Facebook misinformation, category 6 hurricane, and secret buildings.

Adam Rogers
February 06, 2024

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Big Stories

A Meta oversight board will allow an edited video of President Biden to remain on Facebook because it wasn’t made with artificial intelligence.

The altered video initially showed President Biden participating in the 2022 midterms, exchanging "I Voted" stickers with his granddaughter. However, later, the video was looped to make it look like Biden touched her inappropriately. The post’s caption stated Biden was a “sick pedophile.”
While permitting the video, the board criticized Meta's policy on manipulated media as unclear and recommended changes. Meta's policy only disallows content created using AI or machine learning for deepfakes (a video of a person in which their face or body has been digitally altered so that they appear to be someone else). Since the Biden video was created without AI, it is allowed to remain on the site.
AI has many people concerned about misinformation challenges in this year’s election, including Meta’s board. They said the current policy is too focused on how content is created and not on the potential harmful impact of altered content.

College professor Tatiana Erukhimova from Texas A&M University is social media famous.

Dr. Tatiana’s videos have been viewed hundreds of millions of times on platforms like TikTok and YouTube. She uses everyday objects in her videos like ping-pong balls and marshmallows to make science come alive.
She initially faced challenges engaging first-year college students but switched up her teaching style to make herself more approachable. She believes that personal connections and showy demonstrations help students connect abstract concepts with real life. Beyond social media, she actively participates in outreach programs, like putting on physics shows for K-12 students.
Her work has also brought visibility to the physics department, resulting in increased endowments and more applicants for physics majors. As a woman in a STEM field where women are underrepresented, Erukhimova has become a role model. Her goal is to make physics less intimidating and more exciting for her students.

Britain’s King Charles III has been diagnosed with cancer and has begun treatment.

The king will continue with state affairs and won’t give up his constitutional duties but has suspended public engagements. Buckingham Palace didn’t disclose which type of cancer he has.
King Charles III was recently treated for an enlarged prostate but this condition is said to be unrelated. With both the king and Princess Kate dealing with health issues, there are concerns that the royal family won’t be able to fulfill public duties.
King Charles III's decision to share his cancer diagnosis breaks from the historical tradition of royal secrecy regarding health matters. The openness aims to prevent speculation and contribute to public understanding of cancer. Political leaders, including UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and US President Joe Biden, have shared messages of support.

Climate scientists have suggested adding Category 6 to the traditional five-category hurricane scale due to the increasing intensity of tropical storms. The current scale was developed over 50 years ago and may not accurately reflect the true power of the strongest storms. The proposed sixth category would be for storms with winds exceeding 192 miles per hour. (More)

The South Dakota Oglala Sioux tribe has banished Republican governor Kirsti Noem from its reservations after she said that she wanted to send razor wire and security personnel to Texas to help stop illegal border crossing. (More)

Global shark bite deaths doubled from five to 10 in 2023. Surfers experienced 42% of the 69 “unprovoked” bites around the world, 22% of which were in Australia. Twenty-two attacks were left out of the study after being considered “provoked.” (More)

The Philadelphia Eagles will host the NFL's first-ever regular-season game in Brazil. The game will be played on September 6, in São Paulo. The opponent for the game is yet to be announced. It will be the NFL's first Friday game on opening weekend in over 50 years. (More)

The average 30-year fixed mortgage jumped back over 7% for the first time since December, reaching 7.04%. The rate had its biggest jump in more than a year Friday after the January employment report came in much stronger than expected. (More)

A Cold War-era missile was found in someone’s garage.

The world’s 10 most top secret buildings.

The 16 rules of modern dining.

The most affordable US cities for rent on an average salary.

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