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New Apple TV Waiting for Siri: Here's What's Coming When It Launches
We're long overdue for an Apple TV update, and there have been rumors about an imminent refresh since late last year. It's now sounding like we're not going to get a new version for several months because of Siri delays. If you're holding out for a new model, here's a recap on what to expect when it eventually comes out so you can decide whether to continue to wait, or buy now. Design Apple TV design updates are few and far between, and that's not changing in 2026.
NASA did eventually solve Artemis II’s Outlook glitch
Even astronauts have issues with Outlook.
Company backed by Trump sons looks to sell drone interceptors to Gulf states being attacked by Iran
The sales drive by Florida-based Powerus – which announced a deal last month to bring aboard Eric Trump and Donald Trump Jr. – positions the company to potentially benefit from a war that their father began.
Samsung releases the 2026 The Frame Pro and 3 OLED TVs (and one is basically an OLED The Frame)
Samsung's version of an OLED art TV is here. Meanwhile, the LG G6 Wallpaper doesn't even have a release date yet.
Bob Buckhorn continues fundraising momentum; hits $1.8M banked
He's not officially a candidate yet, but he'll be rife with cash when he is.
HOMETOWN ENTERTAINMENT: Guitarist Jake Hertzog to perform at the Jefferson Center
Jake Hertzog is a critically-acclaimed guitarist, composer and educator set to perform Friday night in Roanoke.
Xbox's State Of Decay 3 Finally Returns, Signups Now Live For Alpha Playtests
"A mysterious broadcast calls to all survivors of the blood plague"
Don't gift children chicks, ducklings for Easter. Here's why
Oregon health officials warn against gifting live poultry for Easter due to Salmonella risk, especially for young children.
NYC Mayor Zohran Mamdani plans an April rally to mark his first 100 days in office
New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani will host a rally next month to mark 100 days since his inauguration.
Here's Why Starfield Will Be Best on PS5 When It Finally Releases Next Week
Bethesda going all-out
Owlet nursed back to health, thanks to woods visitors, local veterinarian, firefighters
A great-horned owlet originally found on the ground in need of critical care in the UNC Asheville woods is now back home, living a healthy life.
Warhammer 40K: Apocalypse Rules Aim To Make Playing Big Games Easier
Getting all your miniature on the tabletop is tough enough. Now 40k Apocalypse rules should help speed up the fun of actually playing!
50-year-old expired salmon found: the shocking discovery that baffles scientists - Futura-Sciences
Unexpected Treasures in Forgotten Cans Decades-old cans tucked away on a shelf might sound like the start of a food safety nightmare, but recently, they’ve become a scientific goldmine instead. In April 2024, the journal Ecology and Evolution published a study that lifted the lid—literally—on an astonishing scientific resource: canned...
Gemma 4 and what makes an open model succeed
Having written a lot of model release blog posts, there’s something much harder about reviewing open models when they drop relative to closed models, especially in 2026. In recent years, there were so few open models, so when Llama 3 was released most people were still doing research on Llama 2 and super happy to get an update. When Qwen 3 was released, the Llama 4 fiasco had just gone down, and a whole research community was emerging to study RL on Qwen 2.5 — it was a no brainer to upgrade. Today, when an open model releases, it’s competing with Qwen 3.5, Kimi K2.5, GLM 5, MiniMax M2.5, GPT-OSS, Arcee Large, Nemotron 3, Olmo 3, and others. The space is populated, but still feels full of hidden opportunity. The potential of open models feels like a dark matter, a potential we know is huge, but few clear recipes and examples for how to unlock it are out there. Agentic AI, OpenClaw, and everything brewing in that space is going to spur mass experimentation in open models to complement the likes of Claude and Codex, not replace them. Especially with open models, the benchmarks at release are an extremely incomplete story. In some ways this is exciting, as new open models have a much higher variance and ability to surprise, but it also points at some structural reasons that make building businesses and great AI experiences around open models harder than the closed alternatives. When a new Claude Opus or GPT drops, spending a few hours with them in my agentic workflows is genuinely a good vibe test. For open models, putting them through this test is a category error. Something else to be said about open models in the era of agents is that they get out of the debate of integration, harnesses, and tools and let us see close to the ground on what exactly is the ability of just a model. Of course, we can’t test some things like search abilities without some tool, but being able to measure exactly the pace of progress of the model alone is a welcome simplification to a systematically opaque AI space. Share The list of factors I’d use to assess a new open-weight model I’m considering investing in includes: Model performance (and size) — how this model performs on benchmarks I care about and how it compares to other models of a similar size. Country of origin — some businesses care deeply about provenance, and if a model was built in China or not. Model license — if a model needs legal approval for use, uptake will be slower at mid-sized and large companies. Tooling at release — many models release with half-broken, or at least substantially slower, implementations in popular software like vLLM, Transformers, SGLANG, etc due to pushing the envelope of architectures or tools. Model fine-tunability — how easy or hard it is to modify the given model to your use-case when you actually try and use it. The core problem is that some of these are immediately available at release, e.g. general performance, license, origin, etc. but others such as tooling take day(s) to week(s) to stabilize, and others are open research questions — with no group systematically monitoring fine-tunability. In the early era of open models, the days of Llama 2 or 3 and Qwen pre v3.5, the architectures were fairly simple and the models tended to work out of the box. Some of this was due to the extremely hard work of the Llama, Qwen, Mistral, etc. developer teams. Some is due to the new models being genuinely harder to work with. When it comes to something like Qwen 3.5 or Nemotron 3, with hybrid models (either gated delta net or mamba layers), the tooling is very rough at release. Things you would expect to “just work” often don’t. I’ve been following this area closely since we released Olmo Hybrid with a similar architecture, and Qwen 3.5 is just starting to work well in the various open-source tools that need to all play nice together for RL research. That’s 1.5 months after the release date! This is just to start really investing more into understanding the behavior of the models. Of course, others started working on these models sooner by investing more engineering resources or relying on partially closed software. The fully open and distributed ecosystem takes a long time to get going on some new models. All of this is lead-in for the most important question for open models — how easy is it to adapt to specific use-cases? This is a different problem for different model sizes. Large MoE open-weight models may be used by entities like Cursor who need complex capabilities in their domain, e.g. Composer 2 trained on Kimi K2.5. Other applications can be built on much smaller models, such as Chroma’s Context-1 model for agentic search, built on GPT-OSS 20B. The question of “which models are fine-tunable” is largely background knowledge known by engineers across the industry. There should be a thriving research area here to support the open ecosystem model. The first step is to understand characteristics of different base and post-trained models to understand what they look like. The second step is to tune pretraining recipes for open models so they’re more flexible. Interconnects AI is a reader-supported publication. Consider becoming a subscriber. Subscribe For The ATOM Project and other Interconnects endeavors, we’ve put in substantial effort to measuring adoption trends in the open ecosystem. Everything takes a long time to unfold after a model is first publicly available — and adaptability is why. What we know for sure now, when Qwen has been going from strength to strength with its releases, is that technical staff across the industry has gotten comfortable working with Qwen models. Countless research methods and datasets were made to work with Qwen. It’ll take patience for any other model family to get to this point — a patience I’m not sure many open model builders have. This takes us to Gemma 4, Google’s latest open models. Gemma 3 was released more than a year ago, in March of 2025, and is a bit underrated. Gemma 4 comes in 4 sizes for now, with a bigger, MoE model of over 100B total parameters rumored but not released yet. The models we have today come in sizes of ~5B dense, 8B dense, 26B total 4B active MoE, and 31B dense. I’m most excited that they’re finally adopting a standard Apache 2.0 open source license. This’ll massively boost adoption. The standard of better licenses for strong open-weight LLMs was set by mostly Chinese open model labs in the last 1-2 years, and now U.S. companies are following suit. I will personally be so happy if the horrible Llama licenses and Gemma terms of service were an ~18-month transient dynamic of the industry being nervous about releasing strong open models. The Gemma 4 scores look very solid, the small models have incredible benchmark scores (especially in general domains like LMArena) and the 31B model rivals the recent Qwen 3.5 27B, which is the leading member of that class. The ~30B size range is an important one, as it’s accessible both to researchers and to enterprises looking to deploy the model in real use-cases. Where the 7B model scale is the default for tinkering and research, a 30B model is the default for seeing if an open model can unlock substantial value in your specific workflow — a good mix of intelligence, low price, tractability for downstream training, etc. This takes us back to the above adoption criteria I mentioned for open models and the bigger question — do I think Gemma 4 will be an overwhelming success? Previous Gemma models have been plagued by tooling issues and poorer performance when being finetuned. Gemma 4’s success is going to be entirely determined by ease of use, to a point where a 5-10% swing on benchmarks wouldn’t matter at all. It’s strong enough, small enough, with the right license, and from the U.S., so many companies are going to slot it in. I’m cautiously optimistic that Gemma 4 is going to work better here. Winds are shifting for open models built in America. We saw GPT-OSS go through a bumpy launch to become an overwhelming success. There’s a collective energy around the likes of Reflection, Arcee, Nemotron, Gemma, Olmo, and peers that show substantial demand for building new stacks around open models. There’s capital to be spent on AI stacks across the economy by those who want more ownership of everything, including the model. After launching The ATOM Project 240 days ago, the conversation is shifting into the next stage. Summer of 2025 was a crisis moment where the U.S. AI scene realized it can’t wait and figure out open models after building AGI. The two markets will capture different areas and proceed in parallel. Now that more companies in the U.S. are releasing strong models, we need to improve the ecosystem so that these models are easy to use, understand, and build value around. It’s the hard work to build another inflection point in these adoption plots I’ve been updating consistently, but that’s the work to be done. Join me in it. More data coming soon! Here’s a sneak peek:
Missouri sports betting market officially launched: $5,000 in sportsbook sign-up bonuses, promos in April
Missourians can now place sports bets with mobile sportsbooks and get Missouri sports betting offers for the Missouri betting launch
How I built community after moving off the grid; took time
I moved to an off-grid cabin. At first, I had a hard time meeting people as a remote worker in a rural area, but I eventually built a great community.
Op/Ed: N.C. under-invests in PK-12 public education
Partly as a consequence of North Carolina’s budgetary austerity, its spending on pre-K-12 public education has sunk to harmfully low levels. We’re chronically short of teachers; turnover is too high; and teaching is a less appealing career for smart professionals. Our children suffer.
LSU’s new Interdisciplinary Science Building has finally opened. See inside
The Our Lady of the Lake Health Interdisciplinary Science Building has finished construction Wednesday, April 1, 2026, on LSU’s campus in Baton Rouge, La.
iPhone 18 Pro Launching Later This Year With These 12 New Features
While the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max are not expected to launch for more than five more months, there are already plenty of rumors about the devices. It was initially reported that the iPhone 18 Pro models would have fully under-screen Face ID, with only a front camera visible in the top-left corner of the screen. However, the latest rumors indicate that only one Face ID component will be moved under the screen on the devices, which will result in merely a smaller Dynamic Island.
Ratatan's Nintendo Switch version officially cancelled, dev explains why
It’s now official that the Nintendo Switch version of Ratatan has been cancelled. You may recall that the game was featured in an Indie World Showcase presentation earlier this year. A Nintendo Switch 2 version was announced, but the original Switch version was nowhere to be seen. Now we know what happened. An update was shared on the official Kickstarter...
I Personally Guarantee You Won't Be Able To Keep A Straight Face While Looking At These 31 Pictures That Are Impossible Not To Laugh At
Just what the doctor ordered.
Scientists Just Discovered There’s Actually Something Faster than the Speed of Light
Scientists experimentally confirmed what we’ve known to be true for half a century—darkness can “travel” faster than light.
What do you want to know about how space affects human health?
The Artemis II is flying astronauts to orbit the moon. The deep-space flight is a major opportunity to gather data for even longer, riskier missions, especially Mars. What are your questions about how the body copes with radiation, isolation, or weightlessness, and what scientists hope to learn from the mission?
Legal docs reveal Miyamoto originally saw Donkey Kong as "a human in a gorilla costume," disclose other names considered for the game/character
Nightmare unlocked
Computer Science faculty has article published
An article by Dr. Shahin Mehdipour Ataee presenting a software method to automatically detect periodicity in video footage was published.
Legion Go 2 now costs $2000, twice as much as ROG Xbox Ally X
Best Buy now lists Lenovo Legion Go 2 at 48% above launch price Lenovo launched the Legion Go 2 in the US at $1,349.99 for the Ryzen Z2 Extreme, 32GB, 1TB
Health and government groups spend millions advertising on websites that promote misinformation, sometimes unintentionally
For years, health and government organizations have spent millions of dollars on advertising that appeared on websites that regularly promote health misinformation — financially supporting this growing health threat, sometimes inadvertently.
Trooper Steve on Patrol: Inside the ‘toughest 2 minutes in sports’
Trooper Steve on Patrol got a firsthand look at one of the most physically demanding competitions in public safety during a preview of the inaugural All American Challenge & Training Camp.
Xiaomi reveals how much smartphone costs have actually risen due to the DRAM crisis
For the first time, Xiaomi has commented specifically on the impact of the DRAM crisis, revealing the extent to which the rising costs of RAM and flash memory are affecting the production costs of a smartphone.
Midshipmen Play Host to Holy Cross Saturday Afternoon on CBS Sports Network
Navy (6-4, 2-2 Patriot League) returns home to play host to Holy Cross (5-5, 2-3 Patriot League) on Saturday in a nationally-televised Patriot League contest. Faceoff is slated for 3:06 pm at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium and the game is presented by Navy Mutual. Navy is led by Joe Amplo, who has put together a 49-37 record in his 7 seasons at the helm of the Mids' program, while Holy Cross' J.L. Reppert has posted a 15-57 record in 6 seasons as the Crusaders' head coach. The contest marks the 22nd meeting in a series that dates back to 2004.
Gmail finally makes major change users are thrilled about: ‘Long, long, long overdue’
Some people won't be able to change their Gmail, according to the Google Help Center.
Did Commanders GM Adam Peters provide too much intel?
There are some who think Adam Peters may have actually tipped his hand. We don't agree.
Sunburn — The morning read of what’s hot in Florida politics
Sunburn ... it smells like victory!
Materials Science and Engineering Weekly Seminar with Dr. Mathias Kläui
Combining The Best Of All Worlds: Altermagnets – A New Class Of MagnetsAbstract While known for a long time, antiferromagnetically ordered systems have previously been considered as “interesting but useless”.
I replaced 7 daily tasks with NotebookLM — how the mobile app actually saves me time
NotebookLM is great on desktop but it’s even better on your phone
Still Alive: Bobrovsky Comes Up Big, Florida Panthers Sweep Bruins
SUNRISE — The Florida Panthers always seem to get up for the Boston Bruins. They certainly did on Thursday night. […] This article: Still Alive: Bobrovsky Comes Up Big, Florida Panthers Sweep Bruins originally appeared on Florida Hockey Now.
Rangers unveil Opening Day entertainment plans and new snacks, including 9th Inning Rally Sombrero
Pam Bondi’s extreme political loyalty to Trump wasn’t enough to save her job
It’s not unusual for presidents to select attorneys general who share their views and policy preferences. But Trump has gone far beyond what is usually done.
Dodgers Dominate MLB When it Comes to Bobbleheads
The Los Angeles Dodgers have made headlines recently for their bobbleheads, especially the small Yoshi figurine that pays homage to star pitcher Yoshinobu Yamamoto. But according to an analysis by Connor Clark for TickPick, other fanbases aren’t as blessed with…
‘I Think It’s Time’: The Inside Story of Pam Bondi’s Ouster
The attorney general was always on the ropes but thought she was finally on safer footing. She wasn’t.
UC San Diego School of Medicine Ranked No. 4 Nationally for NIH Funding Among Public Institutions
The University of California San Diego School of Medicine ranked No. 4 among public institutions and No. 14 overall nationwide for NIH funding in 2025 as reported by the Blue Ridge Institute for Medical Research (BRIMR).
Scientists say BMI gets it wrong for over one third of adults
A new study suggests that one of the most widely used health metrics, BMI, may be getting it wrong for a large portion of the population. By comparing BMI classifications with precise body fat measurements using advanced DXA scans, researchers found that more than one-third of adults were placed in incorrect weight categories. Many people labeled as overweight or obese did not actually have the corresponding body fat levels, while others were missed entirely.
Kat Abughazaleh expands political network, keeps campaign office open as mutual aid hub after primary loss
On Thursday, Abughazaleh announced in a video that she will help campaigns "integrate mutual aid and direct action into their races," and she plans to help races across the country, "especially in the Midwest."
How an upcoming Trump rally in Phoenix could bolster Turning Point's effort to gather voter data
An upcoming Turning Point USA rally in Phoenix with President Donald Trump appears to be part of a larger effort by the conservative organization to collect voter data ahead of the 2026 election cycle.
Dennis Quaid to Be Honored at Military and Veteran Entertainment Awards
The star will receive the Patriot Ally Award at the May 23 event, in a night hosted by actor and advocate Maurice P. Kerry.
Dennis Quaid to Be Honored at Military and Veteran Entertainment Event
The star will receive the Patriot Ally Award at the May 23 event, in a night hosted by actor and advocate Maurice P. Kerry.
Iterative Health, US Heart & Vascular Partner to Advance Community-Based Cardiovascular Research
April 2, 2026 — Iterative Health and US Heart & Vascular (USHV) have announced a strategic partnership to advance research through community-based innovation in cardiovascular care. "Clinical research is one of the most powerful ways we expand access, improve patient outcomes, and shape the future of cardiovascular care," said Robbie Allen, chief executive officer of US Heart & Vascular. "By partnering with Iterative Health, we are strengthening our ability to bring innovative therapies directly into the communities we serve. This collaboration ensures our physicians and patients have access to leading-edge trials while allowing US Heart & Vascular to remain focused on delivering exceptional, physician-led care." Under the agreement, USHV research sites will join Iterative Health’s global site network, which now spans over 100 sites across three continents. The companies share a commitment to advancing clinical research as a driver of care innovation, and this collaboration represents a major milestone for both organizations, strengthening USHV's leadership in community-based cardiovascular research and expanding Iterative Health's multispecialty focus beyond GI, hepatology, and obesity into cardiology. USHV clinical research sites will gain access to Iterative Health's centralized operational backbone, providing end-to-end support across clinical research operations, services, business development, technology innovation, and corporate functions. The strategic partnership reduces operational complexity and unlocks growth potential for USHV research sites while enabling all USHV physicians to expand access to cutting-edge therapies to the thousands of patients they serve annually. "Innovation in cardiovascular medicine shouldn't be limited to a few academic centers," said Thomas Waggoner, DO, MD, RPVI, FACC, FSCAI, FSVM, RPVI, Structural Cardiologist and Medical Director for Clinical Research at Pima Heart & Vascular, and USHV Physician Champion for Clinical Research. "By expanding community-based research across USHV, we're ensuring more patients have access to clinical trials and breakthrough therapies close to home, where trusted relationships with their physicians already exist." This alliance reinforces Iterative Health's standing as the definitive research partner across specialized therapeutic areas, now spanning GI, hepatology, obesity, and cardiovascular care. Trusted by many of the nation's leading provider organizations and biopharma sponsors, Iterative Health's global site network delivers industry-leading trial performance, accelerating life-changing therapies to market at scale. "Entering cardiology through our strategic partnership with US Heart & Vascular is a defining moment for Iterative Health and reflects the strength of our site-serving model," said Jonathan Ng, founder and CEO of Iterative Health. "Together, we are ensuring that thousands of patients have access to the newest available therapies, and that sponsors have a credible, high-performing partner to accelerate cardiovascular trial success." For more information, visit www.iterative.health and https://usheartandvascular.com/.
University of Plymouth Shares How Science Can Support and Enable the High Seas Treaty - environment coastal & offshore
A group of internationally renowned experts in marine science and policy conducted a wide-ranging review of existing science that can support the implementation of the agreement and the gaps that need to be filled.
You can’t really “train” your brain. Here’s what you can do instead.
The best ways to protect your cognitive health might surprise you.
Philadelphia 76ers star rookie receives major NBA acknowledgement
Philadelphia 76ers star rookie V.J. Edgecombe was acknowledged by the NBA for his productive play throughout the month of March. On Thursday, the league announced that Edgecombe has officially been named the Eastern Conference Rookie of the Month for games played in March. The acknowledgement is the first career monthly award for Edgecombe, who becomes the eighth player in Sixers franchise history to be named Rookie of the Month.
Giants-Mets Series Preview: Good vs. Good enough
The Mets radically reinvented themselves in the offseason while the Giants tinkered. Which strategy will win?
RFK Jr. To Finally Face The Music For Failed Anti-Science Agenda: Public Health Project Newsletter
Over the last year plus, Trump Health Secretary RFK Jr. has seemingly been everywhere promoting his personal brand and greatest hits of evidence-free anti-science conspiracy theories – everywhere but communities...
NASA astronauts prove that sending an email really is rocket science
NASA Artemis II commander Reid Wiseman faced the most earthly possible conflict while in outer space: his Outlook wasn't working.
NASA astronauts prove that sending an email really is rocket science
NASA Artemis II commander Reid Wiseman faced the most earthly possible conflict while in outer space: his Outlook wasn't working.
Trump’s ballroom gets the green light from loyalist-stacked commission
President Donald Trump’s sprawling ballroom project officially got the green light on Thursday from a board that oversees planning for federal buildings and land, marking the latest step in an accelerated process that now faces some legal uncertainty.
Amazon Spring Sale Last Chance TV Deals 2026: Best Prices on OLED, 4K and Smart TVs
Amazon’s spring sale event is officially over, but a few TV deals didn’t get the memo.
How we came to be: Scientists get first look at the evolution of early complex animals
WASHINGTON (AP) — Newly discovered fossils have given scientists their first real glimpse of when Earth made a crucial transition from plants and unrecognizably simple animals to the complex creatures that took over the world and would eventually lead to us.
Mega Crit are working on three new Slay the Spire 2 modes, just don't place any bets on them all making it in
The new modes should appeal to different kinds of people, but only if they end up actually working.
Chemists make hydrogen from breadcrumbs in groundbreaking reaction that could replace some fossil fuels
Chemists say they’ve found a way to turn breadcrumbs into hydrogen, potentially offering a sustainable alternative to one of the most common chemical manufacturing processes.
Backyard birdwatchers help scientists uncover what hawks really like to eat
Anyone who keeps a bird feeder has likely had the same uneasy thought after seeing a sudden blur of wings in the yard: What was that hawk doing here?
Sporting Kansas City mutually agrees to part ways with Sporting Director Mike Burns
Sporting Kansas City announced today that the club has mutually agreed to part ways with Sporting Director Mike Burns. Burns joined Sporting Kansas City’s technical staff in June 2024 and previously played for the club during the 2001 and 2002 Major League Soccer seasons. Sporting Kansas City’s technical staff continues
It Sure Looks Trump Is About to Fire Pam Bondi
The president’s dissatisfaction with his attorney general is finally boiling over.
Séances Versus Science: Eight Mysteries That Pit the Supernatural Against Reason
I grew up in a house built in 1884 that was prone to unexplained creaks, groans and even occasionally children’s laughter. The heavy, antique doorbell would sometimes ring out with its sonorous clang for no reason. Once, my mother heard footsteps in the foyer, but when she went to investigate, nobody was there. One of
John Roberts told Donald Trump exactly what he thinks
Roberts’ tone about Trump’s effort to end birthright citizenship was especially biting for a chief justice known for his measured public comments.
Business Briefs: April 3, 2026
Realtor Association of Pioneer Valley installs 2026 leadership SPRINGFIELD — Judy Nevarez has been officially installed as the 2026 president of the Realtor Association of Pioneer Valley (RAPV), a nonprofit trade association representing more than 1,800 real estate professionals throughout western Massachusetts. The installation took place during RAPV’s annual holiday celebration, which featured the Association’s 110th Installation […]
Sharing her passion for science
By Danielle Rush Communications Specialist, Indiana University Kokomo Hisako Masuda, Indiana University Kokomo professor of biochemistry, was honored by the Indiana Academy of Science (IAS) as its 2026 Distinguished Scholar. The award is given to an individual who is recognized by the IAS as having an exceptional record of scholarship. Recipients are selected from nominations submitted to its awards committee. “I was surprised,” said Masuda, who joined IU Kokomo’s faculty in 2013. “I feel there are many good scientists in the Academy, so I wasn’t expecting it at all.” Patrick Motl, dean of the School of Sciences, said the Academy recognizes up to one member per year, and that Masuda is the second or third IU Kokomo faculty member to receive the commendation. “Clearly this speaks to the strength of Dr. Masuda’s accomplishments in research and scholarship and that her work stands out amongst her peers in Indiana,” said Motl, who received the award in 2019. “Many of the institutions that participate in the IAS are undergraduate institutions or primarily undergraduate institutions, but even having that caveat, Dr. Masuda has built and maintains a very active research program in her lab, working exclusively with undergraduates. She is passionate about science and can share that passion with her students. To carry on a quality research program with so many students involved in so many projects is truly remarkable and I am glad that the IAS acknowledged that for Dr. Masuda.” The IAS specifically commended her for involving more than 50 undergraduates in her research in bacterial metabolism, genomics, and their phenotypic plasticity at IU Kokomo, and publishing 23 articles with many student co-authors. Masuda’s current work primarily focuses on biodegradation and chemical repurposing of nylon. Using soil bacteria, her lab studies bacterial biodegradation of nylon and other environmental pollutants. She applies principles of green chemistry while developing a method to convert nylon waste into other nontoxic polymers. In collaborative work with health scientists, her lab investigates gut microbiomes of Indiana native birds as well as human subjects in a clinical study. She became interested in converting plastic waste while earning her Ph.D. at Rutgers University, working on methods to remove environmental waste not using chemicals or other intrusive methods. She learned about Nylon 11, which is used in pipes for transferring oil, interior components for cars, catheters, and in other industrial hard plastics. Nylon 11 is nontoxic, she added, so it is safe to include students in the research. “Those are considered to be nonbiodegradable, and have to go to a landfill,” she said. “I thought if we could come up with a way to biodegrade it, that would make some kind of impact.” Eventually, she wants to develop a product that would convert nylon waste to something useful, and to reduce waste and microplastics in the environment. “That would be my goal at some point, that we can make that change, and also make people more aware of their use of plastics,” she said. “I hope students stop to think about what we can do as scientists to address issues currently impacting us.” She appreciates the IAS for its support of scientific research at Indiana institutions, and IU Kokomo and the School of Sciences for providing funding for students to attend the Academy’s annual meeting. She added that IU Kokomo has also supported her research with funding from the School of Sciences and Academic Affairs. “Without that, I couldn’t do my research,” she said. Masuda has also earned a Senior Research Grant from the IAS, IU Kokomo’s Distinguished Research Award, and the IU Kokomo Junior Faculty Annual Research Award. She is a Fellow of the Indiana Academy of Science. Education is KEY at Indiana University Kokomo.
Cleveland Browns NFL Draft Profile: QB Diego Pavia, Vanderbilt
The dynamic Commodore is equal parts of two familiar former Browns QBs. Would the team really sign back up for that?
Earth’s magnetic field went wild 600 million years ago and scientists finally know why
Hundreds of millions of years ago, Earth’s magnetic field behaved in a way that has long baffled scientists, showing wild and seemingly chaotic shifts unlike anything seen before or since. A new study suggests this chaos may actually hide a deeper pattern: instead of random fluctuations, the magnetic field may have followed a global, organized structure.
Cardiologist Reveals Favorite Exercise Class For Workout Variety
In TODAY.com's Expert Tip of the Day, a cardiologist reveals how she unexpectedly discovered a "really intense workout" and why a variety of workouts boosts longevity.
SoFi Launches Banking Service for Businesses. Can It Boost the Struggling Stock?
SoFi Big Business Banking will allow enterprise customers to hold deposits, transfer funds, and settle transactions within SoFi’s nationally chartered bank.
Dolly Parton Talks Health Crisis, Reveals She ‘Got Worn Down’ While ‘Grieving’ the Loss of Carl Dean
Dolly Parton dropped out of the spotlight in September after announcing she was battling health issues and needed to have “a few procedures.” But the 80-year-old country legend finally reemerged in mi...
Senate sends bill to partially reopen DHS back to House
The Senate on Thursday unanimously approved a bill aimed at partially reopening the Department of Homeland Security, which leaves out funding for immigration enforcement and border patrol.
Rethinking science diplomacy for a more equitable public health future
Rigorous public health research in the Global South, especially in conflict-affected contexts, depends on trust, reciprocity, local leadership
Doctors blamed her symptoms on motherhood. She actually had mold illness.
Kate Ames spent years battling chronic symptoms like fatigue and joint pain. She later learned there was mold in her home that was making her sick.
Wave of retirements and politics promise spending panel makeover
The House Appropriations Committee is set to undergo a major shake-up following the midterm elections, especially among its Republicans. With four members retiring, two running for Senate and four others in potentially tight reelection contests, nearly a third of the committee’s Republicans may not return in the next Congress. Democrats are looking at a lower […]
US Patent Office rejects Nintendo's 'summon subcharacter and let it fight' patent
United States Patent and Trademark Office initially approved Nintendo's submission in September 2025, but announced a re-examination in November
Hector Mujica enters CD 28 race, setting up potentially competitive challenge to Carlos Giménez
His switch from running for Senate to a Congressional bid follows polling that showed him within striking distance of the incumbent.
Barça secure Shane Kluivert's future until 2028
FC Barcelona have officially announced the contract renewal of Shane Kluivert, one of La Masia’s brightest gems.The young Dutch forward has signed a new deal that will keep him at the club for the n...
Private equity-backed teleradiology group continues to grow through acquisition
The Miami-area imaging outfit has reached a deal to buy Global Imaging Solutions, a “leading” teleradiology group that handles about 350,000 reads annually.
Sunburn — The morning read of what’s hot in Florida politics
First Look: The players and power moves in Florida
It’s Simple, Really: Red Wings Just Can’t Score
The post It’s Simple, Really: Red Wings Just Can’t Score appeared first on Detroit Hockey Now. There are myriad reasons why the Detroit Red Wings find themselves adrift and on the outside looking in when it […] The post It’s Simple, Really: Red Wings Just Can’t Score appeared first on Detroit Hockey Now.
Sharks Locker Room: Team of Destiny?
Randy Hahn said it. View this post on Instagram And maybe, just maybe, after a five-game losing streak around the Olympics and a recent six-game skid that really shook the faith…maybe the San Jose Sharks are a team of destiny? With 28 seconds to go, the Sharks edged the Anaheim Ducks 4-3, for their third-straight […] The post Sharks Locker Room: Team of Destiny? appeared first on San Jose Hockey Now.
Trump Stirs Market, Political Angst With Vague Timeline for Iran
President Donald Trump finally tried to sell the American public on his Iran war.
Officials address response after woman fatally shot by LMPD during mental health crisis call
Police said the case did not qualify for Louisville’s crisis call diversion program because of the reported weapon and because other people were inside the home.
Nintendo Really Wants You To Press Switch 2's GameChat Button
Press the C Button to unlock your NSO reward
‘Paradise’: Is Jane Really Dead? What to Expect for Season 3
Everything you need to know.
March Madness: Chicago-area sports bars preparing for Illinois-UConn Final Four game
The success of the University of Illinois Fighting Illini so far in the March Madness tournament has provided a lot of excitement for people in the Chicago area, but especially for sports bars that are owned by Illinois alumni.
Google releases Wear OS 6.1 based on Android 16 QPR2
Google today quietly released Wear OS 6.1, but it’s not available on any watches just yet. Officially, “Wear OS 6.1...
Cannabis businesses sue to block Mass. anti-pot ballot question
Four cannabis business owners allege the ballot question would unconstitutionally end state programs that help to fund and support enterprises like theirs.
Marvel Rivals References ‘No Kings’ Anti-Trump Rally In New Map
The new Lower Manhattan map draws a line between Trump and Kingpin
SPS Sports Recap
From state championships to historic firsts, SPS students are proving that excellence thrives both academically and athletically.
NC State AD accidentally calls new men's basketball coach Justin Gainey 'Jason' twice at introductory news conference
Trump isn't immune from civil claims that his Jan. 6 rally speech incited riot, judge rules
U.S. District Judge Amit Mehta's decision now sets the stage for a possible civil trial.
YouTube's TV App Is Getting A New Feature That Has Been On Mobile For Years
The "Ask" feature is finally coming to the YouTube app on smart TVs, bringing AI capabilities that mobile and web users have had for years.
A messy governor's race in California raises Democratic fears of a potential loss
Democrats have run California for years, but in a nationally critical election the party is being confronted by the limits of its own power: the race for governor is out of control.
Science Influencers program caps five years of impact
Texas A&M System trains scientists in science communication through the federally funded Science Influences initiative.
The RF Mount Mystery: Canon finally addresses why we haven't seen full-frame glass from Sigma and Tamron. The answer might surprise you.
Why is Sigma only making APS-C lenses for Canon? A recent interview with Canon's Go Tokura flips the script on the third-party lens debate. The ball is in Sigma’s court.
Mental Health, Resilience, and Self Care in April
This April, we want to take a moment to focus on mental health wellness and resilience. By many accounts, this has been a difficult winter for mental health, and the shift into spring is a natural opportunity to pause, check in, and take stock of how we are doing. The beginning of the warmer months is often linked to improved mood for many, more daylight, more time outdoors, and more social connection. At the same time, there are some who actually report increases in depression and anxiety symptoms at the end of winter.