Kendra Pierre-Louis reports for Scientific American’s Science Quickly podcast, filling in for Rachel Feltman. In this week’s science news roundup, she discusses the alarming surge in flu cases across the United States. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, more than 8 percent of all healthcare visits in the week ending December 27 were due to respiratory illness, marking the highest rate since 1997. The flu has led to approximately 120,000 hospitalizations and 5,000 deaths this season, including nine children.
Despite the rise in flu cases, the CDC recently changed its flu vaccine guidance for children, advising parents to discuss vaccination with their child’s doctor instead of universally recommending it. This change came after the agency canceled a promotion campaign promoting flu vaccination last year. However, research indicates that vaccinated individuals are less likely to be hospitalized or die from the flu, even if they contract it.
The current flu season is largely driven by a new variant of H3N2 known as subclade K. Although the vaccine may not be a perfect match for this variant, it still reduces the risk of severe illness, as shown by preliminary data from University of Pennsylvania researchers. Additionally, wearing masks like N95s and KN95s in indoor public spaces can help prevent flu transmission.
In other news, a study led by Stanford University researchers introduces SleepFM, an AI model trained on polysomnography sleep data to predict future disease risk based on sleep behavior. The model successfully predicted conditions such as Parkinson’s disease, dementia, and various cancers by analyzing sleep data from over 65,000 patients.
At the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas, AI took center stage, with physical manifestations of AI technology in products like humanoid robots. Eric Sullivan, Scientific American’s senior tech editor, discusses how AI is becoming an integral part of technological infrastructure, emphasizing its potential to enhance human life rather than replace it. Stevie Wonder’s perspective on technology’s role in improving people’s lives resonates with this sentiment.
Lastly, research from Brown University sheds light on woodpeckers’ ability to hammer wood with incredible force. By analyzing the birds’ muscle movements during pecking, researchers discovered that woodpecking is a full-body process involving tail and abdominal tightening. Nicholas Antonson, the study’s lead author, describes woodpeckers as nature’s hammer.
Stay tuned for more exciting science news in the next episode of Science Quickly, produced by Kendra Pierre-Louis and her team at Scientific American. Subscribe for the latest updates and in-depth science coverage.
