million fine this year, which was pocket change for Google. However, the charge of violating the Children's Online Privacy Protection Act will remain a very costly stain on its reputation. In fact, things got so bad for YouTube when it came to kids last year that the site reportedly considered individual screening for every YouTube Kids video, according to Bloomberg.
The FDA is fast-tracking an algorithm that screens for heart failure
Today, the FDA granted "breakthrough status" to an algorithm that could make screening for heart failure more accessible -- both in traditional clinics and telehealth settings. The algorithm uses a deep neural network developed by digital health company Eko and Mayo Clinic. With as little as 15 seconds of electrocardiogram (ECG) data, it can identify Left Ventricular Ejection Fraction (LVEF), a measure that's commonly used to diagnose patients with heart failure.
Researchers create lung 'blueprint' that could aid organ regeneration
Serious lung disease has a high rate of mortality, and the only curative treatment is a lung transplant. This is a complicated procedure that has other adverse health effects and oftentimes simply doesn't work, so for scientists in this field, organ regeneration -- that is, growing an organ from the body's own tissue -- is the ultimate solution. Now, researchers from Yale say they're on track for this very eventuality.
Google trained its AI to predict lung cancer
Of all cancers worldwide, lung cancer is the deadliest. It takes more than 1.7 million lives per year -- more than breast, prostate and colorectal cancer combined. Part of the problem is that the majority of cancers aren't caught until later stages, when interventions tend to be less successful. Google is determined to change that, and with its new AI-based tool, it hopes to make lung cancer prediction more accurate and more accessible.
MIT's AI can identify breast cancer risk as reliably as a radiologist
Breast cancer affects one in eight women in the US. There are multiple factors involved in developing the disease, but one issue is dense breast tissue. Some 40 percent of US women have dense breast tissue, which alone increases the risk of breast cancer, and can make mammogram screening more difficult. Now, researchers from MIT and Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) have developed an automated model that assesses dense breast tissue in mammograms as reliably as expert radiologists.
TSA will install 40 luggage CT scanners in airports this year
The TSA has been using CT scanners to screen airline passengers' luggage since last year -- early tests of the technology have been taking place in Phoenix's Sky Harbor International Airport and Boston's Logan International Airport. But now, the agency has shared its plans for CT technology going forward, including expansions into additional airports. American Airlines announced earlier this month that a CT scanner was being set up in New York's JFK airport and the TSA says Baltimore-Washington International Airport, Chicago O'Hare International Airport, Los Angeles International Airport and Washington-Dulles International Airport are among those that will have CT scanners in the near future.
Control your own mammograms with new GE tech
GE introduced a new mammography system that gives patients a remote to control the compression part of the screening themselves. Giving them autonomy over the unpleasant, painful portion of the process ideally makes the whole thing more comfortable, which will hopefully bring in more folks who avoid mammograms -- and catch more instances of breast cancer.
US ordered social media checks for some visa applicants
US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson ordered "mandatory social media checks" on all visa applicants who visited ISIS-controlled regions, according to memos seen by Reuters. That could explain why some visitors to the US have complained about increased demands by customs officials to access phones and passwords for Twitter, Facebook and other social media accounts.
TSA debunks its own airport behavior screening
If you've ever suspected that the TSA's airport behavior screening (where it looks for visual signs of lying or stress) was just another example of ineffective security theater, you now have some science to back up your hunches. Thanks to a lawsuit, the ACLU has obtained TSA files showing that the organization has pushed and even expanded its "behavior detection" program despite a lack of supporting evidence. While the TSA maintains that it can detect signs of shady activity through fidgeting, shifty eyes and other visual cues, studies in its files suggest just the opposite -- you'd have just as much success by choosing at random. And those are in controlled conditions, not a busy airport where anxiety and stress are par for the course.
Uber will allow nonviolent criminals to drive in California
Uber doesn't have the best track record when it comes to screening its drivers, and now the transportation company is changing those policies. Chief Security Officer Joe Sullivan said in an interview the company is changing its screening process to give nonviolent criminals a chance to drive in California. Under the old rules, applicants were rejected if they had been convicted of certain crimes. Now, those who committed nonviolent or nonsexual offenses, like shoplifting or check fraud, will be given an opportunity to work in the state.
Former New Delhi Uber driver convicted of rape
A former Uber driver has been found guilty of rape in a case that caused New Delhi to ban the ridesharing service. Shiv Kumar Yadav was convicted of rape, kidnapping and criminal intimidation and now faces a maximum life prison term, according to Reuters. The driver somehow slipped past Uber's safety and background driver checks, despite the fact that he was on bail for a separate 2011 assault. Uber India President Amit Jain said that "sexual assault is a terrible crime and we're pleased he has now been brought to justice."
Google is tackling cancer diagnosis next, with magnetic nanoparticles
Google X is always looking for the next moonshot. The semi-secretive lab where the company has tested everything from self-driving cars, to internet broadcasting balloons has had a real fixation on health and longevity recently. The latest project involves using tiny nanoparticles that patrol the body looking for early signs of cancer or other diseases. Basically the particles, which would be just a thousandth of the size of a red blood cell, would be designed to bind to specific cells or proteins. One of the suggested delivery methods is to swallow a particle-packed pill. A magnetic wearable would then attract and count the particles, hopefully delivering an early warning to doctors. Andrew Conrad, head of the Life Sciences team at the Google X, revealed the project at The Wall Street Journal's WSJD Live conference. He said that he hopes this will provide a one-stop-shop for medical testing eventually, but acknowledged that we're probably about five years off from any serious implementation.
Dolby confirms 14 theaters for inaugural screening of Pixar's 'Brave' with Atmos audio
If you want to be among the first to experience Dolby's new Atmos surround sound experience, the company has released a list of 14 theaters that will have it up and running in time to show the first movie with the technology. Disney / Pixar's Brave hits the screens June 22nd and thanks to the Atmos setup is ready to direct sound to listener's ears from as many as 64 speaker feeds and 128 simultaneous inputs, combining with 3D visuals to increase viewer immersion. Not sold yet? Check out a few instructional videos about intelligent surround sound, and why 13.1 channels just wouldn't have been enough, plus of course, the list of all fourteen theaters.
