Almost Certain Extinction: 1,200 Species Under Severe Threat Across World (Chris)

The author writes, “new research, published in PLOS Biology, maps ‘hotspots’ where species are most affected by threats such as agriculture, urbanisation, night lighting, roads, rail, waterways and population density, and ‘coolspots’ that provide refuge from these threats.”

Resource Extraction Responsible for Half World’s Carbon Emissions (Chris)

The author writes, “Resources are being extracted from the planet three times faster than in 1970, even though the population has only doubled in that time, according to the Global Resources Outlook, which was released in Nairobi on Tuesday.”

Facial Recognition’s ‘Dirty Little Secret’ (DonkeyHotey)

The author writes,“People’s faces are being used without their permission, in order to power technology that could eventually be used to surveil them, legal experts say.”

Bay Area Police Try Out Controversial AI Software That Tells Them Where to Patrol (Reader Steve)

The author writes, “The software for predictive policing relies on data, ranging from crime-victim reports to arrests to individuals’ histories of police interaction. … But if that data derives from bad policing — over-enforcement in African-American or Hispanic communities, for example, or lack of enforcement in wealthier areas — critics say those biases infect the algorithm.”

‘Court Packing’ Ideas Get Attention From Democrats (Reader Steve)

From the Seattle Times: “Former Attorney General Eric Holder, who recently decided against running for president, became the latest figure to embrace an expansion of the nine-member [Supreme Court] in recent talks at Yale Law School and Columbia University.”