A selection of my published journalism. For my newsletter, see Under Development.
Top AI models underperform in languages other than English
Those turning to them for health advice are most at risk
AI is changing how we quantify pain
Artificial intelligence is helping health-care providers better assess their patients' discomfort.
The algorithm will see you now
Radiology combines digital images, clear benchmarks, and repeatable tasks. But replacing humans with AI is harder than it seems.
Heat makes us slow and stupid — Britain needs air con now!
Rising temperatures aren't just bad for the planet: they're bad for our brains and the economy. It's time to cool down
AI residencies are trying to change the conversation around artificial art
The residencies aren't 'choosing sides,' but they could still shift how the public views AI.
Keeping ahead of contagion
We have the technology to detect airborne pathogens in real time. Now we must use it.
A defense of weird research
Government-funded scientific research may appear strange or impractical, but it has repeatedly yielded scientific breakthroughs — and continues to pay for itself many times over.
The evolution of a mimic
What rove beetles can tell us about the predictability of life
As wellness trends take off, iodine deficiency makes a quiet comeback
Levels of the vital nutrient are falling rapidly in America
Anemia and malaria
In malaria endemic regions, being anemic could be keeping children safe
Our memories are stored in triplicate
Parallel copies allow recollections to be both stable and adaptable.
Heat waves
Why a hotter world might be a more dangerous, violent, and less productive one
Young adulthood is no longer one of life's happiest times
The U-shaped curve that pegged youth and old age as the happiest times of life has changed
Why do superstitions persist among seemingly rational people?
Superstitions linger into the modern era, in part, because they may be holdovers from a time when they provided a measure of protection from predators and other mortal dangers
'Experience machines': The 1970s thought experiment that speaks to our times
Half a century ago, a philosopher imagined a world where we could fulfil our desires through digital simulations. He argued we'd prefer reality, but was he right?
Why we search for silver linings
A tendency to reframe negative events may be embedded in our neurobiology.
This African lake may literally explode — and millions are at risk
The bottom of Lake Kivu, one of the African Great Lakes, contains combustible carbon dioxide and methane that threatens countless communities.
We're biased against AI made art
And that could be a good thing.
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