WATCH: Axiom-4 crew docks with ISS
The crew of Axiom Mission 4 docked Thursday morning with the International Space Station.
SpaceX said the docking happened at 6:31 a.m. EST.
The four astronauts traveled to ISS for a little over a day in their new Dragon spacecraft named 'Grace.'
It lifted off on a Falcon 9 rocket at 2:31 a.m. Wednesday from Kennedy Space Center.
The team will spend about two weeks on the ISS, running nearly 60 experiments from 31 countries.
Monitor WFTV.com and watch Eyewitness News for regular updates on the Axiom Mission 4.
Click here to download our free news, weather and smart TV apps. And click here to stream Channel 9 Eyewitness News live.
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Fast Company
an hour ago
- Fast Company
Generative AI is finding fertile soil in the healthcare industry
Bringing AI to the doctor's appointment AI in healthcare is top of mind this week, thanks to a viral story on Reddit about a man who said ChatGPT saved his wife's life. She had undergone a cyst removal and wasn't feeling well, but was on an antibiotic and decided to 'wait it out.' After the man described her symptoms to ChatGPT, the chatbot advised him to take his wife to the ER. He did—and likely saved her life. Doctors diagnosed her with sepsis. Stories like these aren't new. Over the past year, we've seen a number of 'ChatGPT-saved-my-life' anecdotes popping up online. Meanwhile, two-thirds of doctors now reportedly use ChatGPT to help them home in on a diagnosis, often with good results. The models powering ChatGPT are trained on medical textbooks, research journal articles, medical guidelines, and health websites such as WebMD. That training gives them broad knowledge of anatomy, diseases, symptoms, treatment options, and drug interactions. OpenAI also fine-tuned the models by using feedback from health professionals. While AI models—even highly specialized ones—can't yet replace human doctors, researchers are working hard to improve their accuracy and reliability. AI is also having an immediate impact in clinical documentation—an area that's long been a pain point for doctors. Many physicians—especially primary care doctors—spend an extra 90 minutes to three hours per day completing patient records. Combined with the pressure to see more patients, this contributes heavily to burnout. Increasingly, health systems are deploying 'AI scribes' to ease this burden. Such tools can record a patient encounter and generate summaries for the electronic medical record (EMR). The Cleveland Clinic, for example, implements a clinical documentation and point-of-care coding solution from San Francisco-based Ambience. Using Ambience's app (which itself is powered by OpenAI models), the clinician records a patient visit, reviews an AI-generated summary of everything discussed in the meeting (including the billing codes), then approves the notes for inclusion in the EMR. According to Cleveland Clinic's chief digital officer Rohit Chandra, 4,000 of the organization's physicians are already using the tool. 'It makes their jobs a ton easier, and it makes the patient interactions a lot better because now patients actually engage with the doctor,' he says. Looking ahead, AI scribes could go far beyond basic documentation. Future versions may be able to document a medical exam with full contextual knowledge of the patient's history (past problems and conditions, treatments, tests, and medications). 'We believe that with some work and attention, AI will become smart enough to understand the fullness of a patient's health journey, as opposed to just a discreet encounter,' Chandra says. For example, if a new condition arises during an exam, the AI might flag connections to prior complaints or lab results. It could help a physician prescribe new medications and guard against bad interactions in patients who may already be taking multiple drugs. The AI can also prepare a 'pre-read' for the clinician: a summary of a patient's current complaint—in the context of the individual's past history—that a physician (who may have already seen 10 patients that day) can read outside the door of the exam room. 'I'm hoping that we can keep building on the success that we've had so far to literally drive the documentation burden to zero,' Chandra says. 'If we do that well, we should eliminate a huge handicap that currently sits around our doctors, and we can bring the joy back to caregiving—that's a literal quote from a doctor.' And with so much promise for easing physician burnout and improving patient care, investors are taking note. Ambience raised a $70 million B round in February 2024, co-led by Kleiner Perkins and OpenAI's Startup Fund, reportedly putting its valuation at $1 billion. Ambience competes with Abridge, which performs a similar function of transcribing physician-patient conversations. Like Ambience, it has an integration with the popular Epic electronic medical records platform. Abridge recently raised $300 million in a Series E funding at a $5.3 billion valuation. Health AI may have a breakout star in OpenEvidence The healthcare industry moves very slowly, until it doesn't. A company called OpenEvidence is tackling clinical decision support—one of the most challenging areas in medicine—and appears so far to be winning over doctors at an impressive pace. In February, the Cambridge, Massachusetts-based company reported that 250,000 U.S. doctors were already using its product, and by mid-June the number had climbed to 350,000. Some industry observers say it's the fastest-growing platform for physicians in history. OpenEvidence recently closed a $75 million A round led by Sequoia Capital that pushed its valuation to $1 billion. The product functions a bit like Perplexity, but for healthcare. It's an AI-powered search tool, along with a chatbot, that lets doctors keep asking questions until they get what they need. Specifically, the tool locates evidence-based medical information from peer-reviewed journals, then summarizes it to answer a given question. The platform searches across 35 million medical publications, and recently announced a strategic partnership with The New England Journal of Medicine, giving it access to decades of premium medical content. OpenEvidence also recently signed a multiyear deal with the JAMA Network that provides its AI tool with access to content from the network's 13 medical journals. Unlike other platforms, OpenEvidence doesn't rely on random health information found on the open web. The outputs are grounded in trusted medical literature, and if the literature is inconclusive, OpenEvidence simply doesn't attempt an answer. 'One of the hardest things about being a doctor . . . is that they're expected to keep up with a fire hose of medical information,' said OpenEvidence CEO Daniel Nadler in a recent podcast. 'So this is really not appreciated by people who are not doctors, but there are two new medical papers published every minute, 24 hours per day.' Hume AI's emotionally intelligent models are finding new applications in eldercare and mental health There's growing evidence that, for many people using AI chatbots, one of the main attractions is companionship—often even a shoulder to cry on. For this to work well, a chatbot must have a reasonable amount of common sense (to help users keep their problems in perspective), but also strong emotional intelligence, especially empathy. New York-based Hume AI specializes in emotionally intelligent AI voice models. CEO Alan Cowen told me that these models enable a chatbot to detect the user's emotional state and respond appropriately. The models can also speak and listen simultaneously, allowing the AI to fully process what the user is saying—and know when to stop talking and simply listen. One of the most compelling applications of Hume AI's emotionally intelligent AI voices is a smartphone app called EverFriends, which provides conversation and companionship to seniors struggling with isolation and loneliness. Grand Rapids-based the app's developer, believes it's critical that the app can detect a user's mood and adapt its tone and responses accordingly. For users with dementia, the app can slow down its speech and repeat its outputs when needed. Along with companionship, EverFriends can help older users remember to take medications, attend appointments, and do home health routines such as balance exercises. And the app can automatically send out an emergency alert to caregivers or family if something goes wrong. Hume also supplies the EQ AI behind a platform called Hpy, which is used by therapists. The platform serves as a 'scribe' by listening in on therapy sessions and generating comprehensive session notes, which cuts down on the time therapists must spend on documentation. While creating the notes, Hpy also draws on Hume's Expression Measurement API to detect emotional cues in the client's words—insights that may shape the therapist's approach. Finally, Hpy uses Hume's Empathic Voice Interface (EVI) to give clients an AI companion to talk to between sessions with the human therapist. Clients can have guided sessions with the AI voice to work on specific therapeutic goals, or just have an open conversation with the AI. The AI, in turn, is able to maintain a meaningful dialogue, thanks to its awareness of the client's needs from earlier sessions.
Forbes
an hour ago
- Forbes
An Inflection Point For U.S. Competitiveness
'Peace through strength in the 21st century can only be achieved by turning bleeding-edge technology into defense capability faster than our potential adversaries. Today, that bleeding-edge technology largely exists in the commercial world and is dual-use. Our national security R&D ecosystem was developed over the last 65 years and includes the best universities, government laboratories, commercial and defense companies, large and small, and now new defense tech founders and capital. Let's get these entities resourced and organized to take advantage of the innovation being produced and build real defense capability to secure our nation for future generations."As the United States rushes toward its 250th birthday, the nation faces a watershed moment. A moment that will determine whether it sustains its hard-fought and hard-won pole position as the world's leading innovation-driven economy and military power; or whether it falters, falling behind others in a rapidly shifting, global race. Rapid advancements across nearly every technology are emerging and converging at an unprecedented pace. The fundamental question is: does America possess the capacity—and the resolve—to lead and set the global pace in this era of disruptive innovation? The Great Convergence "In this era of relentless technological upheaval, the question is no longer whether the United States can innovate — it's whether we can innovate fast enough to stay ahead. The future belongs to those who harness the chaos of convergence, transforming disruptive technologies into strategic advantage. The key is focus, synthesis, and collaboration across our entire ecosystem of academia, industry, and national labs. The clock is ticking while our global competitors are accelerating their pace.'Today's tech-based innovation landscape is a whirlwind. Farmers harness satellites, sensors, and AI to optimize yields; physicians stand on the brink of personalized medicine driven by genomics and machine learning; energy innovators are reimagining the grid with renewables, nuclear, and fusion; urban planners deploy data analytics to improve city life; cybersecurity experts leverage AI to defend against increasingly sophisticated threats; and AI itself is pushing a generational shift toward how the nation conceives of generating and harnessing energy. This is not incremental progress—it is a collision of technologies rewriting the rules of industry and society. Economist Joseph Schumpeter described this as 'creative destruction,' where innovation displaces old business models to ignite new waves of economic growth. However, the pace of this powerful force is accelerating: in 2023, for example, the turnover rate of firms in the S&P 500 was 31.4 percent—more than eight percentage points above its 10-year rolling average. The United States is not running this race alone – other nations and regions are on the track and jockeying to overtake the leader. China's aggressive strategies aim to dominate global markets and reshape security paradigms, challenging America's longstanding leadership. President Trump's recent warning to the White House OSTP underscores the urgency: 'Rivals abroad seek to usurp America's position as the world's greatest maker of marvels and producer of knowledge.' The stakes are clear—who leads in AI, quantum, biotech, and frontier tech will shape the future global order. Critical decisions lie ahead, the answer to which will determine if the United States is ready to rise to the occasion: The Urgency of Action 'We must meet this moment and work together to reap the benefits of these new technologies. Exercising new models for productive partnerships among all elements of the ecosystem is essential.'In response to mounting global competition and to help address these strategic questions, the Council on Competitiveness' Technology Leadership and Strategy Initiative, now in its 16th year, has issued a comprehensive new blueprint: Compact for America: A Call to Action for a New, Tech-Driven Industrial Base and National Innovation Ecosystem. This bold plan distills insights captured over several years of intense dialogue from some fifty of the nation's top chief technology officers from across sectors. This major report now offers a strategic pathway forward — a blueprint centers on four critical pillars: The convergence of platform technologies presents a 'perfect storm.' As innovation capacity and capability become increasingly vital to a nation's competitiveness — now on par with military and economic strength — the United States' ability to lead in innovation will determine its place in the global world order. Our leaders must prioritize the path of innovating relentlessly and leading decisively; the alternative is risking falling behind in the shadows of competitors eager to reshape the future in their image. The TLSI Compact for America is a rallying cry for leaders across sectors to unite behind a shared vision: restore America's innovation capacity and capability, secure its economic prosperity, and safeguard its national security in an increasingly competitive world.
CNN
an hour ago
- CNN
Food dyes: Removing them doesn't make products healthy
In the crusade to reduce chronic disease and neurobehavioral issues in the United States, synthetic food dyes are a hot target. California began paving the way for legislation against petroleum-based synthetic dyes a few years ago, based on health concerns including a potentially increased risk of cancer and neurobehavioral issues in children and animals. Gov. Gavin Newsom banned red dye No. 3 in 2023 and six other common dyes from school foods in 2024. Since then, 25 other states have followed in California's footsteps with legislation — some signed into law, others still in progress — that would either ban, restrict or require labels for food dyes. Some state legislators were inspired by the scrutinization of artificial food dyes by the 'Make America Healthy Again' movement launched by US Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. The US Food and Drug Administration announced in April its plans to work with industry to phase out the use of petroleum-based synthetic dyes in the food supply. But experts find it important for policymakers and the public to remember that dyes are just one component of highly engineered ultraprocessed foods. Accordingly, 'removing synthetic food dyes does not automatically transform the products into healthy foods or beverages,' said Dr. Jennifer Pomeranz, associate professor of public health policy and management at the New York University School of Global Public Health, via email. A new study helps quantify Pomeranz's sentiment, finding that foods and beverages with synthetic dyes contained 141% more total sugar on average compared with products without synthetic dyes. Sodium and saturated fat, however, were lower in foods with dyes, according to the study published Wednesday in the Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. The results indicate that synthetic food dyes can be considered a 'red flag' for a product that is likely less healthy overall, said Dr. David Andrews, acting chief science officer at the Environmental Working Group, a nonprofit health and environmental advocacy organization, via email. Andrews was not involved in the study. Like many lawmakers legislating against food dyes, lead study author Dr. Elizabeth Dunford's pursuit of this research was driven by both 'a personal and professional curiosity,' she said via email. 'I am a mom of two young kids — aged 7 and 5 — and definitely notice behavioral changes, in my son in particular, after eating or drinking sugary products colored with synthetic dyes,' said Dunford, a consultant for The George Institute for Global Health's food policy division. 'But also my main professional research area is examining the healthiness of food supplies, with a specific interest in nutrient profiling and the use of food additives.' Ultraprocessed foods, or UPF, comprise up to 70% of the US food supply and are made with industrial techniques and ingredients 'never or rarely used in kitchens,' according to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. These foods are typically low in fiber and high in calories, added sugar, refined grains and fats, sodium, and additives, all of which are designed to help make food more appealing. Additives often include preservatives to maintain freshness and texture or resist mold and bacteria, and emulsifiers to prevent ingredients from naturally separating. Other common additives include fragrance and flavor enhancers and agents for anti-foaming, bleaching, bulking, gelling and glazing. Numerous studies published over the past several decades have linked consumption of ultraprocessed foods to diseases or health issues including type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, obesity, premature death, cancer, depression, cognitive decline, stroke and sleep disorders. And the risks for some of these problems begin at just one daily serving of ultraprocessed foods, according to multiple studies. This evidence is why some of the states with laws or bills restricting food dyes have included popular additives, such as brominated vegetable oil or propylparaben. It's also why experts caution against eating such foods even if they're colored with natural dyes, which industry is shifting toward amid federal and state pressure. Texas Gov. Greg Abbott signed into law on Sunday first-of-its-kind legislation that requires labels on foods or beverages containing 44 dyes or additives. Additionally, the Kraft Heinz Company will phase out synthetic dyes from the roughly 10% of its US portfolio that still contains them before the end of 2027, the company told CNN Wednesday. 'The percentage of products with synthetic dyes is much lower than the percentage of products that are UPF, thus natural colors enabling the overeating of UPF are a problem,' Dr. Jerold Mande, CEO of Nourish Science, a nongovernmental organization focused on nutrition crises in the US, said via email. Mande wasn't involved in the study. The primary focus of the new study led by Dunford was measuring the use of synthetic dyes in 39,763 food and beverage products sold by the top 25 manufacturers in the US, using 2020 data from Label Insight, a NielsenIQ company for product insights. Up to 19%, or 1 in 5, of the products contained anywhere between one and seven synthetic dyes, the researchers found. The most used artificial dye was red dye No. 40, followed by red dye No. 3 and blue dye No. 1. The food categories with the highest usage of dyes were sports drinks (79%), beverage concentrates (71%) and confectionery (54%). 'Carbonated beverages represented the largest proportion of total sales of products containing synthetic dyes (30%), due to it being the highest- selling category,' the authors wrote. But some manufacturers have pointed out that changes in the marketplace since 2020 may impact the current percentages. Still, dyes are still a significant part of the food system, and many of these products remain on the market. To some extent, the study is likely still 'a good picture of the landscape since it typically takes 18 months for big companies to change their supply chain to enable reformulation,' said Mande, who is also an adjunct professor of nutrition at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. The research also provides baseline information for change in light of the national spotlight on removing certain colorants from the food supply, especially from schools, said Pomeranz, who was not involved in the study. 'It is critical that regulatory agencies continue to prioritize research that is peer reviewed and relevant to health and human safety,' Sarah Gallo, senior vice president of product policy at the Consumer Brands Association, said via email. 'The makers of America's household brands are constantly innovating to meet consumer demand and offer a number of product options with natural ingredients in the marketplace.' The association represents the food industry. 'Additionally, the industry has invested in consumer transparency tools such as SmartLabel and Facts up Front so that families can review product ingredients and nutrition information and make decisions best for them,' Gallo added. People concerned about food dyes and ultraprocessed foods should move toward whole foods and unsweetened drinks and away from ultraprocessed foods and beverages, as much as they can afford to given high costs, Pomeranz said. Increase your intake of whole fruits, veggies, grains, nuts and seeds, and legumes. You should also be aware of how much sodium you're eating and how certain foods make you feel — ultraprocessed foods can keep you wanting more, while whole foods are more satiating. Read ingredient labels when you shop, experts said. 'One thing that did surprise me was the presence of synthetic dyes in products I was not expecting them — such as plain hot dog buns, taco shells, bagels, waffles etc.,' said Dunford, adjunct assistant professor in the department of nutrition at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Some experts have argued that to truly improve the nation's health, there also needs to be a larger focus on making healthy foods more accessible. However, the MAHA movement 'has made big-food-caused chronic disease a political priority. That's a policy game-changer,' Mande said. 'Focusing on colors is a reasonable first step to disrupting the ultra-formulation food business model.' But 'MAHA will need to take on ultra-formulations more directly, for example, limiting them in school meals, to succeed in improving child health,' he added. EDITOR'S NOTE: Sign up for CNN's Eat, But Better: Mediterranean Style. Our eight-part guide shows you a delicious expert-backed eating lifestyle that will boost your health for life. CNN's Sandee LaMotte contributed to this story.
