Study Suggests AI Tools Decrease Critical Thinking Skills
In this week’s episode of Prototype, we look at how over-reliance on AI assistants can impede thinking, a company building bioengineered arteries, the role viruses play in Alzheimer’s disease, and more. You can sign up to receive The Prototype in your inbox here..
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Nnew artificial intelligence tools are slowly becoming ubiquitous, adding to the software and hardware we use every day (sometimes whether we like it or not). But if we use artificial intelligence to complete tasks, find information, and solve problems, what does that mean for the intelligence we’re born with?
To find out, a team of researchers conducted a study of 666 people aged 17 years and older, representing a diverse population. First, the extent to which each of them used artificial intelligence tools was assessed, and then their critical thinking skills were tested. Research results, which were published in the magazine Societiesfound that those who used AI tools frequently showed poorer critical thinking abilities than those who used them infrequently or at all. Whether someone used artificial intelligence tools was a more important predictor of a person’s thinking abilities than any other factor, including education level.
The reason for this is a phenomenon called “cognitive offloading”, where people’s thinking and problem solving are essentially delegated. Frequent cognitive unloading reduces a person’s ability to think independently and solve problems. “This relationship highlights the double-edged nature of artificial intelligence technology,” the study authors write. “While this increases efficiency and convenience, it unintentionally promotes addiction, which can compromise critical thinking skills over time.”
These results are consistent with other studies that have shown similar negative effects of AI tools on critical thinking skills. However, the authors note that other research suggests that AI tools can be useful when they complement critical thinking rather than take away from it. “Future research should explore strategies for integrating artificial intelligence tools in ways that enhance rather than hinder cognitive interaction,” they wrote. “Ensuring that the next generation is equipped with the skills needed to navigate an increasingly complex digital landscape.”
Stay tuned.
Bioengineered Ready Arteries for Trauma Patients
Symves product from Humacyte.
Humacite
Ethat same yearthousands of Americans suffer traumatic injuries that damage the arteries that carry blood to their extremities. When this happens, patients basically have three options, Laura Niklason, CEO of regenerative medicine startup Humacyte, told me: They can have a vein grafted from another part of the body, which takes extra time and causes additional trauma; the surgeon can replace the artery with a synthetic plastic one, which creates a high risk of infection; or the limb may be amputated.
Niklason has a fourth option: Her company has developed a bioengineered artery called Symvess that can be surgically implanted in a patient’s body, helping to save the limb and reduce the risk of infection. Simvess is obtained from human donor cells, which are grown in the laboratory on a degradable scaffold in batches of 200 at a time. Over time, the cells recreate the physical structure of the blood vessel. Once this is complete, the living cells are removed, leaving an artery structure that can then be implanted into a new patient without risk of rejection. Cells from the patient’s body then occupy the implant, essentially regenerating a new artery.
Last month Symvess was FDA approved for use in patients with traumatic injuries. The approval was based on research that showed the product, which has now been implanted in more than 600 patients, is significantly less likely to cause infection or lead to limb amputation than conventional synthetic arteries made from plastic.
In its next steps, the company will work with Medicare and private insurers to ensure they will pay for transplant procedures using Symves. Studies are also being conducted on the use of Symvess in patients on kidney dialysis and patients with pulmonary arterial hypertension. The company is also developing a new, smaller version of its product that could potentially be used for heart bypass patients.
“This is truly a first-of-its-kind technology, and the FDA had to look at a lot of data before they could get comfortable and say yes,” Niklason said. “So I’m really happy to be here.”
OPENING OF THE WEEK: INACTIVE VIRUSES CAN CAUSE NEURODEGENERATION
It has long been known that repeated head injuries can lead to neurodegenerative diseases like Parkinson’s disease, Alzheimer’s disease and CTE. But it was not clear exactly how this happened. New research suggests the answer may be sleeping virusesespecially herpes simplex 1which is found in the brains of more than 80% of the population. These findings were achieved due to the growth small fabric models brains, some with and some without the herpes virus, which were then struck repeatedly with a piston to simulate a concussion.
The study that was published in Scientific alarmfound that brain tissue affected by the virus showed signs of Alzheimer’s diseasethose who didn’t did not, and that the damage increased noticeably with repeated hits. The researchers plan to conduct future studies that will examine whether the effects antiviral or anti-inflammatory drugs soon after injury may help prevent the onset of Alzheimer’s disease.
THE LAST GRANITE: WATER BASE PROPULSION TESTING
Japanese startup Pale blue announced he signed an agreement with an Italian company D-Orbit conduct two demonstrations in orbit new ion engineallowing satellites to both maneuver and deorbit at the end of their service life. Engine Pale Blue uses water as a fuel that could potentially offer cleaner, more environmentally friendly fuel for small satellites.
WHAT ELSE I WRITTEN THIS WEEK
In my other newsletter InnovationRxmy colleague Amy Feldman and I covered a number of health care storiesincluding a drug that significantly improves survival lung cancer patients, disputes over pulse oximetry technology and new research that shows that although L.L.M. They are good at answering physical examination questions, but they are much less skilled at making diagnoses based on conversations with patients.
SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
My colleague Jeremy Bogaiski reports that online retailers such as Amazon and Alibaba sell technologies that protects drones from jamming their signals or controlling them remotely.
AI startup Anthropic’s new round of funding will involve all seven of its founders. billionaires, write to my colleagues Alex Conrad and Phoebe Liu.
Researchers developed a methodology For cooling quantum computers in a way that reduces errors and potentially makes them more reliable.
Food grapefruit may interfere with the action of some types of medications, including anti-anxiety drugs and statins. But new research shows it’s possible. grow a variety of fruits it does not interfere with prescription medications.
Biologists successfully performed transplantation chloroplasts– cells that provide photosynthesis – from algae to hamsterswhere are they functioned successfully about three days.
Scientists at Northwestern University built a battery which uses triphenylphosphine oxide, a common industrial wasteto store energy instead of metals.
SCIENTIFIC TIP: ADD WATER TO THE COFFEE BEANS
Here’s a simple tip to help improve the taste of your morning cup of coffee. coffee: add a little water beans before grinding them. This is not a new idea: among coffee professionals it is known as “Ross drop technique– but new research provides scientific support for this idea. When grains are crushed, they form static electric chargeresulting in clumping and unstable extraction during the brewing process. In the new study published in the magazine Make a differencescientists have discovered that the Ross drop method reduces static charge during grinding, creating coffee tastes better.
WHAT’S ENTERTAINING ME THIS WEEK
I was listening to a concept album Epic To Jorge Rivera-Herrans. This is a musical adaptation Odysseytelling the story of Odysseus from the end Trojan War before he returns home to Ithaca. The album is divided into nine sagas with several songs each, serving as chapters of the story. This is an amazing version of one of the oldest stories of mankind, and it is appropriate to sing it – after all, this is how it was originally presented in the time of Homer. It is streaming on most major music services.
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2025-01-10 14:00:33