Ancient DNA reveals Swahili people's mixed origins

+ more recyclable plastic; physics of superconductors US Edition - Today's top story: Ancient DNA is restoring the origin story of the Swahili people of the East African coast [View in browser]( US Edition | 29 March 2023 [The Conversation] [The Conversation]( A study published today reveals for the first time the ancient DNA sequences of the Swahili people, providing a clearer picture of the genetic roots of this East African civilization and an example of how new technology can rewrite colonial narratives. The study authors, University of South Florida anthropologist Chapurukha Kusimba and Harvard geneticist David Reich, note that the advent of ancient DNA analysis technology allowed them to [document that the Swahili civilization developed from people who came from Africa and Asia, including Persia and India](, during medieval times. “This picture is almost a perfect match to the Kilwa Chronicle, the oldest narrative told by the Swahili people themselves, and one almost all earlier scholars had dismissed as a kind of fairy tale,” they write. Like many people, the editors at The Conversation are trying to make sense of the rapid rise of generative AI products, so you can expect more stories explaining the technology and examining its implications. In a recent installment, researcher Hany Farid, who specializes in digital forensics, writes about the growing importance of techniques that allow people to [determine whether media – whether it’s text, audio, image or video – is synthetic and made from a computer](. He calls for technology developers to bake in watermarking methods to allow third parties to determine whether a piece of content is authentic. “As society stares down the barrel of what is almost certainly just the beginning of these advances in generative AI, there are reasonable and technologically feasible interventions that can be used to help mitigate these abuses,” such as deepfakes, Farid writes. Over the past week, our editors also published a pair of stories on the pursuit of room-temperature superconductors, [materials with no electrical resistance]( that have long been pursued as a [breakthrough for electronics and other applications](. In the wake of the devastating tornadoes in the South, we contacted an atmospheric scientist who works on severe thunderstorm computer modeling to [explain the challenges – and improvements – around forecasting tornadoes](. And with the FDA today approving over-the-counter Narcan for opioid overdose treatment, a physician offers an [explainer on the drug xylazine, or tranq](, which is increasingly appearing in illicit drugs such as heroin and fentanyl. Also in this week’s science news: - [Low-cost recyclable plastic based on superglue]( - [3D-printed silicone blood vessels to improve neurosurgery training]( - [Machine learning to improve bird safety during migration]( If there’s a subject you’d like our team of science editors to investigate, please reply to this email. Martin La Monica Director of Editorial Projects and Newsletters Today's newsletter supported by [readers like you.]( How are people today related to those who lived centuries ago in the Swahili civilization? The Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs/Flickr [Ancient DNA is restoring the origin story of the Swahili people of the East African coast]( Chapurukha Kusimba, University of South Florida; David Reich, Harvard University The first ancient DNA sequences from peoples of the medieval Swahili civilization push aside colonialist stories and reveal genetic connections from the past. Images generated by AI systems, like these fake photos of Donald Trump being arrested (he hasn’t been arrested), can be a dangerous source of misinformation. AP Photo/J. David Ake [Watermarking ChatGPT, DALL-E and other generative AIs could help protect against fraud and misinformation]( Hany Farid, University of California, Berkeley In a world of increasingly convincing AI-generated text, photos and videos, it’s more important than ever to be able to distinguish authentic media from fakes and imitations. The challenge is how. 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[Scientists are using machine learning to forecast bird migration and identify birds in flight by their calls]( Miguel Jimenez, Colorado State University Machine learning may not seem to have much connection with wildlife, but it’s starting to play a central role in bird conservation. [Why tornadoes are still hard to forecast – even though storm predictions are improving]( Chris Nowotarski, Texas A&M University Researchers are turning to computer models, drones and other methods to improve tornado forecasting. [Room-temperature superconductors could revolutionize electronics – an electrical engineer explains the materials’ potential]( Massoud Pedram, University of Southern California Superconductors make highly efficient electronics, but the ultralow temperatures and ultrahigh pressures make them costly and difficult to use. Room-temperature superconductors promise to change that. 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A cybersecurity expert explains the risks the app poses and the challenges to blocking it]( Doug Jacobson, Iowa State University Banning TikTok: What data privacy risk does the app pose, and what could the Chinese government do with data it collects? And is it even possible to ban an app? - 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](. We can give away our articles thanks to the help of foundations, universities and readers like you. [Donate now to support research-based journalism]( [The Conversation]( You’re receiving this newsletter from [The Conversation]( 303 Wyman Street, Suite 300 Waltham, MA 02451 [Forward to a friend]( • [Unsubscribe](