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Chairman Guthrie, Health Vice Chair Harshbarger, Congresswoman Miller-Meeks Lead Site Visit to Iowa Hospitals to Highlight Benefits of the Rural Health Transformation Program
The Committee on Energy and Commerce is the oldest standing legislative committee in the U.S. House of Representatives and is vested with the broadest jurisdiction of any congressional authorizing committee.
Making Our Own Luck
We are cross-posting a piece that former NIH official Kris Willis wrote for Macroscience. Kris is now the President and Founder of the Woodley Park Institute, for which I’m a board member. Picking winners or hedging bets? Federal science agencies have long wrestled with the question of how to ensure their billions of dollars of grants and contracts result in maximum benefits for Americans. On the surface, it might seem that a goal-oriented, interventionist style of management would be the best policy: prioritize our most pressing problems and distribute funding accordingly.This top-down strategy creates a unique hazard, though: bad choices can send resources in the wrong direction, resulting in slow progress that impedes the delivery of tangible benefits to citizens. Moreover, if decision makers pursue an applied advance when the underlying scientific principles remain poorly understood, they risk costly failures and a loss of support for the research enterprise at large. Examples include Nixon’s 1971 War on Cancer, undertaken on the premise that a cure could be achieved in less than a decade, the drive to build an operational commercial fusion plant by the mid-1990s, and the National Plan to Address Alzheimer’s Disease, which failed to produce the effective treatments and prevention strategies promised by 2025. The contrasting laissez-faire approach is to hedge your bets. If the path to an advance is impossible to predict, then the wisest choice might be to distribute funding to as widely as possible. The main risk of this strategy is that spreading funding thinly may limit the resources available to the most promising research, resulting in the same negative outcomes as the interventionist approach: limited support for the most promising topics, slow progress, and delayed returns. In reality, at science agencies like the National Science Foundation and National Institutes of Health, program managers navigate between these two extremes, setting some funds aside to target high-priority areas and using the rest to cover the widest possible range of meritorious proposals. This middle path seems like the most rational way to proceed, but it still requires making choices. How much should be set aside for high priority topics? What should those topics be? How should we define merit? Expert opinion can provide a helpful guide, but leading experts can have remarkably different opinions about what matters and what should be prioritized. Moreover, experts and administrators alike can be risk averse, giving an edge to high-profile, well-established concepts. What’s really needed is a data-driven framework to help guide decision-making, one that doesn’t simply repackage prestige or incumbency. Recognizing breakthroughs years in advance Many breakthroughs fail to attract funding or recognition at the earliest stages of development. Katalin Karikó, for example, spent years struggling to win grants for work on mRNA that would eventually win her and Drew Weissman a Nobel Prize. Similar stories can be told about Jim Allison’s groundbreaking studies leading to the development of cancer immunotherapy, Stan Pruisner’s demonstration that prions can self-replicate without DNA, or Robin Warren and Barry Marshall’s proof that Helicobacter pylori, not stress, causes ulcers. Yet at some point, the scientific community recognizes and responds to transformative breakthroughs like these. How does that change happen? And what if science funders could identify the areas that are on the cusp of a breakthrough? Those questions led my collaborators and me to study how scientists responded to past breakthroughs. Based on patterns in that data, we developed a means of predicting future breakthroughs, using biomedicine as a proof of concept. It’s worth taking a moment to describe how our approach works. Briefly, our prediction process begins by grouping the 18 million or so peer-reviewed papers in PubMed, the authoritative database of biomedical research, into roughly 50,000 unique topics. A small subset of these topics are so widely acclaimed as breakthroughs that they have been recognized with a major prize like a Nobel or a Lasker Award. We theorized that studying the development of these outliers over time, especially before they gained acclaim, was the key to identifying future instances of them. After defining topics, we chose 21 representative breakthroughs and asked what they looked like before they won prestigious prizes. To answer that question, we re-ran our topic-mapping algorithm repeatedly, winding back the clock one year each time, stringing together the years to follow the progress of each field as it grew and advanced. We found that in each case, the years leading up to a discovery followed a pattern: a burst of papers on a new, rapidly evolving topic, many of which quickly became influential. These characteristics—the percent of papers that are new, the percentage of papers that are brought in from other topics, and the influence of each individual paper—can all be measured separately for any given topic. Together, they act as a predictive signal that is detectable an average of five years before a transformative discovery is made, and up to thirty years before the discovery receives a major prize. Scanning the current research landscape for topics that display this signal allows us to predict what work will likely produce a future breakthrough. Each year we analyzed includes four or five signals, a number that appears to have remained constant across a twenty year time frame. In their classic work on the sociology of science, Bruno Latour and Steve Woolgar established that the desire to participate in a major discovery is an important motivator for scientists as they consider whether they should take up (or abandon) a research problem. Although further work is needed, the simplest explanation for our results is that this behavior is widespread enough to detect at scale. A foundational advance, or something like it, draws the attention of scientists and causes them to change the direction of their research. They vote with their feet, staking their own reputation and careers by publishing on and citing the new idea. That upswell of interest is the foundation of our breakthrough signal. What kind of research does our model identify as a breakthrough? After building a model based on the patterns in our 21 preselected breakthroughs, we tested it by identifying all early signals of discovery from 1994 through 1997. Of the 18 signals we found in that time period, 17 can be traced forward in time to a breakthrough. Examples include super-resolution fluorescence microscopy (see the image above), the directed evolution of proteins and enzymes (Chemistry Nobel, 2018), and sequencing the human genome (National Medal of Science, 2008). The discovery of the role of leptin signaling in obesity is a particularly interesting case study. Around 1950, scientists noticed the existence of a type of lab mouse that suffered from a unique inherited form of obesity. When given the freedom to choose their own diet, these mice ate more than normal and preferred food that was high in fat. Researchers had few clues as to why the animals overate; early experiments pointed to the existence of a soluble ob factor found circulating in the bloodstream that regulated appetite, but its identity was unknown. In 1994, Jeffrey Friedman and colleagues identified and sequenced the ob gene, noting that the protein it encoded appeared to fit the profile of a circulating factor. A year later, a trio of high-profile publications demonstrated that ob was a hormone that regulated body weight and fat deposition by regulating appetite. One of these was co-authored by Friedman, who christened it leptin from the ancient Greek word for thin. Using our model, the data from 1996 make it clear this advance would become a breakthrough. Scientists had flocked to study the biology of the new hormone, generating the flurry of new papers and citations required to produce a signal. One of these demonstrated that serum leptin concentrations reflected the amount of adipose tissue in the human body, providing clinical validation of the earlier mouse studies. Before the identification of leptin, scientists were unable to point to a specific molecule that controlled appetite and adiposity, so that it was impossible to rule out non-physiological causes of obesity; its characterization fundamentally changed our concept of weight gain. In 2010, Friedman and fellow pioneer Douglas Coleman were awarded a Lasker for the discovery. Our work also identifies breakthroughs in clinical practice and behavioral and social sciences, even though these areas are less likely to draw the attention of major prize committees. One example that falls into this category is the introduction of endovascular aneurysm repair, a minimally invasive surgical procedure for the treatment of abdominal aortic aneurysm, a leading cause of death among Americans over the age of 65. Relative to the previous standard of care, it reduces in-hospital mortality by almost four-fold. In 2017, Timothy Chuter received the American College of Surgeons’ prestigious Jacobsen Innovation award for his multiple refinements to the technique. Another under-recognized breakthrough identified by our model is the development of standardized survey instruments to assess the quality of life for HIV+ patients. The antiretroviral cocktails introduced in the mid-1990s reduced AIDS mortality, but treatment came with serious side effects. The new evaluations showed that patients whose disease progressed had worse physical functioning than Americans with other chronic diseases, while those who were asymptomatic maintained a health-related quality of life on par with the overall US population. This evidence made it possible for patients and activists to argue that even in the absence of a total cure, and in spite of the side effects, alleviation of symptoms was a worthwhile priority for clinicians. My colleagues and I have failed to identify any significant recognition for the physicians and health policy experts who pioneered this advance, although in 2016, researchers called for the World Health Organization to set targets for good health-related quality of life as part of its framework to end the AIDS pandemic. From forecasting to funding How should science funders use our predictions? Any serious discussion of what we should do with this new capability needs to begin with an understanding of its limitations. We can’t (and shouldn’t) invest all of our resources in the small number of topics predicted to produce breakthroughs. Innovative new fields are born from existing ones; they rarely arise de novo. If funders don’t maintain a diverse portfolio, the breakthroughs of tomorrow will have no antecedents. Think of this as eating the seed corn, or killing the goose that lays the golden egg. There are also multiple goals of funding beyond basic scientific discovery, including translating discoveries into clinical practice, developing new technologies, supporting economic development, and training new scientists. The investments needed to accomplish these goals are likely different from those required to support emerging breakthroughs. Finally, we must be aware that we may not capture every instance of a breakthrough. The concept is fuzzy, and not every significant discovery is recognized with a major award. Further, breakthroughs are rare, meaning that our dataset is, by necessity, small. This makes formal estimates of accuracy challenging. Although our overall success rate appears to be high, any one signal may turn out to be a false positive. We found one apparent example: the development of the third generation COX-2 inhibitors, Vioxx and Celebrex, which were much celebrated in the early 2000s as effective but non-addictive pain relievers, meets all the algorithmic criteria of a breakthrough. Five years after it received FDA approval, researchers demonstrated that Vioxx was associated with serious cardiovascular complications, and the manufacturer voluntarily pulled the drug from the market. Celebrex remains available, although like other NSAIDs, it carries an FDA warning for increased cardiovascular risk. Decision makers who were overly focused on the breakthrough potential of this research might have wasted substantial resources nurturing an area that ultimately proved to be a failure—but so would those who relied on expert opinion at the time. That said, the potential benefits of funding the next mRNA vaccine or cancer immunotherapy years earlier than we might have are large. When we can’t assume the outcome of an action, it’s worth conducting an experiment. Can targeted support for areas that are poised to produce a breakthrough increase the return on scientific investment without cannibalizing future advances? With the necessary administrative infrastructure in place, conducting this experiment would be straightforward. First, identify all the breakthrough signals between 2018 and 2023, select half at random, and commit to a decade of investment. For biomedicine, a six year window should yield about 30 topics with the potential to produce a breakthrough. Providing strong support to half of these might be accomplished for $300 million a year. That’s roughly half of the recent annual budget of the NIH Common Fund or around 20% of the fiscal year 2025 budget for ARPA-H. After five years, then again at ten, compare to see which group — the one that was actively managed, or the control — produced more breakthroughs, and on what timescale. Although we used biomedicine as an example, the same experiment could just as well be run for physics, materials science, or any other discipline. Any attempt to undertake such an experiment should keep three points top of mind. First, we can predict the topic of future breakthroughs, but the people and vision for how to move the work forward are still important. In practice, this means success requires active program managers with the expertise to develop the science and the authority to do so, including by recruiting investigators. Second, we would be wise to learn from the failures of past attempts to fund transformative research. High among these are funding modestly repackaged work, confusing the genuinely novel with the merely unfamiliar, and relying too much on incumbent investigators. All of these risks can be mitigated by thoroughly and intelligently integrating high quality data into portfolio management. Finally, we need to have patience. Even with strong funding support, producing a breakthrough takes time. If supporting breakthroughs is the best way to nurture the birth of new fields, we also need to accurately describe and properly manage the other two stages, so that we invest wisely throughout the productive lifetime of ideas and divest once they reach the point of diminishing returns. We would benefit from more study of all of these phases, especially the transition from one to another. More research could answer questions like: When does a breakthrough become an established field? How do the availability of funding, the size and characteristics of the available workforce, and the accumulation of evidence that disagrees with prevailing models affect a field’s decline? Exactly how do old ideas give birth to new ones, and can we speed up the process? The more we understand about the dynamics of scientific progress, the better we can maximize the odds that our curiosity leads to results. I’d call that finding a way to make our own luck.
Health Subcommittee Markup of 15 Bills Addressing Illicit Drugs and Health Care Price Transparency
The Committee on Energy and Commerce is the oldest standing legislative committee in the U.S. House of Representatives and is vested with the broadest jurisdiction of any congressional authorizing committee.
Paranovus Entertainment Technology Limited Announces 1-For-100 Reverse Share Split
NEW YORK, NY / ACCESS Newswire / June 25, 2026 / Paranovus Entertainment Technology Limited (NASDAQ:PAVS) ("we" or the "Company"), today announced that it will effect a reverse share split of its outstanding Class A ordinary shares, par value $0.000012 ...
‘Long-term Thinking Is Key To Ensuring Cultural Relevance’: Q’s With Gadget Entertainment Group’s Stefan Wyss
Gadget is one of Switzerland’s longest-standing promoters, having celebrated its 30th anniversary in 2024. In 2020, after already collaborating successfully
CHILEAN RODRIGO ROJAS, WORLD NO. 1 IN KARATE: “I’M LIVING A DREAM”
The outstanding karateka was crowned “Grand Winner” of the World Karate Circuit […]
Noah Hiles: These Pirates don’t deserve to be buyers at the MLB trade deadline
I’ve long believed the MLB standings aren’t worth viewing until Memorial Day. With the regular season being such an extended grind, the first...
Europe heatwave: Air conditioning creates political divide as France records hottest day
France is being forced to re-think its longstanding reservations about air-conditioning as temperatures soar.
NCAA panel approves new eligibility rules giving Division I athletes 5 years to play 5 seasons
The Division I Cabinet unanimously approved the change from the longstanding tenet of college sports that gave athletes five years to complete four seasons of competition with their eligibility clock starting at the time of enrollment, regardless of age.
New Guidebook Helps Puget Sound Beneficiaries Navigate Their Health Care
Great news for military communities and TRICARE beneficiaries across the Pacific Northwest: navigating military healthcare just got easier. The recently released Puget Sound Patient Guidebook is a comprehensive resource designed for local TRICARE beneficiaries throughout the region. Inside, beneficiaries can find information on enrolling in the Defense Enrollment Eligibility Reporting System, understanding TRICARE plans, locating a Military Treatment Facility (MTF), scheduling appointments, accessing online services, ordering medications and much more.
2026 World Cup Bracket, Standings, Projections: USA in Round of 32, Who Else Might Advance?
Track the 2026 FIFA World Cup bracket with live standings and Round of 32 projections. See where Team USA stands and who's on track to advance.
Trump keeps claiming Iran made concessions. Iran keeps denying them
Ever since releasing a memorandum of understanding last week that appeared heavily slanted toward Iran, the Trump administration has kept claiming Tehran agreed to other major concessions in ongoing negotiations.
For democracy to survive, we must embrace our interdependence
Our mandate then was to gain independence. But in today’s hyperconnected world, it’s all about standing together.
'You're picking who gets protected': Scientists raise concerns about beachfront hardened structures
The N.C. Coastal Resources Commission's Science Panel draft report was released as the state Senate is considering rolling back the long-standing ban on structures like seawalls and groins along the coast. The scientists warned policymakers to be cautious about changes.
Celebrating the Outstanding Spring 2026 Graduates from Macon & Joan Brock Virginia Health Sciences’ Colleges and Schools
Each year, outstanding graduates from the colleges and schools within Macon & Joan Brock Virginia Health Sciences at Old Dominion University are recognized with Commencement awards honoring academic excellence, leadership, service and contributions to their professions and communities. Congratulations to the Spring 2026 honorees. Alumni Association Outstanding Scholar Awards Ellmer College of Health Sciences at Old Dominion University Jodee Pugh Ellmer School of Nursing at Old Dominion University
Celebrating the Outstanding Spring 2026 Graduates from Macon & Joan Brock Virginia Health Sciences’ Colleges and Schools
Each year, outstanding graduates from the colleges and schools within Macon & Joan Brock Virginia Health Sciences at Old Dominion University are recognized with Commencement awards honoring academic excellence, leadership, service and contributions to their professions and communities. Congratulations to the Spring 2026 honorees. Alumni Association Outstanding Scholar Awards Ellmer College of Health Sciences at Old Dominion University Jodee Pugh Ellmer School of Nursing at Old Dominion University
The scale of Trump’s political blunder in Iran is coming into focus
The first major poll conducted since the Trump administration signed a memorandum of understanding shows Americans just want to be done with the Iran war.
Business Elite Awards Honors Berkeley College Leader Among ‘40 Under 40’ Visionaries
Business Elite Awards, an international organization dedicated to recognizing outstanding leadership and professional excellence, recently honored
Breaking Business News: AbbVie To Acquire Apogee Therapeutics
AbbVie is set to acquire Apogee Therapeutics and its pipeline of multiple clinical-stage candidates in development across inflammatory and immunological diseases, including its lead asset, zumilokibart (APG777), a subcutaneous half-life extended monoclonal antibody targeting interleukin (IL)-13 in atopic dermatitis (AD). Under the terms of the transaction, AbbVie will acquire all outstanding shares of Apogee for $135.11 per share in cash. […]
Canes victory parade draws 180,000 people, brings economic boost to businesses in Raleigh
Parade organizers said they now have a clearer understanding of how to manage large-scale events downtown.
Complete NASCAR Cup points standings after San Diego 2026
Just eight points now separate Tyler Reddick and Denny Hamlin in the fight for control of the regular season standings
Iran MOU signals ‘major shift’ from military to economic, political objectives for Trump: Retired general
Ret. Gen. Jack Keane on Sunday said the US-Iran memorandum of understanding signals a “major shift” in the Trump administration’s approach to foreign policy ideals in the Middle East. “It’s a…
Why is Iran called IRN? Explaining country code for 2026 World Cup team
Fans following Iran at the 2026 World Cup may be wondering why Team Melli are listed as "IRN" on scoreboards and standings. Here's the explanation behind FIFA's official country code.
Trump's Iran gamble divides GOP hawks and 'America First' conservatives over what victory looks like
Trump's Iran memorandum of understanding divides GOP as hawks like Cassidy and Cruz clash with allies over whether the deal surrenders leverage.
SNL Fans Think They Know Which Host Is Gonna Get An Emmy Nomination
SNL usually cleans up in the Outstanding Guest Actor and Actress categories.
Here's to dad jokes and the hilarious Tennessee fathers who tell them
We had a great time this month talking to some outstanding Tennessee comedians, but the real gems were submitted by these local readers.
Scientists Just Found Something Weird Inside Moss
A surprising discovery inside desert mosses could reshape scientists’ understanding of plant evolution.
Karl Rove analyzes political fallout from US-Iran deal, public opinion of the conflict
Fox News contributor Karl Rove joins ‘Fox News Live’ to discuss the political implications of the Iran memorandum of understanding (MOU) and the potential impact of U.S. public opinion of the deal.
Where do Iran’s political factions stand on the US peace deal?
Iran's rival political camps are locking horns over a memorandum of understanding with the US.
The first primates may have evolved in the cold, not the tropics
A surprising new study suggests the earliest primates didn't originate in tropical forests but in cold, dry parts of North America. Some may have even survived seasonal Arctic conditions by slowing their metabolism or hibernating. Researchers found that dramatic climate shifts, rather than warmth, played a major role in driving primate evolution and expansion. The discovery reshapes our understanding of how our own lineage began.
Why political candidates dress up and run in major UK elections
Candidates like Count Binface are motivated to run for different reasons, but their role in politics is a longstanding tradition.
Vance’s threat is the latest sign US could be breaking with Israel
The United States joining with Israel to launch a war in the Middle East was always a fraught situation for the longstanding US-Israeli alliance.
The Case Against Science
In debates of vaccination, evolution, and climate change, the case follows a very similar playbook: to undermine trust in established scientific understanding all one needs to do is create doubt.
NC science panel urges caution in use of hardened structures to protect coastline
As state lawmakers consider repealing the longstanding ban on jetties on North Carolina’s coastline, some of the state’s top scientists are recommending "a cautious approach" to allowing any new hardened structures.
NE10 Announces Sport Excellence for 2026 Spring
NORTH ATTLEBORO, Mass. – The Northeast 10 Conference recognized seven student-athletes from the spring season as Sport Excellence Award winners on Friday afternoon, honoring their outstanding athletic and academic achievements.
More than 1 billion barrels of oil have gone missing
The good news: The Strait of Hormuz is open again, after Iran and the United States signed a memorandum of understanding this week.
Black hole winds may be robbing giant galaxies of their future stars
Astronomers may be closing in on a long-standing cosmic mystery: why some of the universe’s biggest galaxies seem to have far fewer stars than expected. Using NASA- and JAXA-supported XRISM observations of a galaxy called NGC 4151, researchers found strong evidence that supermassive black holes can unleash powerful winds that blow away the raw material needed to make new stars.
Analysis of 352 probiotic supplements finds mismatched microbes across marketed health benefits
Probiotic supplements found in drugstores nationwide contain an assortment of microbes sold for specific health purposes despite limited understanding of the microbes' connections to their marketed use, ...
Assassin’s Creed Black Flag Resynced: Here’s What the Remake Looks (and Plays) Like Compared to the Original
After playing through a few missions of Assassin's Creed Black Flag Resynced recently, I now have a better understanding of what to expect from this ambitious remake, which included narrative additions, new options for carrying out my assassinations, and other bits and baubles along the way that have increased my interest in replaying through Kenway’s epic tale of pillaging and unloading flintlocks into the chests of unsuspecting lawmen.
Top Players And Standout Stars From World Cup's First Week
From ageless wonders to breakout stars, the first week of the World Cup provided some outstanding performances.
Rockstar quietly gives us probably our best look at GTA 6's Vice City yet
Rockstar has also shared the cover art and more official images along with the pre-order release date for GTA 6 on PS5 and Xbox Series X/S.
UND Athletics, Midco Sports extend broadcast and sponsorship partnership
GRAND FORKS, N.D. -- The University of North Dakota alongside Midco Sports announced on Thursday, June 18 the renewal of their Television and Multimedia Production and Broadcast Agreement, continuing a long-standing partnership that delivers high-quality coverage of UND Athletics to viewers across the country.
READ IT: The full text of the US-Iran Memorandum of Understanding:
Trump releases memorandum of understanding with Iran designed to permanently block Tehran's path to nuclear weapons in exchange for sanctions relief.
Analyst predicts 49ers star to break long-standing NFL record
Christian McCaffrey has been in the NFL long enough where he is now staring at some NFL records.
Researchers discover 500 hidden earthquakes beneath Antarctica: 'Improve our understanding of possible futures'
“As machine-learning tools continue to improve, they could reveal that deep, continental-interior earthquakes are more common than currently recognized.”
Here's how Trump's memo of understanding with Iran compares to the Obama nuclear deal
ICYMI—Hagerty JoinsMornings With Maria on FOX Business to Discuss the Proposed Peace Deal with Iran
Washington—Today, United States Senator Bill Hagerty (R-TN), a member of the Senate Foreign Relations, Appropriations, and Banking Committees, joined Mornings With Maria on FOX Business to discuss the president’s interim memorandum of understanding (MOU) with Iran, the CLARITY Act and Reconciliation 3.0. *Click the photo above or here to watch* Partial Transcript Hagerty on the U.S.-Iran MOU: I just want […]
The 14-point US-Iran peace plan, annotated
The memorandum of understanding, MOU, between the US and Iran aims to expand on the ceasefire and get traffic flowing through the Strait of Hormuz.
‘I don’t think Donald Trump can even sell this deal’: Sen. Warner reacts to the U.S.-Iran memorandum of understanding
Beyond politics, a well still needs water
Joint projects between Jews and Muslims may ultimately do more to advance understanding than a hundred conferences about understanding.
Michigan Lawmakers Take Up Bill To Cap Marijuana Business Licenses As Industry Reels From Tax Increase
“We are doing our best to create the right regulatory scheme to be able to adequately enforce the market.” By Ben Solis, Michigan Advance The Michigan Senate is refocusing its marijuana industry license cap legislation to include new barriers to obtaining a license for growers, processors or dispensary operators with outstanding industry-related tax debt—a move […]
Former Sony Boss Says Xbox Is 'Misunderstanding' The Industry
'The last couple weeks have been a real roller coaster. Feel bad for the dev teams'
Anxious Republicans await details of Iran deal as Trump keeps them guessing
Republicans are awaiting full details of the president’s new agreement with Iran but early reports have exacerbated longstanding tensions over the war.
Big Red spring sports highlights
An outstanding spring campaign vaulted Denison to a seventh straight conference all-sports trophy and another top-20 national finish.
Letter: Love of country should trump personal politics
I was disheartened to see that Donald Trump was booed by fans at Game 3 of the NBA Finals in New York City on June 8. The next day, I had an amazing discussion with a neighbor about whether Trump would be met with a standing ovation or booed by an audience here in Hawaii. I argued that we have more aloha for America than disdain to boo a president.
Why Trump’s secret and vague MOU is stirring a political storm
The text of President Donald Trump’s memorandum of understanding with Iran — when it is finally published — may not dispel his critics’ fears of a bad deal.
Merchants of Doubt and the attacks on Extreme Event Attribution science
Last week, I attended a meeting at Columbia University on attribution science and climate law, hosted by the Sabin Center. It was a fantastic event, bringing together scientists and legal experts working at the intersection of extreme event attribution and climate law. Subscribe For those unfamiliar with it, extreme event attribution attempts to quantify the contribution of climate change to an extreme event. For example, several groups analyzed the impact of climate change on Hurricane Harvey’s enormous rainfall totals over Houston, Texas and they found that climate change increased rainfall by 15 to 38%. One thing that came up again and again was how terrified fossil-fuel interests are of extreme event attribution science. They are acutely aware that this research could land them in court. And losing those cases would leave them legally liable for billions of dollars in climate damages. Because the legal stakes are so high, the blowback has turned ugly. I spoke with several scientists at the meeting who are facing ongoing harassment over their work. This blowback is a coordinated campaign to make the entire field look suspect. The goal is to create the impression that attribution science is too uncertain, too political, or too conflicted to be useful in court or in public policy. The strategy is not based on actual science or evidence of misconduct, but on the generation of doubt. The new Merchants of Doubt We’ve seen this before. In fact, not that long ago: We only have to go back a year to the Department of Energy (DOE) Climate Working Group (CWG) report to see an example of using doubt as the tool to push back against well-established science. This strategy is laid out in an email from a member of the CWG, Dr. Roy Spencer, that was released during litigation over the Climate Working Group process. The key quote is: About all I can hope is that what we write will provide sufficient “reasonable scientific doubt” regarding the science claims in the 2009 TSD [technical support document], based upon almost 2 decades of new science, to call into question the original reasoning for the EPA Administrator’s decision that CO2 presents a threat to human health and welfare. This statement is strong evidence that at least some members of the committee were working to support a particular policy outcome: revoking the Endangerment Finding. The email also explains how they planned to do it: by attempting to generate “reasonable doubt”. This is going to be hard, Spencer implies. Despite falsely claiming that “2 decades of new science” weakens the case, Spencer explicitly acknowledges that the actual peer-reviewed science of climate change overwhelmingly rejects his position: But if the science argument is decided upon by a vote, or by the number of published citations, we lose the science argument. We can go back even further: This CWG email shares unmistakable DNA with the infamous 1969 tobacco memo that declared: “Doubt is our product, since it is the best means of competing with the ‘body of fact’ that exists in the mind of the general public. It is also the means of establishing a controversy.” The tobacco memo also acknowledges the limit of this strategy: Like the CWG, they knew the science was not on their side. Share The new new Merchants of Doubt The people attacking the IPCC chapter on extreme event attribution are the newest iteration of the Merchants of Doubt. Their goal, like all Merchants before them, is to introduce doubt into the process. Because the report is not even out yet, they cannot attack its conclusions. So they are attacking the authors instead. Here is a press release from the House Science, Space, and Technology Committee: In the letter, the Chairmen express concerns about potential conflicts of interest involving members of the Attribution Committee, stating that “publicly available information suggests a troubling pattern” in which committee members are affiliated with nonprofits that support climate accountability lawsuits, “raising the appearance of impropriety and member bias.” To be clear, this is just innuendo. There is no actual evidence of bias. And given the robust process that these reports go through, including multiple lines of peer review, it seems very unlikely that significant bias can survive into the report. When the report comes out, critics will have the opportunity to make legitimate criticisms of the report — if any exist. If none do, however, they’ll still make criticisms, but they’ll be bogus, simply designed to generate doubt. We’ll see. A note to the press: Fix your frame To any journalists reading this: The public debate over extreme event attribution science is not going away. The science is simply too dangerous to fossil-fuel interests for them to stop fighting it. You very well might be assigned to write an article about this area of research in the future. When you do, do not automatically adopt the framing that climate misinformers want you to use. They want you to frame the story around questions like: Are climate scientists trying to put their thumb on the scale to achieve a predetermined, politically motivated result? Are climate scientists improperly letting their politics invade the science of the IPCC? That frame is a trap. Instead, you need to view this through the historical lens of the Merchants of Doubt. How does the ecosystem of doubt operate? Who funds it? What methods do they use to misrepresent science and slime researchers? What scientific results are they trying to keep people from understanding are legitimate? Ultimately, you instead need to focus your article on the generation of doubt as a way to maintain the fossil fuel industry’s social and legal license to keep burning oil, gas, and coal. If you treat the misinformers’ frame as a legitimate, good-faith scientific critique, you are helping them produce doubt. Don’t do it. Don’t be a Merchant of Doubt. Thanks for reading The Climate Brink! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support our work. Subscribe other stuff The Staying Curious Substack has an interesting post about the different flavors of climate sensitivity. This is crucial information if you want to understand how scientists think about how much warming the Earth will experience. I’d be grateful if you could hit the like button ❤️ below! It helps more people discover these ideas and lets me know what’s connecting with readers.
Fund honoring late meteorologist to assist in global student experience
Jenni Evans, a world-renowned meteorologist whose research transformed the scientific understanding of tropical cyclones and strengthened storm forecasting worldwide, considered her students’ success her proudest accomplishment. The newly established Jenni Evans Fund in the Department of Meteorology and Atmospheric Science will ensure that those successes continue in perpetuity.
Mountaineers 7th in final RMAC All-Sports Standings
Western accumulated 640.8 points to earn 7th place in the final RMAC all-sports standings for 2025-26.
These forward-looking, early-stage businesses are already standing out
The World Changing Ideas On the Rise honorees are tackling issues like accessibility, climate change, and more.
Why knowing who studies social science and humanities matters
In an increasingly financially constrained higher education system social science and humanities disciplines find themselves under increasing pressure. Discussing the British Academy’s new Who studies SHAPE dashboard, Almendra Guzman Rivas shows how better understanding student demographics and regional variation in provision intersect is key to framing debates about the future of social science and humanities.
Rural Health Challenges and Opportunities for Transformation
Understanding the needs of rural communities and how Massachusetts can support better health, access, and care.
Scientists found a way to explain bird flocks that “defy” Newton’s third law
Physicists have solved a long-standing problem involving systems that appear to violate Newton’s third law, such as bird flocks and bacterial swarms. By adding carefully designed “imaginary partners” to their models, they can now simulate these complex systems with unprecedented accuracy.
Independents are on the rise in American politics
CNN’s latest polling shows more Americans are identifying as independent voters, standing at 47% in this new CNN poll - the highest it has been in more than 10 years.
Atom Computing and Phasecraft Partner on Material Science Algorithms
Neutral-atom quantum hardware developer Atom Computing and quantum software specialist Phasecraft have signed a Memorandum of Understanding to collaborate on application-focused algorithms. The partnership aims to adapt Phasecraft’s hardware-optimized software to
CalChamber Recognizes Outstanding Local Chambers, Small Businesses
For Immediate Release press@calchamber.com (June 15, 2026) Sacramento, CA — The California Chamber of Commerce has acknowledged outstanding advocacy of
Veteran Sire Social Inclusion Returns To Pennsylvania In 2027
Social Inclusion, a classic-placed runner and veteran sire, will return to Pennsylvania for the 2027 breeding season, standing at Bonner Hill Farms in Littlestown, Pa. The announcement was made Monday via the Pennsylvania Horse Breeders Association's social media accounts. The 15-year-old son of ...
NASA Flights Map Tropical Ecosystems, Water, Ice
Data from a NASA campaign in Panama and Peru will help communities prepare for tropical floods in cloud-covered areas, improve scientific understanding of
Meet the Northwest Arkansas Business Journal's 2026 Women in Business honorees
The Northwest Arkansas Business Journal’s 12th annual Women in Business Awards highlights outstanding women who are driving commerce and the community in the Northwest Arkansas region. Nominated by readers and...
8 premier WA music festivals to go to this summer
The local music festival landscape has seen some attrition in recent years, but these eight preeminent fests are still standing.
Janelia’s Two Big Bets: Decoding the Brain and Reinventing How Science is Done
HHMI’s Janelia Research Campus is launching a decade-long scientific effort to pursue two coequal goals: understanding how the brain generates complex behavior, and developing a new mode of scientific discovery in which biologists and AI work together as partners in discovery.
Vote now for the Capital Region boys’ sports Team of the Week
We've nominated five high school teams that had outstanding performances last week. Cast your vote.
Don't mess with Texas. Longhorns are SEC's best thing going
Texas is the best thing going in the SEC — by far. Don’t believe us? Check out the Learfield Directors’ Cup standings.
No country should have to build its digital health future alone – now none of them will
WHO/Europe and Healthcare Denmark have signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to accelerate cooperation on digital health, health data, artificial intelligence (AI) and health system innovation in the 53 countries of the WHO European Region.
Scientists crack a decades-old CO2 problem and triple fuel production
A new catalyst design could significantly improve the conversion of CO2 into methanol, an important fuel and chemical feedstock. Researchers separated key reaction steps across different catalyst sites, avoiding a long-standing trade-off between speed and efficiency. The result was about three times more methanol production than standard commercial catalysts.
Months After the FBI Raided His Garage Chemistry Lab, Teen Science Prodigy Graduates from College (Exclusive)
"It was all an unfortunate misunderstanding," says 18-year-old Amalvin Fritz, who is applying to medical school and launching a biological science startup
[[[Fox^Sports]] Canada vs Bosnia-Herzegovina LIVE FREE World Cup Event On June 12, 2026
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New degree focus helps health professionals boost their communication skills
Communication plays a critical role in nearly every aspect of health and wellness. It shapes how patients understand information, how teams collaborate and how health organizations engage the communities they serve. But communication is rarely the primary focus of professional training. As health care and wellness organizations face increasingly complex challenges, professionals need advanced communication skills to navigate change, foster understanding and improve outcomes.
Gamehost Shareholders Approve Sale to Pure Casino Entertainment
Red Deer, Alberta--(Newsfile Corp. - June 12, 2026) - Gamehost Inc. (TSX: GH) ("Gamehost") announced that its shareholders (the "Gamehost Shareholders") have approved its previously announced transaction with Pure Casino Entertainment Limited Partnership ("Pure") pursuant to which a subsidiary of Pure will acquire all of the outstanding common shares of Gamehost (the "Gamehost Shares") for $13.65 in cash per share (the "Transaction"). The Transaction was approved at a special meeting of the...
FromSoftware Shareholders Push for More Sequels, But President Wants to Create "Valuable Games"
FromSoftware president is standing by his approach, despite pressure from shareholders for more sequels to the studio’s most popular games.
'I was really amazed': On the edge of the Milky Way, a dwarf galaxy is being ripped in half by its big sibling
A new study shows that the Small Magellanic Cloud is being pulled apart by its larger sibling on the Milky Way's periphery, upending our understanding of our cosmic neighbor.
JMIR Publications Signs Three-Year Open Science Partnership with MetaROR
JMIR Publications, a leading publisher of academic journals dedicated to digital health and open science, today announced it has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) for a three-year partnership with MetaROR (MetaResearch Open Review).
UFC announces global sports diplomacy partnership with U.S. State Department
In a development that has forever merged the worlds of combat sports and international affairs, UFC CEO Dana White and U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio signed a landmark Memorandum of Understanding at the State Department headquarters. Dana White doesn't approve of steady growth and instead ...
‘Bad policy and even worse politics’: DeSantis spurns potential White House AI preemption
The Trump administration’s longstanding opposition to state AI laws ultimately killed legislation in Florida, and now Gov. Ron DeSantis fears policies in other states could fall by the wayside.
Understanding the different kinds of mental health providers
Mental health experts say one of the biggest challenges for people seeking help isn’t just finding care — it’s finding the right care.
How to request your VA health records: A step-by-step guide
Understanding how to access health records and navigate the release process helps Veterans manage their care and avoid delays when requesting their information.
Apple Maps to Get These 10 New Features in iOS 27
Apple Maps is getting a range of new features in iOS 27, headlined by an upgraded Flyover experience that uses AI to improve the realism and detail of its aerial imagery. Flyover is a longstanding feature of Apple Maps and lets users explore more than 350 cities in 3D with detailed landmarks, roads, parks, and buildings. Apple described the enhanced Flyover in iOS 27 as combining aerial imagery with AI models to produce sharper, more lifelike visuals of cities around the world.
Social Security is Facing a Political Crisis
On Tuesday the Social Security Trustees released their latest report on the system’s finances. The numbers didn’t change much: Unless something is done, the Old Age Survivors and Disability Insurance (OASDI) program, Social Security’s official name, will be unable to pay full benefits starting in either 2032 or 2034, depending on some technical issues. That’s not far away: If the Trustees are right, the prospect of a Social Security crisis will loom over the next presidential administration. It’s important to understand, however, the nature of the looming crisis. It won’t be an economic crisis. It won’t even be a serious fiscal crisis. Whatever you may have heard, Social Security isn’t in danger of going bankrupt. What we’re facing, instead, is potential political crisis. Congress and the White House could easily take action to sustain America’s retirement system. But given the current state of our politics, there’s no guarantee that they will. There is a widespread misunderstanding of how Social Security works. While Social Security was designed to look like a pension fund, it isn’t. A pension fund pays benefits out of a stock of assets it has accumulated over time. In contrast, Social Security operates as a government transfer program, like food stamps or Medicaid. Now, unlike food stamps — but like the highway trust fund — Social Security is on paper supported by a dedicated tax, the payroll tax, that is assigned to that program. But I say “on paper” because from an economic point of view assigning the payroll tax to Social Security is just an accounting convention. What matters for the U.S. economy is the overall balance between government spending and government revenue, not the difference between one type of spending and one source of revenue. So there’s no inherent economic significance to the fact that by 2034 payroll tax receipts will be insufficient to cover promised benefits. There is, however, a legislative issue. As long as the Social Security Administration can pay benefits out of payroll taxes and its cash reserve, there’s no need for Congress to vote each year to authorize benefits — they just keep going out until further notice. However, once those resources become insufficient, benefits will fall —by 17 percent according to the Trustees — unless Congress passes new legislation that “tops up” Social Security’s finances. Yet the current administration and Republican party are such extremists that there is a real risk that Social Security will be held hostage on behalf of their goals. If this should come to pass, the hostage-takers will claim that shoring up Social Security is unaffordable. Right on cue, Mike Johnson, the Trump-sycophant Speaker of the House, declared on Monday that “entitlement programs” like Social Security “have to be adjusted and fixed,” and that Republicans will introduce a plan to that effect next year. But this is a ploy, because while the cost of maintaining Social Security benefits at their promised level isn’t trivial, it is in fact affordable. According to the Trustees’ report, the actuarial balance of OASDI up through 2050 — the amount of additional funds it would need to keep paying full benefits for the next 25 years — is 1.06 percent of GDP. To put that number in perspective, the Trump administration proposes increasing military spending next year by $420 billion, equivalent to about 1.4 percent of GDP – without any discussion of whether that’s affordable Yet how did we get to the point where Social Security will need to be topped up? The main answer is that we have an aging population, with a growing ratio of retirees collecting benefits to workers paying into the system: Trump’s anti-immigration policies are making this problem worse. According to the Trustees’ report, lower immigration will deepen Social Security’s financial hole because many immigrants are working-age adults who will pay into the system for decades before they collect benefits. In fact, this problem may be much bigger than the report acknowledges: The report’s baseline assumption is that we’ll have net immigration of almost 1.2 million people a year, and even the pessimistic case assumes 750,000 a year. Meanwhile actual net immigration has already been cut far below that — and may now be negative. Moreover, Social Security is being financially damaged by growing income inequality in America. Payroll taxes are levied only on wages up to $184,500, and they don’t touch capital income. With the distribution of income increasingly shifting from labor to capital, as well as becoming more unequal among wage-earners, revenue from the Social Security payroll tax has been falling as a share of national income. From 1990 to 2024, it fell from 5.02 percent of gross domestic income to 4.46 percent. Which brings me to the question that, these days, we ask about everything: How might Social Security be affected by the advent of AI? A short answer: If, as many of us fear, AI accelerates rising income inequality, it will further reduce the payroll tax receipts that currently pay for Social Security and further endanger its finances. On the other hand, if AI, as its advocates promise, leads to faster economic growth, it will increase the potential tax base that could and should be used to support Social Security and other social insurance programs. But to take advantage of that larger base, we’ll have to get serious about taxing wealth and capital income. Is Social Security in trouble? Yes, but only because of the way its financing is currently structured — a structure that no longer works well because our society and economy have become so unequal. Moreover, Trump’s immigration policies are further endangering its already deteriorating financial condition. So don’t believe Republicans’ gaslighting that it will be necessary to cut Social Security benefits. All that is necessary to preserve Social Security is political will to raise taxes on the wealthy and a sensible immigration policy. MUSICAL CODA Actually 67 under current law.
Husky Productions wins national 2026 College Sports Media Award
Husky Productions was awarded for outstanding live non-game production last month in Atlanta.
No Apologies Right
No Apologies Right are overwhelmingly supportive of President Donald Trump’s agenda and the Make America Great Again movement. They take very conservative stances across a wide range of issues, and nearly all identify as Republicans or lean toward the party. No Apologies Right view the United States as standing above all other countries and are […]
An underground detector in China unveils its first major findings about mysterious ghost particles
A massive underground detector aimed at understanding the mysterious ghost particles in our universe has released its first major findings.
Texas A&M advocates nutrition education for tomorrow’s nurses
The Nutrition-to-Nursing pathway provides a deeper understanding of the biological systems that underpin health and disease.
Chairman Griffith Delivers Opening Statement at Subcommittee on Health Hearing to Examine Policies to Increase Health Care Transparency for Patients and Employers
The Committee on Energy and Commerce is the oldest standing legislative committee in the U.S. House of Representatives and is vested with the broadest jurisdiction of any congressional authorizing committee.
Looming Medicaid Cuts Supercharge California’s Latest Labor-Industry Fight
One of California’s largest healthcare unions is sponsoring two initiatives that would regulate community clinics and cap executive and managerial pay at hospitals and physician groups. In the most recent eruption of a long-standing feud, the measures have drawn fierce opposition from a wide swath of the medical industry.
Graham Platner wins Democratic nomination to challenge Susan Collins in November
U.S. Senate candidate Graham Platner on Tuesday secured the Democratic nomination on Tuesday, withstanding a withering blitz of unflattering revelations and ongoing attempts by Republicans and some Democratic operatives to weaken his candidacy.
Understanding the exposome
The world around us influences our health in countless ways. New tools and approaches are helping scientists measure our environmental exposures—both good and bad—on a large scale in the hopes of improving prevention and treatment strategies.
President’s message: Progress and opportunity for science and medicine
his is an extraordinary moment in time for the biomedical sciences. Seven decades ago, the discovery of the structure of DNA sparked a revolution in understanding life. In the decades since, the knowledge of fundamental biology we have accumulated has led to innovative treatments for many difficult-to-treat diseases, and many more are now within reach....