Computed tomography (CT) scans for people at risk for lung cancer lead to earlier diagnoses and improve survival rates, but they can also lead to overtreatment when suspicious nodules turn out to be benign. A study published in American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine indicates that an artificial intelligence strategy can correctly assess and categorize these indeterminate pulmonary nodules (IPNs). When compared to the conventional risk models clinicians currently use, the algorithm developed by the team of researchers in a very large dataset (15,693 nodules) reclassified IPNs into low-risk or high-risk categories in over a third of cancers and benign nodules. "These results suggest the potential clinical utility of this deep learning algorithm to revise the probability of cancer among IPNs aiming to decrease invasive procedures and shorten time to diagnosis," said Pierre Massion, M.D., Cornelius Vanderbilt Chair in Medicine at Vanderbilt University, the study's lead author. Currently, clinicians refer to guidelines issued by the American College of Radiology and the American College of Chest Physicians.

In the development of artificial intelligence applications, the holy grail is the creation of an artificial neural network that functions like the human brain. This is an elusive goal, because the human brain is an extremely complex organ that functions in flexible and fluid ways that can be difficult to replicate in the world of AI. Today, a team of researchers from McGill University and the University of Montreal are making breakthroughs with functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) of people's brains while carrying out various cognitive tasks. The goal is to develop better understand and create computational models of how the brain works, and then use those models to train artificial neural networks to map the images to actions quickly and accurately. This would be a big leap forward for the AI world, according to one of the lead researchers on the project, Dr. Pierre Bellec, an associate professor at the University of Montreal.

"Everybody has a different trigger threshold for what they would call normal and what they would call disease," said U. Joseph Schoepf, M.D., director of cardiovascular imaging for MUSC Health and assistant dean for clinical research in the Medical University of South Carolina College of Medicine. And until recently, scans of damaged lungs have been a moot point, he said. "In the past, if you lost lung tissue, that was it. The lung tissue was gone, and there was very little you could do in terms of therapy to help patients," he said. But with advancements in treatment in recent years has come an increased interest in objectively classifying the disease, Schoepf said.

It has been one of the many cruel ironies of lockdown: we all have time to read more, but the constant uncertainty and worry, together with the endlessly transmogrifying news narrative, have made it difficult to concentrate on novels. A few keen readers have turned to essay collections, short stories or diaries, which are less demanding on the memory and attention, but video games may also offer a way back into reading during these difficult times. Here are 12 interesting puzzle and adventure games that play with words, text and narratives in innovative ways, which may well guide you back into a reading frame of mind. Hypnospace Outlaw (PC/Mac) If you're spending a lot of time aimlessly browsing the web right now, this might be the perfect narrative game for you; you're a new moderator on a weird alternative 1990s version of the internet, trying to block malicious software and hunt cyberbullies through a range of retro web sites. Blackbar (iOS/Android) Set in an Orwellian dystopia, Blackbar provides the player with a series of personal letters that have been censored by the Department of Communication – you have to work out which words have been blacked out.

Cornell CS Ph.D., Daniela L. Rus '93, who was supervised by IBM Professor of Engineering and Applied Mathematics, John Hopcroft, has been named to Donald J. Trump's President's Council of Advisors on Science and Technology (PCAST). The council provides advice to the White House on topics critical to U.S. security and the economy, including policy recommendations on the future of work, American leadership in science and technology, and the support of U.S. research and development. PCAST operates under the aegis of the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP), which was established in law in 1976. However, the council has existed more informally going back to Franklin Roosevelt's Science Advisory Board in 1933. "I'm grateful to be able to add my perspective as a computer scientist to this group at a time when so many issues involving AI and other aspects of computing raise important scientific and policy questions for the nation and the world," says Rus. Rus is the Andrew and Erna Viterbi Professor of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science at MIT and the deputy dean of research for the MIT Stephen A. Schwarzman College of Computing.

Social video app Houseparty has rejected online rumours that downloading the application causes users' social media and other online accounts to be hacked. The app's creators instead claim that it is the victim of a "commercial smear campaign" designed to dent its surging popularity, offering a $1 million bounty to anyone who can provide proof. Houseparty has seen significant user growth over the last few weeks, as billions of people are forced to stay at home due to coronavirus containment measures. The number of app downloads rose from around 130,000 per week in February, to 2 million per week in March, according to analytics firm Apptopia. On Monday, various publications reported on a series of online posts claiming that installing Houseparty caused other apps like eBay, Instagram and Netflix to be hacked on people's devices.

Video conference app Zoom illegally shared personal data with Facebook, even if users did not have a Facebook account, a lawsuit claims. The app has experienced a surge in popularity as millions of people around the world are forced to work from home as part of coronavirus containment measures. The lawsuit, which was filed in a California federal court on Monday, states that the company failed to inform users that their data was being sent to Facebook "and possibly other third parties". It states: "Had Zoom informed its users that it would use inadequate security measures and permit unauthorised third-party tracking of their personal information, users... would not have been willing to use the Zoom App." The allegations come amid a flurry of questions surrounding Zoom's privacy policies, with the Electronic Frontier Foundation recently warning that the app allows administrators to track the activities of attendees.

Google has cancelled its famous April Fools' Day announcements as the world battles with coronavirus. The company said that it was focused on being "helpful to people" and would not launch any hoax products as it has in previous years. Google usually releases numerous April Fools' jokes each year, which are intended as light-hearted stunts to amuse the internet. Many of the joke features are actually released to the public, allowing them to play with the updates for the day. There have been so many of the pranks that they have been given their own – very lengthy – Wikipedia article, documenting each year's jokes.

Viral posts are suggesting that popular chat app Houseparty has been hacked – and users' personal information stolen along with it. Houseparty has rocketed to the top of various app stores, as a way to stay in touch with friends during coronavirus lockdowns in many parts of the world. The somewhat intense app includes a variety of features, including the ability to join in friends' voice chats without calling them, and the option to play games within chats. The new tweets claim that after users install the group video call platform, they find their other accounts, including their Spotify, Amazon and PayPal logins, have been compromised. They suggest that those details have been leaked from within the Houseparty app, and that downloading it caused them to lose control of their personal data.

A relatively obscure video conferencing app has found itself the go-to way for people and businesses to connect while under lockdown. In the space of just a few weeks, Zoom has seen its user numbers sky-rocket as hospitals, schools and even governments make use of its free service to host virtual meetings and remain operational. The huge surge in popularity has brought with it a new level of scrutiny, with the US-based firm now forced to juggle lawsuits and federal warnings alongside the massive strain on its servers brought about by new users. Questions have inevitably been raised about how safe Zoom actually is and whether it can be trusted. Zoom's website and security white paper state that security is "the highest priority in the operations of its suite of products and services".