Machine learning is currently being utilized to search for existing drugs which may help treat COVID-19. One company, BenevolentAI, has identified a drug which could treat the most serious effect of the disease: the cytokine storm which damages the lungs. This drug is currently used to treat rheumatoid arthritis, but the AI has identified that it could calm the effects of the cytokine storm. While this is great news, the drug still has to go through clinical trials in patients with coronavirus in order to make sure there are not any unexpected consequences of repurposing this drug. For example, some fear the known side effect of decreased viral resistance may have disastrous consequences in COVID-19 patients. But, those side effects are seen in long term users of the drug, so it is hard to say what will happen.
Other companies are also working towards identifying drugs which can be repurposed fast to help those in need. We're all in this together, and it is comforting to see everyone pooling their resources to find a solution for a global issue of this degree.
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Tuesday, April 21, 2020
Tuesday, April 7, 2020
AI Reveals that Mice's Faces Express a Range of Emotions
Researchers using AI have been working to catalogue the reactions of mice faced with things like a small electric shock or a sweet drink. With this catalogue, they found that mice have distinct facial expressions which match emotions which we experience. And further, they discovered that they show their emotions on different levels based on how they felt before. For example, a mouse that was sad shows more joy when drinking a sweet drink than a mouse that was neutral. With their catalogue, they found that the AI can easily distinguish which emotion the mice are feeling with 90% accuracy.
This is expected to lead to a better understanding of anxiety and depression in the human brain. As useful as the research could be for us humans, I question the ethics involved in potentially inducing clinical depression or anxiety in mice. I can only hope that I am jumping to conclusions and they are proceeding with care for the mice.
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This is expected to lead to a better understanding of anxiety and depression in the human brain. As useful as the research could be for us humans, I question the ethics involved in potentially inducing clinical depression or anxiety in mice. I can only hope that I am jumping to conclusions and they are proceeding with care for the mice.
Link to Article
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