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Signs that ChatGPT is polluting peer review

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Coloured functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) scan of a healthy human brain at rest.

Coloured functional magnetic resonance imaging of a healthy brain at rest.Credit: Mark & Mary Stevens Neuroimaging and Informatics Institute/Science Photo Library

A new technique for measuring brain activity in anaesthetized animals, known as direct imaging of neuronal activity (DIANA), has been difficult for neuroscientists to reproduce. The DIANA technique offered the exciting prospect of tracking neuronal firing on millisecond timescales. But two new studies suggest that the original results might have arisen from experimental error or subjective data selection. The lead researcher on the original paper stands by the results: “I’m also very curious as to why other groups fail in reproducing DIANA,” says physicist Jang-Yeon Park.

Nature | 6 min read

On 19 April, 970 million people in India will head to the ballot box to vote in a general election that polls predict will see Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his party win a third five-year term. Many scientists in India are hopeful that the period could bring greater spending on applied science. Some have also expressed concerns that funding is not increasing in line with India’s booming economy, and that the government’s top-down control of science, as some researchers see it, allows them little say in how money is allocated.

Nature | 6 min read

Bioengineered immune cells have been shown to attack and even cure cancer, but they tend to get exhausted if the fight goes on for a long time. Now, two separate research teams have found a way to rejuvenate these cells: make them more like stem cells. Both groups found that the bespoke immune cells called CAR T cells gain new vigour if engineered to have high levels of a particular protein. These boosted CAR T cells have gene activity similar to that of stem cells and a renewed ability to fend off cancer. The papers “open a new avenue for engineering therapeutic T cells for cancer patients”, says immunologist Tuoqi Wu.

Nature | 4 min read

Alongside using AI tools for writing research papers, academics might now be using ChatGPT to assist in peer review, according to a preprint (itself not peer reviewed). The study looked at conference proceedings submitted to four computer-science meetings and identified buzzwords typical of AI-generated text in 17% of peer review reports. The buzzwords included positive adjectives, such as ‘commendable’, ‘meticulous’ and ‘versatile’. It’s unclear whether researchers used the tools to construct their reviews from scratch or just to edit and improve written drafts. “It seems like when people have a lack of time, they tend to use ChatGPT,” says computer scientist and study co-author Weixin Liang.

Nature | 5 min read

Reference: arXiv preprint (not peer reviewed)

Features & opinion

There is growing evidence that climate change worsens mental health in multiple ways. These include the trauma and distress caused directly by extreme weather and a more general ‘eco-anxiety’: a chronic fear of environmental doom. Negative news about the climate crisis — along with inaction by world leaders — is itself a source of eco-anxiety and frustration. And it’s not just a problem in rich nations. More than 55% of young people in a global 2021 survey said that climate change made them feel powerless, and 58% felt betrayed by their government. On the flip side, studies suggest that individuals who take action to combat climate change can also help to curb their eco-anxiety: a double win.

Nature feature | 11 min read & Nature editorial | 4 min read

Climate anxiety around the world: chart showing the results of a 2021 global survey of 10,000 people aged 16–25 years old.

Source: Ref. 1

Malicious deepfakes aren’t the only thing we should be concerned about when it comes to content that can affect the integrity of elections, says US Science Envoy for AI Rumman Chowdhury. Political candidates are increasingly using ‘softfakes’ to boost their campaigns — obviously AI-generated video, audio, images or articles that aim to whitewash a candidate’s reputation and make them more likeable. Social media companies and media outlets need to have clear policies on softfakes, Chowdhury says, and election regulators should take a close look.

Nature | 5 min read

A lack of evidence is hindering health care for young people with gender dysphoria or incongruence, finds a much-anticipated report in England. Clinical guidelines used around the world “are built on shaky foundations”, writes the chair of the report, Hilary Cass, who was president of the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health. In particular, the rationale for early puberty suppression is weak and there is next-to-no research specifically relevant to non-binary people. To add to the challenge, intense politicization makes recruiting clinicians difficult. The medical pathway might not be right for everyone, says the report, and young people need holistic mental-health and social support. “The problem arises when the right thing is too medicalized,” says Cass in an interview with the BMJ. “Medication is binary, but gender expressions are often not.”

BMJ | 8 min read & Hilary Cass summarizes the report’s findings in the BMJ | 7 min read & Interview with Cass in the BMJ | 32 min watch

Reference: The Cass review: Independent review of gender identity services for children and young people

“I’ve brought apes a little closer to humans but I’ve also brought humans down a bit,” said primatologist Frans de Waal in 2014. Building on careful observations of primates’ unfettered behaviour, de Waal’s research suggested that the biggest intellectual challenge for chimpanzees lay in their complex social lives, leading to the study of social intelligence in apes and other species. His and others’ studies of aggression, reconciliation, imitation and learning have progressively narrowed the perceived gap between humans and other animals, writes psychologist Andrew Whiten. de Waal was equally comfortable with peer-reviewed research, popular science books and TED talks, and he was unafraid to tackle thorny topics like sex and gender. de Waal has died, aged 75.

Nature | 5 min read

QUOTE OF THE DAY

Marine biologist Selina Ward shares her distress over the severe and widespread mass bleaching of corals in the Great Barrier Reef — the worst on record — during the Australian summer of 2024. (The Guardian | 5 min read or 2 min watch)

Today I’ll be strolling home — backwards. Walking backwards can be helpful for knee pain and working important muscles in your lower reaches, say experts. Just a minute or two per day is useful, but do be careful when ‘retroambulating’.

As I practise making the ‘beep-beep’ sound of a reversing vehicle, why not send me your feedback on this newsletter? Your e-mails are always welcome at [email protected].

Thanks for reading,

Flora Graham, senior editor, Nature Briefing

With contributions by Gemma Conroy, Katrina Krämer and Sarah Tomlin

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Featured

‘Wean itself off Nvidia’: Samsung signs $750 million agreement with South Korea’s largest online platform — Naver wants to replace Nvidia’s super expensive AI GPU with the more affordable Mach-1 chip

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In a move to cut its dependency on Nvidia‘s high-cost AI chips, Naver, the South Korean equivalent of Google, has signed a 1 trillion won ($750 million) agreement with Samsung

The deal will see the tech giant supply its more affordable Mach-1 chips to Naver, by the end of 2024.

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Featured

US signs up more countries for its anti-spyware push

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During its third Summit for Democracy held on March 18, 2024, the White House made a significant announcement confirming that six additional nations have pledged their support to an international coalition focused on countering commercial spyware.

With the inclusion of Finland, Germany, Ireland, Japan, Poland, and the Republic of Korea, the international coalition has significantly expanded its reach. These nations now stand alongside Australia, Canada, Costa Rica, Denmark, France, New Zealand, Norway, Poland, Sweden, Switzerland, the UK, and the US, marking a global effort to combat this threat.

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Business Industry

Samsung Galaxy Tab S10 starts showing signs of existence, battery gets certified

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After launching at least seven tablets in the second half of last year, Samsung is expected to launch at least three new tablets later this year. The Galaxy Tab S10, Galaxy Tab S10+, and the Galaxy Tab S10 Ultra will likely be the high-end tablets to be launched in 2024, and their signs of existence have been spotted.

Galaxy Tab S10+ battery certified by South Korean device safety authorities

The battery of the Galaxy Tab S10+ has been certified (via MySmartPrice) by the Korea Testing & Research Institute. It carries model number EB-BX828ABE and has received safety certification from the South Korean authority. However, its battery capacity hasn’t been revealed due to blurry images from the testing procedure. It will likely be around 10,000mAh, similar to previous-generation Plus variants of Samsung’s high-end tablets.

Samsung Galaxy Tab S10 Plus Battery Certification South Korea

This isn’t the first time this battery has appeared online. It was spotted last month in India’s BIS safety certification database. With Samsung getting the go-ahead from several certification authorities for the Galaxy Tab S10 series, we will likely see the launch of those devices in the second half of this year. The Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 processor could power all those devices. They could have Dynamic AMOLED 2x screens, quad-speaker setups, and an S Pen.

Previous reports claim that the Galaxy Tab S10 will bring some improvements to the S Pen, including its latency and the placement of the action button. The S Pen might also get IP68 certification and some attachments. Samsung is also said to be improving the productivity factor of its upcoming high-end tablets by bringing in improved ecosystem and cross-device functionality features.

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