Tip: tap a highlighted word to see its meaning in Urdu.
Researchers created an artificial intelligence tool to check health and cancer survival using facial photos.
Level 1 · Easy
Researchers made a new computer tool called FAHR-Face. It uses facial photos to check health and cancer survival. Doctors have always looked at faces to see if a is healthy.
The study used more than 40 million photos. The results were published this month in The Lancet Digital Health. The tool works for some cancers, but not for all of them.
Experts say the tool still needs more tests. Selfies can change because of lighting or makeup. Therefore, people should be careful about these results.
Level 2 · Medium
Researchers in Massachusetts developed a new artificial intelligence called FAHR-Face. It uses facial images to check biological age and predict cancer survival. Doctors have long used facial appearance to understand a ‘s health. For example, they look at how old a person appears compared to their real age.
The new study used more than 40 million photos. For cancer survival, the model focused on specific parts of the face, like the nose and eyes. Researchers published these findings this month in The Lancet Digital Health. The results show the tool works for some cancer categories, but not for all of them.
Experts note that the tool still needs testing across different groups and hospitals. Also, factors like lighting, camera angle, and cosmetic surgery can change a selfie. Therefore, experts say it is hard to know how well these models truly predict future health.
Level 3 · Real news English
Researchers from Mass General Brigham in Massachusetts have developed an artificial intelligence named FAHR-Face. Developers taught the tool using more than 40 million pictures of faces to gauge biological age and forecast survival rates among cancer patients. For biological age, they created FAHR-FaceAge, which looks at features like the forehead, temples, and wrinkles between the nose and mouth. To evaluate cancer survival, they created FAHR-FaceSurvival from nearly 35,000 cancer photographs, centering on areas under the eyes and along the nasal bridge.
These facial areas are similar to those noted by Hippocrates in 400BC as signs of mortality risk and muscle wasting, such as sunken eyes and fallen temples. The study was published this month in The Lancet Digital Health. The results revealed that AI-estimated facial age was significantly linked with survival in 18 out of 28 cancer categories, meaning it works for some cancers but not others.
However, experts warn that the tool is far from conclusive. Professor Miroslaw Bober stated that the tool still requires testing against doctors’ judgments and across various patient groups. Notably, the facial-age measure was not significantly linked with survival for Black patients after adjusting for other factors. This raises concerns about racial in AI models. Furthermore, experts point out that selfies are unreliable because results change based on lighting, camera angles, expressions, botox, fillers, and makeup. While the is promising, experts remain skeptical about whether a single can accurately predict a patient’s future health.
Words to learn
- surviving — زندہ رہنا (zinda rehna): remaining alive after an event “The strong animal had a good chance of surviving.”
- research — تحقیق (تحقیق): detailed study of a subject “She read new research about plants.”
- patient — مریض (mareez): a person receiving medical care “The doctor helped the sick patient.”
- model — ماڈل (model): a computer program designed to simulate something “They built a computer model for the weather.”
- category — قسم (qisam): a class or division of people or things “Books are placed in every category.”
- bias — تعصب (taassub): unfair support for or against something “The test should be free from any bias.”
- clinical — طبی (tibbi): relating to the medical treatment of patients “He works in a clinical laboratory.”
- treatment — علاج (ilaaj): medical care given to a patient “The new treatment helped her feel better.”
- photograph — تصویر (tasveer): a picture made using a camera “He took a photograph of the mountains.”
Quick quiz
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What is the name of the AI model developed by researchers?
- FAHR-Face
- ScanHealth
- MediFace
- BioAge AI
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Where were the study results published?
- The Lancet Digital Health
- New England Journal
- Nature Medicine
- Science Daily
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What does 'patient' mean in Urdu?
- مریض
- موسم
- محقق
- مدت
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How many facial images were used to train the AI model?
- More than 40 million
- Around 10 million
- Nearly 35,000
- 500,000
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What top three things did researchers find made people's faces age?
- Alcohol, drugs and smoking
- Sun, sugar and stress
- Water, food and sleep
- Work, travel and exercise