Measuring chronic pain in the brain objectively

+ AI's growing energy footprint; wolves bite into other carnivores' space US Edition - Today's top story: Chronic pain can be objectively measured using brain signals – new research [View in browser]( US Edition | 24 May 2023 [The Conversation] [The Conversation]( As common as chronic pain is, how the brain processes pain remains something of a mystery. University of California, San Francisco, neurobiologist Prasad Shirvalkar devised a way to [objectively measure chronic pain]( by surgically implanting electrodes in the brains of four patients with post-stroke pain and phantom limb pain. His team’s findings offer the “first direct evidence that chronic pain involves information-processing areas of the brain distinct from those involved in acute pain,” he writes in a crisp summary of a study published this week. The work could lead to better diagnosis of chronic pain conditions and potential treatments, such as deep brain stimulation. As a reader of this newsletter, you know that generative artificial intelligence is a hot technology. Boston University AI researcher Kate Saenko takes on the question of how much it is heating the planet. Her nuanced piece brings to bear what research is available on the energy needs of big data centers and notes that “if chatbots become as popular as search engines, the [energy costs of deploying the AIs]( could really add up.” In other stories over the past week, our editors reached out to a toxicologist to explain the [ill effects of wildfire smoke and measures people can take]( to mitigate them. We also published an astrophysicist’s preview of the [enhancements made to the LIGO gravitational wave detector](, as well as a study that looked at how the spread of wolves is [pushing other carnivores, such as coyotes and bobcats, closer to humans]( – with deadly consequences. Also in this week’s science news: - [Refrigeration is Coca-Cola’s biggest source of climate emissions]( - [How exercise can stave off the balance risks of age]( - [Sexual hallucinations from anesthesia can be traumatic]( If there’s a subject you’d like our team of science editors to investigate, please reply to this email. Martin LaMonica Director of Editorial Projects and Newsletters Researchers are working on untangling the neural circuitry of chronic and acute pain. Victor Habbick Visions/Science Photo Library via Getty Images [Chronic pain can be objectively measured using brain signals – new research]( Prasad Shirvalkar, University of California, San Francisco Pain has long been subjectively measured, leading to frustrations for patients and doctors alike. Identifying neural biomarkers of pain could improve diagnosis and lead to better treatments of chronic pain conditions. AI chatbots and image generators run on thousands of computers housed in data centers like this Google facility in Oregon. Tony Webster/Wikimedia [Is generative AI bad for the environment? A computer scientist explains the carbon footprint of ChatGPT and its cousins]( Kate Saenko, Boston University Generative AI, those astonishingly powerful language- and image-generating tools taking the world by storm, come at a price: a big carbon footprint. But not all AIs are equally dirty. The sunset in Jersey City, N.J., glows orange through smoke from wildfires in Canada in May 2023. Gary Hershorn/Getty Images [How wildfire smoke can harm human health, even when the fire is hundreds of miles away – a toxicologist explains]( Christopher T. Migliaccio, University of Montana Fires in Canada have sent smoke across several US states, leaving cities like Denver with some of the worst air quality in the world – even far from the actual flames. [ChatGPT and other generative AI could foster science denial and misunderstanding – here’s how you can be on alert]( Gale Sinatra, University of Southern California; Barbara K. Hofer, Middlebury Generative AIs may make up information they serve you, meaning they may potentially spread science misinformation. Here’s how to check the accuracy of what you read in an AI-enhanced media landscape. [What is a black box? A computer scientist explains what it means when the inner workings of AIs are hidden]( Saurabh Bagchi, Purdue University Metaphorical black boxes shield the inner workings of AIs, which protect software developers’ intellectual property. They also make it hard to understand how the AIs work – and why things go wrong. [Anesthesia can cause disturbing sexual hallucinations, leading to lasting psychological trauma]( Melody White, University of Connecticut; C. Michael White, University of Connecticut Sedative-hypnotic drugs can distort a patient’s perception of reality. Some patients wake up from a procedure believing they have been sexually assaulted. [Balance declines with age, but exercise can help stave off some of the risk of falling]( Evan Papa, Tufts University Lifestyle factors like physical activity, diet and sleep can lower the ‘biological age’ of your cells and tissues and reduce age-related physical decline. [When wolves move in, they push smaller carnivores closer to human development – with deadly consequences]( Calum Cunningham, University of Washington; Laura Prugh, University of Washington Reintroducing wolves can restore important ecological processes, but it can have unintended effects when smaller predators like coyotes are driven closer to people, a team of ecologists found. [Gravitational wave detector LIGO is back online after 3 years of upgrades – how the world’s most sensitive yardstick reveals secrets of the universe]( Chad Hanna, Penn State Upgrades to the hardware and software of the advanced observatory should allow astrophysicists to detect much fainter gravitational waves than before. - [Coca-Cola’s biggest challenge in greening its operations is its own global marketing strategy]( Bart Elmore, The Ohio State University Coca-Cola has made ambitions climate and sustainability pledges, but marketing its products worldwide will always be a top priority. - [Kivalina’s fight for survival: A decade after its climate change lawsuit was dismissed, the Alaska Native village battles fierce storms, erosion and sea ice loss]( P. Joshua Griffin, University of Washington In the years since the Supreme Court rejected Kivalina’s appeal on May 20, 2013, the community’s search and rescue team has faced increasing climate disasters: ‘We just can’t adapt this fast.’ - [More than two dozen cities and states are suing Big Oil over climate change – they just got a boost from the US Supreme Court]( Patrick Parenteau, Vermont Law & Graduate School; John Dernbach, Widener University Honolulu, Baltimore, Charleston, S.C. and several other cities harmed by rising seas and extreme weather are suing the oil industry. At stake is who pays for the staggering costs of climate change. - Like this newsletter? You might be interested in our weekly emails: [Politics Weekly]( • [This Week in Religion]( • [Weekly Highlights]( • [Global Economy & Business]( - - About The Conversation: We're a nonprofit news organization dedicated to [helping academic experts share ideas with the public](. 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