1. At any moment, approximately 13 million hunting traps are placed in protected areas throughout Laos, Cambodia, and Vietnam, posing a serious threat to wildlife. These wire traps are often professionally made and arranged in extensive trap lines that randomly capture any animal passing through. Due to the severity of the issue, conservation efforts have focused on removing these traps, but experts argue that this alone is not enough to solve the crisis.

2. [I] Between 2011 and 2021, conservation teams removed 118,151 traps from two Vietnamese nature reserves, Hue Saola Nature Reserve and Quang Nam Saola Nature Reserve. [II] These areas, covering nearly 32,000 hectares, are home to endangered species such as the saola, a rare species that has not been seen in the wild since 2013. [III] Although hunting is illegal, the use of traps remains widespread, primarily to supply restaurants and wildlife markets, rather than for survival. [IV]

3. To evaluate the effectiveness of trap removal, researchers divided the reserves into 200-square-metre cells and tracked changes over 11 years. Forest guardians, many of whom were former poachers, worked in harsh conditions to remove the traps. However, despite the progress, poachers may have simply moved deeper into the forest or to other locations, continuing their illegal activities.

4. The trap removal program cost $220,000 per year, with each trap costing$20.50 to remove, while setting one costs only $1.13. Expanding this program across all of Southeast Asia would require hundreds of millions of dollars, making it impractical as the only solution. Experts stress the need to tackle the main reasons behind wildlife trapping, such as economic pressures and demand for wild meat.

5. This issue is not just limited to Southeast Asia. In Africa, for example, lions are often caught in traps meant for large plant-eating animals. Conservationists argue that reducing the demand for wild meat is essential, but it could take a whole generation to make a real difference. Without urgent action, the widespread use of hunting traps could drive many rare species to extinction.

1. Ocean conservation is the act of protecting and preserving the ecosystems in the world's oceans and seas. Various marine life, including fish, mammals, reptiles, plants, and other sea creatures, rely on ecosystems like coral reefs, mangroves, and the deep sea for survival.

2. The oceans play a vital role in regulating the Earth's climate. [I] Without the oceans' ability to balance the planet's temperature, much of the Earth would be uninhabitable. [II] According to the National 2. Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), ocean currents work like a “large conveyor belt.” [III] This circulation helps drive climate patterns worldwide. [IV] Since oceans cover more than 70% of the Earth's surface, they absorb most of the sun's energy. As the water heats up, it evaporates, which increases humidity and temperature. This process forms rain, which is carried by the wind across the planet.

3. An important job the ocean does is carbon sequestration. Phytoplankton, small marine algae, absorb carbon dioxide from the air and convert it into sugar through photosynthesis. Sea creatures like shrimp, snails, and jellyfish eat these plankton. When these creatures die, their bodies sink to the ocean floor. As they decompose, the carbon remains stored in the deep ocean for millions of years, preventing it from entering the atmosphere and contributing to global warming.

4. The ocean is home to a large percentage of life on Earth, with between 50% and 80% of all species living in the sea. Scientists estimate that between 220,000 and 250,000 species exist in the ocean, and many more remain undiscovered. The ocean's biodiversity is essential for human survival, offering clean air, fresh water, and protection from storms. However, this biodiversity is at risk, with many species threatened with extinction.

1. [I] Artificial intelligence (AI) is becoming an integral part of healthcare, assisting in areas such as cancer screenings, medical transcription, and virtual nursing. [II] Companies developing these AI-driven tools claim they enhance efficiency and reduce the workload for medical professionals. [III] However, some experts raise concerns about whether these tools perform as effectively as claimed. [IV]

2. AI models, particularly large language models (LLMs), are trained using extensive datasets, but their evaluations are often inadequate. A review of AI assessments in healthcare found that only a small fraction involved real patient data. Most studies focused on testing medical knowledge rather than practical applications like prescription writing or patient communication. As a result, these benchmarks fail to accurately measure Al's effectiveness in real clinical settings. Researchers argue that such limited evaluations create an unrealistic perception of AI's capabilities, leading to premature deployment in healthcare environments.

3. Computer scientist Deborah Raji and her colleagues emphasize the need for more realistic and diverse evaluation methods. Current benchmarks are rigid and do not reflect the complexity of real-world medical tasks. Since they primarily assess physician-level knowledge, they overlook the perspectives of nurses and other healthcare workers. Raji suggests developing assessments based on actual clinical workflows and patient interactions, rather than relying on standardized exams that do not represent real-world applications.

4. To improve AI evaluation, researchers propose strategies such as gathering data from hospitals, analyzing real-world AI usage, and conducting adversarial testing to explore potential weaknesses. Transparency from hospitals and AI vendors regarding their evaluation processes and AI integration would also help create more accurate benchmarks. By focusing on real deployment scenarios, researchers can better assess Al's strengths and limitations, ultimately ensuring safer and more effective applications in healthcare.

(Adapted from https://www.sciencenews.org)