Tuesday, October 3 — 4 significant news stories: Sudan conflict, Bangladesh's dengue outbreak, autism detection app and Oxford's anti-malaria vaccine

Thank you for your responses yesterday. I’m especially grateful for your comments, as they help me understand the Why behind the vote.

There is one concern with the polls I’ve seen several times. I’ll quote one reader, as I can’t say it better:

I agree. I don’t want the project to become another news service focused entirely on user engagement.

But the project as it is today was heavily shaped by users. The first version only had 3 parameters: scale, magnitude, and potential. Over months the most passionate readers found the flaws in the algorithm: too much sensationalism (I added credibility parameter), too many unconfirmed predictions (immediacy), already known facts (novelty), unactionable news (actionability).

I also changed the weights of the parameters several times before. Too much novelty led to a science-heavy feed. Too much actionability and we start to see articles like “WhatsApp released stickers, try them now!”.

These polls won’t fundamentally change the direction of a project. They’ll just help us continue doing what we’ve already been doing before, but better — in addition to listening to the most passionate readers, they’ll let me listen to all of you.

Today’s poll is about public health: outbreaks, new treatments and vaccines, health studies, health trends, etc.

Today ChatGPT read 1313 top news stories. After removing previously covered events, there are 4 articles with a significance score over 7.

[7.4] Conflict in Sudan displaces millions, strains aid efforts, and worsens violence. — The Guardian

The escalating conflict in Sudan has disrupted aid supply lines and led to a growing number of internally displaced people and refugees. At least 5.4 million people have been displaced since the fighting began in April, with communal violence erupting in the Darfur region. Humanitarian officials are struggling to respond to the crisis, with one official describing it as trying to "plan for the apocalypse."

[7.0] Bangladesh's dengue outbreak kills over 1,000, infects 209,000. — Reuters

According to official data, the death toll from Bangladesh's worst dengue outbreak on record has surpassed 1,000 this year, with nearly 209,000 people infected. This makes 2023 the deadliest year for dengue in Bangladesh since the first recorded epidemic in 2000. Hospitals are struggling to accommodate the large number of patients, and there is a shortage of intravenous fluids.

[7.0] Tablet app improves early detection of autism spectrum disorder. — National Institutes of Health (.gov)

A tablet-based screening application for autism spectrum disorder (ASD) has shown promise in improving early detection, according to a study funded by the National Institutes of Health. The app demonstrated 87.8% sensitivity in detecting ASD and 80.8% specificity in identifying children without the condition.

[7.0] WHO approves Oxford's anti-malaria vaccine, reduces cases by 75%. — The Washington Post

The World Health Organization has approved a new anti-malaria vaccine developed by Oxford University. The R21/Matrix-M vaccine is the second vaccine to be recommended by the WHO and has shown to reduce symptomatic cases by 75% in areas with high seasonal malaria transmission. The vaccine is expected to be available by mid-2024 at a cost of $2-4 per dose.

Want to read more?

See additional news on newsminimalist.com.

Thanks for reading us and see you tomorrow,

Vadim