(Press-News.org) Decoding Deception: The Psychology of Combating Misinformation, a short film produced by Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences with support from the Pulitzer Center, addresses one of the most pressing issues of our time: the quest to stem the swelling tide of misinformation.
Decoding Deception explores potential remedies to this growing societal problem. While social media acts as an accelerant for the rampant spread of misinformation on climate change, public health, and politics, the rise of generative AI risks worsening the problem. Left unchecked, disinformation and misinformation can inflict lasting damage on people, institutions, and society writ large.
Growing interest from a group of interdisciplinary researchers has led to numerous efforts to dissect the problem and seek solutions. Decoding Deception follows researchers at the forefront of such efforts as they attempt to unravel the nature of the infodemic and uncover ways to contain it. Their work has yielded some promising early results, but no easy fixes. In the end, an approach borrowed from the field of public health—one that aims to mitigate threats and quash outbreaks before they spread—might offer the greatest chance of success.
Film trailer:
https://youtu.be/E6SqsREJhgw
The complete film can be freely accessed here:
https://www.pnas.org/post/multimedia/combating-misinformation
MEDIA CONTACT: Gene Russo, PNAS, Washington, DC; tel: 202-334-2699; email: erusso@nas.edu
For rights and permissions, please contact Gene Russo, the film’s co-director and PNAS Front Matter Editor.
About PNAS
PNAS is one of the world's most-cited multidisciplinary scientific journals. It covers the biological, physical, and social sciences and mathematics and publishes cutting-edge Research Reports, Commentaries, Perspectives, Colloquium Papers, and actions of the Academy. PNAS publishes daily online and in weekly issues.
For more information about PNAS or the NAS, visit www.pnas.org or www.nasonline.org
END
Decoding Deception: The Psychology of Combating Misinformation
Decoding Deception: The Psychology of Combating Misinformation, a short film produced by Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences with support from the Pulitzer Center.
2024-11-12
ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:
Plant green-up and herbivory in Greenland
2024-11-12
A study links herbivory to phenology in the Arctic. Phenology is the study of the timing of events in the natural world. In recent decades, researchers have investigated how climate change is shifting many natural events. Eric Post and colleagues wanted to understand how a different variable—the presence or absence of herbivores—affects the timing of spring plant growth, or green-up, in Greenland. In an experiment lasting nine years, the authors excluded musk oxen and caribou from some areas, then compared the timing of the spring green-up of 9 tundra plant species in the areas with and without herbivores. Of the plants that showed altered green-up between the conditions, about ...
Grandparents help grandkids in many ways – but the reverse may be true too, poll suggests
2024-11-12
As many Americans prepare to gather with their families for the holidays, a new poll shows the importance of grandchildren in grandparents’ lives.
The poll also suggests that having grandchildren and seeing them regularly may have a link to older adults’ mental health and risk of loneliness.
Although the poll can’t show cause and effect, the findings suggest a need to study the role of grandparenting in older adults’ lives, as part of a broader effort to address social isolation.
At ...
Giving robots superhuman vision using radio signals
2024-11-12
In the race to develop robust perception systems for robots, one persistent challenge has been operating in bad weather and harsh conditions. For example, traditional, light-based vision sensors such as cameras or LiDAR (Light Detection And Ranging) fail in heavy smoke and fog.
However, nature has shown that vision doesn't have to be constrained by light’s limitations — many organisms have evolved ways to perceive their environment without relying on light. Bats navigate using the echoes of sound waves, while sharks hunt by sensing electrical fields from their prey's movements.
Radio waves, whose wavelengths are orders of magnitude ...
Digital twins and complexity data science
2024-11-12
A Perspective suggests that “digital twins” are not simply tools for science but are an example of the integration of complexity science and data science into a new scientific field. A “digital twin” is a digital representation of a real-world object or system. The idea emerged from manufacturing but has been adopted by science, especially by the fields of medicine, immunology, and epidemiology. Digital twins are typically frequently or continuously updated and improved with real data from the real object the digital twin mirrors, allowing ...
‘Moonlighting’ enzymes can lead to new cancer therapies
2024-11-12
Researchers at the Centre for Genomic Regulation (CRG) reveal that metabolic enzymes known for their roles in energy production and nucleotide synthesis are taking on unexpected "second jobs" within the nucleus, orchestrating critical functions like cell division and DNA repair.
The discovery, reported across two separate research papers out today in Nature Communications, not only challenges longstanding biological paradigms in cellular biology but also opens new avenues for cancer therapies, particularly against aggressive tumours like triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC).
For decades, biology textbooks have neatly compartmentalised ...
One genomic test can diagnose nearly any infection
2024-11-12
Next-generation metagenomic sequencing test developed at UCSF proves its effectiveness in quickly diagnosing almost any kind of pathogen.
A genomic test developed at UC San Francisco to rapidly detect almost any kind of pathogen – virus, bacteria, fungus or parasite – has proved successful after a decade of use.
The test has the potential to vastly improve care for neurological infections that cause diseases like meningitis and encephalitis, as well as speed up the detection of new viral pandemic threats. It uses a powerful genomic sequencing ...
Blood vessel-like coating could make medical devices safer for patients
2024-11-12
University of B.C. researchers have developed a groundbreaking coating that could make medical devices safer for millions of patients, reducing the risks associated with blood clots and dangerous bleeding.
The new material, designed to mimic the natural behavior of blood vessels, could allow for safer use of blood-contacting devices like catheters, stents, blood-oxygenation machines and dialysis machines—especially in cases where blood clots are a significant concern.
“This discovery could be a transformative step in the development of safer medical devices,” said Dr. Jayachandran Kizhakkedathu, ...
Sleep is no light matter for bees
2024-11-12
In an emerging red flag for the digital era, sleep experts have warned us to avoid screen time in bed, sounding the alarm that light emitted from phones and other electronic devices can disrupt our sleep patterns. That’s one way that science is waking up to the broad range of health and disease implications related to circadian biology and our daily sleep-wake cycles.
Now, researchers at the University of California San Diego have found that light disruption is not only a health concern for humans. A new study led by PhD candidate Ashley Kim and Professor James Nieh in the School of Biological Sciences has found that artificial light disrupts the circadian rhythms of ...
New study explores the role of BMI in disease risk
2024-11-12
New study from deCODE genetics/Amgen highlights the importance of BMI in pathogenesis of disease, suggesting that reducing BMI alone could lower the risk of several diseases.
Scientists at deCODE genetics, subsidiary of Amgen, published a study today in Nature Communications that sheds light on how Body Mass Index (BMI) influences the risk of various diseases that are comorbid with obesity. The study, which used genetic data from Iceland and the UK Biobank, looked at whether disease risk associated with BMI-related sequence variants are explained completely or partially by their effect on BMI.
The results showed that for some conditions, such as fatty liver disease, glucose intolerance, ...
Guardian, kids, or companions? What do dogs mean to us today
2024-11-12
What role do dogs play in today’s world? For many, they are more than just pets. New findings from the Department of Ethology at Eötvös Loránd University show that whether seen as friends, family members, children or guardians, these roles affect the way dogs are cared for, suggesting shifting dynamics in human-animal bonds shaped by societal trends and individual owner profiles.
In Western cultures, more and more people see their dogs as their best friends, family members or even their furry children. In fact, ...
LAST 30 PRESS RELEASES:
New expert guidance urges caution before surgery for patients with treatment-resistant constipation
Solar hydrogen can now be produced efficiently without the scarce metal platinum
Sleeping in on weekends may help boost teens’ mental health
Study: Teens use cellphones for an hour a day at school
After more than two years of war, Palestinian children are hungry, denied education and “like the living dead”
The untold story of life with Prader-Willi syndrome - according to the siblings who live it
How the parasite that ‘gave up sex’ found more hosts – and why its victory won’t last
When is it time to jump? The boiling frog problem of AI use in physics education
Twitter data reveals partisan divide in understanding why pollen season's getting worse
AI is quick but risky for updating old software
Revolutionizing biosecurity: new multi-omics framework to transform invasive species management
From ancient herb to modern medicine: new review unveils the multi-targeted healing potential of Borago officinalis
Building a global scientific community: Biological Diversity Journal announces dual recruitment of Editorial Board and Youth Editorial Board members
Microbes that break down antibiotics help protect ecosystems under drug pollution
Smart biochar that remembers pollutants offers a new way to clean water and recycle biomass
Rice genes matter more than domestication in shaping plant microbiomes
Ticking time bomb: Some farmers report as many as 70 tick encounters over a 6-month period
Turning garden and crop waste into plastics
Scientists discover ‘platypus galaxies’ in the early universe
Seeing thyroid cancer in a new light: when AI meets label-free imaging in the operating room
Neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio may aid risk stratification in depressive disorder
2026 Seismological Society of America Annual Meeting
AI-powered ECG analysis offers promising path for early detection of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, says Mount Sinai researchers
GIMM uncovers flaws in lab-grown heart cells and paves the way for improved treatments
Cracking the evolutionary code of sleep
Medications could help the aging brain cope with surgery, memory impairment
Back pain linked to worse sleep years later in men over 65, according to study
CDC urges ‘shared decision-making’ on some childhood vaccines; many unclear about what that means
New research finds that an ‘equal treatment’ approach to economic opportunity advertising can backfire
Researchers create shape-shifting, self-navigating microparticles
[Press-News.org] Decoding Deception: The Psychology of Combating MisinformationDecoding Deception: The Psychology of Combating Misinformation, a short film produced by Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences with support from the Pulitzer Center.