SCROLL NEWS / DISCOVERY
Search headlines
Find the stories shaping the conversation.
Results for " central " 2,932 found 🔀 AI-powered Shuffle
Texans vs Steelers odds, point spread, moneyline, over/under for betting
NFL playoff odds for Pittsburgh Steelers vs Houston Texans AFC wild-card game Monday, including point spread, moneyline, over/under for betting.
Israel to Hold Rates as Regional and Domestic Politics Wobble
Israel’s central bank is set to hold interest rates steady in its first monetary decision of 2026, weighing lowered inflation expectations and a strong shekel against lingering geopolitical and fiscal uncertainty.
Samsung to Costco: All the big projects coming to Central TX in 2026
Here's what Central Texans can expect this year.
Asus Unveil the ROG Swift PG27UCWM with a 27" 4K Tandem WOLED Panel and RGB-stripe Pixel Layout
Share this contentAsus teased the arrival of this screen recently on their social media channels and we can now unveil official information about this exciting new OLED monitor that will....[click link for more]
Foreign funds will be central to Venezuela's recovery, investor says
Charles Myers, chairman of Signum Global Advisors, told Business Insider he is preparing a group of 15-20 investors to travel to Venezuela in March.
Pima County confirms measles case on New Year's Eve
Pima County officials say the county's only measles case of 2025 is in an individual who crossed the border from Mexico and was hospitalized.
When did humanity take its first step? Scientists say they now know.
A new analysis of fossils uncovered in Central Africa offers additional evidence that a human ancestor walked upright 7 million years ago.
Former state House Republican to run again in Central Kentucky race
Former state Rep. Killian Timoney shared he is running in the state House District 45 race, which he previously represented for two terms.
Orlando Health Network created new care models in 2025 amid growth outside Central Florida
/PRNewswire/ -- Orlando Health Network established new value-based care models and expanded its provider network in 2025, following the hospital system's...
Ômo by Jônt is helping make Central Florida a foodie travel destination
The Orlando area is drawing tourists who don't just want coasters and Mickey Mouse. They want good food too.
WBKO Sports’ Top 10 Moments of 2025
As we ring in the new year, we’re taking a look back at the moments that defined Southcentral Kentucky sports in 2025. From breakout seasons and historic team achievements to individual records and career-defining honors, these are the top 10 moments of the year.
Penn State Health welcomes 2026 New Year’s babies
Penn State Health Labor and Delivery units across central Pennsylvania celebrated the new year by welcoming the first babies of 2026.
Trump says National Guard leaving Chicago, LA and Portland
Trump announced on social media Dec. 31 that troops will be leaving the three Democratic-led cities, following a Supreme Court decision.
Welcome to an election year. What to expect from 2026 Arizona politics
Arizona is gearing up for a major midterm season with the governor's and attorney general's offices on the line. Gaggle guests look ahead to 2026.
What to do on New Year's Eve in Central New York
Here are some events happening around Central New York to celebrate the new year.
ACPL, Science Central plan ‘Countdown to Noon’ New Year’s Eve events
Some family-friendly events are planned for young ones in Allen County to ring in the new year on Wednesday.
Business listings: See the new businesses in Central NY, Dec. 22 through 26
See a list of filings in Onondaga, Madison and Cayuga counties.
New behavioral health crisis center coming in 2026
Part of the changing landscape of behavioral health in Cuyahoga County in the new year is a new crisis center in Cleveland's Central Neighborhood.
Here are the Top 10 federal stories impacting Florida in 2025
With an inauguration, Special Elections and a few career-threatening scandals along the way, Florida remained central in national politics.
Barcelona add three Serie A players to defender shortlist
Barcelona are hoping to sign a new central defender during the winter transfer window, which opens for business later this week. Andreas Christensen’s long-term absence due to an ACL tear, coupled w...
Penn State faces NC Central, intends to snap losing streakl
Penn State faces NC Central, intends to snap losing streakl
Three takeaways from Northwestern football against Central Michigan
What went right against CMU — and in the season as a whole?
Report: Man United expected to sign Serie A midfielder
Manu Kone Emerges as Central Figure in Man Utd Midfield Overhaul PlansManchester United’s long-term midfield planning continues to take shape, with Manu Kone increasingly viewed inside the game as a...
It’s time to fish or cut bait on Maine’s health care crisis
Next November, we need to hire representatives who are willing to sit down with those they disagree with and craft real solutions.
Central Colorado Humanists Sunday Science Offers "Insights from a Geriatrician", Jan. 4 - by Ark Valley Voice Staff
“Insights from a Geriatrician” is the title of the Central Colorado Humanists Sunday Science program for Jan. 4, 2026. Dr. Erika Altneu, M.D., will
Good Sports: The best of 2025
For sports in the Central Valley, 2025 was a year for the books.
Good Sports: The best of 2025
For sports in the Central Valley, 2025 was a year for the books.
Atlus 2026 Aspirations Tease Upcoming Persona 30th Anniversary Announcements
4Gamer has published their annual feature for 2026 aspirations of Japanese game developers, including 7 from Atlus.
Central Michigan vs Northwestern live updates in GameAbove Sports Bowl
The Central Michigan Chippewas are playing the Northwestern Wildcats in the 2025 GameAbove Sports Bowl in Detroit.
Northwestern vs. Central Michigan prediction, odds: 2025 GameAbove Sports Bowl picks from proven model
SportsLine's computer reveals its CMU Chippewas vs. Northwestern Wildcats best bets
Northwestern vs. Central Michigan prediction, odds: 2025 GameAbove Sports Bowl picks from proven model
SportsLine's computer model reveals its CMU Chippewas vs. Northwestern Wildcats best bets
CMU vs Northwestern preview and prediction for GameAbove Sports Bowl
Central Michigan looks to finish its season with a bowl win over Northwestern at Ford Field.
The LG 39GX950B is the World First 39" 5K2K OLED Monitor to be Announced
Share this contentAhead of CES in a couple of week’s time, LG Electronics have unveiled their line-up of new monitors that will be on show at the event. They also....[click link for more]
What channel is Northwestern vs CMU today? Time, TV for GameAbove Sports Bowl
Northwestern and Central Michigan face off in a true Midwestern matchup at Ford Field in Detroit. How to watch, including time, TV schedule and more:
Northwestern and Central Michigan are heading for a defensive showdown in GameAbove Sports Bowl
Northwestern vs. Central Michigan prediction, odds, spread: 2025 GameAbove Sports Bowl picks from proven model
SportsLine's computer model reveals its CMU Chippewas vs. Northwestern Wildcats best bets
Costco, Wawa, Sheetz, and more: These 55 business locations opened in central Pa. in 2025
The list includes more than 50 businesses that opened locations in the region in 2025, including medical practices, convenience stores, a sports card shop, a doggie daycare, grocery stores, bookstores, thrift stores, discount stores, housing, a vendor marketplace, a sneaker store, large membership-only warehouses and a pet store.
Health officials confirm case of measles in Central Virginia and more headlines
Health officials confirm case of measles in Central Virginia
Northwestern-Central Michigan GameAbove Sports Bowl picks, odds
USA TODAY's college football experts lock in their picks for the 2025 GameAbove Sports Bowl on Dec. 26.
Several businesses thrashed by flooding in East Central Fresno
Local agencies were faced with a wet and windy Christmas Eve Wednesday, as calls came rushing in.
Best of: Lean on Me
Editor's note: On Tuesday, Dec. 11, The Business Journal hosted its 12th annual Best of Central Valley Business awards, showcasing the best that the Central Valley has to offer. Winners in the Real Estate, Construction
Free rural business accelerator launches in Central Valley 2026
Fresno Pacific University’s Center for Community Transformation (CCT) is launching a new program aimed at spurring growth for rural entrepreneurs and small business owners starting in 2026.
Get Ready to Start Hearing About Aileen Cannon Again
The Florida-based judge is likely to once again play a central role in politics in the new year.
Health inspectors shut down 6 Central Florida restaurants last week
The Department of Business and Professional Regulation shut down six Central Florida restaurants for health code violations during the week from Dec. 14-20.
Northwestern Aims for Sixth Straight Bowl Win in GameAbove Sports Bowl
DETROIT — Northwestern football will play its second bowl game in three seasons as it takes on Central Michigan in the GameAbove Sports Bowl, hosted at Ford ...
Central Wisconsin officials earn Packers, WIAA November honors
Stratford and Stevens Point officials lead a group honored by Green Bay Packers and WIAA as November’s high school football crew of the month.
Maine suspends payments to Portland health care provider accused of fraud
The U.S. House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform is also seeking financial information about Gateway Community Services as part of its investigation into suspected fraud in Minnesota.
The disunity of science is a feature, not a bug
Mathematical models wield miraculous power, but mistaking them for reality has trapped science in a destructive quest for a “Theory of Everything.” Physicist and philosopher Ragner Fjelland argues that this leads to bloated, Frankenstein theories kept alive by clumsy, ad-hoc amendments, which reduce rather than boost science’s power. Fjelland calls for a radical shift in our attitude: we must reorientate towards creating entirely new theories, celebrating rather than lamenting disunity and diversity in science. Science, from the scientific revolution in the seventeenth century to the present day, has more or less developed in a “reductionist” way. The fundamental assumption is that all sciences may be ordered in a hierarchy that can be represented as an upside-down pyramid. At the top we find the human sciences, and at the bottom physics. Strong (or “ontological”) reductionism maintains that all theories at one level can be completely reduced to the lower level, all the way down to theories of atoms and elementary particles, or whatever is “at the bottom.” In the end, all diversity in the world can be unified in one fundamental theory. Hence it is called a final theory, or a Theory of Everything.One of the central figures in developing the idea of a Theory of Everything is the Dutch theoretical physicist Gerard 't Hooft, who received a Nobel Prize in physics in 1999 for his work. He emphasizes the non-empirical status of the theory:There exists no closely resembling alternative theory. This means that any slight change brought about in the rules would make the theory unlikely or inelegant. The theory will be a "package deal": take it, or leave it. This should hold both for the local laws and for the boundary conditions.This endeavor is not new. On the contrary, it goes all the way back to the birth of Western philosophy 2,500 years ago. The Babylonians made regular astronomical observations during a period of 600 years, from 747 BCE until 150 ACE. They developed mathematical techniques to predict astronomical phenomena, but they made no attempts at explaining them. However, the Greeks developed models, both material and theoretical, to explain the observed phenomena.The best example is Plato’s late dialogue Timaeus. Here he introduces a divine craftsman, the Demiurge, who has constructed the universe according to an original plan. Plato seems to have thought that the original plan is what is actually real, while the material world is merely an imperfect realization of it. He therefore does not, in the Timaeus, reconstruct the material universe, but the original plan, which can then be used to explain the material universe.Plato’s aim in producing a theoretical model is to reconstruct the original plan. That is what he carries out in Timaeus—and some modern physicists have embarked on the same project. For example, Einstein’s basic attitude is reflected in the title of Abraham Pais’ biography: “Subtle is the Lord...,” echoing Einstein’s comment, “Subtle is the Lord, but malicious He is not.” In an interview Einstein compared our situation to a child who enters a huge library. The child knows that someone has written the books, but he does not know the languages in which they are written. He suspects that there is a mysterious order, but he does not know what it is.___“We have all been working in what Husserl called the Galilean style; that is, we have all been making abstract mathematical models of the universe to which at least the physicists give a higher degree of reality than they accord the ordinary world of sensation.”Steven Weinberg, Nobel Prize in Physics (1979)___This Platonist view is contrary to a widespread impression of science, symbolized by the picture of the “father” of modern science, Galileo Galilei, with his telescope. According to this impression, Galileo liberated himself from the dominating metaphysics of his day—basically Aristotelian philosophy—and constructed a telescope that he directed towards the sky, showing that Jupiter has four moons. He also performed experiments with bronze balls rolling down inclined planes and found the law of freely falling bodies.However, in other cases Galileo emphasized the unreliability of our senses. It is easy to see why. He defended Copernicus’ heliocentric hypothesis. According to this hypothesis, we are not at rest at the center of the universe, but moving at a tremendous speed through space. Why don’t we observe this motion? Galileo praises Copernicus because “with reason as his guide he resolutely continued to affirm what sensible experience seemed to contradict.” In other places he directly refers to Plato. SUGGESTED VIEWING The quest for a final theory With Michio Kaku Galileo’s Platonism goes back to his early writings. In The Assayer, published as early as 1623, Galileo compared the universe to a grand book that is written in the language of mathematics, and “its characters are triangles, circles, and other geometric figures without which it is humanly impossible to understand a single word of it.” Therefore, things that cannot be described by mathematics—for example, colors, smells and odors—are not real. They are merely subjective.This division into subjective and objective, advocated by Galileo and his younger contemporary René Descartes, is normally associated with a mechanistic world view, which is regarded as the opposite of Platonism. When we reduce something to, for example, molecules and atoms, we move “downwards.” In contrast, the Platonist moves “upwards,” to abstract entities. However, it only shows that when we address fundamental questions, we should be careful in applying everyday spatial metaphors like “up” and “down.”___Nature is complex, and we cannot in general construct mathematical models that adequately describe the world.___The endeavor of finding a Theory of Everything has been heavily criticized. In 2006, the theoretical physicist Lee Smolin published “The Crisis in Fundamental Physics.” He argued that one of the most fundamental principles of science is that we should only regard theories as scientific if we have the possibility to show that they are false by experiments. Although he did not refer to Karl Popper, other critics have referred to Popper and argued that a theory is not scientific if it cannot be falsified (see for example Ellis & Silk 2014).These were not the first physicists to be anti-reductionists. In 1972, the journal Science published an article by the physicist Philip Anderson with the title “More Is Different.” This is the kind of article a scientist would normally write only after he has won a Nobel Prize. However, Anderson won the Nobel Prize for physics five years later, in 1977. The article is amazing, not primarily because it argues in favor of anti-reductionism in general, but because it argues for anti-reductionism within physics itself. Anderson’s conclusion was:At each stage entirely new laws, concepts, and generalizations are necessary, requiring inspiration and creativity to just as great a degree as in the previous one. Psychology is not applied biology, nor is biology applied chemistry.We may say that Plato started the “unity of science movement,” based on Euclidean geometry as the model of all knowledge. A distinguishing mark of geometry is that all possible constructions can be reduced to a few fundamental principles. We have to acknowledge that this approach has limitations. In general, we can easily model technological systems. In addition, we may construct simplified and idealized models that capture important aspects of systems, from various perspectives and for various purposes. But nature is complex, and we cannot in general construct mathematical models that adequately describe the world. In a complex system, each level has its distinct, emergent, properties that are characteristic of this level. Therefore, a complex system should be investigated at different levels and from different perspectives. Instead of exclusively pursuing a scientific ideal based on the unity of science, we should acknowledge the diversity—or even the disunity—of science.
Final Big Ten women's basketball rankings before league play resumes
A look at the final USA TODAY Sports Network Big Ten women's basketball power rankings before league play resumes.
Central Indiana's Top 10 stories of 2025, from sports to Trump
The year in sports brought unlikely rises and dramatic falls. The year in politics shook Indiana's foundations. Here are the Top 10 stories of 2025.
HARMAN To Acquire ZF’s ADAS Business
Secures HARMAN’s strategic foundations in ADAS and centralized automotive electronics platforms to define the fast-growing SDV market
LG Display Announce a New 27" 4K OLED Panel with RGB-Stripe Layout
Share this contentOLED panel manufacturer, LG Display today announced some further details of one of their new panels which was teased a couple of days ago in a promotional video....[click link for more]
Persona 3 Reload for Nintendo Switch 2 Performance Update Released
Atlus has released the Version 1.0.3 update for the Switch 2 edition of Persona 3 Reload bringing performance improvements to the game
Disney on Ice, GREAT Salt City Blues, ‘The Nutcracker:’ 10 things to do this week in CNY
There are several chances to get out of the house during Christmas week in Central New York.
Ranking the top Ohio high school stories of 2025 in Columbus
The Dispatch looks back at the top central Ohio high school sports stories of 2025. See what made our list.
Jackson Rising sets example as it moves into Downtown building
Jackson Rising is the newest member of the Downtown Jackson community. Its goal is to promote rebirth of the central business district.
Dozens of new business locations opening in Harrisburg, Elizabethtown, York and beyond
Panera, Raising Cane’s, Urban Churn, Costco, Bacco, Aldi, Buffalo Wild Wings, AAA, Dollar Tree, Wawa and Chick-fil-A are among the businesses that have opened or soon will open new locations across south central Pennsylvania.
The DOGE mindset is still central to the Trump administration's agenda as 2025 ends
The Department of Government Efficiency effort was one of the most consequential and controversial – if not entirely successful – changes the Trump administration made in 2025.
The new Pac-12 Conference partners with Playfly Sports for Sponsorship Development
The Pac-12 Conference and Playfly Sports today jointly announced a partnership that will see the sports industry’s leading revenue-maximization company serve as the new Pac-12’s partner for sponsorship development. The partnership begins immediately, ahead of the new league’s launch for the 2026-27 season. As part of the partnership, Playfly will assist the Pac-12 in building a centralized revenue engine powered by data, valuation expertise and scalable brand integrations. This model will focus on developing innovative partnerships that align with evolving fan behavior and brand objectives.
How to watch Central Michigan vs. Northwestern: GameAbove Sports Bowl TV channel and streaming options for December 26
Find out how to watch the Central Michigan Chippewas play the Northwestern Wildcats, with time, TV channel and streaming information.
Rival Roundup, Vol. 75: South Side Surprise
Christmas is a-comin’, and the goose is getting fat. So, too, are the wallets of those lucky few who signed contracts with Central division teams this week. And as an early Christmas present to me, we actually got ourselves some headlines this weekend!
Deep sampling recovers a species forgotten by science since 1906
Researchers rediscover tiny tropical land snails, reclassifying lost species and reshaping the tree of life in Central America.
Science Central holiday events & Big Blue Blocks are coming
As kids get off the holiday season, Science Central gives them an reason to learn outside of the classroom.
Fresno City Council selects business park alternative for SEDA, directs further analysis
KMPH Fox 26 is the Central Valley's news leader, covering Fresno, California and the surrounding area, including Clovis, Madera, Hanford, Visalia, Biola, Kerman, Tranquillity, San Joaquin, Reedley, Coalinga, Avenal, Lemoore, Tulare, Selma, Caruthers, Tollhouse, Three Rivers, Porterville, and Merced.
VA Central Iowa Health system in Des Moines reassigns staff due to low demand
The VA Central Iowa Health System in Des Moines is reassigning 10 employees as it reduces domiciliary care beds from 60 to 40 due to low demand.
21-year-old business calling it quits in Richland
A Central Richland shop offering locally popped varieties of kettle corn, as well as its associated businesses, will close Dec. 31.
SSM Health St. Mary's celebrates Christmas with annual Joy Day
KRCG offers coverage of news, sports, weather and local events in the Columbia and Jefferson City, Missouri area, including the communities of New Bloomfield, Shaw, Boonville, Ashland, Hallsville, Sturgeon, Centralia, Mexico, Auxvasse, Fulton, California, Tipton, Eldon, Wardsville, Westphalia and Sedalia, Missouri.
Watch Gainesville vs. Thomas County Central in Georgia 5A football championship: Live stream
The game begins at 8 p.m, on Wednesday at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta.
Danville City Council says ‘yes’ to new entertainment center
DANVILLE, Ill. (WCIA) — An all-in-one trampoline park, restaurant and rock climbing facility could be coming to one city in Central Illinois. The Danville City Council voted Tuesday night wit…
This giant microbe organizes its DNA in a surprising way
3-D microscopy shows that the giant bacterium Thiovulum imperiosus squeezes its DNA into peripheral pouches, not a central mass like typical bacteria.
911 operators now ask Phoenix callers if they want mental health experts
Phoenix residents calling 911 will now be asked if they need a behavioral health expert to respond to an incident rather than a police officer.
Science Central to host first holiday event, Winter WonderLab
The Winter WonderLab will take place December 18 through 20.
Wright State, Central State not compliant with Ohio ‘science of reading’ standards, state audit finds
Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine announced this week that Wright State and Central State are two of 10 Ohio universities not fully compliant with a new state law requiring Ohio’s teaching institutions to ban literacy approaches other than the “science of reading” from their curriculum.
Politics and Disasters Challenge Thai, Indonesian Central Banks
Central banks in Thailand and Indonesia will make their last interest rate decisions of 2025 under a cloud of economic challenges from politics to weather.
RODENTS GALORE: These 5 Central Florida restaurants shut down over health issues
Another five Central Florida eateries were forced to shut down, and they all reportedly shared one feature in common: rodent droppings.
WHO highlights health risks and opportunities in the global waste crisis
A new World Health Organization (WHO) report, Throwing away our health: the impacts of solid waste on human health – evidence, knowledge gaps and health sector responses, warns that poorly managed solid waste is driving a public health crisis and calls for urgent action to protect people and the environments they live in.Globally, the volume of municipal solid waste is growing at an unprecedented rate. Yet, many countries still lack the systems and resources to manage this waste safely. “Solid waste reflects how our societies produce and consume, and how we treat people and the environment in the process,” said Dr Ruediger Krech, Director a.i., Department of Environment, Climate Change, One Health & Migration at the World Health Organization. “If we continue to treat waste as an afterthought, we will lock in avoidable disease, climate pollution and deep social inequities. This report is a clear call to put health and equity at the centre of how we design, manage and ultimately reduce waste.”The report summarizes evidence on how solid waste – especially municipal solid waste – affects health through polluted air, water, soil and food. When waste is not collected, or is dumped, burned or not poorly treated, it can release hazardous chemicals, contaminate drinking-water sources and create breeding grounds for insects and rodents.Communities underserved by waste management services, those living near dumpsites and poorly managed landfills and incinerators, children and pregnant women, as well as waste workers – particularly those working informally – face the greatest risks. For the water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) community, the report underlines that safe management of municipal and health care waste is integral to safely managed, climate-resilient systems.A large share of municipal solid waste is still not collected or is disposed of in uncontrolled conditions, including open dumpsites and open burning. These practices damage ecosystems, contribute to climate change and undermine efforts to build healthy cities. When waste is properly managed, however, it can become a resource – generating energy and creating green jobs. The report calls for a coordinated, multisectoral response grounded in the waste hierarchy: preventing waste where possible, then reducing, reusing and recycling, with safe recovery and disposal.Key actions for governments and partners include reducing waste generation at source; expanding affordable and reliable waste collection services, especially in underserved communities; improving control at recovery and disposal facilities; and eliminating open dumping and burning, including hazardous waste. The new report identifies a central role for the health sector in addressing solid waste as a public health threat. The health sector can prevent and minimize health-care waste at source, improve segregation and safe treatment, invest in cleaner climate-resilient technologies, and advocate for health-protective policies and standards. The report also encourages more surveillance, research and biomonitoring to strengthen the evidence base, and promotes social protection and inclusion of informal waste workers.“This report gives countries and health authorities a very practical agenda,” said Mr Bruce Gordon, Head, Water, Sanitation, Hygiene and Health Unit, WHO. “Health ministries can start now by ensuring safe management of health-care waste, developing strong occupational health programmes for waste workers, and working with municipalities to reduce health risks from solid waste by closing open dumps and burn sites and gradually improving towards safe services. These concrete steps save lives today and will make cities cleaner and healthier in the future.
Three international companies get tax incentives for jobs in central Ohio
The Ohio Tax Credit Authority projects may result in more than $148 million in new payroll and generate over $1.1 billion in Ohio investments.
ESA students on public school sports teams? This bill would allow it
Sen. John Kavanagh, a Republican from Fountain Hills, pitched a similar effort in the last legislative session.
Japan business mood hits 4-year high
TOKYO >> Big Japanese manufacturers’ business sentiment hit a four-year high in the three months to December, a closely watched survey showed on Monday, reinforcing market expectations the central bank will raise interest rates this week.
Top 5 memories for 2025 bring Skattebo, Suarez, Cardinals into the mix
Cam Skattebo's swan song, Eugenio Suarez says goodbye, WNBA watch parties and the Arizona Cardinals top my Top 5 sports memories from 2025.
The Best Games of 2025 — The Windows Central team ranks our favorite titles across Xbox and Windows PC
Hey gang, Jez here with a round-up of our favorite Xbox and PC games for 2025, alongside some strong honorable mentions you should definitely check out.
BLOG: Who won big? Inside the Best of Central Valley Business 2025
It was an evening of firsts at Pardini’s in Fresno on Tuesday as the 2025 winners of the Best of Central Valley Business Readers’ Choice Awards were announced. Nearly 200 people attended the event to
Lehigh Sports Central: Women's Wrestling
On the latest episode of Lehigh Sports Central, hear from Lehigh Women's Wrestling head coach Brazel Marquez and first year Genevieve An as they discuss the ...
The New WHO Pandemic Treaty and Global Health Governance: Incorporating Common but Differentiated Responsibilities into PABS - Georgetown Journal of International Affairs
On May 20, 2025, the World Health Assembly unanimously adopted the World Health Organization (WHO) Pandemic Agreement, an international treaty designed to strengthen pandemic prevention, preparedness, and response. The product of three years of arduous negotiations, the treaty marks a new era of global cooperation in public health. However, core aspects of the agreement remain unresolved—notably the Pathogen Access and Benefit-Sharing (PABS) System, which is intended to ensure equitable access to pandemic-related materials and benefits. To support the successful implementation of the WHO Pandemic Agreement, the principle of “common but differentiated responsibilities” should be formally incorporated into the negotiating agenda of the PABS annex. Introduction For the first time, an international treaty has enshrined the principle of “One Health,” the compelling idea that the health of animals, humans, and the environment all contribute to pandemic risks. SARS (2003), H1N1 (2009–10), Ebola (2014–16), and COVID-19 all emerged through zoonotic spillover from animal hosts—respectively, civets, hogs, and bats. Together, they underscore the need for a coordinated, cross-sectoral approach. The Pandemic Agreement responds to this call, requiring state parties to acknowledge the ecological interplay and commit to a comprehensive “One Health” strategy. Specifically, Article 5 charges governments to address “the drivers of pandemics and the emergence and re-emergence of infectious disease at the human-animal-environment interface,” including wild animal markets, deforestation, and antibiotic overuse. Yet the effectiveness of this “One Health” vision depends equally on the free flow of scientific information and data among countries and institutions. Just as environmental and animal health factors have been neglected in past global frameworks, so too has data sharing been marginalized, despite its centrality to timely detection and response. The Pandemic Agreement takes an important step by requiring governments to enhance data collection and cooperate with the World Health Organization (WHO). However, these provisions will remain aspirational without a robust Pathogen Access and Benefit-Sharing (PABS) annex. The PABS system will determine whether countries and researchers can rapidly exchange pathogen samples and genetic data while ensuring equitable access to resulting research and development, including diagnostics, therapeutics, and vaccines. Without such mechanisms, the treaty’s promise to operationalize “One Health” and strengthen global preparedness will risk becoming largely symbolic, echoing earlier failures to translate shared principles into coordinated action. Equity Concerns When the 2025 Health Assembly adopted the Pandemic Agreement, it left the difficult question of access to pathogens and the sharing of resulting benefits to be addressed in a separate agreement. Negotiations on this separate agreement, PABS, are now underway in Geneva. Yet governments remain divided over fundamental questions of equity between the countries that primarily contribute to the system and those that primarily draw from it—and consequently benefit. For example, wildlife in countries bordering the equator is likely to produce PABS materials, but companies in Europe are likely to use them to develop lucrative products. The most likely contributor countries are likely to be those biodiverse countries around the equator, such as Brazil, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and Indonesia, where the number of human-mammalian viral host interactions is large. Conversely, countries most likely to benefit from this material are those with the technology, investors, and infrastructure to capitalize on genomic data, such as the United States, EU member states, and Japan. This imbalance reflects a broader pattern seen in prior international frameworks. Now, as in the past, the wealthiest countries in the world (a useful heuristic is membership of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD)) disproportionately benefit from systems in which pathogens and genomic sequencing data are contributed to a common source. Under the International Agreement on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture (the “Plant Treaty” or “Seed Treaty”) and the Pandemic Influenza Preparedness (PIP) Framework, companies from Europe and North America disproportionately withdraw biological samples and data for development into lucrative medical products. Their governments and companies have both statutory and contractual claims to the products that those companies correspondingly produce. PABS appears poised to follow the same pattern. The text calls for strong language on access to pathogens and associated data, but the corresponding benefits that should flow to poorer countries are couched in equivocal or non-binding language. Common but Differentiated Responsibilities To address these inequities, the principle of “common but differentiated responsibilities” should be formally incorporated into the negotiating agenda of the PABS annex. Common but differentiated responsibilities are often a feature of climate change negotiations. The basic principle is that, even though all countries should reduce carbon emissions, governments that became rich and powerful through massive carbon emissions (e.g., France, the United Kingdom, the United States) should have a greater obligation to address the resulting crises. Applied to PABS, it would require that governments hosting and supporting companies developing lucrative products carry greater obligations toward the cost of running the PABS system; share benefits or final medical products; and transfer technology to help countries worldwide develop their own capacities to innovate and manufacture vaccines during an emergency. For example, an annex could mandate that any company based in an OECD country that withdraws PABS material would be obligated to donate the resulting diagnostics, therapeutics, or vaccines to the WHO during a public health emergency or pandemic. Questions remain about how robust those donations would be, but the principle is that they should deliver highly significant lifesaving benefits to be equitably shared. Theoretically, this approach mirrors the PIP Framework, in which companies withdrawing influenza samples are required to pay half of the operating costs. In practice, however, the framework has fallen short. The PIP Framework Secretariat has struggled to secure payments from companies, with companies often disagreeing over how much is owed. Additionally, without another pandemic influenza to test the strength of the agreement during a public health emergency, corporate compliance with sharing mechanisms remains unknown. Even if these limitations did not characterize the PIP Framework, partially paying for operating expenses does not address the inequity in access to genetic data and pathogen samples that left less developed countries last in line for COVID-19 vaccines (and, before them, H1N1). Common but differentiated responsibilities would go further, addressing governments’ legitimate grievances regarding information sharing. It would make withdrawals of PABS material and resulting products more transparent, building trust across the board. Enforcement and Enduring Success A key implication of this approach is that the governing mechanism of the PABS must have real enforcement authority. The WHO Pandemic Agreement delegates its core governance responsibilities to a Conference of the Parties (COP)—a governing body composed of one representative from each participating government, similar to those established under the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change and the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control. The proposed WHO Pandemic Agreement COP is charged with oversight functions but ultimately possesses no real authority to compel a government to take any action it does not wish to take. The text does not give the COP the ability to, for example, sanction a party that does not comply with either textual obligations or PABS provisions. In other words, there are no effective mechanisms in place to ensure compliance. Perhaps just as significant, establishing a meaningful enforcement mechanism within the PABS system would strengthen the WHO’s credibility and its ability to ensure compliance across global health governance. By setting a precedent for accountability, such a mechanism could enhance the organization’s authority not only within the Pandemic Agreement but also in enforcing the revised International Health Regulations and other frameworks for public health emergencies. Conclusion The PABS annex can—and should—be different. It should establish clear responsibilities for funding as well as for sharing the diagnostics, therapeutics, and vaccines that result from contributions to the system. The system, in turn, must include a dedicated body empowered to hold governments and the corporations they sponsor accountable for their responsibilities before, during, and after pandemics. Doing so would restore trust in the broader agreement, which was eroded as commitments were repeatedly diluted while parties scrambled to meet their own self-imposed deadlines during the Pandemic Agreement negotiations. A robust PABS Annex would cement a grand social bargain. Wealthier countries and their corporations would gain unimpeded access to scientific information essential for developing and manufacturing lifesaving medical products. As such, they would stand to gain considerable economic benefit. Yet that privilege must be matched with responsibility. The grand bargain must include not only the right to innovate, but also the duty to ensure that innovation serves all. As medical products are developed and produced through collective contributions, every person must have equal access. All human beings deserve an equitable chance to survive—to save their own life, the lives of their families, and the well-being of their communities. … Sam Halabi, JD, MPhil, is the Bette Jacobs Endowed Professor at Georgetown University’s School of Health and the Director of the Center for Transformational Health Law at Georgetown Law. He serves as the co-lead for the WHO’s Working Group on Regulatory Consideration on AI and Health’s training workstream. He earned his JD from Harvard, his MPhil from Oxford, and undergraduate degrees from Kansas State University. Lawrence Gostin, LLD (Hon.), JD, BA, is University Distinguished Professor and Founding Director and Timothy and Linda O’Neill Professor of the O’Neill Institute for National and Global Health Law. He is the author of Global Health Security: A Blueprint for the Future (Harvard University Press, 2021); Global Health Law (Harvard University Press, 2014); Public Health Law: Power, Duty, Restraint (University of California Press, 3rd ed., 2016); Public Health Law and Ethics: A Reader (University of California Press, 3rd ed., 2018); Law and the Health System (Foundation Press, 2014); Principles of Mental Health Law & Practice (Oxford University Press, 2010). He also directs the WHO Collaborating Center at Georgetown University. Image Credit: United States Mission Geneva, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
NYC Health + Hospitals/Metropolitan Achieves Central Line-Associated Bloodstream Infection Rate of Zero - NYC Health + Hospitals
New York, NY – NYC Health + Hospitals/Metropolitan announced today that it has earned national recognition for achieving a central line-associated
From Concerts to Events: What’s Next for Casino-Backed Entertainment in Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania has a rich and thriving entertainment market. From major theme parks like Hersheypark and Knoebels to a host of museums, concert halls, and theatres. At the heart of Pennsylvania’s entertainment market is a booming casino industry. Locations like Parx Casino, Mount Airy Casino Resort, and Mohegan Pennsylvania provide residents and visitors with many entertainment options. Casino-backed entertainment has evolved beyond simple table games and slot machines. It has become a billion-dollar industry central to tourism and entertainment in the State.
Austin Public Health warns of uptick in foodborne illness reports
Austin Public Health has seen an increase in cases of salmonella and norovirus across central Texas, and the CDC recommends following a four-step process to ensure food safety: clean, separate, coo…
How Broadcom's IT Leverages Tanzu Platform to Achieve Enterprise-Scale Agentic Business Transformation - Broadcom News and Stories
Broadcom’s Global Technology Organization is rolling out agentic AI engineering tools to boost productivity and ROI for thousands of developers. By adopting the VMware Tanzu Platform, Broadcom can deliver safer and compliant coding assistants powered by MCP servers, while centralizing governance, performance tuning, cost control, and AI safety across the enterprise.
FTBOA To Pursue Development Of Racing, Entertainment Facility In Ocala Area
Former Miami Beach Mayor Philip Levine and attorney John Morgan named as partners in potential Central Florida project
Red Sea Film Foundation CEO Faisal Baltyuor On Building an Entertainment Ecosystem in Saudi Arabia
Baltyuor opens up about the central role the Red Sea International Film Festival has in the country's drive to become a global production hub.
Football: Northwestern to play Central Michigan in GameAbove Sports Bowl
In a season that saw Northwestern travel to New Orleans and Los Angeles, coach David Braun’s team will not have to travel far to finish off its campaign. The Wildcats (6-6, 4-5 Big Ten) will compete in Detroit’s GameAbove Sports Bowl against Central Michigan on Dec. 26, the team announced Sunday afternoon. The game is...
Here are 3 things Portland’s mayor wants to see in the central city by 2030
Hitting any one of the targets announced by Mayor Keith Wilson will likely be an extremely tall order.
Miami Dolphins vs Pittsburgh Steelers picks, predictions, odds for NFL Week 15 game Monday
NFL Week 15 odds, picks, predictions, TV channel, streaming information for Monday Night Football game between Miami Dolphins and Pittsburgh Steelers.
Award-winning folk and country group to perform in central Pa.
The tour is in support of their latest album, "Arcadia," which was released earlier this year.
Central Michigan to face Northwestern at Ford Field for GameAbove Sports Bowl
The Central Michigan Chippewas will be in Detroit for the holiday season as they'll face the Northwestern Wildcats at Ford Field.
Weird Science: Citizen science and monkey sweat help NC researcher determine whether current obsession with skincare routines may be doing more harm than good
Dr. Julie Horvath is the head of the Genomics & Microbiology Research Lab at the North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences and also an Associate Research Professor at North Carolina Central University. She’s studying personal hygiene and its effects on the microbes on our skin – by taking samples from people's arm pits and from the underarms of other primates.
Central Michigan headed to Detroit for bowl game
The game starts at 1 p.m. and will be televised by ESPN.
Central Michigan coming to Ford Field for GameAbove Sports Bowl vs Northwestern
Central Michigan is coming to Detroit to play Northwestern in the GameAbove Sports Bowl at Ford Field.