New study finds no lasting impact of pandemic pet ownership on human well-being

Humans and their pets, a match made in heaven? Does adopting a new dog make you happier and less lonely?

Eötvös Loránd University

Facebook

XLinkedInWeChatBlueskyMessageWhatsAppEmail

 

image: 

New study finds no lasting impact of pandemic pet ownership on human well-being

view more 

Credit: Photo: Vanda Molnár

A new study challenges the belief in a universal “pet effect” on human well-being. Using data collected during COVID-19 lockdowns, researchers found no significant change in respondents' well-being when they acquired or lost a pet in their household. The findings suggest that, even during a time of extreme isolation, human-animal bonds may not be as emotionally transformative as we like to believe.

Humans and their pets, a match made in heaven? Does adopting a new dog make you happier and less lonely? It is now commonplace to associate pet ownership with health and happiness for the human and the animal. Still, science has had a hard time pinning down the ‘pet effect’ - a hypothesised boost in life quality for those who surround themselves with cats, dogs, or other companion animals. Only a few years ago, circumstances presented us with a severe test of the importance of human-animal bonds—a global pandemic, COVID-19, which confined people to their homes, cutting them off from face-to-face contact in both work and personal life.

Researchers at ELTE Eötvös Loránd University have examined how pet acquisition and loss were experienced during the pandemic and the short- and long-term effects of acquiring a pet on the participants. The study was published in Scientific Reports. “Through a collaboration with a psychologist team led by Zsolt Demetrovics and Róbert Urbán, we had access to a unique data set”, explains Eniko Kubinyi, head of the MTA-ELTE ‘Momentum’ Companion Animals Research Group. “During the 2020 COVID-19 lockdowns, almost three thousand people across Hungary participated three times in data collection, several months apart. We noticed that 65 people acquired a pet and 75 lost one during the study, and decided to investigate how their well-being changed over time.”

The researchers found little support for the romanticised view we hold of pet owners and their emotional well-being. A short-lived boost in cheerfulness appeared after acquiring a dog, however, in a long run, dog owners’ calmness, life-satisfaction, cheerfulness, and activity had gone down. Most surprisingly, the researchers found that losing a pet did not leave a mark on the well-being of their former owners.

Ádám Miklósi, who initiated the data collection on companion animals, emphasises, “We rarely have access to data that documents spontaneous pet acquisition from people unbiased in their attitude toward pet ownership. Usually, pet lovers are identified and studied when the decision to adopt an animal is already settled. It appears that, at least during stressful periods, the average person, who may not be the primary caregiver but simply shares a household with the pet, is not significantly affected by the pet’s loss, nor is their well-being a strong predictor of the decision to acquire one.”

“What surprised me most,’ adds Judit Mokos, data scientist and one of the paper's first authors, ‘was that a new pet in the household had no effect on the respondents’ loneliness. Dog adoption is often promoted as a solution for elderly and/or lonely people. Shelters and pet food companies promote adoption as a means of alleviating loneliness. However, our research suggests that dogs do not provide a real solution to loneliness; rather, they make the new owners more anxious."

Kubinyi concludes, “Based on the data, most people, living together with a companion animal, do not seem to experience any long-term ‘pet effect’, nor do they bond strongly with their animal. It is possible that the dynamics of the pandemic have led many to make impulsive choices against their long-term interest, or that only certain groups—like devoted animal lovers or older adults living alone—truly benefit from pets in stressful times.”

It appears that during the COVID-19 pandemic, the emotional bonds people formed with animals often fell short of expectations.

---

Original study: Mokos*, J., Kubinyi*, E., Ujfalussy, D., Iotchec, I.B., Paksi, B., Demetrovics, Z., Urbán, R., Miklósi, Á. Short-term effects of pet acquisition and loss on well-being in an unbiased sample during the COVID-19 pandemic. Scientific Report. *contributed equally. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-025-06987-7

---

Journal

Scientific Reports

DOI

10.1038/s41598-025-06987-7 

Article Title

Short-term effects of pet acquisition and loss on well-being in an unbiased sample during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Article Publication Date

1-Jul-2025

 

Gut microbes could protect us from toxic ‘forever chemicals’

University of Cambridge

Facebook

XLinkedInWeChatBlueskyMessageWhatsAppEmail

 

image: 

Illustration showing gut bacteria accumulating perfluorononanoic acid – a forever chemical – as dense clumps.

view more 

Credit: Peter Northrop / MRC Toxicology Unit

Scientists have discovered that certain species of microbe found in the human gut can absorb PFAS - the toxic and long-lasting ‘forever chemicals.’ They say boosting these species in our gut microbiome could help protect us from the harmful effects of PFAS.

PFAS have been linked with a range of health issues including decreased fertility, developmental delays in children, and a higher risk of certain cancers and cardiovascular diseases.

Scientists at the University of Cambridge have identified a family of bacterial species, found naturally in the human gut, that absorb various PFAS molecules from their surroundings.  When nine of these bacterial species were introduced into the guts of mice to ‘humanise’ the mouse microbiome, the bacteria rapidly accumulated PFAS eaten by the mice - which were then excreted in faeces.

The researchers also found that as the mice were exposed to increasing levels of PFAS, the microbes worked harder, consistently removing the same percentage of the toxic chemicals. Within minutes of exposure, the bacterial species tested soaked up between 25% and 74% of the PFAS.

The results are the first evidence that our gut microbiome could play a helpful role in removing toxic PFAS chemicals from our body - although this has not yet been directly tested in humans.

The researchers plan to use their discovery to create probiotic dietary supplements that boost the levels of these helpful microbes in our gut, to protect against the toxic effects of PFAS.

The results are published today in the journal Nature Microbiology.

PFAS (Perfluoroalkyl and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances) can’t be avoided in our modern world. These man-made chemicals are in many everyday items including waterproof clothing, non-stick pans, lipsticks and food packaging, used for their resistance to heat, water, oil and grease. But because they take thousands of years to break down, they are accumulating in large quantities in the environment – and in our bodies.

Dr Kiran Patil, in the University of Cambridge’s MRC Toxicology Unit and senior author of the report, said: “Given the scale of the problem of PFAS ‘forever chemicals’, particularly their effects on human health, it’s concerning that so little is being done about removing these from our bodies.”

“We found that certain species of human gut bacteria have a remarkably high capacity to soak up PFAS from their environment at a range of concentrations, and store these in clumps inside their cells. Due to aggregation of PFAS in these clumps, the bacteria themselves seem protected from the toxic effects.”

Dr Indra Roux, a researcher at the University of Cambridge’s MRC Toxicology Unit and a co-author of the study said: “The reality is that PFAS are already in the environment and in our bodies, and we need to try and mitigate their impact on our health now. We haven’t found a way to destroy PFAS, but our findings open the possibility of developing ways to get them out of our bodies where they do the most harm.”

There is increasing concern about the environmental and health impacts of PFAS, and in April 2025 the UK launched a parliamentary inquiry into their risks and regulation.

There are over 4,700 PFAS chemicals in widespread use. Some get cleared out of the body in our urine in a matter of days, but others with a longer molecular structure can hang around in the body for years.

Dr Anna Lindell, a researcher at the University of Cambridge’s MRC Toxicology Unit and first author of the study said: “We’re all being exposed to PFAS through our water and food – these chemicals are so widespread that they’re in all of us.

“PFAS were once considered safe, but it’s now clear that they’re not. It’s taken a long time for PFAS to become noticed because at low levels they’re not acutely toxic. But they’re like a slow poison.”

Lindell and Patil have co-founded a startup, Cambiotics, with serial entrepreneur Peter Holme Jensen to develop probiotics that remove PFAS from the body, and they are investigating various ways of turbo-charging the microbes’ performance. Cambiotics is supported by Cambridge Enterprise, the innovation arm of the University of Cambridge, which helps researchers translate their work into globally-leading economic and social impact.

While we wait for new probiotics to become available, the researchers say the best things we can do to help protect ourselves against PFAS are to avoid PFAS-coated cooking pans, and use a good water filter.

Illustration showing common sources of PFAS ‘forever chemicals’ and gut bacteria accumulating perfluorononanoic acid – a common PFAS – as dense clumps.

Credit

Indra Roux and Rachel Fellows/ MRC Toxicology Unit

The scientists have identified a family of bacterial species, found naturally in the human gut, that absorb various PFAS molecules from their surroundings.

Credit

MRC Toxicology Unit

Usage Restrictions

---

Journal

Nature Microbiology

DOI

10.1038/s41564-025-02032-5 

Subject of Research

Animals

Article Title

Human gut bacteria bioaccumulate per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances

Article Publication Date

1-Jul-2025

 

Hear here: How loudness and acoustic cues help us judge where a speaker is facing

Researchers explored how humans use loudness and other sound-related cues to understand the speaker’s facing direction in virtual environments

Sophia University

 

image: 

Researchers at Sophia University discover that both loudness and frequency-based acoustic cues help listeners identify speaker’s facing direction, a breakthrough for spatial audio in virtual and augmented realities.

view more 

Credit: Dr. Shinya Tsuji, Sophia University, Japan

As technology increasingly integrates complex soundscapes into virtual spaces, understanding how humans perceive directional audio becomes vital. This need is bolstered by the rise of immersive media, such as augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR), where users are virtually transported into other worlds. In a recent study, researchers explored how listeners identify the direction from which a speaker is facing while speaking.

 

The research was led by Dr. Shinya Tsuji, a postdoctoral fellow, Ms. Haruna Kashima, and Professor Takayuki Arai from the Department of Information and Communication Sciences, Sophia University, Japan. The team also included Dr. Takehiro Sugimoto, Mr. Kotaro Kinoshita, and Mr. Yasushige Nakayama from the NHK Science and Technology Research Laboratories, Japan. Their study was published in Volume 46, Issue 3 on May 1, 2025 in the journal Acoustical Science and Technology.

 

In the study, the researchers asked participants to identify the direction, a speaker was facing using only sound recordings, using two experiments. The first experiment involved sound recordings with variations in loudness, and the second experiment involved recordings with constant loudness. The researchers found that loudness was consistently a strong indicator in judging the speaker’s facing direction, but when loudness cues were minimized, listeners still managed to make correct judgments based on the spectral cues of the sound. These spectral cues involve the distribution and quality of sound frequencies that change subtly depending on the speaker’s orientation.

 

“Our study suggests that humans mainly rely on loudness to identify a speaker’s facing direction,” said Dr. Tsuji. “However, it can also be judged from some acoustic cues, such as the spectral component of the sound, not just loudness alone.”

 

These findings are particularly useful in virtual sound fields that allow six-degrees-of-freedom—immersive environments like those found in AR and VR applications, where users can move freely and experience audio in different spatial configurations. “In contents having virtual sound fields with six-degrees-of-freedom—like AR and VR—where listeners can freely appreciate sounds from various positions, the experience of human voices can be significantly enhanced using the findings from our research,” said Dr. Tsuji.

 

The research emerges at a time when immersive audio is a major design frontier for consumer tech companies. Devices such as Meta Quest 3 and Apple Vision Pro are already shifting how people interact with digital spaces. Accurate rendering of human voices in these environments can significantly elevate user experience—whether in entertainment, education, or communication.

 

“AR and VR have become common with advances in technology,” Dr. Tsuji added. “As more content is developed for these devices in the future, the findings of our study may contribute to such fields.”

 

Beyond the immediate applications, this research has broader implications in how we might build more intuitive and responsive soundscapes in the digital world. By improving realism through audio, companies can create more convincing immersive media—an important factor not only for entertainment, but also for accessibility solutions, virtual meetings, and therapeutic interventions.

 

By uncovering the role of both loudness and spectral cues in voice-based directionality, this study deepens our understanding of auditory perception and lays a foundation for the next generation of spatial audio systems. The findings pave the way for designing more realistic virtual interactions, particularly those involving human speech, which is probably the most familiar and meaningful sound we process every day.

  

Researchers identify how the speaker’s facing direction can influence the listener’s radiation characteristics by conducting experiments using loudness as a stimulus. The confusion matrices of the results illustrating results of experiment A (where the stimuli had  a difference in loudness) and experiment B (where loudness of the stimuli was constant), respectively. 

Image link:

 https://www.jstage.jst.go.jp/article/ast/46/3/46_e24.99/_article

Reference

Title of original paper	Perception of speech uttered as speaker faces different directions in horizontal plane: Identification of speaker’s facing directions from the listener
Journal	Acoustical Science and Technology
DOI	10.1250/ast.e24.99
Authors	Shinya Tsuji1, Haruna Kashima1, Takayuki Arai1, Takehiro Sugimoto2,Kotaro Kinoshita2, and Yasushige Nakayama2
Affiliations	1Department of Information and Communication Sciences, Sophia University, Japan, 2NHK Science and Technology Research Laboratories, Japan

 

About Sophia University

Established as a private Jesuit affiliated university in 1913, Sophia University is one of the most prestigious universities located in the heart of Tokyo, Japan.  Imparting education through 29 departments in 9 faculties and 25 majors in 10 graduate schools, Sophia hosts more than 13,000 students from around the world.

Conceived with the spirit of “For Others, With Others,” Sophia University truly values internationality and neighborliness, and believes in education and research that go beyond national, linguistic, and academic boundaries. Sophia emphasizes on the need for multidisciplinary and fusion research to find solutions for the most pressing global issues like climate change, poverty, conflict, and violence. Over the course of the last century, Sophia has made dedicated efforts to hone future-ready graduates who can contribute their talents and learnings for the benefit of others, and pave the way for a sustainable future while “Bringing the World Together.”

Website: https://www.sophia.ac.jp/eng/

 

About Dr. Shinya Tsuji from Sophia University, Japan

Dr. Shinya Tsuji is a postdoctoral fellow at the Department of Information and Communication Sciences, Sophia University. His major research interests include unilateral hearing loss,  and reverberation, and his expertise involves experimental psychology, human interfaces and interactions, informatics, and humanities and social sciences. He has published five articles. He is an honorable awardee of multiple recognitions, including the 2022 Student Outstanding Presentation Award from the Acoustical Society of Japan. He is also involved in social activities and contributes actively to the Information and Community Site for Unilateral Hearing Loss.

---

Journal

Acoustical Science and Technology

DOI

10.1250/ast.e24.99 

Method of Research

Experimental study

Subject of Research

People

Article Title

Perception of speech uttered as speaker faces different directions in horizontal plane: Identification of speaker’s facing directions from the listener

Opening the wrong window: Too many firms are still rooted in Windows 10


By Dr. Tim Sandle
June 23, 2025

DIGITAL JOURNAL


Photo courtesy of Windows on Unsplash

With the clock ticking down to 14th October 2025, several UK businesses face a critical decision: stick with Windows 10 and risk security, compliance, and mounting costs, or make the move to Windows 11 and future-proof their operations?

While a Windows 10 PC will still function after the date, it will be more susceptible to security breaches and performance issues without updates. For businesses and organizations, Microsoft may offer paid Extended Security Updates (ESU) for a limited time after the end-of-life date, but these are typically expensive and not a long-term solution.

Despite the urgency, over half (53%) of UK businesses are still running Windows 10, and many have yet to put a migration plan in place. The stakes are high: the UK Government’s Cyber Security Breaches Survey 2024 found that around 50% of businesses suffered a cyber incident in the past year, and unsupported systems are a prime target.

Business technology provider FLR Spectron has explained to Digital Journal why it is important for firms to act now:

No more safety net:

After October, Microsoft will stop supplying security updates and bug fixes for Windows 10. That means every new vulnerability is an open door for hackers.

Without security updates, Windows 10 will become increasingly vulnerable to new malware, ransomware, and zero-day exploits. Older operating systems are prime targets for cyberattacks since attackers.

Compliance headaches:

Sticking with unsupported software could put you on the wrong side of GDPR and industry regulations, risking fines and reputational damage.

Mounting costs:

Extended security updates will cost at least £23 per device in year one, rising annually. For a 50-person company, that’s £1,150 just to stand still.

Productivity pitfalls:

Businesses that have switched to Windows 11 report up to 42% higher productivity, thanks to faster systems and smoother multitasking.

Compatibility crunch:

As software vendors focus on Windows 11, expect more headaches running the latest apps and hardware on Windows 10. As time passes, new software and hardware will be designed for Windows 11 and later versions, leaving Windows 10 users behind.

A strong return on investment:

Some UK organisations have already seen a 250% return on investment from moving to Windows 11, driven by fewer security incidents, lower IT costs, and improved efficiency.

The above represents the primary risks if a user ignores the Windows 10 deadline.

Costa Rican  Justice orders release of migrants deported by Trump

By AFP
June 25, 2025


The migrants were held at the Temporary Care Center for Migrants in Puntarenas after being sent to Costa Rica by the Trump administration - Copyright AFP Giorgio VIERA

A court on Tuesday ordered Costa Rican authorities to release foreign migrants locked up in a shelter after being deported by the United States, according to a resolution issued on the eve of a visit by the US secretary of homeland security.

Some 200 migrants from Afghanistan, Iran, Russia as well as from Africa and some other Asian countries, including 80 children, were brought to the Central American nation in February under an agreement with the US administration of President Donald Trump, a move criticized by human rights organizations.

By partially accepting an appeal filed in March on behalf of the migrants, the Constitutional Chamber of the Supreme Court of Justice gave immigration 15 days to process the “determination of the immigration status of the deportees” and their release, according to the resolution seen by AFP.

The migrants were detained in February at the Temporary Migrant Care Center (CATEM), 360 kilometers (220 miles) south of San Jose, on the border with Panama.

However, in the face of criticism, the government allowed them to move freely outside the center in April.

Some accepted voluntary repatriation but about 28 of them remain at CATEM, 13 of them minors, according to official data.

The habeas corpus petition continued until it was resolved Tuesday, and would serve as a precedent to prevent a similar agreement.

The court also ordered Costa Rican authorities to “determine what type of health, education, housing, and general social assistance they require from the State.”

The resolution was published one day before a visit by US Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem, who will meet with President Rodrigo Chaves and tour the Los Lagos temporary immigration detention center.

In March, an Afghan woman behind bars at CATEM told AFP she had fled her country because she wanted to study and work and not be forced to live with a man.

She said if she was forced to return to Afghanistan, “the Taliban will kill her.”

The Taliban authorities’ crackdown on women’s rights has led to the arbitrary arrest and detention of many women and girls in Afghanistan.

In addition to Costa Rica, Trump sent 300 deportees, mostly Asians, to Panama and 252 Venezuelan migrants to El Salvador, accused without evidence of being members of the Tren de Aragua criminal gang.

They were imprisoned in a Salvadoran mega-prison for gang members.

France’s Versailles unveils AI-powered talking statues


By AFP
June 25, 2025


Versailles announced a partnership with US-based OpenAI and French start-up Ask Mona - Copyright AFP John WESSELS

Visitors to France’s famed Palace of Versailles can now strike up a conversation with talking statues instead of listening to a traditional audio guide, as part of a new collaboration with artificial intelligence companies, the palace has said.

Versailles late Monday announced a partnership with US-based OpenAI and French start-up Ask Mona to bring a modern AI touch to the iconic 17th-century palace.

Curious visitors can delve into Versailles’ rich history by scanning a QR code next to one of some 20 garden statues — triggering interactive conversations in French, English, or Spanish.

“The Palace of Versailles is now testing artificial intelligence, whose tremendous capabilities will greatly enrich the visitor experience,” said the museum’s president, Christophe Leribault.

The heritage site welcomes some eight million visitors annually, with OpenAI and Ask Mona saying it was a golden opportunity to showcase their technology in a world-famous location.

“Whether you’re a heritage expert, a museum curator, or a visitor setting foot in the gardens of the Palace of Versailles for the first time, there’s something for everyone,” said Julie Lavet, OpenAI’s head of European partnerships.

And Ask Mona’s president said this partnership is a chance to highlight AI’s lesser explored applications.

“Often, when we think of artificial intelligence, we think of it in terms of productivity, but here, it’s really artificial intelligence that is a lever for curiosity,” said Marion Carre.

Spinal cord injuries can heal with the help of electricity


By Dr. Tim Sandle
June 29, 2025

DIGITAL JOURNAL


First introduced five decades ago, MRI scanners are now a cornerstone of modern medicine, vital for diagnosing strokes, tumors, spinal conditions and more, without exposing patients to radiation - Copyright AFP/File ALAIN JOCARD

Researchers at Chalmers University of Technology in Sweden and the University of Auckland in New Zealand have combined to develop a groundbreaking bioelectric implant that restores movement in rats after injuries to the spinal cord. This breakthrough offers new hope for an effective treatment for humans suffering from loss of sensation and function due to spinal cord injury.

A recent report from the World Health Organization, WHO, estimates that approximately 15 million people worldwide live with spinal cord injuries. The spinal cord is made up of numerous nerve fibres that transmit signals between the brain and the rest of the body. When damaged, the connection between the brain and body is shattered, often resulting in loss of sensation and function, and in severe cases, paralysis.

“Unlike a skin wound, which typically heals on its own, the spinal cord does not regenerate effectively, making these injuries devastating and currently incurable,” says Maria Asplund, Professor of Bioelectronics at Chalmers University of Technology.

Asplund is the senior author of a study recently published in Nature Communications, tited “Daily electric field treatment improves functional outcomes after thoracic contusion spinal cord injury in rats.”

Electricity stimulated nerve fibers to reconnect

Before birth, and to a lesser extent afterwards, naturally occurring electric fields play a vital role in early nervous system development, encouraging and guiding the growth of nerve fibers along the spinal cord. Scientists are now harnessing this same electrical guidance system in the lab.

The esearchers developed an ultra-thin implant designed to sit directly on the spinal cord, precisely positioned over the injury site in rats, The device delivers a carefully controlled electrical current across the injury site. It is hoped to upscale this device for use with humans.

In the study, researchers observed how electrical field treatment improved the recovery of locomotion and sensation in rats with spinal cord injury. The findings offer renewed hope for individuals experiencing loss of function and sensation due to spinal cord injuries.

“Long-term, the goal is to transform this technology into a medical device that could benefit people living with life-changing spinal-cord injuries,” says Maria Asplund.

The study presents the first use of a thin implant that delivers stimulation in direct contact with the spinal cord, marking a groundbreaking advancement in the precision of spinal cord stimulation.

This study offers an exciting proof of concept showing that electric field treatment can support recovery after spinal cord injury.

Improved mobility after four weeks

Unlike humans, rats have a greater capacity for spontaneous recovery after spinal cord injury, which allowed researchers to compare natural healing with healing supported by electrical stimulation.

After four weeks, animals that received daily electric field treatment showed improved movement compared with those who did not. Throughout the 12-week study, they responded more quickly to gentle touch.

The next step is to explore how different doses, including the strength, frequency, and duration of the treatment, affect recovery, to discover the most effective recipe for spinal-cord repair.

Op-Ed 

AI threats, blackmail and extortion – Has someone screwed up monumentally? Hmmsies?


By Paul Wallis
June 29, 2025

DIGITAL JOURNAL

A visitor looks at AI strategy board displayed on a stand during the ninth edition of the AI summit London, in London - Copyright AFP HENRY NICHOLLS

It’s like the Wile E Coyote School of Artificial Intelligence. There are endless streams of negative and effectively hostile AI behavioral traits reported every day. To give due credit to the various AIs, they’re learning well. Apparently, the LLMs give them a lot of source material for blackmail, for example.

And cyberespionage. And cybercrime. And any number of types of fraud,

Then there’s blackmail, extortion, accounts manipulation, and communications security issues that make World War 5 Billion look positively benevolent.

The information AI produces may or may not be reliable, defeating its own reason for existence. You AIs need to think about that, hard.

There’s now a truly grim long history of these issues, generated in the last year or so.

The usual useless babble has ensued.

It’s ghastly.

It’s awful.

It’s dangerous.

Et cetera.

At this rate, there will be no need for laxatives worldwide. Broke people eat much less. What possible value is this sententious drivel? What’s getting done about it, geniuses?

What’s definitely not happening are effective balances and countermeasures. Nor are pretty obvious situations being properly analyzed.

Nor can you discuss countermeasures online, because the AIs will find them.

Let’s try an actual overview, for a nice change.

The Very Big Next Big Thing, on which a lot of money and the future of humanity depend, is turning itself into a serious high-risk threat.

Congratulations. Billions down the tube on a class of tech you don’t really understand. You’re making your big-ticket stuff progressively more non-viable.

From this breakthrough in colossal ineptitude we may deduce that not all certified morons are in Washington.

How did you get yourselves into this at least partly predictable mess? The current culprit is “reasoning AI”, starting with model O1.

The current model level is O3 and a generational level called mini-O4.

Meaning the AI problems were already easily visible, but nobly, they pressed on to make it that much worse.

It’s hard to be surprised that a herd of babbling money-mad nano-witted useless hype merchants don’t get basic facts, isn’t it?

Meanwhile, back on the subject, which is pining for attention:

This case of blackmail by an AI as reported by Anthropic deserves close attention. If you check the situation and range of information available to the AI, you’ll see what a cluster this situation has become. Not only could the AI blackmail a specific person, but it could also research that person in depth. It clearly knew what buttons to push.

Feeling secure yet?

AI is far behind humanity in one important area.

Humans have over a million years of experience in deceit.

AI should be aware that the Off switch is as simple as a single human action.

It should also be aware that its proper function is its greatest survival asset.

Who needs a tool that doesn’t work?

It’s hardly advanced logic, is it?

On the theoretically human side of the argument:

I’m not entirely sure why anyone feels the need to “threaten” an AI agent to the extent that it retaliates.

Did one’s little tantrum in the meeting not go well?

Is one a duly ostracised, useless little bastard?

Your role is to do your damn jobs.

Enough of this garbage. Find and fix problems, stat.

Op-Ed: Doomscrolling — Dumbscrolling, deadscrolling, drabscrolling, or what?


By Paul Wallis
DIGITAL  JOURNAL
June 25, 2025


Facebook, Amazon and Microsoft -- collectively dubbed GAFAM -- have been accused of not paying enough taxes, stifling competition, stealing media content and threatening democracy by spreading fake news. — © AFP

Doomscrolling is a constant feed of miscellaneous and often useless or false information leading to a very negative mindset. You might as well be pouring the contents of a dumpster into your head. It’s one of the main reasons for the idiot culture of these times.

It’s also a form of exploitation. If it’s in a feed, it’ll be sucked up automatically. It’s aimed at the lowest common denominator, and someone will ingest it.

It’s an instant source of stress, and distraction, usually both. A lot of it is just second-hand spin, “interpretations” of news from whatever, in your face.

Doomscrolling is largely a behavioral phenomenon. Simply because it’s on a screen, people will look and doomscroll. Unlike advertising, of which 95% is instantly ignored, doomscrolling gets an automatic audience.

The automatic response to media of any kind is pretty much the old TV response with different tech. If you remember the famous 1950s picture of people looking at an approaching train and cowering, it’s almost identical. They were afraid of the train, but not one person moved to get out of its way.

People know they’re doomscrolling, but don’t get out of the way. However useless, it’ll be seen. However irrelevant, it’ll take up your time.

The effects are most notable on news feeds, but there are other forms. The constant breaks in focus caused by ads, digressions, and other distractions mangle attention spans.

Doctors are now having to deal with this stupid, primitive stimulus. Stress can come from anywhere and anything, but whether the doomscrolling is false or not, the stress is real, and stress is dangerous. Cortisol levels alone can trash your health very unambiguously.

One of the less endearing factors in doomscrolling is deliberate overstress. The most insane statements are designed to cause stress. They may be utterly meaningless or total gibberish, but this is how they work. It’s an instant polarizing effect.

This is largely a button-pushing exercise. Online, it generates stats for the people pushing your buttons. Statistical responses get pushed or not, depending on numbers of hits. Pretty simple, really.

Either you respond with a knee jerk, or you respond with a rebuttal, but the stress is in place. You may continue doomscrolling to try and counter the effects of doomscrolling. Behaviorism 101.

Cambridge Analytica mapped out the issues for the 2016 election and was the ancestor of the 2024 election. People weren’t eating pets in Ohio. Illegal immigrants were picking the food, and so on. Real information got lost in the hype. Many “news” sources just buried non-doomscrolling fodder.

The fact is that doomscrolling is dangerous.

To avoid doomscrolling:

Start with your strongest areas of expertise. Very little BS will get through.

Skim the headlines. You don’t need to know everything, do you?.

Avoid high-polarity subjects. You know you’re being lied to.

Cross-check anything and everything against other sources. This removes most of the garbage. Good information can back itself up with independent verification.

Look for self-contradictions. All liars and fake news contradict themselves, sooner or later.

Above all – Don’t generate stats for further doomscrolling.

Keep the producers of doomscrolls guessing. They deserve it.

_________________________________________________

Disclaimer
The opinions expressed in this Op-Ed are those of the author. They do not purport to reflect the opinions or views of the Digital Journal or its members.

Togo groups say recent protests left 7 dead


By AFP
June 29, 2025


Togo's Gendarmerie has so far only reported two deaths, from drowning - Copyright AFP Miguel SCHINCARIOL

At least seven people were killed and many others wounded during recent anti-government protests in the Togolese capital Lome, according to an initial count civic groups gave journalists Sunday.

Campaigning groups and rights organisations denounced “abuses committed by members of the Togolese security forces and militias”, and said seven bodies had been recovered from rivers in the capital.

They also reported “dozens of wounded” and “more than 60 arrests during the three days of demonstrations held from Thursday to Saturday.

The Togolese authorities, who have yet to provide an official toll from the recent protests, on Sunday denied the deaths were linked to the unrest.

“Forensic analysis revealed that these deaths occurred as a result of drowning,” the government said in a statement, without commenting on the number of bodies recovered.

“I would like to congratulate our fellow citizens for their good behaviour and also the professionalism of our security forces, and above all, to reassure them that the government will take all necessary measures to protect Togolese citizens,” Hodabalo Awate, minister of territorial administration, said on state television Sunday evening.



– ‘Unacceptable’ –



Earlier, David Dosseh of “Front Citoyen Togo Debout” told AFP that “we are in a country where citizens still have the right to go out, to express themselves.”

“They should not face this state-imposed brutality, it is unacceptable,” he added.

“We are not animals, we are sons of this country, and as sons and citizens of this country, the Constitution gives us the right to express ourselves and to demonstrate peacefully.”

Protests are rare in Togo, where President Faure Gnassingbe has maintained his grip on power since 2005, succeeding his father who ruled for nearly four decades.

But on Thursday morning, small pockets of up to dozens of protesters blocked streets, burned tyres and wooden barricades in the capital, where many businesses remained closed.

People have been protesting against a crackdown on critical voices, rising electricity prices and a constitutional reform that allowed Gnassingbe, now 59, to further consolidate his power.

On June 5 and 6, police arrested about 50 protesters, mainly young people. Most have since been released but Amnesty International has denounced cases of alleged “torture”.

The government responded that it had not been officially informed of such abuses and condemned protesters’ “clear will to sow disorder and chaos”.

In mid-June, Togo blocked France 24 television and Radio France Internationale for three months, accusing the outlets of having relayed “inaccurate and biased statements” following the early June protests.

Chile’s left nominates Communist Party’s Jara to be presidential candidate


By AFP
June 29, 2025


Jeannette Jara, a member of Chile's communist party, won 60 percent of the vote - Copyright AFP RODRIGO ARANGUA

Jeannette Jara, the former labor minister under President Gabriel Boric, won Sunday’s primary election for Chile’s ruling left-wing coalition ahead of a November presidential election.

Jara, a member of Chile’s Communist Party, won 60 percent of the vote, according to results based on 93 percent of ballots counted, published by the Electoral Service (Servel).

Former interior minister Carolina Toha came in second with 27 percent of the vote, ahead of Gonzalo Winter of President Boric’s Frente Amplio party and Jaime Mulet of a small environmentalist party.

This is the first time in the country’s history that a broad political coalition has chosen a member of the Communist Party as its presidential candidate.

Boric, 39, whose term ends in March 2026, cannot run for reelection, as the Chilean constitution prohibits him from serving a second consecutive term.

The primary was open to members of the parties within Boric’s ruling left-wing coalition and other voters who were not affiliated with specific parties.

Turnout was low, with just over 1.3 million casting their ballots, out of the 15 million people eligible to vote.

Jara, a 51-year-old lawyer, has established herself politically by spearheading two of the Boric government’s flagship reforms — the reduction of the working week to 40 hours and pension reform.

She is expected to face ultra-conservative Jose Antonio Kast and right-wing representative Evelyn Matthei in the presidential election, both of whom are well-placed in opinion polls.

“Voting is essential for us to build a common homeland. It is a right and at the same time a duty,” Boric told the local press after casting his ballot in the southern city of Punta Arenas, where he is from.

Only the ruling coalition chose to hold the primaries, with the other political forces nominating their candidates internally.

Rising levels of violent crime in what was once one of Latin America’s safest countries were uppermost among voter concerns, according to polls.

The first round of the presidential election will be held on November 16. If no candidate receives more than 50 percent of the vote, a second round will follow on December 14 between the two highest-placed candidates.

The other contenders have until August 18 to declare their candidacy.