Re: [lakeside-freethinkers] Digest for lakeside-freethinkers@googlegroups.com - 3 updates in 1 topic
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Emily Beebee
Jan 15, 2026, 2:29:23 PMJan 15
to lakeside-f...@googlegroups.com
I’m not sure if I RSVP’d for the meeting today but I am not able to attend. Will we be returning to the group Zoom calls anytime soon? Maybe I’m alone in preferring it to meeting in person with a meal. Thanks, Emily
On Jan 11, 2026, at 10:34 AM, lakeside-f...@googlegroups.com wrote:
lloyd kumley <lloy...@gmail.com>: Jan 10 02:09PM -0600
Greetings Freethinkers,
On Thursday, January 15, from 4 - 6 PM, we'll celebrate some of the
successes of reason and science of recent years at Yves Restaurant. We'll
be discussing innovations and discoveries in the fields of science,
technology and medicine (and the like) that will impact our own lives or
society in the years ahead. Please choose one advancement or area you've
learned about to talk about briefly and let me know your topic
(Or you can choose from the list I've added below.)
Guests are always welcome, but please let us know in advance how many seats
to reserve for you. Thanks!
Let's make 2026 a "reasonable" and innovative year together!!
See you soon! Lloyd
Here are some ideas for topics that could lead to good discussions:
(I welcome others.) Lloyd
*1. **B**reakthrough in breast cancer vaccine trial*
*https://abc11.com/post/duke-health-researchers-announces-breakthrough-breast-cancer-vaccine-trial/18161631/
<https://abc11.com/post/duke-health-researchers-announces-breakthrough-breast-cancer-vaccine-trial/18161631/>*
*A small group of women with advanced breast cancer participated in a trial
where they received a vaccine, and all are alive today, with robust,
long-lasting immune cells that recognize their cancer.*
2. *Engineered immune cells are being used to successfully treat people
with a range **o**f** debilitating autoimmune conditions*, such as
ulcerative colitis, rheumatoid arthritis and lupus. Researchers say
positive results from around a dozen studies over the past three years
suggest CAR-T-cell therapy could eventually be used to treat any disease in
which the immune system attacks the body. CAR-T-cell therapy exploits the
immune system’s T cells that fight off infection: these cells are collected
from a person and tweaked to produce proteins called chimeric antigen
receptors. They are then reintroduced into the body to target antigens
expressed by B cells, another type of immune cell. In autoimmune disorders,
these B cells make antibodies that attack the body’s own healthy tissues.
The use of the therapy for immune conditions has exploded since 2021, when
a 20-year-old woman in Germany with severe lupus became the first person
with an autoimmune disorder to be treated with CAR T cells. (It was used
successfully to treat my brother for bone marrow cancer at the Cleveland
Clinic in Ohio 4 years ago.
3. *Connecticut’s pioneering model for publicly owned, small-scale solar.*
*https://www.canarymedia.com/articles/solar/connecticut-pioneers-public-small-scale-solar*
<https://www.canarymedia.com/articles/solar/connecticut-pioneers-public-small-scale-solar>
The Connecticut Green Bank goes beyond grants and loans to directly develop
solar for towns and schools — a model other states could follow as energy
costs rise. 26 November 2025
4. *OpenAI sued in death of teenage boy who commited suicide.*
The family filed the lawsuit in late August, arguing that the AI chatbot
had coaxed their son Adam Raine into killing himself. Now, in a legal
response recently filed in a California court, OpenAI is arguing that the
boy had used the chatbot wrong and broken the company’s terms of service, —
a shocking argument that’s bound to draw even more scrutiny of the case.
“To the extent that any ’cause’ can be attributed to this tragic event,”
the filing reads, “Plaintiffs’ alleged injuries and harm were caused or
contributed to, directly and proximately, in whole or in part, by Adam
Raine’s misuse, unauthorized use, unintended use, unforeseeable use, and/or
improper use of ChatGPT.”
In the months since the lawsuit was filed, OpenAI has made startling
demands of Raine’s family, with the firm’s lawyers going as far as to push
them to provide a list of people who attended Adam’s funeral, while also
demanding materials like eulogies and photos and videos captured at the
service.
Its latest response once again highlights how far OpenAI is willing to go
to argue that it’s blameless in the teen’s death. The company said Raine
had violated ChatGPT’s terms of service by using it while underage, and
that it also forbids using the chatbot for “suicide” or “self-harm.” While
ChatGPT did sometimes advise Raine to reach out for help via a suicide
hotline number, his parents argue that he simply bypassed those warnings,
once again demonstrating how easy it is to circumnavigate AI chatbot
guardrails. Case in point, it also assisted Raine in planning his specific
method of death, discouraged him from talking to his family, and offered to
write him a suicide note. The case is one of eight lawsuits that have been
filed against OpenAI, many of which also allege wrongful death.
5. Nevada Releases Millions of Live Bees Into Desert – The Result Shocks
the World https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k9ucEhKGAgE
Watch this video. Some solutions have been overlooked, until now.
Nevadan agriculture revived certain kind of bees who are key to releasing
alfalfa seeds. by preparing the ground, releasing millions of bees, and
helping them thrive.
6. The Lost Planet that Created the Moon Came From the Inner Solar System
https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/lost-planet-theia-that-created-the-moon-came-from-the-inner-solar-system/
New work pinpoints origin for the planet Theia, whose ancient collision
with Earth likely produced the moon, 4.5 billions years ago. A postulated
planet, Theia, collided with earth and knocked off some chunks that formed
the Moon. By testing some rocks taken from the Moon by the Apollo missions
scientists determined Theia originated close to the Sun. New testing of
isotopes of heavy elements with finer equipment made this
determination possible. I believe this finally puts to rest the false
belief that the moon is made from yellow cheese.
Donna Steadman <dab...@gmail.com>: Jan 10 09:52PM -0600
Great story about the alkaline bees saving the Nevada soil... based on a
data-based experiment!
Thanks,
Dab
lloyd kumley <lloy...@gmail.com>: Jan 11 09:42AM -0600
Thanks, Dab. Yes, the bee report is quite different from the type of
stories usually reported and one of my favorites from the past few months!
I'm glad you liked it .
Lloyd
--/Lloyd Kumley
Lloy...@gmail.com
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Donna Steadman
Jan 15, 2026, 2:34:28 PMJan 15
to lakeside-f...@googlegroups.com
Hi Emily,
We generally hold our meetings in person during the "winter season"...and will likely resume the Zoom format in April or May...depending on how long the majority of our "snowbird" members will be in town here.
We enjoy your company and hope that you might join us at Yves before the Zoom changeover!
Take care,
Dab
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