AI Diagnoses Genetic Disorders Using Facial Photos
While doctors can identify genetic disorders with an accuracy between 70% and 75%, DeepGestalt—an AI project by FDNA—can do so with accuracy of 90% and over. By analyzing the face piece-by-piece, the system finds a corresponding disorder for that crop, moves on to the next and then pools the results to find the most proper diagnosis for the patient. For the 8% of the population that’s affected by rare genetic disorders, DeepGestalt is optimism for simpler identification (and treatment, when possible). Read more at Ars Technica.
This Photo of Shanghai is Made of 195,000 Megapixels
Shot from 750+ feet above the city, this 360-degree panorama by BigPixel is made from 195,000 megapixels—for reference, the new Google Pixel shoots at 12.3 megapixels. Since it is one of the most detailed photos ever taken, viewers can zoom from the perch it was taken from all the way down to street-level where faces and license plates can be seen clearly. Though the photo isn’t proof of some new photographic technology, the project is an interesting new way to experience a city digitally. Read more about it, and see the photo in its entirety, at Dezeen.
Flowers Are Eavesdropping
According to a new study, plants can “hear” when a bee passes and they subsequently create more sweet nectar to attract them. A recent study by scientists at three Tel Aviv University schools has found that a plant picks up sounds (signaled by the vibration of its petals) and responds (signaled by the excretion of additional nectar). With proof that the flowers responded to all of the tested sounds at various frequencies, the researchers are working to cement the theory that the flowers are in fact the ears of a plant. Also in their hypothesis are explanations for various petal sizes and the evolutionary development of hearing in flowers, rather than in stems or leaves. Read more about the study, and whether or not your flowers can hear you too, at Quartz.
Ezra Klein Interviews Anil Dash on Tech and Ethics
On his podcast for Vox this week, Ezra Klein (journalist, political commentator and editor-at-large) discusses tech with the CEO of Glitch, Anil Dash. From the ways algorithms veil our real-life choices to the concept of “neutral” products, the two talk about the issues surrounding tech and how important it is that we create and “maintain our ethical standards as new technologies expand into uncharted territories.” Hand-selected by The Castt, this is just one of the podcast options in their newsletter this week. With topics spanning music, emotion, technology and more, The Castt offers up a thoughtful selection each week.
Link About It is our filtered look at the web, shared daily in Link and on social media, and rounded up every Saturday morning.