Listen To This Story

Brain Device That Reads Inner Thoughts Aloud Inspires Privacy Protections (Maria)

The author writes, “We are constantly harnessing our inner speech ability. But what happens when scientists make that internal monologue external? In a paper published today in Cell, researchers describe using brain implants and new data analysis techniques to isolate the neural signals associated with the inner speech of four people with disorders that limit their speech, creating a brain-computer interface that can vocalize their thoughts. The team also explored ways to prevent the system from blurting out thoughts a person might want kept private.”

‘A Literal Gut Punch’: Missouri Workers Devastated by Republican Repeal of Paid Sick Leave (Dana)

From The Guardian: “Being sick is a costly business for Bill Thompson, who worked in the fast-food industry in Independence, Missouri, for more than 30 years, and recently worked at Guitar Center until early July, when he was laid off. ‘As an older worker, I have health issues from working on my feet and with my hands for many years with no breaks for eight to 10 hours a day. I have done it for 38 years now, living paycheck to paycheck,’ 54-year-old Thompson said, noting in Missouri workers are not mandated breaks of any kind during work. So when Republicans in Missouri repealed a paid sick leave mandate that the state’s voters approved by 58% after an aggressive lobbying campaign by the Missouri chamber of commerce and industry and other business industry groups, he said, ‘It was a literal gut punch.’”

US Teen Influencer Has Been Stranded in the Chilean Antarctic Since Landing Without Permission (Reader Steve)

The author writes, “What was intended as a fundraising mission for cancer research has become a nightmare for American teen influencer Ethan Guo, who has been stuck since June in a remote location in Chilean territory in Antarctica. Authorities say Guo landed his small plane illegally after providing false flight plan information to officials who opened an investigation. Guo made headlines last year when the then-19-year-old teen began a trip in an attempt to become the youngest person to fly solo to all seven continents and at the same time collect donations for research into childhood cancer.”

Private Equity Wants Your Teeth (Laura)

From Lever News: “As private equity reshapes American health care, the dentistry industry is now leading the charge — and patients are bearing the cost. In the last decade, private equity firms have been quietly taking control of dental care from behind the scenes, largely through secondary business organizations that push dental practices to cut costs and, in some cases, encourage unnecessary and irreversible dental procedures. In 2024, the dental industry witnessed 161 private equity deals — the highest number of any health care industry, as tracked by the watchdog organization, Private Equity Stakeholder Project. The data reveals that these investment firms are increasingly acquiring dental practices or inserting themselves into clinic management roles, where they then cut corners on patient care.”

Earth’s Continents Are Drying Out at Unprecedented Rate, Satellite Data Reveal (Sean)

The author writes, “The world is losing fresh water at an unprecedented rate, two decades’ worth of satellite data has revealed. Measurements from NASA’s twin GRACE satellites and GRACE follow-on missions have shown that since 2002, the amount of land suffering from water loss has been increasing year on year by twice the area of the state of California. That includes the loss of water from surface reservoirs such as lakes and rivers and underground aquifers, which are an important source of drinking water around the globe. Mega-drying regions have emerged across the Northern Hemisphere with the worst-hit areas extending across the western coast of North America, Southwestern North America and Central America, the Middle East and Southeast Asia.”

The Peer-Review Crisis: How To Fix an Overloaded System (Angelle)

From Nature: “With the number of scholarly papers rising each year, publishers and editors complain that it’s getting harder to get everything reviewed. And some funding bodies, such as [European Southern Observatory], are struggling to find reviewers. As pressure on the system grows, many researchers point to low-quality or error-strewn research appearing in journals as an indictment of their peer-review systems failing to uphold rigor. Others complain that clunky grant-review systems are preventing exciting research ideas from being funded. … [Some] argue that peer review has become too unreliable. They suggest radical reform, up to and including phasing out the practice entirely.”