The Science Behind Mining for Riches on the Deep-Sea Floor
Explorers have dreamed of harvesting deep-sea metals since the 1870s, when the British scientific ship HMS Challenger pulled up mineral-laden rocks on its round-the-world voyage.
The first commercial effort to exploit these riches failed a century later. In 1970, a U.S. company hoisted 60,000 rocks from the seafloor off the coast of Charleston, S.C., and then dumped most overboard because they didn't have enough mineral content.
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WebMD
an hour ago
- WebMD
The Right Way to Use AI to Interpret Medical Test Results
June 5, 2025 – It's a common situation today: You're anxiously awaiting the results of a medical test when – ding! – they land in your patient portal. You'll be looking at them before your doctor. You start reading, but the confusing jargon makes you more nervous. What's a tortuous colon? Is a 1-centimeter nodule on my thyroid big enough to worry about? Do I have cancer? Many people are now using artificial intelligence tools such as ChatGPT to decipher their test results while they wait to hear from their doctor. Some doctors see it as the next-gen version of asking Dr. Google, but on steroids. Just like an old-school internet search, the answers can range from highly accurate to not-so-helpful to misleading to terrifying. "Patients often do this and come in with conclusions, and sometimes those conclusions are appropriate based on what ChatGPT has recommended," says Karim Hanna, MD, an associate professor and program director of the University of South Florida's Family Medicine Residency Program. "But also, there are times where those conclusions need redirection or clarification for the patients so they're not misunderstanding the details." We asked doctors to spell out the pros and cons of using AI to interpret medical test results and share advice on the smartest ways to do it. What are the benefits of using AI to explain test results? AI is good at translating medical terms into understandable language. Test result reports aren't exactly patient-friendly. "I've been a physician for 20 years, and there are aspects of these radiology reports I don't understand because they're talking about the dye and the protocol, and that's very specific to a radiologist," says Ateev Mehrotra, MD, MPH, chair of the Department of Health Services, Policy and Practice at the Brown University School of Public Health and a researcher studying how AI can make test reports more understandable. "This is a document that was really directed to talk between doctors, or sometimes between radiologists." Say a report says you have a tortuous colon. It sounds horrific, but it just means your colon's twists and turns were hard to navigate. AI can clarify things like that. "If there's some verbiage that is kind of medical lingo, ChatGPT does a great job of bringing it to lay terms and explaining things to patients," says Hanna. Plain-language summaries help people digest results. One study found that people with cancer who received a CT scan report simplified by a large language model and checked by a radiologist understood their condition better than people who only received the original report. Another study found that patients better understood their pathology reports when they received an AI-generated summary. Some health systems, such as Stanford Medicine, are now using AI tools to help doctors explain test results to patients. Mehrotra expects more will follow. AI can ease panic – in some cases. Now that test results go straight to patients, sometimes before doctors see them, anxiety around test results is common, research shows. Mehrotra says AI tools could potentially decrease panicked calls to doctors by helping patients understand common findings and test results that are normal or low risk. " The hope is that more people will see their test results and say, 'Oh, it's OK,' and then be willing to wait for their doc for a couple days to respond, as opposed to having that panic," says Mehrotra. What are the downsides of using AI to explain test results? It can be wrong. AI is good, but it's not perfect. ChatGPT is 87%-94% accurate when it analyzes radiology reports, according to Harvard research, and about 97% accurate at interpreting pathology reports, according to a study in JAMA Network Open. Sometimes, AI tools such as ChatGPT generate hallucinations, presenting incorrect information as if it's true (and doing so in a confident way). Fact-check: First, click the supporting links to ensure the information comes from real sources. "There are times where it just makes up sources, and you try to find that source, and it's nowhere to be found," says Sirui Jiang, MD, PhD, a diagnostic radiology resident at University Hospitals Cleveland who studies AI. Once you verify a source exists, check its quality. Ideally, it's a peer-reviewed journal, a doctors' society, or a health system. Then, make sure the text says what the AI tool claims it does. The output isn't tailored to your situation. One drawback of ChatGPT for interpreting medical tests: It lacks context about the patient's medical history, according to research by Hanna and colleagues. When ChatGPT interprets one test in isolation, it might miss the big picture. "Let's say someone has a hemoglobin of 11," says Hanna. "That hemoglobin of 11 is, in theory, abnormal, and ChatGPT will report it as such, sometimes giving reasons that may be scary or concerning to patients." For example, ChatGPT might say that person needs to rule out colon cancer. But they may have had a hemoglobin of 11 for years, and this finding might not actually be new or concerning. "Take everything that ChatGPT gives you with a grain of salt," says Hanna. "The best person to give you recommendations on the results that they ordered is the physician that ordered said result because that clinician will at least have the wherewithal to get you to the right resource, even if it's beyond their capacity to handle that problem." If you're expecting bad news, should you wait to hear from your doctor? Before a high-stakes test, like a test to stage cancer, doctors and patients should make a plan to shorten the limbo period when a patient is alone with their results, says Howard Forman, MD, MBA, a professor of radiology and biomedical imaging at Yale University. "The first thing is to have foresight, both from the patient as well as the physician point of view, and an agreement about how you're going to handle new information," he says. "I think some physicians know that a patient is awaiting a very anxiety-provoking report, and in those situations, it's really useful to have an agreement that the doctor is going to be as anxious to see the results as you are and that they'll be in touch with you by MyChart in a few hours, or maybe by phone or maybe in person." Whether you choose to dive into the results early or not, at least you know how soon you will have a chance to ask questions. What should you tell AI about your test results? For the most helpful output, don't just copy and paste test results into an AI tool and hit send. Use prompt engineering – the art and science of creating prompts for best results. "If you're a patient and you are going to leverage these tools, then I usually suggest an acronym, C.A.R.E," says Hanna. Give the tool: Context, or background about yourself Action, a verb that describes what you want it to do Role to take on; in this case, an expert doctor Expectations for how complex the explanation will be For example, you could paste your results and add the following text: I am __. (Enter relevant background information, like your age, if you're comfortable with it, keeping in mind that these tools don't have the same security and privacy standards as medical records.) Assume the role of a _____. (Enter radiologist for an imaging test or pathologist for a tissue or fluid sample.) Please ____ (Identify the key findings in this report OR tell me what the most likely next steps would be OR simplify this report.) at a _____ language level. (Start with fourth grade. If you want more detail and complexity, go up to your highest education level.) Try a few variations and compare. "If you're going to do it, do it a few ways and see how consistent it is," says Mehrotra. "Three interpreted responses versus just one is probably going to be more helpful." Consider using an AI tool made for medical information and clinical data, such as Open Evidence. "It's trained on evidence-based medicine, essentially, so it's not just pulling from the internet; it's pulling from peer-reviewed articles," says Hanna. Whether patients use AI or not, radiologists and imaging specialists can help by writing reports in scientifically accurate yet understandable ways, says Forman. "The more that we can use terms that are clear, concise, and convey information in a manner that is useful to the clinicians and then the patients, the better it is," he says. How should you talk with your doctor about what ChatGPT told you? If you're concerned, call and ask to discuss your results as soon as possible. Be upfront about where you got your information. "If you're feeling guilty about using ChatGPT or any other way to interpret your test results, don't feel guilty, and don't hide it from the doctor," says Mehrotra. "Everyone's doing it." During the waiting game, it helps to remember that while most doctors are busy, they move fast in emergencies. "Patients may not be aware of that if there's something life-threatening on a radiology test, a laboratory test, a pathology test, that radiologist is calling at 2 a.m. or whatever time it is to a doctor to say, 'Look, there's a life-threatening issue here, call the patient, get them on board," says Mehrotra. "That is their responsibility."
CNET
an hour ago
- CNET
'Murderbot': When to Watch Episode 5 of Apple's New Sci-Fi Comedy Thriller
Alexander Skarsgård as the titular sentient sec bot in Apple TV Plus's sci-fi thriller, Murderbot. Apple TV Plus Murderbot joins the epic list of must-see sci-fi series you can watch on Apple TV Plus. The sci-fi comedy is based on Martha Wells's Hugo—and Nebula Award-winning bestselling series. It follows a self-hacking security robot (or sec bot, for short) programmed to protect its crew while trying to make sense of its newfound sentience. It loves trashy TV but despises human emotions. Alexander Skarsgård leads the series as the cyborg in question. Can the Murderbot keep its free will a secret and serve out its assignment to keep its vulnerable human clients safe? Or will it succumb to its more profound desire: watching futuristic soap operas and pondering its place in the vast, unknowable maw of the universe? Alongside Skarsgård, Noma Dumezweni, David Dastmalchian, Sabrina Wu, Akshay Khanna, Tamara Podemski and Tattiawna Jones star. The Weitz brothers wrote, directed and produced the series; David S. Goyer and Keith Levine are the executive producers. Scroll on to learn the episodic release schedule for Murderbot and more streaming details about the series. Read more: Best Streaming Services of 2025 When to watch Murderbot on Apple TV Plus Murderbot's fifth episode, Rogue War Tracker Infinite, will premiere on Apple TV Plus on Friday, June 6. The remaining episodes will stream on the platform each Friday until the Season 1 finale on July 11. Here's the full episodic schedule: Episode 1: "Free Commerce" -- May 16 "Free Commerce" -- May 16 Episode 2: "Eye Contact" -- May 16 "Eye Contact" -- May 16 Episode 3: "Risk Assessment" -- May 23 "Risk Assessment" -- May 23 Episode 4: "Escape Velocity Protocol" -- May 30 "Escape Velocity Protocol" -- May 30 Episode 5: "Rogue War Tracker Infinite" -- June 6 "Rogue War Tracker Infinite" -- June 6 Episode 6: "Command Feed" -- June 13 "Command Feed" -- June 13 Episode 7: "Complementary Species" -- June 20 "Complementary Species" -- June 20 Episode 8: "Foreign Object" -- June 27 "Foreign Object" -- June 27 Episode 9: "All Systems Red" -- July 4 "All Systems Red" -- July 4 Episode 10: "The Perimeter" -- July 11 If you don't have an Apple device, sign up for the service via Prime Video channels or on your Android device. James Martin/CNET Apple TV Plus Home of Murderbot To watch Murderbot, you will need to sign up for a subscription to Apple TV Plus, which is priced at $10 per month. If you are a new subscriber, you can take advantage of a seven-day free trial. Additionally, if you have purchased a new Apple device, you are eligible for three months of Apple TV+ for free, but you must redeem this offer within 90 days of your purchase. See at Apple TV Plus How to watch Murderbot from anywhere with a VPN If you're traveling abroad and want to keep up with your favorite shows or movies while away from home, a VPN can help enhance your privacy and security when streaming. It encrypts your traffic and prevents your internet service provider from throttling your speeds; they can also be helpful when connecting to public Wi-Fi networks while traveling, adding an extra layer of protection for your devices and logins. VPNs are legal in many countries, including the US and Canada, and can be used for legitimate purposes such as improving online privacy and security. However, some streaming services may have policies restricting VPN usage to access region-specific content. If you're considering a VPN for streaming, check the platform's terms of service to ensure compliance. If you choose to use a VPN, follow the provider's installation instructions, ensuring you're connected securely and in compliance with applicable laws and service agreements. Some streaming platforms may block access when a VPN is detected, so verifying whether your streaming subscription allows VPN usage is crucial.
CNET
an hour ago
- CNET
Goodbye to Melatonin and Hello to Magnesium. Here's Why You Should Use This Supplement for Sleep
Melatonin is undoubtedly the most popular go-to sleep supplement on the market. However, melatonin isn't best for everyone. In fact, it can give some people bizarre dreams or leave them feeling groggy the next day. If you're one of those people, there's an alternative to melatonin. Another sleep aid that's gained recent popularity is magnesium, which is said to calm your nervous system and help you get quality sleep. Read on to learn about magnesium's benefits, types and dose suggestions. Magnesium might just be the powerful sleep aid that you've been searching for. What is magnesium? Magnesium is an essential mineral in the body that plays a key role in regulating blood pressure, protein synthesis, muscle and nerve function and blood sugar. Magnesium also helps in bone development, energy production, improving sleep and maintaining a normal heart rhythm. Bit245/Getty Images Magnesium is present in several foods, such as: Green leafy vegetables Legumes Nuts Seeds Soy products Whole grains If your diet lacks such foods, you may require magnesium supplementation. Several magnesium supplements are available that provide various health benefits. You must talk with your doctor before taking magnesium supplements for your sleep. Benefits of magnesium for sleep Magnesium supplementation can help you get better and longer sleep, resulting in less tiredness during the day. Magnesium also can treat sleep disorders such as insomnia and restless leg syndrome, helping you fall asleep easily and improving your sleep quality. Decreases insomnia Insomnia is a condition characterized by difficulty falling asleep, staying asleep or early waking. It affects about 10% to 48% of the global population, with the percentage being higher for the elderly. Magnesium plays a role in the production of melatonin, a hormone associated with the normal sleep-wake cycle of the body. Studies suggest that magnesium deficiency can decrease melatonin concentration, thereby interfering with sleep. Magnesium can also be combined with other supplements, such as melatonin and vitamin B complex, to reduce insomnia symptoms and improve sleep quality. Can treat restless leg syndrome Restless leg syndrome is a neurological condition that causes uncomfortable sensations such as tingling, creeping or crawling in your legs and an irresistible urge to move them. RLS can disrupt your sleep, making it difficult to fall asleep as people are forced to move their legs to relieve the sensations. Research suggests magnesium supplementation can help relax your muscles, which can relieve your discomfort and make you fall asleep easily. Calms the central nervous system Magnesium can regulate sleep by activating gamma-aminobutyric acid, a chemical messenger that reduces the excitement or firing of neurotransmitters and calms the nervous system. Magnesium can also inhibit the N-methyl-d-aspartate receptor which promotes muscle relaxation. Studies have also suggested that magnesium supplementation can reduce the concentration of a stress hormone, serum cortisol, which further calms the nervous system and promotes better sleep. May relieve anxiety and depression Anxiety and depression can increase the risk of insomnia. Research suggests that magnesium may diminish anxiety and mild to moderate depression, which may also help to improve sleep quality. Speak with your doctor about any concerns you may have about your mental health. bojanstory/Getty Images What type of magnesium is best for sleep? Several types of magnesium supplements are available, each having their own health benefits. The following are a few that can help you get a good night's sleep: Magnesium glycinate: This form of magnesium can be easily absorbed by your body, promoting relaxation and better sleep. Being easily absorbed also means it is unlikely to cause serious side effects. Magnesium glycinate can also treat depression, which may cause sleep problems. This form of magnesium can be easily absorbed by your body, promoting relaxation and better sleep. Being easily absorbed also means it is unlikely to cause serious side effects. Magnesium glycinate can also treat depression, which may cause sleep problems. Magnesium L-threonate: Magnesium L-threonate is a safe and bioavailable form of magnesium that can help to improve sleep quality, mood fluctuations and daytime activities. Magnesium L-threonate is a safe and bioavailable form of magnesium that can help to improve sleep quality, mood fluctuations and daytime activities. Magnesium oxide: This form is less bioavailable than the other two. Research suggests that magnesium oxide can help to improve insomnia symptoms in older adults. Magnesium dose for sleep The amount of magnesium a person can take daily depends on their age and any existing health conditions. The recommended daily intake ranges from 400mg to 420 mg for adult men and 310mg to 320 mg for adult women, per the Food and Nutrition Board at the Institute of Medicine of the National Academies. This recommended amount is a general guideline for overall magnesium intake but not specifically for sleep. Talk to your doctor or a sleep expert before taking magnesium supplements for sleep. They can recommend the supplement most suitable for you since some forms of magnesium can interfere with certain prescription drugs. Bottom line Getty Images Magnesium supplements have recently gained popularity as a sleep aid. They can help calm your nervous system, relax muscles, improve depression and anxiety symptoms and may even treat conditions such as restless leg syndrome and insomnia. Consult with your doctor before taking any magnesium supplements for sleep. Some vitamins and supplements may interfere with other medications and cause side effects such as abdominal cramps, diarrhea or nausea. Your doctor can recommend the type and dose of magnesium most suitable for you.
