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01 / 05
AI Spotting Sick Tulips to Reduce Disease in Dutch Bulb Fields

Associated Press | Communicable Disease

AI Spotting Sick Tulips to Reduce Disease in Dutch Bulb Fields

“The boxy robot — named after a retired employee at the WAM Pennings farm near the Dutch North Sea coast — is a new high-tech weapon in the battle to root out disease from the bulb fields as they erupt into a riot of springtime color.

On a windy spring morning, the robot trundled Tuesday along rows of yellow and red ‘goudstuk’ tulips, checking each plant and, when necessary, killing diseased bulbs to prevent the spread of the tulip-breaking virus. The dead bulbs are removed from healthy ones in a sorting warehouse after they have been harvested.”

From Associated Press.

U.S. News | Drug Use

US Drug Overdose Deaths Decline for First Time in 5 Years

“The relentless rise in deaths from drug overdose in the United States may finally have stalled: New data from 2023 show the first decline in such deaths since 2018.

‘Statistics indicate there were an estimated 107,543 drug overdose deaths in the United States during 2023 — a decrease of 3% from the 111,029 deaths estimated in 2022,’ CDC statisticians wrote.”

From U.S. News.

CNN | Noncommunicable Disease

ALS Patient’s Brain Implant Translates Thoughts to Computer Commands

“Staring at a computer screen, Mark focuses deeply, his arms resting by his side. His right index finger trembles ever so slightly on top of a pillow, and then an alert rings out from the screen in front of him, a message to a caregiver that he needs assistance.

Without ever clicking a mouse or touching a screen, Mark selected this command on his computer simply using signals from his brain. Mark, whom CNN agreed to identify using only his first name for privacy reasons, has an implant inside his brain that is translating his neural activity to commands on a computer.

Mark is only the 10th person in the world implanted with this particular type of brain-computer interface, or BCI. He’s participating in a human trial with a company called Synchron and underwent the procedure in August, after being diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis – sometimes called ALS or Lou Gehrig’s disease – in 2021.

The hope is that the technology in Mark’s brain could assist him and others like him who are losing their motor function.”

From CNN.

CNN | Noncommunicable Disease

Spinal Cord Implant Helps Parkinson’s Patient Walk in New Study

“Marc Gauthier can now step into an elevator without his body stiffening and freezing in place. He can take a 3-mile lakeside stroll without stopping. He can stand up out of a chair with ease. For Gauthier, 63, who has been living with Parkinson’s disease for almost three decades, these everyday activities were a challenge — until now.

‘Walking in a store would be really difficult, impossible before, because of the freezing of gait that would often happen in those environments. And now, it just doesn’t happen anymore. I don’t have freezing anymore,’ Gauthier, who lives near Bordeaux, France, said in a news briefing, speaking in French that was translated to English.

In a new study, Gauthier was surgically implanted with an experimental spinal cord neuroprosthesis to correct walking disorders in people with Parkinson’s disease. Step by step, he said, it has helped him get his stride back.”

From CNN.