Study: Language (not geography) major force behind India’s gene flow

The study found that people who spoke the same language tended to be more closely related despite living far apart.

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  • Studies focusing on European genetics have found a strong correlation between geography and genetic variation.
  • Looking toward India, a new study found a stronger correlation between gene variation and language as well as
  • social structure.
  • Understanding social and cultural influences can help expand our knowledge of gene flow through human history.
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Cancel culture vs. toleration: The consequences of punishing dissent

When we limit the clash of ideas, we ultimately hinder progress for the entire society.

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  • Pluralism is the idea that different people, traditions, and beliefs not only can coexist together in the same society but also should coexist together because society benefits from the vibrant workshopping of ideas.
  • Cancel culture is a threat to a liberal society because it seeks to shape the available information rather than seek truth.
  • Practicing toleration for those ideas does not mean merely putting up with them but actually acknowledging the ideas with an open spirit, as Chandran Kukathas, professor at Singapore Management University, says.
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Six ways machine learning threatens social justice

Machine learning is a powerful and imperfect tool that should not go unmonitored.

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  • When you harness the power and potential of machine learning, there are also some drastic downsides that you've got to manage.
  • Deploying machine learning, you face the risk that it be discriminatory, biased, inequitable, exploitative, or opaque.
  • In this article, I cover six ways that machine learning threatens social justice and reach an incisive conclusion: The remedy is to take on machine learning standardization as a form of social activism.
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How socioeconomic status negatively impacts children's brains

A new study shows how poor children are negatively impacted neurologically.

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  • Children in poor neighborhoods exhibit abnormal activation of motivational circuits in their brains.
  • The neurological impact increases the likelihood of criminal behavior and substance abuse later in life.
  • Researchers suggest focusing on shaping the environment to set up the child for success.
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diversity inequality poverty education social change race neuroscience science

Art will never die. So why does it need philanthropy?

We wouldn't want to live without it, so how can we create art that's durable?

  • You cannot kill the arts. This is particularly true when you talk about poetry, which does well in a world of social media as its easy to digest in its short form.
  • Measuring success in art can be tricky, though. Impact and influence can be felt immediately, so how does art find that everlasting durability?
  • Philanthropy can encourage and enable art, and as a result, potentially lengthen its lifespan. If we can find ways to measure art in its own terms, we can effectively give a platform to new voices who complete the cultural picture.
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