Tag: science

When AI Reviews AI: A Case Study in Benchmark Contamination

~ cafebedouin

Date: December 19, 2025Method: UKE_G Recursive TriangulationTarget: "Evaluating Large Language Models in Scientific Discovery" (SDE Benchmark) Two days ago, a new benchmark paper dropped claiming to evaluate how well large language models perform at scientific discovery. The paper introduced SDE (Scientific Discovery Evaluation)—a two-tier benchmark spanning biology, chemistry, materials science, and physics. Models were tested … Continue reading When AI Reviews AI: A Case Study in Benchmark Contamination

N of 1 Experiment: Hafnia Alvei for Weight Loss

~ cafebedouin

"An experimental probiotic aids weight loss in overweight people following a calorie-control diet. Previous studies by Pierre Déchelotte at Rouen University Hospital in France and his colleagues suggest that orally administering the gut bacterium Hafnia alvei helps obese mice lose weight. The probiotic produces a molecule called ClpB that mimics the appetite-reducing hormone alpha-MSH. Now, the researchers have found that the bacterium has similar effects in … Continue reading N of 1 Experiment: Hafnia Alvei for Weight Loss

Histotripsy: Solid Tumor Oblation With Ultrasound

~ cafebedouin

"Early tests suggested that the sound waves successfully decimated up to 75 percent of liver tumor material in the rat bodies, which enabled the little critters' immune systems to jump into action and beat the leftover cancerous tissues out of existence, preventing reemergence......The new treatment is called "histotripsy," and it noninvasively directs ultrasound waves so that the … Continue reading Histotripsy: Solid Tumor Oblation With Ultrasound

Information != Knowledge != Wisdom

~ cafebedouin

"In many academic fields, the number of papers published each year has increased significantly over time. Policy measures aim to increase the quantity of scientists, research funding, and scientific output, which is measured by the number of papers produced. These quantitative metrics determine the career trajectories of scholars and evaluations of academic departments, institutions, and … Continue reading Information != Knowledge != Wisdom

The Star Chamber, Cancel Culture and Living for the Bench

~ cafebedouin

"By all accounts intense and single-minded, Dr. Kariko lives for “the bench” — the spot in the lab where she works. She cares little for fame. “The bench is there, the science is good,” she shrugged in a recent interview. “Who cares?” ......Dr. Kariko’s struggles to stay afloat in academia have a familiar ring to … Continue reading The Star Chamber, Cancel Culture and Living for the Bench

Science is The Foundation of The Walls We Build

~ cafebedouin

"Science, at its best, also espouses such cosmopolitan ideals. That data is neutral, and science is apolitical, makes for an alluring narrative. By clinging to it, the scientist appears assured, almost noble, rising above the messy and the mundane by sheer force of intellect.But reality does not conform to such convenient self-delusion. Pretending to be … Continue reading Science is The Foundation of The Walls We Build

OKIDO Magazine

~ cafebedouin

"OKIDO’s philosophy is a simple one: every child is a creative scientist.The OKIDO world immerses young children in a spectrum of playful activities and media, all intelligently designed by science and education experts. Whether watching the TV show ‘Messy goes to OKIDO’, engaging in family events and school workshops, or reading high quality publications and products, … Continue reading OKIDO Magazine

CRISPR Enzyme Programmed to Kill Viruses in Human Cells

~ cafebedouin

"Many of the world's most common or deadly human pathogens are RNA-based viruses—Ebola, Zika and flu, for example—and most have no FDA-approved treatments. A team led by researchers at the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard has now turned a CRISPR RNA-cutting enzyme into an antiviral that can be programmed to detect and destroy RNA-based … Continue reading CRISPR Enzyme Programmed to Kill Viruses in Human Cells

Found: A Quadrillion Ways for String Theory to Make Our Universe

~ cafebedouin

"According to string theory, all particles and fundamental forces arise from the vibrational states of tiny strings. For mathematical consistency, these strings vibrate in 10-dimensional spacetime. And for consistency with our familiar everyday experience of the universe, with three spatial dimensions and the dimension of time, the additional six dimensions are 'compacted' so as to … Continue reading Found: A Quadrillion Ways for String Theory to Make Our Universe

Reuters Investigates “The Body Trade”

~ cafebedouin

"Each year, thousands of Americans donate their bodies in the belief they are contributing to science. In fact, many are also unwittingly contributing to commerce, their bodies traded as raw material in a largely unregulated national market. Body brokers are also known as non-transplant tissue banks. They are distinct from the organ and tissue transplant … Continue reading Reuters Investigates “The Body Trade”