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Michael McCarthy Considering Three Races As Options For Journalism's Return
After Journalism worked five furlongs in company Sunday at Santa Anita, trainer Michael McCarthy said he is looking at three potential races to kick off the colt’s 4-year-old campaign. Journalism could return in either the Oaklawn Handicap (G2) or Ben Ali (G3) at Keeneland, both on April 18, or ...
Student researchers bring Kentucky State University science to Posters-at-the-Capitol
With lawmakers just steps away, three Kentucky State University undergraduates presented research on cattle health, soil amendments and food safety at the Capitol Annex on March 5, bringing student-led agricultural […]
Israel Thought It Could Spur Rebellion Inside Iran. That Hasn’t Happened.
President Trump’s hopes that an Israeli plan to ignite an internal uprising against Iran’s theocratic government could bring the war to a swift end have so far been dashed.
Your Thymus and Your Healthspan
Our thymus gland plays a central role in the development or our immune system, specifically for supporting T cell development (how these cells got their name, maturation and differentiation in the thymus) and discriminating between self and foreign, non-self antigen proteins with production of dendritic cells. As we age, our thymus gland shrinks—the process known as involution—with progressive change from spongy to fatty tissue, with loss of functionality. But this process, with respect to timeline and extent, markedly varies from one person to the next. And to make things even more complicated, our thymus gland anatomy and precise location in the chest also is highly variable. So the famous Frank Netter diagrams from the 1960s (such as at left below) don’t capture the remarkable heterogeneity that a random set of 12 chest CT scans (below at right). What I consider as 2 landmark papers in Nature this week (here and here) used AI to quantify health of the thymus in 2 large cohorts, and then correlate the metric to a broad array of health outcomes. In this edition of Ground Truths, I’m going to cover three questions: (1) How was thymus health determined by AI?; (2) How is thymus health linked to key clinical outcomes? and (3) Are there ways we can promote a healthy (aka rejuvenate) thymus gland in our later years? Subscribe 1. How was thymus health determined by AI? This was accomplished by extensive work developing and validating an AI pipeline for 2 stages, the first for localization and segmentation of the thymus bed, and the second to quantify a digital marker, termed the thymic health score. There’s a lot to this algorithmic development, so I won’t go into all the details, but just provide a rudimentary outline of what was done. The 1st stage used supervised learning with 2 radiologists reviewing 2,461 chest CT scans. That work trained a 3D U-Net model to automatically identify the thymic bed’s 3D cropped region using center of mass coordinates, which reached 99.8% accuracy. The 2nd stage used a foundation model that was pre-trained with SwAV (which stands for Swapping Assignment between multiple Views), a self-supervised model, that generated a high-dimensional thymus representation of 4,096 features. That compares to the radiology reductionist and subjective scoring of 0 to 3 where 0 means the thymus is fully degenerated and fatty, and 3 is considered dense, intact glandular soft tissue. Notably, the self-supervised learning (SSL) performance was superior to supervised (AUC ~0.75 vs 0.55, respectively) reflecting the shallowness of the 0-3 classifier vs SSL’s holistic, self-taught AI. The thymic health score ranged from 0 to 100, with the highest number indexed to fully preserved thymic health. The algorithmic work extended to explainability with both Shapely value distribution, meaning the model was holistic not relying on any “magic” pixel, and occlusion sensitivity, demonstrating the model’s performance was not affected by ribs, sternum, lung tissue, but rather focused on the thymic bed directly. Below are a few saliency maps from the occlusion sensitivity that indicate the thymic bed focus, not affected by neighboring structures, using the jet color scale. Now the AI was ready for processing ~25,000 CT scans, each over 30 MB files, from the 2 large participant cohorts to provide a thymic health score, it did so in less than 14 hours, which is less than 2 seconds per scan! Share 2. How is thymus health linked to key clinical outcomes? The two cohorts were the National Lung Screening Trial, NLST (N=25,031) and the Framingham Heart Study, FHS (N=2,581) each with baseline demographics and long term follow up of >12 years for health outcomes. From the NSLT, you can see below that increased age and body-mass index were correlated to reduced thymic health. And, overall, men had reduced thymic health scores compared with women. There are a lot of graphs in the paper for outcomes, for both the NLST and FHS cohorts. To simplify the major outcomes, below is a composite Figure with striking reduction of all-cause mortality and for the different causes of death. The results were consistent between the 2 cohorts. For example, the cardiovascular mortality hazard ratio average was 0.57 in NLST and 0.38 in FHS (weighted to be 0.53 for the aggregate). The reduction of mortality also extended to digestive diseases and pulmonary disease (data not shown below). Lung cancer incidence was reduced by 36% for high vs low thymic health (Figure below, with a panel -incidence and b panel-mortality, adjusted for age, sex, BMI, smoking status). Notably, there was a smoker’s paradox: lower incidence and improved survival for lung cancer in smokers who had a high thymus health score. Smoking was associated with lower thymic scores whereas alcohol was not. Higher thymic health was linked to higher HDL cholesterol, lower triglycerides, lower fasting blood glucose, and lower systolic and diastolic blood pressure. Inflammation biomarkers, such as C-reactive protein and interleukin-6, were elevated in the people with lower thymic health scores. In their second paper, the same team looked at the relationship between thymic score and outcomes for 3,476 patients receiving cancer immunotherapy. The non-small cell lung cancer progression-free survival was reduced in patients with low thymic health score. A parallel relationship for survival was seen for other types of cancer including melanoma, breast, and kidney with a 44% lower risk among high thymic scores (Figure). A similar pattern was seen with different immune checkpoint inhibitors. The thymus health score outperformed programmed death ligand-1 (PD-L1)and tumor mutation burden (TMB) assay of the tumor and was an independent prognostic marker of progression-free survival. In this dataset, a direct connect with thymus score and adaptive immune function was noted with a correlation before cancer treatment for both T-cell diversity and thymus T-cell production (a metric known as T cell receptor excision circles). Thymus Removal Study There is a highly relevant citation about thymus function before moving onto ways to rejuvenate it. In 2023, a very important study of thymus removal during cardiothoracic surgery was published, with 1146 patients undergoing thymus removal vs 1146 matched controls (mean age 55 years). The adverse outcomes for thymus removal were striking, with a 2.9 higher risk of all-cause mortality and doubling of cancer incidence, 1.5 fold increase in cancer mortality, and 1.5-fold increase in autoimmune diseases. The immune function showed marked compromise after thymus removal, as reflected by CD4+ and CD8+ T cells (Figure below) Share Ground Truths 3. Are there ways we can promote a healthy (aka rejuvenate) thymus gland in our later years? In recent months we’ve learned a lot about the process of thymus involution and the pathways by which this may be modulated. Thymus involution is primarily due to loss to thymus epithelial cells (TECs) and there are 2 subtypes with different functions: the cortical, responsible for positive selection of T cells, and the medullary, for negative selection. When adipose tissue infiltrates the thymus, thymic adipocytes are pro-inflammatory, knocking out T-cell output. Likewise, systemic inflammation, or “inflammaging,” from smoking, obesity, and chronic stress promote thymic adipocytes. Now, from preclinical studies, we know about key pathways that account for these processes. Historically, back in 2014, FOXN1 was recognized as a single master transcription factor essential for TEC function, with studies in mice with forced FOXN1 upregulation leading to thymus regeneration. That laid the foundation for potential regrowth of quiescent thymus cells. It took awhile to find pathways to accomplish this goal and to even refute its role as the master regulator. The Liver-Thymus Axis Feng Zhang and his team recently showed that injection of an mRNA vaccine to the liver encoding DLL1, IL-7 and FLT3-L in combination, factors known to support thymopoiesis (Figure), successfully enhanced immune function in aged mice. However, the effect was transient. The FGF21 Story Two reports in 2025 addressed the thymus gland’s production of FGF21, a growth factor (fibroblast growth factor 21) and its control of thymus involution. This growth factor is also produced by the liver, but it doesn’t have impact on the thymus in aged rodent models. In contrast, The liver’s hepatocyte growth factor (HGF) has been shown to reverse senescent TEC structural changes. Growth hormone stimulates production of insulin growth factor-1 (IGF-1) in the liver and the thymus. Two small studies in human participants (TRIIM, for Thymus Regeneration, Immunorestoration, and Insulin Mitigation) of 6 and 50 people, respectively, treated with combined human growth hormone, metformin and DHEA, suggested the potential of slowing epigenetic aging and improving thymus mass and function. But the combination of drugs, small sample, and lack of controls make conclusions murky. Increased thymus FGF21 led to increased CD8 T cells in old mice and extended healthspan and improved physical performance. Building on the previous FOXN1 data, ablation of β-klotho, the obligatory co-receptor for FOXN1, accelerated thymic aging. The benefit to FGF21 was confirmed in a companion paper using an FGF21 knock-in mouse model showing thymus enlargement and increased TECs throughout the lifespan. (schematic Figure below). The accompanying editorial for these 2 papers speculated: “The proposed link between age-associated thymus involution and organismal aging is intriguing, and suggests we might seek to achieve systemic rejuvenation by counteracting thymic involution.” Other Factors Lessons from the Axolotl (Mexican Salamander) In an elegant set of experiments of the axolotl (Figure), known for its complete thymus regeneration after total surgical removal, mediators were identified. Surprisingly FOXN1 was dispensable. But midkine, a growth factor, appeared to be the driver, the initiator of thymus cell growth, survival, and repair. Other components that contributed were Postn+ (periostin-expressing mesenchymal niches) and Ccl19, a chemokine protein from the bloodstream. RANK and RANKL RANK (receptor activator of nuclear factor κB its ligand (RANKL) have been considered key regulators of medullary TECs. In a study of both aged mice and human thymus cell cultures, their key role was confirmed, with multiple benefits of resorting TEC function, recruitment of progenitor cells, and T cell development. Subscribe Summing Up This body of work strongly supports the health of the thymus gland as a critical regulator of human healthspan, not just a correlate or link. The new landmark studies are reinforced by the regenerative biology experimental models that have shown, via an array of mediators, that healthspan of aged mice is at least in part dependent on thymus gland function and its critical role for maintaining adaptive immunity. It sure seems that we’d be better off having an immune reservoir of naive T cells instead of a profile in older adults of exhausted, low quality, memory T cells, with a senescent phenotype. It is striking that we ignored the importance of the thymus gland for many decades. A wake-up call was the results of the thymectomy matched control study reviewed here, with the opposite of high thymic health score improved health outcomes. The convergence of AI and healthspan here is notable. The exceptional and laborious work for developing and validating (no less explaining) the AI to quantify thymus health set the foundation for probing the connect the major health outcomes in two cohorts with extensive follow-up. We’ve never had a way to meaningfully quantify the thymus gland before, so this represents important leverage of supervised, self-supervised, and transformer models. The study wouldn’t have been possible without AI. And it begs the question as to whether there are ways we can maintain our thymus at a high health score. But it’s not so simple to rejuvenate our thymus. There are multiple risks including the induction of autoimmunity, increasing the risk of cancer, and inducing a pro-inflammatory state. For example, factors that increase TEC proliferation could compromise the medulllary negative selection process and leak out auto-reactive (self-attacking) T cells. Thymic cells could be induced to proliferate, but we know, for example, that growth hormone and IGF-1 are associated with an increase risk of cancer. If thymus rejuvenation doesn’t clear out the accumulated senescent cells in older adults, then inflammation within the gland could block the production of TECs. Keeping these risks in mind, we now have identified many ways to keep our thymus healthy as we age that undoubtedly will be tested in clinical trials going forward. Ultimately, the benefit-to-risk tradeoffs will be defined. In the meantime, we have desperately needed an immunome. As I’ve stressed in multiple prior Ground Truths, we have no test in the clinic to assess a patient’s immune status! It was very encouraging for me to get an email from Hugo Aerts, the senior author of the landmark papers in the days after they were published: “I also wanted to say that your Substack on “Why We Need an Immunome” was inspiring for this work. We found it a very compelling perspective and greatly enjoyed reading it.” Just having an assessment of a person’s immune status via a chest CT scan, with millions of these performed per year, might help in guiding the right immunotherapy for cancer (e.g. more intensive, combinations for those with low thymic health scores) and help define people who are increased risk for age-related diseases of cancer, cardiovascular, and neurodegenerative. The main theme of Super Agers is that we now have many layers of data (genetics, proteins, biomarkers, organ clocks that can be integrated via multimodal AI) for us to define a person’s specific risk decades before one of these age-related diseases leads to symptoms, enabling prevention. From the new studies this week, we can add thymus health score as yet another way to understand a person’s risk, a window into their adaptive immune system and healthspan. And perhaps someday we will be able to safely rejuvenate the thymus, or maintain its health through one’s life, and use the thymus health score to monitor. NB: I wrote this post (No A.I.) A Quick Poll Loading... ********************************************************************* Thanks to Ground Truths subscribers (now > 200,000) from every US state and 212 countries. Your subscription to these free essays and podcasts makes my work in putting them together worthwhile. Please join! If you found this interesting PLEASE share it! Share Ground Truths Paid subscriptions are voluntary and all proceeds from them go to support Scripps Research. They do allow for posting comments and questions, which I do my best to respond to. Please don’t hesitate to post comments and give me feedback. Let me know topics that you would like to see covered. Leave a comment Many thanks to those who have contributed—they have greatly helped fund our summer internship programs for the past two years. It enabled us to accept and support 47 summer interns in 2025! We aim to accept even more of the several thousand who will apply for summer 2026.
Syracuse finalizing Gerry McNamara hire: Siena coach helped lead Orange to 2003 national championship
McNamara just finished guiding Siena to the NCAA Tournament, where it almost upset No. 1 Duke
Immigration crackdown impact on local Latino-owned businesses
Latino business owners told WRAL News that fear and uncertainty following a nationwide crackdown in immigration enforcement are keeping some families out of public spaces, leaving small businesses struggling to survive. This story was written by Oriana Torre, a senior graduating journalism student at the University of Florida, participating in the CBC-UNC News Media Multiplatform Fellowship.
Kentucky vs. Iowa State odds, time, March Madness predictions: 2026 NCAA Tournament picks from proven model
SportsLine's model has revealed its Kentucky vs. Iowa State picks for the NCAA Tournament 2026 second-round game on Sunday
What’s happening in Vegas arts entertainment this spring
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2026 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament Highlights: Round of 32 Continues
The 2026 NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament continues with the Round of 32 on Sunday, and we've got you covered with all the highlights!
School politics class: Biggest Nato allies reject Donald Trump’s Hormuz armada demand
Global governance
'Everybody Loses' author discusses the meteoric rise of sports gambling
Two years ago, Americans bet $120 billion on sports, a 27% increase from the previous year. That figure grew to $150 billion in 2024. Journalist Danny Funt investigates what's considered one of the most consequential — and least scrutinized — shifts in modern American sports in his new book, "Everybody Loses: The Tumultuous Rise of American Sports Gambling."
Raptors, Suns playing for postseason in season's final stretch
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Cheaper Than A Porsche: 8 Affordable Sports Cars That Deliver Track-Level Thrills
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“Let’s get ourselves back to Fort Worth, but take care of business at hand,” LSU after loss in Tulsa
LSU Gymnastics’ Sophomore Kailin Chio and Head Coach Jay Clark spoke to the media following a third place finish in the 2026 SEC tournament in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Tiger fans came into the BOK Center hopeful for a victory due to having a podium setup, which LSU seems to have thrived on in the past. Which...
Neighbors say Indian Springs revival could do KCK ‘more good than that stadium’
Area businesses said they want to see the project revitalize the State Avenue business corridor near I-635.
Owners of Peoria business are selling it. Here's why
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Duke vs Baylor predictions, picks, odds for NCAA Tournament Second Round
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Where to watch Minnesota vs. Ole Miss in March Madness Second Round: Time, TV Channel
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Where to watch Duke vs. Baylor in March Madness Second Round: Time, TV Channel
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Where to watch Oklahoma vs. Michigan State in March Madness Second Round: Time, TV Channel
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What time is Michigan women's basketball's second round game?
Michigan cruised to a blowout victory over Holy Cross in their opening NCAA Women's Tournament matchup. See who they play next.
A Grip on Sports: In a season when Gonzaga's defense was the driving force behind its success, the Zags couldn't get the one stop they needed
A GRIP ON SPORTS • After all the flotsam and jetsam is swept away, sometimes a college basketball game, an NCAA Tournament game, comes down to making one play. Saturday night in Portland, Texas did. And Gonzaga’s season once again fell short of its ultimate goal.
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NCAA tournament takeaways, Day 3: Big Ten reigns supreme, 'Cinderella' Texas and an extra edge for Houston
Nebraska survives near-miracle heave at buzzer to advance past Vanderbilt in thriller, keep dream season alive
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Another Illinois basketball player enters legendary status in NCAA tournament
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Chuck Norris's Second Highest-Rated Movie Is One He Spent About 30 Seconds In
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No. 11 Texas becomes 6th First Four team to make NCAA tournament's Sweet 16 with upset win over No. 3 Gonzaga
Deals: Galaxy S26 series gets its first price drop, the Pixel 10 series drops even further
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Coaches in elite company clash when Kansas faces St. John's
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Friction without contact discovered as magnetic forces break a 300-year-old law
Researchers have uncovered friction without contact—driven entirely by magnetic interactions. As two magnetic layers slide, their internal forces compete, causing constant rearrangements that dramatically increase resistance at certain distances. This creates a surprising peak in friction instead of a steady rise, breaking a long-standing physics law.
Webb Telescope spots “impossible” atmosphere on ancient super Earth
Astronomers have uncovered surprising evidence of a thick atmosphere surrounding TOI-561 b, a scorching, fast-orbiting rocky planet once thought too extreme to hold onto any gas. Using NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope, researchers found the planet is far cooler than expected for a bare rock, hinting at a heat-distributing atmosphere above a churning magma ocean. This strange world—where a year lasts just over 10 hours and one side is locked in eternal daylight—may even be rich in volatile materials, behaving like a “wet lava ball.”
Mapping a career in electron microscopy
Nature Reviews Chemistry - Ahead of his 60th birthday, Paul A. Midgley, Professor of Materials Science at the University of Cambridge, discussed his life in science.
Four takeaways from Nebraska men’s basketball’s NCAA Tournament win over Vanderbilt
OKLAHOMA CITY – Braden Frager. Learn the name.
Stephen Curry nears return for Warriors, but will miss at least 2 more games as regular season winds down
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March Madness scores: Live updates, schedule for today's NCAA Round 2
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City of Santa Barbara Seeks Nominations for 2026 Business in Art Award
Nominations are now open for the 2026 City of Santa Barbara Business in Art Award, for local businesses that support artists
Wrexham’s Hollywood owners’ Sky Sports’ watchalong criticised by Swansea CEO
Sky offered an alternative commentary with Wrexhman owners Ryan Reynolds and Rob Mac alongside regular presenter David Prutton.
2026 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament Highlights: Men's Round of 32, More
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Ranking 5 most likely March Madness upsets in NCAA Tournament second round
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RJ promotes Traci Wilson to vice president of digital strategy
Wilson succeeds Jim Prather, who retires on April 3. She will assume her new role on April 6.
Hubert Davis' future at North Carolina in serious doubt as pressure mounts after historic collapse
Sources tell CBS Sports that Hubert Davis' future at North Carolina is in serious doubt after a historic NCAA Tournament collapse, with boosters losing faith and questioning their willingness to fund the program.
March Madness live: Who will advance to Sweet 16? Today's schedule, TV listings
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Should you try the 75 Hard challenge? Experts warn the risks may outweigh the benefits
The 75 Hard regimen demands 75 days of strict rules covering diet, exercise and reading. Experts explain what helps, what harms and smarter, sustainable alternatives.
What to know about Jaloni Cambridge, Ohio State's star in March Madness
Ohio State's Jaloni Cambridge makes her presence known in the paint and with pull-up jumpers. Here's what to know about her in the NCAA Tournament.
1 Clear Signal to Buy International Business Machines Stock Right Now
IBM has sold off because investors are worried about its software ties, but AI is more likely to help than hurt.
Duke vs. TCU odds, March Madness predictions: 2026 NCAA Tournament picks from proven model
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Nebraska, hungry for school's first Sweet 16, ready for Vanderbilt
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Billionaires, trial lawyers and unions gear up for 2026 California ballot brawls
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Sign on shuttered Keizer store accuses Bricks & Minifigs of Lego theft
A dispute over what was once dubbed "one of the largest collections of Star Wars Lego figures in the world" led to a Keizer Police investigation.
Trips to the Sweet 16 are on the line in the NCAA tournament on Saturday. Here are 4 things you need to know
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Your 2026 NCAA Basketball Tournament Viewing Guide: March 21, 2026
Bummed about only one men’s tournament game at a time for 6 hours today? THAT’S WHAT THE WOMEN’S TOURNAMENT IS FOR!
🗞️Today's headlines: Joan García, academy talent and much more
The call from Luis de la Fuente to Barça’s goalkeeper is one of the top stories of the day on this football-filled Saturday.A great weekend is approaching ahead of an international break, where the...
How the US Is Squandering Its Science and Technology Advantage
The Trump administration’s cuts to research and development (R&D) and opposition to international student visas will have disastrous effects on US technological competition with China.
Nebraska lands the commitment of 3-star athlete Kaden Howard
The feel-good momentum surrounding the Nebraska athletic department continues to build following the men’s basketball team’s first-round NCAA Tournament victory—and it’s now carrying over onto the recruiting trail. The Cornhuskers have secured a commitment from 3-star athlete Kaden Howard, a 5-foot-10, 160-pound playmaker out of Miami, Florida. Howard picked Nebraska over Louisville, West Virginia and […]
NCAA tournament takeaways, Day 2: Kentucky survives on buzzer-beater, Miami (Ohio) exits and Iowa State loses Joshua Jefferson
Striking Down Pentagon Press Limits, Judge Vindicates Independent Journalism
The ruling cut deeper than left-versus-right politics, declaring that the policy imposed by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth is unconstitutional.
2026 March Madness predictions: NCAA bracket expert picks odds for second round games on Saturday
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Former Texas women's basketball walk-on scores first NCAA Tournament points
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LVRJ Business 7@7 | Developer breaks ground on new apartment complex in Las Vegas Medical District
Developer breaks ground on new apartment complex in Las Vegas Medical District
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Our March Madness experts pick the winner for No. 1 Michigan vs No. 9 Saint Louis in the 2026 NCAA Tournament on March 21
Gonzaga vs Texas prediction, picks, odds for NCAA Tournament Second Round
Our March Madness experts pick the winner for No. 3 Gonzaga vs No. 11 Texas in the 2026 NCAA Tournament on March 21
March Madness bracket predictions, picks for all Second Round games today
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Human Consciousness Is an Illusion, Scientists Say
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Mark Robinson admits ‘I lied’ about CNN story
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Hubert Davis buyout: What it would cost UNC to move on from coach after first-round NCAA Tournament exit
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Brazil’s finance minister Haddad resigns to launch a high-stakes bid for Sao Paulo governor
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Reusse: Spotlight on Gophers women’s sports is a welcome sight
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Texas Tech vs Villanova predictions, picks, odds for NCAA Tournament First Round
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Women's March Madness bracket predictions, picks for all First Round games today
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NVIDIA’s DLSS 5 Reveal Was a Mistake, Needs to Go Back to the Drawing Board, Says Eternal Darkness Dev Denis Dyack
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Cristiano Ronaldo misses out on Portugal friendly vs. USMNT and Mexico due to injury
The matches are in the last internatinoal window before this summer's World Cup
Maternal and Infant Health in State Rural Health Transformation Proposals Set Promising Priorities in an Uncertain Landscape
Visit the post for more.
How UConn basketball's defense returned Huskies to national contender status
UConn men's basketball is chasing its third NCAA Tournament title in four years under Dan Hurley. This time, it will start with the Huskies' defense.
The science behind the vernal equinox
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2026 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament Highlights: Round of 64
The 2026 NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament continues on Friday, and we’re tracking every top moment of the Big Dance!
Week Wraps with Health Research and Spacewalk Closeout Procedures
Health research and final spacewalk closeouts wrapped up the week for the Expedition 74 crew members aboard the International Space Station as they gear up to
Unilever Has $40 Billion in Tasty M&A Options
Options have value. And it’s become clear this week that Fernando Fernandez has more than one when it comes to setting a new course for Unilever Plc’s food business, owner of Hellmann’s mayo and Knorr stock cubes. How the consumer giant’s still relatively new chief executive officer plays his hand will likely define his tenure.
2026 Women's NCAA Tournament live: All the highlights, scores, buzzer-beaters
Keep up the women's NCAA Tournament on March 20, including game times, TV channels and live updates.
From The Sports Desk: How’s your backet holding up?
The women's tournament kicks off, more upsets expected and a Premier League preview.
Who is Nate Burleson? Why has he replaced Ernie Johnson for NCAA Tournament?
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LSU's Flau’jae Johnson is back on March Madness stage. What to know about star guard
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Towards responsible AI for mental health and well-being: experts chart a way forward
On 29 January 2026, WHO‑supported experts met at a TU Delft workshop to address the rapid, largely untested use of generative AI for mental health support. Participants warned of risks to well‑being, especially for young people, and called for stronger governance.
The push to end animal testing is gaining steam, but technology can’t fill the gap yet
The FDA has released draft guidance that aims to clear up how drug developers can use alternative testing – but that doesn’t mean animal testing in the US is over.
Sports editor Louisa Boardman loves the 'puzzle' of the busy sports world
Louisa Boardman has been the sports editor for the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel since 2019.
Where to watch Michigan State vs. Colorado State in March Madness First Round: Time, TV Channel
The No. 5 Michigan State Spartans face the 12 Colorado State Rams in the First Round of the women's NCAA Tournament. Here's how to see all the action.
Where to watch North Carolina vs. Western Illinois in March Madness First Round: Time, TV Channel
The No. 4 North Carolina Tar Heels face the 13 Western Illinois Leathernecks in the First Round of the women's NCAA Tournament. Here's how to see all the action.
How did these flowers evolve to survive a megadrought?
A multi-year megadrought in the Western U.S. has claimed untold populations of wild plants. Amid the conditions, some have survived. Scientists have produced a stunningly complete picture about how populations of one particular flower – the scarlet monkeyflower – made it through. In a new study published in the journal Science, a team of scientists spent decades studying and sampling select populations of scarlet monkeyflowers in California and Oregon. Through genetic sequencing, the team discovered that the populations that did best went through genetic changes in a short time period. This is known as rapid evolution. The team found that three of the populations that recovered the BEST adapted their stomata to open less, so they could conserve more water. Stomata act like a plant’s pores, managing gas exchange and water loss. This allowed the scarlet monkeyflowers to hunker down in the drought and survive. Interested in more stories about rapid evolution? Email us your question at shortwave@npr.org.Listen to every episode of Short Wave sponsor-free and support our work at NPR by signing up for Short Wave+ at plus.npr.org/shortwave.Listen to Short Wave on Spotify and Apple Podcasts.This episode was produced by Jeffrey Pierre, Rachel Carlson and Hannah Chinn. It was edited by Christopher Intagliata and Rebecca Ramirez. Aru Nair checked the facts. The audio engineers were Becky Brown and Robert Rodriguez.
March Madness second-round schedule: How to watch, follow Saturday's NCAA tournament action
Brandon Woodruff wraps up his spring training. What's next?
After Brandon Woodruff threw three innings, we await word on his next step
12 hours, 4 games, 1 unavoidable truth: There is nothing better than the first day of March Madness
The thing that always gets me on the first day of the NCAA Tournament are the school buses, the ones chugging along stuffed with kids. Because it is, of course, Thursday morning and this is what ordinary people do on a Thursday morning.
Trump’s global agenda flies into domestic headwinds
Even as US President Donald Trump calls for international support for the war in Iran, within the US there are dissenting voices, as not everyone is convinced that war is the answer. What is clear is that domestic factors will increasingly limit Trump’s foreign policy and diplomatic engagement. Academic Derek Grossman discusses the issue.
Men’s NCAA Tournament Second Round Opening Odds: TCU vs. Duke
Horned Frogs battle top overall seed Blue Devils for a spot in the Sweet 16