BIAS IN CANCER DIAGNOSIS
A new study published yesterday in Jama found that a test used to diagnose patients with lung cancer had a built-in racial bias. The algorithm in the software used to diagnose patients assumed that Black people had naturally weaker lung capacity, raising the threshold for recommending care and making it less likely that they would be prescribed medication. According to the study, up to 40 percent more Black men would have been diagnosed with breathing problems if the bias had been corrected. The study also pointed out that this specific test isn't the only place where racial bias affects medicine. Prejudices and assumptions about racial differences affect patients looking for heart and kidney care as well.
WARNING ABOUT PAYMENT APPS
There's a new warning for people who store money in payment apps like Paypal, Venmo, and Cash App. The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPC) said that the funds may not be secure in the case of a crisis, because while traditional bank accounts are secured up to $250,000, money held in a payment app doesn't have the same protections. So if one of these companies ever had a funding issue or was forced to close, customers could lose their money.
The National Eating Disorders Association has decided to remove hundreds of helpline staffers and volunteers after they voted to unionize, and now many of these positions will be replaced by a chatbot named Tessa. Cheddar’s Ashley Mastronardi spoke to one eating disorder expert who thinks this may have harmful consequences.
Earth has pushed past seven out of eight scientifically established safety limits and into “the danger zone,” not just for an overheating planet that's losing its natural areas, but for the well-being of people living on it, according to a new study.
One person was killed when a boiler exploded at a southeastern Texas power plant Wednesday morning, according to a spokesperson for Dallas-based Luminant.
Two Democratic senators are pushing for legislation to change the Federal Aviation Administration's standards around seat sizing and spacing on aircrafts. Sens. Tammy Duckworth and Tammy Baldwin have introduced a new bill, which would also require the FAA to set new standards for aircraft evacuations that are more realistic in case of emergencies.
Jury selection in the groundbreaking trial of a former sheriff's deputy charged with failing to confront the killer of 14 students and three staff members at a Florida high school five years ago got off to a speedy start Wednesday, with the preliminary round concluding in just one day.
Centrist Democrats and Republicans pushed it to approval over blowback from conservatives and some progressives. The Senate is expected to act quickly by the end of the week.
Hurricane season officially starts tomorrow, and News 12 meteorologist Lauren Due tells us everything you need to know to prepare
We know life can be tough sometimes, so we'd like to take a moment to share One Good Thing happening in the world today. A Wisconsin woman has gone viral after taking in a stray cat that had been coming to her door every single day for a few weeks.
Families of passengers who died in the crash of a Boeing 737 Max in Ethiopia can seek damages for the pain and terror suffered by victims in the minutes before the plane flew nose-down into the ground, a federal judge has ruled.
Former first lady Rosalynn Carter has been diagnosed with dementia, and the Carter Center said her family wanted to share her health news to increase important conversations around the country. According to the CDC, there are about 5.8 million people in the United states living with dementia. Here to help us understand this complex disease is Dr. Jen Caudle, family physician and associate professor at Rowan University.
