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Jaguars open 75K-square-foot business office at One Tower Court in downtown Jacksonville
The Jacksonville Jaguars on Wednesday opened a 75,287-square-foot business operations office at One Tower Court, downtown Jacksonville’s first multi-tenant Class A office building built since 2007. The team occupies the building’s second through fourth floors.
Glyphosate: A story of science, risk, and nuance
In the summer of 2014, a California groundskeeper named Dewayne Johnson started noticing patches of raw, weeping skin spreading across his body. He had spent years applying Roundup, Monsanto’s glyphosate-based herbicide, for a school district, sometimes drenched in it when equipment malfunctioned. By 2014, he had a diagnosis: non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma. In 2018, a jury awarded him $289 million in damages, later reduced on appeal. Tens of thousands of lawsuits followed. The story hasn’t quieted down. It’s all over the internet, swinging between “this will kill you, buy organic” and “relax, you’re fear-mongering.” Some of that recent chatter stems from an Executive Order protecting glyphosate and its production, which set off intense infighting within the MAHA movement. Some of it reflects a deeper truth: Americans genuinely care about harmful chemicals in their environment (see poll below). And the conversation isn’t going anywhere, with a Supreme Court case involving Monsanto set for this April. Glyphosate (the active ingredient in Roundup) is one of the most widely used herbicides in the world. But does glyphosate cause cancer? And how much exposure is actually risky? With so much mistrust in institutions and corporations (and some genuine conflicts of interest), making sense of the actual scientific evidence is genuinely hard. Here is a translation of what the scientific evidence actually says. Does glyphosate cause harm? Glyphosate is an herbicide that kills most plants it contacts rather than targeting specific species. It works by blocking an enzyme pathway (EPSPS) that plants and many microorganisms need to produce essential amino acids. Without those amino acids, the plant can’t grow and dies. Glyphosate was first developed by Monsanto in the 1970s and became ubiquitous after the company introduced “Roundup Ready” crops in the 1990s. In 2024, Bayer removed glyphosate from residential Roundup-branded products due to litigation pressure. But today it is still the most widely used herbicide in the world. Farmers also discovered they could spray it directly on crops like oats, lentils, beans, and peas just before harvest to dry them out faster and make harvesting easier. Because of its widespread use, it’s obviously really important to understand if it’s harmful to humans. The key principle: The dose makes the poison The most important concept in toxicology is that “the dose makes the poison.” Sixteenth-century physician Paracelsus articulated what remains the foundational principle of toxicology: sola dosis facit venenum. Water will kill you if you drink enough of it. Aspirin saves lives at 81 milligrams and causes internal bleeding at higher chronic doses. So, at what dose is glyphosate poisonous? The LD50 in rats (the dose that kills half the test animals) is around 5,600 mg/kg body weight. Table salt is roughly 3,000 mg/kg. By that classic measure, glyphosate is less acutely toxic than salt. But some people are exposed to a lot of glyphosate through their work. And among the general public, there are many questions about low-dose, cumulative exposure from multiple sources over long periods. Does glyphosate cause health problems? Cancer Correlation maps are striking, with one analysis finding that 60% of counties that spray the most glyphosate have non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma rates above the national average. But correlation alone doesn’t establish cause, which is why animal and human studies matter. In animals: Rat studies are typically what most fear is rooted in, but most people don’t know the study details on the dosage given to rats. A pooled analysis of the 13 most rigorous rat studies found evidence that very high doses, around 55,000 times greater than typical food residue exposure, can cause certain cancers. In humans: One of the strongest studies followed 55,000 herbicide users over 20 years and found no overall increased cancer risk. There was one signal: among those with the highest use, rates of acute myeloid leukemia (AML) appeared elevated. A broader meta-analysis of 18 human studies also found no overall cancer risk, though a separate meta-analysis focused specifically on non-Hodgkin lymphoma found that people with high cumulative glyphosate exposure faced a 41% higher relative risk compared to those with low or no exposure. These human studies are observational studies (randomized controlled trials would be unethical), and meta-analyses are only as reliable as the studies they pool. But the story seems consistent: at very high exposure levels, there may be some cancer risk. But that’s about as far as the science currently takes us. Emerging research: gut and reproductive health Gut: Because glyphosate targets a pathway that exists in some gut bacteria, scientists have questioned whether it could affect the microbiome. In mice, a 2023 University of Iowa study found that glyphosate altered gut bacterial composition and raised markers of intestinal inflammation. A 2024 systematic review found similar patterns: disrupted gut bacteria and problems with the mucus layer that protects the intestinal wall in mice. Whether this translates to humans is an open question. The human gut is highly variable and resistant, and we don't yet have strong studies confirming the same effects in people. Reproductive health: Animal studies have found that glyphosate-based herbicides can interfere with reproductive hormones, including disrupting egg cell development in mice and reducing the number of eggs available in sheep’s ovaries. However, the doses used in these experiments were high, so it’s not yet clear whether the same effects would occur in humans. On the human side, a 2021 pilot study led by Mount Sinai researchers tested urine samples from pregnant women across the U.S. and found glyphosate in 95% of them. The study also found a possible connection between higher glyphosate exposure during pregnancy and a subtle physical difference measured in female newborns. That said, some connections weren’t statistically reliable and this was a small study. The researchers themselves said more and larger studies are needed before drawing firm conclusions. What do regulators say about glyphosate safety? In 2015, the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), part of the World Health Organization, classified glyphosate as "probably carcinogenic to humans" (Group 2A). The classification is worth taking seriously. But, there’s an important distinction: IARC classifies hazard, meaning the potential to cause harm under some conditions. It does not assess risk, which accounts for actual exposure levels and the real-world probability of harm. The U.S. EPA, the European Food Safety Authority, Health Canada, and regulatory agencies in Australia and Japan have all concluded that glyphosate is “unlikely to be carcinogenic to humans” at realistic exposure levels. They’re asking a different question: given how much of this people actually encounter, what is the probability of harm? Your actual exposure is what determines your actual risk. What does glyphosate mean for your daily life? At the grocery store: Food residues are small. The EPA’s acceptable daily intake is 1.75 mg/kg of body weight per day. To hit that threshold from oatmeal alone, a 150-pound adult would need to eat roughly 50 pounds of oats every day. But this calculation addresses only one pathway (food), and we don’t yet have robust tools to measure people’s actual total exposure. If reducing exposure matters to you, organic certification prohibits synthetic herbicides, and organic oat products generally test at lower or undetectable levels. Either way, a diet rich in whole grains, conventional or organic, is far better for your health than one that omits them out of fear of residues. On the farm: Occupational exposure is orders of magnitude higher than consumer exposure. Farmers and farm workers who mix, load, and apply glyphosate-based herbicides, especially without protective equipment, face meaningfully different risk profiles. Proper PPE isn’t optional. Integrated weed management strategies that rotate chemical modes of action are also worth taking seriously, both for health and for long-term effectiveness. If you live near a farm: Spray drift is real. Concentrations near field edges can spike during and after application, particularly on windy days. This is an area where I think public health could really step up and empower rural communities with buffer zones, rather than placing the onus on individuals. But for now, knowing your local agricultural calendar and keeping windows closed during application are the first steps. Bottom line Dewayne Johnson was exposed to glyphosate at levels most people will never encounter, and a jury decided he deserved compensation. That outcome is not evidence that the oatmeal in your pantry is dangerous. But it is a reminder that the dose, the context, and the person doing the exposing all matter enormously. Glyphosate is a chemical tool with benefits, trade-offs, and genuine open scientific questions. Learning to hold that complexity without collapsing into panic or dismissal is, honestly, one of the most useful and hardest things to do in navigating modern health science. Love, YLE Your Local Epidemiologist (YLE) is founded and operated by Dr. Katelyn Jetelina, MPH PhD—an epidemiologist, wife, and mom of two little girls. Hannah Totte, MPH, is an epidemiologist and YLE Community Manager. YLE reaches more than 425,000 people in over 132 countries with one goal: “Translate” the ever-evolving public health science so that people will be well-equipped to make evidence-based decisions. This newsletter is free to everyone, thanks to the generous support of fellow YLE community members. To support the effort, subscribe or upgrade below: Subscribe
New Free FIFA Game Pits Greek God Zeus Against Argentinian Icon Diego Maradona, Will Come to PS5
Ready for the World Cup
Sports Illustrated Stadium to host fan events during FIFA World Cup
Sports Illustrated Stadium will host fan events — unaffiliated with the 2026 FIFA World Cup — during the world's largest sporting event.
Newcastle should resist any calls for change
The biggest game of the weekend was Newcastle v Sunderland - well, it was in the north east, anyway. For all the passion, and there was plenty on show, as well as the usual late drama, in the end it was Sunderland winning to go 11th leaving their neighbours down in 12th. For Sunderland it is still a fine season as a promoted side, but for Newcastle this is disappointing mid-table mediocrity following defeat in the semi-final of the Carabao Cup against Manchester City and in the Champions League against Barcelona.
Business Notes: Rocco’s Smokehouse Grill to reopen in temporary location
Rocco’s Smokehouse Grill soon plans to operate out of the Shops at High Street in the space formerly occupied by Strangeways.
Antoine Griezmann to join Orlando City in MLS when Atletico Madrid season ends: Why 35-year-old is still great
Griezmann, a World Cup winner with France in 2018, joins an influx of star players like Lionel Messi and Son Heung-min in MLS
We disagreed on politics. We agreed on wine. That was enough.
At the Virginia Governor’s Cup Gala in Richmond earlier this month, a very dapper gentleman approached me and introduced himself. In his light-colored suit and bowtie, he looked very Southern in a classical sense, the sort of Virginia Gentleman you used to see south of the Rappahannock as recently as my college days. “I’m a longtime reader and fan of your writing, if not your politics,” he said. His comment was the proverbial iron fist in a velvet glove, simultaneously conveying praise and disapproval while establishing boundaries. Man, I wish we still discoursed like this instead of shouting bromides and insults to try and “own” our opponents with a funny meme and a furrowed brow. Subscribe “Well, we’ll always have wine to share together,” I said, and thanked him for his kind words. We clinked glasses, exchanged pleasantries about the delicious gold medal-winning wines being poured that evening, and went our separate ways. Our exchange reminded me that more unites us than divides us. Wine brings people together to share a meal and a few hours of joy despite our differences.1 That’s why I refer to the wine community — including readers and consumers — rather than the wine industry. Together, we are so much more than production, distribution and sales statistics. A few minutes later the evening’s awards ceremony began. Applause grew as the 12 winemakers who made the top-scoring wines for the Governor’s Case took the stage, including a loud cheer for Jonathan Wheeler of Trump Winery and his 2018 Blanc de Noir sparkling wine. All the winemakers on stage had reason to be proud, Wheeler perhaps more so. Trump Winery was the only winery to win six gold medals in the competition this year. (Wineries are limited to six entries.) Two of Wheeler’s ciders also won gold medals in a separate competition. When you cover the labels and take the sour taste of politics off your palate, the wines are pretty darn good.2 Then Gov. Abigail Spanberger, newly elected Democrat and Virginia’s first female governor, was introduced to great applause to announce which of the 12 wines had won the Governor’s Cup. She spoke for a few minutes about the importance of wine to Virginia’s economy and tourism and the international acclaim Virginia wine has received. Just two weeks earlier, she gave the Democrats’ response to Trump’s State of the Union speech, but this night wasn’t about politics. That didn’t stop several people in the crowd from speculating on the irony should she have to present the trophy to Trump Winery. In the end, Valley Road Vineyards was displayed on the screen behind Spanberger as the winning winery. Blue Bee Cidery in Richmond took top honors for that category. The crowd cheered a female governor presenting the state’s highest trophy to a female winemaker and then resumed the evening’s festivities, united by their mutual love of wine. A whiff of politics couldn’t dim the cheer of celebration and a community united by its love of wine. In Memoriam: Michel Rolland The global wine community lost a giant March 20, with the passing of Michel Rolland. He was 78. Rolland was the original “flying winemaker,” a globe-trotting consultant who helped Bordeaux regain its mojo in the 1970s and then shaped the rise of Napa Valley cult Cabernet as consultant to Simi, Harlan, Newton, Screaming Eagle, Araujo, Dalle Valle and other wineries. He was instrumental in Argentina’s rise to prominence and even had his own winery, Clos de los Siete, in a partnership with other wine families. Rolland’s career arc paralleled that of Robert Parker, the world’s most influential critic. Parker championed many of the wines Rolland consulted on, helping build his reputation and demand for his services. It also made him a target for Parker’s critics. As W. Blake Gray wrote on Wine-Searcher in his excellent tribute to Rolland: Rolland created the type of wines Parker loved: rich body, plenty of fruit, soft tannins. He sometimes faced the accusation of creating a generic international style of red wine, where the great wines he made in Argentina were indistinguishable from the great wines he made in France. Rolland chafed at that critique, as did many of his fans. He was credited with championing green harvesting and leaf pulling, as well as careful selection of grapes in the winery, practices we nearly universally think of today for high-quality winemaking. “Michel was an incredible innovator who changed how wine was made and how grapes were grown,” Napa Valley winemaker Aaron Pott wrote on Facebook. “His work has transformed the wine trade. He created new ways of looking at wine, tasting wine, evaluating ripeness and quality. … This was not just a man with a ‘style’ that he imposed on vineyards but a man that understood how to make great wine from great sites.” Rolland started his consulting company in 1973 in Libourne, in Bordeaux, with his wife, Dany. Both had graduated the year before from Bordeaux’s Institute d’Oenologie. The couple sold their majority share in the business in 2020, according to Wine Spectator. Over his career, Rolland reportedly worked with more than 100 wineries in 20 countries. He even made it to Virginia, where he consulted for Kluge Estate in the mid-2000s. (Kluge Estate is now Trump Winery.) Reader feedback, please! Last week, I did my first WineLine Live! with Dr. Laura Catena of Catena Zapata winery in Argentina. We enjoyed a fascinating discussion about her efforts to preserve the genetic heritage of old vineyards in Mendoza. I conceived of WineLine Live! for paid subscribers, as a thank you for your financial support. And while only a few people joined live, the video now has more views than I have paid subscribers, so I guess that’s pretty good. Even so, I’m considering opening future installments to anyone on Substack to reach a broader audience. So my questions to you: Should these be public? And what format do you prefer? Live gives a chat feature with the potential for viewers to interact with me and the guest, while a video post would just be that. Another alternative is a podcast, which would just be audio, without video of my chins. Please let me know in the comments. Leave a comment In the Glass A few wines I’ve enjoyed recently: Bonny Doon Vineyard Take Me to Your Liter, Le Cigare Volant, Red Wine of the Earth. 2023, Central Coast, CA. Blend of Grenache, Syrah Cinsaut and Petite Sirah. Delightful wine with expressive red fruit flavors, casual drinking. Doon lovers of a certain age will remember Randall Grahm’s Big House Red; this is more in that style than his original Le Cigare Volant, modeled after Chateauneuf du Pape. The liter bottle makes it an even better value. I see this online at about $15. Great value. Albert Bichot Bourgogne Pinot Noir Origines 2023. 13% - Textbook pinot noir and an excellent, affordable entry (regional) Burgundy. Wine Enthusiast Top 100 Wines of 2025. $24 at Total Wine & More. Loma Larga Pinot Noir 2021 “Coastal Cool Climate Wine”, Valle de Casablanca, Chile. An older sample, showing beautifully. Spicy and fruit forward. I’m seeing widely varied pricing online, from $18-$32. At the lower end, it’s a terrific value. 13.5% Dr. Loosen Riesling Dry 2016, Mosel, Germany. Found this “in the stack.” And it stacked up well, shedding some of its youthful acidity for opulent Riesling character, including a hint of the mineral oil older Riesling often features. A great value, as I’m seeing it as low as $14 online. 12% abv. Red Tail Ridge Blau Franc Blend 2024, Sans Oak, Finger Lakes. 13.4% abv. The name is a neat portmanteau of Blaufrankisch and Cabernet Franc, thus Blau Franc. The blend is 50-50, no oak involved. The Blau dominates on the palate, with the spicy caraway seed (think New York deli rye bread). The Franc adds body. The result is juicy, energetic and joyful. Sokol Blosser Estate Rosé of Pinot Noir 2025, Dundee Hills, Willamette Valley, Oregon. This first rosé of 2025 was a welcome respite to our cold, snowy winter here in the Mid-Atlantic. Oh man, I needed this! Bright and energetic, exuberant even, it perks up the mood and goes down fast. 13%. Certified B Corp. Ingredient and nutrition labeling, and in a modest way that doesn’t occupy a lot of label space. (Since it’s not required, presumably there are no minimum font size requirements.) More wineries should follow this example. Dave McIntyre's WineLine is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. Subscribe Thanks for reading Dave McIntyre's WineLine! This post is public so feel free to share it. Share 1 Some restraint may be required. 2 Especially the bubblies.
The week ahead: Another big (and tough) week for Penguins
Looking at what the Pittsburgh Penguins need to do to secure their spot in the Stanley Cup Playoffs this season.
German men's biathlon coaches stay, women's coaches leave after flop
Tobias Reiter und Jens Filbrich have kept their jobs as coaches of Germany's men's biathlon team despite their equivalents in the women's team leaving their roles. The season which finished on Sunday was hugely disappointing for the former biathlon powerhouses, with just one Olympic bronze medal and no World Cup wins.
Ballard set to miss Northern Ireland's Italy play-off
Dan Ballard is set to miss Northern Ireland's crucial World Cup play-off semi-final against Italy on Thursday because of a hamstring injury.
Experience shone through for Manchester City at Wembley against Arsenal
Manchester City claimed the first piece of silverware for the 2025/26 season with their 2-0 win over Arsenal at Wembley in yesterday’s Carabao Cup final. A second half brace from Nico O’Reilly was...
Midtown's '42 Below' retail occupancy rising faster than the rest of Manhattan
Your Thymus and Your Healthspan
Our thymus gland plays a central role in the development or our immune system, specifically for supporting T cell development (how these cells got their name, maturation and differentiation in the thymus) and discriminating between self and foreign, non-self antigen proteins with production of dendritic cells. As we age, our thymus gland shrinks—the process known as involution—with progressive change from spongy to fatty tissue, with loss of functionality. But this process, with respect to timeline and extent, markedly varies from one person to the next. And to make things even more complicated, our thymus gland anatomy and precise location in the chest also is highly variable. So the famous Frank Netter diagrams from the 1960s (such as at left below) don’t capture the remarkable heterogeneity that a random set of 12 chest CT scans (below at right). What I consider as 2 landmark papers in Nature this week (here and here) used AI to quantify health of the thymus in 2 large cohorts, and then correlate the metric to a broad array of health outcomes. In this edition of Ground Truths, I’m going to cover three questions: (1) How was thymus health determined by AI?; (2) How is thymus health linked to key clinical outcomes? and (3) Are there ways we can promote a healthy (aka rejuvenate) thymus gland in our later years? Subscribe 1. How was thymus health determined by AI? This was accomplished by extensive work developing and validating an AI pipeline for 2 stages, the first for localization and segmentation of the thymus bed, and the second to quantify a digital marker, termed the thymic health score. There’s a lot to this algorithmic development, so I won’t go into all the details, but just provide a rudimentary outline of what was done. The 1st stage used supervised learning with 2 radiologists reviewing 2,461 chest CT scans. That work trained a 3D U-Net model to automatically identify the thymic bed’s 3D cropped region using center of mass coordinates, which reached 99.8% accuracy. The 2nd stage used a foundation model that was pre-trained with SwAV (which stands for Swapping Assignment between multiple Views), a self-supervised model, that generated a high-dimensional thymus representation of 4,096 features. That compares to the radiology reductionist and subjective scoring of 0 to 3 where 0 means the thymus is fully degenerated and fatty, and 3 is considered dense, intact glandular soft tissue. Notably, the self-supervised learning (SSL) performance was superior to supervised (AUC ~0.75 vs 0.55, respectively) reflecting the shallowness of the 0-3 classifier vs SSL’s holistic, self-taught AI. The thymic health score ranged from 0 to 100, with the highest number indexed to fully preserved thymic health. The algorithmic work extended to explainability with both Shapely value distribution, meaning the model was holistic not relying on any “magic” pixel, and occlusion sensitivity, demonstrating the model’s performance was not affected by ribs, sternum, lung tissue, but rather focused on the thymic bed directly. Below are a few saliency maps from the occlusion sensitivity that indicate the thymic bed focus, not affected by neighboring structures, using the jet color scale. Now the AI was ready for processing ~25,000 CT scans, each over 30 MB files, from the 2 large participant cohorts to provide a thymic health score, it did so in less than 14 hours, which is less than 2 seconds per scan! Share 2. How is thymus health linked to key clinical outcomes? The two cohorts were the National Lung Screening Trial, NLST (N=25,031) and the Framingham Heart Study, FHS (N=2,581) each with baseline demographics and long term follow up of >12 years for health outcomes. From the NSLT, you can see below that increased age and body-mass index were correlated to reduced thymic health. And, overall, men had reduced thymic health scores compared with women. There are a lot of graphs in the paper for outcomes, for both the NLST and FHS cohorts. To simplify the major outcomes, below is a composite Figure with striking reduction of all-cause mortality and for the different causes of death. The results were consistent between the 2 cohorts. For example, the cardiovascular mortality hazard ratio average was 0.57 in NLST and 0.38 in FHS (weighted to be 0.53 for the aggregate). The reduction of mortality also extended to digestive diseases and pulmonary disease (data not shown below). Lung cancer incidence was reduced by 36% for high vs low thymic health (Figure below, with a panel -incidence and b panel-mortality, adjusted for age, sex, BMI, smoking status). Notably, there was a smoker’s paradox: lower incidence and improved survival for lung cancer in smokers who had a high thymus health score. Smoking was associated with lower thymic scores whereas alcohol was not. Higher thymic health was linked to higher HDL cholesterol, lower triglycerides, lower fasting blood glucose, and lower systolic and diastolic blood pressure. Inflammation biomarkers, such as C-reactive protein and interleukin-6, were elevated in the people with lower thymic health scores. In their second paper, the same team looked at the relationship between thymic score and outcomes for 3,476 patients receiving cancer immunotherapy. The non-small cell lung cancer progression-free survival was reduced in patients with low thymic health score. A parallel relationship for survival was seen for other types of cancer including melanoma, breast, and kidney with a 44% lower risk among high thymic scores (Figure). A similar pattern was seen with different immune checkpoint inhibitors. The thymus health score outperformed programmed death ligand-1 (PD-L1)and tumor mutation burden (TMB) assay of the tumor and was an independent prognostic marker of progression-free survival. In this dataset, a direct connect with thymus score and adaptive immune function was noted with a correlation before cancer treatment for both T-cell diversity and thymus T-cell production (a metric known as T cell receptor excision circles). Thymus Removal Study There is a highly relevant citation about thymus function before moving onto ways to rejuvenate it. In 2023, a very important study of thymus removal during cardiothoracic surgery was published, with 1146 patients undergoing thymus removal vs 1146 matched controls (mean age 55 years). The adverse outcomes for thymus removal were striking, with a 2.9 higher risk of all-cause mortality and doubling of cancer incidence, 1.5 fold increase in cancer mortality, and 1.5-fold increase in autoimmune diseases. The immune function showed marked compromise after thymus removal, as reflected by CD4+ and CD8+ T cells (Figure below) Share Ground Truths 3. Are there ways we can promote a healthy (aka rejuvenate) thymus gland in our later years? In recent months we’ve learned a lot about the process of thymus involution and the pathways by which this may be modulated. Thymus involution is primarily due to loss to thymus epithelial cells (TECs) and there are 2 subtypes with different functions: the cortical, responsible for positive selection of T cells, and the medullary, for negative selection. When adipose tissue infiltrates the thymus, thymic adipocytes are pro-inflammatory, knocking out T-cell output. Likewise, systemic inflammation, or “inflammaging,” from smoking, obesity, and chronic stress promote thymic adipocytes. Now, from preclinical studies, we know about key pathways that account for these processes. Historically, back in 2014, FOXN1 was recognized as a single master transcription factor essential for TEC function, with studies in mice with forced FOXN1 upregulation leading to thymus regeneration. That laid the foundation for potential regrowth of quiescent thymus cells. It took awhile to find pathways to accomplish this goal and to even refute its role as the master regulator. The Liver-Thymus Axis Feng Zhang and his team recently showed that injection of an mRNA vaccine to the liver encoding DLL1, IL-7 and FLT3-L in combination, factors known to support thymopoiesis (Figure), successfully enhanced immune function in aged mice. However, the effect was transient. The FGF21 Story Two reports in 2025 addressed the thymus gland’s production of FGF21, a growth factor (fibroblast growth factor 21) and its control of thymus involution. This growth factor is also produced by the liver, but it doesn’t have impact on the thymus in aged rodent models. In contrast, The liver’s hepatocyte growth factor (HGF) has been shown to reverse senescent TEC structural changes. Growth hormone stimulates production of insulin growth factor-1 (IGF-1) in the liver and the thymus. Two small studies in human participants (TRIIM, for Thymus Regeneration, Immunorestoration, and Insulin Mitigation) of 6 and 50 people, respectively, treated with combined human growth hormone, metformin and DHEA, suggested the potential of slowing epigenetic aging and improving thymus mass and function. But the combination of drugs, small sample, and lack of controls make conclusions murky. Increased thymus FGF21 led to increased CD8 T cells in old mice and extended healthspan and improved physical performance. Building on the previous FOXN1 data, ablation of β-klotho, the obligatory co-receptor for FOXN1, accelerated thymic aging. The benefit to FGF21 was confirmed in a companion paper using an FGF21 knock-in mouse model showing thymus enlargement and increased TECs throughout the lifespan. (schematic Figure below). The accompanying editorial for these 2 papers speculated: “The proposed link between age-associated thymus involution and organismal aging is intriguing, and suggests we might seek to achieve systemic rejuvenation by counteracting thymic involution.” Other Factors Lessons from the Axolotl (Mexican Salamander) In an elegant set of experiments of the axolotl (Figure), known for its complete thymus regeneration after total surgical removal, mediators were identified. Surprisingly FOXN1 was dispensable. But midkine, a growth factor, appeared to be the driver, the initiator of thymus cell growth, survival, and repair. Other components that contributed were Postn+ (periostin-expressing mesenchymal niches) and Ccl19, a chemokine protein from the bloodstream. RANK and RANKL RANK (receptor activator of nuclear factor κB its ligand (RANKL) have been considered key regulators of medullary TECs. In a study of both aged mice and human thymus cell cultures, their key role was confirmed, with multiple benefits of resorting TEC function, recruitment of progenitor cells, and T cell development. Subscribe Summing Up This body of work strongly supports the health of the thymus gland as a critical regulator of human healthspan, not just a correlate or link. The new landmark studies are reinforced by the regenerative biology experimental models that have shown, via an array of mediators, that healthspan of aged mice is at least in part dependent on thymus gland function and its critical role for maintaining adaptive immunity. It sure seems that we’d be better off having an immune reservoir of naive T cells instead of a profile in older adults of exhausted, low quality, memory T cells, with a senescent phenotype. It is striking that we ignored the importance of the thymus gland for many decades. A wake-up call was the results of the thymectomy matched control study reviewed here, with the opposite of high thymic health score improved health outcomes. The convergence of AI and healthspan here is notable. The exceptional and laborious work for developing and validating (no less explaining) the AI to quantify thymus health set the foundation for probing the connect the major health outcomes in two cohorts with extensive follow-up. We’ve never had a way to meaningfully quantify the thymus gland before, so this represents important leverage of supervised, self-supervised, and transformer models. The study wouldn’t have been possible without AI. And it begs the question as to whether there are ways we can maintain our thymus at a high health score. But it’s not so simple to rejuvenate our thymus. There are multiple risks including the induction of autoimmunity, increasing the risk of cancer, and inducing a pro-inflammatory state. For example, factors that increase TEC proliferation could compromise the medulllary negative selection process and leak out auto-reactive (self-attacking) T cells. Thymic cells could be induced to proliferate, but we know, for example, that growth hormone and IGF-1 are associated with an increase risk of cancer. If thymus rejuvenation doesn’t clear out the accumulated senescent cells in older adults, then inflammation within the gland could block the production of TECs. Keeping these risks in mind, we now have identified many ways to keep our thymus healthy as we age that undoubtedly will be tested in clinical trials going forward. Ultimately, the benefit-to-risk tradeoffs will be defined. In the meantime, we have desperately needed an immunome. As I’ve stressed in multiple prior Ground Truths, we have no test in the clinic to assess a patient’s immune status! It was very encouraging for me to get an email from Hugo Aerts, the senior author of the landmark papers in the days after they were published: “I also wanted to say that your Substack on “Why We Need an Immunome” was inspiring for this work. We found it a very compelling perspective and greatly enjoyed reading it.” Just having an assessment of a person’s immune status via a chest CT scan, with millions of these performed per year, might help in guiding the right immunotherapy for cancer (e.g. more intensive, combinations for those with low thymic health scores) and help define people who are increased risk for age-related diseases of cancer, cardiovascular, and neurodegenerative. The main theme of Super Agers is that we now have many layers of data (genetics, proteins, biomarkers, organ clocks that can be integrated via multimodal AI) for us to define a person’s specific risk decades before one of these age-related diseases leads to symptoms, enabling prevention. From the new studies this week, we can add thymus health score as yet another way to understand a person’s risk, a window into their adaptive immune system and healthspan. And perhaps someday we will be able to safely rejuvenate the thymus, or maintain its health through one’s life, and use the thymus health score to monitor. NB: I wrote this post (No A.I.) A Quick Poll Loading... ********************************************************************* Thanks to Ground Truths subscribers (now > 200,000) from every US state and 212 countries. Your subscription to these free essays and podcasts makes my work in putting them together worthwhile. Please join! If you found this interesting PLEASE share it! Share Ground Truths Paid subscriptions are voluntary and all proceeds from them go to support Scripps Research. They do allow for posting comments and questions, which I do my best to respond to. Please don’t hesitate to post comments and give me feedback. Let me know topics that you would like to see covered. Leave a comment Many thanks to those who have contributed—they have greatly helped fund our summer internship programs for the past two years. It enabled us to accept and support 47 summer interns in 2025! We aim to accept even more of the several thousand who will apply for summer 2026.
Arsenal vs. Manchester City live stream: How to watch EFL Cup final, odds, start time
This is Pep Guardiola's best chance at a trophy this season, and perhaps shift the momentum in the Premier League
Can Manchester City's Guehi play in EFL Cup final?
Manchester City will be without a key defender for Sunday's final at Wembley against Arsenal.
The Business of Football: How many players do you need to win a World Cup anyway?
The English FA and the Premier League are having another row, as the club vs country debate rages on in English football
Chuck Norris's Second Highest-Rated Movie Is One He Spent About 30 Seconds In
The second highest-rated movie associated with Chuck Norris is one he didn't even have a starring role in.
Islanders @ Canadiens [Game #70 thread]
The Islanders have a big one tonight in Montreal, where the Canadiens are in a three-way tie for the Atlantic’s third playoff spots (84 points, same as wild card occupants Detroit and Boston but with a game in hand) while the Islanders begin a night of play on the outside looking in for the first […]
Today’s Papers – Italy’s World Cup mission, Napoli’s comeback
La Gazzetta dello SportBeware Inter, Conte returnsNapoli go -6. Cagliari beaten 1-0. Chivu to the attack tomorrow in FlorenceMilan-Toro, Leao is outSan Siro. Allegri for the comeback with Fullkrug and...
LIVE: Japan vs Australia – Women’s Asian Cup 2026 final
Follow our live build-up, with team news, ahead of our text commentary stream of the Women's Asian Cup final.
Arsenal and Manchester City lineups: James Trafford to start, Mikel Arteta dodges Kepa, David Raya question
Pep Guardiola will continue to rely on his backup keeper in the cup competition while Arteta played coy
Swalwell plays up athletic credentials in effort to blunt DHS sweeps at World Cup
Rep. Eric Swalwell, citing his Division I soccer past, introduced a bill to ban ICE enforcement on public transit near World Cup sites this summer.
Prairieville’s Sarah Taylor is scaling a health network for industrial growth
As Ascension Parish’s industrial boom continues to draw contractors and skilled workers to the region, the demand for occupational health services is rising alongside it. NuREADY Health Network is expanding its footprint across the Gulf South to help companies manage workforce testing, injury care and compliance across multiple job sites. Major industrial construction and maintenance […]
Cristiano Ronaldo misses out on Portugal friendly vs. USMNT and Mexico due to injury
The matches are in the last internatinoal window before this summer's World Cup
Panthers, Flames fight to extend flickering postseason hopes
The Florida Panthers continued their mastery over the Edmonton Oilers with a decisive 4-0 road victory on Thursday in a Stanley Cup Final rematch.
Who Should Be England’s Number 10 at the World Cup?
The 2026 FIFA World Cup is fast approaching, and England manager Thomas Tuchel has some huge decisions to make. Former boss Gareth Southgate came in for major criticism from supporters for continually...
World Cup Jerseys! Did Curaçao's Kit Top Mexico, Argentina, Spain?
Did Curaçao's World Cup away jersey by adidas upstage Mexico, Argentina and Spain?
Latest Pixel Watch update is causing wonky step counts and other Fitbit stats for some
The latest Pixel Watch update is causing some hiccups, as users now report that the March 2026 update is causing...
It’s strictly business: the enduring allure of mafiosi in culture
Ryan Gingeras examines how mafias have shaped the modern world, from classical Rome to Las Vegas, and how fictional portrayals influence real gangsters.
War is only the starkest way that politics is disrupting tourism
Geopolitics disrupts global tourism as wars, visa restrictions and political tensions reshape travel patterns, affecting destinations from the Caribbean to Asia.
Panthers 'embrace' Challenge Cup win
Reclaiming the Challenge Cup for the first time in a decade is a triumph Nottingham Panthers will cherish, says head coach Danny Stewart.
Rishabh Pant returns to IPL grind, chasing another India comeback
Rishabh Pant is gearing up for a crucial IPL season. He is working hard to regain his spot in India's white-ball squad. Recent practice sessions and time with Yuvraj Singh show his dedication. A strong IPL performance could secure his place for the 2027 ODI World Cup. Pant is focused on his game and mental strength.
Struggling Panthers look to ice-out familiar foe Oilers
The Stanley Cup Final reunion returns to Wild Rose Country as Connor McDavid and the Edmonton Oilers host the Florida Panthers on Thursday.
Messi scores 900th career goal in Inter Miami cup clash
Argentine superstar Lionel Messi bagged the 900th goal of his glittering career on Wednesday, scoring for Inter Miami in their CONCACAF Champions Cup clash with Nashville.- Clinical finish - The Argentine World Cup winner's 900th goal came early in Miami's last-16 second leg tie with MLS rivals Nashville.
Caitlin Clark named MVP of World Cup qualifying tournament
Indiana Fever point guard Caitlin Clark helped Team USA cruise to a 5-0 record at the tournament. Clark averaged 11.6 points and 6.4 assists.
Fox Sports adds Zlatan Ibrahimovic to 2026 World Cup coverage
Fox Sports has announced that legendary striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic will join the network's 2026 World Cup coverage.
PWHL reaches TV deal with Scripps Sports to air Walter Cup Finals to national U.S. audience in May
“Fans shouldn’t have to wait another four years to experience this level of passion, skill and drama. So we’re keeping the momentum going.”
PWHL reaches TV deal with Scripps Sports to air Walter Cup Finals to national U.S. audience in May
“Fans shouldn’t have to wait another four years to experience this level of passion, skill and drama. So we’re keeping the momentum going.”
World Cup 2026 stadium guides: Kansas City Stadium – home of the loudest sports crowd in history
What can fans expect from the Kansas City Chiefs' stadium, usually known as Arrowhead, at the 2026 World Cup?
Foxboro approves entertainment license for World Cup matches at Gillette Stadium
Foxboro approves World Cup entertainment license - Boston News, Weather, Sports
FOXBORO, MASS. (WHDH) - Foxboro town leaders voted unanimously Tuesday to approve the entertainment license needed for the FIFA World Cup games to move forwardRead More
Your daily coffee may be protecting your brain, 43-year study finds
Your morning coffee or tea could be quietly supporting your brain health. A long-term study found that moderate consumption of caffeinated coffee or tea was linked to an 18% lower risk of dementia and better cognitive performance over time. The benefits appeared strongest at 2–3 cups of coffee or 1–2 cups of tea daily—and even held true for people genetically predisposed to dementia.
How Fox landed Zlatan Ibrahimović for the World Cup: ‘He was at the top of the list’
Fox began its pursuit of Ibrahimović last fall. The Swedish star will join Thierry Henry and Alexi Lalas atop its lineup of analysts.
Foxborough Select Board unanimously approves entertainment license for FIFA World Cup
The Foxborough Select Board unanimously approved an entertainment license for the FIFA World Cup matches at Gillette Stadium.
Let the games begin: Foxboro signs off on entertainment license for FIFA
The 2026 FIFA World Cup is officially coming to Gillette Stadium this summer after months of uncertainty.
Shocking ruling strips Senegal of Africa Cup of Nations title, declares Morocco champion
Morocco was stunningly awarded the Africa Cup of Nations title on Tuesday by appeals judges who overturned Senegal’s victory in a chaotic final in January.
Trump said he wanted one of the Texas Senate candidates to drop out. Now he’s missed the deadline
President Donald Trump promised his endorsement was forthcoming in the GOP Texas Senate runoff and said he wanted whoever he didn’t pick to drop out. But now — preoccupied with the Iran war and a doomed voting bill — he’s missed a critical deadline.
Iran negotiating with FIFA to move World Cup games to Mexico from US
Iran’s soccer federation is in discussions with FIFA about moving their World Cup matches to Mexico from the United States due to concerns about the safety of their players, Iranian soccer president Mehdi Taj said on Monday.
86 days to the World Cup: Why going undefeated doesn't guarantee a knockout-round appearance
‘Room for improvement’: EU sports czar warns FIFA over leadership before World Cup
Glenn Micallef tells POLITICO that Gianni Infantino has not provided safety assurances for European fans heading to the U.S. this summer.
Politics no stranger to World Cup, Men in Blazers' Bennett says
Politics at the World Cup is "nothing new," Men in Blazers Media Network founder and CEO Roger Bennett said, arguing that the tournament has long been a stage where national history, culture and conflict travel with the teams onto the field.
Java House Grand Prix of Arlington races through Entertainment District
The inaugural event included the NTT IndyCar Series, Indy NXT by Firestone series, Toyota GR Cup and USF Pro 2000 series.
Israeli forces kill four Palestinians in West Bank, Palestinian health authorities say
Israeli forces killed four Palestinians, including two children, during a raid in the occupied West Bank on Sunday, Palestinian health authorities said.
Israeli Forces Kill Four Palestinians in West Bank, Palestinian Health Authorities Say
JERUSALEM, March 15 (Reuters) - Israeli forces killed four Palestinians, including two children, during a raid in the occupied West Bank on Sunday, Palestinian health authorities said. A mother and father, ages 35 and 37, were shot dead in the West Bank village of Tammun, along with two of ...
"Suck it up, Buttercup:" Executive Producer discusses new documentary about rising healthcare costs
Executive Producer Dr. Terry Mulligan discusses his new film, "Suck it up, Buttercup," about healthcare costs and how they harm patients and providers alike.
Escalating war in Middle East, Georgia special election, World Cup
This week's episode is on the impacts of the war, the special U.S. House election in Georgia and the geopolitics of the FIFA World Cup.
Three new businesses open at Watertown’s Paddock Arcade
Three new businesses have opened at the Paddock Arcade in downtown Watertown, bringing the historic mall to 90 percent occupancy.
Jeffco Public Schools found in violation of Title IX
Civil rights office: Male students occupy 61 roster positions on girls’ sports teams The U.S. Department of Education announced Friday that the Jeffco Public Schools district violated Title IX by permitting male students to access female bathrooms and compete in girls sports. After a nearly nine-month investigation, the U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil […]
At Atlanta Science Festival, a Decatur coffee shop teaches the science behind your morning brew
The science behind a simple cup of coffee is brewing curiosity across metro Atlanta as the Atlanta Science Festival returns with hundreds of hands-on events.
Warrington cup tie 'great reward', says Goole chief
Goole Vikings CEO Scott Clark says Saturday's Challenge Cup fourth round tie at Super League side Warrington Wolves is a great reward for his club.
Former Spartan Connor Heyward reportedly signs with Las Vegas Raiders
Another Spartan is heading to Sin City to continue his NFL career
Boston World Cup games to go ahead after Kraft Sports agrees deal with town of Foxboro
Dispute over security costs of $7.8million had threatened the staging of games at Gillette Stadium in Foxboro
Kraft Sports, Foxborough reach deal ensuring Gillette World Cup matches move forward
Kraft Sports and Entertainment, the Town of Foxborough, and Boston Soccer 2026 released a statement Wednesday, ensuring that Gillette Stadium will continue to host its 7 designated World Cup games this summer.
Iran ‘cannot participate’ in the World Cup, sports minister says
Iran is scheduled to play three group-stage games in Los Angeles and Seattle in June.
Iran’s sports minister says country can't take part in World Cup because of U.S. attacks
Iran was expected to take part in the World Cup that will be held across North America in June, but Iranian Sports and Youth Minister Ahmad Donyamali told state television that his country’s soccer team players are not safe in the U.S., according to a video of the interview posted Tuesday.
Lake Erie College, BGSU announce Exercise Science graduate school partnership
The agreement creates formal pathways to BGSU's Athletic Training, Physical Therapy, and Occupational Therapy graduate programs for Painesville students.
Iran could boycott World Cup in wake of U.S. attacks, sports minister says
On Tuesday night, FIFA president Gianni Infantino said he had U.S. President Trump's assurance that Iran will be welcome at the tournament.
Iran cannot participate in the FIFA World Cup, sports minister says
Iran says 'under no circumstances' will it participate following the US-Israeli attacks that killed its supreme leader.
Iran cannot participate in World Cup, sports minister says
Iran cannot participate in the 2026 World Cup after the United States killed their leader Ayatollah Ali Khamene, sports minister Ahmad Donyamali said on Wednesday.
Infantino insists Trump has assured him Iran are ‘welcome’ to play at 2026 World Cup
Donald Trump has said Iran are ‘welcome’ to play at the upcoming World Cup, despite the ongoing war in the Middle East, according to Fifa’s president
Politics meets football as China, Taiwan face off at Asian Cup
China and Taiwan will clash this week in a politically tinged Women's Asian Cup quarter-final while Australia hope that a bumper home crowd can help drag them through against a dangerous North Korea.
India face Wales in women's hockey World Cup qualifiers: Indian Sports LIVE, March 11
Here are all the updates from Indian sports on March 11, 2026.
Shreveport sets new tax for film and entertainment district
(The Center Square) – Shreveport is poised to add a 2% sales tax and 2% hotel occupancy tax in the city's new Film and Entertainment Gateway Economic Development District.
With U.S. at war with Iran, political upheaval could hit World Cup
Conflict between the U.S. and Iran threatens to put politics at the center of the 2026 World Cup instead of soccer's most prestigious showcase.
TNT Sports investigating FA Cup outage, no issues expected for Champions League coverage
What happened in West ham vs Brentford? What has TNT said? What is scheduled to be shown on TNT Sports?
Sebastian Tounekti’s dig at Rangers following Celtic’s Ibrox win
Celtic winger Sebastian Tounekti appeared to mock the Rangers following the Hoops’ dramatic Scottish Cup triumph at Ibrox…Liam Scales celebrates after Celtic won the Scottish Cup quarter final on ...
India face Chinese Taipei in women's Asian Cup: Indian Sports LIVE, March 10
Here are all the updates from Indian sports on March 10, 2026.
Poe Hall employees had higher rates of cancer, federal health report says
On Monday, the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), a division of the CDC, found that employees inside NC State's Poe Hall had heightened rates of melanoma and possibly breast cancer.
World Cup virtual soccer lets bet365 players stack same-game bets
Bet365 extends virtual sports deal as Inspired adds Bet Builder to Virtual Soccer, targeting more personalized bets for the 2026 World Cup.
Chicago Cardinal Blasts White House for Turning Iran War into “Entertainment”
Chicago Archbishop Cardinal Blase J. Cupich sharply criticized the White House and President Donald Trump for sharing a social media
OLED M6 MacBook Pro Launch Won’t Force The Discontinuation Of M5 Pro & M5 Max Models, As Apple Is Planning An Even Higher Price Bracket Later This Year
Even after the OLED M6 MacBook Pro launch, Apple is reportedly planning to keep the M5 Pro and M5 Max models to occupy a lower price bracket
Alaska Airlines Global Training Center
Alaska Airlines’ sprawling new training center occupies 660,000 square feet at the former Boeing Longacres campus in Renton at 1301 S.W. 16th St.
4 Takeaways From the USA's SheBelieves Cup Title Run
Here are four takeaways for the United States women's national team's eighth SheBelieves Cup title campaign.
Sanju Samson leads India to win over New Zealand in T20 Cricket World Cup final
Sanju Sampson and India posted a dominant run score to defeat New Zealand in the T20 Cricket World Cup final on Sunday, March 8.
Annual ice hockey tournament raises funds for free mental health care for first responders
Rochester, N.Y. — The third annual Guardian’s Cup took place at Tim Hortons Iceplex this weekend.This year's tournament featured 32 teams of first responders a
India scores record-breaking run total in T20 World Cup cricket final
India, the defending T20 World Cup champions in cricket, broke the record for run total in a final against New Zealand.
Dallas business tycoon Anurag Jain weighs in on the World Cup (No, not that one).
There's a push, along with other several notable South Asian immigrant business leaders, to grow cricket’s U.S. presence and transform Texas into the sport’s...
NFL news, live updates: Khalil Mack returns to Chargers; Maxx Crosby says farewell to Raiders
WBD Sports Announces Historic First for Downhill as Elite Women Will Race Last at the Leogang World Cup
"This change marks a powerful shift in visibility, recognition and parity for women’s racing at the highest level."
NFL news, live updates: Raiders reportedly trade Maxx Crosby to Ravens, release Geno Smith; Eagles extend Jordan Davis
Live updates: USWNT vs. Colombia today in SheBelieves Cup final game
The U.S. Women's National Team will face Colombia today in the final game of the SheBelieves Cup, with the title on the line.
Caitlin Clark set for U.S. national team debut after 8-month injury pause
The Indiana Fever star will return to basketball for the first time since injuries disrupted her WNBA season, starting with Team USA in a FIBA World Cup qualifier.
Israeli settler fatally shoots Palestinian man in West Bank, health ministry says
An Israeli settler shot dead a 27-year-old Palestinian man in the occupied West Bank on Saturday, the Palestinian Health Ministry said.
Injured Lindsey Vonn drops out of lead in season downhill standings
Lindsey Vonn had been atop the World Cup downhill standings all season, having been on the podium in every race ahead of Milano Cortina Olympics
Coleraine 'worst draw' for Limavady
Limavady United manager Paul Owens says his side's Irish Cup quarter-final against Coleraine on Saturday was the draw he "didn't want."
Taiwan beats Vietnam 1-0 in Women's Asian Cup match
Taiwan defeated Vietnam 1-0 on Saturday to move into second place in Group C at the Women’s Asian Cup with one match remaining. Su Yu-hsuan scored the decisive goal in the 26th minute after Saki Matsunaga’s shot hit the crossbar, leaving Su to nod the rebound into an empty net for the team which won the last of its three Asian Cup titles in 1981. It was a deserved victory for Taiwan, 2-0 losers to Japan on Wednesday, which created several chances to extend its lead.