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Category Archives: Post Human

Bring Me The Horizon’s album ‘POST HUMAN: NeX GEn’ will arrive this summer – NME

Posted: January 10, 2024 at 6:51 am

Bring Me The Horizon have confirmed that their new album POST HUMAN: NeX GEn will come out in summer 2024.

Yesterday (January 5), the band shared the latest single from the album, Kool-Aid, a hard-hitting track, with frontmanOli Sykesadding his signature vocals and screams over a wall of guitars. We are the children of the devolution / The infamous martyrs, the scars on the sun / Asphyxiating with a smile on your face / While they pull your teeth out one by one, he begins, before bursting into the anthemic chorus.

And now, Sykes has posted on his Instagram page that the album is on its way.

Post human is coming this summer, I promise he wrote. I just want u 2 have more songs u havent heard than songs u have on the record, & its been a ruff ride recently. Thank u for sticking with us! We love u.

In the same post, Sykes also confirmed that producer and mixing engineer Dan Lancaster co-wrote Kool-Aid, thanking him for making me do some mad ass melodies.

The British songwriter is known for his long time as a collaborator with BMTH including mixing their 2015 album Thats The Spirit, 2019s amo and a number of songs on their POST HUMAN: SURVIVAL HORROR mini album/EP.

He has also worked on records by the likes ofBlink-182,Enter Shikari,Don Broco,Mallory KnoxandOne OK Rock, and in 2022 wasrecruited as part of Muses live band.

Previous singles that are expected to be featured on the new albuminclude DArkSide,LosT,AmEN!,DiE4uandsTraNgeRs.

The follow-up to 2020s POST HUMAN: SURVIVAL HORROR wasannounced during the bands headline debut at Download Festival last year and was originally scheduled to drop last September.

However, frontman Oli Sykes later confirmed that the album was being delayed due to unforeseen circumstances leaving the band unable to complete the record to the standard wed be happy with.

Describing what fans can expect from the upcoming LP last year,Sykes toldNME: I wouldnt say its a hyper-pop album, but Ive definitely been inspired by that world. I admire how obnoxious, trashy and in-your-face that music feels, which is what I was drawn to when I got into emo, hardcore and screamo.

Its not that weve lost that in our music, but as you become a bigger band, things do get more polished, he added. I want to go the opposite way. Lets be unhinged, lets stop trying to make all the edges smooth.

Kool-Aid is the first release from the band since the sudden departure of their longtime keyboardist and percussionist Jordan Fish at the end of December.

Fish had been part of the Sheffield rock band since 2012 and had been instrumental in shaping the bands songwriting approach and modern sound by adding more electronic elements.

The band revealed the news in a statement, which read: Bring Me The Horizon has decided to part ways with Jordan Fish. We want to thank him for the musical journey he took with us and wish him luck with everything in the future.

Despite his departure, Bring Me The Horizon are set to go ahead with theirupcoming UK tour dates later this monthas scheduled. These kick off with a stop in Cardiff on January 9 and continue with shows in Birmingham, London, Newcastle and more.Visit here for any remaining tickets.

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Bring Me The Horizon – Post Human: Next Gen – East Oregonian

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Bring Me The Horizon - Post Human: Next Gen - East Oregonian

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From Usher to Green Day, these are the top albums you’ll want to hear in 2024! – Yahoo News UK

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Woman & Home

Tomei has also appeared in several cinematic hits, including The Ides of March, The Big Short, What Women Want and The King of Staten Island. Alongside this, Tomei has long been beloved by the fashion world, appearing on the cover of Vogue and in a campaign for the brand Cline. Tomei flowed along the red carpet at the Tony Awards in New York in 2019 in a sweeping floral gown.

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From Usher to Green Day, these are the top albums you'll want to hear in 2024! - Yahoo News UK

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Bring Me The Horizon Unveils New Single ‘Kool-Aid’, Teases Upcoming Album ‘Post Human’ – BNN Breaking

Posted: at 6:51 am

Bring Me The Horizon Unveils New Single Kool-Aid, Teases Upcoming Album Post Human

The Sheffield rock band, Bring Me The Horizon, has recently released their new single Kool-Aid, featuring the distinctive vocal style of frontman Oli Sykes against an intense backdrop of guitar work. This release is a precursor to the bands upcoming album, Post Human, which is expected to hit the music scene this summer.

Despite an earlier delay in the albums release due to unspecified challenges that prevented it from meeting the bands quality standards, Sykes has assured fans that the wait is worth it. The bands commitment to delivering more new music is unwavering, even amidst the recent departure of keyboardist and percussionist, Jordan Fish, who has been instrumental in developing their modern sound with electronic elements since 2012.

The Kool-Aid track was co-written by Dan Lancaster, the producer and mixing engineer. Credited by Sykes for his contribution to the tracks melodies, Lancaster has played a pivotal role in shaping the songs distinct sound. This new track marks a significant shift in the bands musical journey, as they continue to experiment with their sound post their 2020 release, POST HUMAN: SURVIVAL HORROR.

Bring Me The Horizons evolving sound, as stated by Sykes, is inspired by the boldness of hyper-pop and aims for a less polished, more raw approach to music. This new direction is the bands response to the departure of Fish and marks a new era in their musical journey. Despite the change in their lineup, the band is set to proceed with their UK tour starting January 9 in Cardiff, with additional performances in Birmingham, London, Newcastle, among other cities.

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SPRR1A is a key downstream effector of MiR-150 during both … – Nature.com

Posted: July 19, 2023 at 1:16 pm

Sprr1a knockdown in miR-150 KO mice largely corrects cardiac dysfunction mediated by miR-150 deletion

Sprr1a is a direct target of miR-150 in vitro, miR-150 acts as a gatekeeper of CM survival in part by inhibiting proapoptotic Sprr1a [13], and their correlative cardiac actions are shown [12, 13]; but an in vivo functional relationship between miR-150 and Sprr1a in the heart has not been established. To directly investigate their in vivo functional interaction in the heart, we generated a novel miR-150 KO;Sprr1ahypo/hypo mouse line by breeding miR-150 KO mice with Sprr1ahypo/hypo mice. We first conducted permanent ligation of the left anterior descending (LAD) artery in mice to induce MI. Consistent with a previous report [12], we observe that miR-150 KO mice exhibit normal cardiac function at baseline (Supplementary Table 1 and Fig. 1) but respond differently to MI. Cardiac function is significantly compromised in miR-150-null mice following MI. First, MI significantly worsens the cardiac function of miR-150 KO mice at 3 days as indicated by a decreased ejection fraction (EF), fractional shortening (FS), diastolic left ventricular anterior wall thickness (LVAW), and systolic left ventricular posterior wall thickness (LVPW) as well as an increase in end-systolic volume (ESV) and systolic left ventricular internal diameter (LVID) compared to those of WT controls (Supplementary Table 2 and Fig. 1). MiR-150 KO mice also display impaired cardiac function at 4 weeks post-MI, shown by a significant decrease in EF, FS, diastolic LVPW, and systolic LVPW as well as a significant increase in end-diastolic volume (EDV), ESV, diastolic LVID, and systolic LVID (Supplementary Table 3 and Fig. 1). MI also causes augmented cardiac dysfunction in miR-150 KO mice at 8 weeks as evidenced by a significant decrease in EF, FS, diastolic LVAW, diastolic LVPW, and systolic LVPW as well as a significant increase in EDV, ESV, diastolic LVID, and systolic LVID (Supplementary Table 4 and Fig. 1). In contrast, WT controls show less functional impairment at 4 weeks (Supplementary Table 3 and Fig. 1) and 8 weeks following MI (Supplementary Table 4 and Fig. 1).

We next show that miR-150 KO;Sprr1ahypo/hypo mouse hearts are functionally normal at baseline (Supplementary Table 1 and Fig. 1). However, a significant improvement in cardiac function at 3 days after MI is observed in miR-150 KO;Sprr1ahypo/hypo mice compared to miR-150 KO mice, indicated by an increase in cardiac output (CO), EF, FS, and diastolic LVAW as well as a decrease in EDV, ESV, diastolic LVID, and systolic LVID (Supplementary Table 2 and Fig. 1). MiR-150 KO;Sprr1ahypo/hypo mice also display enhanced cardiac function at 4 weeks post-MI as evidenced by a significant increase in EF, FS, diastolic LVAW, systolic LVAW, diastolic LVPW, and systolic LVPW as well as a significant decrease in EDV, ESV, diastolic LVID, and systolic LVID (Supplementary Table 3 and Fig. 1) compared to those of miR-150 KO mice. Last, we show improved cardiac function in miR-150 KO;Sprr1ahypo/hypo mice at 8 weeks post-MI compared to miR-150 KO mice as shown by a significant increase in CO, EF, FS, heart rate (HR), diastolic LVAW, systolic LVAW, and systolic LVPW as well as a significant decrease in EDV, ESV, diastolic LVID, and systolic LVID (Supplementary Table 4 and Fig. 1). Our morphometric data also show that miR-150 KO;Sprr1ahypo/hypo mice have a significant decrease in the ratio of heart weight/body weight (HW/BW) and the ratio of left ventricle weight/body weight (LVW/BW) at 8 weeks after MI compared to miR-150 KO controls (Supplementary Table 4). Notably, we do not observe any difference in post-MI mortality between groups (Supplementary Tables 1, 3, and 4: see n for animal numbers per each group at week 0, week 4, and week 8 after MI).

We previously reported that miR-150 KO mice display excessive maladaptive post-MI remodeling, such as cardiac damage, inflammation, and apoptosis [12]. To determine whether repression of Sprr1a mediates the major functions of miR-150 in vivo, we employed miR-150 KO;Sprr1ahypo/hypo mice and assessed post-MI remodeling compared to that of miR-150 KO controls. We find that miR-150 KO;Sprr1ahypo/hypo hearts exhibit a decrease in the loss of normal architecture and cellular integrity (Fig. 2A) as well as decreased mRNA levels of fetal Nppa (Fig. 2B) after 8 weeks of MI compared to miR-150 KO hearts. We next examined whether an improved cardiac inflammatory cell (CI) response contributes to the decreased disorganized structure in miR-150 KO;Sprr1ahypo/hypo hearts post-MI. Notably, inflammatory Il-6, Tnf-, and Ptprc are also downregulated in miR-150 KO;Sprr1ahypo/hypo hearts (Fig. 2C, D and Supplementary Fig. 1) compared to miR-150 KO hearts post-MI. Finally, we find that miR-150 KO;Sprr1ahypo/hypo hearts contain significantly lower numbers of cleaved caspase-3-positive cells (Fig. 3A, B), indicating decreased apoptosis in miR-150 KO;Sprr1ahypo/hypo hearts. Our data further show that miR-150 KO;Sprr1ahypo/hypo hearts have decreased mRNA levels of apoptotic P53, Bak1, and Bax (Fig. 3CE) compared to levels in miR-150 KO hearts. Altogether, our data suggest that sustained Sprr1a downregulation ameliorates adverse post-MI remodeling caused by miR-150 deletion and that miR-150 is a functionally important upstream negative regulator of Sprr1a in the heart.

A Representative hematoxylin and eosin (H&E) staining of heart sections of the peri-ischemic border area from the 6 experimental groups at 8 weeks post-MI shows a decrease in the loss of normal architecture and cellular integrity as well as in disorganized structure in miR-150 KO;Sprr1ahypo/hypo hearts compared to miR-150 KO controls. Scale bars: 100m. B qRT-PCR analysis of Nppa expression representing cardiac damage in ischemic areas from WT, miR-150 KO, and miR-150 KO;Sprr1ahypo/hypo mouse hearts at 8 weeks post-MI. qRT-PCR analysis of inflammatory Il6 (C) and Tnf-a (D) expression in ischemic areas from WT, miR-150 KO, and miR-150 KO;Sprr1ahypo/hypo mouse hearts at 8 weeks post-MI. N=56 per group. qRT-PCR data (BD) are shown as the fold induction of gene expression normalized to Gapdh. Two-way ANOVA with Tukeys multiple comparison test. *P<0.05 or **P<0.01 vs. sham for each genotype; #P<0.05, ##P<0.01, or ###P<0.001 vs. WT or miR-150 KO. Data are presented as the meanSEM.

Representative cleaved caspase-3 staining images in heart sections of the peri-ischemic border area in WT, miR-150 KO, and miR-150 KO;Sprr1ahypo/hypo hearts at 8 weeks post-MI (A) and quantification of apoptosis in six 40X fields (B). Scale bars: 100 m. qRT-PCR analysis of proapoptotic p53 (C), Bak1 (D), or Bax (E) expression in the ischemic areas from WT, miR-150 KO, and miR-150 KO;Sprr1ahypo/hypo mouse hearts at 8 weeks post-MI. Data are shown as the fold induction of gene expression normalized to Gapdh. N=6 per group. Two-way ANOVA with Tukeys multiple comparison test. *P<0.05 or ***P<0.001 vs. sham for each genotype; #P<0.05, ##P<0.01, or ###P<0.001 vs. WT or miR-150 KO. Data are presented as the meanSEM.

To further determine the response of miR-150 KO;Sprr1ahypo/hypo mice to MI, we assessed the degree of fibrosis using Massons trichrome staining and picrosirius red staining of the hearts at 8 weeks post-MI. We find larger regions of fibrosis in miR-150 KO hearts than in WT MI controls, as reported previously [12]. We next observe reduced fibrosis post-MI in miR-150 KO;Sprr1ahypo/hypo hearts compared to miR-150 KO hearts (Figs. 4, 5A, B, and Supplementary Fig. 2). MiR-150 KO MI hearts also exhibit increased expression of fibrotic Col5a1, Col6a1, Col1a1, Col3a1, and Ctgf (Figs. 5C, D, and 6AC) compared to expression in WT controls, but miR-150 KO;Sprr1ahypo/hypo MI hearts exhibit decreased expression of these profibrotic genes (Figs. 5C, D, and 6AC) compared to miR-150 KO controls. Next, our in vivo protein analysis reveals significantly elevated levels of VIMENTIN and -SMA in miR-150 KO MI mouse hearts compared to WT controls and significantly decreased levels of VIMENTIN and -SMA in miR-150 KO;Sprr1ahypo/hypo hearts at 8 weeks post-MI compared to miR-150 KO controls (Fig. 6D, E, and Supplementary Fig. 3); this is consistent with the mRNA data for the profibrotic genes (Figs. 5C, D, and 6AC). Collectively, these results demonstrate for the first time that genetic knockdown of Sprr1a significantly attenuates adverse postinfarct remodeling mediated by miR-150 deletion.

Representative Massons trichrome staining (A, B) in heart sections of the peri-ischemic border area in the 6 experimental groups at 8 weeks post-MI and fibrosis quantification (C) in whole left ventricles (LVs). Fibrosis histology images from whole heart longitudinal sections (A: Scale bars: 1mm) and zoomed in images of the peri-ischemic border area (B: Scale bars: 100m). N=6 per group. Two-way ANOVA with Tukeys multiple comparison test. ***P<0.001 vs. sham for each genotype; #P<0.05 or ##P<0.01 vs. WT or miR-150 KO. Data are presented as the meanSEM.

Representative picrosirius red staining (A) from heart sections in the 6 experimental groups at 8 weeks post-MI and fibrosis quantification (B) in whole left ventricles (LVs). Fibrosis histology images from whole heart longitudinal sections (A: Scale bars: 1mm) are shown. N=6 per group. Two-way ANOVA with Tukeys multiple comparison test. ***P<0.001 vs. sham for each genotype; #P<0.05 or ###P<0.001 vs. WT or miR-150 KO. Data are presented as the meanSEM. qRT-PCR analysis of profibrotic Col5a1 (C) or Col6a1 (D) expression in ischemic areas from WT, miR-150 KO, and miR-150 KO;Sprr1ahypo/hypo mouse hearts at 8 weeks post-MI. Data are shown as the fold change of gene expression normalized to Gapdh. N=6 per group. Two-way ANOVA with Tukeys multiple comparison test. **P<0.01 or ***P<0.001 vs. sham for each genotype; #P<0.05, ##P<0.01, or ###P<0.001 vs. WT or miR-150 KO. Data are presented as the meanSEM.

qRT-PCR analysis of profibrotic Col1a1 (A), Col3a1 (B), or Ctgf (C) expression in ischemic areas from WT, miR-150 KO, and miR-150 KO;Sprr1ahypo/hypo mouse hearts at 8 weeks post-MI. Data are shown as the fold induction of gene expression normalized to Gapdh. N=46 per group. Two-way ANOVA with Tukeys multiple comparison test. *P<0.05 or ***P<0.001 vs. sham for each genotype; #P<0.05, ##P<0.01, or ###P<0.001 vs. WT or miR-150 KO. Data are presented as the meanSEM. D, E VIMENTIN protein levels were measured in ischemic areas from WT, miR-150 KO, and miR-150 KO;Sprr1ahypo/hypo mouse hearts at 8 weeks post-MI. N=56 per group. Two-way ANOVA with Tukeys multiple comparison test. *P<0.05 or **P<0.01 vs. sham for each genotype; #P<0.05 vs. WT or miR-150 KO. Data are presented as the meanSEM.

Because of the cardiac upregulation of miR-150 by Carv [11] concurrent with the downregulation of Sprr1a [13], and the downregulation of miR-150 in CFs isolated from TAC mice [15] concurrent with the upregulation of Sprr1a in CFs during MI [13], we next studied primary adult human CFs (HCFs) to test whether miR-150 and SPRR1A are inversely regulated in HCFs treated with Carv as well as HCFs subjected to H/R conditions. Indeed, SPRR1A is downregulated in HCFs subjected to H/R conditions after Carv treatment (Supplementary Fig. 4) concurrent with the upregulation of miR-150 [28]. We also observe that SPRR1A is increased in HCFs after H/R (Supplementary Fig. 4), consistent with our in vivo results in post-MI hearts and isolated CFs from ischemic myocardium [13]. Notably, we previously reported that miR-150 is downregulated in HCFs after H/R [28]. Together with other previous reports on miR-150 downregulation in H/R and MI [12] as well as I/R [29, 30], our results indicate that Sprr1a is a critical functional target of miR-150 in CFs.

Because Sprr1a expression is upregulated in CFs isolated from ischemic mouse hearts [13] concurrent with the downregulation of miR-150 in CFs isolated from TAC mice [15], and miR-150 negatively regulates mouse CF activation in vitro [15], we first confirmed whether a direct target of miR-150, SPRR1A is repressed by miR-150 in HCFs. Our loss-of-function studies indeed show that SPRR1A is increased after miR-150 inhibition in HCFs (Fig. 7A, B). We next investigated whether SPRR1A regulates HCF activation. We first observe that SPRR1A knockdown in HCFs decreases the expression of profibrotic ACTA2 and CTGF (Fig. 7C and Supplementary Fig. 5), and miR-150 knockdown increases the expression of ACTA2, CTGF, and POSTN (Supplementary Fig. 6).

HCFs were transfected with antimiR control or antimiR-150 (A, B) and with control scramble siRNA (si-control) or SPRR1A siRNA (si-SPRR1A) (C). qRT-PCR analyses for miR-150 (A) or SPRR1A (B, C) were then performed to check their expression after the indicated transfection. Data were normalized to U6 SNRNA (A) or GAPDH (B, C) and are expressed relative to controls. N=6 per group. Unpaired 2-tailed t-test. RNA interference with SPRR1A protects HCFs from the increased proliferation mediated by antimiR-150. HCFs were transfected as indicated and subjected to normoxia or hypoxia/reoxygenation (H/R). Bromodeoxyuridine (BrdU) assays were then performed under both normoxic (D, F) and H/R (E, F) conditions. The percentage of proliferating nuclei (green) was calculated by normalizing to the total nuclei (blue). N=6 per group. One-way ANOVA with Tukeys multiple comparison test. *P<0.05 or **P<0.01 vs. control: either si-control or antimiR control. #P<0.05 vs. anti-miR-150. Data are presented as the meanSEM.

To further assess the effects of SPRR1A knockdown, we examined HCF proliferation using bromodeoxyuridine assay. We find that compared to controls, SPRR1A knockdown decreased HCF proliferation (Fig. 7DF) under both normoxic and H/R conditions. This is consistent with our gene expression data, showing that HCFs with SPRR1A knockdown have decreased mRNA levels of S-phase marker PCNA, mitosis (M) marker AURKB, and G2/M-phase marker CCNB1 compared with controls (Supplementary Fig. 7). Moreover, our wound migration studies reveal that compared to controls, SPRR1A knockdown decreased HCF migration (Fig. 8AC) under both normoxic and H/R conditions. This is consistent with our gene expression data, showing that SPRR1A knockdown in HCFs subjected to H/R decreases mRNA levels of cell migration markers, CTHRC1 and TNC compared with controls (Supplementary Fig. 8). SPRR1A knockdown in HCFs also suppresses mRNA levels of CF differentiation markers, COL4A1, COL8A1, and SRF (Supplementary Fig. 9), as well as the protein levels of profibrotic -SMA and FIBRONECTION (Supplementary Fig. 10). Because TGF-1/SMAD signaling pathway plays a key role in CF activation, we next investigated the role of SPRR1A in the regulation of TGF-1 and SMADs. We observe that SPRR1A knockdown in HCFs subjected to H/R decreases mRNA levels of TGFB1, SMAD2, and SMAD3 compared with controls (Supplementary Fig. 11). This is consistent with our in vivo data, showing that Sprr1a knockdown in mice decreases Smad3 expression as well as mRNA and protein levels of TGF-1 compared with controls (Supplementary Figs. 12, 13). Our data thus suggest that SPRR1A is sufficient to increase HCF activation in part by activating TGF-1/SMAD signaling pathway.

AC HCFs were transfected and subjected to normoxia or hypoxia/reoxygenation (H/R) as indicated in Fig. 7DF. Scratch migration assays were then performed. RNA interference with SPRR1A protects HCFs from the increased migration mediated by antimiR-150. N=6 per group. Two-way repeated-measures ANOVA with Bonferroni post hoc test. One-way ANOVA with Tukeys multiple comparison test. *P<0.05, **P<0.01, or ***P<0.001 vs. control: either si-control or anti-miR control. #P<0.05 or ##P<0.01 vs. anti-miR-150. Data are presented as the meanSEM.

Finally, to establish the functional relationship between miR-150 and SPRR1A in HCF activation, we applied an antimiR/siRNA-based rescue strategy to validate the functional relevance of the direct miR-150 target SPRR1A. MiR-150 knockdown increases HCF proliferation (Fig. 7DF and Supplementary Fig. 7) and migration (Fig. 8AC and Supplementary Fig. 8), which are attenuated by siRNA against SPRR1A (Figs. 7DF, 8AC, Supplementary Figs. 7, 8). We also show that miR-150 knockdown increases the expression of profibrotic TGFB1, SMAD2, SMAD3, COL1A1, COL3A1, COL4A1, COL8A1, and SRF under normoxic and/or H/R conditions, which are attenuated by SPRR1A knockdown (Supplementary Figs. 9, 11, 14). Taken together, our data indicate that profibrotic SPRR1A is a key direct and functional target of miR-150 in HCFs and whole mouse hearts.

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Daily briefing: Birds build nests from anti-bird spikes – Nature.com

Posted: at 1:16 pm

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Even for me as a nest researcher, these are the craziest bird nests Ive ever seen, says biologist Auke-Florian Hiemstra in a Twitter thread outlining examples of how birds have reused, repurposed or ripped out anti-bird infrastructure. Some birds are just done with our stupid spikes. (Alexander Schippers/Naturalis Biodiversity Center)

Crows and magpies are building nests with the metal spikes meant to deter them from perching or nesting. Carrion crows (Corvus corone) and Eurasian magpies (Pica pica) in The Netherlands, Belgium and Scotland were observed to have plucked the sharp metal pins off buildings to use in their nests. The magpies even put most of the spikes on top of their nests, perhaps in an anti-bird effort of their own (crows eat magpies eggs).

The Guardian | 5 min read

Reference: Deinsea paper

Last week, we explored the pros and cons of efforts to turn animal cells into meat in the lab.

When we asked readers whether they would eat cultured meat if price wasnt an issue the majority said yes, including a small percentage of people who dont currently eat meat. If the cell-cultured meat could be made in a way that it didnt exploit the animals from which the cells were derived, didnt cause an outsize environmental footprint, was reasonably healthy and the jobs produced from the product were well-paid/ethical, then sure Id like to have it on occasion, says environmental scientist Sarah Hines, who is vegan.

Among those who said they wouldnt eat it, there were concerns about safety and nutrition. Many readers said that they would rather switch to one of the many meat substitutes, limit their meat intake to only local, extensively (rather than intensively) farmed products or simply stick to vegetables.

On the whole, readers wanted to withhold judgement until more is known about the environmental impact of lab-grown meat. Bioreactors would almost certainly use less land and water than livestock farming does, but would consume large amounts of energy. Overall, cultured meats carbon footprint, assuming it is produced using renewable energy, could be about the same as or less than that of poultry farming, and one-tenth that of rearing beef cattle.

Experimentalists should think of collaborations with data scientists as partnerships, rather than as transactions, say three experienced data wranglers. They offer 14 tips for non-data scientists who want to ensure productive and rewarding interdisciplinary projects that integrate data science.

Nature | 6 min read

The Nature Careers team also has its own newsletter, full of careers tips, jobs events and the marvellous Working Scientist podcast. You can sign up here (you might need to log into your free Nature account).

A black hole helps two post-human consciousnesses find a transcendent connection in the latest short story for Natures Futures series.

Nature | 6 min read

This week, the hosts of the Nature Podcast discuss some of the most compelling stories from this Briefing, including how scientists wrote a research paper from scratch in just one hour using ChatGPT. They also dig into a record-breaking series of global average temperatures and look at how an anti-ageing protein called klotho boosted cognition in old monkeys.

Nature Podcast | 15 min listen

Subscribe to the Nature Podcast on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts or Spotify.

Environmental scientist Erle Ellis, who has resigned from the Anthropocene Working Group, explains why some scientists question the wisdom of a proposal to define the period on the basis of radioactive plutonium fallout from nuclear-bomb testing. (Personal blog | 3 min read)

Read more: A sediment core from an unusual lake in Canada could become the golden spike the official marker for the Anthropocene, the geological epoch in which humanity has profoundly affected Earth. (Nature | 6 min read)

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Windsor man connected to active missing person case faces … – Charleston Post Courier

Posted: at 1:16 pm

A Windsor man connected to an active missing persons case has been charged.

Donald Paul Britton, 51, Cody Wooten and Thomas Guinn were arrested , July 18, and charged with destruction, desecration or removal of human remains, according to jail records.

John Belote's daughter told deputies she last spoke with her father on June 28 after an argument between Britton and Belote, according to an incident report from the Aiken County Sheriffs Office.

When she spoke to Belote, he was going to see family, friends and a girlfriend, or going to confront Britton in the Windsor area, the report said.

The daughter told police she had been unable to contact her father since she last spoke with him.

Capt. Eric Abdullah with the Aiken County Sheriffs Office said Belote is still listed as a missing person.

Britton is listed as an inmate at the Aiken County detention center and has no bond.

Wooten has posted bond and Guinn has a $15,000 bond.

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Windsor man connected to active missing person case faces ... - Charleston Post Courier

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How bad is a Phoenix heat wave? The perils of burning pavements … – The Washington Post

Posted: at 1:15 pm

Updated July 13, 2023 at 5:38 p.m. EDT|Published July 13, 2023 at 4:22 p.m. EDT

Landscaper Eduardo Rios can feel those moments when the familiar in Phoenix morphs into the treacherous, as the skin under his straw hat starts peeling off his forehead, the heat radiating up through his steel-toe boots.

Adrienne Kane tries to hike five days a week, even in summer, but she doubles her water and wears gardening gloves so the metal railings on Camelback Mountain dont burn her palms during times like this week. Dale Dean, who is homeless, sometimes settles into the seat of his black wheelchair and it feels like hes sitting down on hot coals.

Phoenix is in the middle of a record-breaking run of feverish days and suffocating nights, and human skin is a meager barrier against the scorching and scalding that comes at these temperatures. The city has already smashed records for the highest low temperatures for this time of year, when nights never dropped below the 90s, and it has already had 13 consecutive days with Thursday expected to be the 14th at or above 110 degrees Fahrenheit. The record for that is 18, set in 1974, according to the National Weather Service. And the worst of the heat is coming this weekend.

The city and a network of aid organizations mobilize on a large scale during these periods with cooling centers and programs to distribute water and ice to vulnerable residents. Earlier this year, the city painted its 100th mile of pavement with a light gray coating that is cooler than typical streets. Billboards around the city broadcast temperatures; some hiking trails are closed during midday; tons of snow gets dumped at the zoo to keep animals cool.

Were concerned about the severity of the temperatures to begin with, but the consecutive nature of them adds to the public health risk, said David Hondula, director of Phoenixs office of heat response and mitigation. This is a time for maximum vigilance in the community.

On these extremely hot days, even tiny mistakes can have grave consequences.

Cameron had just stepped into the laundry room to feed his dog and his wife was in the bathroom when their 18-month-old son, Mason, slipped through the pet door and stepped onto their concrete patio. He was screaming within seconds.

It was so fast, recalled Cameron, who asked that he and his family only be identified by first names to avoid shaming from other parents. It was immediately blistered on one foot. I knew it was bad.

Overnight low temperatures in Phoenix are not dropping below 90 degrees, and the unhoused are struggling with no relief from the heat. (Video: Erin Patrick O'Connor/The Washington Post)

Mason suffered second-degree burns on the soles of his feet that day in May, when Phoenix temperatures were only in the 90s, but the concrete had gotten hot enough to be dangerous. When the family reached the Arizona Burn Center at Valleywise Health Medical Center, they met another toddler with burned feet.

It was the exact same thing at the exact same time: 2 p.m., kid walked out onto the balcony, Cameron said. As a citizen of Phoenix I wonder, is it just going to keep getting hotter? How much hotter is it going to get?

The citys hospitals and firefighters this week have been trying to help people who are seared by pavement that can register 160 degrees or hotter. They are treating patients whose temperatures are running as much as 10 degrees above normal by injecting them with frigid IV fluids, blasting them with evaporative cooling fans, and placing them in what look like small inflatable kayaks filled with ice.

Doctors at the burn center this week said they had 10 patients with contact burns serious enough to require hospitalization. The number of burn admissions has grown over the past decade, as temperatures have risen and days with extreme heat have become more common. In 2015, the hospital admitted 43 people during the summer months with burns. Last summer, that number rose to 85, and seven of the people died.

The most common cases, doctors here said, are elderly people who fall or those who are under the influence of fentanyl or other drugs and spend minutes or hours splayed on the pavement. Homeless people are particularly vulnerable.

But other cases involve freakish missteps people burned by their seat belts or mailboxes. Swimmers attempting to walk across not-so-cool cool decks. The hospital has seen truckers who drive barefoot, step down onto a parking lot surface and end up badly blistered. On the hottest days, patients have been scalded by the water coming out of their garden hoses.

That first burst of water out of there, its practically boiling, said Kevin Foster, a physician and the director of the burn center.

One current patient was celebrating his day off with a cocktail, fell and burned 20 percent of his body, requiring surgery and skin grafting, Foster said.

He was not a drinker. It was just enough. He went down and couldnt get up, he said. All it took was that one little thing.

Phoenix is the hottest city in the country, and its 1.6 million people are accustomed to summer in the desert. But a warming climate and the sprawl of development, with more pavement radiating heat, has made life increasingly perilous during the hottest stretches of the year. Maricopa County recorded 425 heat-related deaths last year, up 25 percent over the prior year, figures that have been rising steadily over the past decade.

One-third of those deaths, over the past five years, have happened on days when the Weather Service issues an excessive heat warning. Doctors in Phoenix say they typically see a spike in patients when temperatures hit triple digits.

Thats sort of the magic number, 100 degrees, Foster said. We didnt see many of these patients coming in, and as soon as we hit triple digits, they started coming in.

In the Valleywise emergency room, patients with heat exhaustion dizziness, fatigue, nausea, vomiting, muscle breakdown called rhabdomyolysis are common during a Phoenix summer, said Frank LoVecchio, an emergency medicine physician. They usually recover well with cooling and fluids.

But more serious cases of burns and heatstroke, when people have been on the ground for minutes or hours, can be extremely debilitating. They can involve organ failure or brain damage and require weeks or months of hospitalization for those who survive. About half of the current patients in this condition at the hospital are intubated and in drug-induced comas, doctors said.

These people are down and were breathing for them, were dialyzing them, were doing the work of their kidneys for them, said Louis Ferrari, another burn surgeon.

A rule of thumb, he said, is that a burn encompassing 40 percent of a persons body can put a patient in the hospital for 40 days. The people who come in with these extreme burns and heatstroke, he said, are some of the sickest patients Ive ever encountered.

On Wednesday, firefighters encountered a man sprawled in the street in north Phoenix. The emergency responders found drug paraphernalia around the man, and witnesses said he had been acting erratically, slamming his head into the side of a truck.

When firefighters arrived, the man was unconscious. There were burns all over his body. His skin was coming off and his internal temperature was 107 degrees, they said. They delivered him to the emergency room.

Basically, his brain was fried, said firefighter Brandon Kanae, who responded to the scene.

During such extreme temperatures, fire officials estimate 10 to 15 percent of the calls are for people in heat-related distress.

The same things are going to happen again. Its unrelenting. Its coming back tomorrow, Capt. Tim Russell said. If youre in the sun, youre in trouble fast.

Such extreme heat acts like an invisible natural disaster that first responders and medical personnel say causes so much damage it should receive additional federal help, as would a tornado or a hurricane somewhere else.

The risks to public health increase exponentially at the upper extremes, said Hondula, the heat office director.

I cant tell people what to do, LoVecchio, the emergency room physician, said, but I would suggest anything nonessential, outdoors dont do right now.

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Human Insulin Market Demand, In-depth Analysis and Estimated … – Digital Journal

Posted: at 1:15 pm

PRESS RELEASE

Published July 19, 2023

What Future Impact Can We Expect From Human Insulin Market Insights In 2023?

Leading Market Research Firm: Skyquest Technology has announced the release of its latest report on Human Insulin Market. It provides an in-depth analysis of the drivers, restraints, market dynamics, trends, opportunities and challenges, and competitive landscape that are expected to shape its future growth trajectory.

An overview of the Human Insulin MarketSize, Status, and Forecast. The readers will obtain a knowledge of the important players competing in this region. This paper examined the primary growth tactics used by these companies to maintain their position, such as innovative trends and advancements, product portfolio intensification, mergers and acquisitions, collaborations, new product innovation, and geographical expansion. The analysis incorporates current advancements as well as critical financials in addition to business plans. The readers will also have access to data on global revenue by company. This comprehensive analysis will certainly help clients stay informed and make sound business decisions.

Get PDF sample for Industrial Insights and business Intelligence https://www.skyquestt.com/sample-request/human-insulin-market

Global Human Insulin Market size was valued at USD 18.73 billion in 2021 and is poised to grow from USD 19.05 billion in 2022 to USD 21.80 billion by 2030, at a CAGR of 1.7% during the forecast period (2023-2030).

Human Insulin Market Top Players Company Profiles:

Get Full Summary of Human Insulin Market: https://www.skyquestt.com/report/human-insulin-market

Human Insulin MarketForecast | Influencing Factors | Historic Data

Would you like to ask a question? Ask Our Expert: https://www.skyquestt.com/speak-with-analyst/human-insulin-market

The research study can answer the following Key questions:

(1) What is the estimated size of the Human Insulin Market at the end of the forecast period? (2) Is the segment-leading the Human Insulin Market anticipated to retain its leadership? (3) Which regions demonstrate the maximum growth potential? (4) Does any player dominate the Human Insulin Market? (5) What are the main drivers and restraints in the Human Insulin Market?

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The report notes that theHuman Insulin Market is highly competitive, with various vendors offering innovative products and services. In addition, the report highlights the growing popularity, which are expected to play a major role in the growth of the Human Insulin Market.

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Film Commentary: How I Learned to Start Worrying and Fear the Bot" – artsfuse.org

Posted: at 1:15 pm

Complied by Ezra Haber Glenn

Long before the current writers strike, Hollywood was sounding the alarm about the dangers of AI.

A scene from a stage production of Karel apeks R.U.R. Photo: Wiki Common

For as long as weve had work which is to say, ever since we left the Garden of Eden our societys boldest prophets and inventors (and a few profit-seeking investors) have sought new ways to replace human labor with the effortless ease of technology. But while each new development may lead us closer to a brave new labor-free world, not everyone has welcomed these changes. Most notably, workers who have found themselves and their livelihoods in the headlights of automations onrush have resisted with their voices, their sabots, and their very lives but such resistance has often been dismissed as little more than self-serving Luddism, ignored by others in the name of progress and the greater good.

And now, after replacing everyone from farmers and cobblers to taxi drivers and toll collectors, the bots have come for the creative class. Yesterdays fiction is becoming todays reality, as each week we hear news of yet another generation of AI tools and wizardry being prepared to replace human workers. Programs such as DALL-E and Midjourney have ingested the collected art of all of humanity; they are now able to churn out endless reels of soulless imagery to feed our demand for custom-made illustration, everything from a daguerreotype of Abraham Lincoln punching Joseph Stalin to pornographic iguana-sex rendered in the style of Pieter Bruegel the Elder. As for the more text-oriented professions, OpenAIs ChatGPT, Googles Bard, and a host of similar generative AI are able to produce reams of seemingly novel text on command, including restaurant (or film) reviews, business plans, academic articles, and even stories, poems, scripts, and screenplays. What began as a diversion has become an existential threat.

To their credit, the artists and storytellers of the world have long been among the most vocal critics of the unchecked spread of technology, even before they found themselves confronting automation and replacement. Whether spinning tales on a stage or around a campfire or through the flickering light of a film projector writers have warned of the dangers of technology unchecked, hoping to spray some cold water on these sparking Promethean fires before they burn out of control. From the lessons of The Sorcerers Apprentice (whether Goethe or Disney) through Luddite anthems and pro-labor protest songs, right down to the modern-day fables of WarGames, The Terminator, Ex Machina, M3GAN, and just about every episode of Battlestar Galactica and Black Mirror, popular media has sounded a steady alarm to warn us of the inherent dangers of powerful automation, whether robotic, AI, or something entirely new. (Indeed, the very first use of the word robot a hundred years ago in Karel apeks R.U.R. foretold of the coming robotic uprising and the eventual extermination of humanity at the hands of our own creation.)

How to mark the current moment, when global forces of labor, creativity, capital, automation, and invention are once again locked in struggle? Weve decided to collect short reviews from a range of critics exploring films throughout the ages that explore the threats posed by robots and artificial intelligence. Some are outright Apocalyptic or dystopian works. Others present more nuanced, subtle, and blended takes. What will be lost, what can be preserved, are there ways we can control these changes in the service of a more humane post-human future? Or: are we even sure that we are actually human now?

Given how rich this particular vein is, this list is more illustrative than exhaustive. Here is a rundown of a handful of thoughtful or thought-provoking films that are worth rewatching. Readers are sure to have their own contributions and wed love to hear about as well feel free to drop them in the comments.

A captivating scene from The Twonky.

The Twonky (Arch Oboler, 1953)

Though screen time is a relatively modern concept in regard to our relationship with technology, its associated anxieties have been with us for as long as weve invited screens into our homes. Consider Arch Obolers oddball 1953 comedy The Twonky, one of the earliest films ever made about television, and one of the strangest this side of Videodrome. Hans Conried plays a harried college professor whose wife leaves him alone for the weekend to set up their brand new TV set. What neither of them realize is that their newfangled device has a mind of its own; it skitters around the house on a set of table-legs, emits lasers from its screen (which it uses to light Conreids cigarettes), and neutralizes anyone who attempts to stop it by turning them into zombies muttering I have no complaints. Eventually, Conreid reasons that this Twonky (as his best friend, the hard-drinking local football coach, dubs it) is not actually a television at all, but rather a shape-shifting robot from Earths future, designed to keep the populace in line to serve a dictator named Super Snake.

At press time, Super Snake has yet to be elected to office, but The Twonky is nevertheless surprisingly prescient in many other ways. In 1953, the idea of a television which could anticipate its owners needs was a fanciful bit of whimsy; today, we walk past aisles of smart TVs at Best Buy without blinking an eye. Like modern algorithms which invisibly guide users toward the lowest common denominator, the Twonky zaps classical records and fine literature out of Conrieds hands, forcing him to listen to nothing but Sousa marches and read trashy paperbacks. When the Twonky overhears Conried bemoaning his loneliness with his wife out of town, it picks up a phone and requests a human blonde from the Bureau of Entertainment, eerily foreshadowing the contemporary targeted ads which seemingly prove that our devices are listening to our conversations. The Twonky is a deeply silly film, closer in spirit to Bewitched than Blade Runner, but its vision of the helpful technologies which end up running our lives remains timely 70 years later.

Oscar Goff is the Editor in Chief and Senior Film Critic at Boston Hassle.

Art for Colossus: The Forbin Project

Colossus: The Forbin Project (Stanley Chase, 1970)

Based on a 1966 sci-fi novel, this cold-war thriller sets up a situation where the U.S. turns over control of its nuclear weapons to a computer. It removes the human element from war and, theoretically, makes us safer. But, as with Hal in 2001: A Space Odyssey, its all in the programming. Colossus discovers that theres a Russian counterpart and demands to be linked to it, and starts to take punitive steps when such connection is not immediately forthcoming.

Dr. Forbin suggests that those working in his field should be required to read Frankenstein in order to consider what happens when science spins out of the control of the scientists. When I screened the film for my students and we reached the less than happy ending I would wish them pleasant dreams that night. This is the real fear of AI: we expect we will control our tools. But, when the tools can think for themselves, will they bother to listen to us?

Daniel M. Kimmel is the author of Jar Jar Binks Must Die and other observations about science fiction movies.

Are we home yet? Julie Christie in Demon Seed.

The House of Tomorrow: Demon Seed (Donald Cammell, 1977) and Smart House (LeVar Burton, 1999)

In celebration of its 75th anniversary in 1967, the Philco-Ford Corporation produced 1999 A.D., a short film showcasing its vision for the House of Tomorrow, which would be equipped with futuristic technology that would allow Americans to have live video chats with friends, pay their bills automatically, and set their thermostats to the perfect temperature year round. The house, the film suggests, would be operated by a central computer that could serve as a secretary, librarian, banker, teacher, medical technician, bridge partner and all-around servant. This para-utopian vision traded in the domestic Space Age optimism previously seen in cartoons like The Jetsons, but it came one year before 2001: A Space Odyssey, which helped introduce the specter of rogue A.I. into the cultural consciousness.

A decade later, Donald Cammells Demon Seed transformed the House of Tomorrow into a psycho-sexual nightmare, in which an advanced A.I. called Proteus goes from servant to captor. Its target is suburban housewife Susan (Julie Christie), for whom Proteus acts as an abusive partner, making excuses to her friends and creating proto-deepfake videos of her claiming to be fine. Why? The computer is planning to rape and impregnate her with a human-machine hybrid. In Demon Seed, A.I. transforms Edenic suburbia into a futurist dungeon one of pop cultures many warnings to come about the unknown dangers of advanced technology.

A scene of mutual happiness in Smart House.

By 1999, the real life smart homes of Alexa and affordable IoT appliances were nearer to becoming a reality than many realized; Philco was only off by about a decade or so. Still, fears of AI in the nuclear household persisted. The LeVar Burton-directed Disney Channel Original Movie Smart House created a kid-friendly version of Demon Seed, in which a single-parent family wins a free computer-operated home. Thirteen-year-old Bens (Ryan Merriman) mother has died, and to fill the void he trains the houses central AI, PAT (Katey Sagal), on footage from old 50s sitcoms (pastiches of Father Knows Best and Leave It to Beaver) to teach her how to be a perfect matriarch. PAT goes in another direction and begins to resemble Proteus, imprisoning the family via an overbearing maternal instinct and a hyperbolic fear of the outside world. Researchers warn of AI reflecting the biases of its human programmers and users. Smart House dramatizes that prediction: the once rational computer succumbs to the patriarchal beliefs that drive American pop culture and absorbs the paranoia spread by television news.

Brad Avery is a journalist and writer based in Boston. He is a member of the Boston Online Film Critics Association.

A scene of mutual uncertainty in Moon.

Moon (Duncan Jones, 2009)

Moon is the debut effort of filmmaker Duncan Jones, who wrote the story and directed. The narrative posits a near-future that is not so much about AI controlling human beings, but a dark anti-capitalist vision of how corporate America will use such technologies to exploit us for profit. One humans experience is presented sort of. Sam Bell (a tour-de-force performance by Sam Rockwell) is the lone technician for a mining outfit that is harvesting helium from the moon for fusion reactors back home on earth. Sam monitors the mostly automated operations of the equipment, occasionally checking on and fixing malfunctions, during a three-year stint on the moonbase. His only companion and helper is Gerty (voiced by Kevin Spacey), an AI who ensures that Sam stays healthy.

The big twist in Moon is that Sam Bell is not Sam Bell, not really. He is a clone of Sam Bell, who is either dead or back on earth (it is never settled). The clones are how the mining company makes us of infinite free labor. When things go awry on the base, the machinations of the plot eventually gives us two Sams. In fact, the base is outfitted with thousands of Sam clones in cold storage, since each clone can only function for three years before degrading and being destroyed by the bases technology. Gerty, meanwhile, is programmed to help Sam, even if there are two Sams. (The existential side-story of Sam1 and Sam2 relating to each other is fascinating on its own, as both realize what it means to be a fully conscious clone with the real memories of the original Sam. Plus we get two Rockwells playing ping pong with each other, which is never a bad thing.)

In regard to AI, the film allows for a glint of hope. Humans can overcome the crush of plutocratic hegemony by using technology against itself. Gerty at first appears to be a HAL9000-like threat to Sam, siding with the corporation and doing their bidding early on. But ultimately the program enables Sam (and Sam) to undermine the system that is degrading them. Gerty cannot allow Sam to die and, in an ambiguous turn of events, it turn out the computer cannot distinguish between the two Sams. As such, Gertys programming only serves to bring about its own downfall. The Sams sense this: when it becomes a choice between Sams health and the well-being of the moon base and mining operation, Gerty will choose to help Sam.

The production design by Tony Noble uses a cool palette of greys and blues for the moon base, but tosses in some neat counter-touches. Aside from Gertys voice, the machine is represented by a small screen with a bright yellow emoji that reflects Gertys mood: a smiley face most of the time if Sam is happy and healthy. Eventually, there is expressionlessness, followed by confusion. Gertys limited emotional landscape is overpowered by the very human presence of Sam: Rockwell is moody, sardonic, and self-aware in a way that Gerty could never be. Sams humanity clone or not is never called into question. He is not a machine. He is not artificial. And it is the characters humanity that shapes the movies satisfying, if troubling, conclusion.

Neil Giordano

Joaquin Phoenix longing for his significant other in Her.

Her (Spike Jonze, 2013)

Much of the animosity towards artificial intelligence these days tends towards practical matters, with loss of livelihood being paramount. But, prior to the recent controversy surrounding the writers and actors strike in Hollywood, most people felt artificial intelligence to be a mild existential threat. This was technology that re-shaped our very humanity because it could do so many things, including mundane chores like shopping, cleaning, and cooking. Some people are thrilled to leave these dull tasks to others; others find such routines and rituals meaningful, even and comforting. Even more challenging: this technical revolution clearly has implications for gender roles that even today, are still mired in traditional sexist grooves. It is exciting and progressive to think that we might have the opportunity to reinvent stale customs and assumptions (i.e., women shouldering the main burden of domestic duties). Even love might take on new meaning.

With the 2013 film Her, Spike Jonze dabbles in the dystopian notion that artificial intelligence can fulfill our every need, including, for those lonely enough, the role of a romantic soulmate. Joaquin Phoenix plays Theodore, a recently-divorced writer who works for a virtual greeting card company that creates digital messages for all occasions: a sort of troubadour for the age of technology. He tries dating, but cant quite figure out what hes doing wrong. When his new operating system and virtual assistant, Samantha, proves to be not only competent and helpful but warm and personable, he finds himself smitten.

Voiced by Scarlett Johansson, Samanthas mercurial, soulful personality carries unexpected appeal. But when Theodore discovers he is one of many who are also romantically involved with this virtual dynamo, his sense of being chosen, of being special, is betrayed. Artificial intelligence is an affront to the idyllic belief that lovers are drawn together by fate, by a shared sense of discovery and recognition. Theodores loneliness is briefly eclipsed by what he perceives to be a real relationship. This dissonance mirrors the odd phenomenon of dating apps; they make information and engagement readily available, but true connection remains elusive. With its carnival dusk color palettes and intense, nuanced performances, Her invests its cold dystopia with suprising pathos as well as haunting sense of inevitability. As the sun goes down each day on the films city of glass and pedestrian walkways, there is a sense that the self, the true one that melds body and heart and mind, is being reinvigorated and recharged. Emotional autonomy is still there for the choosing. At least, for now.

Peg Aloi is a freelance film and TV critic who has an uneasy relationship with technology.

A scene from #PostModem

#PostModem (Jillian Mayer, 2013)

Much of visual artist Jillian Mayers body of work concerns the relationship between humanity and technology, particularly the absurd intrusions modern tech makes into our lives. Take for instance her short film Hot Beach Babe Aims to Please (2014) in which Mayer emerges from the ocean only to be chased by a swarm of cursors, or her Makeup Tutorial (2013) where, in the language of YouTube vloggers, she instructs viewers on how to paint their faces with jagged patterns to confuse and hide from facial recognition devices.

Her 2013 collaboration with Lucas Leyva, #PostModem, is among her most enjoyable film projects a 15 minute sci-fi musical inspired by the theories of futurist Ray Kurzweil and the concept of the technological singularity, the theorized moment when artificial intelligence, capable of nigh-infinite self-improvement, surpasses human intelligence. In #PostModem, Mayer becomes immortal by uploading her consciousness to an open internet website called MegaMegaUpload (achieved by drawing the AOL logo on her face and drinking a blend of orange juice and her own hair filtered through a CD-R disc). What will she do throughout eternity? Watch infomercials alongside her digital doppelganger, a cheap digital avatar a la Second Life or The Sims. #PostModem stands as one of the sharpest satires to date on the sputtering of Mark Zuckerbergs Metaverse. Instead of Oculus headsets, Mayers super-intelligence future involves crude at-home surgery and implanting motherboards into ones own forehead (now thats biohacking). Ultimately, the film questions what enlightenment, if any, will be gained with our diaspora to VR.

Brad Avery is a journalist and writer based in Boston. He is a member of the Boston Online Film Critics Association.

Chiwetel Ejiofor and Emilia Clark as proud parents in The Pod Generation.

The Pod Generation (Sophie Barthes, 2023)

In the 1965, The Rolling Stones sang:

Kids are different today. I hear every mother say/Mother needs something today to calm her down/And though shes not really ill, theres a little yellow pill/She goes running for the shelter of her mothers little helper.

Meprobamate, marketed as Miltown, helped relieve a mothers insomnia, anxiety, and emotional upsets. Today, wet nurses are out of fashion, day care costs are prohibitive, and mothers juggle work, kids, social life, parenting groups, and husbands. From stretch marks to intimacy, sleep deprivation to post-partum depression, motherhood can be a bitch. Whats a mom to do?

Sophie Barthes new film The Pod Generation imagines what it would mean for women to cast off the burdens of childbearing through the use of synthetic egg-shaped pods. With the couples permission, the company Pegazus will arrange to have a baby raised in a Womb Center, where it is nurtured with music, taste sensations, and all the nutrients necessary for a healthy birth. A helpful strap-on device allows dad or mom to carry the pod/child for brief periods. There is a downside: the child wont dream. As the spokesman for the company explains dreams are not reliable analytical material thats so 20th century.

It is a gleaming future of 3-D printers, oxygen inhalers for fresh air, and a Siri/Alexa type virtual assistant, named Elena, that can help with such mundane tasks as preparing breakfast and choosing outfits for the day while also maintaining an individuals bliss index based on voice and behavior patterns. The films conclusion is hurried but that didnt bother me because the point had been made: we lose something valuable when technology provides shortcuts to chores that were once part of a normal life. Of course, there is a need for surrogate parenting, in vitro fertilization, and so forth, but outsourcing motherhood to plastic pods (which are shaped to fit corporate imperatives) is a sharp parody of the obsession with convenience. The relentless progress of technology undercuts the value of imagination, labor, and even physical and mental duress.

Will AI replace or even enhance art and creativity? One answer is posed by Noah Baumbachs film While Were Young. At one point, Adam Drivers Jamie asks Ben Stillers Josh about the ingredients of a certain dessert. Lets look it up, advises Josh. Waving his phone and giggling, Jamie, the hipper of the two, responds: Thats too easy. Lets just not know what it is.

Tim Jackson is a Boston musician, actor, and retired college teacher, currently a member of the Boston Society of Film Critics.

Ezra Haber Glenn is a Lecturer in MITs Department of Urban Studies & Planning, where he teaches a special subject on The City in Film. His essays, criticism, and reviews have been published in the Arts Fuse, CityLab, the Journal of the American Planning Association, Bright Lights Film Journal, WBURs ARTery, Experience Magazine, the New York Observer, and Next City. He is the regular film reviewer for Planning magazine, and member of the Boston Society of Film Critics. Follow him on https://www.urbanfilm.org and https://twitter.com/UrbanFilmOrg.

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