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Mar 22 • 4:42 PM EDT • Politics • cnn.com

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.

Mar 22 • 2:18 PM EDT • Health • erictopol.substack.com

Sebastian Kehl exits role as Borussia Dortmund sporting director

Borussia Dortmund sporting director Sebastian Kehl is leaving the team with immediate effect as the club undergoes a major shakeup after what will be a trophyless season.

Mar 22 • 9:32 AM EDT • Sports • espn.com

Oscar-Winning Alumnus Returns to Pasadena’s ArtCenter for Entertainment Design Expo

One week after winning the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature, KPop Demon Hunters co-director Chris Appelhans returns today to ArtCenter College of Design, the Pasadena campus where he studied illustration, for the college’s third annual Entertainment Design Expo. The expo, known as ENTX, opens the Hillside Campus to the public for a full day of gallery exhibitions, game playtesting, animation screenings and interactive experiences featuring work from more than 200 ArtCenter students and alumni. General admission is free with advance registration. Two industry panels — including Appelhans’s talk — require $15 tickets. Appelhans, who graduated from ArtCenter with a bachelor of fine arts in 2002, co-directed KPop Demon Hunters with Maggie Kang. The animated film, produced by Sony Pictures Animation and released on Netflix, became the streaming platform’s most-watched film in history, according to Netflix, and swept awards season with wins at the Golden Globes, the Annie Awards and the Grammys before taking the Oscar on March 15. His talk and audience Q&A is scheduled from noon to 1 p.m. in the Ahmanson Auditorium. Doors open at 11:30 a.m. The film’s ArtCenter ties extend beyond its co-director. Art director Angela Sung, cinematographer Gary H. Lee, visual development artist Celine Kim and painter Simon Baek are all ArtCenter graduates who worked on the production, according to the college. The free portions of ENTX include a concept design showcase, a production design gallery, a model gallery, a stop motion studio preview, an alumni gallery and a KPop Demon Hunters fan art gallery. Visitors can also playtest games designed by ArtCenter students. An Animation Shorts Showcase runs from 2 to 3 p.m. and includes “Boy, I’m Scared,” a capstone short by ArtCenter graduate Lindsey Tenaglia that was named a semifinalist for the 2025 Student Academy Awards in the animation category. Also screening

Mar 22 • 8:30 AM EDT • Entertainment • pasadenanow.com

Scientists discover surprising brain trigger behind high blood pressure

Scientists have uncovered a surprising brain-based trigger for high blood pressure, tracing it to a small region in the brainstem that normally controls breathing. This area, which kicks in during forceful exhalations like coughing, laughing, or exercise, also appears to activate nerves that tighten blood vessels—raising blood pressure. When researchers switched off this region in experiments, blood pressure dropped back to normal, suggesting it plays a direct role in hypertension.

Mar 22 • 8:00 AM EDT • Science • sciencedaily.com

German club Borussia Dortmund parts ways with sports director Kehl

German football club ​Borussia Dortmund ‌said on Sunday ​it ​is ending its collaboration ⁠with ​sports director ​Sebastian Kehl with immediate effect.

Mar 22 • 7:35 AM EDT • Sports • reuters.com

White House navigates vaccine politics, midterm risks in CDC director search

The Trump administration faces complicated political dynamics as it seeks someone to helm the key public health agency suffering a prolonged leadership vacuum.

Mar 22 • 6:00 AM EDT • Health • washingtonpost.com

White House navigates vaccine politics, midterm risks in CDC director search

The Trump administration faces complicated political dynamics as it seeks someone to helm the key public health agency suffering a prolonged leadership vacuum.

Mar 22 • 6:00 AM EDT • Politics • washingtonpost.com

New law firm formed; new executive director at chamber; hospital picks new chief of staff

Take a look at some of the recent promotions and new hires announced at south Louisiana businesses.

Mar 22 • 5:00 AM EDT • Business • nola.com

We are living in a period of political anti-intellectualism. But in pop culture, clever is the new cool

At the very moment Trump’s rambling speeches and meme–fied inanity threaten to overwhelm us, fashion, music and film are moving in the opposite direction

Mar 22 • 2:00 AM EDT • Politics • theguardian.com

Robert Mueller, ex-FBI director at center of political tempest, dies at 81

After building a reputation for quiet rectitude, he became a political target as special counsel investigating Russian interference in the 2016 election.

Mar 21 • 1:48 PM EDT • Politics • washingtonpost.com

Apple TV Is Now Almost 20 Years Old

The Apple TV is now almost two decades old amid rumors of the announcement of a new model. Today marks 19 years Apple launched the original Apple TV. Apple CEO Steve Jobs unveiled the Apple TV at Macworld Expo in January 2007 alongside the original iPhone, but it didn't launch until March. The ‌Apple TV was initially previewed as the "iTV". The device allowed users to wirelessly stream movies, TV shows, music, and photos from their Mac or PC directly to their TV.

Mar 21 • 9:14 AM EDT • Technology • macrumors.com

Ole Miss eyes May decision on VaughtHemingway entertainment district partner

Athletics director Keith Carter provided an update and timeline to the Vaught-Hemingway entertainment district project that plans to utilize a public-private partnership.

Mar 21 • 6:42 AM EDT • Entertainment • 247sports.com

Downtown Chico business owner voices concerns over street closures for events

A DOWNTOWN CHICO MERCHANT IS EXPRESSING CONCERN OVER THE IMPACT OF STREET CLOSURES FOR EVENTS -- ON THEIR BUSINESS. ACTION NEWS NOW REPORTER BELLA BARBOSA REPORTS FROM DOWNTOWN CHICO { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@type": "VideoObject", "name": "Downtown Road Closure Dilemma", "description": "A DOWNTOWN CHICO MERCHANT IS EXPRESSING CONCERN OVER THE IMPACT OF STREET CLOSURES FOR EVENTS -- ON THEIR BUSINESS. ACTION NEWS NOW REPORTER BELLA BARBOSA REPORTS FROM DOWNTOWN CHICO", "thumbnailUrl": "https://bloximages.newyork1.vip.townnews.com/actionnewsnow.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/c/47/c47e26d6-03c3-5f35-bf49-37925ab603d7/69bdedc4eb57d.image.jpg", "uploadDate": "2026-03-20T17:45:00-07:00", "contentUrl": "https://cdn.field59.com/KHSL/1774053903-6e1ef36dd09fbebf020833aee86b60da3b3cca3f_fl9-720p.mp4" } CHICO, Calif. - A downtown Chico business owner is voicing concerns about the impact of street closures for events on local shops. Leann Powell, owner of The Peddler’s Closet, expressed concern about events closing down streets downtown and bringing in food trucks and other shops’ products that directly compete with the brick-and-mortar stores in downtown Chico.Powell said an upcoming event held on a Saturday has brought up concerns for her and other business owners downtown, due to it being a busy day for businesses. "We're already struggling, and then to bring in more businesses on top of our businesses and shut our streets down is absolutely devastating," said Powell.Powell noted a decline in business during events like the Thursday Night Market, where street closures allow outside vendors to set up shop. She shared that while organizers for these types of events often offer booths to local businesses, it does not alleviate the burden."I don't really feel like that's a solution because you're bringing in other businesses, you're shutting the streets down. Yes, we can go down and set up a space, but then you've gotta pay somebody to run that space, plus run your own business for the day, and it's really not, it's really not helpful for us," said Powell.Applying for a street closure permit in Chico involves approval from the Public Works Department, the Chief of Police, and the Fire Chief. Permits can be denied only under a handful of circumstances, such as interference with first responders, previously scheduled construction, or existing permits for the same space.Mayor Kasey Reynolds addressed the issue, saying the city council has tasked staff with reviewing the municipal code for street closure permits with the goal of finding ways to minimize negative impacts on local businesses during events.Reynolds mentioned that any recommended changes might require further direction from the city council, depending on the extent of any changes recommended. googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.display('ad-1514992'); });

Mar 20 • 8:45 PM EDT • Business • actionnewsnow.com

Tectonic shift: Earth was already moving 3.5 billion years ago

Scientists have uncovered the oldest direct evidence yet that Earth’s tectonic plates were on the move 3.5 billion years ago. By analyzing magnetic fingerprints in ancient rocks, they reconstructed how parts of the planet slowly drifted and even rotated over time. This challenges long-standing ideas that early Earth may have had a rigid, unmoving surface. Instead, it suggests the planet was already dynamic—and possibly setting the stage for life—much earlier than expected.

Mar 20 • 8:00 PM EDT • Science • sciencedaily.com

What I’m seeing at Astros camp: Brice Matthews’ OF bid, Cam Smith’s mindset, more medical changes

Houston hired a new director of sports medicine and performance, and a new assistant athletic trainer.

Mar 20 • 7:25 PM EDT • Sports • nytimes.com

Hubert Davis buyout: What it would cost UNC to move on from coach after first-round NCAA Tournament exit

The Tar Heels' second straight first-round NCAA Tournament exit adds to growing questions about the program's direction

Mar 20 • 5:03 PM EDT • Sports • cbssports.com

Far-left surge in Airbus’ hometown scares big business

Employers brace for France Unbowed’s possible takeover of city hall in Toulouse.

Mar 20 • 4:00 PM EDT • Business • politico.eu

Scammer is trying to defraud Norwalk Oyster Festival vendors, Better Business Bureau says

The Better Business Bureau (BBB) is warning people about a scam involving the Norwalk Oyster Festival. Jerry Toni, the executive director of the Norwalk Seaport Association, which runs the festival, told the BBB that a scammer is posing as his business and trying to defraud vendors. The scammer contacted previous Norwalk Oyster Festival vendors and appeared credible, the BBB said….

Mar 20 • 12:28 PM EDT • Business • nbcconnecticut.com

Feds launch probe to unravel alleged nonprofit funding behind Antifa-linked violence

The DOJ, FBI and IRS are investigating nonprofit groups the Trump administration says are funding political violence, under a directive known as NSPM-7.

Mar 20 • 11:14 AM EDT • Politics • foxnews.com

Letai: “From this point forward, it really is much more like business as usual at the NCI.”

NCI Director Anthony Letai appeared before the National Cancer Advisory Board Committee March 17 to maneuver through thorny topics while reiterating his message of reassurance: Stability. Stability. Stability. NCI is sturdy and will weather the storms. “The mission hasn’t changed at the National Cancer Institute,” Letai said in his remarks to the committee. “The resources […]

Mar 20 • 10:52 AM EDT • Business • cancerletter.com

DirecTV completely exits the Sunday Ticket business

Thirty-two years after NFL Sunday Ticket launched exclusively on DirecTV, the satellite provider is officially exiting the Sunday Ticket business.

Mar 20 • 10:16 AM EDT • Business • nbcsports.com

Evaluating the science behind nutrition

Evidence Center director touts multidisciplinary focus for new discoveries at national food policy conference.

Mar 20 • 9:05 AM EDT • Science • agrilifetoday.tamu.edu

xAI Sends Engineers to Client Sites to Win Business from OpenAI

Elon Musk’s xAI is sending engineers directly into the offices of prospective corporate clients in an attempt to claw business customers away from rivals OpenAI and Anthropic PBC.

Mar 20 • 9:00 AM EDT • Business • bloomberg.com

Christy Carlson Romano says 'Even Stevens' costar Shia LaBeouf 'doesn't deserve' Disney GOAT status

Christy Carlson Romano is firing shots at her old 'Even Stevens' costar Shia LaBeouf's direction, agreeing with Demi Lovato that LaBeouf 'doesn't deserve' to be counted among the all-time Disney Channel greats.

Mar 20 • 8:22 AM EDT • Entertainment • ew.com

Exclusive: Amazon plans smartphone comeback more than a decade after Fire Phone flop

In 2014, Amazon introduced its first smartphone, hoping to take on Apple and Samsung. Instead, the Fire Phone - overseen directly by founder Jeff Bezos - was scrapped in barely over a year, one of Amazon’s highest-profile flops.

Mar 20 • 6:01 AM EDT • Technology • reuters.com

Fowler College of Business names founding director of ‘real-world’ lea

Professor Iana Castro will head the Shaw Family Center for Experiential Learning

Mar 20 • 3:39 AM EDT • Business • sdsu.edu

Trump Told Inner Circle Some Mass Deportation Policies Went Too Far

The president is convinced that voters don’t like the term “mass deportation,” and has directed advisers to adopt a new approach on one of his central campaign promises.

Mar 19 • 8:30 PM EDT • Politics • wsj.com

Markiplier to Microdramas: The Ankler x NAB Show’s Future of Entertainment

Share Subscribe Vegas, baby! The Ankler is heading back to NAB Show for a second year in a row — and doubling down on conversations with the smartest people in the industry. From April 18–22, we’re partnering again with the industry’s biggest media and tech gathering to break down the Business of Media and Entertainment as it’s actually evolving: faster, riskier and increasingly driven by new formats, new audiences and new power players. This curated series will bring together top creators, executives and innovators to tackle the forces reshaping the industry — from the AI disruption of Hollywood’s creative ecosystem to the rise of the creator economy, shifting audience behavior and the changing economics of production. We’ll be rolling out more programming in the coming weeks — including top speakers from leading AI studios, prediction markets and beyond — so keep an eye on the Business of Media and Entertainment hub. But first up, we’re announcing two panels about what’s actually working in Hollywood: The Scary-Smart Business of Horror A good scare has become one of the entertainment economy’s most reliable engines. With disciplined budgets, built-in fandoms and global box office upside, horror consistently outperforms. From theatrical releases to streaming-first originals and creator-driven IP, the genre is artistically flexible and financially durable — and one of the last truly communal experiences for Gen Z and Gen Alpha audiences. Join YouTube creator Mark Fischbach, aka Markiplier, whose independent feature Iron Lung earned more than $50 million at the global box office, Atomic Monster president Michael Clear and screenwriter Akela Cooper (M3GAN, Malignant) for a conversation moderated by Like & Subscribe’s Natalie Jarvey about why horror travels so effectively across platforms and borders, how studios and independents are building sustainable genre pipelines and why the next wave of breakout franchises may emerge from unexpected sources. Inside the Microdrama Boom Short-form serialized storytelling is having a major moment. Microdramas, social-native series and creator-led narratives are capturing massive audiences with low-cost, rapid production cycles and direct-to-fan distribution. What was once dismissed as niche or experimental is now attracting major platform investment. Moderated by Jarvey, this panel of microdrama creators and executives — including one of the format’s top stars and producers, Kasey Esser, and Dhar Mann Studios’ head of vertical content, Erin McFarlane — examines how format innovation, fandom dynamics and algorithmic discovery are reshaping the economics of scripted storytelling and what traditional studios can learn from these agile models. For sponsorship opportunities, contact Lynne@theankler.com Share

Mar 19 • 6:34 PM EDT • Entertainment • theankler.com

New dispute emerges around Subnautica 2’s early access release

Lawyers for the ousted—and now partially reinstated—leadership team of Unknown Worlds, the studio behind Subnautica 2, are crying foul over news that the game will be released into early access in May. The release announcement earlier this week was made improperly, potentially “damaging the game and sowing additional confusion among the Subnautica community,” the lawyers said in a letter sent on Tuesday to Vice Chancellor Lori Will of Delaware’s Court of Chancery. In their letter, the lawyers also floated the idea of asking Will to find Krafton in contempt of the court’s ruling. The letter was sent just one day after Will’s bombshell ruling that publisher Krafton had breached its contract with Unknown Worlds’ executive team, when it fired them last June. The new issue isn’t necessarily the May early access timeframe, but how the news was announced. The letter and Krafton’s response have not been previously reported. A quick recap of prior events: Subnautica 2 is an unreleased, underwater survival adventure and the most-wishlisted game on Steam. Last year, longtime Unknown Worlds CEO Ted Gill, along with studio co-founders Charlie Cleveland and Max McGuire, were fired by Krafton. They swiftly sued, saying the publisher had terminated them to avoid paying out up to $250 million in potential performance-based bonuses. The studio leaders had hoped to earn that with an early access release of the game, which Krafton had blocked. The publisher argued in court that Subnautica 2 wasn’t ready, which the ousted execs disputed. On Monday, Will ruled that Krafton had violated its contract, firing the execs to avoid the performance payouts, and that it had to reinstate Gill and give him full authority over any early access release for Subnautica 2. On Tuesday, IGN reported on a new memo issued that day to Unknown Worlds staff by Steve Papoutsis, the executive Krafton had put in charge of Unknown Worlds after the 2025 firings. In the note, Papoutsis said that Subnautica 2 had passed a key development milestone “last week” and that he and Krafton had determined the game “is ready for Early Access release in May.” This news appeared to catch the lawyers for Gill, Cleveland and McGuire by surprise. On Tuesday night, they sent a letter to Will expressing “serious concerns” about whether it would be possible to forge an agreement with Krafton consistent with the judge’s order. Papoutsis’ memo was a problem, they wrote. He didn’t have the authority to declare anything about Subnautica 2’s release. As of 9am ET on Monday, March 16, the effective date of Will’s order, Papoutsis wasn’t CEO of Unknown Worlds. Gill was. And, per Will’s order, only Gill could make Subnautica 2 release decisions. They continued: Krafton self-servingly announced the launch without any regard to its impact on the game, the team, or the community—let alone this Court’s Opinion. Announcing the release of a game is momentous, and it is typically accompanied by significant marketing activity, fanfare, and community coordination. And most importantly, the announcement is carefully designed to maximize excitement for the game. That entire process was supposed to be driven by Mr. Gill. However, in defiance of the Court’s Opinion, Krafton has now taken that away, further damaging the game and sowing additional confusion among the Subnautica community. The lawyers speculated that Krafton had “intentionally leaked” Papoutsis’ memo and then issued an official statement to confirm the leak. Game File is a reader-supported publication. My reporting is only possible through support from readers like you. To support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. Subscribe On Wednesday, lawyers for Krafton defended their client in their own letter to vice chancellor Will, saying nothing they did violated her order nor showed contempt: Papoutsis’s message was simply celebrating the UW employees’ efforts toward a past event: Krafton’s pre-Opinion determination that Subnautica 2 was ready for Early Access release. There was nothing improper about conveying the results of the milestone review or thanking the development team for their dedication and talent. They added that Gill could still make his own call about Subnautica 2’s release: In his role as CEO, Gill will be able to assess independently his views on the state of Subnautica 2 and the appropriate release schedule; nothing in Papoutsis’s message alters Gill’s authority or discretion. Vice chancellor Will has not responded to the letters and doesn’t necessarily have to. Both parties were previously ordered by Will to confer this week and submit a proposed judgment consistent with her ruling. The letter from Gill’s attorney’s this week doesn’t indicate whether he would or would not support a May release for Subnautica 2. But it could limit his options. And, if Gill’s lawyers are right, the lack of marketing fanfare around the leak of the May date could dull the launch of the game. Any harm to Subnautica 2’s launch is an extra sensitive issue given the context of the legal dispute: millions of dollars of payouts are on the line, tethered to the scale of the game’s initial performance. In her ruling on Monday, Will noted that there was obvious “bad blood” between Gill’s side and Krafton but that the two would need to work together: “They can—and must—act in good faith to navigate their remaining contractual relationship.” Item 2: A new kind of couch co-op game A highlight of GDC each year is the Alt.Ctrl showcase that features games played with extremely experimental controllers. Perusing this year’s offerings last Friday, I found a game controlled with giant scissors, another with big toothbrushes and one that amounted to dumpster diving. My favorite was Pivot, a co-op game about collectively maneuvering a couch. It was developed by students at the University of Utah’s masters of arts and engineering games program. Players lift and tilt the physical couch in order to control the position of a virtual one. That virtual one is moving through an obstacle course on-screen, while being pursued by a giant skull. Developer Nishant Verma told me at GDC that the couch is made of styrofoam (this became more evident as I watched!) and that the name was a riff on an episode of the sitcom Friends. Item 3: In brief… 🚫 Ubisoft is laying off more than 100 workers at its Red Storm studio, as the North Carolina location known for decades for its Tom Clancy games, ceases in-house game development, VGC reports. 👀 On Monday, Nvidia’s revealed its DLSS 5 AI-driven graphics technology that purports to improve game graphics… and it has been roasted about it by the media and the online gaming public for the remainder of the week. The tech changed the faces of characters in footage from Resident Evil Requiem, Hogwarts Legacy and EA Sports FC, drawing accusations of giving carefully art-directed games the generic look of AI “slop.” Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang had said on Monday that “DLSS 5 is the GPT moment for graphics—blending handcrafted rendering with generative AI to deliver a dramatic leap in visual realism while preserving the control artists need for creative expression.” By mid-week, Huang was telling Tom’s Hardware that the new tech’s critics were “completely wrong” because game-makers could still “fine-tune the generative AI” to suit their game’s aesthetics.

Mar 19 • 5:28 PM EDT • Technology • gamefile.news

Temple Health Appoints Robert A. Winn, MD, as Cancer Center Director for Fox Chase Cancer Center

Temple Health today announced the appointment of Robert A. Winn, MD, as the next Cancer Center Director for Fox Chase Cancer Center, marking a defining moment that will shape the future of one of the nation’s leading National Cancer Institute-designated Comprehensive Cancer Centers.

Mar 19 • 4:22 PM EDT • Health • foxchase.org

Joe Kent's resignation over Iran war reignites antisemitism fears and debate over Israeli influence

It was no surprise when Joe Kent showed up on Tucker Carlson’s podcast a day after quitting his counterterrorism job in President Donald Trump’s administration. But before long, the conversation moved in a different direction as Kent nodded to conspiracy theories that pro-Israel forces were behind the assassination of conservative activist Charlie Kirk.

Mar 19 • 2:15 PM EDT • Politics • pbs.org

Figma stock sinks after Google 'vibe design' tool gets update

Google's Stitch AI tool is the latest shot across the bow of software makers, as AI companies roll out features directly challenging their products.

Mar 19 • 12:49 PM EDT • Business • businessinsider.com

True Bill Talk: Prosecution & Politics

The March 14 episode of True Bill Talk shifts the podcast’s focus from its typically local level to a national one. Nelson Bunn is the Executive Director of the National District Attorneys Association (NDAA), an organization that influences the policies of thousands of prosecutors across the country. In a conversation with host Alissa Marque Heydari, […]

Mar 19 • 12:13 PM EDT • Politics • law.vanderbilt.edu

Essentia Health holding advance care planning classes

ACP is a process that helps you think and talk about your choices for health care in the future. It’s important for every adult to have an advance directive, also known as a living will or health care directive.

Mar 19 • 11:15 AM EDT • Health • essentiahealth.org

German Health Minister Nina Warken and WHO Hub in Berlin highlight 2025 achievements

Germany’s Federal Minister of Health, Nina Warken, visited the WHO Hub for Pandemic and Epidemic Intelligence in Berlin today to review progress and launch its 2025 Annual Report. The report highlights advances in using artificial intelligence, data science and pathogen genomics to strengthen global preparedness for future pandemics.In 2025, the WHO Hub in Berlin worked with more than 160 Member States and over 190 partners to help countries and organizations develop new systems and tools to detect and understand new public health threats as quickly as possible, whenever and wherever they occur.BMG to confirm whether they wish to contribute a quote. “Detecting outbreaks early is one of the most effective ways to save lives and prevent epidemics from becoming global crises,” said Federal Minister of Health Nina Warken. “Germany is proud to host and support the WHO Hub for Pandemic and Epidemic Intelligence. Its work strengthens our safety at home and helps protect people worldwide.”Artificial intelligence is increasingly transforming the detection of outbreaks. In 2025, the Hub launched an upgraded version of the Epidemic Intelligence from Open Sources (EIOS) system, which uses enhanced AI functions to scan global online information in real time and help experts quickly identify unusual health events. The system is now used by 120 countries.To better anticipate health threats, countries need information beyond traditional health data. The Hub supports countries in implementing Collaborative Surveillance, which integrates data on climate, animals, travel, and population movement to provide a more comprehensive and real-time understanding of health threats.The Hub also expanded global access to pathogen genomics, which helps scientists detect new pathogens, such as viruses and bacteria, understand how they spread and how dangerous they may become. Through the International Pathogen Surveillance Network (IPSN), the WHO Hub in Berlin worked with 309 partners in 101 countries to expand access to these technologies.“We are in a new era of global health threats, and we need new tools to face tomorrow’s challenges,” said Dr Chikwe Ihekweazu, Executive Director of the WHO Health Emergencies Programme. “The WHO Hub in Berlin helps countries use data and technology more effectively so they can identify risks earlier and respond faster. No country can address these threats alone. Strong cooperation remains our best defence.”“Berlin offers an ideal environment for our work. We collaborate closely with world-leading institutions such as the Robert Koch Institute and the Charité Center for Global Health,” said Dr Oliver Morgan, Head of the WHO Hub for Pandemic and Epidemic Intelligence. “Germany has supported the WHO Hub since its establishment, and we are pleased to welcome Federal Minister Nina Warken to the Hub today. This strong partnership helps us advance innovation in pandemic and epidemic intelligence and better support countries to prepare for future health threats.”The Hub is expanding the use of advanced analytics and mathematical modelling to forecast how outbreaks may develop and to assess which response measures are most effective. Through its Collaboratory, the Hub connects modelers and analysts with governments to ensure their work addresses real public health needs. In 2025, the community grew to 1300 members from 50 countries and 200 institutions. An AI-powered pandemic simulator, currently in the prototyping phase, will help decision-makers compare outbreak scenarios and help identify effective disease control measures.

Mar 19 • 8:00 AM EDT • Health • who.int

Lebanon: Israel must halt attacks on healthcare workers, medical facilities and first responders

Responding to the killings and injuries of dozens of healthcare workers and first responders in Lebanon since 2 March 2026, amid escalating attacks by the Israeli military and its allegations – without providing evidence – that ambulances and healthcare sites are being used for military activities and may be targeted, Kristine Beckerle, Deputy Regional Director for the Middle East and North Africa at Amnesty International, said: “Israel is deploying the same deadly playbook it used in 2024 in Lebanon to kill dozens […]

Mar 19 • 7:09 AM EDT • Health • amnesty.org

Takeaways from former Trump administration counterterrorism chief Joe Kent’s extensive interview

Former US National Counterterrorism Center Director Joe Kent sat Wednesday for an extensive interview with former Fox News host and right-wing podcaster Tucker Carlson, his first public comments since he resigned from his post, citing concerns about the war with Iran.

Mar 18 • 10:18 PM EDT • Politics • cnn.com

Issues & Ale: It's Just Politics

Join Michigan Public's Political Director Zoe Clark, Senior Capitol Correspondent Rick Pluta, and their FAQ Squad panelists as they give you the facts of the upcoming election cycle!

Mar 18 • 8:06 PM EDT • Politics • michiganpublic.org

Grand Central Mall announces multi-million dollar renovation plans, entertainment center

VIENNA — A multi-million-dollar renovation project is set to transform Grand Central Mall, with officials and community leaders announcing sweeping upgrades and new attractions during a Wednesday morning event. Joe Bell, director of corporate communications, said the planned changes will significantly modernize the longtime shopping center and bring new energy to the Mid-Ohio Valley. “There […]

Mar 18 • 8:00 PM EDT • Entertainment • mariettatimes.com

Scientists recreated a dinosaur nest to solve a 70-million-year-old mystery

Scientists recreated a life-size oviraptor nest to understand how these dinosaurs hatched their eggs. Their experiments showed the parent likely couldn’t heat all the eggs directly, meaning sunlight played a key role. This uneven heating could cause eggs in the same nest to hatch at different times. The results suggest oviraptors used a hybrid incubation method unlike modern birds.

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

Cattle futures waiting on direct business to develop

At the Chicago Mercantile Exchange, live cattle were up and feeders were lower ahead of the week’s direct business and Friday’s Cattle on Feed report from the USDA. April live cattle closed $.17 higher at $235.40 and June live cattle closed $.30 higher at $235. April feeder cattle closed $.97 lower at $353.82 and May […]

Mar 18 • 4:46 PM EDT • Business • brownfieldagnews.com

Local Spotlight | ArchWell Health Brings a New Approach to Senior Care

Local spotlight is joined by Dr. Doron Schneider, Market Medical Director at ArchWell Health.

Mar 18 • 1:36 PM EDT • Health • 6abc.com

Double Fine’s Pottery Party Brawler Kiln Arrives April 23 (Plus a Direct Look at the First Public Play Sessions)

Kiln arrives on April 23! Read on for beta details and our observations of the first public play sessions:

Mar 18 • 12:00 PM EDT • Technology • news.xbox.com

Longtime Former SEMO Sports Information Director Ron Hines Passes Away

Former longtime Southeast Missouri Sports Information Director Ron Hines passed away at the age of 82 on March 16, 2026.

Mar 18 • 10:46 AM EDT • Sports • ovcsports.com

Galaxy S26 wireless charging is a mess, Qi2 25W speeds sound near-impossible to find

Wireless charging is very much moving in the direction of Qi2 and magnetic alignment, but Samsung stubbornly continues to avoid...

Mar 18 • 10:20 AM EDT • Technology • 9to5google.com

Marquee Sports Network now available on Hulu + Live TV

The regional sports network's direct-to-consumer service is now also available for purchase on Prime Video.

Mar 18 • 10:05 AM EDT • Sports • chicago.suntimes.com

Former Longtime SEMO Sports Information Director Ron Hines Passes Away at 82

Former longtime Southeast Missouri Sports Information Director Ron Hines passed away at the age of 82 on March 16, 2026.

Mar 18 • 9:15 AM EDT • Sports • semoredhawks.com

'The Adding Machine' review: Elmer Rice's play gets a sluggish revival

Elmer Rice's "The Adding Machine," an expressionist classic on automation and worker insecurity, speaks directly to an age in which livelihoods are threatened by AI innovation.

Mar 18 • 9:00 AM EDT • Entertainment • latimes.com

Al Hilal identify Liverpool’s Richard Hughes as leading contender for sporting director role

The former Scotland midfielder was widely credited with playing a key role in Liverpool’s Premier League title win last season.

Mar 18 • 8:43 AM EDT • Sports • nytimes.com

By Director Mr. Sakurai, Kirby Air Riders: Development Insights — Part 4 - News

Join Kirby Air Riders director Masahiro Sakurai as he shares insights into the development and details behind some of the game's modes and features. Check out the rest of the interview Part 1: Air Ride and Top Ride Part 2: Cramming everything into S…

Mar 18 • 8:00 AM EDT • Technology • nintendo.com

Gastonia business feels squeeze as gas prices rise

A Gastonia business owner says that rising gas prices are having a direct impact on his business and may cause him to raise his prices.

Mar 18 • 5:08 AM EDT • Business • yahoo.com

Cattle futures higher waiting on direct business

At the Chicago Mercantile Exchange, live and feeder cattle were higher, getting ready for the week’s direct business and Friday’s On Feed report. April live cattle closed $1.97 higher at $235.22 and June live cattle closed $1.82 higher at $233.70. April feeder cattle closed $4.95 higher at $354.80 and May feeder cattle closed $5.07 higher at […]

Mar 17 • 5:00 PM EDT • Business • brownfieldagnews.com

‘Worst-case scenario’: Middle East nuclear concerns haunt top health officials

The WHO is remaining “vigilant” for any kind of atomic threat.

Mar 17 • 3:59 PM EDT • Health • politico.eu

Inside SMU’s Strategy for NIL, Revenue Sharing, and the New College Sports Business Model

SMU Athletic Director Damon Evans and Deputy AD Brian Ullmann explain the new financial models, private equity conversations, and renovations needed at Ford Stadium.

Mar 17 • 1:07 PM EDT • Sports • dmagazine.com

NEWS CENTER Maine

Through in-depth storytelling, through direct contact on digital on social platforms, through long-standing community service programs like Coats & Toys for Kids, Project Heat and Buddy to Buddy, NEWS CENTER Maine is dedicated to keeping Mainers connected. We can't do it alone, though. Only by listening and interacting with YOU can we continue to connect ALL Mainers.

Mar 17 • 1:06 PM EDT • Sports • youtube.com

AGU and Content With Purpose announce new digital series exploring science in action

“Our World, Our Future” will connect scientific discovery with lived experience and demonstrate how research directly affects people and communities everywhere.

Mar 17 • 12:16 PM EDT • Science • news.agu.org

Joe Kent resigns, says Iran posed ‘no imminent threat’

Joe Kent resigned as director of the National Counterterrorism Center, saying that he cannot in "good conscience" support the Trump administration's war in Iran.

Mar 17 • 10:08 AM EDT • Politics • seattletimes.com

Top counterterrorism official Kent resigns over Trump's Iran war, says Iran posed no imminent threat

The director of the National Counterterrorism Center has announced his resignation, saying he “cannot in good conscience” back the Trump administration’s war in Iran

Mar 17 • 9:50 AM EDT • Politics • washingtonpost.com

The Promptory Launches First Curated AI Marketplace with Built-In AI Strategy Director for Small Business and Enterprises

FRISCO, Texas, March 17, 2026--The Promptory, a privately held technology company, today announced the official launch of its AI tools marketplace — the first curated platform built specifically to help small, medium, and enterprise businesses find, evaluate, and implement the right AI tools for their specific needs.

Mar 17 • 9:30 AM EDT • Business • finance.yahoo.com

Philip Morris International U.S. to Launch New Business Solutions Center, Creating 180 Jobs in Tampa Bay Area

Today, Philip Morris International's U.S. businesses ("PMI U.S.") announced an investment of approximately $50 million in a new Business Solutions Center in Tampa, Florida. The Center will create approximately 180 direct and indirect high-skilled jobs and represents a pivotal expansion of PMI U.S. operations, consolidating key functions—business solutions, distribution operations, and customer service—into a single hub. This investment is designed to enhance operational efficiency across these f

Mar 17 • 8:05 AM EDT • Business • finance.yahoo.com

National Eye Institute director speaks during Vision Science Research Center retreat

National Eye Institute director speaks during Vision Science Research Center retreat

Mar 17 • 8:00 AM EDT • Science • uab.edu

Geffen Playhouse 2026-27 season: world and L.A. premieres

Geffen Playhouse Artistic Director Tarell Alvin McCraney aims to deliver 'world-class theater at your friendly neighborhood playhouse.'

Mar 17 • 8:00 AM EDT • Entertainment • latimes.com

Trump’s Nominee to Run NSF is Unqualified, Conflicted, and a Threat to Science

If O’Neill is confirmed as NSF’s director, the Trump administration will further tighten its control over an agency created by Congress to be independent in its work to advance science.

Mar 17 • 8:00 AM EDT • Science • blog.ucs.org

Deadline Hollywood

Debra OConnell, Chairman of Disney Entertainment Television, has unveiled her direct reports, including Craig Erwich, who adds 20th TV Oversight. Read more below.

Mar 17 • 12:00 AM EDT • Entertainment • facebook.com

Devils Rally Past Bruins in OT

It’s nights like these that make you wonder, what could have been. The New Jersey Devils certainly didn’t look like the hapless, directionless mess of a hockey team that spent the past three-plus months struggling to get out of its own way while plummeting to the darkest depths of the Eastern Conference standings. Well, maybe […]

Mar 16 • 11:48 PM EDT • Sports • sports.yahoo.com

YouTuber upgrades MacBook Neo to 1TB in new ASMR video

YouTube creator DirectorFeng is back with another ASMR-themed video in which they attempt to upgrade the storage on a new Apple device.

Mar 16 • 9:27 PM EDT • Technology • 9to5mac.com

Coal Ridge athletic director named best in state after landmark year of Titans prep sports

Ben Kirk did not dedicate his life to the art of sports for recognition or praise. He did it because he knows how much sports can shape a young kid, and how much impact a...

Mar 16 • 5:45 PM EDT • Sports • postindependent.com

Men’s Health 2026 Grooming Awards: Shave Kit, Hair Serum, More

Men’s Health editorial director Richard Dorment joins TODAY to share some of the winners from the 2026 Grooming Awards. Products include hydrating pillow pads, mouthwash packets and more!

Mar 16 • 10:08 AM EDT • Health • today.com

A Life in Science: The role of data in advancing medicines

New in our A Life in Science series, we hear from Audrey Clapéron, Translational Biology Director, about the essential role of data in

Mar 16 • 9:47 AM EDT • Science • ipsen.com

Blind dates and guessing games: Reel8 creates entertainment, community through videos

Reel8 Productions creates social media videos featuring content that speaks to the interests, lifestyles and commonalities of Northwestern students, according to Co-Founder and Executive Director of reel8 and Medill senior Judy Zeng. Inspired by channels like Jubilee and Cut, the founding members of the unscripted video production club wanted to create similar videos with a...

Mar 15 • 11:50 PM EDT • Entertainment • dailynorthwestern.com

Complete list of 2026 Academy Awards winners

“One Battle After Another” won several awards at Sunday's Oscars, including best picture, director and the first-ever casting award. “Sinners” star Michael B. Jordan, won best actor, earning his first

Mar 15 • 11:29 PM EDT • Entertainment • yakimaherald.com

Norwegian family drama ‘Sentimental Value’ wins Oscar for best international film

“Sentimental Value” has won the Oscar for best international film. The family drama by Joachim Trier explores an estranged family’s wounds in when a director father, who repeatedly prioritized career

Mar 15 • 11:29 PM EDT • Entertainment • lancasteronline.com

Hungarian opposition picks top business executives to dismantle Orbán’s rule

Péter Magyar reckons boardroom veterans will have the experience needed to secure frozen EU funds and release Fidesz’s grip on state bodies.

Mar 15 • 11:00 PM EDT • Business • politico.eu

The Latest: ‘One Battle After Another’ takes best picture

The 98th Academy Awards on Sunday saw “One Battle After Another” win big with six awards, including best picture, director, supporting actor and casting. “Sinners” followed with four awards, including

Mar 15 • 10:53 PM EDT • Entertainment • yakimaherald.com

Norway\'s \"Sentimental Value\' wins at Oscars and \'Sinners’ cinematographer makes history

"Sinners” cinematographer Autumn Durald Arkapaw has made Oscar history, becoming the first female director of photography to win the award in the 98 year history of the Academy Awards. Paul

Mar 15 • 10:08 PM EDT • Entertainment • lancasteronline.com

Billy Crystal Delivers Emotional Tribute To Rob Reiner At The Oscars: The ‘Loss Is Immeasurable’

The “When Harry Met Sally” star was later joined by a slate of actors paying respects to the legendary director at the 98th Academy Awards.

Mar 15 • 10:04 PM EDT • Entertainment • huffpost.com

Strengthening One Health Field Epidemiology Capacity in the WHO South-East Asia Region

Recent public health emergencies—including the COVID-19 pandemic, recurrent zoonotic disease outbreaks, and the high level of antimicrobial resistance—have underscored the urgent need for strong, multisectoral field epidemiology capacities. This reinforces the importance of a workforce equipped with One Health field epidemiology competencies. To address this need, WHO works with the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), and the World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH), as part of Quadripartite Alliance for One Health, to strengthen field epidemiology training programmes using a One Health approach.These efforts are aligned with WHO SEARO’s Strategic Framework for Action for Strengthening Surveillance, Risk Assessment and Field Epidemiology and the Regional Roadmap to Advance Field Epidemiology Capacities 2025–2029 emphasize workforce development, multisectoral collaboration, and enhanced preparedness for health emergencies. With funding from the Pandemic Fund, The Competency for One Health Field Epidemiology (COHFE) integration within Field Epidemiology Training Programmes (FETPs) or similar initiatives has been initiated in Bangladesh and India and is planned in Sri Lanka.BangladeshIn Bangladesh, COHFE is being adapted to strengthen the Field Epidemiology Training Programme, Bangladesh (FETP-B) Advanced programme. Initiated in July 2025 and led by the Institute of Epidemiology, Disease Control and Research (IEDCR), the process brought together stakeholders from human, animal, and environmental health sectors, academia, and laboratories.A Multisectoral Working Group (MWG) was established to guide implementation, conduct readiness assessments, and identify opportunities to institutionalize One Health collaboration. Through national multisectoral consultations and a competency prioritization workshop held in Dhaka in November 2025, stakeholders identified priority technical competencies for surveillance, outbreak investigation, data analysis, and risk assessment, alongside functional competencies related to leadership, coordination, and the laboratory–epidemiology interface. The process also surfaced systemic barriers—such as challenges in data sharing and limited joint investigations—enabling targeted recommendations. These outcomes are guiding curriculum revision, the introduction of One Health simulations and joint field exercises, and the development of a national multisectoral mentorship pool, with updated training materials expected to be implemented in the upcoming cohort.Figure 1. Competency prioritization involving multisectoral stakeholders“COHFE represents a significant step forward in operationalizing the One Health approach. The collaboration between national institutions and the Quadripartite partners is critical for building resilient systems to address complex health challenges in the region.”, Prof. (Dr) Tahmina Sirin, Director, Institute of Epidemiology, Disease Control and Research (IEDCR), Bangladesh.Aligning India’s One Health Training with COHFEIn India, the National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) has strengthened One Health workforce development through its SectorConnect initiative. WHO supported a comprehensive competency mapping and curriculum review to align the Field Epidemiology Programme in One Health (FEP-OH) with all 14 COHFE domains. The review identified strong foundations while generating actionable recommendations to strengthen One Health learning outcomes, expand joint field-based learning, and enhance competency-based assessment. These improvements are informing programme refinement and phased scale-up across additional states.Figure 2. Strengthening learning outcomes for the SectorConnect FEP OH CurriculumThrough these efforts, WHO SEARO will continue to support countries to move from separate sector-based training toward an integrated, impact-driven One Health field epidemiology workforce capable of addressing complex health threats at human-animal-environment interface.ReferencesFood and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, World Health Organization, & World Organisation for Animal Health. (2024). Competencies for One Health field epidemiology (COHFE) framework. https://www.who.int/publications/i/item/9789240080058World Health Organization. (2023). Strategic framework for action for strengthening surveillance, risk assessment and field epidemiology for health security threats in the WHO South-East Asia Region. WHO Regional Office for South-East Asia. https://www.who.int/publications/i/item/9789290210030World Health Organization. (2024). Regional roadmap to advance field epidemiology capacities in the WHO South-East Asia Region 2025–2029. WHO Regional Office for South-East Asia. https://www.who.int/publications/i/item/9789290229544

Mar 15 • 8:00 PM EDT • Health • who.int

I heart this media.

This weekend’s Saturday Night Live episode hosted by Harry Styles had multiple bangers and I’ve been really impressed by the writing team over the past couple seasons. But this latest bit on Weekend Update about the social status of emojis felt exceptional. I don’t want to spoil it, but… “RBF: right before the flags” is some of the smartest writing on the show in a long time. This skit took the aerial tramway directly to my own heart. [Media: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=59CpJqCbxXs]

Mar 15 • 4:20 PM EDT • Entertainment • theverge.com

What are WSJ’s entertainment reporters watching for?

“I’m looking forward to seeing the tribute segment to [Rob Reiner](https://www.wsj.com/arts-culture/film/rob-reiner-director-of-this-is-spinal-tap-when-harry-met-sally-dies-at-78-10f173d4?gaaat=eafs&gaan=AWEtsqcsCM1C96TeMZywXFmpOxqT5r-PI5LtSs21eYXrdWiCfc5MGyZi3A3WA806Yc%3D&gaats=69b46c63&gaa_sig

Mar 15 • 2:56 PM EDT • Entertainment • wsj.com

'Sinners' and 'One Battle After Another' poised for an all-Warner Bros. showdown at Academy Awards

The Academy Awards promises a thrilling showdown between Paul Thomas Anderson’s “One Battle After Another” and Ryan Coogler’s “Sinners,” with both directors vying for their first Oscar.

Mar 15 • 2:02 PM EDT • Entertainment • scrippsnews.com

Betterleaks, a new open-source secrets scanner to replace Gitleaks

A new open-source tool called Betterleaks can scan directories, files, and git repositories and identify valid secrets using default or customized rules.

Mar 15 • 10:17 AM EDT • Technology • bleepingcomputer.com

THOR AI solves a 100-year-old physics problem in seconds

A new AI framework called THOR is transforming how scientists calculate the behavior of atoms inside materials. Instead of relying on slow simulations that take weeks of supercomputer time, the system uses tensor network mathematics and machine-learning models to solve the problem directly. The approach can compute key thermodynamic properties hundreds of times faster while preserving accuracy. Researchers say this could accelerate discoveries in materials science, physics, and chemistry.

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

Macron urges Israel to hold 'direct talks' with Lebanon

"France is ready to facilitate these talks by hosting them in Paris," he said

Mar 14 • 10:21 AM EDT • Politics • euractiv.com

Inside the mind, flair and ambition of Syracuse’s new AD: ‘Give me the idea that will get me fired’

Syracuse's new athletic director helped lure future No. 1 NFL Draft pick Cam Ward to Washington State and installed a dunk tank in his old school's end zone.

Mar 14 • 10:04 AM EDT • Sports • syracuse.com

How to use the new ChatGPT app integrations, including DoorDash, Spotify, Uber, and others

Learn how to use Spotify, Canva, Figma, Expedia, and other apps directly in ChatGPT.

Mar 14 • 9:00 AM EDT • Technology • techcrunch.com

Leaked audio appears to reveal Rebel Wilson's PR team plotting smear campaign against 'The Deb' producer

In court filings, Rebel Wilson's PR team is being accused by Ghost’s attorneys of plotting a smear campaign amid an ongoing legal battle connected to the actress' directorial debut, 'The Deb.'

Mar 13 • 4:41 PM EDT • Entertainment • ew.com

ASU AD: Basketball job drumming up head-coach candidates

ASU athletic director Graham Rossini said the men's basketball head-coaching vacancy is getting plenty of interest since moving on from Bobby Hurley.

Mar 13 • 2:41 PM EDT • Sports • arizonasports.com

Scientists confirm existence of molecule long believed to occur in oxidation

In the journal Science Advances, scientists in Sweden and the U.S. report the first-ever direct observation of a type of short-lived molecule that has shaped decades of thinking in atmospheric chemistry, ...

Mar 13 • 2:00 PM EDT • Science • phys.org