SCROLL NEWS / DISCOVERY
Search headlines
Find the stories shaping the conversation.
Results for " asc " 2,069 found 🔀 AI-powered Shuffle
Houston Texans Win Best On Instagram At The 8th Annual Hashtag Sports Awards
“The Running of the Bull: How the Houston Texans’ Mascot TORO Dominated Sports Social in 2025” also earned bronze honors in the Best on TikTok category.
The cult of objectivity has broken consciousness science
With 22 competing theories and no consensus in sight, the science of consciousness is lost. In this exclusive IAI interview, Berkeley psychedelics researcher and bestselling author of a new book on consciousness Michael Pollan insists that even though consciousness lies beyond traditional forms of scientific investigation, we should resist becoming dualists who see it as something radically different from ordinary stuff in the world. Instead, he makes the case for reimagining science itself: it must stop reaching for objective descriptions of physical reality, and instead embrace subjectivity as the indispensable core of all inquiry. Alasdair Craig: How did your experiences with psychedelics get you interested in consciousness?Michael Pollan: One of the things that happens on psychedelics is that they foreground consciousness. What formerly seemed perfectly transparent and ever present—and yet, non-existent, as water is to fish—suddenly you see it. The metaphor I use in the book is that psychedelics sponge the windscreen. Suddenly you realize: wow, there’s a windscreen, there is this phenomenon that’s mediating my relationship to reality. This is not an unusual realization on psychedelics. I think a lot of people are called to think about consciousness after psychedelic experiences. So that was the proximate inspiration for A World Appears: A Journey Into Consciousness (2026).And then there was a more specific way in which psychedelics influence the book. That was a particular experience I had on psilocybin. I had the sensation that the plants in my garden were conscious and returning my gaze, with their own point of view and agency, and I got curious as to how to evaluate an insight like that. I mean, what’s the truth quotient of insights you have on psychedelics? And I was reading William James—who, of course, wrote beautifully about mystical experience—and he said, we can’t judge the metaphysics here, but we should pay attention to two criteria: (1) How useful is it to think this is true? He was a pragmatist, of course. And (2) can we subject it to other ways of knowing to validate it? Because maybe we should treat these insights as hypotheses. And that’s kind of how I approach psychedelics, as a great generator of hypotheses, but they need to be tested against other ways of knowing. And so that led me down this long path exploring the science of plant intelligence and plant sentience.AC: I love your phrase, “smudging the windowpane of conscious experience.” So do you now start to think, actually, even when I’m not on psychedelics, I’m just seeing a screen all the time, which is not reality, but rather is my conscious experience, behind which reality is hidden?MP: Well, you know, not when I’m brushing my teeth and making breakfast! But yes, in meditation, certainly. I mean, one of the things you realize is that my experience happens to be this way now, but it could be another way. And many things can affect it. My morning coffee changes the screen in various ways, sharpens certain things.___The only tool we have to understand consciousness is consciousness.___There’s this wonderful metaphor in Aldous Huxley’s book, The Doors of Perception, where he thinks we channel consciousness, and that what the brain does is edit it, and there’s a reducing valve. And psychedelics open the reducing valve wider. I don’t know that I’m ready to buy into the idea that consciousness exists outside brains, but I do love that metaphor because there are times when you are more conscious than others. I know I’ve switched from window pane to valve, but you know, a camera aperture can open wider or narrower. And I do have a sense of that. I have a sense of when I’m being less conscious, and when I’m being more conscious, by which I mean, you know, more present, taking in more sensory information. So when you start thinking about consciousness as a matter of degree, that changes things also.I think when we scroll on social media, obviously, we’re conscious. But minimally so, because we don’t have to generate our own thoughts. We’re basically taking these little hits from other people and thinking their thoughts.The process of writing this book made me kind of relativize everyday consciousness as just one type, which is exactly what William James said. Normal consciousness is one type, separated by the flimsiest of screens from the other types.AC: If we stick with the metaphor of the smudge on the window that you get when you take psychedelics, it seems like we’re saying that consciousness has become like an object that you’re looking at, right? You’re looking at the smudge and that just is consciousness. But sometimes we’ll talk about consciousness as a state that you’re in, rather than an object you can perceive. You’re either conscious or you’re not conscious. So it’s difficult to really know what sort of thing we’re talking about when we talk about consciousness, right?MP: Yeah. When you say that consciousness is an object, what’s the subject? Consciousness also? The only tool we have to understand consciousness is consciousness. So we’re in a closed loop and when we get a perspective on consciousness, we’re not achieving any distance from it. That’s one of the problems with studying consciousness. Science is predicated on an objective, God’s eye view of things, and you never get that. There’s no such thing. SUGGESTED VIEWING The brain filters consciousness With Àlex Gómez-Marín But, yeah, there is this sense, I think, that consciousness is something you can approach. Certainly, when you’re writing and trying to recreate a conscious experience, it’s a fiction, but you’re standing back from it, and looking at it. But there’s no real subject-object distinction.AC: That’s so interesting, because when philosophers start talking about consciousness, they often talk about what they call “qualia”, which is their word for the felt experience of, say, the color red. And I think that way of speaking often makes us think of the qualia as an object, which you can see out there: the redness of red. But, as you say, we also want to collapse the subject-object distinction when we talk about consciousness. So there’s something strange going on here…MP: Oh, yeah, there are many strange things going on! *AC: Let’s talk about the varieties of consciousness. Apart from perceptions, there are, pains, emotions, thoughts, and so on. What is it that holds all this diversity together so that they all count as instances of consciousness? What is it that they all have in common?MP: Yeah, that’s a really good question. I mean, there is sensory information, right? Which we perceive coming from the world outside ourselves. And then there’s internal information, which is what’s called interoception. And this is very important too. This is where feelings come from—what are sometimes called homeostatic feelings—that are intended to get the brain to keep us in these narrow ranges of temperature and glucose and so on. That’s a very important part of consciousness. And according to some researchers, who I think are probably right, this is where consciousness begins, with these very primal feelings, like hunger and thirst and warmth and itch, and things like that. And then there’s this third thing, which is our thinking about thinking.And what holds all this together is, I think, the sense of self. Consciousness generates a self: it is probably an organizing principle. All this stuff is happening to the self. It’s a construct, I think, but it is very useful. It can connect all these different streams of consciousness to a single being or a place, metaphorically speaking.* AC: The first half of your book is about the science of consciousness. Is consciousness just another thing, like black holes or the origin of life, which we don’t yet understand, but which we should have every hope that science will one day get to the bottom of, or is there something special about consciousness that makes this unlikely?MP: It depends how you define science. As we define science now, it’s going be very difficult. Science since Galileo has had a set of rules or assumptions, which is that the proper remit of science is to deal with the objective, quantifiable, third-person world. And the physical sciences have done amazing work under that set of limitations. Galileo—for tactical reasons, not for philosophical reasons—said science should not deal with the soul, which at the time was what consciousness was considered to be. So what is subjective, what is qualitative, what is first person, we’re going to leave to the church, he said. And this was a good agreement, and it probably kept many scientists from getting burned at the stake. But it leaves science in an awkward spot, now that it wants to venture into that territory of qualities, of first-person experience. And I don’t think it has the proper tools. I think it will have to add to its toolkit in some way, and find a way to bring in phenomenology, or lived experience and introspection, which science is usually dismissive of.The challenge—we alluded to it earlier—is that the only tool you have to study consciousness with is consciousness. And what I mean by that is, the whole scientific enterprise is a manifestation of consciousness. As much as scientists like to flatter themselves with this idea that they attain a godlike perspective on what they study, when it comes to consciousness, there’s no such thing. And it’s fine for all the things you can step outside of and study from that perspective. But two areas it won’t work are consciousness and cosmology.___It could be that we live in this anomaly of not believing nature is conscious. And maybe psychedelics are teaching us something we’ve forgotten.___With cosmology, too, you have to study the universe from inside the universe. It’s not that cosmologists haven’t made progress. We know a lot about the age of the universe and expansion and things like that. But we can’t penetrate what happened before the Big Bang. We just don’t have the tools because we can’t stand outside.The fact that there are 22 full-scale theories of consciousness tells you all you need to know: we’re kind of lost. And I was surprised to find that we are more lost than I thought we were when I started this. I thought that there’d be leading theories, or that we had experiments that we could conduct that would nail some of this down. And the fact is, we don’t.So, I don’t know if science can solve it. But, of course, we can change the rules of science. A really influential book for me was a book called The Blind Spot, by two physicists, Marcello Gleiser and Adam Frank, and a philosopher, Evan Thompson. It’s a reminder that science is a social practice. It’s organized in a certain way and it can be organized in a different way. But it has this huge blind spot at the center of it, which is its failure to recognize that it is a form of consciousness itself, and it doesn’t have a good way of taking account of lived experience.AC: On the one hand, I think you want to resist traditional dualism, which would say that consciousness is something magical, something supernatural, right? But on the other hand, you’re accepting that there is this division in reality between the stuff that you can investigate objectively and measure, and so on—the stuff that science has been good at finding out about—and consciousness, which, for some reason, you can’t objectively measure. Some would take this to suggest that the dualism is actually right. Is there a way of reconciling these two strands of your thinking?MP: To call it magical is full of value judgement. I mean, you could just say immaterial. The interesting thing is, I think, that intuitively we’re all dualists. And I don’t know whether that’s because we’re children of Descartes and other cultures are less dualist than we are. Or it may be because that’s how consciousness feels. It feels different than the body. It feels separate from the body. But I don’t think we should trust that intuition.AC: So let’s think about ways that science might be changed to get at consciousness. I suppose the starting point would be the way that you begin the second half of your book. You have this nice line from William James, where he says, “We now begin our study of the mind from within.” Could you give us some sense of the ways of studying the mind from within? What does this involve?MP: I don’t know what that science looks like. But one of the points I’m making is that it depends on the humanities. I found that I learned as much, if not more, about consciousness, from reading novels and poetry. There is a sense of the fullness and complexity of consciousness that you don’t get in any scientific account. I interviewed this stream-of-consciousness writer and I approached her as an expert on consciousness, and she is. So I think that dialogue is really important.I’m reading Ben Lerner’s new novel, Transcription. Just read the first page of this novel: it’s a man falling asleep on a train, going to conduct an interview, and there is the experience of being in the train, facing backwards, there’s the view outside, but there’s a reflection of himself through which he’s seeing outside. There’s the memory of dropping his kids off at school. All this is going on in one moment of consciousness. Scientists aren’t going anywhere near that. But I think it’s useful for them to think about. That’s where we’re trying to go: like, how does such a layered experience happen? You know, it also makes you wonder, could a computer ever do this? And it gives you some doubt.*AC: Before we get to computers, perhaps we could talk briefly about plants. How did you come to feel that they are sentient?MP: Well, it was a psychedelic experience, and it’s not unusual on psychedelics. In fact, there’ve been studies about how people become animists during psychedelic experience. Their belief in animism arises after a single psychedelic experience.You know, most scientists would say this is all a myth. But we have only 400 years of the age of enlightenment and science. Before that, we were animists, and if you go around the world, most indigenous cultures are still animists, and children are animists, by and large, until they go to school. So it could be that we live in this anomaly of not believing nature is conscious. And maybe psychedelics are teaching us something we’ve forgotten.As I said, I wanted to test this idea, and see whether there was conventional scientific evidence for it. And there’s fascinating work going on in a field that calls itself—in a rather cheeky way—plant neurobiology. These are people who fully realize there are no neurons in plants, but they’re trolling conventional botanists! And they’re doing experiments that are demonstrating that plants can learn and remember, which is kind of amazing: how do you store a memory without neurons? They’re finding plants that can solve problems, that can hear and see. In fact, they have 20 senses to our five or six. For example, a bean plant looking for something to twine, and given a pole within eight inches or so of it, knows where that pole is and will aim its spiraling reach at that pole. What is that about? Is it bouncing signals off of it?One of the spookiest things is the fact that the same anesthetics that put us out put plants out. You might think that plants are already out, but they’re not. They’re just slow. If you take a plant with a fast behavior, like a Venus flytrap, and give it an anesthetic, it will stop reacting. So you have to ask yourself, what is lost when the plant is anaesthetized? Some state of alertness, of awareness, of its environment, of reactivity. I’m not prepared to call that consciousness, but maybe it’s sentience—which is a simpler form of consciousness, and involves the ability to sense what’s going on in your environment and assess what’s good and bad for you and act appropriately. That may be a universal quality of life.AC: Let’s turn from plants to AI. You point out that LLMs are trained on the internet rather than direct interactions with reality. You put this really nicely when you say the internet is not the world so much as a shadow cast by the world. So LLMs are living in this kind of shadow world, or in Plato’s cave, as you put it. What’s the significance of this for AI consciousness and moral consideration? And, to recall the beginning of our conversation, if we’re stuck behind a veil or screen of consciousness, are we also stuck in a kind of shadow world?MP: I don’t think they’re the same shadow worlds because our world includes nature and other people. And even if it’s mediated in some ways... There is a reality out there, and we are in relation to it, through consciousness. There’s friction with it. What’s missing from the LLMs is that friction with the real world. There’s more to the world than human representation, which is what they’re dealing with. And that means that so far, AI is a cultural technology for combining thoughts we’ve already had. SUGGESTED VIEWING Cracking the code for thought With Roger Penrose, Sabrina Gonzalez Pasterski, Max Tegmark, Güneş Taylor Genuine creativity is more than collage. A lot of what AI does now is tantamount to collage, putting this with that and you know, that’s part of art, certainly. But there are also genuinely new ideas that come into the world that don’t come in through manipulating the representations we already have. So it remains to be seen whether AIs can be truly creative in that more radical sense.But my arguments against AI becoming conscious have to do with the fact that the idea of AI consciousness is based on this faulty metaphor that the brain is a computer. There are dimensions in which the brain is like a computer—it certainly does its share of computation. But computers have this sharp distinction between hardware and software, and brains don’t. In a brain, hardware and software are identical. Every memory is a physical change to the brain. Brains are not interchangeable in the way computers are. So this idea that you could take the consciousness out and somehow run it on another substrate, a silicon substrate, seems foolhardy.Anyway, it’s a more extended argument, and I may be wrong. And when we move to computers that aren’t based on silicon—neuromorphic computers and things like that—all bets may be off.AC: Regarding your point about LLMs being stuck in the world of our representations—the internet or whatever—and not being able to interact with reality, are these representations, the world of the internet, themselves part of reality? We’ve created the internet, but it’s still a real thing that exists. And so while the LLMs may be trapped within that part of reality, they’re nevertheless within reality and interacting with it and so on. So it’s not obvious that there’s a barrier there to them becoming conscious and being creative.MP: Yeah, I mean, if our consciousness is built out of human culture, which is what we’re talking about with all those representations. But I tend to think consciousness comes a bit more out of nature and friction with the natural world, but...AC: So there’s a fundamental divide between the natural world and human artefacts?MP: And we lose track of that, and especially people in this computer world. You know, the people who are creating these AI systems, my guess is they’ve been into video games since the age of three, and they didn’t go outside a lot. And their own contact with nature is somewhat limited. I could be wrong, it’d be a very interesting thing to ask, all the wizards of AI, whether they like to go fishing and hiking and do things like that. Or were they on computers from a very early age? I interviewed Blake Lemoine, the Google engineer who came to believe that LaMDA, the Google LLM out at the time, was conscious and deserved personhood. It was very clear that he didn’t see a distinction between this bubble in which he lived and the real world. And I think we’ve all been distanced from the natural world, and this is taking us even further away. But it’s still there, you know, and we still have bodies, and we’re still mortal, and we don’t live in a simulation.AC: I think that’s a great place to finish. Michael Pollan, thank you very much!
USDA Cuts Dismantled a Program Helping Local Food Economies
Without federal support, a nascent regional network that was building businesses and consumer support has collapsed.
FDA highlights recall of certain Impella introducer kits after 3 injuries
This latest recall was put in place due to an increased risk of blood clots developing during use. Only a small number of hospitals are affected.
Phone calls from a pharmacist could help people achieve healthy cholesterol, say researchers
Regular follow-up calls from a pharmacist can help people lower their "bad" (LDL) cholesterol by reminding them to take their medication, based on research presented at the British Cardiovascular Society ...
What's being built, bought and planned in Ascension Parish
Here are the latest property transactions, issued permits and upcoming business-related events in the parish. Issued permits A new construction permit for a 12,000-square-foot office and warehouse building on Copperhead Road in Geismar. The project is valued at $400,000 with RW Construction Inc. as the contractor. A demolition permit for the demo of the gym […]
New-look pacemaker uses ultrasound to stimulate the heart—no implant required
The engineers behind this new device envision a future where patients wear a single postage stamp-sized sticker that images and stimulates the heart.
Straight Talk with Ascension Chamber President and CEO Donnie Miller
Ascension Parish is in the midst of a significant growth period, fueled by billions of dollars in industrial investment, rapid population gains and a diverse business landscape. As businesses navigate workforce shortages, infrastructure demands, rising operating costs and new opportunities tied to major projects, the Ascension Chamber of Commerce is working to help employers stay […]
Health minister apologises for 12,000 missing referral letters
The letters went missing from the new electronic system which holds healthcare records.
More Optimal Cardiovascular Health Linked to Lower Risk for Severe COVID-19
Researchers examined whether the American Heart Association's Life's Essential 8 metric and its components were associated with severe COVID-19.
EA SPORTS™ College Football 27 Reveals Cover Athletes Celebrating The Next Generation of Football Stars
Dante Moore, Malachi Toney and Kewan Lacy Appear on the College Football 27 Standard Edition, While Deluxe Edition Features Colin Simmons, Leonard Moore, Jayden Maiava and Coach Curt Cignetti Fans Can Expect Full Game Reveal This Thursday and Worldwide Launch on July 9 EA SPORTS™ today revealed the covers of EA SPORTS™ College Football 27 ahead of the game’s full reveal this Thursday. Oregon quarterback Dante Moore, Miami wide receiver Malachi Toney, and Ole Miss running back Kewan Lacy shine on the Standard Edition cover as a trio of electrifying playmakers who stood out in a competitive 2025-2026 college football season. The Deluxe Edition is joined by prominent defenders Texas linebacker Colin Simmons and Notre Dame cornerback Leonard Moore, alongside USC quarterback Jayden Maiava, national championship-winning coach Curt Cignetti, several beloved mascots and iconic gameday gear, celebrating the breadth of successful collegiate programs. Standout athletes Kewan Lacy, Malachi Toney
EA SPORTS™ College Football 27 Reveals Cover Athletes Celebrating The Next Generation of Football Stars
Dante Moore, Malachi Toney and Kewan Lacy Appear on the College Football 27 Standard Edition, While Deluxe Edition Features Colin Simmons, Leonard Moore, Jayden Maiava and Coach Curt Cignetti Fans Can Expect Full Game Reveal This Thursday and Worldwide Launch on July 9 EA SPORTS™ today revealed the covers of EA SPORTS™ College Football 27 ahead of the game’s full reveal this Thursday. Oregon quarterback Dante Moore, Miami wide receiver Malachi Toney, and Ole Miss running back Kewan Lacy shine on the Standard Edition cover as a trio of electrifying playmakers who stood out in a competitive 2025-2026 college football season. The Deluxe Edition is joined by prominent defenders Texas linebacker Colin Simmons and Notre Dame cornerback Leonard Moore, alongside USC quarterback Jayden Maiava, national championship-winning coach Curt Cignetti, several beloved mascots and iconic gameday gear, celebrating the breadth of successful collegiate programs. Standout athletes Kewan Lacy, Malachi Toney
Building Structured Generative AI Evaluation at Enterprise Scale
How Oracle built Veritas, a scalable GenAI evaluation framework for structured benchmarking, reusable pipelines, reproducible testing, and enterprise AI evaluation workflows.
Heat, measles, STIs, food poisoning: KC health officials aim to keep World Cup safe
As they did during COVID, health departments in the Kansas City metro are collaborating during World Cup events here.
UC researcher secures $3.3M grant to study microplastics’ impact on heart
The National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences awarded a $3.3M grant to University of Cincinnati researcher Hong‑Sheng Wang, PhD, to study how microplastics and nanoplastics affect cardiovascular health.
Is coffee bad for the heart? New research links it to a major risk—and multiple benefits
Drinking a lot of coffee may increase a person's heart attack risk, according to a new meta-analysis. On the other hand, coffee intake was linked to key benefits in the same study.
Unnecessary care? OIG questions vascular procedures billed by surgeons, cardiologists and radiologists
The Trump administration believes Medicare paid up to $105 million for questionable vascular procedures in 2023 alone. No accusations have been made at this time, but the government believes 139 different physicians deserve "further scrutiny."
KC officials urge Costco to consider consequences of business center conversion
All but one member of the City Council signed a letter to Costco echoing residents’ concerns about the midtown store’s proposed conversion.
Los Angeles Chargers 90-in-90: TE Johnny Pascuzzi
The Chargers signed TE Johnny Pascuzzi after a rookie tryout.
What every cardiologist should consider before signing a contract
Cathie Biga, MSN, MACC, explains why salary is just one thing a cardiologist should ask about before signing any contract.
Join the Scientific American Summer Reading Challenge
Fill your bingo card with fascinating science stories, discoveries and ideas all summer long for a chance to win prizes
Paradigm Health Implements New Clinical Trial Solution to Support Observational Study Presented at ASCO
/PRNewswire/ -- Paradigm Health today announced its role in the execution of a multicenter, hybrid, observational post-marketing commitment study in the United...
Take Pride in learning CPR: You may save the life of someone you love
DALLAS, June 1, 2026 — According to the American Heart Association, research shows that experiences related to stigma, discrimination and chronic stress can influence long‑term cardiovascular health.[1] The Association’s scientific statement on...
Complete NASCAR Cup points standings after 2026 Nashville
Hamlin is now within 100pts of Reddick as we have some more movement around the Chase cut-line
Official race results: 2026 NASCAR Cup at Nashville
It was a wild finish as three Joe Gibbs Racing drivers battled it out for the win in Music City
NASCAR points standings, Cup Series points update after Nashville race
Tyler Reddick is the NASCAR Cup Series points leader after the Cracker Barrel 400 on May 31 at Nashville.
Who won the NASCAR race today? Full results, standings from 2026 Cracker Barrel 400 in Nashville
Here's what you need to know about the final results from Sunday's race, the Cracker Barrel 400.
Role of Physical Activity in Obesity Treatment and Cardiometabolic Health
Obesity affects 42% of adults in the United States and is strongly associated with major cardiovascular disease risk factors, including high blood pressure, abnormal cholesterol levels, and insulin resistance, making effective obesity treatment a critical public health priority.
He moved to Japan alone and started building cabins in the woods
Mori Nishimura became fascinated with the Japanese countryside when he drove out to go surfing.
Trump’s 250th Celebration Is a Fiasco
The president has turned a solemn occasion into a Day of Trump.
HS Sports Scoreboard
Cascades Humane Society 'Paws In The Park', 5-30-2026. Photos by Maddie Vieau, JTV. Cascades Humane Society 'Paws In The Park', 5-30-2026. Photos by Maddie Vieau, JTV. Latest GalleriesBaseball D3 District Final Grass Lake vs Lumen Christi, 5-30-26 | Photo GalleryGus Macker Jackson Slam Dunk Contest 5-30-2026 | Photo GalleryBaseball D2 District Semifinal Williamston vs Western, 5-30-26…
Justin Allgaier repeats as NASCAR Nashville O'Reilly race winner
Justin Allgaier wins NASCAR Nashville O'Reilly Series race for the second straight year.
Veteran Allgaier holds off rookie Crews to win Sports Illustrated Resorts 250
Veteran NASCAR O'Reilly Auto Parts Series driver Justin Allgaier raced to the victory at the Sports Illustrated Resorts 250 Saturday night at Nashville Superspeedway.
How to live stream Sports Illustrated Resorts 250: NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series, TV channel
The NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series heads to Nashville Superspeedway on Saturday evening for the Sports Illustrated Resorts 250. Tune in to The CW to catch the racing action. MORE: Richard Childress Racing makes major decision on Kyle Busch’s No.…
Meta-Cognitive Regulation Might Be the Most Important AI Skill Nobody Is Talking About
As AI gets smarter, the real differentiator may be how well humans regulate their own thinking.
Science news this week: Exploding rocket overshadows NASA's next steps to the moon, 'Doomsday Glacier' faces big loss, quantum computer AI hybrid shows impressive results, and war deepens Iran's water crisis
May 30, 2026: Our weekly roundup of the latest science in the news, as well as a few fascinating articles to keep you entertained over the weekend
For the health of Greater Casco Bay, Wyman Station cannot be allowed to skirt clean air laws
The station's owner, NextEra Energy, valued at more than $200 billion, should not be allowed to dodge common-sense safeguards.
Castleton moving sports to MASCAC
CASTLETON, Vt. (WCAX) - After nine years in the Little East, Castleton is moving the majority of its athletic programs to the Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference. 20 of the 26 Spartans sports programs will move ahead of the 2027-28 school year. Castleton previously played one football season in the MASCAC before joining the New Jersey Athletic Conference ahead of the 2025 season. The MASCAC currently includes seven state universities from Massachusetts. Castleton replaces the one private member, Anna Maria College, as it shut down permanently at the end of this school year. There are a few hurdles Castleton will have to figure out: while four of the six sports not joining the MASCAC don’t participate in a traditional collegiate conference, the tennis programs will likely need to find affiliate memberships to build schedules. And Castleton will have to schedule rival Norwich as part of its nonconference hockey slate...but athletic director Tim Barrett says it’s the right move for the Spartans, especially when it comes to football. “We’ve had ongoing conversations for the last couple of years regarding the possibilities within the MASCAC,” Barrett said. “Obviously, we had the one year relationship for football in the MASCAC, we enjoyed our time there, we felt at that point we were a natural fit for that conference. So we’re looking forward to it, we’re also looking forward to the next seasons within the Little East Conference, but I do think this was the right move at the right time.”
“It was just an immediate friendship”: says business partner of NASCAR champion Kyle Busch
Kyle Busch, the two-time NASCAR champion and co-owner of Boyd’s Chevrolet in Kitty Hawk, North Carolina, is being mourned by the dealership and its employees, who are committed to honoring hi…
North Kansas City Health and BCBS reach a deal. What that means for patients
Patients were informed their insurance would no longer be accepted at the Northland healthcare system.
Scrapped CGM sensors stolen, sold to patients—Dexcom pledges to hold thieves accountable
The devices were set aside to be scrapped before they were stolen. Now, patients could be using them and not even know it.
SAPT after TAVR linked to key benefits over DAPT, new data confirm
All-cause survival after six months was significantly higher for patients discharged on DAPT than SAPT. That trend remained in place after 24 months.
FDA sees potential in new AI software for monitoring heart failure patients
The software-only platform helps clinicians keep track of patients when they are at their most vulnerable.
FDA shares another warning about Impella heart pumps after death
The FDA is once again warning the public about a safety issue with certain Impella heart pumps.
Make Enterprise Video Searchable on Oracle Cloud Infrastructure (OCI)
Make Enterprise Video Searchable on Oracle Cloud Infrastructure
Study shows low cardiovascular health in American pregnant women: here’s how to maintain it
Study shows low cardiovascular health in American pregnant women: here’s how to maintain it
Costco plans to convert its midtown KC store into business center. What will change?
New city records shed more light on what the proposed plans would mean, including what services would remain, or not, for customers.
Former U.S. Senator Richard Burr on his political career, politics now, and his new focus on K-12 education strategy
Burr spent 28 years in Congress — serving first in the U.S. House, before ascending to the upper chamber. Once there, he chaired the Senate Intelligence Committee.
Sirio bets on longevity with science-backed ingredients in fun formats
Amid a trend for healthy aging, Sirio built a longevity platform for daily habits that it introduced at Vitafoods Europe 2026. Nutrition Insight meets up with the company to discuss its take on longevity — science-backed ingredients in fun formats for daily adherence that are marketed responsibly.“We’re really just getting started,” Maria Pavlidou, head of Marketing at Sirio Europe, tells us. “It’s fascinating what is going on with longevity in different fields.”
Sports/Rec calendar: May 29–June 7, 2026
Upcoming recreation opportunities and college and prep sports
NASCAR removes Kyle Busch from points standings after his death
Local health officials warn about sepsis signs following Kyle Busch’s death
NASCAR legend Kyle Busch’s tragic death at just 41 years old from pneumonia-induced sepsis shocked the sports and medical worlds alike.
Websites have a new way to spy on visitors: analyzing their SSD activity
Telltale SSD activity can be measured in the browser using simple JavaScript.
Kyle Busch death certificate reveals several health struggles in last days
NASCAR driver Kyle Busch had been suffering from pneumonia for “days to weeks,” triggering a “chain of events,” including sepsis, that resulted in his untimely death, according to a report. Busch’s sepsis progressed rapidly, within 24 hours turning into disseminated intravascular coagulation, which is the formation of small blood clots that ultimately block blood flow to the organs, per the ...
AI tool helps remote monitoring clinics explore patient data
The new AI-enabled resource works like a search engine and delivers answers in seconds.
Prasugrel after PCI outperforms other common antiplatelet drugs
"Prasugrel provided the optimal balance between efficacy and safety," researchers noted in a new meta-analysis.
Insulet recalls 7M insulin delivery pods due to safety risk
A total of 24 adverse safety incidents—including cases of diabetic ketoacidosis—have been linked to this issue.
Cardiology groups celebrate bill that could improve Medicare payments
Physicians from all specialties, not just cardiology, have been hoping for legislation like this for years.
Tapped: Worst winter in memory triggers cascading economic strain in Colorado mountain towns
Editor’s Note: The Denver metro region sits at the center of one of the American West’s most complex and consequential water challenges. This series examines the interconnected systems that determine how the region secures, stores, and conserves its water while navigating the competing demands of fast‑growing urban communities and the increasingly unpredictable mountain snowpack that […]
Virginia’s newest lawmakers balance politics, family and a fast-paced session
For Virginia’s freshman lawmakers, the first General Assembly session was a crash course in the inner workings of state government.
Champions of the Golden Valley earns Sports Emmys win for Olympics.com
Chronicling a nascent alpine skiing movement in Afghanistan, the documentary – currently streaming for free on Olympics.com – topped the outstanding sports documentary: long category at the 47th Sports Emmys on Tuesday, 26 May
Did heart health impact the risk of severe COVID-19 infection during the pandemic?
Research Highlights: The risk of being hospitalized or dying from COVID-19 infection was lower among adults with better heart health scores. Adults without cardiovascular disease and with the best levels of heart health, as indexed by the American...
Inside the program shaping Ascension’s next generation of leaders
For 30 years, Leadership Ascension has worked to develop the next generation of civic and business leaders in one of Louisiana’s fastest-growing parishes, pairing leadership training with hands-on community impact projects. The Ascension Chamber-affiliated program, which runs from January through November, accepts a class of roughly 30 to 36 participants each year representing businesses of […]
Conduction system pacing after TAVR linked to improved outcomes in new meta-analysis
Researchers explored data from nearly 800 patients, focusing on a wide variety of outcomes.
J&J recalls certain heart pump controllers due to hardware issues
This is a Class I recall, according to the FDA. Care teams may need to send in their equipment so that specific hardware updates can be performed.
Congressional Leaders Laud NASA Moon Plans, But Fight Intensifies over Science Funding
“If we weaken academia, we don’t just weaken our research capacity, we lose our workforce and we lose the innovation that fuels our economy.” —Rep. Zoe Lofgren at ASCEND 2026 Congressional leaders…
Vascular Contributions to Cognitive Impairment and Brain Health
This paper updates the 2011 Vascular contributions to cognitive impairment and dementia scientific statement.
How NASCAR Driver Kyle Busch Funded Over 100 IVF Births Before His Death
The NASCAR legend died at 41 on May 21 from severe pneumonia that progressed into sepsis
Can AI Write Your Code?
What a recent study on ChatGPT, Python, R, and Stata tells us about AI-assisted coding for causal inference
How NASCAR Recognizes Memorial Day at the Coca-Cola 600
NASCAR remembers fallen United States Military service members throughout its Coca-Cola 600 event.
HS Sports Schedule
Softball Cascades Conference Championship, Grass Lake at Columbia Central (Senior Night), 5-20-2026. Photos by Hannah Tacy, JTV Sports. Softball Cascades Conference Championship, Grass Lake at Columbia Central (Senior Night), 5-20-2026. Photos by Hannah Tacy, JTV Sports. Latest GalleriesDowntown Jackson Memorial Day Parade and Ceremony, 5-25-26 | Photo GallerySoftball Cascades Championship, Grass Lake vs Columbia…
Meet DFP Spring Fellow, Nathan Englehart, Washington University in St. Louis -
Nathan Englehart (he/him/his) is a second year PhD student and Richard J. Walter PhD scholar at Washington University in St. Louis. Nathan’s current research focuses on gender and politics (with a focus on men and masculinity), [...]
Daniel Suarez wins rain-shortened Coca-Cola 600 after NASCAR honors Kyle Busch
The victory was especially emotional for the Mexican-born driver who previously raced for Kyle Busch Motorsports.
Semiconductor decoupling. Powell's politics. Industrializing Ogaden. Free trade and the Magna Carta.
Thank you for opening your Chartbook email. Feliks Topolski, 1907-1989 8th Army’s Front, Italy 1944 Semiconductor decoupling Source: FT One thing that Jerome Powell deeply understood is that chairing the Fed under current conditions is a deeply political job. “Powell has successes and mistakes to his name. But he stands out as having thought more carefully about the Fed’s democratic legitimacy than any chair since Paul Volcker,” said Paul Tucker, a former deputy governor at the Bank of England, referring to the Fed chair who successfully fought the great inflation of the 1970s and early 1980s. … While Powell was at the Treasury in the early 1990s, he watched Alan Greenspan build relationships within the government. That convinced Powell he needed to follow the former Fed chair’s lead and spend more time in Congress than his predecessors Yellen and Bernanke. “The accountability for the Fed runs through Congress,” said Claudia Sahm, a former Fed official who is now chief economist at New Century Advisors. “That’s not just about having people on speed dial — it’s answering questions, explaining policy and getting feedback.” Source: FT Ethiopia’s PM Abiy and Nigerian business tycoon, with Chinese engineering, are driving industrialization in Ogaden/Somali region of Ethiopia. - Michael Masri’s reporting for Africa Report if fascinating. Ethiopia has launched a cluster of large industrial schemes in the Somali region, laying foundation stones for a urea plant and an oil refinery in Gode while opening the first two phases of the Ogaden LNG project. Abiy Ahmed framed the push as part of a broader strategy to link energy, agriculture and industry. “These projects embody more than industrial growth,” he said. “They represent our shared responsibility to harness opportunities, strengthen co-operation and promote peace.” The Gode urea plant, backed by Dangote Group and Ethiopian Investment Holdings (EIH), is designed for 3m tonnes a year. Dangote owns 60%, while EIH holds 40%. Officials say Dangote’s equity totals about $2.5bn, while the state provides land and implementation oversight. Gas from the Calub fields will be piped 108km to the site. Construction is slated for 40 months, with operations targeted for 2028. Ethiopia imports most of its fertiliser, spending more than $1.2bn a year for 1.5m–2m tonnes. Usage was roughly 1.7m tonnes in 2023, almost half of it urea, and demand for 2024–25 is put above 2.4m tonnes. If delivered on time, the Gode plant could cover domestic needs and allow exports to neighbours. Brook Taye, chief executive of EIH, called the venture “a significant milestone in the journey toward industrial self-sufficiency”. Dangote told the groundbreaking crowd that the complex would be integrated with gas supply and a polypropylene unit to support local inputs. He pointed to Ethiopia’s Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD), with a capacity of more than 5,000MW, and noted his group’s cement operations and expansion plans. The Gode refinery is being developed by Golden Concord Group of China. It is designed to process 3.5m tonnes a year of crude and condensate from the Hilala field, with associated storage. Backers say it will ease foreign-exchange pressure from fuel imports and anchor further industrial activity, including a proposed steel smelting site in Dire Dawa. GCL’s chair, Zhu Gongshan, cast the project as “a key step in Ethiopia’s path to energy sovereignty”, underscoring the Beijing–Addis ties. Financing details are still being finalised, but the refinery is central to the government’s energy-security narrative. Source: The Africa Report Dangote’s Ethiopian vision: Dangote began with cement. His crown jewel, Dangote Cement, dominates Nigeria’s market and has 10 operations in other nations in Africa. The formula has been consistent: identify sectors with chronic shortages – cement, fertiliser, sugar – commit massive local investments, and scale up to serve regional demand. Ethiopia was a natural extension of that model. In 2015, Dangote launched the Mugher Cement Plant outside Addis Ababa at a cost of $600m, with an annual capacity of 2.5 million tonnes. The investment gave him a firm foothold in one of Africa’s fastest-growing construction markets. But success came with risks. In May 2018, violent unrest led to the killing of Dangote’s country manager and temporary shutdowns at Mugher. While other investors might have retreated, Dangote doubled down. Today, he is preparing to spend $400m to expand Mugher’s capacity to 5 million tonnes, alongside a new grinding unit near Addis Ababa. Cement is just one market Dangote is targeting. Ethiopia’s enormous state-controlled sugar industry, long plagued by inefficiency and debt, has struggled for years to reform. Its Omo Kuraz Sugar Development Project, touted as one of the continent’s largest initiatives, continues to face delays and mismanagement. … The most ambitious venture of all is the planned fertiliser production complex in Gode, Somali region. Publicised on 28 August 2025, the Dangote Group and Ethiopian Investment Holdings (EIH) deal plans one of the world’s largest single-site urea manufacturing plants. The project costs an estimated $2.5bn and has an estimated capacity of 3 million metric tonnes annually, a rate that would not only render Ethiopia independent, but even a net exporter of fertiliser. EIH, the state wealth fund of Ethiopia, will hold 40%, while 60% is held by Dangote Group. … For Dangote, Ethiopia is a trifecta: Cement demand is projected to grow by 10% annually, its sugar consumption is growing with rapid urbanisation, and fertiliser demand is all but insatiable, given that farming supports the livelihood of 70% of Ethiopians. Source: The Africa Report The stakes for Abiy are high: For Addis Ababa, the $4bn fertiliser project in Ethiopia’s Somali region is no longer simply a manufacturing investment. It is increasingly being framed as a strategic state project tied to food sovereignty, import substitution and the government’s broader attempt to build economic resilience under mounting fiscal pressure. “Becoming self-sufficient in food is our main agenda,” Abiy says during the visit. “Land is needed; we have it. Water is needed; we have it. Human resources are needed; we have it.” The scale is enormous even by African industrial standards. Once operational, the plant is expected to produce three million metric tonnes of urea annually, potentially making it one of the continent’s largest fertiliser complexes. Ethiopian officials say the project now includes a 110km gas pipeline, a 120MW power plant, a polypropylene packaging facility and a two-million-tonne NPK blending plant. For a government grappling with chronic foreign exchange shortages, ballooning import bills and pressure on agricultural productivity, the numbers matter politically as much as they do economically. The decision to anchor the project in Gode is deliberate. Long viewed as peripheral to Ethiopia’s industrial economy, the Somali region is now being repositioned by the federal government as a future irrigation and agro-industrial corridor. Officials argue that the area’s vast land reserves and access to water could eventually support large-scale commercial farming capable of reshaping Ethiopia’s food economy. The government is simultaneously building housing infrastructure for about 5,000 residents near the plant, while officials project broader industrial expansion along the corridor. Abiy goes further, comparing the long-term revenue potential of the Gode development zone with Ethiopia’s flagship state enterprise. “The investments we are making in this Gode area, combined, will generate high revenue for Ethiopia, at par with Ethiopian Airlines,” he says. Source: The Africa Report Feliks Topolski 1907-1982 Topolski’s Chronicle, ‘Nazi Revival’, Vol. 8, Is. 1-2, 1960 HEY READERS, THANK YOU for opening the Chartbook email. I hope it brightens your day. I enjoy putting out the newsletter, but tbh, what keeps this flow going is the generosity of those readers who clicked the subscription button. Photo by Jakub Dziubak on Unsplash If you are persuaded to click, please consider the annual subscription of $50. It is both better value for you and a much better deal for me, as it involves only one credit card charge. Why feed the payments companies if we don’t have to. Subscribe Grim vision of drone warfare by Sylvie Kaufmann For contributing subscribers only. Subscribe The state of the art in Colbert-studies. Jean-Baptiste Colbert was Louis XIV chief minister from 1661 to 1683 and traditionally seen as an architect of absolutism and mercantilism. Alexander Hamilton later cited him as an inspiration in 1782. Now his legacy is disputed. Daniel Dessert, the chief critic, sees Colbert as the orchestrator not so much of an absolutist state as of an elite cabal. Would be great to have a good English-language review of this important debate. Source: lhistoire Didn’t know that the Magna Carta included free trade provisions Fighting for the right to the beach in Oregon in 1967: Source: Research Gate RAF Station – British and Polish Flags, c. 1940-45, The Ingram Collection Feliks Topolski, 1907-1989 ink and wash If you’ve scrolled this far, you know you want to click: Subscribe
NASCAR, Coca-Cola 600 winner Daniel Suárez pay tribute to Kyle Busch, family: 'This one is for Kyle'
NASCAR results for Charlotte race, full finishing order
Who won NASCAR's Coca-Cola 600 on Sunday? Here are the results.
Sporting Jax's debut season ends in Super League semifinals
Sporting Jax's inaugural women's soccer season ended in a semifinal shutout against Carolina Ascent FC. Here's what we know about the next steps.
Life’s essential 8 and longevity: the sustained impact of cardiovascular health on mortality from middle age to centenarians
npj Aging - Life’s essential 8 and longevity: the sustained impact of cardiovascular health on mortality from middle age to centenarians
Acute coronary syndromes across the lifespan of women
npj Cardiovascular Health - Acute coronary syndromes across the lifespan of women
Worldwide Caution: Public Health Arrival Restrictions and Enhanced Ebola Screening - U.S. Embassy in Madagascar
Worldwide Caution: Public Health Arrival Restrictions and Enhanced Ebola Screening Event: U.S.-bound American citizens who have been present in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Uganda, or South Sudan within 21 days of arrival in the United States must only enter through the following airports for enhanced screening: Washington Dulles International Airport (IAD) for flights after 11:59 PM on May 21, 2026 Hartfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport (ATL) for flights after 11:59 PM on May 22, 2026 George Bush Intercontinental Airport, (IAH), Houston, for flights departing after 11:59 PM on May 26, 2026 The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) Customs and Border Protection (CBP) will apply enhanced public health screening at the above listed airports in response to the Ebola outbreak. This requirement applies to all passengers, including U.S. citizens, who were present in those countries. Please be prepared for flight changes or cancellations. Actions to take: Read the Modification of List of Designated Airports Regarding Arrival Restrictions (opens in a new tab) Review the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) information on what travelers need to know about returning to the United States from DRC, Uganda, and South Sudan. Review the Department of Homeland Security Alert on Enhanced Ebola Screening (opens in a new tab). Review Consular Information for Americans Regarding the Ebola Outbreak (opens in a new tab). If you are planning to travel to the United States, contact your airline to confirm your flight and route. You may also contact the State Department – Consular Affairs: +1-888-407-4747 (opens in a new tab) or +1-202-501-4444 (opens in a new tab) Enroll in the Smart Traveler Enrollment Program (STEP) to receive safety and security updates.
Pacific North Sports comes back late for victory in 53rd running of Ski to Sea
MARR's Heating AC, Plumbing/Electrical finishes second after holding a nearly two-minute lead in final leg
What most people misunderstand about sepsis
Kyle Busch’s family says the NASCAR superstar died after severe pneumonia progressed into sepsis, a dangerous condition that many people do not understand.
Adorable ASCII Aquarium Lives On Your Desk
[Kert Gartner]’s ASCII Aquarium turns a cheap yellow display (CYD) into a tiny simulated aquarium, complete with ASCII sea creatures each with their own behaviors. There’s all kinds of …
Layne Riggs wins wreck-filled NASCAR Truck race at Charlotte
Riggs won the chaotic event on Sunday morning, which set a record for cautions in a NASCAR Truck race at Charlotte
2026 NASCAR Cup Series: How to watch the Coca-Cola 600 today, TV channel, streaming info and more
Here's everything you need to know about how to watch the NASCAR Cup Series Coca Cola 600 this weekend.
Ghost CMS SQL injection flaw exploited in large-scale ClickFix campaign
A large-scale campaign is exploiting a critical SQL injection vulnerability (CVE-2026-26980) in Ghost CMS to inject malicious JavaScript code that triggers ClickFix attack flows.
KC mini golf, axe-throwing businesses close amid lawsuit over unpaid rent
Sinkers Lounge and Blade & Timber, located in Kansas City’s Power & Light District, shut their doors in May.
Commentary: Take a bow, Courtney Deifel
Deifel is the first to deflect praise for the Arkansas softball program’s ascent, but everyone around the program knows who built this.
Kyle Busch died after severe pneumonia progressed into sepsis, family says
The two-time NASCAR champion died Thursday at 41.
Spain Politics
Santiago Abascal, leader of the far-right Vox party, greets during a protest against Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez's government in Madrid, Spain, Saturday, May 23, 2026. (AP Photo/Manu Fernandez)
Nintendo loves Yoshi but hasn't made a good Yoshi game in 30 years
Nintendo's mascot has endured a 30-year curse
Science news this week: Laotian 'death jar', climate change threatens rice crops, and an asthma drug treats tough cancer
May 23, 2026: Our weekly roundup of the latest science in the news, as well as a few fascinating articles to keep you entertained over the weekend
Perimenopause May Be the Ideal Time for Cardiovascular Risk Prevention
A recent study suggests that perimenopause offers a “window of opportunity” for females to reassess cardiovascular risk and prompt lifestyle changes.
Inflammation may help explain how GLP-1 drugs prevent AFib
Kenneth Bilchick, MD, spoke to Cardiovascular Business about new data he presented at Heart Rhythm 2026.
BATMAN to the rescue: TMVR technique helps cardiologists reduce risk of LVOT obstruction
LVOT obstruction is a serious complication of TMVR. BATMAN may help protect patients from LVOT obstruction without leading to any additional risks.
How TAVR valve implant depth impacts clinical outcomes
TAVR procedures with a higher implant depth are associated with certain clinical benefits after one year, according to a new study of data from more than 600 patients.
Richard Childress Racing reserving Kyle Busch's No. 8 until his 11-year-old son is 'ready to go NASCAR racing'
Drivers Remember Kyle Busch For His Bravery, Kindness and Tenacity
Drivers from NASCAR and INDYCAR detailed their memories of Kyle Busch.
Hybrid AI: Combining Deterministic Analytics with LLM Reasoning
How AI architecture prevents plausible but wrong analytics