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Evening Standard
Evening Standard
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Jon Weeks

Energy drinks ‘linked to insomnia’ in young people - Tech & Science Daily podcast

A study suggests there is a link between energy drinks and insomnia or poor sleep in young people, with just a few cans a week having an effect.

Research conducted in Norway found that people aged 18 to 35 who consumed the high-sugar, high-caffeine drinks every day slept around half an hour less than those drinking them occasionally or not at all.

Among women, having two or three drinks a week meant they were 58% more likely to sleep less than six hours, while men were 52% more likely to sleep less than six hours.

It follows a study published last week which called for a ban on the sale of all energy drinks to young people and children, because of links with anxiety, stress and suicidal thoughts.

There’s new hope for a quicker, less-invasive test for Alzheimer’s disease, after research showed that a simple blood test could be just as accurate at diagnosis as a lumbar puncture - aka a needle in your back.

The new blood test works by measuring levels of a protein called p-tau217 in the blood, which is a marker for biological changes that happen in the brain during Alzheimer’s disease.

Researchers were able to use the test to identify patients as likely, intermediate and unlikely to have Britain’s most common form of dementia.

Dr Richard Oakley from the Alzheimer’s Society tells Tech & Science Daily why he hopes the blood test will become a standard diagnosis tool, and explains why diagnosis of the condition needs to improve in the UK.

TikTok is setting up a new feature to help users make their own music.

The social platform is currently testing an AI song generator, so users can soundtrack their videos with their own unique songs.

The feature is called ‘AI Song’ which generates a melody to fit around the lyrics users type in.

A European lawmaker has criticised the EU for tweaking laws around facial recognition technology.

According to Politico, Svenja Hahn from the European Parliament said the final text of the bloc’s new rules on artificial intelligence was “an attack on civil rights”.

The change Hahn criticised was to the European Union’s Artificial Intelligence Act which will allow law enforcement to use facial recognition technology on recorded video footage without a judge’s approval.

Also in this episode:

Scientists set to reveal if Doomsday Clock is any closer to midnight, why MrBeast is dishing out $200,000+ to his followers, and Pokémon parody Palworld hit with bugs.

Listen above, find us on Apple, Spotify or wherever you stream your podcasts.

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