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Stethoscopes powered by artificial intelligence (AI) could help detect three different heart conditions in seconds, researchers say.

The original stethoscope, invented in 1816, allows doctors to listen to the internal sounds of a patient's body.

A British team conducted a study using a modern version and say they found it can spot heart failure, heart valve disease and abnormal heart rhythms almost instantly.

The tool could be a "real game-changer" resulting in patients being treated sooner, the researchers say - with plans to roll the device out across the UK following a study involving 205 GP surgeries in west and north-west London.

AI in healthcare: what are the risks for the NHS? The device replaces the traditional chest piece with a device around the size of a playing card. It uses a microphone to analyse subtle differences in heartbeat and blood flow that the human ear cannot detect.

It takes an ECG (electrocardiogram), recording electrical signals from the heart, and sends the information to the cloud to be analysed by AI trained on data from tens of thousands of patients.

The study by Imperial College London and Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust saw more than 12,000 patients from 96 surgeries examined with AI stethoscopes manufactured by US firm Eko Health. They were then compared to patients from 109 GP surgeries where the technology was not used.

Those with heart failure were 2.33 times more likely to have it detected within 12 months when examined with the AI stethoscope, researchers said.

With tuition starting at $40,000, Alpha Schools is riding the parental school choice movement while embracing the technology that will shape kids' futures — a challenge public schools are grappling with.

How it works: In Alpha Schools, students spend no more than two hours on core academics, then devote the rest of the day to developing life skills.

AI models generate personalized learning plans for students, who then learn on third-party apps like Synthesis Tutor and Math Academy, as well as Alpha Schools' own programs. Each subject is taught in 25-minute sessions, with short breaks in between. Founder MacKenzie Price tells Axios that, unlike traditional schooling, Alpha Schools can ensure students master concepts before new material is introduced. What they're saying: "If a kid comes to us and is behind, we're able to help catch them up," Price says. "If a kid comes to us who's been bored in traditional school because they're more advanced, they're able to really take the ceiling off."

Afternoon skills workshops, such as a team bike race or running a lemonade stand, are designed to teach practical skills like financial literacy and public speaking. Instead of teachers, the schools employ "guides," who start at $100,000 a year. They don't create lesson plans or lectures. Think of them more like coaches, who work to motivate students and come from a range of backgrounds, from tech to law.