All posts tagged: risks

I read the fine print on at-home DNA and health tests – watch out for these risks

I read the fine print on at-home DNA and health tests – watch out for these risks

Published by skeptic

Everlywell / Elyse Betters Picaro / ZDNET Follow ZDNET: Add us as a preferred source on Google. ZDNET’s key takeaways At-home DNA and health tests may not be covered by HIPAA. Genetic data can expose you or relatives and create insurance risks. FDA review and follow-up care vary widely. The kit arrives. It isn’t big. You get it out of the mailbox and bring it to your counter. It’s printed in fun, friendly colors. Swab. Spit. Prick your finger. Mail it back. Soon, you’ll learn something new about yourself: your hormones, your fertility, your cancer risk, your predisposition to Alzheimer’s, your metabolism, your food sensitivities, or even your entire genome. That’s the lure of at-home (“direct-to-consumer”) DNA and health testing. Late at night, from your phone, you can order just about any test to take at home, whether you’re uninsured, curious, or simply anxious about what secrets your body may be hiding. Before ordering one myself, though, I did a little Googling. At first, I was looking for simple answers. Was the test FDA reviewed? Was the …

Using cannabis to sleep? A neurologist explains the hidden risks

Using cannabis to sleep? A neurologist explains the hidden risks

Published by Daniella Wilson

Get the Well Enough newsletter with Harry Bullmore for tips on living a healthier, happier and longer life Get the Well Enough email with Harry Bullmore Get the Well Enough email with Harry Bullmore For millions of people, cannabis has become the unofficial prescription for lost sleep. But what feels like a solution may be quietly making the problem worse. Consider these two cases: She is 15 and has been lying in bed for the past hour. It is past midnight, and her brain will not quiet down. Her school bus comes at 6:20 a.m. She is getting anxious, knowing that she needs to wake up in six hours. She did all the right things: turned off her phone at 10 p.m., tried melatonin. So tonight she tries something a friend recommended: a cannabis gummy. Within 20 minutes, she’s asleep. He is 34, a veteran who did two tours and has struggled with sleep since coming home. It takes him two hours to fall asleep, and when he does, he is jolted awake by relentless …

How Trump’s intel chief pick risks key spy tool : NPR

How Trump’s intel chief pick risks key spy tool : NPR

Published by Sam Flores

Bill Pulte testifies before the Senate Banking Committee on Feb. 27, 2025. President Trump has picked Pulte to serve as acting director of national intelligence. Kayla Bartkowski/Getty Images hide caption toggle caption Kayla Bartkowski/Getty Images When President Trump named Bill Pulte to serve as acting director of national intelligence last week, it threw a grenade into the middle of delicate congressional negotiations around one of the nation’s key spy powers. Pulte, the 38-year-old director of the Federal Housing Finance Agency, is best known for his role as a partisan attack dog for the president. He was a prominent advocate for Trump’s push to fire then-Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell and used his sizable social media following to push for mortgage fraud investigations into Trump’s perceived enemies. As director of national intelligence, Pulte would oversee the entire U.S. intelligence apparatus. That includes the collection of hundreds of thousands of foreigners’ electronic communications under Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, one of the nation’s most important surveillance tools. On Capitol Hill, where months-long negotiations over …

Trump Risks Key Surveillance Authority Over ‘Unqualified’ Spy-Chief Pick

Trump Risks Key Surveillance Authority Over ‘Unqualified’ Spy-Chief Pick

Published by skeptic

Cornyn said materials from Section 702 generate roughly 60 percent of the President’s Daily Brief, a figure Senate Judiciary chairman Chuck Grassley has also cited. Some Republicans dispute the catastrophe framing. Representative Keith Self of Texas called the warnings “hysteria,” arguing that other FISA authorities remain in force and that proponents should accept reforms such as a warrant requirement: “FISA isn’t going dark. We have the law. We have precedent from 2008. Don’t fall for the scare tactics.” The libertarian Cato Institute has made a similar point. “The [702] program has the FISA court’s permission to continue for another year, so it will continue whether we act or not,” said a senior Republican aide on a relevant committee. “None of the members saying the program is ending Friday will be claiming it’s actually dead on Monday—especially those on intel. They know better.” Hajar Hammado, a senior policy adviser at Demand Progress, was sharper still. “If Republican leadership actually believed their baseless fearmongering about security at the World Cup, then they would do what needs to …

Meta’s New AI Pendant : Features, Privacy Risks and Release Date

Meta’s New AI Pendant : Features, Privacy Risks and Release Date

Published by skeptic

Meta has introduced an AI-powered pendant designed to passively capture and process audio from conversations, meetings and other interactions. The device uses natural language processing (NLP) to transcribe recordings, summarize key points and connect the data with calendars and emails. According to AI Grid, the pendant incorporates technology from Limitless, a startup previously acquired by Meta, highlighting how the company is integrating earlier developments into its expanding hardware lineup. Explore how the pendant connects audio data to existing workflows, the privacy measures Meta must address and the regulatory challenges it faces in different regions. Gain insight into the device’s role within Meta’s broader strategy for AI-driven hardware and its potential impact on everyday organization. This overview examines both the practical applications and the complexities surrounding this new wearable. What Sets the AI Pendant Apart? TL;DR Key Takeaways : Meta is developing an AI-powered wearable pendant that passively records audio, transcribes conversations and integrates with user data to enhance productivity. The device builds on technology from Limitless, a startup acquired by Meta and represents a shift …

Communal water bowls for dogs pose numerous health risks for animals and humans, expert warns

Communal water bowls for dogs pose numerous health risks for animals and humans, expert warns

Published by Daniella Wilson

Stay ahead of the curve with our weekly guide to the latest trends, fashion, relationships and more Stay ahead of the curve with our weekly guide to the latest trends, fashion, relationships and more Stay ahead of the curve with our weekly guide to the latest trends, fashion, relationships and more On a bright, sunny day, after a nice walk with your dog, you stop at a local cafe to grab a drink. At the counter, you spot a water bowl for your dog. But before letting your dog take a sip, consider this: shared water bowls can be a breeding ground for harmful bugs that could make your dog sick. Water is essential for dogs’ health, supporting normal body functions and regulating temperature. During warmer weather or after exercise, it’s especially important to ensure your dog stays hydrated. This is because dogs are limited in their ability to cool down by sweating in the same way as we can. Instead, they rely on panting to regulate their body temperature, and water is essential to …

Brussels’ nightmare French election scenario risks coming true: Bardella vs. Mélenchon

Brussels’ nightmare French election scenario risks coming true: Bardella vs. Mélenchon

Published by Sam Flores

PARIS — Brussels’ nightmare scenario is no longer looking far-fetched: a French presidential election next year in which both candidates in the runoff hail from the political extremes and hold a deeply skeptical outlook on the EU and NATO. Jordan Bardella of the far-right National Rally — the nationalist, anti-immigration party of Marine Le Pen — has long been the favorite to win the 2027 race, but mainstream centrist parties have been hoping they can find a unifying challenger to beat him in the second round. That prospect of stopping Bardella has hit a major potential hurdle, however, as momentum builds behind the campaign of the firebrand Jean-Luc Mélenchon, leader of the far-left France Unbowed party. The latest polls suggest he now has a strong chance of qualifying for the second-round showdown — depriving the race of a centrist who could rally voters against the far right in the EU’s No. 2 economy. Mélenchon draws much of his support from working-class and immigrant communities, and his critics have condemned him for antisemitism and a “brutalization” …

U.S.-China Conflict Over Taiwan Risks a Nuclear Escalation, Study Finds

U.S.-China Conflict Over Taiwan Risks a Nuclear Escalation, Study Finds

Published by Sam Flores

By Greg Torode and Jun Yuan Yong SINGAPORE, May 28 (Reuters) – A conflict between the U.S. and ⁠China ⁠over Taiwan would risk a nuclear escalation with ⁠both militaries likely to stage sweeping operations targeting rival command and communications hubs, a leading defence research centre said ​on Thursday. In a strategic assessment ahead of Asia’s biggest annual defence meeting in Singapore this weekend, the London-based International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS) said the world was on the cusp ‌of a new nuclear arms race “with the Asia-Pacific ‌at its core”. “Regional states and those with strategic interests are expanding their nuclear arsenals, while non-nuclear weapons states pursue long-range conventional-strike capabilities: both challenging strategic stability,” the IISS ⁠assessment said. There was ⁠no immediate response from U.S. or Chinese authorities. Taiwan, the conflict in Iran and uncertainties about U.S. commitments ​to the region, are expected to surface prominently at the IISS’ Shangri-La Dialogue. The informal conference runs from May 29 to 31, drawing an eclectic mix of ministers, generals, intelligence chiefs, diplomats, analysts and weapons makers. The …

Pope Leo Warns of Risks From A.I. in 42,300-Word Encyclical

Pope Leo Warns of Risks From A.I. in 42,300-Word Encyclical

Published by Sam Flores

Pope Leo XIV on Monday set out a sweeping vision for corporate executives, politicians and individuals who will shape and be shaped by the future of artificial intelligence, warning leaders to safeguard humanity from A.I.’s most disruptive effects. Leo’s declaration came in the form of a papal encyclical, an open letter to “all people of good will” that ran to roughly 42,300 words in its English version. It outlined his desire to protect human dignity and agency in an age in which technology threatens to replace humans in many professional and social roles. He presented it alongside Christopher Olah, a co-founder of Anthropic, a major A.I. developer, in a symbolic gesture of dialogue between leaders of the spiritual and technological worlds. While emphasizing that “technology should not be considered, in itself, as a force antagonistic to humanity,” he wrote that “the pursuit of greater profits cannot justify choices that systematically sacrifice jobs.” Among other things, Leo called for: government regulation of the private companies that are driving the development of A.I. protection and retraining for …