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PICKS are stories from many sources, selected by our editors or recommended by our readers because they are important, surprising, troubling, enlightening, inspiring, or amusing. They appear on our site and in our daily newsletter. Please send suggested articles, videos, podcasts, etc. to picks@whowhatwhy.org.
Tesla Stock Crash: Losses Top $895 Billion As Rival Carmaker Warns of ‘Challenging’ Weeks Ahead (Maria)
The author writes, “Shares of Tesla plunged to a fresh two-year low on Tuesday as the embattled automaker — already reeling from concerns chief Elon Musk has shifted too much focus to Twitter — reportedly faces a prolonged shutdown at a key factory next month and broader skepticism the electric vehicle industry can meet lofty sales expectation as Covid-19 outbreaks pummel demand in China, the world’s largest auto market.”
The Most Dangerous People on the Internet in 2022 (Reader Jim)
From Wired: “Every year, Wired assembles a list of the most dangerous people on the internet. For the first time since 2015, Donald Trump doesn’t top this list. But there’s no shortage of new sources of instability and disruption online. Here are our picks for 2022.”
They Were Freed After Serving Decades in Prison. Now, It’s Their Prosecutors Who Are Facing Scrutiny. (Reader Steve)
From The Boston Globe: “The Suffolk County prosecutor who sent James Watson to prison for life knew Boston police had made grievous mistakes in the interview of a key witness — mistakes that made the witness’s account suspect. But instead of coming clean, prosecutor Timothy P. O’Neill buried a memo that detailed the ‘error of major proportions’ and put the witness on the stand. Watson served 41 years in prison for murder before that memo and other evidence of O’Neill’s wrongdoing came to light. Now a free man, Watson is fighting back against the prosecutor who put him behind bars. ’He ruined my life,’ Watson said of O’Neill. ‘He knew. He knew I was innocent and he pursued it anyway. Now, I’m holding [him] accountable.’”
Mass Extinction by 2100? Supercomputer Predicts One-Quarter of Earth’s Species Will Die by Century’s End (Sean)
The author writes, “More than a quarter of the world’s animals and plants will go extinct by the end of the century, according to a scientific model created by one of Europe’s most advanced supercomputers. Scientists say 10 percent of plants and animals will disappear by 2050, with the number rising to 27 percent by 2100. This extinction ‘cascade’ means that children born today might well be the last generation to see elephants or koalas, the researchers warn.”
Brain Evidence About Suicide Attempts and Youth (Mili)
From Psychology Today: “A collective of researchers, the ENIGMA suicidal thoughts and behaviors consortium, pooled evidence from 21 international studies to analyze neuroimaging data across multiple sites. … The dataset was large and allowed the researchers to assess common structural brain alterations across a variety of clinical conditions in young people. The purpose was to examine the brain structure and form potentially associated with suicidal thoughts and behaviors among youth aged 8-25.”
How to Use ChatGPT and Still Be a Good Person (Russ)
The author writes, “The past few weeks have felt like a honeymoon phase for our relationship with tools powered by artificial intelligence. Many of us have prodded ChatGPT, a chatbot that can generate responses with startlingly natural language, with tasks like writing stories about our pets, composing business proposals and coding software programs. At the same time, many have uploaded selfies to Lensa AI, an app that uses algorithms to transform ordinary photos into artistic renderings. Both debuted a few weeks ago. Like smartphones and social networks when they first emerged, A.I. feels fun and exciting. Yet (and I’m sorry to be a buzzkill), as is always the case with new technology, there will be drawbacks, painful lessons and unintended consequences.”
Horrified Family Expects Christmas Candy — Gets Skull in the Mail Instead (Dana)
The author writes, “It was more of a scare package than a care package. An Alaska family got the fright of their lives when they opened a parcel from relatives in Australia and discovered a skull inside. Andrea Eastley — who grew up Down Under — currently lives in Alaska with her three young kids and the clan expected their grandparents to mail them some delicious Aussie treats for Christmas. However, when the package arrived, it didn’t contain the spread of goodies they anticipated — and instead housed a skull and an array of other eerie items.”
