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How AI is transforming research: More papers, less quality, and a strained review system - Haas News
Mathijs De Vaan has long recognized the labor required to effectively communicate scientific findings. For the Netherlands native and UC Berkeley Haas associate professor of management, data and analyses are only half the battle; the rest is a time-intensive process of ensuring that complex, nuanced ideas are articulated with the precision that top-tier research demands. […]
Lancaster University's £11m boost for mental health research
The plan aims to make mental health research more local and more "accessible and effective".
January 27, 2026: Workshop Materials Available From ‘Dissemination and Implementation in Embedded Pragmatic Trials: Science-Powered Strategies to Sustain and Spread Effective Interventions'
Complete materials are now available from the NIH Pragmatic Trials Collaboratory’s recent workshop, “Dissemination and Implementation in Embedded Pragmatic Trials: Science-Powered Strategies to Sustain and Spread Effective Interventions.” The full-day […]
David McClelland Appointed Head of the Santander US Auto Business
BOSTON & DALLAS, January 26, 2026--Santander Holdings USA, Inc. ("Santander US") announced that David McClelland has been named Head of the Santander US Auto business, effective today. McClelland will be responsible for executing on the company’s Auto growth strategy, enhancing dealer and customer experiences, and managing manufacturer (OEM) relationships. In this capacity, he succeeds Bruce Jackson, who announced his retirement from the company.
Benefits Asked and Answered: How do Penn State’s health care plans work?
Which health care costs apply to your deductible and how much do you need to pay before hitting your out-of-pocket maximum? Understanding your health care plan can help employees more effectively navigate their health care choices.
Lee Health: Advancing heart failure care close to home
Heart failure is a chronic condition in which the heart cannot pump blood and oxygen effectively enough to support other organs.
Accelerating Innovation: Wonderbelly Joins the P&G Personal Health Care Portfolio
Expanding P&G’s commitment to personal health by delivering effective, 'free-from' digestive relief to a wider range of shoppers.
US wins against Russian, Chinese air defenses risk wrong lessons
These systems could still be effective in the right hands or situation. At the same time, the US and allies have a history of success against them.
3 Healthy Habits To Automate In 2026 For More Effective Leadership
The leadership environment continues to intensify. In 2026, core healthy habits are no longer optional for CEOs. Here are three that matter most.
New study shows just how effective Apple Watch is at detecting AFib
New peer-reviewed research shows Apple Watch detected 4x more AFib cases than standard care, including 57% of people with no symptoms.
How Playing Pokémon Became the Ultimate Test of AI’s Intelligence
Nintendo’s original Pokémon games are becoming a popular and strangely effective way to test and benchmark new artificial-intelligence models. “We’re all a whole bunch of nerds,” said the man behind the trend.
DIRECTV Entertainment for Your Community
Tired of high TV bills and outdated cable boxes? Upgrade your community’s entertainment with a smarter, more cost-effective solution. PulseNetTV delivers customized DIRECTV entertainment packages designed specifically for communities providing better content, clearer picture quality, and significant savings.
Museum adopts new leadership model
CHILDREN’S MUSEUM OF DENVER AT MARSICO CAMPUS Denver News: The board of the Children’s Museum of Denver at Marsico Campus has voted unanimously to adopt a co-CEO leadership model that positions the organization as a national innovator among cultural institutions embracing this forward-thinking approach. Effective this month, Mike Yankovich, who has served as president and chief executive officer […]
Women's Health Investment Outlook
Despite women and girls making up nearly half the world’s population, women’s health has captured just 6% of private healthcare investment. More than 25 organizations from the investment community, industry, philanthropies and beyond provided insights for this report, which addresses critical gaps in understanding investment flows in women’s health, market opportunity and unmet need. To quantify private investment flows in women’s healthcare over the past five years, the report introduces the Women’s Health Investment Index. Major areas of unmet need and opportunity across high-burden, high-prevalence conditions that affect women uniquely, differently and disproportionately – such as cardiovascular disease, osteoporosis, menopause and Alzheimer’s disease – have been overlooked. A recent analysis by the Boston Consulting Group (BCG) estimates that effectively addressing these four therapeutic areas for women in the US could unlock a $100 billion-plus market opportunity by 2030.
Dancing Students Toward Health Care Career Opportunities
How do dance contests and paper airplane races relate to effectively teaching a health care leadership course at the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School? That question quickly comes to mind…
Women's Health Investment Outlook
Despite women and girls making up nearly half the world’s population, women’s health has captured just 6% of private healthcare investment. More than 25 organizations from the investment community, industry, philanthropies and beyond provided insights for this report, which addresses critical gaps in understanding investment flows in women’s health, market opportunity and unmet need. To quantify private investment flows in women’s healthcare over the past five years, the report introduces the Women’s Health Investment Index. Major areas of unmet need and opportunity across high-burden, high-prevalence conditions that affect women uniquely, differently and disproportionately – such as cardiovascular disease, osteoporosis, menopause and Alzheimer’s disease – have been overlooked. A recent analysis by the Boston Consulting Group (BCG) estimates that effectively addressing these four therapeutic areas for women in the US could unlock a $100 billion-plus market opportunity by 2030.
How Recent Developments Are Shaping The Elevance Health (ELV) Investment Story
Elevance Health’s fair value estimate has been reset slightly higher to US$394.60 from US$387.16, while the discount rate remains effectively stable and revenue expectations are trimmed modestly in the model. This reflects Street research that is increasingly constructive on earnings potential in Medicare Advantage and exchanges, while still accounting for policy and utilization risks flagged in recent reports. Stay informed on these shifting inputs so you are not caught off guard as the...
Viruses that evolved on the space station and were sent back to Earth were more effective at killing bacteria
Near-weightless conditions can mutate genes and alter the physical structures of bacteria and phages, disrupting their normal interactions in ways that could help us treat drug-resistant infections.
Does golf count as exercise? Only if you avoid one thing, say experts
A study shows that 18-hole rounds provide superior blood sugar and cholesterol benefits compared to walking, demonstrating the sport's exercise effectiveness.
Julia Bear Named Interim Dean of the College of Business
Julia Bear has been named interim dean of the Stony Brook University College of Business, effective Monday, January 19.
NCAA adds flag football to Emerging Sports for Women program
Women's flag football has been added to the NCAA Emerging Sports for Women program, effective immediately, creating a pathway toward NCAA championship status as schools work toward the 40-sponsor threshold.
St. Louis Science Center cancels MLK Day showcase, halts YES teen program
One month ago today, the Saint Louis Science Center convened a meeting of staff assigned to its Community Science program—and then informed all of them they were being let go, effective immediately. The staffers supervised the science center’s long-running Youth Exploring Science program, better known as YES, which supports local students from underserved communities with […]
ASUS has stopped producing the NVIDIA RTX 5070 Ti and 5060 Ti 16GB, saying they've reached 'end of life'
YouTube channel Hardware Unboxed is reporting that NVIDIA has "effectively" discontinued the RTX 5070 Ti and 5060 Ti 16GB due to the ongoing memory crunch.
Congressional redistricting effort in N.H. effectively dead, as sympathetic GOP lawmaker cites lack of ‘political will’
A key Republican state lawmaker in New Hampshire came out against a mid-decade redistricting proposal Wednesday, all but guaranteeing an end to the push to redraw the state’s congressional maps ahead of the 2026 election.
Health Catalyst, Veeva Systems, 8x8, Amplitude, and DocuSign Stocks Trade Down, What You Need To Know
A number of stocks fell in the afternoon session after tech stocks pulled back as reports surfaced that Chinese customs authorities blocked Nvidia's H200 AI chips, effectively halting their entry despite recent U.S. export approvals.
Broncos need to run the ball effectively vs. the Bills
The Buffalo Bills have one major weakness that the Denver Broncos NEED to take advantage of this Saturday, and it is their run defense. The Jacksonville Jaguars were running all over the Bills’ defense this past weekend, but for whatever reason, they did not lean into it. Veteran running back Trevor Etienne Jr. only had […]
Dr. Nannette C. Turner appointed interim dean of College of Health Professions
Dr. Nannette C. Turner has been appointed interim dean of Mercer University’s College of Health Professions, effective immediately, executive vice president for academic affairs and provost Lisa…
China's hyped radars useless during US air assault on Venezuela
China's JY-27A radar, touted for its ability to supposedly detect stealth aircraft, doesn't appear to have been effective during the US attack.
RIP Frank Traylor — a model for political life
It is with great sadness I read of the death of Frank Traylor. From the moment we met at the beginning of the 1975 legislative session, I knew he was special. As a doctor, he knew medical issues better than any of us but what made him so effective was his calm personality and his […]
Analysis: South Dakotans, power and national politics
SDPB's Dakota Political Junkies discuss how polarization impacts the ability to craft effective policy
Purdue University Northwest announces new dean of the College of Business
Purdue University Northwest (PNW) has announced David G. Taylor will serve as the Teddy Jacobi Dean of the PNW College of Business, effective July 1, 2026. Taylor was selected through a national search process.
Trump: Any country doing business with Iran to be hit with 25% tariff
President Donald Trump said he'll impose a 25% tariff on any country doing business with Iran, effective immediately.
Trump says 25% tariffs on countries doing business with Iran ‘effective immediately’
President Donald Trump said a new 25% tariff on countries that do business with Iran is “effective immediately.”
Trump Says Countries Doing Business With Iran Face 25% Tariff
WASHINGTON, Jan 12 (Reuters) - U.S. President Donald Trump said on Monday that any country that does business with Iran will be subjected to a tariff rate of 25% on any business conducted with the United States. "Effective immediately, any Country doing business with the Islamic ...
Western Pacific Region achieves milestone: 19 countries complete comprehensive health information system assessments
The Health Information and Digital Health (HID) unit in the WHO Regional Office for the Western Pacific has successfully supported 19 countries, covering 99% of the Region’s population, to conduct comprehensive health information system (HIS) assessments, surpassing the regional target of 15 set for 2025 and advancing efforts toward universal health coverage. Using SCORE, a technical package of essential interventions, recommended actions, tool and resources developed by WHO and partners to address challenges in meeting HIS needs, these assessments systematically assess health data availability and quality, enabling countries to monitor trends, identify and respond to emerging health challenges, and improve policies and programmes for healthier families, communities and societies. The first round of SCORE assessments were conducted between 2019-2021 in 14 countries in the Region and over 130 countries globally. The second round of SCORE assessments were conducted between 2024-2025.SCORE assessments are a key priority identified by Member States and WHO at all levels, including within WHO-Country/Multi-Country Cooperation Strategies, the Regional Vision Weaving Health for Families, Communities and Societies in the Western Pacific Region (2025–2029), and the WHO Fourteenth General Programme of Work (GPW 14, 2025–2028). Within the Regional Vision, implementing SCORE assessments is a key action for technology and innovation to advance health equity (strand 5).The SCORE for Health Data technical package is based on five key interventions, represented by the acronym SCORE. Interventions S, C and O focus on strengthening core data sources. Survey (S) covers population-based health surveys, surveillance systems and censuses, including their capacity to monitor health-related SDGs. Count (C) focuses on birth, death and cause of death registration as parts of a functional CRVS system. Optimize (O) addresses routine health service data and key health service inputs such as health financing and health workforce.Interventions R and E focus on data use for action. Review (R) examines regular analytical reviews of health sector progress and performance, together with national analytical capacity. Enable (E) looks at the policy, governance, and digital foundations needed to support effective data use.The Western Pacific Region shows relatively strong performance in the Review (R) and Count (C) interventions. Most countries in the Region demonstrate good analytical reporting and institutional capacity for analysis and learning. More than two-thirds of countries show more mature CRVS systems, driven by improvements in birth and death registration. However, medical certification of cause-of-death remains a key gap, with limited or low coverage in over half of countries in the Region.Performance under the Survey (S) intervention is mixed. While surveillance systems are generally strong, several countries in the Region continue to face challenges in implementing their surveys and censuses. Monitoring health-related SDGs is still a challenge for more than a third of countries in the Region.The greatest challenges are observed in the Optimize (O) and Enable (E) interventions. More than half of countries have lower maturity levels in routine health service and resource systems. Two-thirds of countries also face challenges with effective use of data and evidence for policy and action, largely due to gaps in digital infrastructure, governance and legislation for health data systems, and especially in data and sharing.  As part of the SCORE methodology, multi-stakeholder consultations and validation workshops were conducted in many countries to review findings and plan strategies for HIS strengthening. The HID unit continues to provide targeted support to facilitate dialogue and assist countries in developing HIS improvement plans. These plans guide governments and partners to align investments and coordinate efforts for maximum impact.WHO also assists countries with tailored technical support to address key gaps as requested by countries/national health authorities. SCORE assessments should be conducted periodically to monitor progress in HIS strengthening, although progress across addressing gaps identified in SCORE should be continually tracked as countries implement improvements.Additional countries will be supported to implement SCORE in 2026. The Regional Vision delivery-for-impact target, endorsed by Member States, is for all countries and areas to have implemented SCORE assessments and have an increased SCORE index by 2029 while WHO is aiming for 80% of Member States in the Region to conduct round two assessments. Countries yet to complete assessments are therefore encouraged to contact the HID unit at the WHO Regional Office for the Western Pacific for tailored support.The implementation of SCORE HIS assessments in the Western Pacific Region was supported by The Gates Family Foundation.
Intel Panther Lake 30W Handhelds To Be Similar In Performance Versus Sony PS6 “Canis” Handheld at 15W
Intel's Panther Lake gaming handhelds will likely compete more effectively against Sony's PS6 handheld than AMD's Z-series SoCs.
18 Costco items shoppers say basically pay for a membership
Costco charges a $65 membership fee to shop, and a common question is whether the savings can effectively offset the fee. We did the math.
Wearing a weighted vest can promote bone health and weight loss, but it's not a cure-all
Weighted vests are among the latest fitness trends. But like any tool, their effectiveness depends on their use.
Do cats really hate aluminium foil? What makes them startle and what science says | - The Times of India
Trending News: Discover the science behind why cats are startled by aluminium foil, exploring their sensory reactions, and effective deterrents for keeping them off countertops.
How Seaport’s Upgrade Amid Mixed Fundamentals At Sphere Entertainment (SPHR) Has Changed Its Investment Story
In recent days, Sphere Entertainment received an upgrade from Seaport Global from Neutral to Buy, following a series of earlier positive analyst views tied to venue performance, sponsorship activity, and attendance trends. At the same time, Sphere’s fundamentals remain mixed, with weak long-term sales growth and constrained free cash flow raising questions about how effectively it can reinvest behind its high-profile partnerships and expanding venue platform. We’ll now explore how Seaport...
PUBLIC COMMENTS WANTED: Draft 2026 Delta Science Plan
From the Delta Science Program: The Delta Stewardship Council’s Delta Science Program is developing the third iteration of the Delta Science Plan, which outlines the vision, principles, and approaches that guide science in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta. Called for in the Delta Plan, the Delta Science Plan works to improve coordination across the Delta science community and strengthen communication of scientific findings to policymakers – helping them address the region’s natural resource management challenges more effectively. Updated approximately every five […]
Mayor-Elect Jabbour Names Jennifer Gonzalez As Business Administrator for the City of Hoboken
Mayor-Elect Jabbour Names Jennifer Gonzalez As Business Administrator for the City of Hoboken Hoboken, NJ – Today, Mayor-Elect Emily Jabbour named Jennifer Gonzalez as Business Administrator. “There are few people with the proven track record of effectiveness that Jennifer Gonzalez brings to this role. She understands how city government works, how to get things done,[...]
Scientists Found a Way to Supercharge the Immune System Against Cancer
Researchers have developed a new class of antibodies that amplify the immune system’s ability to fight cancer. By clustering immune receptors that normally receive weak signals from tumors, these four-pronged antibodies push T cells into full attack mode. In early studies, they outperformed conventional antibodies at activating cancer-killing immune cells. The work opens the door to more effective immunotherapy treatments.
Scientists find exercise rivals therapy for depression
A large review of studies suggests that exercise can ease depression about as effectively as psychological therapy. Compared with antidepressants, exercise showed similar benefits, though the evidence was less certain. Researchers found that light to moderate activity over multiple sessions worked best, with few side effects. While it’s not a cure-all, exercise may be a powerful and accessible tool for many people.
RWJBarnabas Health Names New President and Chief Executive Officer for Jersey City Medical Center
RWJBarnabas Health has named Jonathan P. Kyriacou as President and Chief Executive Officer for Jersey City Medical Center, effective January 26, 2026. In this role, Mr. Kyriacou will oversee Jersey City Medical Center’s strategic direction, operational leadership and financial performance.
Penn Entertainment announces changes to organizational structure
Penn Entertainment this week announced a new corporate organizational structure, effective immediately, designed to reflect the company’s strategic priorities, including the realignment of its interactive focus on Penn’s digital omnichannel business assets in Canada and its Hollywood iCasino pro
Kiess Named Interim Head of Poultry Science
Aaron Kiess, Braswell Distinguished Professor in the Prestage Department of Poultry Science, assumed the role of interim department head, effective Jan. 2.
Scientists uncover a hidden switch that helps cancer cells thrive
A protein once thought to simply help cancer cells avoid death turns out to do much more. MCL1 actively drives cancer metabolism by controlling the powerful mTOR growth pathway, tying survival and energy use together. This insight explains why MCL1-targeting drugs can be effective—but also why they sometimes damage the heart. Researchers have now identified a way to reduce that risk, potentially unlocking safer cancer therapies.
The politics of asylum: How local exposure reshaped UK voting
The UK has seen a sharp rise in asylum applications since the Covid-19 pandemic. This column examines how exposure to asylum seekers affects voter behaviour. The authors find that increases in dispersed asylum seekers – who are provided with accommodation but cannot choose their destination – lead to a sizeable rightward shift in local election outcomes. While migration has become more salient for both of the UK’s main political parties, only Conservative MPs appear to effectively channel local discontent, helping explain why these rightward electoral shifts occur despite little observable change in public attitudes.
Ondas Holdings (ONDS) Climbs 30% on Business Transformation
We recently published 10 Stocks Already Shocking 2026 With Massive Gains. Ondas Holdings Inc. (NASDAQ:ONDS) was one of the top performers last week. Ondas Holdings soared by 29.95 percent week-on-week as investors took its recent corporate rebranding as cue for a broader business transformation. Effective in the first quarter of the year, Ondas Holdings Inc. […]
Swimmer who vanished at Lovers Point was wearing a shark deterrent. What science says about what they do
Studies question whether wearable shark deterrents effectively reduce risk.
Blocking One Protein Slows Cancer Growth in Mice, Scientists Discover
"Could make current immunotherapies more effective."
Have More Fun To Succeed In Business And Life
Fun and play are more than just kid stuff. Joy in the workplace is also essential for adults in order to create an effective state of mind.
A new era of leadership: St. John’s Health Foundation announces new Board Chair and Directors
JACKSON, Wyo. — St. John’s Health Foundation announces a new slate of board leadership and welcomes eight new members to its Board of Directors, marking an important transition as the organization looks ahead to 2026. Board leadership Transition Tom Bruno has been named Chair of the St. John’s Health Foundation Board of Directors, effective 2026. Bruno […]
3 apps I'm actually using to keep my New Year's resolutions
Habit tracking app options are endless, but these 3 apps have proven to be the most effective in actually making progress.
Flu cases are rising with a new strain that makes older people sicker
Flu season is ramping up in the U.S., marked by a new strain that could make vaccines less effective. Covid cases remain down.
Duke Health limits hospital visitors due to rise in respiratory illness cases locally and nationally
The Duke University Health System stated that hospitals and ambulatory surgery centers will temporarily limit patient visitations, effective Tuesday, Jan. 6. The release added that the restrictions will be reviewed if and when respiratory illness cases decline.
Australia’s Star Entertainment sees fresh executive departures as CFO, COO exit
Embattled Australian casino operator Star Entertainment said on Monday its Chief Financial Officer Frank Krile has resigned and will be leaving the firm, effective immediately.
Snowflake's CEO shares his 4 rules for effective meetings
Sridhar Ramaswamy told Business Insider that while "meetings are like bureaucracies," he depends on them to make decisions.
Popular painkiller offers little relief, raises serious health risks, study finds
A widely prescribed opioid painkiller showed limited effectiveness and increased risk of negative effects in a new analysis published in BMJ Evidence-Based Medicine.
How effective is protesting? According to historians and political scientists: very
From emancipation to women’s suffrage, civil rights and BLM, mass movement has shaped the arc of US history
Major food chains are reinventing themselves. We ranked their efforts to see who's winning the Great Restaurant Reset.
Many restaurant chains have been undergoing rebranding efforts this year. Business Insider ranked each effort in order of effectiveness.
19 states and D.C. sue HHS over effort to ban transgender care for minors
The declaration issued by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services called treatments like puberty blockers, hormone therapy and surgeries unsafe and ineffective for children and adolescents experiencing gender dysphoria.
2025 was the year Xbox died
The Xbox brand effectively died this year. But can it be resurrected as a PC platform?
MIT scientists strip cancer of its sugar shield
Scientists at MIT and Stanford have unveiled a promising new way to help the immune system recognize and attack cancer cells more effectively. Their strategy targets a hidden “off switch” that tumors use to stay invisible to immune defenses—special sugar molecules on the cancer cell surface that suppress immune activity. Early tests show it can supercharge immune responses and outperform current antibody therapies.
Governors’ Health Priorities in 2025
Through emergency response, behavioral health investments, maternal health protections, nutrition innovations, rural health transformation, and workforce development, Governors have demonstrated that effective governance requires evidence-based policymaking, cross-agency coordination, and sustained political will. Governors confronted complex challenges with innovative solutions grounded in evidence and adapted to local contexts. As highlighted at the 2025 Health and Human Services Policy Advisors Institute, states […]
Executive ghostwriter gives LinkedIn makeovers to execs. Here are 4 ways to brag more effectively on your profile.
Jillian Richardson offers professional LinkedIn makeovers, and she has 4 tips on how to brag more on your profile.
Science & Medicine: Can acupressure provide a safer pain relief alternative for people with dementia?
Many people dismiss alternative therapies like auricular — which means ear — acupressure as unscientific, but a UT Health San Antonio researcher thinks it may be an effective way to reduce chronic pain for people with dementia that doesn't carry the risks associated with opioid medication.
Virginia Tech sharing the ball effectively with Elon on deck
Before conference play begins next week, Virginia Tech has its sights on a fourth straight double-digit win when the Hokies welcome Elon to town Saturday in Blacksburg, Va.
Rep. Stefanik ends her campaign for New York governor, won't seek reelection to House
Stefanik, a Republican ally of President Donald Trump, said in a statement that she was confident of her chances in the primary against Bruce Blakeman, a Republican county official in New York City’s suburbs. But she said, “It is not an effective use of our time” to stay in the race.
Justice Melissa Hart to step down from Colorado Supreme Court
Justice Melissa Hart will step down from the Colorado Supreme Court effective Jan. 5, the Judicial Department announced unexpectedly on Friday. Hart has been on an unexplained and unusual leave of absence from the court since Oct. 28. She told Colorado Politics in November that the leave was for “family and personal health reasons,” but provided no […]
CTSI to host three-part virtual mini-series on team science
Penn State Clinical and Translational Science Institute (CTSI) will host a three-part virtual mini-series focused on team science, led by Susan Simkins, director of Team Science with Penn State CTSI. Designed for researchers, staff and leaders working in collaborative environments, the series will provide practical, evidence-based strategies to help teams function more effectively and avoid the misalignment that often can slow down good science.
Heading into 2026, Commissioners reaffirm commitment to business community
Douglas County has a strong history of eliminating barriers for business investment, creating effective partnerships, and maintaining a low-tax environment. The Board of Douglas County Commissioners reaffirmed its commitment to…
Beidas Elected Co-Editor-in-Chief of Implementation Science
Rinad Beidas, PhD, the chair and Ralph Seal Paffenbarger professor of Medical Social Sciences, has been elected the next co-editor-in-chief of Implementation Science, the field’s flagship journal, effective January 1, 2026.
UK to hold inquiry into foreign financial interference in domestic politics
Review, which will focus on effectiveness of political finance laws, follows conviction of former Reform politician for accepting bribes
Steve McCann steps down as CEO of Star Entertainment
Star Entertainment announced today (16 December) that Steve McCann will step down as Group CEO and Managing Director, effective immediately.
Australia’s Star Entertainment CEO Steve McCann steps down
Dec 16 (Reuters) - Embattled casino operator Star Entertainment said on Tuesday that Steve McCann, the group's chief executive officer and managing director, will be leaving the company effective immediately. McCann will be leaving Star after navigati...
Colorado Law Adopting Uniform Utilization Review Standards for Behavioral Health Treatment Goes into Effect January 1, 2026
Colorado House Bill 25-1002, effective January 1, 2026, amends Colorado Revised Statutes § 10-16-104(5.5) to require health benefit plans to use
Looking at the Narrative for Golden Entertainment After Go Private Deal and Activist Pressure
Golden Entertainment's stock narrative has shifted as the market recalibrates around a go private deal that effectively anchors fair value at about $30.50 per share. While the fair value estimate and revenue growth outlook remain steady, the slightly higher discount rate signals a modestly increased required return that aligns with the deal driven risk profile. Investors can track these evolving assumptions and stay updated on the changing story behind the stock. Stay updated as the Fair...
No one is safe from the world’s next superbugs. Is this new science the solution?
Old antibiotics are losing effectiveness — and new ones aren’t being discovered fast enough. Our best hope to save lives may be AI.
The New WHO Pandemic Treaty and Global Health Governance: Incorporating Common but Differentiated Responsibilities into PABS - Georgetown Journal of International Affairs
On May 20, 2025, the World Health Assembly unanimously adopted the World Health Organization (WHO) Pandemic Agreement, an international treaty designed to strengthen pandemic prevention, preparedness, and response. The product of three years of arduous negotiations, the treaty marks a new era of global cooperation in public health. However, core aspects of the agreement remain unresolved—notably the Pathogen Access and Benefit-Sharing (PABS) System, which is intended to ensure equitable access to pandemic-related materials and benefits. To support the successful implementation of the WHO Pandemic Agreement, the principle of “common but differentiated responsibilities” should be formally incorporated into the negotiating agenda of the PABS annex. Introduction For the first time, an international treaty has enshrined the principle of “One Health,” the compelling idea that the health of animals, humans, and the environment all contribute to pandemic risks. SARS (2003), H1N1 (2009–10), Ebola (2014–16), and COVID-19 all emerged through zoonotic spillover from animal hosts—respectively, civets, hogs, and bats. Together, they underscore the need for a coordinated, cross-sectoral approach. The Pandemic Agreement responds to this call, requiring state parties to acknowledge the ecological interplay and commit to a comprehensive “One Health” strategy. Specifically, Article 5 charges governments to address “the drivers of pandemics and the emergence and re-emergence of infectious disease at the human-animal-environment interface,” including wild animal markets, deforestation, and antibiotic overuse. Yet the effectiveness of this “One Health” vision depends equally on the free flow of scientific information and data among countries and institutions. Just as environmental and animal health factors have been neglected in past global frameworks, so too has data sharing been marginalized, despite its centrality to timely detection and response. The Pandemic Agreement takes an important step by requiring governments to enhance data collection and cooperate with the World Health Organization (WHO). However, these provisions will remain aspirational without a robust Pathogen Access and Benefit-Sharing (PABS) annex. The PABS system will determine whether countries and researchers can rapidly exchange pathogen samples and genetic data while ensuring equitable access to resulting research and development, including diagnostics, therapeutics, and vaccines. Without such mechanisms, the treaty’s promise to operationalize “One Health” and strengthen global preparedness will risk becoming largely symbolic, echoing earlier failures to translate shared principles into coordinated action. Equity Concerns When the 2025 Health Assembly adopted the Pandemic Agreement, it left the difficult question of access to pathogens and the sharing of resulting benefits to be addressed in a separate agreement. Negotiations on this separate agreement, PABS, are now underway in Geneva. Yet governments remain divided over fundamental questions of equity between the countries that primarily contribute to the system and those that primarily draw from it—and consequently benefit. For example, wildlife in countries bordering the equator is likely to produce PABS materials, but companies in Europe are likely to use them to develop lucrative products. The most likely contributor countries are likely to be those biodiverse countries around the equator, such as Brazil, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and Indonesia, where the number of human-mammalian viral host interactions is large. Conversely, countries most likely to benefit from this material are those with the technology, investors, and infrastructure to capitalize on genomic data, such as the United States, EU member states, and Japan. This imbalance reflects a broader pattern seen in prior international frameworks. Now, as in the past, the wealthiest countries in the world (a useful heuristic is membership of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD)) disproportionately benefit from systems in which pathogens and genomic sequencing data are contributed to a common source. Under the International Agreement on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture (the “Plant Treaty” or “Seed Treaty”) and the Pandemic Influenza Preparedness (PIP) Framework, companies from Europe and North America disproportionately withdraw biological samples and data for development into lucrative medical products. Their governments and companies have both statutory and contractual claims to the products that those companies correspondingly produce. PABS appears poised to follow the same pattern. The text calls for strong language on access to pathogens and associated data, but the corresponding benefits that should flow to poorer countries are couched in equivocal or non-binding language. Common but Differentiated Responsibilities To address these inequities, the principle of “common but differentiated responsibilities” should be formally incorporated into the negotiating agenda of the PABS annex. Common but differentiated responsibilities are often a feature of climate change negotiations. The basic principle is that, even though all countries should reduce carbon emissions, governments that became rich and powerful through massive carbon emissions (e.g., France, the United Kingdom, the United States) should have a greater obligation to address the resulting crises. Applied to PABS, it would require that governments hosting and supporting companies developing lucrative products carry greater obligations toward the cost of running the PABS system; share benefits or final medical products; and transfer technology to help countries worldwide develop their own capacities to innovate and manufacture vaccines during an emergency. For example, an annex could mandate that any company based in an OECD country that withdraws PABS material would be obligated to donate the resulting diagnostics, therapeutics, or vaccines to the WHO during a public health emergency or pandemic. Questions remain about how robust those donations would be, but the principle is that they should deliver highly significant lifesaving benefits to be equitably shared. Theoretically, this approach mirrors the PIP Framework, in which companies withdrawing influenza samples are required to pay half of the operating costs. In practice, however, the framework has fallen short. The PIP Framework Secretariat has struggled to secure payments from companies, with companies often disagreeing over how much is owed. Additionally, without another pandemic influenza to test the strength of the agreement during a public health emergency, corporate compliance with sharing mechanisms remains unknown. Even if these limitations did not characterize the PIP Framework, partially paying for operating expenses does not address the inequity in access to genetic data and pathogen samples that left less developed countries last in line for COVID-19 vaccines (and, before them, H1N1). Common but differentiated responsibilities would go further, addressing governments’ legitimate grievances regarding information sharing. It would make withdrawals of PABS material and resulting products more transparent, building trust across the board. Enforcement and Enduring Success A key implication of this approach is that the governing mechanism of the PABS must have real enforcement authority. The WHO Pandemic Agreement delegates its core governance responsibilities to a Conference of the Parties (COP)—a governing body composed of one representative from each participating government, similar to those established under the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change and the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control. The proposed WHO Pandemic Agreement COP is charged with oversight functions but ultimately possesses no real authority to compel a government to take any action it does not wish to take. The text does not give the COP the ability to, for example, sanction a party that does not comply with either textual obligations or PABS provisions. In other words, there are no effective mechanisms in place to ensure compliance. Perhaps just as significant, establishing a meaningful enforcement mechanism within the PABS system would strengthen the WHO’s credibility and its ability to ensure compliance across global health governance. By setting a precedent for accountability, such a mechanism could enhance the organization’s authority not only within the Pandemic Agreement but also in enforcing the revised International Health Regulations and other frameworks for public health emergencies. Conclusion The PABS annex can—and should—be different. It should establish clear responsibilities for funding as well as for sharing the diagnostics, therapeutics, and vaccines that result from contributions to the system. The system, in turn, must include a dedicated body empowered to hold governments and the corporations they sponsor accountable for their responsibilities before, during, and after pandemics. Doing so would restore trust in the broader agreement, which was eroded as commitments were repeatedly diluted while parties scrambled to meet their own self-imposed deadlines during the Pandemic Agreement negotiations. A robust PABS Annex would cement a grand social bargain. Wealthier countries and their corporations would gain unimpeded access to scientific information essential for developing and manufacturing lifesaving medical products. As such, they would stand to gain considerable economic benefit. Yet that privilege must be matched with responsibility. The grand bargain must include not only the right to innovate, but also the duty to ensure that innovation serves all. As medical products are developed and produced through collective contributions, every person must have equal access. All human beings deserve an equitable chance to survive—to save their own life, the lives of their families, and the well-being of their communities. … Sam Halabi, JD, MPhil, is the Bette Jacobs Endowed Professor at Georgetown University’s School of Health and the Director of the Center for Transformational Health Law at Georgetown Law. He serves as the co-lead for the WHO’s Working Group on Regulatory Consideration on AI and Health’s training workstream. He earned his JD from Harvard, his MPhil from Oxford, and undergraduate degrees from Kansas State University. Lawrence Gostin, LLD (Hon.), JD, BA, is University Distinguished Professor and Founding Director and Timothy and Linda O’Neill Professor of the O’Neill Institute for National and Global Health Law. He is the author of Global Health Security: A Blueprint for the Future (Harvard University Press, 2021); Global Health Law (Harvard University Press, 2014); Public Health Law: Power, Duty, Restraint (University of California Press, 3rd ed., 2016); Public Health Law and Ethics: A Reader (University of California Press, 3rd ed., 2018); Law and the Health System (Foundation Press, 2014); Principles of Mental Health Law & Practice (Oxford University Press, 2010). He also directs the WHO Collaborating Center at Georgetown University. Image Credit: United States Mission Geneva, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
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Science must move from materialism to mystery
Theoretical physicist and neuroscientist Àlex Gómez-Marín argues that modern science has become trapped in a framework that mistakes matter for the whole of reality. In this wide-ranging interview, Gómez-Marín challenges the foundations of materialism, defends the scientific study of near-death experiences, and calls for a new type of science grounded in mystery and a renewed sense of the sacred. He suggests that abandoning materialism could open the door to a deeper understanding of consciousness, death, and the purpose of human existence. Simon Custer: You are both a theoretical physicist and a neuroscientist, and you have also been fiercely critical of materialist theories of mind and consciousness. What do you think the ultimate nature of reality is?Àlex Gómez-Marín: I don't know what the ultimate nature of reality is, but what I try to first assess is whether the stories that they [mainstream science] have told us about it are right, or maybe whether there are other alternatives. That's why I've been a fierce critic of materialism. As a scientist, I realized that they had sold us this idea that to be a good scientist you also had to subscribe to many other -isms, like materialism, reductionism, and even secularism. And so first I think one needs to unmount these -isms, and then, as is happening today in consciousness studies, we have a huge landscape where there isn't only one game in town, the idea that matter is the only thing that really exists. But because we are studying the hard problem of consciousness, it may be the case that other views of reality, like idealism, or even dualism, or other theories like dual aspect monism... these are philosophical ideas that now, I think, have room in science to be taken seriously. How does something like materialism relate to dualism or idealism? What is materialism in the first place?Well, materialism is the philosophical position that matter is the only really ‘real’ thing in the universe. And I think that worked kind of well because science started 400 years ago and Galileo made that split, I call it the foundational wound. It was a great business move.He said, let's start doing science on that portion of reality that lends itself more easily to mathematization and measurement. So, for some reason, the solidity of this table or the movement of planets lend themselves very well to this foundational idea of science. But as time went on, 400 years later, we realized that we had forgotten the other side, which is what really matters.What really matters is pain, is love, is feelings, sensation, consciousness, which is very hard to define, but very intimate. We all know what it is. It's that thing that disappears when we go into deep sleep and comes back in the morning. SUGGESTED VIEWING On the edges of knowledge With Michael Shermer, Rupert Sheldrake, Güneş Taylor It's what it is like to be, as Nagel said. It's the feeling of being alive. So, materialism is good to study certain things, but then when it ossifies into this ideology and then is dressed like science, now it's preventing us from understanding these key questions that are really that everybody wants to know.Why are we here? Why do we feel reality? Where do we go when we die? And so we need other ways. We need pluralism. I'm only asking for having more options on the table and taking them seriously. Why does materialism fail to explain consciousness? For example, if you were to lobotomize me, I would not be a functional human being. What do you say to someone who might think that materialism adequately explains the mind?Well, here we could speak about different things. We could talk about physics or about neuroscience. I happen to have training with both.For instance, for neuroscientists, 99% of them, I'm not included in that portion, believe that the brain can only be a productive organ. It's an organ that somehow, somewhere, consciousness emerges. It's like a lamp. And then something happens, magic happens, and then consciousness emerges.That's the position you need to be if you're a materialist because if the only really ‘real’ thing is matter, then you need to say, just give us some more time and money and we'll figure out how mind emerges or is produced from matter. There are many philosophically sophisticated ways of criticizing this.Now there's another option, which is the brain as a permissive organ. This was said by William James more than 100 years ago.Now then the brain wouldn't be like this machine, like for instance, a heat engine whose smoke is consciousness, which is what we would have in the first big model, the productive model. But in the permissive model, the brain would be a kind of a filter. And so the brain would still have a very important role in consciousness, but it wouldn't be a productive role.It would be permissive, much like a filter or much like a prism which would receive light. And - I'm speaking metaphorically - it would receive the light of the mind and then it could reflect it and refract it.Now, with these two big options on the table, I think we can make progress into what I call the edges of consciousness, which are all these experiences, weird experiences that many people have, but we don't talk about enough, like near-death experiences, precognitive dreams, synchronicities. These experiences are very important for humans and they have a place in the permissive hypothesis and they are literally impossible in the productive hypothesis. So that's yet one more reason to explore alternatives to materialism. There may be anecdotal evidence for near-death experiences, but is there robust evidence that would be accepted by the majority of scientists who subscribe to the scientific method?Sure. And the plural of anecdotes, someone said, is data.And there's a lot of data. Actually, this year is the 50th anniversary, half a century, since Dr. Raymond Moody realized that we have two ears and one mouth and started listening to what his patients had to say about their experiences while they were clinically dead.The heart had stopped, breathing had stopped in these patients. These patients would come back and tell him these amazing stories that some people may say are hallucinations, but for the patients were hyper-real, like seeing light at the end of the tunnels, seeing deceased family members waiting for them, feeling bliss.___I would say the evidence suggests that the mind can survive the death of activity of the brain.___And so he and others started taking them seriously and writing their accounts down. And then you can do a science based on that material of experience that people have. Now, on the more objective side, more recently people have started to measure what's going on in the brain when people are clinically dead and brought back. This has opened a proper field of study, which is near-death studies.Evidence is a difficult word, because sometimes people think that when you say evidence, this is just the final proof. Evidence is like in a jury. You bring testimony, you bring pieces of data that point in one direction or another.I would say the evidence suggests that the mind can survive the death of activity of the brain. When brains are broken or shut off, there can still be mind going on. And that's revolutionary.That would entail that when we die, it's not game over, which, by the way, is the thesis of materialism. If consciousness survives, materialism dies. It's game over for materialism if something of us continues after we die. Do you think that there is mental continuity after death?Well, I think so, and I believe so, and I could also say I may have experienced it myself, because four years ago I had a near-death experience. I was in the hospital, I lost a lot of blood, and I saw those beings at the end of the tunnel, three beings, and there was yellow light. I was in a well, I was looking upwards, and I hadn't read about NDEs by then, but when I came back from this experience, I decided I would try to integrate this also in my professional life. Not just my personal life, of course, but my professional life as a physicist and as a neuroscientist. So I may have had the experience of glimpses of what an afterlife would be, and I'm not ashamed to say it in this way, and then one can do science of it, and then one can do philosophy of it.One can think about what -isms we were discussing, what views on reality would allow those experiences to be really ‘real,’ as opposed to, well, poor guy, the brain was kind of broken, it must have been a hallucination. Do you have a view about whether individuality or “the ego” persists after death, or whether we sort of merge into some sort of cosmic consciousness instead?I don't know, but my view would be along those lines you're suggesting. I think we could speak about a kind of universal mind, and then the problem is not how we emerge from matter, but how we fragment from a more holistic consciousness into these individual eddies and then when we die, this kind of dissipates.But I'm not sure. For instance, idealism would promote that view, but then what would survive of us after these eddies just vanish and become again the big Consciousness, I'm not sure what that would be. I don't know for sure, but I would tell you I believe something of us survives.And there are other lines of research, not just near-death experience, that can address this really hard question of survival. For instance, there are children who remember previous lives. This was studied by Ian Stevenson at the University of Virginia for more than 50 years.___Research takes place within a selection mechanism that also sometimes reinforces things that are not very scientific.___It's amazing research. He went all over the world, especially in the East, and collected all these case studies, all these stories. In plural, these were data of kids, very young age, who would describe up to 40 items that then he could go and verify.There was no internet. There was really no way the kid could know. Why would the kid say that when I was living in this other body and I was a woman and that's how my house would look like or that's how I would die, right? Again, there is evidence, not proof, but there's evidence not only that something weird and interesting is happening as we cross the threshold, but also when we come back to this life.Scientists should not be afraid of studying this, but they are because there's stigma. There's usually stigma upon the enigma, and this is so unfortunate. And one of the reasons is because of the ideology of materialism, because those things cannot be possible. What is wrong with the politics of science such that they have generated this stigma?So many things. Science is a human activity to begin with.So it falls prey to all our passions and ego and greed. That's one thing. Science is a job for the good and for the bad.You need to get a salary. You need to get grants. Research takes place within a selection mechanism that also sometimes reinforces things that are not very scientific.And then, we didn't have time to unpack this, but science for many years become entangled, as I was suggesting before, to other -isms, materialism, secularism. So anything that smells like the afterlife, people may think has to do with God, and then they freak out.Anything that suggests that there's something about the mind that may not need a physical material substrate to exist, it smells like non-materialism. So, all these -isms are ideologically blocking that kind of research, and then there are all these sociopolitical constraints as to what should be studied and what shouldn't be studied.I call it the backstage of science. Sometimes we scientists or science communicators seem to speak as if the data is the only thing that matters. We say, well, data and theory.But then there's a third leg of this stool, which is all the politics that goes behind the scenes. And we often don't speak about this, and it's quite vicious and petty, and it's very real. Why is materialism so attractive to most scientists?Well, an easy answer is because we've grown up with it.It's what the educational system promotes, and that's what you hear when you go to university. So it's like growing in a culture. It feels like the air in which you breathe.So it's very hard to begin with to detect, well, maybe there's another alternative. Maybe there are other ways of doing science, other environments in which one could do science. That's one reason.And other reasons maybe are more profound, and I'm not qualified to explain them, but I could say, looking at this 400-year history of science, since it started around 1623 with Galileo's book The Assayer, that science went and coupled with all what's going on in the West.And so the fall of religion, you could say, and science presented us this new alternative that then could be coupled very well with other -isms, and this idea of growth, and then science losing its good twin brother, which was philosophy. There's a whole natural history of science starting as philosophy, kind of emancipating or breaking out from philosophy, and then marrying technology, and then marrying other social systems.From that point of view, materialism is a very convenient idea to propose. There were attempts, like the German idealists tried to do a more romantic science. But no, the idea prevailed, like Francis Bacon said: You should pursue nature through all her corners, he said, and make her spill her secrets.Our attitude towards nature in the science that dominates is very much reflecting how we treat nature in our society, in our culture, like a resource to extract secrets by force and then dominate it. How is materialism related to the notions of growth and progress? What's wrong with having a productive citizenry?This is another very interesting and very difficult question to answer.But there's this recent book coming out by Paul Kingsnorth. In it, he explains this idea of the machine and this idea of progress. And this, again, this conflation of more is better, of we need to go forward always, and convincing us that the way to do that is to continually extract more from nature. But because we don't have the religious context anymore, because God is dead, then what do we have? We have what we can do as humans with our own gadgets.It's kind of the story of the Promethean fire. We will just build anything to make ourselves God.A good example today is transhumanism. Transhumanism is this pseudo-religion dressed in technoscientific language whose goal is very religious. They promise immortality, they promise redemption, they promise transformation of the entire natural world, but it's done by human means through technology. Are you suggesting that we can't have ethics without religion?Well, we should have ethics with or without religion. That's another pruning that has happened in science. We say, forget about aesthetics, although some physicists still think that beautiful means probably true, and forget about politics. We pretend there's no backstage of science, and even let's forget about ethics.___Science needs to be in the service of mankind.___Scientists, when they become more like engineers, they're just thinking how to make things work so that they can go to the moon, go to Mars, make machines that think, but they don't think whether that's a good idea.And also consider metaphysics. Many scientists for a long time pretended, and maybe that comes from the stream of positivisms, that really one doesn't need metaphysics at all, except that materialism is always the metaphysics running the system.You see, it's not just ethics. It's the pruning of all of these, you could say, five main legs of philosophy that just makes a kind of unconscious science, a science that doesn't really know what it's doing. It's doing it very well locally, but it just doesn't know what it's doing globally. Do you think science has to have an ultimate vision and purpose behind it for it to be effective or for it to be meaningful and transformative?Yes, a way I would say that is that science needs to be in the service of mankind. And it hasn't been that. And we can see it through, you know, when we discovered the secrets of the atom, and all of a sudden, the Manhattan Project, and then we create nuclear weapons.And now we're trying to crack how machines may think, and now we're creating this mess, right? So science needs to be in service of mankind, not in service of a few ideas that maybe want to make more money or just dominate upon nature. What about planes, trains, automobiles, and modern medicine? Hasn't science served mankind by helping us develop those technologies?Yes and no. I see where you're going, and it's fair.I came here by plane, and it's a blessing. When I almost died, the surgeons did their job, and they saved my life. But these two forced choices between Luddites and Silicon Valley types, I think, of course, it's a false dichotomy.Progress, in a way, it's good, but we often don't speak about the dark side of the moon. We say the great things that progress has brought, and we don't speak about the disasters, the side effects that it has come with, and the same when we promise new technologies. We tend to think that any technology is great, that email is going to save us so much time because we don't need to write letters and send them anymore.Is that true? I spend so many hours a week writing emails. Let's just say there are great things about it and bad things about it. People like Harvard psychologist Steven Pinker, for example, argue that we've made moral progress over time because of the Enlightenment. Do you think that's totally wrong-headed?I think he's emphasizing a side of the moon, and he does that very well, and you can find tons of plots where there's a slope going up and say it's great. But I think he should also tell the not-so-friendly story.But if your ideology is just to resist and continue to explain that the Enlightenment is the best thing ever and reason is the best thing ever… this feels to me like you're worshipping these abstractions.I'm very critical of it and also of these, again, science communicators and scientists that say, Oh, science says, in the name of science, experts say. It's like, come on, let's be careful because we can shoot ourselves in the foot by putting forth to the people an image of science that we know is not really true. Recently there's been a resurgence of spirituality and of people who say that they're spiritual but not religious, especially in the United States. If materialism is going away, what is going to fill that gap? Are we going to return to traditional religion? Do you see that being connected with the rise of the political right?I'm not a fortune teller, so I don't know what's going to happen. But, yeah, we could say we're in this post-materialist age and even post-secular age. One cannot come back to the past, but maybe just to contact with the roots is a good idea.What do I mean by that? I think we need to do a science 2.0, a science that says thank you to Galileo and thank you to materialism, but we need to reinvent even a new kind of scientific method. We need to do so in a culture where we realize humans cannot thrive in a vacuum where there's this idea that the sacred has to be removed.Now, how do we do that without bringing in back all the vices of religion? I don't know. I'm from a Catholic country.Here we are in England, so there are differences and interreligious dialogue has always been a challenge. But I think maybe a way of putting it is: after all these conflicts and branchings I was quickly alluding to, science from philosophy and then also from religion, now there's a time of reconciliation perhaps and maybe debates in the proper sense, like exchange of ideas in service of learning and getting into something higher than both poles. We need science to talk to religious people and it's interesting when people say they're spiritual and not religious.I think this is just a way of saying, no, I don't want to go back, I want to go forward. But at the end of the day, religions have offered us practices and grounding that we now desperately need. Everybody can and should just meditate or pray or do whatever they want, but we're in a crisis and it's time for reconciliation. What do you say to critics that say you are merely projecting our need for meaning onto a fundamentally indifferent universe?Yeah, I know that the typical science communicator says something like this. But we're not projecting. Human beings feed on meaning.It's the other way around. If you're a materialist, because the only thing that there is is matter, all that comes next, free will, consciousness, meaning, this is a kind of illusion that we need to explain.They're just craving for meaning, but there isn't really for them. I would also like to remind my materialist friends that for decades, if not centuries, they've said in the name of science, we know that this and this and this doesn't really exist. I think now they sense they're forced to say, well, actually, we don't know. We've been saying, for instance, that there's nothing after you die, and now probably they need to admit that they don't know the answer.___We need to do a science 2.0, a science that says thank you to Galileo and thank you to materialism, but we need to reinvent even a new kind of scientific method.___So it's a moment to open up possibilities and also to gently but fiercely critique these claims that I think harm society. If you say in the name of science, get on with it, when your father dies, you'll never see him again. Well, what the F do you know about it? You haven't studied the literature, you haven't had any of those experiences, and basically what you're doing is you're just doing marketing on ideology. This needs to stop. Do you think that it's scarier for some people to entertain the thought that there might be life after death, compared to a materialist worldview where you just die, given that there might be consequences for unsavory behaviour?Well, death and dying is scary. It's maybe the ultimate ending. It's a limit on life, and when we're in this conquest mode, we don't like limits.And it also has, there's a shockwave backwards, so I think if you change your notion of what death is or may be, you live differently. It also has consequences, as you're saying, for the future because this is not our only goal here and we come back in whatever form. And again, different religions would say different things. I the East, they are more happy with the idea of reincarnation, and here in the West, there are other preferences. But in any case, it changes how we live, and that's really what matters.It's not about just projecting or imagining what we'll be after, but how we live now and also how we treat those who are dying. So it goes from the individual to the families, to the hospitals.Now in the near-death research I do, this has ramifications at all these levels, all the way to society.But our society is thanatophobic. It has a phobia of death. We don't want to hear about death, and this is another thing we need to put on the table and be willing to talk about it. Do you think that we might get closer to answering ultimate questions like why is there anything at all if we jettison materialism?That’s an excellent question, Simon. Two things: we should stop treating reality, I believe, as a great sudoku, as an enigma, as something that with intelligence, money, and time that we will crack and instead treat reality more like a mystery. And what you do for in front of a mystery is not to be the clever guy in a class and say “I’ll solve you” but more like “I will bow and you will transform me.”I know this sounds a bit like a scientist speaking like a mystic. But I think this reorientation is needed. In the end, we won’t crack the big questions, but they will transform us. If we free ourselves from this prison of materialism, the way we will explore these questions will be freer, more creative, and in service of mankind. Do you think exploring mystery is the reason why we are here?I think we are here because, and this pseudo-theological argument I’m making off the cuff, But the One, the Absolute, if there is such a thing, had everything except limitation. We are that absolute experiencing that contingency. It’s like an act of divine proprioception. It’s a wonderful adventure, it’s just incredible to be alive. Perhaps we have forgotten why we are here and the whole point is to experience the flesh.Let me end by saying this. I criticize materialism harshly. I bang on this dead horse, because I think it’s dead. But matter is a great mystery. So maybe my invitation is as follows: hey materialist friends, come here, let’s work on materialism 2.0! Consciousness is a mystery, but matter is also a mystery. The fact that we can have an intersubjective experience consensus, the fact that we can apply mathematics, that we can measure things... the physical world we take for granted, but it is a great mystery too.Maybe that’s related to your last question: why are we here? Why did spirit decide to incarnate? Being in the flesh may be a great thing if spirit decided to do so.Àlex Gómez-Marín, thank you very much.My pleasure.
Opterion Health AG Announces Appointment of Andreas Schuh as Chief Financial Officer
MUTTENZ, Switzerland, Dec. 01, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Opterion Health AG, a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company pioneering innovation in peritoneal dialysis (PD), is pleased to announce the appointment of Andreas Schuh as Chief Financial Officer (CFO), effective December 1, 2025. Andreas Schuh joins Opterion with over 20 years of leadership experience across biotech, pharma, and medical devices. He has held senior finance and operations roles at Nuclidium, Jeito, Roivant, Novartis, and Al
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