Curating the Internet: Science and technology micro-summaries for October 1, 2019

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(Edited)
Authored by @remlaps

Probabilistic computation as a cheaper alternative to quantum computing; A plan for advertisers to use blockchain to share data about campaigns; The vanishing birds story is over-hyped; Off-the-shelf stem cells could revolutionize medicine; and DARPA seeks direct brain-machine interaction

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  1. Who needs qubits? Factoring algorithm run on a probabilistic computer - Traditional computing architectures are fantastic for solving most types of problems, but there are some problems that they don't handle well. These include factoring numbers, optimization problems, and running neural networks. For these, and other problems, other architectures are being considered. For example, quantum computers can improve factoring; D-Wave has a quantum optimizer, which (unsurprisingly) is an architecture that improves optimization performance; and neural networks have been done with light, and with memristors. Now, a team of Japanese and American researchers is adding a new architecture to the fray. This architecture, probabilistic computing, lies somewhere between a quantum optimizer and a neural network computer, but it can be built with commercial-grade parts that run at room temperature. The fundamental unit of computation is called a p-bit, and it is just "likely to adopt a 0 or 1". Ironically, the concept was created by worsening the reliability of the highly reliable magnetic tunnel junction form of memory. At the moment, an 8 p-bit computer has used probabilistic algorithms to solve factoring problems for numbers up to 950, in times up to 15 seconds. This is not particularly impressive, but the advantage is that we know how to build large numbers of p-bits at relatively low cost, so the technique can be improved and turned loose on much larger numbers.

  2. A big advertising agency is working on a blockchain-based plan to let walled gardens like Facebook share data with marketers - Advertisers are putting increasing pressure on platforms and publishers to tear down the walled gardens so that they can view the entirety of their advertising campaigns. So, "Jonathan Steuer, chief research officer at Omnicom Media Group, suggested during an Advertising Week panel that blockchain-like technology could help advertisers solve reach and frequency problems that happen when consumers are bombarded by too many ads." The tool would use varying levels of encryption and span across several datasets in order to minimize privacy concerns, and has been under development for six to nine months. Steuer said it would enable advertisers to create a standard framework to obtain things like reach, duplication, and attribution, without violating individual privacy, and it would be able to aggregate data across households. No mention of any privacy or security experts being involved in the framework design, though.

  3. There Is No Impending Bird Apocalypse - A much hyped study that was led by Ken Rosenberg recently reported on the loss of nearly 3 billion birds in the United States during the years since 1970. This article quotes other experts to sort through the hype. For example, Brian Mcgill notes that 15% of the "lost birds" were actually not native North American species, and that wildlife managers have been actively trying to reduce the numbers of invasive species. McGill also notes that numbers for many species that thrive on farmland may have been artificially inflated in 1970 because of things like deforestation and prairie destruction. If so, the new numbers may indicate a return to a natural baseline. A third point from McGill is that most of the remaining lost birds come from the most populous species, so even where numbers are reduced, it often doesn't indicate a species-level problem. Todd Arnold adds that there are some threatened species, but that the findings have been overhyped and a more nuanced and accurate discussion is needed. It is noteworthy that the researchers engaged a professional communication team to manage publicity for this article when it was published. Rule of thumb: If a "news" story includes predictions like: catastrophe, crisis, apocalypse, ****ageddon, "tipping point", or collapse, then it's a fairly safe bet that someone is trying to manipulate you. h/t Real Clear Science

  4. "Off-the-Shelf" Stem Cells Could Bring a Regenerative Revolution - After decades of research, scientists have learned techniques to coax a person's cells to grow back into stem cells, and then have the stem cells grow into cells of a particular type, for example: insulin-producing cells or specialized nerve cells. However, it is far too expensive and difficult to accomplish this at scale, in large part because every person's cells have particular quirks that make them unique. To get around this, scientists are working to build a generic sort of stem cell that can be grown at scale, and given to anyone without triggering an immune response. These cells, termed "hypoimmunogenic", are genetically altered to prevent them from triggering a response from the body's immune system. Recent progress in this direction has come from teams at the University of California San Francisco, the Harvard Stem Cell Institute, the Diabetes Research Institute, and the University of Louisville School of Medicine.

  5. STEEM DARPA Seeks Brain-Machine Communication Systems for Active Service Robots - In this post, @rycharde begins by discussing the history of technologies for reading and interpreting signals inside the brain, and then reports on an effort by DARPA to cultivate brain-machine communications systems. The first technology for this purpose was the Electroencephalograph (EEG), which was first built in 1924 and first launched in a lab in 1936. This invention led to discoveries like brain waves and REM sleep. Next up is magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) which measures blood flow through various regions of the brain. And the final technology discussed is the intracranial Electroencephalograph (iEEG), which is an EEG where the sensors are intrusively placed inside of the skull, which bypasses the insulation that is provided by the skull. Many newer techniques, under development now, are extensions of the EEG technique. DARPA has contacted six teams to move forward with their research in this area, with the goal of developing 2-way communication between a brain and a machine. The methods they are exploring include the use of magnetic fields, a combination of optical and ultrasound, and semi-intrusive methods such as one that involves genetically engineering proteins in the brain to make the neurons more sensitive to magnetic fields. (A beneficiary setting of 10% has been applied to this post for @rycharde.)

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(Edited)

"... the researchers engaged a professional communication team to manage publicity for this article"

Protip: when a PR firm is involved, it's propaganda.

Hypoimmunogenicity scares the fuck out of me. The development of hypoimmunologic stem cells is solely undertaken to maximize profit from health services. Individuals have specific DNA, and decentralized means of effecting personal regeneration are coming, as mass produced regenerative stem cells trigger our personal immune systems. This is good, as it keeps bad cells out of our bodies.

When we ourselves use our Home Medical robot to regenerate using our own cells, corporations don't profit - unless they're selling Home Medical robots. The whole AMA structure of health care is at risk. Good. Big Insurance is cancer itself. When we use our DNA to regenerate us, we become sovereign over our bodies, and that's as it should be.

Hypoimmunologicity strikes me as potentiating a whole 'nuther level of virulence, particularly in view of the coming decentralization revolution. Corporations creating stem cells that can be used in all people is the scariest thought I have had all week.

I don't think I'm expressing this well, so let me simplify:

I'm agin' it.

Thanks!

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Thank you for the feedback. I appreciate your responses on these posts.

On the birds' study, one of the scientists that they interviewed said that you have to sensationalize it if you want to get published by one of the major publications. That's a bit disturbing, even beyond the hype on this particular study.

On hypoimmunogenic cells, the article briefly alluded to part of the problem you describe. They did say that it runs the risk of creating cells with no mechanism for the body to stop them from growing, but glossed over it as a problem that will eventually be solved.

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Hypoimmunogenicity remarkably facilitates incurable cancers, teratomas, and infectious disease of every conceivable type. Drug resistance is exponentially rising already, and it is pollyannish to expect this hypoimmunogenicity to be easy to toss into the mix without existentially impacting the problem.

Sensationalism sells, and that's a fact. The use of PR firms does not counter this trend. It is the culmination of it, and it is unlikely given habitat loss that native species aren't being reduced in population. The current problem of replicability of research is an expected result of publication for sensational impact, which strongly suggests the bird study in question is exactly an example of that problem.

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I'm glad you made these points on hypoimmunogenicity . It definitely changes my perspective on the article. Thanks!

I agree with this:

it is unlikely given habitat loss that native species aren't being reduced in population

Like Todd Arnold said, the discussion just needs more nuance. From what I can tell, there are at least 4 different categories: (i) Invasive species that wildlife managers are actively trying to reduce or eliminate; (ii) Birds that thrive on farmland, whose numbers are reduced because forests and prairies are being returned to nature as compared to 1970; (iii) Native non-farmland birds that are numerous enough not to be threatened as a species; and (iv) Native non-farmland birds with small enough populations that the reduction of numbers threatens the species.

IMO, that last group is the one that should be getting the attention, not the headline number of 2.9 billion birds.

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I suspect (ii) are not doing well either. Since 1970 sweeping changes in farmland management have been undertaken in the USA, as across the world. Numbers of Red-Legged Partridge have dropped by ~75% in a decade in France, for example. Declines in insects have greatly reduced insectivorous species, while glyphosate is ubiquitous, and foliage is doused in it, affecting herbivores. If it weren't for hedgerows/windbreaks, we'd have no birds at all in Iowa and Nebraska, I reckon.

When haying was done by hand, birds nesting on clutches of young hidden in the grass were able to flee the scythe. The only species that survive today are those that do not do so, as mechanical harvest of grasses does not afford them a chance to escape anymore. [I am not advocating returning to hand mowing. Just raising the blades to 6" or so, which leaves enough depth of stubble to allow almost all birds to survive by crouching, an instinctive reaction of prey species].

Glad to know I have been an impetus to think.

Thanks!

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The more I read about quantum computers, the more I think I should move on a little in this direction. But I think that I already made a similar comment to another of your recent posts ;)

On different grounds, the news #2 is quite interesting and makes me thinking, whilst I agree the post #5 is great (I read it yesterday although I didn't know what to left as a comment and I thus left nothing).

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Thank you for the response. Feedback is very-much appreciated on these posts.

Even beyond the DARPA initiative, there are lots of different organizations working on brain-computer interfaces now. I especially liked the historical coverage in #5. It put a bit of context around it. I think the technology is exciting, but the potential for abuse of a 2-way interface makes me uneasy. Especially with videos like this floating around:

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Yeah... I totally agree. Just take two humans... I don't want to imagine the rest...

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