This week on The Digital Life, we discuss the intersection of artificial intelligence and science with special guest is Dany DeGrave, founder of Unconventional Innovation. AI and science are coming together in new and significant ways, including the use of cognitive and other innovative technologies in R&D — like NLP, machine learning, and advanced analytics. As bio-science companies rush to invest in AI, the implementation of scientific research, drug trials, and even personalized medicine is undergoing significant change. But with the potential to make erroneous decisions, and even be used for malicious purposes, it may be a long time before we fully trust AI to be used in such development.

This week on The Digital Life is the second in our special series of episodes put together in conjunction with our friends at the GET Conference, on the cutting edge of research science and technology. In this week’s episode we explore the topic of the microbiome, with interviews with Embriette Hyde and Justine Dubilias of American Gut Project and Brian Klein of the Forsyth Institute.

We’re only just beginning to understand the microorganisms that resides in, on, and around us. In the past it was estimated that we have 10x more non-human cells than human cells. More recent estimates lower that number to equal amounts of cells for both human and microorganisms. And, while we have a mutually beneficial relationship with some of the microbiota that colonize us, for some we just don’t understand what the relationship is, yet.

 
Resources:
GET Conference
American Gut Project
Full Interview with Embriette Hyde and Justine Debelius
Forsyth Institute
Full Interview with Brian Klein

On The Digital Life this week, we embark on the first in a special series of episodes put together in conjunction with our friends at the GET Conference, on the cutting edge of research science and technology.

The GET Conference is on the front lines of the open science movement, seeking to make scientific research and data accessible to both professionals and citizens.

In this episode we explore the topic of open science through interviews with Brian Bot and John Wilbanks of Sage Bionetworks, Alexander Wait Zaranek from the Personal Genome Project and Curoverse, and Tim Errington from the Center of Open Science.

 
Resources:
GET Conference
Sage Bionetworks
Center for Open Science
Personal Genome Project
Curoverse

This week on The Digital Life, we chat with Madeleine Price Ball, Co-founder and Principal Investigator of the Public Data Sharing study, about Open Humans, an online platform that enables people to not only connect and participate with research studies but also receive data back from the scientists conducting them.

We explore the origins of the Open Humans project, its revolutionary data sharing model, and how it works for both members and researchers.

Resources
Open Humans
The Personal Genome Project
GET Conference
Runkeeper

User Experience (UX) theory and practice can be confusing for the uninitiated. In this episode, Erik Dahl discusses his UX Axioms, a series of recommendations which designers and developers alike can use to integrate UX into their practice. The UX Axioms have been gaining notice and popularity in the interaction design world.

Building real products and services involves an ongoing series of design compromises. There is no ideal process or magic bullet for integrating UX or creating amazing user experiences. However, understanding and applying UX Axioms will allow you to adapt to the situation at hand and build products that resonate with and delight your end-users.