GLP podcast and video: Mind-reading social media platforms; Developing countries reject Greenpeace’s ‘privileged’ green beliefs; New antibiotic coming soon?

Social media companies are experimenting with new technologies that measure human brain activity. Does this drive to fine tune the ads we see on Facebook threaten our privacy? Developing countries are increasingly rejecting the anti-technology views of Greenpeace and other environmental activist groups. Scientists have discovered a new compound capable of killing one of the many “superbugs” that are difficult to treat with existing antibiotics.

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Join guest host Dr. Liza Dunn and GLP contributor Cameron English on episode 221 of Science Facts and Fallacies as they break down these latest news stories:

• New wave of neuroscience: Tech companies experimenting with controversial brain-focused products?

Technologies such as functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), implanted electrode systems, and electroencephalograms (EEGs) serve important medical purposes. For instance, fMRI scans allow doctors to see which parts of the brain control certain actions and abilities and prepare for surgical procedures. Now tech giants like Meta (Facebook) are investing money in these same tools in hopes of tracking the brain activity of users on their platforms, the idea being to more accurately the target the ads that people see.

Does this pose a threat to our online privacy? Are governments prepared to regulate these uses of powerful brain-imaging tools? Should they be trusted with this responsibility? The answers to these questions could have profound implications.

• Viewpoint: ‘Rejecting the luxury green beliefs of the privileged West’ — Why developing countries are rebelling against Greenpeace’s anti-technology policies

The citizens of developing countries are increasingly rejecting the anti-technology message proffered by Western activist groups. Nonprofits such as Greenpeace have pressured these nations for years to forgo the use of GMOs, pesticides, fossil fuels and nuclear power to protect the environment, but the message is falling on deaf ears as people around the world see the value of these technologies in improving their living standards.

• AI helps discover new drug that kills antibiotic-resistant ‘superbugs’

AI remains a controversial technology, though it seems to have already proven its worth in the realm of drug discovery. Using machine learning, a team of scientists has discovered a new antibiotic capable of killing Acinetobacter baumannii, a species of bacteria resistant to multiple existing antibiotics. Experts estimate that 1 million people are killed every year by drug-resistant bacterial infections, making the discovery of antibiotics a critical task for researchers. Have we come a little closer to controlling these deadly infections?

Cameron J. English is the director of bio-sciences at the American Council on Science and Health. Visit his website and follow him on Twitter @camjenglish