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Science Says Travel Might Actually Make You Happier

Research Shows Frequent Travel Is Linked To Higher Life Satisfaction And Well-Being

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Jan 9 • 4:52 AM EST • Science • travelpirates.com
Samsung’s Galaxy S26 trio may actually look like this

Newly surfaced renders show what could be the final design of Samsung’s Galaxy S26 phones. A reliable leaker today shared an image on X, which show major difference from what we’ve seen in CAD renders in the past. Ice Universe is not pulling any punches this time. The tone of the leak matters as much […]

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Jan 8 • 11:30 PM EST • Technology • sammyfans.com
Trump’s controversial ballroom could actually solve a decades-long problem— and takes first formal steps for construction

President Donald Trump’s sprawling new East Wing ballroom project has attracted widespread controversy — but promises to solve a problem identified by first families and their social secretaries on both sides of the aisle for decades.

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Jan 8 • 6:01 AM EST • Politics • cnn.com
Dell admits that PC buyers don’t actually care about AI

AI has been a huge buzzword at Apple and other tech companies for years. But Dell just admitted that PC buyers don’t actually care about AI.

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Jan 7 • 1:45 PM EST • Technology • 9to5mac.com
Is cracking your knuckles really bad for them?

It doesn't actually cause arthritis.

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Jan 7 • 9:00 AM EST • Science • popsci.com
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Lenovo’s Auto Twist laptop is going from concept to real product

The auto-opening ThinkBook Plus Gen 7 Auto Twist is actually coming out.

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Jan 6 • 8:00 PM EST • Technology • theverge.com
What Science Actually Means When It Says ‘Your Body Keeps Score’

As you age, you realize maybe your body really does keep score. But what does that mean? It's not what online trends would have you believe.

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Jan 6 • 3:05 PM EST • Science • vice.com
Mark Kiszla: What CU sports needs more than a bright new athletic director is a billionaire sugar daddy

BOULDER – The first thing eager new CU athletic director Fernando Lovo must learn is the massive gap between wishful thinking and what it actually takes to win the Big 12 Conference football championship. Here’s a hint: Start with a $5 million quarterback. In 2026, that’s the going rate for success in college athletics. Are […]

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Jan 5 • 10:00 PM EST • Sports • denvergazette.com
5 Of The Most Overlooked Free Apps Actually Worth Installing

Yuka, Transit, MyNoise, Listonic, and Merlin Bird ID are five of the most overlooked free apps that are actually worth installing on Android or iOS.

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Jan 4 • 12:47 PM EST • Technology • bgr.com
The Galaxy S26 Ultra might be the only affordable flagship of 2026

With Apple's prices possibly climbing, Samsung's stagnation is actually a strategy.

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Jan 4 • 11:39 AM EST • Technology • phonearena.com
38 Inexpensive "Shark Tank" Products People Actually Swear By

You, when you see these worthwhile finds: "I'm in."

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Jan 4 • 11:01 AM EST • Technology • buzzfeed.com
Scientists Finally Know What’s Actually Happening When Your Mind Goes Blank

You know the feeling. Someone asks a question, your eyes are open, you’re technically awake, but there’s just nothing there.

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Jan 4 • 1:00 AM EST • Science • vice.com
New year, smarter home: 7 AI-powered Kickstarter projects that actually solve problems

The phrase

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Jan 3 • 5:37 PM EST • Technology • ksl.com
4 Cheaper Alternatives To The MacBook Pro Actually Worth Buying

If you want MacBook Pro specs without the heavy price tag, these options are worth considering.

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Jan 3 • 4:17 PM EST • Technology • bgr.com
Did a planet just vanish? Scientists witness a rare cosmic collision

What seemed like new planets around Fomalhaut were actually expanding dust clouds from violent planetary collisions seen by Hubble.

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Jan 3 • 9:43 AM EST • Science • earth.com
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The journal Science positively reviews a book criticizing gender surgery

Is it a sign of the times that this long book review, appearing in the “Science and Society” section of the prestigious journal Science, actually approves of a book questioning the ubiq…

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Jan 2 • 12:45 PM EST • Science • whyevolutionistrue.com
People Are Sharing The "Harmless" Things That Actually Make Society Worse

"Sometimes, the 'polite' thing is actually the cruelest thing."

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Jan 2 • 11:31 AM EST • Technology • buzzfeed.com
It’s official: statistics prove that art really is good for your health

Huge cohort studies prove it, says professor at University College London, but you have to actually engage with the art to see results

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Jan 2 • 3:44 AM EST • Health • theartnewspaper.com
3 apps I'm actually using to keep my New Year's resolutions

Habit tracking app options are endless, but these 3 apps have proven to be the most effective in actually making progress.

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Jan 1 • 9:30 AM EST • Technology • androidauthority.com
Tricare After Active Duty: What Actually Happens to Your Health Insurance

Many service members don't sort out their civilian health insurance until they're already out and scrambling. The confusion costs money and creates gaps in coverage that leave families exposed.

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Dec 31, 2025 • 9:10 AM EST • Health • military.com
'Excitement With a Little Dash of Fear': Polar Plunges Ring in the New Year With a Splash. But What Actually Happens to Your Body?

Three experts share the science behind taking a dip in cold water—and offer safety tips that any potential plungers should bear in mind

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Dec 31, 2025 • 12:46 AM EST • Science • smithsonianmag.com
'Stranger Things' Couples, Ranked by How Much Chemistry They Actually Have

The grand finale arrives on Netflix December 31, so here's one last look back at the characters' most inconsistently important aspect: their love lives.

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Dec 30, 2025 • 1:30 PM EST • Technology • gizmodo.com
Samsung's $250 Galaxy Tab A11+ is a big upgrade by budget Android tablet standards

The Galaxy Tab A11+ just went official and it actually seems like a pretty decent Android tablet for its $250...

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Dec 30, 2025 • 11:40 AM EST • Technology • 9to5google.com
Revisited: do medicinal mushroom products actually work?

In this episode from June, Ian Sample chats to Madeleine Finlay about the appeal of mushroom drinks and supplements, and hears from the mycologist Prof Nik Money on what we really know about how fungi can affect our minds and bodies

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Dec 30, 2025 • 12:00 AM EST • Science • theguardian.com
Do saunas really boost your health?

Saunas and cold water swims are booming, but what does science actually say about the benefits?

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Dec 29, 2025 • 8:01 PM EST • Health • bbc.com
The 'actually premium' Motorola Signature phone is coming on January 7, 2026

Motorola's first true non-foldable flagship in nearly two years has an official launch date, at least in India.

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Dec 29, 2025 • 4:02 AM EST • Technology • phonearena.com
2025 EDGE awards, top 10 games of the year

The latest issue of EDGE has been released, and as is tradition for the final issue of the year, it includes various awards plus a list of the top ten games of the year. Various Nintendo-related representation is included for both. While Hades 2 was actually chosen as the best Nintendo game, Donkey Kong Bananza was one of the five...

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Dec 27, 2025 • 12:00 AM EST • Technology • nintendoeverything.com
Cold water changes your cells—and science says it only takes one week - Futura-Sciences

A daily dip in cold water might do more than wake you up — it could actually reprogram your body at the cellular level. According to researchers from the University of Ottawa, this simple habit ... Read more

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Dec 26, 2025 • 9:00 PM EST • Science • futura-sciences.com
A look back at the health trends that took over social media in 2025

From functional drinks and olive oil shots to McDonald’s ‘migraine meals,’ 2025 serves up plenty of of viral health trends - but do they actually work?

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Dec 26, 2025 • 2:00 AM EST • Health • euronews.com
How Does Android's New AirDrop-Style Feature Actually Work?

Android's new AirDrop feature is built in Rust for better security, stems from an EU ruling that required Apple to open up AirDrop to third-party devices.

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Dec 25, 2025 • 9:15 PM EST • Technology • slashgear.com
Humans May Actually Have Over 30 Senses, Scientists Say

Here's how you can experience them all.

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Dec 23, 2025 • 7:31 PM EST • Science • sciencealert.com
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The disunity of science is a feature, not a bug

Mathematical models wield miraculous power, but mistaking them for reality has trapped science in a destructive quest for a “Theory of Everything.” Physicist and philosopher Ragner Fjelland argues that this leads to bloated, Frankenstein theories kept alive by clumsy, ad-hoc amendments, which reduce rather than boost science’s power. Fjelland calls for a radical shift in our attitude: we must reorientate towards creating entirely new theories, celebrating rather than lamenting disunity and diversity in science. Science, from the scientific revolution in the seventeenth century to the present day, has more or less developed in a “reductionist” way. The fundamental assumption is that all sciences may be ordered in a hierarchy that can be represented as an upside-down pyramid. At the top we find the human sciences, and at the bottom physics. Strong (or “ontological”) reductionism maintains that all theories at one level can be completely reduced to the lower level, all the way down to theories of atoms and elementary particles, or whatever is “at the bottom.” In the end, all diversity in the world can be unified in one fundamental theory. Hence it is called a final theory, or a Theory of Everything.One of the central figures in developing the idea of a Theory of Everything is the Dutch theoretical physicist Gerard 't Hooft, who received a Nobel Prize in physics in 1999 for his work. He emphasizes the non-empirical status of the theory:There exists no closely resembling alternative theory. This means that any slight change brought about in the rules would make the theory unlikely or inelegant. The theory will be a "package deal": take it, or leave it. This should hold both for the local laws and for the boundary conditions.This endeavor is not new. On the contrary, it goes all the way back to the birth of Western philosophy 2,500 years ago. The Babylonians made regular astronomical observations during a period of 600 years, from 747 BCE until 150 ACE. They developed mathematical techniques to predict astronomical phenomena, but they made no attempts at explaining them. However, the Greeks developed models, both material and theoretical, to explain the observed phenomena.The best example is Plato’s late dialogue Timaeus. Here he introduces a divine craftsman, the Demiurge, who has constructed the universe according to an original plan. Plato seems to have thought that the original plan is what is actually real, while the material world is merely an imperfect realization of it. He therefore does not, in the Timaeus, reconstruct the material universe, but the original plan, which can then be used to explain the material universe.Plato’s aim in producing a theoretical model is to reconstruct the original plan. That is what he carries out in Timaeus—and some modern physicists have embarked on the same project. For example, Einstein’s basic attitude is reflected in the title of Abraham Pais’ biography: “Subtle is the Lord...,” echoing Einstein’s comment, “Subtle is the Lord, but malicious He is not.” In an interview Einstein compared our situation to a child who enters a huge library. The child knows that someone has written the books, but he does not know the languages in which they are written. He suspects that there is a mysterious order, but he does not know what it is.___“We have all been working in what Husserl called the Galilean style; that is, we have all been making abstract mathematical models of the universe to which at least the physicists give a higher degree of reality than they accord the ordinary world of sensation.”Steven Weinberg, Nobel Prize in Physics (1979)___This Platonist view is contrary to a widespread impression of science, symbolized by the picture of the “father” of modern science, Galileo Galilei, with his telescope. According to this impression, Galileo liberated himself from the dominating metaphysics of his day—basically Aristotelian philosophy—and constructed a telescope that he directed towards the sky, showing that Jupiter has four moons. He also performed experiments with bronze balls rolling down inclined planes and found the law of freely falling bodies.However, in other cases Galileo emphasized the unreliability of our senses. It is easy to see why. He defended Copernicus’ heliocentric hypothesis. According to this hypothesis, we are not at rest at the center of the universe, but moving at a tremendous speed through space. Why don’t we observe this motion? Galileo praises Copernicus because “with reason as his guide he resolutely continued to affirm what sensible experience seemed to contradict.” In other places he directly refers to Plato. SUGGESTED VIEWING The quest for a final theory With Michio Kaku Galileo’s Platonism goes back to his early writings. In The Assayer, published as early as 1623, Galileo compared the universe to a grand book that is written in the language of mathematics, and “its characters are triangles, circles, and other geometric figures without which it is humanly impossible to understand a single word of it.” Therefore, things that cannot be described by mathematics—for example, colors, smells and odors—are not real. They are merely subjective.This division into subjective and objective, advocated by Galileo and his younger contemporary René Descartes, is normally associated with a mechanistic world view, which is regarded as the opposite of Platonism. When we reduce something to, for example, molecules and atoms, we move “downwards.” In contrast, the Platonist moves “upwards,” to abstract entities. However, it only shows that when we address fundamental questions, we should be careful in applying everyday spatial metaphors like “up” and “down.”___Nature is complex, and we cannot in general construct mathematical models that adequately describe the world.___The endeavor of finding a Theory of Everything has been heavily criticized. In 2006, the theoretical physicist Lee Smolin published “The Crisis in Fundamental Physics.” He argued that one of the most fundamental principles of science is that we should only regard theories as scientific if we have the possibility to show that they are false by experiments. Although he did not refer to Karl Popper, other critics have referred to Popper and argued that a theory is not scientific if it cannot be falsified (see for example Ellis & Silk 2014).These were not the first physicists to be anti-reductionists. In 1972, the journal Science published an article by the physicist Philip Anderson with the title “More Is Different.” This is the kind of article a scientist would normally write only after he has won a Nobel Prize. However, Anderson won the Nobel Prize for physics five years later, in 1977. The article is amazing, not primarily because it argues in favor of anti-reductionism in general, but because it argues for anti-reductionism within physics itself. Anderson’s conclusion was:At each stage entirely new laws, concepts, and generalizations are necessary, requiring inspiration and creativity to just as great a degree as in the previous one. Psychology is not applied biology, nor is biology applied chemistry.We may say that Plato started the “unity of science movement,” based on Euclidean geometry as the model of all knowledge. A distinguishing mark of geometry is that all possible constructions can be reduced to a few fundamental principles. We have to acknowledge that this approach has limitations. In general, we can easily model technological systems. In addition, we may construct simplified and idealized models that capture important aspects of systems, from various perspectives and for various purposes. But nature is complex, and we cannot in general construct mathematical models that adequately describe the world. In a complex system, each level has its distinct, emergent, properties that are characteristic of this level. Therefore, a complex system should be investigated at different levels and from different perspectives. Instead of exclusively pursuing a scientific ideal based on the unity of science, we should acknowledge the diversity—or even the disunity—of science.

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Dec 23, 2025 • 7:00 AM EST • Science • iai.tv
Youth in Ugandan Politics

Across Uganda, young people are stepping boldly into the political arena. In our Street Debate we ask them: Where does your drive and sense of urgency come from? And: Do they actually stand a chance?

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Dec 22, 2025 • 1:20 PM EST • Politics • dw.com
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New Galaxy S26 leak suggests the Plus model is actually massive

Leaked Galaxy S26 specs hint at steady upgrades and few surprises.

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Dec 22, 2025 • 9:24 AM EST • Technology • androidcentral.com
This simulation reveals what really happens near black holes

Black holes are among the most extreme objects in the universe, and now scientists can model them more accurately than ever before. By combining Einstein’s gravity with realistic behavior of light and matter, researchers have built simulations that closely match real astronomical observations. These models reveal how matter forms chaotic, glowing disks and launches powerful outflows as it falls into black holes. It’s a major step toward decoding how these cosmic engines actually work.

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Dec 21, 2025 • 7:00 PM EST • Science • sciencedaily.com
Why most health resolutions fail—and what science says actually works

As wellness advice floods social media, experts point to a short list of science-backed habits that improve health—and a few popular resolutions you’re better off skipping.

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Dec 21, 2025 • 7:00 PM EST • Science • nationalgeographic.com
Why most health resolutions fail—and what science says actually works

As wellness advice floods social media, experts point to a short list of science-backed habits that improve health—and a few popular resolutions you’re better off skipping.

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Dec 21, 2025 • 7:00 PM EST • Health • nationalgeographic.com
Rival Roundup, Vol. 75: South Side Surprise

Christmas is a-comin’, and the goose is getting fat. So, too, are the wallets of those lucky few who signed contracts with Central division teams this week. And as an early Christmas present to me, we actually got ourselves some headlines this weekend!

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Dec 21, 2025 • 1:00 PM EST • Sports • twinkietown.com
Fabio Paratici might actually join Fiorentina

Is this the man to lift the Viola out of the hole they’ve dug for themselves?

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Dec 21, 2025 • 2:57 AM EST • Sports • violanation.com
Setting Business Goals for Your Trucking Company in 2026

With 2025 almost in the books, the smartest thing a small carrier can do right now isn’t chase one more load — it’s slow down just enough to decide what 2026 actually needs to look like. If you’re reading this with less than two weeks left in the year, you’re right on time. Not late. […] The post Setting Business Goals for Your Trucking Company in 2026 appeared first on FreightWaves.

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Dec 19, 2025 • 12:50 PM EST • Business • finance.yahoo.com
The science behind one of the holiday season's simplest gifts

Scented candles have sort of a bad rap as a low-effort holiday gift. But a lot goes into the process of creating them. “Making candles is actually pretty scientific,” said Ashley Rossi, the owner of Noted Candles in Hingham

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Dec 19, 2025 • 5:43 AM EST • Science • wbur.org
Riot Games found a motherboard security flaw that helps PC cheaters

Riot says a system’s “bouncer” was actually “asleep in the chair.”

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Dec 18, 2025 • 1:01 PM EST • Technology • theverge.com
How to Make MAHA’s Plan for Children’s Health Actually Work

"There’s a big opportunity for MAHA to include real-world experts in future studies and analysis," writes Dr. James S. Gordon.

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Dec 18, 2025 • 8:00 AM EST • Health • time.com
Thanks for asking after my health, but actually I’m doing just fine

Friends, family and assorted strangers have been sending thoughts and prayers about my ‘cancer journey’. It is, in the nicest possible way, a lot

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Dec 18, 2025 • 6:00 AM EST • Health • theguardian.com
Louisville Beats EKU 76-51

If all you saw was the final score you might think this game was a cake-walk but if you actually watched the game you probably want to forget the first half. However as Coach Walz said, “This was probably the first game all year that I’ve seen us look as bad as we did in […]

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Dec 17, 2025 • 9:41 PM EST • Sports • sports.yahoo.com
A Psychologist Shares A Science-Inspired Test To Reveal Your Core Personality

Here's a test that might actually reveal something true about your identity. Answer eight simple questions to get your results.

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Dec 17, 2025 • 5:30 PM EST • Science • forbes.com
A Psychologist Shares A Science-Inspired Spirit Animal Test To Reveal Your Core Personality

Here's a spirit animal test that might actually reveal something true about your identity. Answer eight simple questions to get your results.

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Dec 17, 2025 • 5:30 PM EST • Science • forbes.com
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A black swan event: Keir actually cracked a good joke at PMQs

MPs from most corners of Commons laughed at the festive gag – but stony-faced Farage failed to see the funny side

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Dec 17, 2025 • 12:13 PM EST • Politics • theguardian.com
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A new era for sports communication at UNC Hussman  | UNC Hussman School of Journalism and Media

As director of UNC Hussman’s Sports Communication Focus Program, Distinguished Associate Professor of Sports Communication Livis Freeman is building on the work of the school’s legendary Distinguished Professor for Sports Communication John Sweeney. Sweeney, who retired last year, developed one of the most respected sports communication programs in the country. Freeman, now in his 12th year at the school, is launching an ambitious expansion of the program that is transforming how UNC prepares students for careers in sports media. The most visible change came this fall with a reimagining of “MEJO 377: Sports Communication.” Previously offered as two sections with 30 students each, the course expanded to 96 students and welcomed former UNC basketball star and NBA veteran Tyler Hansbrough as the co-instructor with Freeman, bringing real world professional experience directly into the classroom every week. The course has been a huge success. Students have participated in recording a podcast with Hansbrough and learned from an impressive lineup of guest speakers. Steve Kirschner, UNC’s senior associate director of athletics for communications, was the first in the course’s guest speaker series, followed by UNC Hussman alumni including Kaitlyn Schmidt ’23 from Bleacher Report, Deaton Bell ’90 from Turner Sports and Becca Royer ’19 from the Philadelphia 76ers. Travis Tygart, CEO of the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency, also shared his insights with the class. The highlight of the semester came when Roy Williams, who coached Hansbrough and the Tar Heels to a national championship in 2009, visited the classroom. Former UNC men’s basketball players Luke Maye and Marcus Ginyard showed up to support their former coach and Hansbrough, creating an unforgettable experience as Williams entertained students with stories and insights that captivated the room. Student demand has been overwhelming. The course reached capacity within two days of registration opening, with more than 40 students on the waitlist. “Students want to learn from people who have actually lived these experiences,” Freeman said. “Tyler shares insights into media relations, broadcast production and athlete communications that you simply can’t get from a textbook.” The model proved so successful that the school secured funding to continue it for the next five years, with a different former professional athlete co-teaching each fall. The school’s curriculum committee approved a proposal to expand the course to 150 to 200 students starting in fall 2026. This change will make it an introductory course accessible to students from across the University, transforming it into a showcase course for the entire campus. The course redesign represents just one piece of a broader sports communication program overhaul. This fall, the curriculum committee approved “MEJO 390: Sports Play by Play,” the first course of its kind at UNC. Limited to 10 advanced students, the course will be taught by Matt Krause, the current voice of UNC women’s basketball and an ACC Network broadcaster. Students will call actual games across multiple sports including women’s softball, soccer, volleyball, field hockey and lacrosse, as well as men’s soccer and lacrosse. They will also shadow broadcasts of men’s and women’s basketball games. “The sports broadcasting industry is exploding with streaming platforms and conference networks creating unprecedented demand,” Freeman said. The course emerged directly from student advocacy, led by Anna Laible ’26 and others who pushed for hands-on broadcasting experience. Professional equipment has been acquired, partnerships with UNC Athletics are in place and a soft launch began this semester with three experienced students calling games to test the system. The program’s growth extends into other specialized areas as well. Last spring, Stembler Professor Charlie Tuggle launched a new sports event management and hospitality course in partnership with On Location, a company that manages major sporting event experiences. The course provided students with opportunities to travel to the Super Bowl and NFL Draft, and Tuggle plans to take a group to the 2026 Milan Olympics this spring. Looking ahead to spring 2026, Associate Professor Ryan Thornburg will debut a sports data visualization course, adding another dimension to the program’s skill-building offerings. The curriculum expansion reflects the increasingly diverse career paths available in sports media, from traditional journalism and broadcasting to digital analytics and strategic communication. The program is also diving into one of college athletics’ most transformative developments: Name, Image and Likeness rights. Freeman’s “MEJO 466: Sports Marketing” class collaborated last spring with Associate Professor Gary Kayye’s “MEJO 371: Advertising Creative” class on a project with UNC’s Carolina NIL group to help rebrand their organization. That same semester, Kayye’s class envisioned Chapel Thrill, UNC football’s new pregame concert and entertainment experience. And Shaun Anderson, the school’s Knight Chair in Sports, Race and Media, continues to explore the broader implications of NIL through his research and teaching. These NIL-focused initiatives give students direct exposure to the business side of college athletics at a moment when the landscape is rapidly evolving. “Our students aren’t just learning about these changes,” Freeman said. “They’re actively helping shape how schools and athletes navigate them.” The transformation of UNC Hussman’s sports communication program reflects a broader philosophy about how to prepare students for careers in a rapidly changing industry. By bringing in professional practitioners like Hansbrough and Krause, partnering with industry leaders like On Location and ACC Network, and engaging with current issues like NIL, the program ensures students graduate with both theoretical knowledge and practical experience. For alumni who remember the foundations John Sweeney built, the expansion represents an evolution rather than a departure. The program still emphasizes strong reporting, strategic communication, ethical communication and critical thinking. But now it also offers students the chance to call live games, work on real NIL campaigns and learn directly from former professional athletes. “We’re not just teaching students about sports media,” Freeman said. “We’re giving them the tools, experiences and connections to actually build careers in it.” With new courses launching, professional partnerships deepening and enrollment expanding, UNC Hussman’s sports communication program is positioning itself as a national leader in preparing the next generation of sports media professionals. For current students, the message is clear: if you’re interested in sports communication, there’s never been a better time to be at UNC Hussman. And for the hundreds of students trying to get off waitlists and into these new courses, the school is working to create more opportunities. The program John Sweeney built is growing in ways that honor his legacy while meeting the demands of a new era in sports media.

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Dec 17, 2025 • 10:30 AM EST • Sports • hussman.unc.edu
'SNL' spoofed Uber Eats Wrapped. Then Uber actually did it for real.

"SNL" made a skit where a character found out how much chicken nuggets he ate from an imaginary Uber Wrapped. On Monday, the company launched a recap.

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Dec 15, 2025 • 6:58 PM EST • Business • businessinsider.com
Video games can get kids to practice science skills

Though some might see video games as a distraction, a new study suggests they can actually serve as a place to practice key science skills.

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Dec 15, 2025 • 1:51 PM EST • Science • futurity.org
Germany warns rejecting Ukraine loan would harm EU countries' finances

Krichbaum's claim is the opposite of Belgian PM Bart De Wever's, who argues the 'reparations loan' would actually increase EU government borrowing costs

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Dec 15, 2025 • 7:11 AM EST • Politics • euractiv.com
Quantum science research is full of promises. When will they happen? : Short Wave

This year, quantum science and computing came up a lot. There have been broad claims that quantum science and engineering could one day help cure diseases, design new materials, optimize supply chains -- or help in other ways not yet fathomable. And, while the Trump administration has made strides to cut scientific funding, quantum research is one of two things they’ve pledged to continue investing in – along with artificial intelligence. Meanwhile, scientists have been hard at work, pushing the research to move quantum engineering from sci-fi to real-world usefulness. All of this got science correspondent Katia Riddle wondering: When will all of this effort actually pay off? She talked to a lot of scientists to figure it out -- and to figure out how much scientist really understand about quantum science. She brings everything she learned onto the show today. To hear more Short Wave reporting on quantum clocks, check out this episode: Quantum Mechanics For BeginnersInterested in more quantum science? 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.

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Dec 15, 2025 • 3:00 AM EST • Science • npr.org
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Irrelevant Hickenlooper draws a challenger

State Sen. Julie Gonzales should be ashamed of herself. Doesn’t Gonzales understand that U.S. Sen. John Hickenlooper is entitled to the Democratic nomination for Senate? Doesn’t Gonzales know that, just like in 2020, Hickenlooper “needs his sleep” and cannot be bothered with some pesky, young state senator who actually knows why she is running? And […]

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Dec 15, 2025 • 3:00 AM EST • Politics • coloradopolitics.com
Teen’s video a ‘Breakthrough’ in science communication

Seventeen-year-old Grace Lee from Chula Vista is gaining national attention as a finalist in the global Breakthrough Junior Challenge, an annual competition that invites students to create original videos explaining complex scientific ideas in creative and engaging ways. Founded in 2015, the contest encourages young people to break down advanced scientific theories using imagination and storytelling— “Steven Spielberg meets Albert Einstein,” as organizers describe it. Lee’s submission centers on the principle of least time in physics, a concept that explains why light always travels the path that takes the least amount of time. To bring the idea to life, she used intricate origami characters and stop-motion animation, along with simple at-home experiments, she said. “The fact that light always travels via the path that takes the least amount of time sounds simple at first, but nature is full of surprises,” she said. “This principle is actually very profound and underlies many different fields in physics that seem completely unrelated, from optics to Newton’s laws to Einstein’s theory of relativity.” Also, origami has long been one of her passions and integrating it into her project felt natural. She often makes origami gifts for friends and teaches origami in her school clubs. “A single 10-second scene would take hours to craft,” she said, noting the mixture of stop-motion and post-production editing required to animate expressions and movement. To ensure the science remained accurate and accessible, she spent time reading books and online resources, writing a script, creating a storyboard, and filming and editing repeatedly until the visuals worked.The experiments were among the biggest challenges. To demonstrate water waves, she used everyday household items — “a spatula and an electric toothbrush to vibrate the waves, glass in a baking pan for different depths, and an iPhone flashlight so the waves would be visible.” She also put careful thought into explaining the principle through analogies, including a gingerbread man and a fox. “Analogies and visuals are incredibly important,” she said. “Visual demonstrations allow viewers to see how the science actually works.” Beyond the competition, Lee is deeply involved in science leadership and advocacy. She serves as International President of miRcore, the world’s largest student computational biology organization, with 136 chapters across five countries. She leads a 20-member executive board, organizes outreach connecting schools worldwide, and has helped run workshops at locations including Scripps Research Institute and the University of Michigan. “I used to be intimidated,” she said, but she gradually grew her skills and confidence. “Now I am no longer afraid to use my voice and enthusiasm to bring out the best in others.” Her research experience includes two peer-reviewed papers on asthma and vaping. Misconceptions around vaping, she said, show why clear science communication matters. “Our research shows that there is long-term harm to your lungs on the cellular level that isn’t obvious unless you come down with an illness like the flu,” she said. Lee also founded Full Hearts at Eastlake High School, transforming the small club into one of the school’s largest, with hands-on service projects in partnership with local nonprofits. She continues mentoring younger students to sustain the mission. If she wins the Breakthrough Junior Challenge, Grace hopes the $100,000 science lab prize for her school will expand opportunities for students who have limited access to equipment and hands-on science outside the classroom.

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Dec 13, 2025 • 10:00 AM EST • Science • thestarnews.com
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What we're hearing: Philip Rivers' comeback, Burrow and more

Philip Rivers is expected to start an NFL game at 44 years old after a 1,800-day layoff, Joe Burrow's comments raised eyebrows across the league, and sources weigh in on what it all actually means.

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Dec 13, 2025 • 9:37 AM EST • Sports • cbssports.com
Does Sleeping On A Problem Actually Help? Yes

That old adage is rooted in some surprisingly up-to-date research.

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Dec 12, 2025 • 10:30 AM EST • Science • iflscience.com
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Scientists reveal the real benefits and hidden risks of medical cannabis

A sweeping review of more than 2,500 studies reveals that despite booming public enthusiasm, cannabis has strong scientific support for only a few medical uses, leaving most popular claims—like relief for chronic pain, anxiety, and insomnia—on shaky ground. The findings spotlight a persistent gap between what people believe cannabis can do and what clinical evidence actually shows.

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Dec 12, 2025 • 7:00 AM EST • Science • sciencedaily.com
What makes the Eagles optimistic about offense after a 3rd straight loss?

The crazy thing about the Eagles’ offensive performance Monday night is that they actually did some good things.

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Dec 12, 2025 • 7:00 AM EST • Sports • nbcsportsphiladelphia.com
I went hands-on with the Galaxy Z TriFold at Dubai Mall — Samsung's tri-fold has a distinct advantage over the Huawei Mate XT, and the design is much better than I expected

It costs an absurd amount of money, but the Galaxy Z TriFold isn't just a tech demo — this is a tablet-sized foldable you can actually use.

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Dec 11, 2025 • 8:01 AM EST • Technology • androidcentral.com
Reddit is testing verification badges

Verified users will actually be notable figures, not just people who paid for the checkmark.

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Dec 10, 2025 • 1:30 PM EST • Technology • techcrunch.com
We may finally know what a healthy gut microbiome looks like

Our gut microbiome has a huge influence on our overall health, but we haven't been clear on the specific bacteria with good versus bad effects. Now, a study of more than 34,000 people is shedding light on what a healthy gut microbiome actually consists of

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Dec 10, 2025 • 12:35 PM EST • Health • newscientist.com
Scientists discover a new state of matter at Earth’s center

New research reveals that Earth’s solid inner core is actually in a superionic state, where carbon atoms flow freely through a solid iron lattice. This unusual behavior makes the core soft, matching seismic observations that have puzzled scientists for decades. The mobility of these light elements may also contribute energy to Earth’s magnetic field. The findings reshape models of Earth’s interior and could apply to other rocky planets.

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Dec 10, 2025 • 7:00 AM EST • Science • sciencedaily.com
I wore Google's upcoming Android XR smart glasses, and it's a future I'd actually want to live in

From multimodal AI glasses to immersive headsets, Google's Android XR vision is more ambitious - yet clearer - than ever.

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Dec 9, 2025 • 3:53 PM EST • Technology • zdnet.com
My husband handles 100% of the holiday magic, and I buy the gifts. He has the much harder job.

Holiday stress is all around me, but my husband drives the magic in our home, letting us share the work in a way that actually works.

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Dec 8, 2025 • 10:58 AM EST • Business • businessinsider.com
Passenger Jet Suddenly Dropped From Sky for a Wild Reason, Airbus Says

Apologies to our art director, who must depict a plane plunging after being blasted by cosmic rays, which is something that actually happened.

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Dec 7, 2025 • 9:00 AM EST • Technology • futurism.com
Assessing Goldman Sachs After a 301% Five Year Surge and Business Model Shift

If you are wondering whether Goldman Sachs Group is still a smart buy after its huge run up, or if you are late to the party, you are in the right place to unpack what the current share price actually implies. The stock has climbed 3.5% over the last week, 8.7% over the past month, and is up a striking 48.6% year to date, capping a 45.4% 1 year gain and a 301.0% increase over 5 years that has clearly shifted how the market views its risk and growth profile. Recent headlines have highlighted...

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Dec 7, 2025 • 7:10 AM EST • Business • finance.yahoo.com
The Android password manager nobody talks about actually beats the giants

This invisible Android password manager crushes the competition

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Dec 7, 2025 • 7:00 AM EST • Technology • androidpolice.com
Cosmic knots may finally explain why the Universe exists

Knotted structures once imagined by Lord Kelvin may actually have shaped the universe’s earliest moments, according to new research showing how two powerful symmetries could have created stable “cosmic knots” after the Big Bang. These exotic objects may have briefly dominated the young cosmos, unraveled through quantum tunneling, and produced heavy right-handed neutrinos whose decays tipped the balance toward matter over antimatter.

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Dec 7, 2025 • 7:00 AM EST • Science • sciencedaily.com
Why Leftover Pizza Is Actually Healthier: The Science of “Resistant Starch” Explained

Researchers have discovered that cooling starchy foods—from pizza to rice—creates “resistant starch,” a carb that behaves like fiber and alters your blood sugar response

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Dec 5, 2025 • 2:00 PM EST • Science • scientificamerican.com
Is Using a VPN to Watch Sports Illegal? Here’s What Actually Happens

Using a VPN to get around sports blackouts and geoblocks can help you stream games, but you may be breaking the terms of service of some streaming services.

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Dec 5, 2025 • 8:00 AM EST • Sports • cnet.com
Good news: Buying a home might actually be more affordable in 2026

A housing reset is coming in 2026, Redfin forecasts, with slower home price growth and more listings, giving buyers a better shot at home ownership.

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Dec 4, 2025 • 5:04 PM EST • Business • businessinsider.com
Massive volcanic eruptions may have actually caused the Black Death | BBC Science Focus Magazine

New research suggests that a combination of volcanic activity, cold summers and famine brought the deadly plague to Europe.

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Dec 4, 2025 • 2:14 PM EST • Science • sciencefocus.com
Dog Parents, Rejoice: Science Says Your Pup Might Actually Help Your Teen’s Well-Being (Including Their Gut)

Like most parents of teens, you’re probably constantly trying to decode what actually supports your kids’ emotional well-being. Some days it feels like a moving target: school pressure, friendship drama, big emotions, changing hormones—it’s a lot. But one constant in your house could be… your dog. Your family pup can somehow manage to crack open …

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Dec 4, 2025 • 9:19 AM EST • Science • sheknows.com
Scientists capture flu viruses surfing into human cells in real time

Scientists have captured a never-before-seen, high-resolution look at influenza’s stealthy invasion of human cells, revealing that the cells aren’t just helpless victims. Using a groundbreaking imaging technique, researchers discovered that our cells actually reach out and “grab” the virus as it searches for the perfect entry point, surfing along the membrane.

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Dec 3, 2025 • 7:00 PM EST • Science • sciencedaily.com
10 US cities where home values are actually increasing

Home prices may be falling in many cities, but some homeowners are still seeing their property values rise in these US cities.

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Dec 1, 2025 • 8:21 AM EST • Business • businessinsider.com
Science must move from materialism to mystery

Theoretical physicist and neuroscientist Àlex Gómez-Marín argues that modern science has become trapped in a framework that mistakes matter for the whole of reality. In this wide-ranging interview, Gómez-Marín challenges the foundations of materialism, defends the scientific study of near-death experiences, and calls for a new type of science grounded in mystery and a renewed sense of the sacred. He suggests that abandoning materialism could open the door to a deeper understanding of consciousness, death, and the purpose of human existence. Simon Custer: You are both a theoretical physicist and a neuroscientist, and you have also been fiercely critical of materialist theories of mind and consciousness. What do you think the ultimate nature of reality is?Àlex Gómez-Marín: I don't know what the ultimate nature of reality is, but what I try to first assess is whether the stories that they [mainstream science] have told us about it are right, or maybe whether there are other alternatives. That's why I've been a fierce critic of materialism. As a scientist, I realized that they had sold us this idea that to be a good scientist you also had to subscribe to many other -isms, like materialism, reductionism, and even secularism. And so first I think one needs to unmount these -isms, and then, as is happening today in consciousness studies, we have a huge landscape where there isn't only one game in town, the idea that matter is the only thing that really exists. But because we are studying the hard problem of consciousness, it may be the case that other views of reality, like idealism, or even dualism, or other theories like dual aspect monism... these are philosophical ideas that now, I think, have room in science to be taken seriously. How does something like materialism relate to dualism or idealism? What is materialism in the first place?Well, materialism is the philosophical position that matter is the only really ‘real’ thing in the universe. And I think that worked kind of well because science started 400 years ago and Galileo made that split, I call it the foundational wound. It was a great business move.He said, let's start doing science on that portion of reality that lends itself more easily to mathematization and measurement. So, for some reason, the solidity of this table or the movement of planets lend themselves very well to this foundational idea of science. But as time went on, 400 years later, we realized that we had forgotten the other side, which is what really matters.What really matters is pain, is love, is feelings, sensation, consciousness, which is very hard to define, but very intimate. We all know what it is. It's that thing that disappears when we go into deep sleep and comes back in the morning. SUGGESTED VIEWING On the edges of knowledge With Michael Shermer, Rupert Sheldrake, Güneş Taylor It's what it is like to be, as Nagel said. It's the feeling of being alive. So, materialism is good to study certain things, but then when it ossifies into this ideology and then is dressed like science, now it's preventing us from understanding these key questions that are really that everybody wants to know.Why are we here? Why do we feel reality? Where do we go when we die? And so we need other ways. We need pluralism. I'm only asking for having more options on the table and taking them seriously. Why does materialism fail to explain consciousness? For example, if you were to lobotomize me, I would not be a functional human being. What do you say to someone who might think that materialism adequately explains the mind?Well, here we could speak about different things. We could talk about physics or about neuroscience. I happen to have training with both.For instance, for neuroscientists, 99% of them, I'm not included in that portion, believe that the brain can only be a productive organ. It's an organ that somehow, somewhere, consciousness emerges. It's like a lamp. And then something happens, magic happens, and then consciousness emerges.That's the position you need to be if you're a materialist because if the only really ‘real’ thing is matter, then you need to say, just give us some more time and money and we'll figure out how mind emerges or is produced from matter. There are many philosophically sophisticated ways of criticizing this.Now there's another option, which is the brain as a permissive organ. This was said by William James more than 100 years ago.Now then the brain wouldn't be like this machine, like for instance, a heat engine whose smoke is consciousness, which is what we would have in the first big model, the productive model. But in the permissive model, the brain would be a kind of a filter. And so the brain would still have a very important role in consciousness, but it wouldn't be a productive role.It would be permissive, much like a filter or much like a prism which would receive light. And - I'm speaking metaphorically - it would receive the light of the mind and then it could reflect it and refract it.Now, with these two big options on the table, I think we can make progress into what I call the edges of consciousness, which are all these experiences, weird experiences that many people have, but we don't talk about enough, like near-death experiences, precognitive dreams, synchronicities. These experiences are very important for humans and they have a place in the permissive hypothesis and they are literally impossible in the productive hypothesis. So that's yet one more reason to explore alternatives to materialism. There may be anecdotal evidence for near-death experiences, but is there robust evidence that would be accepted by the majority of scientists who subscribe to the scientific method?Sure. And the plural of anecdotes, someone said, is data.And there's a lot of data. Actually, this year is the 50th anniversary, half a century, since Dr. Raymond Moody realized that we have two ears and one mouth and started listening to what his patients had to say about their experiences while they were clinically dead.The heart had stopped, breathing had stopped in these patients. These patients would come back and tell him these amazing stories that some people may say are hallucinations, but for the patients were hyper-real, like seeing light at the end of the tunnels, seeing deceased family members waiting for them, feeling bliss.___I would say the evidence suggests that the mind can survive the death of activity of the brain.___And so he and others started taking them seriously and writing their accounts down. And then you can do a science based on that material of experience that people have. Now, on the more objective side, more recently people have started to measure what's going on in the brain when people are clinically dead and brought back. This has opened a proper field of study, which is near-death studies.Evidence is a difficult word, because sometimes people think that when you say evidence, this is just the final proof. Evidence is like in a jury. You bring testimony, you bring pieces of data that point in one direction or another.I would say the evidence suggests that the mind can survive the death of activity of the brain. When brains are broken or shut off, there can still be mind going on. And that's revolutionary.That would entail that when we die, it's not game over, which, by the way, is the thesis of materialism. If consciousness survives, materialism dies. It's game over for materialism if something of us continues after we die. Do you think that there is mental continuity after death?Well, I think so, and I believe so, and I could also say I may have experienced it myself, because four years ago I had a near-death experience. I was in the hospital, I lost a lot of blood, and I saw those beings at the end of the tunnel, three beings, and there was yellow light. I was in a well, I was looking upwards, and I hadn't read about NDEs by then, but when I came back from this experience, I decided I would try to integrate this also in my professional life. Not just my personal life, of course, but my professional life as a physicist and as a neuroscientist. So I may have had the experience of glimpses of what an afterlife would be, and I'm not ashamed to say it in this way, and then one can do science of it, and then one can do philosophy of it.One can think about what -isms we were discussing, what views on reality would allow those experiences to be really ‘real,’ as opposed to, well, poor guy, the brain was kind of broken, it must have been a hallucination. Do you have a view about whether individuality or “the ego” persists after death, or whether we sort of merge into some sort of cosmic consciousness instead?I don't know, but my view would be along those lines you're suggesting. I think we could speak about a kind of universal mind, and then the problem is not how we emerge from matter, but how we fragment from a more holistic consciousness into these individual eddies and then when we die, this kind of dissipates.But I'm not sure. For instance, idealism would promote that view, but then what would survive of us after these eddies just vanish and become again the big Consciousness, I'm not sure what that would be. I don't know for sure, but I would tell you I believe something of us survives.And there are other lines of research, not just near-death experience, that can address this really hard question of survival. For instance, there are children who remember previous lives. This was studied by Ian Stevenson at the University of Virginia for more than 50 years.___Research takes place within a selection mechanism that also sometimes reinforces things that are not very scientific.___It's amazing research. He went all over the world, especially in the East, and collected all these case studies, all these stories. In plural, these were data of kids, very young age, who would describe up to 40 items that then he could go and verify.There was no internet. There was really no way the kid could know. Why would the kid say that when I was living in this other body and I was a woman and that's how my house would look like or that's how I would die, right? Again, there is evidence, not proof, but there's evidence not only that something weird and interesting is happening as we cross the threshold, but also when we come back to this life.Scientists should not be afraid of studying this, but they are because there's stigma. There's usually stigma upon the enigma, and this is so unfortunate. And one of the reasons is because of the ideology of materialism, because those things cannot be possible. What is wrong with the politics of science such that they have generated this stigma?So many things. Science is a human activity to begin with.So it falls prey to all our passions and ego and greed. That's one thing. Science is a job for the good and for the bad.You need to get a salary. You need to get grants. Research takes place within a selection mechanism that also sometimes reinforces things that are not very scientific.And then, we didn't have time to unpack this, but science for many years become entangled, as I was suggesting before, to other -isms, materialism, secularism. So anything that smells like the afterlife, people may think has to do with God, and then they freak out.Anything that suggests that there's something about the mind that may not need a physical material substrate to exist, it smells like non-materialism. So, all these -isms are ideologically blocking that kind of research, and then there are all these sociopolitical constraints as to what should be studied and what shouldn't be studied.I call it the backstage of science. Sometimes we scientists or science communicators seem to speak as if the data is the only thing that matters. We say, well, data and theory.But then there's a third leg of this stool, which is all the politics that goes behind the scenes. And we often don't speak about this, and it's quite vicious and petty, and it's very real. Why is materialism so attractive to most scientists?Well, an easy answer is because we've grown up with it.It's what the educational system promotes, and that's what you hear when you go to university. So it's like growing in a culture. It feels like the air in which you breathe.So it's very hard to begin with to detect, well, maybe there's another alternative. Maybe there are other ways of doing science, other environments in which one could do science. That's one reason.And other reasons maybe are more profound, and I'm not qualified to explain them, but I could say, looking at this 400-year history of science, since it started around 1623 with Galileo's book The Assayer, that science went and coupled with all what's going on in the West.And so the fall of religion, you could say, and science presented us this new alternative that then could be coupled very well with other -isms, and this idea of growth, and then science losing its good twin brother, which was philosophy. There's a whole natural history of science starting as philosophy, kind of emancipating or breaking out from philosophy, and then marrying technology, and then marrying other social systems.From that point of view, materialism is a very convenient idea to propose. There were attempts, like the German idealists tried to do a more romantic science. But no, the idea prevailed, like Francis Bacon said: You should pursue nature through all her corners, he said, and make her spill her secrets.Our attitude towards nature in the science that dominates is very much reflecting how we treat nature in our society, in our culture, like a resource to extract secrets by force and then dominate it. How is materialism related to the notions of growth and progress? What's wrong with having a productive citizenry?This is another very interesting and very difficult question to answer.But there's this recent book coming out by Paul Kingsnorth. In it, he explains this idea of the machine and this idea of progress. And this, again, this conflation of more is better, of we need to go forward always, and convincing us that the way to do that is to continually extract more from nature. But because we don't have the religious context anymore, because God is dead, then what do we have? We have what we can do as humans with our own gadgets.It's kind of the story of the Promethean fire. We will just build anything to make ourselves God.A good example today is transhumanism. Transhumanism is this pseudo-religion dressed in technoscientific language whose goal is very religious. They promise immortality, they promise redemption, they promise transformation of the entire natural world, but it's done by human means through technology. Are you suggesting that we can't have ethics without religion?Well, we should have ethics with or without religion. That's another pruning that has happened in science. We say, forget about aesthetics, although some physicists still think that beautiful means probably true, and forget about politics. We pretend there's no backstage of science, and even let's forget about ethics.___Science needs to be in the service of mankind.___Scientists, when they become more like engineers, they're just thinking how to make things work so that they can go to the moon, go to Mars, make machines that think, but they don't think whether that's a good idea.And also consider metaphysics. Many scientists for a long time pretended, and maybe that comes from the stream of positivisms, that really one doesn't need metaphysics at all, except that materialism is always the metaphysics running the system.You see, it's not just ethics. It's the pruning of all of these, you could say, five main legs of philosophy that just makes a kind of unconscious science, a science that doesn't really know what it's doing. It's doing it very well locally, but it just doesn't know what it's doing globally. Do you think science has to have an ultimate vision and purpose behind it for it to be effective or for it to be meaningful and transformative?Yes, a way I would say that is that science needs to be in the service of mankind. And it hasn't been that. And we can see it through, you know, when we discovered the secrets of the atom, and all of a sudden, the Manhattan Project, and then we create nuclear weapons.And now we're trying to crack how machines may think, and now we're creating this mess, right? So science needs to be in service of mankind, not in service of a few ideas that maybe want to make more money or just dominate upon nature. What about planes, trains, automobiles, and modern medicine? Hasn't science served mankind by helping us develop those technologies?Yes and no. I see where you're going, and it's fair.I came here by plane, and it's a blessing. When I almost died, the surgeons did their job, and they saved my life. But these two forced choices between Luddites and Silicon Valley types, I think, of course, it's a false dichotomy.Progress, in a way, it's good, but we often don't speak about the dark side of the moon. We say the great things that progress has brought, and we don't speak about the disasters, the side effects that it has come with, and the same when we promise new technologies. We tend to think that any technology is great, that email is going to save us so much time because we don't need to write letters and send them anymore.Is that true? I spend so many hours a week writing emails. Let's just say there are great things about it and bad things about it. People like Harvard psychologist Steven Pinker, for example, argue that we've made moral progress over time because of the Enlightenment. Do you think that's totally wrong-headed?I think he's emphasizing a side of the moon, and he does that very well, and you can find tons of plots where there's a slope going up and say it's great. But I think he should also tell the not-so-friendly story.But if your ideology is just to resist and continue to explain that the Enlightenment is the best thing ever and reason is the best thing ever… this feels to me like you're worshipping these abstractions.I'm very critical of it and also of these, again, science communicators and scientists that say, Oh, science says, in the name of science, experts say. It's like, come on, let's be careful because we can shoot ourselves in the foot by putting forth to the people an image of science that we know is not really true. Recently there's been a resurgence of spirituality and of people who say that they're spiritual but not religious, especially in the United States. If materialism is going away, what is going to fill that gap? Are we going to return to traditional religion? Do you see that being connected with the rise of the political right?I'm not a fortune teller, so I don't know what's going to happen. But, yeah, we could say we're in this post-materialist age and even post-secular age. One cannot come back to the past, but maybe just to contact with the roots is a good idea.What do I mean by that? I think we need to do a science 2.0, a science that says thank you to Galileo and thank you to materialism, but we need to reinvent even a new kind of scientific method. We need to do so in a culture where we realize humans cannot thrive in a vacuum where there's this idea that the sacred has to be removed.Now, how do we do that without bringing in back all the vices of religion? I don't know. I'm from a Catholic country.Here we are in England, so there are differences and interreligious dialogue has always been a challenge. But I think maybe a way of putting it is: after all these conflicts and branchings I was quickly alluding to, science from philosophy and then also from religion, now there's a time of reconciliation perhaps and maybe debates in the proper sense, like exchange of ideas in service of learning and getting into something higher than both poles. We need science to talk to religious people and it's interesting when people say they're spiritual and not religious.I think this is just a way of saying, no, I don't want to go back, I want to go forward. But at the end of the day, religions have offered us practices and grounding that we now desperately need. Everybody can and should just meditate or pray or do whatever they want, but we're in a crisis and it's time for reconciliation. What do you say to critics that say you are merely projecting our need for meaning onto a fundamentally indifferent universe?Yeah, I know that the typical science communicator says something like this. But we're not projecting. Human beings feed on meaning.It's the other way around. If you're a materialist, because the only thing that there is is matter, all that comes next, free will, consciousness, meaning, this is a kind of illusion that we need to explain.They're just craving for meaning, but there isn't really for them. I would also like to remind my materialist friends that for decades, if not centuries, they've said in the name of science, we know that this and this and this doesn't really exist. I think now they sense they're forced to say, well, actually, we don't know. We've been saying, for instance, that there's nothing after you die, and now probably they need to admit that they don't know the answer.___We need to do a science 2.0, a science that says thank you to Galileo and thank you to materialism, but we need to reinvent even a new kind of scientific method.___So it's a moment to open up possibilities and also to gently but fiercely critique these claims that I think harm society. If you say in the name of science, get on with it, when your father dies, you'll never see him again. Well, what the F do you know about it? You haven't studied the literature, you haven't had any of those experiences, and basically what you're doing is you're just doing marketing on ideology. This needs to stop. Do you think that it's scarier for some people to entertain the thought that there might be life after death, compared to a materialist worldview where you just die, given that there might be consequences for unsavory behaviour?Well, death and dying is scary. It's maybe the ultimate ending. It's a limit on life, and when we're in this conquest mode, we don't like limits.And it also has, there's a shockwave backwards, so I think if you change your notion of what death is or may be, you live differently. It also has consequences, as you're saying, for the future because this is not our only goal here and we come back in whatever form. And again, different religions would say different things. I the East, they are more happy with the idea of reincarnation, and here in the West, there are other preferences. But in any case, it changes how we live, and that's really what matters.It's not about just projecting or imagining what we'll be after, but how we live now and also how we treat those who are dying. So it goes from the individual to the families, to the hospitals.Now in the near-death research I do, this has ramifications at all these levels, all the way to society.But our society is thanatophobic. It has a phobia of death. We don't want to hear about death, and this is another thing we need to put on the table and be willing to talk about it. Do you think that we might get closer to answering ultimate questions like why is there anything at all if we jettison materialism?That’s an excellent question, Simon. Two things: we should stop treating reality, I believe, as a great sudoku, as an enigma, as something that with intelligence, money, and time that we will crack and instead treat reality more like a mystery. And what you do for in front of a mystery is not to be the clever guy in a class and say “I’ll solve you” but more like “I will bow and you will transform me.”I know this sounds a bit like a scientist speaking like a mystic. But I think this reorientation is needed. In the end, we won’t crack the big questions, but they will transform us. If we free ourselves from this prison of materialism, the way we will explore these questions will be freer, more creative, and in service of mankind. Do you think exploring mystery is the reason why we are here?I think we are here because, and this pseudo-theological argument I’m making off the cuff, But the One, the Absolute, if there is such a thing, had everything except limitation. We are that absolute experiencing that contingency. It’s like an act of divine proprioception. It’s a wonderful adventure, it’s just incredible to be alive. Perhaps we have forgotten why we are here and the whole point is to experience the flesh.Let me end by saying this. I criticize materialism harshly. I bang on this dead horse, because I think it’s dead. But matter is a great mystery. So maybe my invitation is as follows: hey materialist friends, come here, let’s work on materialism 2.0! Consciousness is a mystery, but matter is also a mystery. The fact that we can have an intersubjective experience consensus, the fact that we can apply mathematics, that we can measure things... the physical world we take for granted, but it is a great mystery too.Maybe that’s related to your last question: why are we here? Why did spirit decide to incarnate? Being in the flesh may be a great thing if spirit decided to do so.Àlex Gómez-Marín, thank you very much.My pleasure.

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Dec 1, 2025 • 7:00 AM EST • Science • iai.tv
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Things you believe cause cancer but actually DON’T: What science really says about common cancer myths | - The Times of India

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