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How Al Gore Politicized Climate Science

An Inconvenient Truth turns 20 next month. In the 2006 documentary, former vice president Al Gore argued that human-driven climate change was an urgent, civilization-threatening crisis. The film became a cultural phenomenon, winning two Academy Awards and making climate change one of the defining political issues of our time. I am sure that there will be many retrospectives seeking to relitigate the scientific claims in the film. But the far more important anniversary story is not about the accuracy of any of Gore’s individual claims but rather about what the film helped to unleash in the scientific community: bringing partisan politics into the institutions of science. Gore did not simply make a film about climate change: He implored the scientific community to join him in overt climate advocacy. The fuel that Gore added to the fire of pathological politicization of the climate science community is the most important legacy of An Inconvenient Truth. Almost three years after the film’s release, Gore took the stage at the 2009 annual meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS)—the country’s largest and most prominent scientific organization—and delivered something much closer to a revival sermon than a scientific lecture. Gore told the assembled scientists that they could no longer “in good conscience accept this division between the work you do and the civilization in which you live.” His directive was clear:

Apr 21 • 6:01 PM EDT • Science • thefp.com

Speakers reflect luncheon’s ‘Timeless’ theme in words, actions

MILE HIGH UNITED WAY Denver News: The theme for the Mile High United Way’s 47th Women United Luncheon was “Timeless,” and Academy Award-winning actress Mary Steenburgen, president/CEO Christine Benero and honoree Arlene Hirschfeld thoughtfully and purposefully shared how the actions of today create ripples of change that can last forever. “One of the best ways to be outside your comfort zone is to volunteer,” Steenburgen said. “Saying yes to something is […]

Apr 21 • 4:27 PM EDT • Politics • coloradopolitics.com

AHA chair speaks at Politico Health Care Summit

Marc Boom, M.D., president and CEO of Houston Methodist and 2026 AHA board chair, spoke today at POLITICO’s Health Care Summit about health care affordability.

Apr 21 • 11:54 AM EDT • Health • aha.org

Shaky political science: using "simulated" elections over real-world elections

[Dear DSOS readers – this article is the latest in our “Shaky Political Science” series. In our 38 page report, “Shaky political ‘science’ misses mark on ranked choice voting,” released in early December, we examined over 40 studies focused on ranked choice voting. We found that many of these studies suffered from puzzling research methodologies, poorly constructed surveys, unrealistic simulated elections, cherry picked data, and faulty analyses that often were contradicted by results from real-world elections (a link to our full paper is here). Here are links to the first three articles in our series: the first one summarizing the overall results of our report, the second one analyzing a study co-authored by University of Minnesota academic Larry Jacobs, which was one of the most error-prone of all the research we reviewed in our report, and a third article showing an admirable example of two political scientists holding two other political scientists accountable for their flawed, sloppy research]. In this fourth article in our “Shaky Political Science” series, we shine a spotlight on seven studies that were web-hosted and funded by New America’s Political Reform Program and its Electoral Reform Research Group (the ERRG is an ad hoc committee headed by New America’s Political Reform Program and joined by the American Enterprise Institute, the Unite America Institute and Stanford University’s Center on Democracy, Development, and the Rule of Law). This research consortium has been led by Lee Drutman, senior fellow with New America’s Political Reform Program. These seven studies are simply not credible from any objective standard about how political “science” is supposed to illuminate our understanding of either ranked choice voting or politics in general. The feature that six of these seven studies have in common is that they all used surveys – artificial, simulated elections -- to attempt to say something cogent or interesting about ranked choice voting (RCV) elections. None of them used real world data from actual RCV elections – either the 1000+ elections in the US or the many thousands of elections from places like Australia, Ireland and elsewhere where RCV has been used for 100 years. While a few of these studies conclude with some mixed positives about RCV, our analysis here is content neutral. The idea that, with a political reform like RCV, you can ask respondents in a mock, artificial election to vote with that method, with only the barest of explanation about how RCV works or its likely impacts (i.e. no spoiler candidates, majority winners, voters liberated to pick their favorite candidates, coalition-building), and then ask them their thoughts/reactions about voting in that system, with fake candidates and no real campaigning, no real exposure to an actual election or actual candidates, rests on some very puzzling assumptions. The findings of these seven studies actually are contradicted by the findings from many other studies based on real-world RCV elections. These New America studies also failed to list the real-world RCV studies in their own citations, instead including those studies that reinforced their conclusions. The seven studies featured in this article were chosen because they form a cohesive cohort which precisely illustrates one of the main points of our research paper, namely that using surveys, i.e. artificial elections, or mathematical/theoretical models, instead of real-world data, is in fact “shaky political science.” Below are summaries of our analysis of five of the seven New America studies. You can read our complete analysis of all seven studies at our paper, “Shaky political ‘science’ misses mark on ranked choice voting.” Choosing to “Vote As Usual” by Andre Blais, Carolina Plescia, and Semra Sevi. New America. (Blais et al., 2021). This study, web-hosted and funded by New America’s Political Reform Program and its Electoral Reform Research Group, used two surveys in which respondents completed ballots for simulated elections using plurality, approval, RCV and point (Score) voting. In both cases the authors provided the respondents with only minimal explanation of each method. For example, the entire explanation for RCV was “For this vote, rank the candidates from your first to your last choice (you do not need to rank them all). This is called the ranked vote.” That’s it. The study did not provide any context or explanation to survey respondents about why she/he might want to rank multiple candidates. Participants were not even told that ballots would be tabulated using an “instant” runoff, not to mention any description of RCVs ability to eliminate the spoiler effect or liberate voters to rank their favorite candidates without fear of helping the “greater evil” candidate to win. That’s like taking an iPhone back in time to 1970 and asking someone if they like it better than their rotary phone without explaining how it works. Their first survey targeted states that held 2020 Super Tuesday Democratic primaries and used the real candidates’ names in the survey; the second survey used fictitious candidates. In other words, they surveyed respondents who had only ever participated in plurality elections, had no history or background with using RCV or any of the other methods, had no clue about its likely impacts, and did not communicate how the alternative methods would be counted, and then asked them: “How satisfied are you with using each system?” Predictably, the winner was plurality elections, the system used for president, Congress, gubernatorial and state legislative elections – in other words, the method they have been using, year after year, all their voting lives. With so little explanation of RCV and its impacts, this study is simply not credible in discovering anything useful about real-world RCV elections. It merely shows that a basic voter education campaign is needed when adopting a new election system. Additionally, the result contradicts many other post-election surveys following real RCV elections, asking opinions from voters who had just participated in a RCV election, that showed a great deal of satisfaction with RCV (see details on that in Studies 22-25 in our paper, as well as the four studies cited in the review for Study 28). Share Other studies on “satisfaction” and “understanding” make similar mistakes, in terms of basing their surveys on inadequate explanation to respondents and lack of education about context. How could any survey ever hope to measure accurately, in essence simulate a real-world election, without actual campaigning candidates, the media writing about those candidates, organizations endorsing candidates and voters being inundated with crucial information? More than anything, what these “studies” based on surveys show is that if you ask voters about something they don’t know very much about, and fail to adequately educate them, their responses will unsurprisingly reflect their confusion. Equally puzzling is that New America’s Electoral Reform Research Group, headed by political scientist Lee Drutman, found this to be a credible enough study that they not only published it but highlighted it in Drutman’s own discussion of research related to ranked choice voting. This pattern was repeated in study after study featured by New America’s Electoral Reform Research Group. For example in Ranked-Choice Voting and Political Expression: Voter Guides Narrow the Gap between Informed and Uninformed Citizens by Cheryl Boudreau, Jonathan Colner, and Scott MacKenzie, the researchers based their analysis on a survey which found that respondents who were asked to vote in a simulated RCV election, with minimal explanation of RCV or how it works, displayed less evidence of being informed about how to use RCV effectively, with the least informed voters ranking fewer candidates. As pointed out under the study above, in a real election voters are informed by a wide variety of methods, including public education by the election administration, by interested political groups, the media, and the candidates themselves who benefit from voters being aware of how to vote in the new system. In Support for Ranked-Choice Voting across Race and Partisanship by Joseph Anthony, David C. Kimball, Jack Santucci and Jamil Scott, the researchers used respondents from different parties and races voting in simulated plurality and RCV elections, who indicated their satisfaction with each voting method. Instead of using real world election results, the authors fell back on the easy, armchair and less reliable academic research methodology of making up mock elections. As with the other studies, little explanation was given of how RCV works or what its implications might be (electing majority winners or eliminating spoilers, for example). Unsurprisingly, this study found that respondents were not very satisfied with RCV. However, when the authors added an explanation that RCV has a tendency to elect more women and people of color, they found that this greater explanation increased the preference for RCV. The more voters were familiar with it, and the more they understood potential positive impacts – surprise! -- the more they were open to switching away from the status quo. Of note, the results from this study are thoroughly contradicted by a number of other studies whose data was obtained from real RCV elections with real voters. Those studies show a great deal of satisfaction with RCV. More “fake election” research An interesting wrinkle on this “research by fake elections” approach, which only served to illustrate how unreliable such “research” can become, was taken in Ranked-Choice Voting, Runoff, and Democracy: Insights from Maine and Other U.S. States by Joseph Cerrone and Cynthia McClintock_,_ also web-hosted and funded by New America’s ERRG. It gets high marks for creativity, but an eye-roll for thinking this could possibly add anything meaningful to our understanding of real world RCV elections. This study tried to determine whether RCV, plurality or two-round runoff elections provided greater voter satisfaction and acceptance of election results. To determine that, the authors conducted a survey asking if voters were satisfied with a fictional newspaper report of an election, with three different versions given to respondents – plurality, runoff and RCV, with variations of Republican/Democrat winners and variations of “come-from-behind” winners,” i.e. candidates not initially in first place but who win the “runoff.” Again, a minimal explanation of RCV or how it works was given, and the survey showed that respondents had the greatest unfamiliarity with RCV than the other methods. The unsurprising result? Respondents were much more satisfied with “come-from-behind” victories in a traditional two-round runoff election than in RCV, even though RCV is also a runoff system but with a single round of counting. Interestingly, the dissatisfaction with RCV disappeared for those who were more familiar with RCV. In fact, among those respondents who were “very familiar” with RCV, they were equally satisfied with RCV, runoff and plurality. Surprise, surprise. Again, what this study revealed, more than anything, is not only the inadequacy of the explanation for RCV given by the authors of this study, but the failure of the research format itself, thinking that such an artificial mock election could somehow simulate what actually happens in the real world in a real RCV election. Those four studies reviewed above are fitting examples of inadequate and shaky political “science.” Other studies reviewed in our paper from the New America/Electoral Reform Research Group cohort which also used mock elections included: Ranked-Choice Voting is an Acquired Taste by Joseph Anthony and David C. Kimball. New America. (Anthony et al., 2021). Ranked-Choice Voting is No Refuge for Extreme Candidates by Melissa Baker. New America. (Baker, 2021). Also included in this New America cohort is Does Ranked-Choice Voting Reduce Racial Polarization? by Yuki Atsusaka and Theodore Landsman, which actually did use real-world election results data but applied an odd and unconventional methodology to the data which relied on shaky assumptions and non-real-world scenarios that were too divorced from reality. To determine levels of “racially polarized voting,” the researchers imagined “ethnic parties,” by which they mean political parties for each ethnic group, which was especially odd since the election data they were using came from nonpartisan RCV races. But then they made an even odder assumption, namely that since race and ethnic characteristics of studied voters were not available, the authors tried to infer that information based on who voters selected and the racial make-up of voters in each district. This amounted to little more than vague and ambiguous guesswork dressed up with a bunch of mathematical equations used to give it a veneer of scientific appearance. Indeed, it seemed to assume racial polarization in order to prove racial polarization. Based on this questionable methodology, the authors concluded that RCV doesn’t reduce racial polarization. But the premise of this study missed an obvious reality: since RCV incentivizes more candidates to run and can result in more diverse fields of candidates, one would expect more racially-polarized voting in voters’ top rankings, not less, because more voters would have someone on that ballot who represents their racial or ethnic identity and more freedom to vote for their real first choice. By encouraging more diverse candidates and eliminating the spoiler effect, RCV facilitates voting for a favorite candidate of your own race and then selecting a second choice with the best likelihood of winning. The real measure is what voters do with their additional rankings – do they consider other candidates and vote “for the best of the rest”? This study didn’t tell us anything useful about that. But readily available data shows this is common in real RCV elections, and candidates act on this knowledge by engaging with voters outside their racial group. So the authors of this study failed to consider or account for what actually happens in real-world elections, and their conclusions are tainted by this failure. New America has contributed a great deal over the past 2.5 decades to our understanding of many policy areas, including politics and political reform (full disclosure: Steven Hill, one of the authors of this article and of the “Shaky Political Science” research paper and series, is a former senior fellow and former director of New America’s political reform program, 2005-2010). So it was especially disappointing that New America funded and published such a large batch of dubious studies about ranked choice voting. The stated praiseworthy goal of its Electoral Reform Research Group was to inspire new academic research about ranked choice voting that would shed light and help the public better understand the impacts of RCV. Instead, the ERRG research did just the opposite. It produced dubious research that created more confusion and misinformation. In so doing, New America’s political reform program contributed to “shaky political science.” Steven Hill and Paul Haughey Share Upgrade to $5 subscription Thanks for reading DemocracySOS, a reader-supported digital portal for the pro-democracy movement. Subscribe for only $5 per month to receive full benefits and to support our work. Subscribe

Apr 21 • 9:31 AM EDT • Science • democracysos.substack.com

This new camera captures what happens in a trillionth of a second

Scientists have unveiled a breakthrough imaging method that can capture the hidden details of events unfolding in trillionths of a second. This new technique doesn’t just track how bright something is—it also reveals subtle structural changes that were previously invisible, all in a single shot. By effectively turning ultrafast phenomena into detailed “movies,” researchers can now watch plasma form, electrons move, and materials transform in real time.

Apr 21 • 8:00 AM EDT • Science • sciencedaily.com

Scientists just captured trees glowing with electricity during storms

Scientists chasing thunderstorms in a retrofitted minivan finally captured something never seen before in nature: faint electrical glows shimmering from treetops during a storm. These “corona discharges,” long suspected but never observed outside a lab, appeared as tiny UV flashes at the tips of leaves. The discovery could reshape how we understand forests, since these bursts may help clean the air by breaking down pollutants.

Apr 21 • 8:00 AM EDT • Science • sciencedaily.com

I was a triathlete in peak health — but my 'wavy' vision problem turned out to be something devastating

Apr 21 • 6:00 AM EDT • Health • nypost.com

Impact of extraction methods on Monte Carlo based dietary health risk assessment of potentially harmful elements in edible plants

Scientific Reports - Impact of extraction methods on Monte Carlo based dietary health risk assessment of potentially harmful elements in edible plants

Apr 20 • 8:00 PM EDT • Health • nature.com

JRC Summer School non-animal approaches in science

The JRC hosts an international biennial Summer School on non-animal approaches in science for post-graduates and early-career scientists, sharing knowledge on cutting-edge non-animal methods, promoting their use in research and regulation, and exploring related career paths.

Apr 20 • 2:48 PM EDT • Science • joint-research-centre.ec.europa.eu

Motorola confirms Razr (2026) launch date, new colors in ‘something new’ teaser

Motorola has teased its next-gen Razr phones enough already, but that won’t stop them from releasing a new teaser that...

Apr 20 • 1:20 PM EDT • Technology • 9to5google.com

[TUY8S1.1] Cherry Blossom Event, Creator Collaboration & Updates

Cherry blossoms are falling across D.C., and something new has come with them. A Creator Collaboration with Otsuichi, Rezina, and Mobilmobil adds its own activities and rewards to the update.

Apr 20 • 10:54 AM EDT • Technology • ubisoft.com

AI in health care: Experts discuss the future of AI practices and policies

Jim VandeHei, CEO of Axios; Marc Boom, M.D., AHA board chair and president and CEO of Houston Methodist; Anne Klibanski, M.D., president and CEO of Mass General Brigham; Jonathan Perlin, M.D., president and CEO of Joint Commission; and Ladd Wiley, senior vice president of global corporate affairs, public policy and advocacy for Epic, all participated in the panel discussion “AI in Health Care: Navigating Policy, Regulation, and the Road Ahead."

Apr 20 • 10:49 AM EDT • Health • aha.org

Scientists stunned as bacteria rewire DNA machinery to shape cells

Cyanobacteria—ancient microbes that oxygenated Earth and made complex life possible—are still revealing surprises billions of years later. Scientists have now discovered that a molecular system once used to separate DNA has been repurposed into something entirely different: a structure that shapes the cell itself.

Apr 19 • 8:00 PM EDT • Science • sciencedaily.com

Advancing epidemic and pandemic preparedness through research readiness: SEAR Unity Studies Network Sites chart the way forward in 2026

On 25 March 2026, WHO Regional Office for the South‑East Asia Region (SEARO) convened the first meeting of the SEAR Chapter of the Unity Studies Network Meeting in 2026 to take stock of progress and plan next steps for strengthening epidemic and pandemic preparedness across the Region. The meeting focused on reviewing the ongoing adaptation of selected, standard Unity Study methodologies, sharing field implementation experiences from 2025, and identifying key priorities to guide collaborative work in 2026.Held virtually, the meeting brought together representatives from six Unity Studies network sites across five countries (Bangladesh, India, Nepal, Sri Lanka, and Thailand) as well as participants from all three levels of WHO.The meeting took place against the backdrop of ongoing regional efforts in South‑East Asia to strengthen early investigations and studies for epidemic and pandemic preparedness, with a focus on pandemic influenza and other emerging respiratory pathogens with epidemic and pandemic potential. In this context, and as part of preparedness for the rapid generation of evidence, the WHO Health Emergencies Programme in SEAR (WHE/SEAR) encourages Unity Studies sites to adapt prioritized, standardized Unity Study protocols to their national contexts. This approach supports the generation of timely and reliable evidence to inform public health decision‑making during epidemics and pandemics.These efforts are supported through a combination of experience sharing, participation in the global Unity Studies network webinars, capacity‑building of the national public health workforce, and regional collaboration that promotes inter‑country, inter‑agency, and inter‑ministerial action. In parallel, sites are encouraged to explore diversified funding sources to help sustain research preparedness over the long term.Discussions highlighted the importance of WHO’s catalytic financial support through the Pandemic Influenza Preparedness (PIP) Partnership Contributions (PIP‑PC). When combined with national and institutional resources, this support enables countries and sites to maintain continuity of activities at a core level and remain prepared to respond rapidly and effectively to future epidemics and pandemics.Regional and Global Updates: Opening the session, Dr Pushpa Ranjan Wijesinghe, Programme Area Manager, Pandemic and Epidemic Management (PEM) Unit, WHO Health Emergencies Programme, highlighted the progress made in operationalizing the Unity Studies Network across the Region and acknowledged the collaborative efforts of WHO at all three levels, together with country unity studies sites. He emphasized the availability of limited but catalytic funding through the Pandemic Influenza Preparedness (PIP) Partnership Contribution (PIP‑PC) workplan at SEARO to sustain network activities in 2026, while encouraging sites to leverage additional funding sources to expand implementation.Representing SEARO, Dr Ashok Basnet, consultant, Pandemic Influenza Preparedness reported that, at the regional level, the Unity Studies Network currently includes six sites across five countries: Bangladesh, India, Nepal, Sri Lanka, and Thailand. He noted that in 2025, catalytic funding supported protocol adaptation, training, and pilot implementation. In addition, a regional Unity Studies symposium held during the Global Public Health Summit in Sri Lanka strengthened and advocated collaboration between the Unity Studies site, national decision‑making forum, relevant technical units of the ministry of health, WHO and other partners.The symposium also highlighted the role of early investigations and studies as a key component of a multi‑source surveillance system needed at country level to generate a broad range of evidence. It underscored the critical role of country Unity Studies sites and similar research entities in generating evidence to support public health decision‑making during epidemics and pandemics.Participants of the WHO GISRS Unity Studies Sites Network- SEAR Chapter Meeting 2026 (Photo credit- PEM/WHE/SEARO). SEARO also updated participants on ongoing efforts to develop a regional Unity Studies webpage and to promote participation in global knowledge‑sharing platforms, including webinars and the WHO Community of Practice. Priorities for 2026 include supporting the implementation of Unity protocols, strengthening collaboration and experience sharing across sites, documenting and publishing findings, integrating Unity Studies activities as a component of multi-source national surveillance systems, and building workforce capacity.Dr Nickle Boddington of the Global Influenza Programme (GIP) at WHO Headquarters, which coordinates the Unity Studies Network globally, provided updates on global Unity Studies activities, noting that the network has expanded to 16 sites worldwide. New and updated protocols, including rapid clinical severity assessment tools and standardized data platforms, are being developed to support implementation. The global Community of Practice has also been launched to facilitate technical exchange, and continued support will be provided to sites for protocol adaptation, ethical approvals, and readiness for early investigation during outbreaks. Updates from Unity Studies sites in SEAR in 2025Unity Studies sites shared progress and experiences in implementing protocols across diverse country contexts. Sites initiated activities in 2025 using catalytic funding from SEARO, complemented by the mobilization of internal national resources. The Institute of Epidemiology, Disease Control and Research (IEDCR), Bangladesh, reported the adoption and piloting of investigation protocols on non‑seasonal influenza and emerging respiratory diseases during recent avian influenza outbreaks, demonstrating a multi‑source funding approach involving government, WHO and One Health partners.The Hamdard Institute of Medical Sciences and Research (HIMSR), New Delhi, India, highlighted the piloting of household transmission investigation studies, the expansion of the national Unity Studies network, and the contribution of study findings to global evidence through published outputs. The All-India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), New Delhi, India, shared experiences from large‑scale seroprevalence studies conducted during the COVID‑19 pandemic, recent efforts to strengthen national Unity network sites through training activities, and plans to initiate multi‑centre studies on respiratory viruses.Similarly, Prince of Songkla University, Thailand, highlighted its experience in developing integrated surveillance and diagnostic protocols for multiple respiratory pathogens, enhancing readiness for targeted investigations of emerging threats. The University of Sri Jayewardenepura, Sri Lanka, reported ongoing engagement with the Ministry of Health and exploration of additional funding sources to initiate studies. Meanwhile, the National Public Health Laboratory, Nepal, provided updates on continued coordination with national stakeholders to initiate implementation, despite delays related to the country context.Across sites, shared experiences underscored the importance of protocol adaptation, multisectoral collaboration, and sustainable funding to operationalize Unity Studies and generate evidence for public health action.Discussions and Way ForwardThe meeting reinforced key priorities for 2026, including strengthening unity studies protocol implementation, enhancing collaboration, knowledge sharing, integrating research as a component of national multi-source surveillance systems, and ensuring that generated evidence informs public health decision‑making. Participants also emphasized the importance of documentation, visibility, and leveraging multiple funding sources, and agreed on the following action points.Unity Studies Sites and WHO Country Offices:Advance adoption and implementation of at least one Unity protocol, continuing activities initiated in 2025 with catalytic funding, supplemented with other sources of funding where feasible.Document site-specific experiences, outcomes, and lessons learned; participate in regional and global knowledge-sharing platforms including WHO webinars and the Community of Practice.Work closely with ministries of health to establish unified national platforms for translating generated evidence into national public health decision-making. WHO Country Offices may facilitate technical support and complementary, synergistic funding opportunities where feasible. WHO Regional OfficeCoordinate with WHO Country Offices to support implementation of core unity studies activities by network sites through catalytic funding and provide technical guidance and virtual engagement opportunities throughout 2026.Facilitate the participation of all Unity Studies sites in the regional meeting on Unity Studies implementation in October 2026, to be held back‑to‑back with the Annual SEAR Regional PIP‑PC Meeting; develop and host a SEAR Unity Studies website; and mobilize support from academic institutions within the SEAR Unity Studies Network to support the development of regional manuscripts that showcase Unity Studies activities to scientific audiences and promote knowledge‑sharing.Explore complementary funding opportunities and partnerships to sustain and expand network activities across the Region.WHO HeadquartersProvide global technical guidance, updated protocols, and toolkits to support the implementation of Unity Studies in SEAR.Facilitate engagement of SEAR sites in global webinars, the Community of Practice, and opportunities to showcase their work.Support joint publications, inclusion of SEAR experiences in global outputs, and identification of additional funding and collaborative opportunities to strengthen Unity Studies activities.

Apr 19 • 8:00 PM EDT • Health • who.int

Game #21 GameThread: Jays @ Diamondbacks

Game three of three with the Diamondbacks. I’m putting the GameThreads together before leaving on holiday, which seemed like a better idea before I started doing it. Normally, a GameThread is pretty quick and easy, but when you are doing 20-some in a row, it loses some of the fun. Thankfully, I’m near the end. […]

Apr 19 • 3:48 PM EDT • Sports • sports.yahoo.com

A permit should mean something. CERTAIN Act guards projects from political meddling.

The CERTAIN Act is a bipartisan bill that aims to protect lawfully issued permits from political interference, increase accountability during review, and ensure projects can move forward on time, w…

Apr 19 • 1:00 PM EDT • Politics • thehill.com

Naked mole rats wage bloody wars of succession to choose a new queen — but one colony did something scientists have never seen before

When their queen dies, naked mole rat females usually wage bloody battles of succession. But peace may be possible, a new study suggests

Apr 19 • 11:00 AM EDT • Science • livescience.com

A new force of nature is reshaping the planet, study finds

Human societies didn’t just adapt to the planet—they learned to reshape it. From early fire use to today’s global supply chains, our cultural and social innovations have unlocked extraordinary power to transform Earth and improve human life. But that progress has come with serious costs, including climate change, pollution, and mass extinction. Instead of framing this era—the Anthropocene—as pure crisis, Erle Ellis argues it’s also proof of something hopeful: when people work together, they can drive massive positive change.

Apr 19 • 8:00 AM EDT • Science • sciencedaily.com

Louisiana experts in smoking cessation are looking to take on its next foe: vaping

In 2025, the state reported an all-time low for cigarette smoking, down to a rate of 15.7% of Louisiana adults. Louisiana experts say similar methods could help lower vape use across young adults.

Apr 19 • 5:00 AM EDT • Health • nola.com

Father, young daughter build business caring for headstones across northwest Ohio

OAK HARBOR, Ohio — Grave care isn’t something most families think about until they’re searching for a headstone they can barely find. “I was visiting my ...

Apr 19 • 2:56 AM EDT • Business • toledoblade.com

Think AI "knows" what it’s doing? Scientists say think again

Calling AI things like “smart” or saying it “knows” something might sound harmless, but it can quietly mislead people about what AI actually does. A new study shows that news writers are more careful than expected, rarely using strongly human-like language. When they do, it often falls on a spectrum—sometimes describing simple requirements, other times hinting at human traits.

Apr 18 • 8:00 PM EDT • Science • sciencedaily.com

Google is quietly building something that could transform the lineup beyond the Pixel 11

Two words: Pixel Glow.

Apr 18 • 3:45 PM EDT • Technology • phonearena.com

Scientists Raise Concerns Over Newly Recognized Pollutant Found Everywhere in the Air

Scientists have uncovered unexpectedly high levels of methylsiloxanes in the air worldwide, suggesting a hidden and widespread form of pollution.

Apr 18 • 12:11 PM EDT • Science • scitechdaily.com

Failure of communication is a problem in today’s politics [column]

“I came to see if words are still an effective method of communication,” Japanese writer and political activist Yukio Mishima said during a famous political debate at the University of

Apr 18 • 4:30 AM EDT • Politics • lancasteronline.com

From son of immigrants to National Medal of Science: How this Rice professor is changing lives

As a graduate student, he looked around his math department and realized something was deeply wrong. What he did next changed thousands of lives.

Apr 17 • 8:48 PM EDT • Science • khou.com

“Art Should Make People Feel Something”: Game Dev Speaks Out After BAFTAs Pulled Their Trailer Hours Before the Awards Show

Silver Script Games speaks out after the BAFTAs pulled a trailer for The Quiet Things hours before the BAFTA Game Awards.

Apr 17 • 4:38 PM EDT • Technology • wccftech.com

Sheriff shuts down alleged sex-oriented business in Rusk County

Residents of Rusk County gathered en masse at the County Courthouse Tuesday afternoon to attend a Commissioners Court meeting in hopes of appealing to the court regarding LSX, or 'Little Somethin Xtra...

Apr 17 • 8:07 AM EDT • Business • yahoo.com

Inside Amazon's AI Sprawl problem: More Tools, More Data, Less Control

Generative AI makes it easier to create your own apps and tools at work. The downside is "AI sprawl," something Amazon is grappling with internally.

Apr 17 • 5:00 AM EDT • Business • businessinsider.com

When scientists interact with science-deniers

On April 6, President Donald Trump hopped on a phone call with the astronauts on Artemis II: Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch and Jeremy Hansen. During the 12-minute call, something hilarious happened: there was nearly a minute of awkward silence. Just before the silence, Trump told the astronauts, “Well, I have to say, I...

Apr 17 • 12:21 AM EDT • Science • bucknellian.net

Scientists Finally Measured The Mind-Blowing Power of a Black Hole's Jets

Because they found something strong enough to bend them.

Apr 16 • 10:28 PM EDT • Science • sciencealert.com

Can we trust the science shaping our lives?

Improved methods for social and behavioral sciences research could help enhance public trust in science, says a new study that investigated the robustness of data analysis to understand whether it reliably ...

Apr 16 • 6:40 PM EDT • Science • phys.org

Participation, Debate and Community: Exploring Ancient Democratic Values in Modern Society | Pomona College in Claremont, California

Associate Professor of Classics Benjamin Keim explains what our methods for assessing potential officeholders have in common with those of the ancient Athenians.

Apr 16 • 11:31 AM EDT • Politics • pomona.edu

Everyone can make a difference this Earth Day through citizen science

Citizen science is a method of scientific data collection where community volunteers gather observations, photos and other metrics about the world around them.

Apr 16 • 11:28 AM EDT • Science • news.ufl.edu

Scientists discover hidden ocean methane source that could worsen global warming

Scientists have discovered that methane in the open ocean is produced by microbes under nutrient-poor conditions, solving a long-standing mystery. As warming oceans reduce nutrient mixing, these methane-producing microbes may thrive. This could lead to increased methane emissions from the sea. The result is a potential feedback loop that could intensify climate change.

Apr 15 • 8:00 PM EDT • Science • sciencedaily.com

Game #17 GameThread: Jays @ Brewers

Game two of three in Milwaukee. I have such a dislike of Bud Selig that I don’t I could go to Milwaukee to watch a game. I know he doesn’t own the team anymore (and that he’s over 90 years old), but he worked very hard to kill off my Expos and was just an […]

Apr 15 • 7:15 PM EDT • Sports • sports.yahoo.com

ENTERTAINMENT: Concerts celebrate freedom; watercolors on display

The River City Men’s Chorus offers a concert it’s titling “FREEDOM!,” which a news release describes as “a choral celebration of the ways we dream of, achieve and exercise our many freedoms,” 3 p.m. Sunday and 7 p.m. Monday and April 23 at St. James United Methodist Church.

Apr 15 • 5:30 PM EDT • Entertainment • arkansasonline.com

There's No Saving Windows 11. It's Time for Windows 12

Windows 11 can't overcome a slew of bugs, security holes, and AI slop. It's time for something new.

Apr 15 • 11:40 AM EDT • Technology • gizmodo.com

Re:Cognition Health Delivers Landmark International Clinical Trial to Explore Whether a Simple Finger-prick Blood-based Biomarker Test Can Provide Earlier Alzheimer's Diagnosis

Re:Cognition Health, a global leader in new treatments for Alzheimer's Disease, is delivering an international clinical trial to evaluate whether a simple finger-prick blood test can revolutionize how Alzheimer's disease is diagnosed. Compared with the current invasive and expensive diagnostic methods, this approach could provide a scalable solution for an earlier, easier, more accurate, affordable, and accessible diagnostic method. Re:Cognition Health will help enroll approximately 1,000 partic

Apr 15 • 11:15 AM EDT • Health • finance.yahoo.com

Walmart is updating its 4K streaming box with Gemini and Matter support

The new Onn 4K Pro could make it easier to search for something to watch using Google’s upgraded assistant.

Apr 15 • 9:49 AM EDT • Technology • theverge.com

Take Note: Denver Revising 40-Year-Old Entertainment Venue Licensing Requirements

"If the community shows up, I think we're going to get something that's a huge improvement over what we've had in the past."

Apr 15 • 8:36 AM EDT • Entertainment • westword.com

Scientists think alien life might be hiding in patterns

A new study proposes detecting life in space by spotting patterns across many planets instead of focusing on one at a time. If life spreads and changes planetary environments, it could leave behind statistical clues linking planets together. These patterns may reveal life even when traditional biosignatures are unclear or misleading. The method could help scientists prioritize which planets are most likely to host life.

Apr 15 • 8:00 AM EDT • Science • sciencedaily.com

See Microsoft's rise from garage idea to tech giant in 50 years

Fifty years after Bill Gates and Paul Allen gambled on a piece of software, Microsoft has become something bigger than a brand. It runs business, lives.

Apr 15 • 5:07 AM EDT • Business • naplesnews.com

A new way to detect life beyond Earth without knowing what life looks like

Researchers from the Earth-Life Science Institute (ELSI) and National Institute for Basic Biology have developed a new method to detect extraterrestrial life without relying on traditional biosignatures. By modelling how life might spread between planets, they demonstrate that life could be detected through statistical patterns across planetary populations rather than on individual planets. This "agnostic biosignature" approach could assist in guiding future searches for life beyond Earth.

Apr 14 • 8:00 PM EDT • Science • eurekalert.org

How Penn Dining selects campus business partners, determines payment methods

The Daily Pennsylvanian spoke with members of the Penn Dining team to learn how the University selects business partners and decides which payment methods are accepted at different dining locations.

Apr 14 • 8:00 PM EDT • Business • thedp.com

Gamethread 4/14: Cubs at Phillies

A possible series win?

Apr 14 • 5:00 PM EDT • Sports • sports.yahoo.com

Wealth management firm Hightower names new president

The appointment comes about a year after CEO Larry Restieri took the reins at the Chicago-based wealth management firm.

Apr 14 • 12:42 PM EDT • Business • chicagobusiness.com

Building Custom Atomistic Simulation Workflows for Chemistry and Materials Science with NVIDIA ALCHEMI Toolkit

For decades, computational chemistry has faced a tug-of-war between accuracy and speed. Ab initio methods like density functional theory (DFT) provide high fidelity but are computationally expensive…

Apr 14 • 12:30 PM EDT • Science • developer.nvidia.com

This Metal Melts in Your Hand – and Scientists Just Discovered Something Strange

Gallium has revealed unexpected behavior that challenges decades-old assumptions about its liquid structure.

Apr 14 • 12:25 PM EDT • Science • scitechdaily.com

Secret Lair: Back to School Superdrop

There's something for everybody (and everypony) in the Back to School Superdrop. Your attendance is requested when class begins on April 27, 2026.

Apr 14 • 12:00 PM EDT • Technology • magic.wizards.com

UCF Materials Science Undergraduate Researcher Awarded DOE Internship at National Lab

Deneé Lichtenberg is advancing new methods for recovering rare earth metals — groundbreaking work she’ll continue at Los Alamos National Laboratory.

Apr 14 • 10:49 AM EDT • Science • ucf.edu

Scientists Made Something Out of Nothing. Literally.

Like ghosts in the void, virtual particles can materialize from (almost) nothing.

Apr 14 • 9:00 AM EDT • Science • yahoo.com

From curiosity to conservation: How citizen science is teaching children and adults to see, experience nature

It often starts with something small, such as a new bird in a branch, a vibrant butterfly in a yard, a colorful plant growing through a crack in the sidewalk, or as part of a lawn. Suddenly, you are engaged and can't help ...

Apr 13 • 8:35 PM EDT • Science • phys.org

Blurry iPhone Text Picture Problem: Is There An Easy Solution I'm Missing?

I use my iPhone for all my pictures of airlines and hotels. It serves me well, with one major issue... is there something I'm missing?

Apr 13 • 6:05 PM EDT • Technology • onemileatatime.com

'Experience something different': New crafting business opens in downtown Lynchburg

A new local crafting business is bringing a fresh focus on creativity and community connection.

Apr 13 • 5:46 PM EDT • Business • wset.com

International Collaboration Helps Pinpoint Universe’s Expansion Rate

The universe is expanding, but the exact speed at which it’s doing so – a figure known as the “Hubble constant” – remains a mystery. Now, an international collaboration of astronomers has developed a framework that incorporates a range of methods into one analysis, to produce a more precise measurement.

Apr 13 • 2:36 PM EDT • Science • science.nasa.gov

From curiosity to conservation: How citizen science is teaching children and adults to see, experience nature

It often starts with something small, such as a new bird in a branch, a vibrant butterfly in a yard, a colorful plant growing through a crack in the sidewalk, or as part of a lawn. Suddenly, you are engaged ...

Apr 13 • 12:00 PM EDT • Science • phys.org

Rory McIlroy reveals what 2026 Masters victory taught him

Rory McIlroy waited so long for his first Masters. That taught him something. Now, he's a repeat winner.

Apr 13 • 5:44 AM EDT • Sports • sports.yahoo.com

JAXA's 22-Year Bet on Frozen Comet Samples: What a Multi-Decade Mission Timeline Means for Planetary Science Funding

In the world of planetary science, a decade-long mission is considered ambitious. JAXA, Japan’s space agency, is now weighing something far more audacious: a sample return mission that wouldn’t deliver its cargo until the late 2040s, more than 22 years from the earliest planning stages. The proposed Next Generation Small-Body Return (NGSR) mission to comet […]

Apr 13 • 1:38 AM EDT • Science • spacedaily.com

Making light spin with a gold nanorod

Controlling photon spin, or the handedness of light, is useful for storing and transmitting information. However, generating circularly polarized light typically requires complex or chiral structures. Researchers from the Tokyo University of Science show that hitting a gold nanorod slightly off-center with an electron beam causes the light around it to rotate. This method offers a simpler way to control photon spin and could accelerate the development of smaller, more efficient optical and quantum devices.

Apr 12 • 8:00 PM EDT • Science • eurekalert.org

GameThread: Tigers vs. Marlins, 1:40 p.m.

Detroit Tigers (6-9) vs. Miami Marlins (8-7) Time/Place: 1:40 p.m., Comerica ParkOpponent Site: Fish On FirstMedia: Detroit SportsNet, MLB.TV, Tigers Radio NetworkPitching Matchup: LHP Tarik Skubal (1-2, 2.55 ERA) vs. RHP Sandy Alcantara (2-0, 0.74 ERA) Lineups MARLINS TIGERS Austin Slater – RF Kevin McGonigle – SS Agustin Ramirez – C Gleyber Torres – 2B Jakob Marsee – CF Colt Keith […]

Apr 12 • 1:30 PM EDT • Sports • sports.yahoo.com

The Complex Transformations Underlying MC Escher’s Works

Self-similar images are rather common, which are images in which the same image is repeated on a smaller scale somewhere within the image that one is looking at, something which is also referred to…

Apr 12 • 1:00 PM EDT • Technology • hackaday.com

"Find something that works for you": Health and wellness tips for the summer

Fitness expert Doug Bopst joins Jen Franciotti to discuss positive health habits to develop in advance of the summer months.

Apr 12 • 12:55 PM EDT • Health • wbaltv.com

Charlie Crist's humanity laid bare by, wait for it, the Tampa Bay Times

Crist is shown as something he’s not often been accused of: entirely relatable.

Apr 12 • 9:47 AM EDT • Politics • floridapolitics.com

Sooo ... About Last Night

Last night (Sat., April 11, 2026), Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) ventured forth to Kaseya Center in Miami, Florida for UFC 327. Was this the deepest numbered event since UFC 300? Maybe Jon Anik was onto something! There were great fights from top to bottom, like Kelvin Gastelum vs. Vicente Luque on the early “Prelims” card. […]

Apr 12 • 3:00 AM EDT • Sports • sports.yahoo.com

Hidden weak spots in HIV and Ebola revealed with breakthrough nanodisc technology

A new nanodisc-based platform lets scientists study viral proteins in a form that closely mimics real viruses, revealing how antibodies truly recognize them. This approach uncovered hidden interactions in viruses like HIV and Ebola that traditional methods missed. By recreating the virus’s membrane environment, researchers can better understand how immune defenses work. The technique could speed up the development of more effective vaccines.

Apr 11 • 8:00 PM EDT • Science • sciencedaily.com

Local brothers use T-shirt business to give back to charity

Two local brothers are turning creativity into something much bigger than a business—they’re using it to give back to their community and bring people together.

Apr 11 • 7:33 PM EDT • Business • fox8.com

Seniors: Dennis Ouellette, 80

Ontario Orchards owner not slowing down as he grows his farm market By Stefan Yablonski The seeds for Dennis Ouellette’s career path were sown when he was 6 years old — and he isn’t slowing down. “Since age 6, I grew up an agriculturalist. That is 72 years. Started out with a 37-acre farm when I bought it from my parents and built it up to almost 300 acres. Brought it back down to around 200 acres now,” he said. The location of his business was just a barn, a horse barn, he said. “In 1967, it officially became Ontario Orchards Farm Market. My wife [June] and I graduated [high school] in 1964 and three years later we became Ontario Orchards. We have been here more than 60 years,” he explained. “It is the same location. We have expanded over the years as the customers mentioned different things; we have expanded to bring in different products. “What keeps me going is I totally enjoy what I am doing. I enjoy the people that I work with. The customers are wonderful. Mostly, more important than anything, is my family — my wife, my daughters, grandchildren, son-in-law — we are still very much a family business I’m not going to retire just yet.” He also enjoys the changing seasons. “Ontario Orchards is a four-season business. There is always something new; more energy, more interest. Not only for the business but for my staff, the people that work here. Things keep changing, changing. We are always looking forward to something new and exciting,” he said. They work with quite a number of local farmers within the area and throughout the state, throughout the country and from around the world.” “We do have things from different countries around the world. But specifically, we are very excited about the local. We have an over 200-acre farm. We sell just about everything we raise on that farm right here at the farm market. For example, we press cider year-round. We make baked goods every day, year-round. We sell our apples 12 months a year.” “Today, there are so many products in Ontario Orchards that we never would have thought of in 1967,” he continued. “I attribute a lot of that to my daughters. I like the young blood and new energy. That is very crucial to a business, it keeps it vibrant.” What’s his favorite part of the job? “I don’t have a favorite part. I enjoy it all. I have a lot of intertest in other things,” he said. “I have staff that knows so much. I can go to the staff and say, ‘I don’t know what this is, you tell me what this is.’ They are so knowledgeable. It is impossible for one person to know everything in this place. In the summer, staff is about 60; in the winter about 20, 25.” He added that he plans on being around for several more years.

Apr 11 • 4:39 PM EDT • Business • oswegocountybusiness.com

New Myrtle Beach distillery, brewery set for grand opening at Broadway at the Beach

Ole Smoky Distillery and Yee-Haw Brewing Co. are set to open up a joint distillery and brewery at Broadway at the Beach in May, something the brand is calling a "one-of-a-kind" experience for visitors and locals alike.

Apr 11 • 1:00 PM EDT • Entertainment • myhorrynews.com

Nancy Guthrie Update: ‘Something Went Very Wrong’ in Kidnapping, Expert Says

Ann Burgess, the inspiration for a ‘Mindhunter’ character, also listed retaliation and revenge as possible motives for Guthrie’s abduction.

Apr 11 • 12:17 PM EDT • Entertainment • kpcnews.com

“AI polls” are fake polls

A few weeks after Donald Trump’s second presidential win, I took the train up from London (where I was living at the time) to Oxford to attend a conference on polls and forecasts of the 2024 election. Most of the attendees were pollsters or academics, but I also watched presentations from Aaru and Electric Twin, two companies that do what is interchangeably called synthetic sampling, silicon sampling, or synthetic audiences. Stripped of startup jargon, that means they use large language models (LLMs) to simulate responses to public opinion polls by having AI agents take on the role of survey respondents. I had already heard of Aaru thanks to some articles with eye-catching headlines like “No people, no problem: AI chatbots predict elections better than humans” in the months leading up to Election Day. The founders were making some big, some might even say far-fetched claims, such as: “within two years, we will simulate the entire globe — from the way crops are grown in Ukraine to how that impacts production of oil in Iraq, trade through the strait of Malacca, and elections for the mayor of Baltimore.” When Semafor asked Aaru’s cofounders — Cameron Fink and Ned Koh — about my boss, they said “we respect all those who came before us.” Nate (as he so often does) shared his thoughts on Twitter: Fink and Koh were relatively good-natured about this back-and-forth when we spoke at Oxford. They even offered to mail me one of the t-shirts featuring Nate’s quote they apparently had made. I never took them up on the offer, which I now somewhat regret. These synthetic sampling companies fell off my radar for a while, but they do still exist. In fact, Aaru recently received a $1 billion valuation. Is what they’re doing anywhere close to the most important frontier in AI development? Not by a longshot, especially when Anthropic just developed a model so adept at exploiting software vulnerabilities that it’s only being released to 40 companies. Still, silicon sampling is increasingly finding its way into public polling. Axios reported in March that “a majority of people trust their own doctors and nurses” based on findings from Aaru — without mentioning that the “people” in that sentence were actually LLMs. Around the same time, the Public Sentiment Institute “boosted” their online sample of 373 real survey respondents with 114 AI agents.1 (Spoiler alert: even the co-founder of Electric Twin doesn’t think that’s a particularly defensible approach.) Polling companies like Qualtrics and Ipsos are also developing synthetic data panels. So, what should we make of these … “polls”? Let’s get one thing out of the way: whatever they are, they’re not polls in the way that term is usually defined. Subscribe You can’t replace polls with AI On one hand, using LLMs to essentially make up fake survey respondents sort of sounds like the dumbest idea ever, one that will at best imperfectly replicate real polls while introducing all sorts of biases. On the other hand, with LLMs improving at a remarkable, perhaps even alarming rate, maybe that means I’m a dinosaur at the ripe old age of 24 because I still want to rely on polls that talk to actual people. I’m not going to argue that synthetic samples are completely useless. In fact, as I’ll return to later, there is evidence that some techniques can replicate topline survey results quickly and cheaply. But the marketing from certain companies can be slightly optimistic. “No traditional poll will exist by the time the next general election occurs,” said Fink in 2024. We’re just 206 days away from the midterms, and based on the fact that I still have to collect a bunch of polls every day, I’d say he should have run that prediction by a sample of AI agents before the interview.2 To see why synthetic samples can’t replace polls, here’s a quick primer on how they work. The simplest version of these models involves taking a LLM (like ChatGPT or Claude), giving it a demographic profile (e.g., a white, college-educated woman who lives in Utah and makes $70k a year), and then asking it to respond to a survey question. You repeat that process a few thousand times using different demographic profiles and end up with a sample of synthetic survey responses. The actual models used by private companies are more sophisticated than this, usually because they incorporate more hypothesized demographic characteristics for each agent and provide them with extra information. Aaru, for example, feeds agents a diet of news and information they’d be likely to consume, while Electric Twin incorporates their customers’ proprietary data about the audience they’re trying to replicate. The way Ben Warner, the co-founder of Electric Twin, explained it to me was “we have a large amount of data on […] for instance, 5,000 people. Can we make an accurate prediction of how they would respond to another question?” Still, it should be obvious why synthetic samples can’t replace polls. Polling is fundamentally a data collection process. We might use surveys to make predictions by feeding them into election forecasts, but the main purpose of a poll isn’t prediction, it’s gathering new data about what people think and how they feel. Silicon sampling, on the other hand, produces no new data. It’s simply a model: you input LLM training data, demographic prompts, and a bunch of other information, and it spits out a prediction for what a poll would say. We love models here, but models aren’t polls. That difference is an important philosophical sticking point for most pollsters I talk to. “I think politics should stay away from [synthetic sampling], because we’re trying to […] represent the voice of the people,” said Natalie Jackson, a vice president at GQR Insights. Democratic pollster John Hagner told me: “I think I’m just incredibly skeptical of this idea. I don’t think it’s research. At that point, you’re asking the machine to tell you what you already believe.” Hagner has seen some presentations of early synthetic sampling experiments, but so far, “if it’s being used in a campaign, people are keeping it incredibly quiet.”3 But Eli, I hear you saying, aren’t polls themselves increasingly governed by modeling decisions? Indeed they are: pollsters’ choices on which sampling method to use, how to define their likely voter models, and how to weight their samples can and do lead to dramatic differences in the results they publish. Aaru even referenced these limitations in the methodology statement included with that maternal mortality “poll” — although I’m using the term “methodology statement” loosely here, because it doesn’t really explain how the model works at all. We can ignore the (frankly preposterous) implication that synthetic sampling isn’t subject to a separate set of biases. The important point is that there’s still a meaningful difference between using weighting and other statistical techniques on actual polling data and using a model to predict what a poll would say. The latter is far closer to election forecasts or techniques like MRP — potentially useful models, but not a replacement for polls.4 To be fair, other synthetic sampling companies are perfectly happy with the distinction between polls and models. Warner compared polling and synthetic sampling to different tools in a toolbox. “The mistake I think we make is we think that these new tools should either work in exactly the same way or somehow replace these old tools,” he said. “Rather than thinking of it as, okay, so we’ve always had the hammer, we’ve always had the screwdriver, now we’ve got a saw. But don’t use a saw to try [to] do the job of a hammer.” A quick comment from Nate Eli didn’t ask me for a comment — rather rude of him, don’t you think? But since I’m editing this story, I figured I’d add a few quick thoughts rather than putting words in his mouth. Beyond the frequently misleading marketing, what bothers me about the AI “poll” hype is that as AI tools make statistical inference cheaper and/or better (note that these are not synonyms) that actually increases the comparative value of collecting original data. You might be able to train a model to make a reasonable estimate of what some hard-to-reach poll respondent would say — say, a young Black man who voted for Trump. (Such a person checks a number of boxes for a voter who is usually hard to reach in surveys.) Indeed, this is closely related to what models like the Silver Bulletin forecast already do. They essentially smooth out the kinks in noisy survey data by making inferences based on past voting patterns or national polls or surveys of other states. But you don’t actually know what these voters think unless you’re reaching them directly. If there’s a shift in opinion among this subgroup, you’re not going to detect it. So if I were running a campaign, I’d invest more in going the extra mile to find a representative sample of those voters. And then I’d hire some smart quants — or Claude? — to figure out the implications for campaign strategy based on proprietary data that my competitors didn’t have access to. -Nate Silver Are these models any good? If synthetic surveys are just a new type of model, the next obvious question is whether the models are at least accurate. The answer very much depends on who you ask. On one end of the spectrum, you have the maximalist argument that synthetic sampling is more accurate than actual polls. “It’s an incredibly challenging problem to go to someone and say ‘hey, we’re going to be more accurate at predicting human behavior than you, even when you talk to your customers directly’,” Koh recently told CNBC. In his view, synthetic sampling isn’t a saw to polling’s hammer, it’s “magic.” There’s certainly evidence that synthetic samples can replicate certain survey toplines. But if Aaru does have any examples of their approach outperforming the polls, they’re keeping those to themselves.5 Aaru’s 2024 election model, for example, had Kamala Harris leading in Michigan, Nevada, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin on November 4th. And although they’ve since taken down their forecast page, they gave Harris a 50.5 percent chance of winning the race on November 2nd.6 After the election, Fink told Semafor he was happy enough with those results because they were “within margin of error,” a term that is completely meaningless when applied to a “sample” of AI agents. And of course, Aaru says their models have improved since 2024, so supposedly now they’d be more accurate than the polls? Still, their stronger argument is on cost: “We are significantly faster and cheaper than traditional polling, and still more accurate,” said Fink. The first two claims are undeniably true, but the third brings us to the opposite end of the spectrum. Both Jackson and Hagner are skeptical that these models are reliable for anything beyond replicating common survey toplines. “I just […] don’t think the machines are what we want when we’re looking for nuanced views. My example on this is people in Arizona and Nevada in 2024 who voted for Trump and voted for expanding abortion in their states on ballot initiatives,” said Jackson. Hagner identified another issue. Maybe the synthetic respondents, like sycophantic LLMs, are inhuman in one important way: they’re too nice. “The reports that have come through at the meetings that I’ve been at are that the early experiments on this, they cannot get respondents to be as racist or sexist or, frankly, as negative as human respondents,” he said. Academic research mostly agrees on this point. While there are some papers that show promising results when using LLMs to replicate polling data, most show that LLMs suffer from various quirks like producing too few “don’t know” responses and can seriously overpredict the favorability of politicians like Donald Trump and Kamala Harris. They also seem to struggle with too little variation between demographic subgroups, so the difference in predicted opinion between Democrats and Republicans, for example, is too small. When I asked Warner about these studies, his response to these papers was that just because academics can’t get synthetic sampling to work doesn’t mean that the technique doesn’t work in general. “Actually, the argument is, okay, yours does not [work]. That does not mean […] for this complex set of machinery, which uses a lot of investment, a lot of time, a lot of money, you can’t get it to work.” Cards on the table, I’m somewhat sympathetic to this argument because academics aren’t exactly great at making election forecasts. Usually, the people with skin in the game are the most accurate. Warner’s argument is that the approach Electric Twin takes — which includes, for example, making multiple predictions for each synthetic respondent using different models and prompts and subsequently averaging those to get a final prediction in a sort of ensemble forecast — produces better results than the simpler academic models. Warner shared a comparison between his method and the method from a recent academic paper with me, and Electric Twin was indeed able to get more accurate replication. But even still, he acknowledged that synthetic sampling “is not a crystal ball.” “If you asked me, do I think using other data sources will be more accurate than asking somebody who they will vote for, I would probably say no. But if you asked me ‘would your system be useful for our turnout modeling today?’ I would say yes.” For better or worse, it looks like the method is already getting more popular in the market research world. Most of the clients Aaru touts these days are businesses like EY and McDonald’s. And AI will probably begin to pop up in other parts of the political polling process. Pollsters are already using it to code open-ended survey responses, and some firms, like YouGov, are testing using LLMs to ask survey respondents questions. More worryingly, one danger to actual polls is that AI agents can be used to infiltrate online surveys. Most online polls use various checks to prevent that from happening, but there’s conflicting evidence on how effective those filters are and how prevalent AI agents currently are in online panels. If those agents ever become impossible to detect, it might spell the end of online polling, but the solution isn’t to replace all of your respondents with ChatGPT. Silver Bulletin is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support our work, consider becoming a subscriber. Subscribe 1 That particular poll obviously doesn’t meet Silver Bulletin standards for aggregation. But we exclude all Public Sentiment Institute polls from our averages because we classify them as an amateur polling firm. 2 You could argue that Fink meant the next presidential election, but (a) I’m also confident we’ll still have real polls in 2028 and (b) in that case he should have asked an LLM to define “general election.” 3 Quick caveat: that’s reporting from a Democratic pollster. It’s possible that Republicans are more willing to use AI in political campaigns. 4 Indeed, Silver Bulletin does not include “polls” produced by MRP in our forecasts or averages, and we think it’s extremely misleading when their practitioners describe them in a way that suggests original data had been collected among a large number of states or Congressional districts. 5 A recent report from Aaru and EY did show two examples of a synthetic estimate being closer than a survey to a real-world benchmark — but I’d take those findings with a grain of salt because the report reads more like an ad and didn’t involve any sort of prediction being made ahead of time. 6 For comparison, our odds for Harris on the same day were 48.2 percent.

Apr 11 • 11:38 AM EDT • Technology • natesilver.net

I shut down my successful brick-and-mortar business to reinvent myself

I spent two decades as a solopreneur building my photography studio. In my 50s, I wanted to try something new. I'm now reinventing myself in midlife.

Apr 11 • 8:27 AM EDT • Business • businessinsider.com

Unusual airborne toxin detected in the U.S. for the first time

Scientists searching for air pollution clues stumbled onto something unexpected: toxic MCCPs drifting through the air for the first time in the Western Hemisphere. The likely source—fertilizer made from sewage sludge—points to a hidden route for contamination.

Apr 11 • 8:00 AM EDT • Science • sciencedaily.com

Skyrim’s massive RP server that replaces NPCs with players just broke a new record

Skyrim’s massive new 750 player roleplay server is transforming the 2011 classic into something entirely unprecedented.

Apr 11 • 5:55 AM EDT • Technology • dexerto.com

Enzo Fernandez Future Back in Spotlight After Chelsea Peace Talks

Enzo Fernández and Chelsea Reconciliation Signals Crucial Turning PointDisciplinary drama resolved behind the scenesThere is something quietly significant about reconciliation in elite football. It r...

Apr 11 • 1:50 AM EDT • Sports • sports.yahoo.com

In praise of popular science

As a kid, I was enthusiastically and unreservedly in favor of a manned space program. Our destiny lay in the stars, I figured. Get people out there. We need Star Trek here and now. As I got older, I became rather disenchanted with the idea. Humans are expensive, fragile, and inefficient as space cargo. We could flood the solar system with 100 robotic probes for the price of any single manned mission and get back just as useful data. Besides, it turns out space travel is dangerous. Tusk is a reader-supported publication. To support this work, please become a paid subscriber. Subscribe When it came to the recent Artemis II mission, my cynical side didn’t really see the point. Flying around the Moon and back is literally something we did before I was born, and I once owned a Members Only jacket. Apollo 8 circled the Moon ten times and returned to Earth safely the same month that “Chitty Chitty Bang Bang” was released. What was the point of repeating a feat that far braver people once did with tin foil and slide rules? Yet I’ve surprised myself with how moving I’ve found the Artemis II mission to be. The photos have been stunning. The crew has been professional and engaging. There have been modest but important milestones — the farthest humans have travelled from Earth; the first woman, person of color, and non-American to leave low-Earth orbit; innovations in communication, and more. One thing that really stood out is that this is really NASA at its finest. Not that this is the most important mission they ever pulled off, but they did this in a competent way that celebrated the achievements and kept the crew and the science at the forefront of the project. This wasn’t some billionaire throwing celebrities or cars into orbit as a vanity project — this was a collective effort to send experts in to do a job and come home safely. We don’t see that sort of thing much these days. I’m guessing few people would describe many government agencies as inspiring, but this one counts for me. We’re living through a profoundly anti-science era, in which pathbreaking, lifesaving discoveries like mRNA vaccines are routinely downplayed or even vilified. As I’ve noted previously, this era is something like that of the Red Scare in the 1940s and 50s, in which “egghead” professors were portrayed as out of touch or even hostile to regular Americans. One of the things that helped break that spell was Sputnik — the Soviet communications satellite that demonstrated that the United States was falling behind in crucial scientific research and applications. Its launch triggered a new appreciation for American science and goaded the federal government into supporting research universities and labs. I’m not saying that Artemis is the equivalent of Sputnik, but it potentially reminds people that there’s some value to scientific endeavors and the human faces attached to them. Despite my love for the show “For All Mankind,” I’m far from convinced that there’s any real value to putting colonies on the Moon or Mars that would justify the capital investment and the massive health risks to the astronauts. But sending scientific good will ambassadors on a trip into space once in a while? Bring it. Share

Apr 10 • 9:54 PM EDT • Science • smotus.substack.com

Ex-Bethesda Exec Says The Elder Scrolls 6 Maker Isn't Part Of Something 'Genuine' Or 'Authentic' At Microsoft

Pete Hines is retired but still had harsh words for Microsoft

Apr 10 • 3:48 PM EDT • Technology • kotaku.com

Alphabet Is Quietly Building Its Next Major Business -- and It Could Be Bigger Than You Think

Most investors think of AI as a race to build better models. But behind every AI system sits something far more important -- the infrastructure that powers it. And that's where Alphabet is quietly building something big.

Apr 10 • 8:50 AM EDT • Business • finance.yahoo.com

Alphabet Is Quietly Building Its Next Major Business -- and It Could Be Bigger Than You Think

Most investors think of AI as a race to build better models. But behind every AI system sits something far more important -- the infrastructure that powers it. And that's where Alphabet is quietly building something big.

Apr 10 • 8:30 AM EDT • Business • fool.com

Ohio wants to ban mobile sports betting. It's about time

Ohio’s legalization of sports betting has turned a game into something with much higher stakes.

Apr 10 • 6:00 AM EDT • Sports • beaconjournal.com

Opinion | With straight faces, GOP accuses regents of playing politics

Dave Zweifel: Rothman obviously did something deeply unpopular. The vote to sack him was unanimous, and getting 17 people to agree on anything is pretty rare these days.

Apr 10 • 6:00 AM EDT • Politics • captimes.com

Eureka! Flathead Valley students have their moment at state science fair

Flathead Valley students displayed their fortitude for the scientific method at the Montana Science Fair with Kalispell Montessori School bringing home the first-place Division II trophy for its outstanding performance among small middle schools.

Apr 10 • 3:00 AM EDT • Science • dailyinterlake.com

Starting a Business

Marco Island has strong household income, steady tourism, and a customer base that values quality. On paper, it looks like an ideal market. But the longer you spend here, the more you realize something familiar: The opportunity is real. So are the constraints.

Apr 9 • 5:46 PM EDT • Business • coastalbreezenews.com

NASA Scientists Screamed With Delight When They Saw Something Smashing Into the Moon

NASA scientists let loose "screams of delight" amazement as they saw micrometeorites impact the far side of the Moon.

Apr 9 • 2:08 PM EDT • Science • futurism.com

Top C.D.C. Official Delays Report on Covid Shot’s Effectiveness

Dr. Jay Bhattacharya objected to the study’s methodology, saying it gave an inaccurate picture of the vaccine’s benefits.

Apr 9 • 10:54 AM EDT • Health • nytimes.com

Guitar & Pen: 575 Brewery and Alamogordo's growing entertainment scene

I always applaud when a local business does something outside their normal cup of tea. Local watering hole, 575 Brewery has stepped up and is now offering a worship service at 11 a.m. on Sunday mornings, three hours before they open for business. Everyone who knows the owners of this establishment – Bill and Vicky Arnold – know how visionary the couple is. Regardless of your views on the Lord, this is the non-denominational place to be. The five disciples of the square table at the 99th Church of Christ applaud the innovation of these two great Alamogordians.

Apr 9 • 9:00 AM EDT • Entertainment • alamogordonews.com

Rare, violent rift discovered in Ngogo chimpanzee group from 'Chimp Empire'

The largest group of wild chimpanzees known to scientists has permanently split in two — something that is extremely rare.Scientists with Arizona State University and The University of Texas at Austin are the first to clearly document the permanent divide and the intergroup violence that followed. The study draws on three decades of field observations of the Ngogo chimpanzees of Kibale National Park, Uganda, a population featured in the Netflix documentary series "Chimp Empire."

Apr 9 • 8:00 AM EDT • Science • news.asu.edu

What one campaign rally in Michigan reveals about young voters ahead of the midterm elections

Many young voters say politics isn’t delivering and they want candidates who offer something new, not just opposition

Apr 9 • 7:05 AM EDT • Politics • washingtonpost.com

CDC delays publishing report showing covid vaccine benefits

The acting CDC director cited concerns with the methodology, but the design has long been used to test vaccine effectiveness.

Apr 9 • 5:00 AM EDT • Health • washingtonpost.com

Scientists thought there was a black hole at the centre of our Galaxy. It turns out it may be something even stranger | BBC Sky at Night Magazine

Could Sagittarius A* at the centre of our Milky Way galaxy be not a black hole, but dark matter instead? A new study suggests so.

Apr 9 • 1:13 AM EDT • Science • skyatnightmagazine.com

Steve Vancore: Salt shaking the PPP poll on Ashley Moody vs. Alex Vindman

New poll tightens Florida Senate race but questions linger on methodology

Apr 8 • 7:10 PM EDT • Politics • floridapolitics.com

How Sisters in Public Health is changing who gets to lead

Angela Frazier had a vision. As a master’s student in public health, she looked around at the women in her program and saw something that troubled her. Talented, committed women were navigating a demanding field largely on their own, without mentors who looked like them, without spaces to process the weight of the work, and … Continue reading How Sisters in Public Health is changing who gets to lead

Apr 8 • 4:00 PM EDT • Health • kresge.org

‘The Beast’ is here, plus a base-brawl

The Pulse Newsletter 📣 | This is The Athletic’s daily sports newsletter. Sign up here to receive The Pulse directly in your inbox. Good morning! I hope you have a favorite fact about yourself ready. Inside: 📘 600 pages of NFL Draft 🥊 Base-brawl 🐘 Behold the Zammoth I come to you this morning with a confession. I find most pre-draft content, for any sport, exhausting. Not because of the specific article or mock draft or report, but because of the cycle itself. We are yammering about the infinite possibilities of something that has not happened yet. At a certain point,...

Apr 8 • 6:20 AM EDT • Sports • nytimes.com