Accurate, Focused Research on Law, Technology and Knowledge Discovery With Daily Postings Since 2002
“This year, WhoWhatWhy launched a Government Integrity unit to dig into the powerful but poorly monitored functions of the permanent government: health and interior departments and regulatory agencies in Washington and across the country. Here are some of our favorite stories from that new team…”
Fast Company: “Whatever you do, don’t email. Or text. That is, if you want someone to actually help you. A new research paper finds that in-person communication is the most successful way to get the assistance you need. Should that not be an option, a phone call or video call are second best. “In-person requests …
The Verge: “The Food and Drug Administration authorized a second at-home antiviral pill to treat COVID-19 on Thursday. The clearance for the drug, called molnupiravir, came a day after the agency signed off on Pfizer’s COVID-19 antiviral, called Paxlovid. Both drugs reduce the risk of hospitalization and death in people diagnosed with COVID-19 and at …
Washington Post – “Deforestation is a global and accelerating threat. But new research shows that tropical forests can recover naturally and remarkably quickly on abandoned lands. The study, published Thursday in the journal Science, found that under low-intensity use, soil on previously deforested land can recover its fertility in less than a decade. Characteristics such …
Medium – A profile of an institution at the heart of our democracy: “The law affects all aspects of our lives. Our society is built upon laws and there are more than enough rules and legal jargon to confuse us eternally. This is where law libraries step in. Law libraries are impactful beyond imagination. They …
CNN – “Former President Donald Trump appealed to the Supreme Court on Thursday to block the release of documents from his White House to the House committee investigating the January 6 riot at the Capitol, escalating his effort to keep about 700 pages of records secret. Hours after Trump’s request was filed, the House committee …
“MediaWise, Poynter’s digital media literacy program, has expanded to in the U.S. and abroad. But anyone can learn to spot misinformation right now. Poynter: “Here are six tools and techniques you, your friends (or enemies) and family can use to make a dent in the false information flowing on the internet today…”
Route Fifty: “A new section of resources intended for artificial intelligence researchers was launched last Friday by the National Artificial Intelligence Initiative Office, with a goal of providing easy access to data sets and testbed environments for AI application training. The AI Researchers Portal—a program within the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy—is the …
The New York Times – Spare a moment to think about older people. “Some of the country’s new Covid acceptance — or fatalism — stems from frustration with the costs of pandemic precautions: the loss of learning from closed schools; the isolation from social distancing; the nationwide rise in blood pressure, drug overdoses, mental health …
CNET: “A booster from Moderna or Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine offers a “significant increase” in protection against both the delta and new, more contagious omicron variants, according to a new Danish study. In a report published Wednesday on the preprint server Medrxiv, scientists at Copenhagen’s Statens Serum Institut examined health records of 3 million Danes taken between …
The Scholarly Kitchen – Angela Cochran: “Last week, David Crotty wrote about “Market Consolidation and the Demise of the Independently Publishing Research Society” in which he described the quickly converging landscape of society publishers. These societies are not merging together, per se, but rather merging with a very small group of commercial publishers. David argues …
“Libraries have had an interesting year. Ebooks were on the rise even before 2020, but pandemic-related closures and a supply chain crisis certainly gave them a boost. But even if ebooks are popular, people are still physically returning to their beloved libraries. “Now that all of our buildings are open, digital circulation has begun to …
