“What CITI Program is Reading” is our weekly blog series which highlights news articles curated by our staff and relevant to research, higher education, healthcare, technology, and more. Follow us on LinkedIn for upcoming editions and more information from CITI Program.

Facebook to delete data on a billion people’s faces
Source: Independent Facebook will shut down its facial recognition system after it was the subject of huge numbers of privacy complaints.
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All in the mind: what the placebo effect looks like in the brain
Source: Nature When pain relief is expected, specific circuits in the brainstem become more active.
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Alphabet has a new drug discovery company building on DeepMind’s AI chops
Source: STAT News Isomorphic's CEO said the company plans to use computational AI methods to “reimagine the whole drug discovery process."
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The United States has stopped funding virus research it defines as risky
Source: Science Two controversial influenza projects approved under 2017 policy have ended.
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Why is Delta so infectious? New lab tool spotlights little noticed mutation that speeds viral spread
Source: Science “Viruslike particles” open the way to safely study nucleocapsid and other viral proteins.
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The Guide for the Next Decade of Space Research Just Dropped
Source: Wired The Astro2020 Decadal Survey's top priorities include new telescopes, the search for habitable exoplanets, and far-infrared and x-ray probe missions.
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Financial Aid Offices Face Staffing Shortages
Source: Inside Higher Ed The shortage of financial aid employees is especially worrisome given that the Department of Education is now planning to beef up its enforcement of federal student aid program rules.
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The Gates Foundation Introduces Its New College Comparison Tool
Source: Forbes An outgrowth of work supported by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, the new Equitable Value Explorer is an excellent tool for comparing the economic value that postsecondary institutions deliver to students.
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Sponge cells hint at origins of nervous system
Source: Nature Synapse genes help cells to communicate in sponge’s digestive chambers.
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