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CSC wins NIL arbitration case brought by Nebraska football players
The College Sports Commission won the first major test of its authority to enforce a salary cap in college sports Monday when an arbitrator upheld the fledging agency's decision to deny a set of deals involving Nebraska football players.
CSC wins NIL arbitration case brought by Nebraska football players
The College Sports Commission won the first major test of its authority to enforce a salary cap in college sports Monday when an arbitrator upheld the fledging agency's decision to deny a set of deals involving Nebraska football players.
Arbitrator upholds ruling denying NIL deals of 18 Nebraska football players
Nebraska case is the first major test of an NIL enforcement process via the College Sports Commission.
Wake County Public Health to offer back-to-school vaccine clinics this summer
While the current school year is winding down, Wake County Public Health is already working to make it easy for families to check a critical task off their list for next year – getting their child's required vaccinations. The County is hosting monthly vaccine clinics to help students get the immunizations they need as they head back to class in the fall.
Latest Google Home update speeds up Gemini, ‘Ask Home’ now works with voice commands
Yet another Google Home update rolling out this week speeds up Gemini while adding “Ask Home” functionality to voice commands...
New poll finds a majority of Americans unsure if attempts on Trump's life were real
When given the options of "true," "false" or "not sure," and asked whether each of the incidents "was staged," a majority of respondents said they thought each event was either staged or were unsure.
Virginia Democrats ask US Supreme Court to let them use new congressional map
Democratic officials in Virginia asked the US Supreme Court on Monday to reinstate a congressional map that would benefit their party ahead of this year’s midterm elections, the latest map drawing appeal to reach the high court amid a flurry of mid-decade redistricting.
Democrats ask Supreme Court to halt a Virginia ruling blocking new congressional districts
Democrats on Monday filed an emergency appeal with the U.S. Supreme Court seeking to halt a Virginia ruling invalidating a ballot measure that would have given their party an additional four winnable U.S. House seats.
Virginia Officials Ask Supreme Court to Restore Voting Map Drawn by Democrats
State officials asked the justices to overturn a Virginia Supreme Court decision that struck down a congressional map, a major defeat for Democrats.
Iowa politics: KCCI's full interview with Zach Lahn, Republican candidate for governor
KCCI sat down with GOP governor candidate Zach Lahn to ask where he stands on key issues ahead of the June 2nd primary election.
This one's for you, Ned!
It’s been a big spring for now-former Alaska Science Forum author Ned Rozell.
Lawsuit filed to stop Trump’s blue repainting of the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool
A nonprofit dedicated to “promoting informed stewardship” of historic landscapes asked a federal judge on Monday to halt the Trump administration’s painting of the Lincoln Memorial’s Reflecting Pool, which has long featured a gray basin, blue.
The Claude Delusion
If you asked philosophers what the most mysterious thing about the mind is, most of them would say: consciousness. It’s just a really weird thing. An exhaustive physical description of a brain state doesn’t obviously tell us anything about why that state would be associated with the experience of tasting strawberry rather than the experience…
Health Officials Say "Country is Prepared" to Deal with Hantavirus
Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services Administrator Dr. Oz tells reporters in the Oval Office that the country is prepared to deal with the Hantavirus outbreak and treat the disease, despite cuts to federal agencies. HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy also says the CDC has been on it from day one and has been in contact with officials in Nebraska dealing with people exposed to the virus. "We have this under control, and we're not worried about it," Kennedy says. The secretary also disputes that it took four days after the World Health Organization issued an alert for the U.S. to follow suit. "It's just not true," he says.
Hantavirus cruise ship: Breaking down health officials' update after Americans return to U.S.
Health officials provided an update from Omaha, Nebraska, after most of the American passengers aboard the hantavirus-stricken cruise ship Hondius arrived there for medical treatment. NBC News medical contributor Dr. Kavita Patel breaks down the key takeaways from the media briefing, including how the patients are being cared for and level of risk to the general population.
A 2025 Alaskan tsunami was one of the largest on record, new research finds
A tsunami that rocked an Alaskan fjord in 2025 was the second largest ever recorded and formed a standing wave that sloshed for a day.
College of Health Sciences graduate asks the big questions about public health
The University of Missouri prepared Kate Karpinski to succeed at the intersection of public health and law.
Chairs Ask President to Raise Political Prisoner Cases in China
WASHINGTON, D.C. — U.S. Senator Dan Sullivan (R-Alaska) and U.S. Representative Chris Smith (R-New Jersey), the Chair and Co-chair respectively, of the bipartisan and bicameral Congressional-Executive Commission on China (CECC) released a letter today calling on the President to personally raise the cases of Americans, U.S. lawful permanent residents, and their family members, who have been unjustly detained in the People’s Republic of China, during his next meeting with General Secretary Xi Jinping.The Chairs were joined on the letter by CECC Ranking Members Senator Jeff Merkley (D-OR) and Representative James McGovern (D-MA).
US health authorities to give update on American passengers returning from hantavirus-hit ship
Seventeen American passengers from the virus-hit MV Hondius have returned to the US to be evaluated at a quarantine facility in Nebraska, with one confirmed case.
Nike Gives TODAY Inside Look at Its Sports Research Lab
TODAY's Craig Melvin gets a rare look at Nike's high tech sport research lab, where scientists and engineers are working to understand the demands of the sport, the athlete, and the environments they play in to innovate and improve every aspect of athletic performances. The 84,000 sq. ft. facility boasts tech-embedded basketball courts, turf fields, treadmills, and sweat rooms that give Nike designers real time feedback on every kind of athletic performance.
American cruise ship passenger tests positive for hantavirus after evacuation
One of the 17 American passengers evacuated from the ship and flown to Nebraska also tested positive for the hantavirus but is not showing any symptoms, and another had mild symptoms, U.S. health officials said late Sunday.
Reddit Starts Blocking Mobile Website, Pushing Users to App Instead
Social network Reddit recently began blocking mobile visitors to its website while pushing them to download the official Reddit app, and it's fair to say that the move is not going down well with users. If you visit reddit.com on your iPhone today, you may see a new popup that can't be dismissed, asking you to "get the app to keep using Reddit".
Ask Dr. Mike: Let's Talk About Poop
From the color and shape of poop to something horrific-sounding called Hirschsprung's megacolon, we get down and dirty about what – um – moves through us.
AP Decision Notes: What to expect in Nebraska's primaries
Nebraska voters will choose nominees for a full slate of contests ranging from governor to state Legislature and local offices.
The Business Of “Summer”—How Summer Fridays Built Beauty’s Most Aspirational Feeling
Summer Fridays didn’t just build a beauty brand: it built a feeling. Eight years after launching with Jet Lag Mask, Marianna Hewitt and Lauren Ireland own "summer."
KFF Health Tracking Poll: Public Views on Foreign Aid and Global Health Spending
This poll finds that less than half of the public now wants the U.S. to play at least a major role in improving the health of people in developing countries. When asked about the administration’s changes to foreign aid and global health, more people perceive a negative impact than a positive one.
Peter’s Power Hour: The professional sports schedule is too complicated
Sports are my world. They shape my perspective, and perhaps more importantly, how I view the passage of time. When the football season kicks off, I am conditioned like Pavlov’s dogs to expect to see leaves falling through a crisp breeze as nature’s colors turn duller. When basketball and hockey start a few months later,...
Behind the Claude Frenzy That Ate Up All the Mac Minis
Apple’s entry-level desktop has become a vital piece of equipment for people using tools like OpenClaw to roll their own AIs for professional and personal tasks.
Canisius Announces 60th Sports Hall of Fame Class
The Canisius athletic department announced today (May 11) that Mallory Aldred '09 – softball, Billy Baron '14 – men's basketball, Tim Edwards '15 – men's lacrosse, Maria Kotas '14 – women's lacrosse, Connor Panas '15 – baseball, Shawn Parkhurst '13 – men's swimming and diving, Brittané Russell '10 – women's basketball and Allyson Severyn '13 – volleyball, have been selected as the 60th induction class to the Canisius University Sports Hall of Fame.
Healthcare cuts threaten Sullivan’s reelection chances in Alaska
Alaskans have been hit hard by the healthcare cuts in the One Big Beautiful Bill Act and lapsed Obamacare subsidies, presenting a prime target for Democrats seeking to oust Republican Sen. Dan Sull…
"I used to think Philly was a sports town" - Josh Hart takes shot at Sixers fans after Knicks dominate their crowd
Josh Hart believes Philadelphia no longer feels like a true sports city.
Coyotes selected to the Lincoln Regional
VERMILLION, S.D. (USD) — The South Dakota softball program will be heading to Lincoln, Nebraska for the Lincoln Regional in the 2026 NCAA Softball Tournament. After winning the program’s first-ever Summit League Tournament title, the Coyotes will partake in their first-ever NCAA Tournament in program history – in Division I or Division II – since the program […]
Survey Sunday: How much home battery backup do YOU need?
We asked you, our brilliant Electrek readers, what you were looking for in your home battery system. Here's what you said.
Tom Izzo comments on recent approved NCAA Tournament expansion
"I understand it from both sides. I would rather it stay the same, but as you know, coaches weren't asked at all."
Opinion: How Alaska’s small businesses are redefining ‘local’ in the digital frontier
National Small Business Week is a time to celebrate the grit and ingenuity of entrepreneurs here in Alaska and across the country.
Gwinnett County sheriff's office hosts mental health awareness fair to connect residents with local resources
The Gwinnett County Sheriff's Office held its 5th annual Community Mental Health Awareness Fair in Lawrenceville, bringing together dozens of organizations focused on counseling, housing, wellness and crisis support services.
Sports-mad Portland savors its second chance to root for women’s basketball
It’s been nearly a quarter of a century since the city had a WNBA team, and fans showed their support by turning out in record numbers.
How Nebraska’s ‘Blue Dot’ Roiled a Democratic House Primary
A speck of blue on an otherwise red area in some presidential elections, the dot is now dividing candidates in a key midterm contest.
‘The Masked Singer’ Renewed for Season 15 With a Major Change
The Fox competition series is also sticking with a switch-up that was introduced last season.
‘The Masked Singer’ Renewed for Season 15 With a Major Change
The Fox competition series is also sticking with a switch-up that was introduced last season.
Seton Hall basketball adds Rutgers transfer forward Chris Nwuli
This is the first time a player has transferred between in-state rivals Rutgers and Seton Hall. Here are three things to know about Nwuli.
This one's for you, Ned!
It’s been a big spring for now-former Alaska Science Forum author Ned Rozell.
Nebraska baseball takes series against Iowa in high-scoring battle
Nebraska faced off against Iowa on Saturday. In front of their largest home crowd since 2008, the Huskers claimed the series in spectacular fashion.
Inspiring Grad: Macaiah Shendo, UNM College of Population Health
Macaiah Shendo, a student in The University of New Mexico College of Population Health (COPH), is pioneering a new field of brain health care for Indigenous peoples in New Mexico. But if you ask him, he’s no trailblazer. He believes he’s simply doing...
"Yeah 'Beard', what chatter?" - Patrick Beverley trolls James Harden's critics after his bounce back performance in Game 3
James Harden finally showed up when the Cavs needed him the most.
Can Mamdani make street food cheap again? We asked NYC street vendors
Mayor Zohran Mamdani famously promised to "make halal $8 again." Street vendors say licensing issues and rising food prices make that difficult.
Thunder Lakers Basketball
Oklahoma City Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, right, passes the ball as Los Angeles Lakers center Deandre Ayton defends during the first half of Game 3 in a second-round NBA basketball
Alaska Republicans reelect Carmela Warfield as party chair
Warfield defeated a challenger who criticized Republicans serving in bipartisan coalitions in the Alaska Legislature.
Nebraska baseball erupts late to complete chaotic comeback over Iowa
On a Saturday afternoon that began with a line of fans stretched into the parking lot, patiently waiting to enter the gates of Haymarket Park, Nebraska (36-14) completed an emphatic comeback to take down Iowa (29-20) 15-11 and secure the series victory.
UCLA's Megan Grant sets NCAA softball record with 38th homer
UCLA slugger Megan Grant set the single-season home run record for Division I softball when she hit her 38th of the season on Saturday afternoon in the third inning of the Big Ten Championship Game against Nebraska in College Park, Maryland.
Scenes from a UNCW business school commencement ceremony
The University of North Carolina Wilmington's Cameron School of Business held a commencement ceremony at Trask Coliseum on May 9, 2026.
Trump's college sports committee tackles laundry list of issues and calls on Congress to act quickly
The presidential committee asked to find solutions for spiraling costs in college sports recommended creating a task force to look at pooling media rights, limiting coaches salaries, and rewriting eligibility and transfer-portal rules, along with at least a dozen other ideas. A draft document of the committee's proposals, obtained by Yahoo Sports, wants Congress to quickly pass legislation that would create the task force, which would receive the antitrust exemption and the right to override individual state laws that the NCAA and other collegiate sports leaders are seeking.
Nebraska erupts late to complete chaotic comeback over Iowa
On a Saturday afternoon that began with a line of fans stretched into the parking lot, patiently waiting to enter the gates of Haymarket Park, Nebraska (36-14) completed an emphatic comeback to take down Iowa (29-20) 15-11 and secure the series victory.
TST Best Bets: May 9, 2026
Two teams down 0-2 face the brink of elimination on Saturday, as the Cleveland Cavaliers and Los Angeles Lakers try to steer their respective series in their favor on their homecourts. For the Cavs, the solution may be as simple as being back in Cleveland, as they are undefeated at home and winless on the road so far this postseason. However, it seems to be almost too tall a task for the Cavs to secure a win with the level of play they have gotten from James Harden, who has 11 turnovers to just
Minneapolis economy: Busy playoff season brining business boost | FOX 9 Minneapolis-St. Paul
A busy basketball playoff season is bringing a big economic boost to downtown Minneapolis. FOX 9's Leah Beno sat down with President and CEO of the Minneapolis Downtown Council to learn more.
Big Ten softball championship live updates: Time, TV for Nebraska vs UCLA
It's Nebraska vs. UCLA in the Big Ten softball championship game in College Park. Follow for live updates and highlights.
‘My ambition is to change the country,’ AOC says when asked about seeking higher office in 2028
New York’s Democratic representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez brushed off question about run for presidency
Fury Erupts After Google Chrome Sneakily Installs 4 GB AI Model On Users’ PCs
Google's web browser has been "silently" installing an AI model on users' devices without asking for consent.
Asking Eric: Adopted daughter’s birth grandmother has questions
I can’t bear to tell her the truth, but also can’t lie to her, so I’ve just been avoiding the question.
Letters to Sports: Two sides to Lakers crying foul in Game 2
Readers of the Los Angeles Times Sport section give their thoughts on the Lakers, Austin Reaves, LeBron James, Mike Trout and the Angels, the Kings and more.
Bigger Isn’t Better
The expanded basketball tournament means a bigger football playoff is probably just a matter of time.
Nebraska’s ‘blue dot’ becomes the center of a closely watched Democratic primary fight
Omaha may be a blue dot in a sea of Nebraska red, but that point of political pride has sparked a bitter divide among Democrats in one of the nation’s most closely watched congressional races.
Whisky business: Investors pin hopes on Trump’s Scotch tariff reversal after dire three years
President Trump's decision to ditch the 10% tariff on Scotch whisky could boost the market for premium cask collecting.
Basketball gets more money, while tennis and other small college sports worry over their future
Among them are the disbanding of tennis teams at Arkansas, new efforts to generate revenue in the Big 12 and at Duke and the ongoing issues surrounding the industry's new
Alaska Legislature asks federal government for more flexibility on rural health funding
Legislators say restrictions on how and when Rural Health Transformation Program funding can be used present problems for Alaska.
After 3 decades of splendid scientific communication, this one’s for you, Ned
With a style that was both accurate to the work and approachable to the reader, Ned Rozell authored the Alaska Science Forum for 31 years.
After Frederiksen Falls Short in Denmark, Right-Leaning Politician Is Asked to Form Government
King Frederik X has appointed a right-leaning politician to try to form the next government.
Alabama Asks Supreme Court to Allow it to Use New Voting Map
State officials urged the justices to allow them to jettison Alabama’s congressional district map, citing the Supreme Court’s recent decision that dealt a blow to the Voting Rights Act.
Basketball gets more beer money, while tennis and other small college sports worry over their future
Basketball got the beer money. Many smaller sports around the NCAA are still looking for a lifeline.
Basketball gets more beer money, while tennis and other small college sports worry over their future
Basketball got the beer money. Many smaller sports around the NCAA are still looking for a lifeline. The expansion of March Madness and the $300 million in extra revenue that comes with it through opening sponsorships to beer, wine and liquor companies offered a brief reprieve from the steady drip of headlines that underscore big-picture problems confronting college sports in an era of tightening budgets and revenue sharing with athletes.
Opinion | A Double Standard In Connecticut Politics
In a guest column for the New Haven Independent, Matt Smith says there is ageism and sexism in play from young men who are trying to unseat state Rep. Pat Dillon — thinly masked by dog whistles like “young” and “new energy,” which appear to be the sole foundations of their campaigns.
Education, tuition support help Nebraska nurse couple grow their health care careers
Austin and Jaci Derby have a similar journey — one that led not only to careers in health care, but also a personal partnership.
Big weekend for baseball, basketball and volleyball across Twin Cities
Hundreds of teams at the AAU, club and high school level will compete in marquee events at various venues this weekend.
The Material Science Behind A Spacecraft's Impact Armor
Aerospace engineers have to consider numerous factors when designing a spacecraft, but one that comes up more and more often is the need to design against Micro-Meteoroids and Orbital Debris (MMOD). While most designers understand the threat, designing structural solutions capable of withstanding the hypervelocity impacts these undercontrolled pieces of material can cause can take a significant bite out of a mission’s mass budget. A new paper from Binkal Kumar Sharma of the University of Bremen and Harshitha Baskar, an independent researcher, provides a detailed review of cutting-edge options for defending against those deadly particles.
Lawyers for press dinner gunman seek to disqualify Pirro and Blanche from case citing their presence at event
The legal team of the man accused of opening fire at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner last month has asked the court to disqualify top Department of Justice officials from being involved in his case, arguing there is a conflict of interest because they were present during the incident.
Grok AI Voice Mode Arrives on Apple CarPlay
SpaceXAI has released Grok Voice mode for Apple CarPlay, allowing CarPlay users to ask the chatbot questions and make requests directly from their vehicle dashboard, handsfree. Previously, Grok for iPhone displayed a placeholder app in CarPlay saying the handsfree support would be coming soon. Grok comes built-in on Tesla vehicles, but now almost any other car can access it.
‘Try to find that edge’: Nebraska college students are betting on sports
Go to WarHorse Casino on any night, and it’s not uncommon to find college students. In 2020, Nebraska voters legalized casino gambling at horse racing tracks, and WarHorse’s Lincoln operation was the first to open in 2022.
A State Budget That Speaks to a New Political Reality
Gov. Kathy Hochul and legislative leaders announced a handshake deal on a budget that includes a second-home tax, expanded child care in the city and a ban on ICE agents’ wearing of masks.
How a charity basketball game became a flashpoint in Louisiana’s tense redistricting fight
Democrats have few tools to halt Republican moves on redistricting, but they are making clear their displeasure at potentially losing majority-Black districts.
Tracy Arm’s Post-Tsunami Landscape
A landslide-triggered tsunami stripped vegetation from the shore of the glacial fjord in summer 2025.
JJ Redick addresses Luka Doncic’s involvement with Lakers amid injury
Los Angeles Lakers coach JJ Redick did not stutter when asked about how guard Luka Doncic has been contributing on the bench.
After health scare, ASU men’s basketball coach Randy Bennett finally introduced
After announcing the hiring of Randy Bennett nearly a month and a half ago, ASU officially introduced its new men’s basketball coach.
Exclusive: Inmates describe being punished for speaking out about Ghislaine Maxwell
Julie Howell did not know what she was getting into last year when she was asked about a new inmate who had arrived at her prison – or that she was about to become an unwitting supporting character in the ongoing drama around convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
Ask Inside Wisconsin Politics: Polarization, ideology, money
What questions do Wisconsinites have about government, elections and candidates?
Path of Exile 2 aims for a full 1.0 release this year, but not all of the promised character classes will make it
It's nearly the end of the early access road for Path of Exile 2. We ask the director about launching this year and which features will, and won't, make it.
Apple Faces £3 Billion UK Trial Over iCloud Lock-In Claims
Apple was not able to narrow the scope of a UK lawsuit accusing it of locking 40 million UK consumers into iCloud, to the detriment of third-party cloud storage providers. British consumer group Which? first filed the lawsuit in late 2024, and is asking for £3 billion for UK Apple customers. Apple wanted to exclude non-paying iCloud users from the lawsuit, but the tribunal denied Apple's request in a 2 to 1 majority.
Codie Sanchez lists the top mistakes people make when purchasing a business
Codie Sanchez, Contrarian Thinking Founder & CEO joins Yahoo Finance's Josh Lipton on Market Domination Overtime to discuss 4 questions you should ask before buying a business.
Nebraska sports financing board OKs tax incentives for Lincoln and Omaha projects, rejects others
Of the 11 applicants for tax incentives to fund sports facility projects across the state, only two projects were approved.
Pillen-led board approves tax incentive for Omaha, Lincoln sports facilities, rejects nine more
A Gov. Jim Pillen-led board approved use of a state tax incentive for an Omaha and a Lincoln sports facility project, but rejects nine others.
Colorado Senate honors journalism icon Fred Brown
The Colorado Senate on Thursday honored longtime Denver Post bureau chief Fred Brown with a ceremony as distinctive as the journalist himself, donning masks bearing his likeness and celebrating his five decades of shaping political reporting and ethical standards in the state. The tribute, offered by Sen. Mark Baisley, R-Woodland Park, noted Brown’s 50 years […]
Colbert on time slot not going to traditional late-night show: ‘None of my business’
Comedian Stephen Colbert demurred when asked about the time slot on CBS he will soon vacate not being replaced by a traditional late-night show. “It’s none of my business,” Colbert said…
March Madness expands to 76 teams as committees lock in long-term men's, women's NCAA Tournament change
A Thursday vote that was long awaited will now trigger the polarizing expansion of college basketball's most cherished event
Digital health technology offers new hope for better health outcomes
Deborah Estrin was less than a minute into her presentation when she posed the question.“How do we best leverage data from all these digital sources, like wearables and apps and devices, to improve clinical care in patient’s lives?” Estrin asked a crowd of about 200 people at the second annual Arizona Digital Health Symposium.Then, her response.“It’s so much easier said than done,” she said.
The British public need to be better prepared for emergencies
Letter: Jean Coussins says a cross-party Lords committee has been tasked with coming up with a plan to normalise resilience in our everyday lives
New OU basketball arena in Rock Creek Entertainment District to break ground
The new home for OU basketball will finally break ground soon. It was announced on Thursday that the Rainier Company, which was hired to build a new Rock Creek Entertainment district, will officially break ground on May 12. OU and the city announced in 2024 their intentions of building a $1.2 billion entertainment district in Rock Creek that would ...
Extortion Using Smart Glasses Is a Thing Now
A woman in London was asked to pay up if she wanted a video of her removed from social media.
Is Xbox Project Helix a console or a PC?
And is that even the most important question we should be asking?
Can downtown Seattle keep its mix of big and small retailers?
As costs rise and margins get thinner, retailers ask themselves if the pros outweigh the cons of remaining, or setting up shop, in the heart of Seattle.
2026 Players Era Tournament increasing to 24 teams in two separate brackets with millions in NIL prize money
The third iteration of the NIL-based November college basketball event will again be staged in Las Vegas later this year and move to ESPN's airwaves
Science diplomacy lessons from a North Korean volcano
Mount Paektu, a mythic, active volcano on the border between North Korea and China, is almost the epitome of a scientific challenge that crosses political lines. In 946 CE, it erupted in one of the five biggest volcanic events of the past 10,000 years, kicking up huge quantities of ash and sending destructive mud flows down river channels for hundreds of kilometres. Should this happen again, the entire region, including easternmost Russia, South Korea and even Japan could be hit. “It’s definitely got the potential to be big,” said James Hammond, a professor of geophysics at Birkbeck, University of London. An eruption on the scale of 946 would have “huge regional impact.” For the past 15 years, Hammond has helped lead a groundbreaking collaboration with North Korean scientists to study the volcano, navigating scientific sanctions, tough export controls on scientific equipment and a long, pandemic-enforced exodus from the country. Although he seems more at home on far-flung research expeditions – before speaking to Science|Business, Hammond was camping out on a Greenland ice sheet – he has also advised the European Commission on its changing science diplomacy strategy. His long experience with North Korea has made Hammond sceptical of blanket bans on science collaboration, no matter the country.This is a live question in Europe, where in the wake of Russia’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine, institutional ties with Russian universities were almost entirely severed, although some scientists fear this could undermine our understanding of climate change’s impact on the Arctic. Here, Hammond tells the story of the Mount Paektu mission and the policy lessons he takes from it. Ominous rumblingsThe genesis of Hammond’s collaboration came in 2002, when Mount Paektu began to rumble ominously. Earthquake activity picked up and the volcano began to emit unusual gases. North Korean scientists took notice. “People felt we need to know more about this volcano,” said Hammond. In 2011, North Korean vulcanologists put out a request for international expertise to help them learn more. At the time, Hammond and his collaborator, Clive Oppenheimer, were working on a vulcanology project in another sanctioned country, Eritrea, and so decided to answer the call. Within a month, they had flown into Pyongyang. “It was pretty incredible,” recalls Hammond (left). “We were made to feel like honoured guests, and invited to official celebrations.” The scientific opportunity was huge. Paektu is unusually positioned, a thousand kilometres from where tectonic plates rub against each other in the Pacific. “It was an incredibly interesting volcano, but not much research had been done, at least not in the international community,” he said. “There was so much we felt we could do. And we had these partners that were super keen to engage.”The mission received an unusual visitor in the form of volcano-obsessed filmmaker Werner Herzog, who accompanied Hammond and Oppenheimer while directing his 2016 film Into the Inferno about volcanos across the world. Four days into the trip, the German director delivered a long speech about reunification to his North Korean hosts, recalls Hammond. “He got to the heart of the Koreans and how they felt, and how they thought, in a way that I'm not sure I ever will,” he said. UN sanctionsHowever, Hammond realised he’d been “naïve” about how difficult it would be to collaborate with North Korea, which was sanctioned far more heavily than Eritrea. “We didn’t fully appreciate the all-encompassing nature of restrictions,” he said. In 2016, as tensions escalated over Pyongyang’s nuclear tests, a United Nations resolution banned all joint scientific work with North Korea. However, the UN sanctions did allow countries to request carve outs, and the UK successfully requested an exemption for Hammond’s work. Related articlesEU pushes for joint science diplomacy, but care needed to avoid gridlock, experts sayRussia severs its last ties with German scienceAnchor Greenlanders in Arctic climate research, experts tell EU ahead of policy updateExport controls have also delayed Hammond’s work. In one case, it took 18 months to get approval from the UK government to take seismometers, which measure earthquakes, to North Korea. “It was frustrating,” he said. “But they didn’t just say no.” However, one instrument, called an induction coil, used to measure how the earth conducts electricity, was blocked entirely because it can in theory be used to detect submarines. Karaoke bondingSince the collaboration started in 2011, Hammond has visited the country around 15 times, although the pandemic closed off North Korea for more than five years. A trip last November was Hammond’s first since the outbreak. Despite this lengthy interlude, Hammond has deep bonds in the country. The North Korean scientists Hammond works with are somewhat isolated, as they struggle to access the latest research papers and travel to international conferences. That said, they are “excellent geophysicists” and are “very well trained in the field,” he said. Over karaoke and chats about their families, “we’ve made friendships, for sure,” he said. The authorities have to sign-off things like the placement of seismometers, for example, but Hammond said these requests have been approved. “Everything that we've asked for within a scientific context has been delivered.”Scientific backchannels? These kind of personal links between scientists across political lines are one purported benefit of science diplomacy. During the Cold War, some historians argue, scientific contact between the US and Soviet Union laid a groundwork of trust for other cooperation, such as on arms control. Hammond agrees that backchannel contacts to North Korean geophysicists are hardly likely to defuse a military crisis on the Korean peninsula, but the simple fact of the scientific collaboration makes contacts between diplomats that little bit easier. “It creates opportunities to understand each other a little bit better,” he said. “When maybe you have those more difficult discussions as diplomats, it's coming from a slightly better place.” Cutting tiesDrawing lessons from the Mount Paektu mission for today’s links with Russian science isn’t simple. The analogy is far from exact, Hammond said, “because one is essentially a Cold War, versus a pretty hot war in the case of Russia.” But Hammond’s broader argument is that the challenges we face, such as climate change, pandemics, biodiversity loss, pollution and so on, have globalised in an unprecedented way, making blanket shutdowns in collaboration with any country unwise.He’s somewhat critical of the UN scientific sanctions imposed on North Korea in 2016, even though they did allow for exceptions. “I think a blanket halt to some of these things, when we face big global challenges [. . .] that’s quite a risky thing to do,” he said.Institutional endorsement?European academics are still by and large free to work individually with Russian counterparts. However, official, institutional partnerships have largely ended. Shortly following the full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, Russian university rectors wrote a public letter endorsing the war, meaning European universities fear official collaboration could also be seen as a kind of endorsement. Hammond acknowledges there is a risk of legitimising regimes, and state-controlled universities, through scientific cooperation. “That’s the trade off you have to make,” he said. Strategic projectsWith Russia, instead of giving a green light to restart all Arctic science, a middle ground might be firing up a few carefully selected “strategic” projects, said Hammond. After all, European countries are still collaborating with Russia on the International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor, an experimental nuclear fusion plant in the south of France. However, even if Europe did try to revive Arctic science with Russia, there’s no guarantee Russian scientists would play ball. A series of high-profile arrests of physicists in Russia accused of sharing their findings with the outside world has made collaboration fraught. Even before the invasion of 2022, “the Russian regime made it increasingly difficult, and this sort of discouraged people,” Dag Rune Olsen, rector of the Arctic University of Norway, told Science|Business last year.