Half of global population descended from ancient group in what is now Ukraine, DNA research shows
Around 4 billion people can trace their ancestry to the Yamnaya, a community of cattle herders who lived in the areas that make up the modern-day Ukraine and expanded dramatically across Europe and Asia, the research shows.
Researchers identified the village of Mykhailivka, lying in the Russian-occupied part of Kherson Oblast, as the genetic birthplace of the Indo-European peoples who spread across the European continent and West Asia in waves of migrations.
The equestrian culture, dubbed Yamnaya after the pits (yama in Ukrainian and Russian) in which they buried their dead beneath mounds called kurgans, is seen as a shared ancestor to various ancient peoples, including the Romans, Celts, Persians, and Macedonians.
The new DNA research analyzed remains of 450 prehistoric individuals from 100 sites across Europe and 1,000 previously known ancient samples, reinforcing earlier theories on the spread of the Yamnaya culture based on archeological and linguistic evidence.
The ongoing Russian occupation of the Yamnaya culture's cradle undercores the damage wrought to Ukraine's cultural heritage by Moscow's war.
As of February, 485 Ukrainian cultural sites have been confirmed as damaged during the war, including two archeological sites. Russia has also consistently looted Ukrainian artifacts from Crimea, Donbas, and elsewhere since 2014, transporting many to Russian museums.
Read also: Kyiv, not Kiev — How Ukrainians reclaimed their capital's name
We've been working hard to bring you independent, locally-sourced news from Ukraine. Consider supporting the Kyiv Independent.
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Newsweek
2 hours ago
- Newsweek
The New Hunt for Red October: How NATO Keeps Up With Russian Submarines
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Aerial view of the Nato Alliance reserach vessel Aerial view of the Nato Alliance reserach vessel Credits Clément Gargoullaud - Kraken Films Deep in the Arctic, on board NATO's only research vessel, green bars of data move across screens as computers whir, the noise occasionally rising in pitch. To the untrained eye, it all means little. But to NATO's lone scientific unit on board the NRV Alliance, it is a glimpse into how the rapidly changing Arctic could force the alliance to switch how it detects objects—and threats—lurking beneath the waves. One of these threats, and one notoriously hard to pick up, is Russian submarines. Climate change is making the task of finding them even more difficult. As the planet heats up, fresh water is seeping into the Arctic Ocean as the sea ice and the permafrost melts, while warmer waters from the Atlantic bleed in from the south. "Whereas in the past, we would have thought of the Arctic Ocean as a frozen desert, now, increasingly, it's being thought of as open water at some parts of the summer season," Klaus Dodds, a professor at the U.K.'s Royal Holloway, University of London, told Newsweek on board the vessel. "It's an ocean literally undergoing state change." That change in temperature and salinity—or levels of salt—has a heavy hand in influencing how sound moves in water. But knowing how sound travels under the waves is key for picking up threats the alliance otherwise wouldn't spot. This pool photograph distributed by Russian state agency Sputnik shows the new Krasnoyarsk nuclear submarine during a flag-rising ceremony led by Russia's President at the Arctic port of Severodvinsk on December 11, 2023. This pool photograph distributed by Russian state agency Sputnik shows the new Krasnoyarsk nuclear submarine during a flag-rising ceremony led by Russia's President at the Arctic port of Severodvinsk on December 11, 2023. KIRILL IODAS/POOL/AFP/Getty "When you talk about detecting, tracking, identifying submarines, this is something where you can build all the technology you want," the expedition's chief scientist, Gaultier Real, told Newsweek. But "if you don't know the environment in which you are deploying that, in which you're operating that, you're missing something." NATO's Nordic-Recognized Environmental Picture 2025 The Arctic region is made up of the Arctic Ocean—much of which is crusted with ice—and a collection of seas that are generally ice-free and much easier for ships to navigate, like the Barents Sea north of Norway and western Russia, or the northernmost swathes of the Atlantic. All these waters feature high up on the strategic priority lists of the eight states with Arctic territory, and, increasingly, further flung nations. Moscow has a grip on roughly 50 percent of the Arctic coastline. The seven other states with territory in the Arctic Circle include Canada, the U.S. and Norway, all of which are NATO members. The alliance, while keeping one eye on the Arctic Ocean, is typically more concerned about what Russia—and increasingly China—are doing in the ice-free waters of the slightly more southern seas. This is why the NATO scientists set sail on the NRV Alliance from the northern Norwegian city of Tromsø in early July, heading north toward Svalbard and around the Greenland Sea. Many months of work went into scrutinizing where the Arctic ice would be, pulling data from satellites, camera-rigged drones and an experimental radar to map out the best places to drop buoys. Each of these buoys carried hydrophones—microphones that record sound underwater—to pick up acoustic signals sent out from the NATO ship. The scientists would then know which signals to watch out for on the recorders after they bounce off the ice. Robotician working in the lab collecting datas from a previous sound recording. Robotician working in the lab collecting datas from a previous sound recording. Credits Clément Gargoullaud - Kraken Films A smaller boat would break away from the Alliance, dropping the buoys a few miles away from the main ship. The buoys drifted for hours or days before the scientists went back in search of their equipment, with their fingers crossed the hydrophones and their data were floating close by and intact. The signals sent from the NATO ship, however, were low power—and deliberately so. One reason is to protect the wildlife but another, said Real, is that stealth objects would keep as low a profile as possible. "Both from the scientific and the defense point of view, this is a project that we think is extremely important," Real said. "The fact that now this is an area in the world where everything is changing so fast makes it a fantastic playground for science, but also an area of huge strategical importance." The data from the experiments can be pieced together to create a model of how sound from any source travels in the Arctic waters, essentially identifying which sounds are emitted by different objects. NATO militaries can then use this model in their shadowing of Russian submarines as well as have a better idea of how to hide their own submarines from Moscow's surveillance. "We work for the safety, security, of the nations of the alliance, and what we provide to them is our research capability and how this can be translated to operational scenarios," Real said. "We can check with the experiment that we are doing that the models, that the way of operating the sonars is still efficient." "It probably isn't," he added. "It means that we need to adapt the tools that we have." Russia's Submarines During the Cold War, there was a "huge interest" in research that delved into sea ice, and how it could blur views of stealthy objects like submarines, Dodds said. There has also long been a focus on how salinity can toy with acoustics, he added. Russia's Pacific Fleet submarines parade off the port city of Vladivostok during the Navy Day celebrations on July 30, 2023. Russia's Pacific Fleet submarines parade off the port city of Vladivostok during the Navy Day celebrations on July 30, 2023. PAVEL KOROLYOV/AFP/Getty The same is true today. NATO has multiple ways of tracking Russian President Vladimir Putin's submarines, from using its own submarines to flying aircraft designed to hunt vessels in deep water. There are also cables zigzagging along the ocean floor and sensors that can listen in to what passes close by. But there's a common denominator. "I would say everything we do," retired U.S. Air Force General Glen VanHerck told Newsweek, "would be acoustic in nature." Until recently, VanHerck served as the commander of the U.S. Northern Command and the North American Aerospace Defense Command, or NORAD. The joint American and Canadian command oversees both states' Arctic operations. NATO nations can—and do—use other types of equipment, like magnetic anomaly detectors, infrared sensors or radar, said Sidharth Kaushal, a senior research fellow at the influential British think tank the Royal United Services Institute. But "acoustic sensors are by far the most effective way of picking up a submarine." "It's extremely important for NATO countries to be able to know where the Russian submarines are," said Katarzyna Zysk, a professor of international relations and contemporary history at the Norwegian Institute for Defence Studies, closely linked to the Norwegian armed forces. Moscow has always been keen to slip away from NATO surveillance, Zysk told Newsweek. For Russia, sliding its submarines out of NATO's sight is a familiar game—and one it knows how to play well. "I would hope, or I would wish, I could say that we always track Russian submarines," Major General Gjert Lage Dyndal, the deputy commander of the Norwegian Joint Headquarters, told Newsweek, speaking from the city of Bodø to the southwest of Tromsø. "But, of course, that is not the case." "Russian submarines are quite capable, quite quiet, and a challenge to Western nations to track globally, but also in the Arctic," VanHerck said. "They're not as challenging to track, sometimes, as they would be if they get into the open ocean, such as the Atlantic, where they are quieter, but they are certainly a challenge for us in the Arctic." A big part of Russia's submarine strategy is to skulk under the ice, able to threaten NATO with a preemptive attack or powerful retaliation, or simply the possibility they could transit under the ice to pop up close to NATO members' coastlines with highly destructive weapons ready to launch. "It's really hard to detect a submarine that is hiding under the ice," Zysk said. NATO Alliance research vessel docked in Gdynia Harbor, Poland NATO Alliance research vessel docked in Gdynia Harbor, Poland Credits Clément Gargoullaud - Kraken Films Russia has for years test-fired advanced missiles from submerged nuclear-powered ballistic missile submarines in the Arctic. Some reports have even indicated Russia launched a missile that punched through ice at the North Pole. Russia's exact strategy on how and when it breaks through the ice is hard to discern. The Russian feeling has long been that the ice could be Moscow's friend. "There was a belief among Russian military, or really, more Soviet even, military strategists, that because of the icy conditions, NATO ships couldn't really get too far into the Arctic," said Dmitry Gorenburg, a senior research scientist focusing on the Russian military with CNA, a U.S.-based think tank. Now, although Russia still has a good few strategies up its sleeve—like hiding out in the deepest waters—Moscow may be feeling more exposed than ever in areas where it had long leaned on ice to fend off attention from its adversaries, particularly around its smaller bases. The ice is no longer judged to be enough protection, Gorenburg told Newsweek. "That's why you see a lot more positioning of coastal defense batteries [and] maritime patrol aircraft." Climate Change and Trade The Arctic, for the Kremlin, isn't just about defense. It's also about lucrative resources, an opening up of once-untraversable trade routes to commercial traffic and closer ties with China, a self-proclaimed "near-Arctic state" only upping its presence in the region. "One of Russia's major objectives has been to turn the Arctic into Russia's foremost base for natural resources," said Zysk. Russia's Arctic continental shelf contains more than 85 trillion cubic meters of natural gas, and 17 billion metric tons of oil, Russian state media reported in 2022. Other figures put the number at 13 billion metric tons of oil. Deck crew releasing new hydrophones Deck crew releasing new hydrophones Credits Clément Gargoullaud - Kraken Films Over the past 10 years, Russia's emphasis on the Arctic has been fed by the "belief that a lot of the economic resources that Russia is depending on are in the Arctic," from hydrocarbons to fisheries, said Gorenburg. "This is the greatest opportunity for them to develop industry," said Lage. Norway's military still has a direct line to Russia's commanders, mostly to resolve issues about fisheries and other resources, but also to avert any potential armed crises at sea between the neighbors, Lage said. Oslo shares around 120 miles of land border with Moscow, Norwegian soil stopping not far west of Russia's major military bases clustered around the Arctic cities of Murmansk and Severomorsk. The deputy commander refused to be drawn on any more specifics of how often the hotline is used, but said Oslo and Moscow spoke "when needed" and that the line of communication is always open. Russia's Build-Up in the Arctic Of course, the Arctic is crucial for Russia militarily too. At the top of its list of concerns is its huge naval and aerial presence in the Kola Peninsula, which sticks out east of Finland and Norway. These facilities are home to much of Russia's prized Northern Fleet, not least its all-important nuclear submarines and the attack submarines tasked with protecting them from any enemy strikes designed to take out Moscow's vast nuclear arsenal before they can launch. Sonar Representation of Ice Blocks Sonar Representation of Ice Blocks Credits Clément Gargoullaud - Kraken Films Russia also uses the Kola Peninsula as a jumping-off point to send submarines armed with conventional, long-range cruise missiles out toward the U.S. or the Atlantic via the waters between Greenland, Iceland and the U.K.—commonly referred to as the GIUK Gap. "The idea is that if they pass through undetected, then they could potentially put much of both Europe and the United States under threat from these cruise missile attacks," said Gorenburg. "They certainly could launch those missiles from the Arctic, but the range is such that they're better off going farther into the open ocean, rather than staying in the Arctic." Russia has, for quite a few years now, been reopening many of its Cold War-era Arctic bases while building new strongholds. The Simons Foundation Canada last year identified 69 military bases in the Arctic that are staffed all year round, belonging to the five of the states with coastlines in the Arctic and ranging from facilities also used by civilians to major nuclear weapons sites. Russia has 32 of these sites, with the U.S. figure standing at 10. Norway has 15 and Canada eight, according to the foundation's numbers. All the bases are in the Arctic region, but not necessarily above the line of latitude marking the Arctic Circle. Different judgment calls on what constitutes a military base, and whether it is a new facility, produce varying numbers. Either way, the shoring up of Russia's military presence in the Arctic is extensive. Russia watchers say Moscow channeled much of its efforts into strengthening its Northern Fleet on the Kola Peninsula, but also into early warning radars and a smattering of compact bases elsewhere in the Arctic, including the Franz Josef archipelago east of Norway's key outpost of Svalbard and Wrangel Island, roughly 300 miles from Alaska, that could host aircraft in a conflict. The Kremlin has a litany of other sites related to missile testing and launches as well as its space programs. Parts of the Arctic, like the Barents Sea, are a "testbed of Russian new systems," Lage said. This includes nuclear-powered torpedoes, long-range missiles, and other sophisticated technologies that are "still a high priority" for Russia. Drone equiped with Phase I high definition camera. Drone equiped with Phase I high definition camera. Credits Clément Gargoullaud - Kraken Films "I think we should be concerned" about Russia's expanding Arctic footprint, VanHerck said. There's no cause for "panic," the former commander added, "but we should make sure we monitor Russia's build-up and, more importantly, what is their intent with that build-up." "Russia's military posture in the Arctic is of grave concern," Iceland's Foreign Minister Þorgerður Katrín Gunnarsdóttir told Newsweek. "The Arctic remains central to Russia's strategic calculus, and its activities in the region go well beyond defensive measures." All this activity is propped up by a long history of Russian identification with the Arctic. "Geographically, it's an important part of Russia," Zysk said. "But also historically, first the Soviet Union, then Russia has taken a pride in being able to conquer this extremely difficult-to-navigate, difficult-to-live-in region." There is a self-perception of themselves as "northern people," added Gorenburg. "You see these kinds of symbolic acts in past years, even before they really started on the military build-up." Russia has repeatedly planted its tricolor flag on the North Pole, including delving down to the seabed in 2007. It has also put the work into building habitable cities with a significant civilian population—rather than just remote, military-focused outposts—above the Arctic Circle, Gorenburg said. "It's a different mentality." Has NATO Caught Up? Current and former military officials from NATO countries often concede that Russia is more comfortable operating in the Arctic. Russia's icebreaker fleet far outstrips that of any other military, an example of the country's determination to dominate the region. "Very, very few allied partners have the capability to operate over time in [the] ice-covered Arctic," said Lage. NATO nations have trouble "being able to operate not just for an exercise or two, but operate substantial forces over time," Lage said. The U.S. Navy, for example, holds its Arctic Ocean exercises, dubbed ICEX, just biennially. The ''Xue Long 2'' polar expedition icebreaker and the ''Polar'' icebreaking survey ship of the Beihai Bureau of the Ministry of Natural Resources are docking at the Qingdao Olympic Sailing Center pier in Qingdao, Shandong... The ''Xue Long 2'' polar expedition icebreaker and the ''Polar'' icebreaking survey ship of the Beihai Bureau of the Ministry of Natural Resources are docking at the Qingdao Olympic Sailing Center pier in Qingdao, Shandong province, China, on July 3, 2024. More Costfoto/NurPhoto/Getty "We need the human aspect—more research that allows humans to operate in that environment," as well as more "domain awareness," said VanHerck. This broadly refers to how a military can detect and anticipate threats in each area, and plan accordingly. It's also "very tough to communicate" in the most northern areas of the globe, the former commander said. "It's a mental shift in how we're going to operate, but I don't believe we've done enough to operate in that environment," said VanHerck. But NATO has recognized in the past few years it will need to beef up its presence in the Arctic and do more in the High North, said Dodds. In May, NATO wrapped up what it described as the alliance's "biggest and most demanding annual anti-submarine warfare (ASW) exercise," Dynamic Mongoose. The U.S. has pivoted policy to focus more northward. In 2018, it resuscitated the U.S. Navy's Second Fleet to counter Russia, including in the Arctic, closely linked with the establishment of NATO's newest command, the Virginia-headquartered Joint Force Command Norfolk. Now well into his second term, President Donald Trump hasn't changed his stance on the Arctic when placed side-by-side with his first stint in office, said Kåre Aas, who served as Norway's ambassador to the U.S. when Trump initially swept into power. The president has maintained the status quo of intelligence cooperation between the two nations as they look toward the Arctic, he said. Trump's interest is certainly clear, if not always welcome to fellow NATO members. In the early months of this year, the administration frustrated Canada with attempts to label the country the U.S.'s 51st state, and Denmark through refusing to rule out military activity to seize Greenland for "international security." These types of remarks create "anger," Aas told Newsweek, but don't diminish the need for countries like Norway to keep the U.S. firmly as a close ally. "We need to also show the Americans why Norway is important to the United States." Norway is investing in anti-submarine warfare, or ASW, an area NATO turned away from as the tensions of the Cold War washed away. Norway's military says Moscow's submarine activity was high during the Cold War but dipped in the aftermath of the disintegration of the Soviet Union. Norway detected a surge in Russian submarine operations in the early 2010s, Lage said, but no dramatic increase in the last handful of years. Royal Canadian Air Force CP-140 Aurora arrives at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, Hawaii, for Exercise Rim of the Pacific (RIMPAC) 2024, July 3. Twenty-nine nations, 40 surface ships, three submarines, 14 national land forces, more... Royal Canadian Air Force CP-140 Aurora arrives at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, Hawaii, for Exercise Rim of the Pacific (RIMPAC) 2024, July 3. Twenty-nine nations, 40 surface ships, three submarines, 14 national land forces, more than 150 aircraft and 25,000 personnel are participating in RIMPAC in and around the Hawaiian Islands, June 27 to Aug. 1. The world's largest international maritime exercise, RIMPAC provides a unique training opportunity while fostering and sustaining cooperative relationships among participants critical to ensuring the safety of sea lanes and security on the world's oceans. RIMPAC 2024 is the 29th exercise in the series that began in 1971. More U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class William Sykes Countries like Norway—plus others, including the U.K. and Germany—have beefed up anti-submarine aircraft fleets, most notably the P-8 Poseidon. Throughout July, Norway's military carried out P-8 training flights up and around Svalbard. Lage said Norway was "operating P-8s on [an] almost daily basis in the Barents Sea, in the Norwegian Sea and around Svalbard, wherever it's needed." Oslo is also investing in new frigates for anti-submarine warfare and submarines, although they won't be nuclear boats. But this branch of warfare is difficult and always has been, Lage said. "This is an ever-ongoing game between ever new, better submarines, and better ASW equipment," Lage added. "The greatest challenge today is the numbers—we have so few units, so international allied cooperation and [an] increase in numbers of capabilities, that is the most pressing [thing] today." "We are short on ASW capabilities" across NATO, he added. "We need to invest more." And, like in Europe, NATO still leans heavily on the U.S. to provide much of the alliance's most expensive capabilities in the Arctic region. This isn't just limited to the number of submarines, but also the sensor networks. But no individual NATO country can stare down Russia alone in the Arctic, current and former officials say—not even the U.S. "We need to operate as an alliance," VanHerck said. Russian President Vladimir Putin (C) poses for a group photo with naval officers of the Knyaz Pozharsky nuclear submarine's crew, while visiting the Sevmash Shipbuilding Plant, on July 24, 2025, in Severodvinsk, Arkhangelsk oblast, Russia.... Russian President Vladimir Putin (C) poses for a group photo with naval officers of the Knyaz Pozharsky nuclear submarine's crew, while visiting the Sevmash Shipbuilding Plant, on July 24, 2025, in Severodvinsk, Arkhangelsk oblast, Russia. Putin visited main Russia's military shipbuilding plant, marking the upcoming day of Russian Navy. More Contributor/Getty Back on the NRV Alliance, the context to their research hangs heavy in the air. "This is something that we are very conscious about," Real said from on board the ship, shortly after it docked in Tromsø. It would be hard not to be—especially after a Russian aircraft passed close over the vessel as it headed north near Svalbard not long after setting off. It was thought to be one of Russia's Tu-142 maritime patrol aircraft or an Il-38, but it was difficult for the crew to be sure. For the moment, officials and experts say, no one wants conflict in the Arctic. But there's no ignoring the growing competition in a region many countries are more interested in than ever. "It's very quiet—until it's not quiet anymore," said Lage.
Yahoo
9 hours ago
- Yahoo
Breakthrough study finds deficiency of this common nutrient could contribute to Alzheimer's
A deficiency of the metal lithium in the body could be a key factor contributing to the development of dementia in Alzherimer's patients, a groundbreaking new study reveals. The decade-long research, published in the journal Nature, shows for the first time that lithium occurs naturally in the brain and maintains the normal function of all its major cell types, preventing nerves from degradation. Scientists from Harvard Medical School found that lithium loss in the human brain is one of the earliest changes leading to Alzheimer's, while in mice, a similar lithium depletion accelerated memory decline. A reduced lithium level was found in some cases due to the metal's impaired uptake and its binding to amyloid plaques, which are known to be smoking gun signs of Alzheimer's. Researchers also showed that a new type of lithium compound – lithium orotate – can avoid capture by amyloid plaques and restore memory in mice. In the study, scientists used an advanced type of mass spectroscopy chemical analysis method to measure trace levels of about 30 different metals in the brain and blood samples from a range of people, including cognitively healthy people, those in an early stage of dementia, and those with advanced Alzheimer's. The analysis revealed that lithium was the only metal with markedly different levels across groups, which also seemed to change at the earliest stages of memory loss. 'Lithium turns out to be like other nutrients we get from the environment, such as iron and vitamin C,' study senior author Bruce Yankner said. 'It's the first time anyone's shown that lithium exists at a natural level that's biologically meaningful without giving it as a drug,' Dr Yankner said. Although lithium compounds have been historically in use to treat a range of mental conditions like bipolar disorder and major depressive disorder, in these cases, they are given at much higher concentrations that could even be toxic to older people. Scientists have now found that lithium orotate is effective at one-thousandth this dose – enough to mimic the natural level of lithium in the brain. The latest findings with lithium orotate, however, needs to be confirmed in humans via clinical trials. Yet, researchers suspect that measuring lithium levels could help screen people for early Alzheimer's. The findings revise the theory of Alzheimer's disease, which affects nearly 400 million people worldwide, offering a new strategy for early diagnosis, prevention, and treatment. Decades of studies have shown that Alzheimer's disease involves an array of brain abnormalities, including clumps of the protein amyloid beta, tangles of the protein tau, and a loss of the brain's protective protein REST. However, these abnormalities have never fully explained the condition. For instance, it remains unclear why some people with Alzheimer's-like changes in the brain never go on to develop dementia or cognitive decline. Recent treatments developed to target amyloid beta plaques also don't seem to reverse memory loss, only modestly reducing the rate of cognitive decline. Now, scientists say lithium could be the critical missing link. 'The idea that lithium deficiency could be a cause of Alzheimer's disease is new and suggests a different therapeutic approach,' Dr Yankner said. 'You have to be careful about extrapolating from mouse models, and you never know until you try it in a controlled human clinical trial... But so far the results are very encouraging,' he added. Solve the daily Crossword
Yahoo
a day ago
- Yahoo
Using AI Made Doctors Worse at Spotting Cancer Without Assistance
Credit - Getty Images Health practitioners, companies, and others have for years hailed the potential benefits of AI in medicine, from improving medical imaging to outperforming doctors at diagnostic assessments. The transformative technology has even been predicted by AI enthusiasts to one day help find a 'cure to cancer.' But a new study has found that doctors who regularly used AI actually became less skilled within months. The study, which was published on Wednesday in the Lancet Gastroenterology and Hepatology journal, found that over the course of six months, clinicians became over-reliant on AI recommendations and became themselves 'less motivated, less focused, and less responsible when making cognitive decisions without AI assistance.' It's the latest study to demonstrate potential adverse outcomes on AI users. An earlier study by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology found that ChatGPT eroded critical thinking skills. How the study was conducted Researchers across various European institutions conducted an observational study surveying four endoscopy centers in Poland that participated in the Artificial Intelligence in Colonoscopy for Cancer Prevention (ACCEPT) trial. The study was funded by the European Commission and Japan Society for the Promotion of Science. As part of the trial, the centers had introduced AI tools for the detection of polyps—growths that can be benign or cancerous—in late 2021. The study looked at 1,443 non-AI-assisted colonoscopies out of a total 2,177 colonoscopies conducted between September 2021 and March 2022. The colonoscopies were performed by 19 experienced endoscopists. Researchers compared the quality of colonoscopy conducted three months before and three months after AI was implemented. Colonoscopies were conducted either with or without AI assistance, at random. Of those conducted without AI assistance, 795 were conducted before regular AI use was implemented and 648 were conducted after the AI tools were introduced. What the study found Three months before AI was introduced, the adenoma detection rate (ADR) was around 28%. Three months after AI was introduced, the rate dropped to 22% when clinicians were unassisted by AI. ADR is a commonly used quality indicator for colonoscopies and represents 'the proportion of screening colonoscopies performed by a physician that detect at least one histologically confirmed colorectal adenoma or adenocarcinoma.' Adenomas are precancerous growths, and a higher ADR is associated with a lower risk of colorectal cancer. The study found that AI did help endoscopists with detection when used, but once the assistance was removed, clinicians were worse at detection. Researchers attributed it to 'the natural human tendency to over-rely' on the recommendations of decision support systems like AI. 'Imagine that you want to travel anywhere, and you're unable to use Google Maps,' Marcin Romańczyk, co-author of the study and an assistant professor at the Medical University of Silesia, told MedPage Today. 'We call it the Google Maps effect. We try to get somewhere, and it's impossible to use a regular map. It works very similarly.' Implications of the study Omer Ahmad, a consultant gastroenterologist at University College Hospital London who wrote an editorial alongside the study but was not involved in its research, tells TIME that it's likely that exposure to AI weakened doctors' visual search habits and alerting gaze patterns, which are critical for detecting polyps. 'In essence, dependence on AI detection could dull human pattern recognition,' Ahmad says. He adds that regular use of AI could also 'reduce diagnostic confidence' when AI assistance is withdrawn, or that the endoscopists' skill of manoeuvring the colonoscope could be reduced. In comments to the Science Media Center (SMC), Catherine Menon, principal lecturer at the University of Hertfordshire's Department of Computer Science, said: 'Although de-skilling resulting from AI use has been raised as a theoretical risk in previous studies, this study is the first to present real-world data that might potentially indicate de-skilling arising from the use of AI in diagnostic colonoscopies.' Menon raised concerns that overreliance on AI could leave health practitioners at risk to technological compromise. Other experts are more cautious about drawing conclusions from a single study. Venet Osmani, a professor of clinical AI and machine learning at Queen Mary University of London, noted to SMC that the total number of colonoscopies—including both AI-assisted and non-AI-assisted ones—increased over the course of the study. The increased workload, Osmani suggested, could have led to clinician fatigue and poorer detection rates. Allan Tucker, a professor of artificial intelligence at Brunel University of London, also noted that with AI assistance, clinician performance improved overall. Concerns about deskilling due to automation bias, added Tucker to SMC, 'is not unique to AI systems and is a risk with the introduction of any new technology.' 'The ethical question then is whether we trust AI over humans,' said Tucker. 'Often, we expect there to be a human overseeing all AI decision-making but if the human experts are putting less effort into their own decisions as a result of introducing AI systems this could be problematic.' 'This is not simply about monitoring technology,' says Ahmad. 'It's about navigating the complexities of a new human-AI clinical ecosystem.' Establishing safeguards is critical, he adds, suggesting that beyond this study, people may need to focus on 'preserving essential skills in a world where AI becomes ubiquitous.' Contact us at letters@
