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Kraken create One Roof Sports & Entertainment in expected pursuit of NBA expansion team
Kraken owner Samanatha Holloway created the umbrella brand One Roof Sports & Entertainment on Monday, a transaction that gives her a majority stake in Seattle’s Climate Pledge Arena and is a likely precursor to a bid for an NBA expansion franchise.
Kraken create One Roof Sports & Entertainment in expected pursuit of NBA expansion team
Kraken owner Samanatha Holloway created the umbrella brand One Roof Sports & Entertainment on Monday, a transaction that gives her a majority stake in Seattle’s Climate Pledge Arena and is a likely precursor to a bid for an NBA expansion franchise.
The live-action 'Moana' trailer debuts Dwayne Johnson as Maui — and fans can't stop talking about his hair
The remake of the 2016 animated film hits theaters July 10.
Trump’s Political Risk Insurance Plan for Ships in the Gulf Could Benefit China, Says Democratic Senator
President Trump’s $20 billion plan to provide political risk insurance for ships aimed at unblocking the Strait of Hormuz could end up ultimately
As President Trump’s Attacks on Science Escalate, Big Oil Moves to Avoid Legal Accountability
This piece was originally published in Climate Home News. The Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) recently agreed to hear arguments in Boulder v. Exxon and Suncor a case that could decide whether communities harmed by climate change can hold polluters accountable in state court. Origin
'BTS: The Return' review: The world's biggest boy band, without a clear direction
The documentary is an intimate, surprisingly revelatory look at BTS in transition — and the complicated process of figuring out who they are now.
2026 NFL mock draft: Surprises in top 10 of latest first-round projection
The 2026 NFL Draft is just a month away, and our latest mock draft features a few surprises materializing in the top 10 picks.
Scientists See Converging Evidence of Antarctic Ice Retreat
A sediment core spanning millions of years and new modeling studies point to significant ice retreat under temperatures similar to today.
A DNA test ruled him out. He was convicted of murder anyway.
Forensics has its share of high-profile problems. There’s phony “junk science,” like bogus bite-mark and blood spatter analyses that have sent innocent people to jail. And there’s the steady drumbeat of lab scandals, where analysts make up results. But there’s a subtler and more pervasive problem at work in many cases: lab analysts and lawyers who take perfectly legitimate science and twist it. Globe Opinion is exploring these distortions with a series we’re calling “Twisted Science.” And there may be no better place to start than with the case of Terrel Barros.
‘Project Hail Mary’ blasts off with $80.5 million, a best for Amazon MGM, and the year
Studio estimates on Sunday say Amazon MGM's “Project Hail Mary” has topped the North American box office charts with $80.5 million in ticket sales — the second biggest ever for a non-franchise film.
Two Offseason Trades Patriots Should Have Made But Didn't
Here are two trades that the New England Patriots should have pursued this offseason but ultimately passed on.
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.
Kathryn Wylde on the business climate in New York City and raising taxes
Box Office: ‘Project Hail Mary’ blasts off with $80.5 million, a best for Amazon MGM
Studio estimates on Sunday say Amazon MGM's “Project Hail Mary” has topped the North American box office charts with $80.5 million in ticket sales. It's the biggest opening for the studio and the...
Box Office: ‘Project Hail Mary’ blasts off with $80.5 million, a best for Amazon MGM
Studio estimates on Sunday say Amazon MGM's “Project Hail Mary” has topped the North American box office charts with $80.5 million in ticket sales.
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
Scientists twisted a mysterious superconductor and got a shocking result
A decades-old superconducting mystery just took a surprising turn. Strontium ruthenate, a material that conducts electricity with zero resistance at low temperatures, has long puzzled scientists with hints of an exotic, complex superconducting state. But by carefully twisting and distorting ultra-thin crystals, researchers found something unexpected: the material barely reacted at all. This challenges years of assumptions and suggests its behavior may be far simpler—or far stranger—than previously thought.
A secret weapon to fight carbon emissions was just discovered: Beavers
A new study in Switzerland finds that beaver-built wetlands can trap and store large amounts of carbon, offering a low-cost boost for restoration and climate resilience.
A tribute to Scott Ostler, columnist, colleague, friend and sports wit
In Bruce Jenkins’ experience, there was never a teammate quite like fellow San Francisco Chronicle columnist Scott Ostler, who retired last week.
In the Fight to Defend the Amazon, This Indigenous Community’s Secret Weapon Is Science
In the copper-rich mountains of southeastern Ecuador, Shuar people are combining ancestral knowledge and modern science to protect their forest from a Canadian mining giant.
David Suzuki at 90: A life in science, and a warning still unheard
With ninety laps around the sun, David Suzuki reflects on a lifetime of science advocacy and environmental work. Despite decades of effort, he warns that humanity may have already crossed a tipping point on climate change.
A Grip on Sports: In a season when Gonzaga's defense was the driving force behind its success, the Zags couldn't get the one stop they needed
A GRIP ON SPORTS • After all the flotsam and jetsam is swept away, sometimes a college basketball game, an NCAA Tournament game, comes down to making one play. Saturday night in Portland, Texas did. And Gonzaga’s season once again fell short of its ultimate goal.
Webb Telescope spots “impossible” atmosphere on ancient super Earth
Astronomers have uncovered surprising evidence of a thick atmosphere surrounding TOI-561 b, a scorching, fast-orbiting rocky planet once thought too extreme to hold onto any gas. Using NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope, researchers found the planet is far cooler than expected for a bare rock, hinting at a heat-distributing atmosphere above a churning magma ocean. This strange world—where a year lasts just over 10 hours and one side is locked in eternal daylight—may even be rich in volatile materials, behaving like a “wet lava ball.”
Mapping a career in electron microscopy
Nature Reviews Chemistry - Ahead of his 60th birthday, Paul A. Midgley, Professor of Materials Science at the University of Cambridge, discussed his life in science.
Hochul running mate visits Long Island businesses struggling amid ICE raids
"Business is very, very bad," said the owner of Dulcemania II Saturday. "People are scared, afraid to come out."
UFC London’s Felipe Franco promises entertainment after teammate Jailton Almeida’s release: ‘They want to see blood’
Felipe Franco battles undefeated Mario Pinto at UFC London
Physicists created an electron 'catapult' that moves particles at 'extraordinary' speed
Using a new method, physicists found a way to 'catapult' electrons across solar materials in quadrillionths of a second.
You can bet on climate disasters. Business is booming.
Traders are placing wagers on the likelihood of disasters, activists being jailed and oil depots exploding.
Apple Wanted to Buy Halide to Boost iPhone 18 Pro's Camera App—Now There's a Lawsuit
Apple's plans to enhance the iPhone 18 Pro's Camera app led it to consider acquiring Halide, but the talks ultimately collapsed and were followed by a fierce legal dispute between the startup's co-founders, according to The Information reports. In the summer of 2025, Apple reportedly held discussions to acquire Lux Optics, the developer behind the popular iPhone camera apps Halide, Kino, and Spectre.
Ancient DNA reveals a farming shift that pushed a society to the brink
A new study reveals that farming in Argentina’s Uspallata Valley was adopted by local hunter-gatherers rather than introduced by outside populations. Centuries later, a stressed group of maize-heavy farmers migrated into the region, facing climate instability, disease, and declining numbers. Despite these pressures, there’s no sign of violence—instead, families stayed connected across generations, using kinship networks to survive. The research shows how cooperation, not conflict, helped communities navigate crisis.
'That's why there's 9 billion of us and not 9 billion of some other primate': Why our ability to adapt is humanity's 'superpower'
Live Science spoke with Herman Pontzer, an evolutionary anthropologist and author of the book "Adaptable," about the science of human diversity.
Mira Costa boys' volleyball defeats rival Loyola in thriller
Mira Costa, the top-ranked boys' volleyball team in the nation, defeats No. 2 Loyola in five sets behind Mateo Fuerbringer's 37-kill effort.
Teleporting across the Solar System? These are the most horrific places near Earth you could re-materialise | BBC Sky at Night Magazine
From volcanic moons to stormy gas giants, these are the worst places you could possibly teleport to in our Solar System.
Brian Michael Bendis' Powers Animated TV Show in the Works
Bendis and co-creator Michael Avon Oeming are participating in the show's development.
Exclusive: Dimer Health raises $13.5M for patient discharge
The round gives Dimer approximately three years of runway, though it will begin having initial conversations about its next round soon.
Logan Webb disliked Giants teammates' ragging after Venezuela's WBC win vs. USA
San Francisco Giants pitcher Logan Webb shared that he disliked the ragging from Luis Arráez and Jose Butto after the 2026 World Baseball Classic.
Maternal and Infant Health in State Rural Health Transformation Proposals Set Promising Priorities in an Uncertain Landscape
Visit the post for more.
Opinion | There’s No Judicial Climate Science Scandal
My co-writer and I didn’t commit academic misconduct in our chapter for a federal evidence manual.
Corporations flee to red states for better business climate
FOX Business contributor Lou Basenese explains the ongoing "blue state exodus," where companies like Yamaha and ExxonMobil are leaving Democrat-led states.
A clarinetist, a high school student, and some climate deniers write a science paper
With the help of AI, misinformation purveyors are up to new tricks.
Meet Mark Zuckerberg’s college roommate. He’s an Olympian-turned-VC exec who now invests in your favorite celebrity businesses
Building off his experience as an athlete, talent manager, and brand builder, Samyr Lainé has backed brands founded by Issa Rae, Kaley Cuoco, and Emma Watson.
Cal, Randy team up in Seattle Mariners' 6-run inning
Cal Raleigh and Randy Arozarena are officially Seattle Mariners teammates again, and if you need proof, just look at Thursday's box score.
Trump faces his most difficult Iran war decision: Will he deploy U.S. troops to seize uranium?
The president has been circumspect about how far he's willing to go to follow through on his pledge to destroy Iran's weapons program once and for all, including seizing or destroying the near-bomb-grade nuclear material that Iran possesses.
Huge Trump Iran war funding request faces stiff opposition in Congress
Lawmakers estimated the war is costing $1 billion to $2 billion per day.
Maxx Crosby Trade Attempt Shows Ravens’ New Aggresive Strategy
The Baltimore Ravens rarely chase blockbuster trades, but their pursuit of Maxx Crosby suggested a different level of urgency. The trade suggested an “all in” motto from a franchise that is known for patience and draft-driven roster building. The deal ultimately fell apart before it could be finalized. Even so, the attempt revealed a willingness […] The post Maxx Crosby Trade Attempt Shows Ravens’ New Aggresive Strategy appeared first on The Lead.
What a Recent Court Win Reveals About the Trump Administration’s Unlawful Attacks on Climate Science
This article was originally published by the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists. The second Trump administration is taking its hostility to climate science to new levels. In addition to its rhetoric dismissing climate change as a con or scam, recently released government documents show how the adm
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.
The Future of Climate Science Without the US
Jim Skea, chair of the UN’s climate science body, discusses the future of its crucial research after the US pulled its support.
Weight-loss treatment is on the verge of a dramatic shift
About 10 weeks after it was approved, the Wegovy pill is now estimated to be part of the daily regimen of about 400,000 Americans. And the field of weight-loss treatment is on the verge of even more head-spinning change.
Olivia Walton: States should lead on maternal health crisis
Heartland Forward is rolling out state-level roadmaps.
A clarinetist, a high school student, and four climate deniers write a science paper, with a little help from AI…
Papers like this are like kindling for anyone 'just asking questions' about climate change, or 'doing their own research,' stoking the flames of climate denial.
Early projections say we may be in for a super El Niño this year, and this worries climate scientists
After a year and a half of La Niña conditions, it looks like we could end up with an El Niño later this year. And early models suggest it could be a strong one, which could push global temperatures to record highs.
HSBC mulls job cuts that could impact around 20,000 roles, Bloomberg News reports
HSBC Holdings Plc is weighing a wave of deep job cuts over the coming years that could ultimately impact around 20,000 roles, or about 10% of its total workforce, Bloomberg News reported on Wednesday, citing people familiar with the matter.
Integrating health equity into energy transitions and climate governance
Nature Medicine - The health benefits of clean energy transitions are unevenly distributed, even when emissions targets are met. A health-centered global governance framework is urgently needed to...
Micron Obliterates Wall Street's Q2 Targets On AI Data Center Business
Micron smashed estimates for its fiscal Q2 and with its outlook on continued strong AI data center business. Micron stock wavered late.
iOS 26.4 Fixes iPhone Keyboard Accuracy Bug
The iOS 26.4 update that Apple plans to release as soon as next week includes improvements for the built-in iOS keyboard. In its notes for the software, Apple says iOS 26.4 offers "improved keyboard accuracy when typing quickly". There was a bug in iOS that caused some characters to be missed when a user was typing quickly. The character appeared to be tapped in the keyboard, but was ultimately not inserted.
Grassroots Climate Justice in Lebanon: Money, Power, and the Politics of Survival
Lebanon is caught in a cycle of financial meltdown, political instability, and climate change.
Survey Findings: Integrating Sexual and Reproductive Health into UHC Requires Leadership, Financing, and Political Will
SRHR remains critically underfunded, leaving 164M women with unmet needs and driving preventable maternal deaths. Global survey findings show political commitment is the key driver of financing and integration into UHC. While fiscal constraints persist, leadership determines whether resources are prioritized, enabling equitable access and strengthening health systems.
What a recent court win reveals about the Trump administration’s unlawful attacks on climate science
Recently released government documents show how the administration is seeking to replace scientific facts with propaganda and disinformation.
Smack talk takes center stage at this open mic for amateur wrestlers
NAW or Never: Smack Talk Open Mic is a place where wrestlers work out their character muscles, polish their submission holds and perfect their trash-talking chops.
Louisiana projects about 21,000 people will lose Medicaid under new work requirements
Louisiana officials say 21,000 people could lose Medicaid under new work requirements — but outside estimates suggest losses could be far higher.
Scientists race to decode data from Europe’s vanishing glaciers
Glacier ice contains valuable information about the climates of the past. Researchers are scrambling to study it before it's too late.
Progress in reducing child deaths slows as 4.9 million children die before age five
An estimated 4.9 million children died before their fifth birthday in 2024, including 2.3 million newborns, according to new estimates released today. Most of these deaths are preventable with proven, low-cost interventions and access to quality health care.
FNKO Q4 Deep Dive: Entertainment Slate and International Initiatives Guide 2026 Outlook
Pop culture collectibles manufacturer Funko (NASDAQ:FNKO) reported Q4 CY2025 results topping the market’s revenue expectations, but sales fell by 7% year on year to $273.1 million. Its non-GAAP profit of $0.05 per share was $0.02 above analysts’ consensus estimates.
Manatt Recruits Nixon Peabody Entertainment Group Chief Heisler
Entertainment lawyers Ellie Heisler, Jessica Boardman, and Mike Lawhead joined Manatt, Phelps & Phillips as partners in Los Angeles, the firm announced Tuesday.
Introducing the Ultimate Earbuds for Every Workout: Nike x Powerbeats Pro 2
The special-edition earbuds deliver premium sound that empowers athletes to tune out the noise, stay focused on their goals and push beyond their limits.
Outside Lands act to play intimate Bay Area shows ahead of festival
Mariah the Scientist will be in San Francisco and Oakland for her “Hearts Sold Separately” tour, in support of her recent album of the same name.
Asteroid Bennu’s Rugged Surface Baffled NASA, We Finally Know Why
In one of the biggest surprises of NASA's OSIRIS-REx mission, its target asteroid, Bennu, turned out to be a jagged, rugged world covered in large boulders, with few of the smooth patches of sandy or pebbly material scientists had expected based on observations with Earth-based instruments. Bennu's looks were quite deceiving, and until now, scientists struggled to figure out why.
Hail Yeah! NASA Researchers Use Volunteer Observations for Hail Estimates
The bigger the hailstone, the more damage it can cause. But scientists find that predicting hailstone size can be challenging. How quickly does hail melt as it falls?
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
Scientists used 7,000 GPUs to simulate a tiny quantum chip in extreme detail
Researchers have pushed quantum chip design into a new era by simulating every physical detail before fabrication. Using a supercomputer with nearly 7,000 GPUs, they modeled how signals travel and interact inside an ultra-tiny chip. Unlike earlier “black box” approaches, this method captures real materials, layouts, and qubit behavior. The result is a powerful new way to spot problems early and build better quantum hardware faster.
How a MacBook Neo bought for a high school student is worth $50k to Apple
One of the biggest mysteries ahead of the MacBook Neo launch was the price. We’d seen various estimates in the...
TENCENT MUSIC ENTERTAINMENT ($TME) Releases Q4 2025 Earnings
TENCENT MUSIC ENTERTAINMENT ($TME) posted quarterly earnings results for Q4 2025 on Tuesday, March 17th. The company reported earnings of $1.58 per share, missing estimates of $1.61 by $0.03. The company also reported revenue of $8,512,208,400, beating estimates of $8,511,718,743 by $489,657.You can see Quiver Quantitative's $TME stock page to track data on insider trading, hedge fund activity, congressional trading, and more. Rece
What’s behind the injectable peptide craze?
Madeleine Finlay hears from journalist Adrienne Matei and from Dr Anna Barnard, an associate professor at Imperial College London who researches peptides
Sitting down with Dr. Mary-Ann Etiebet, a leader in global health
From implementing vital HIV/AIDS service programs in Nigeria to leading a global initiative that improved maternal health outcomes for millions of women, Dr.
When Indigenous Knowledge and Climate Science Meet, Good Things Happen
Tribal leaders and climate coordinators are working together to protect lands and waterways
Lenovo Partners with Eva Longoria to Launch Global Search for Business “Twins”
Lenovo's official site for press materials and original stories about the vision and passion behind the technology.
Atmospheric research group sues Trump over eminent science lab breakup
A Boulder-based climate research group argues that dismantling NCAR is unlawful retaliation.
National Academies of Sciences resisting pressure to pull climate info
State attorneys general won't get climate chapter removed from a legal manual.
Hochul says she'll announce proposed changes to 2019 climate law this week
The CLCPA will likely be the key sticking point as state budget talks begin among the governor and the Democratic-led Legislature.
Epic Southern California heat wave poses deadly health threat
"This is effectively a full-on summer heatwave in March," a climate scientist wrote on X.
Are Cellphones Harmful to My Health?
For older adults, excessive smartphone time can fuel anxiety, isolation and even physical pain
Partisanship and science
I recently participated in a symposium of the Denver-based Institute for Science & Policy, during which I had a “fireside chat” with Tony Mills of the American Enterprise Institute. Mills has written extensively on the politicization of science, and the two of us had a very enjoyable hour-long conversation on the topic. You can watch it below. The main questions we dealt with are why there is such a vast partisan gap in trust of science, and to what extent this is a unique moment. Mills helpfully brings a good deal of data to the discussion, as he did in this useful piece at Issues in Science & Technology. Tusk depends on reader support. To support this work, please become a paid subscriber. Subscribe Note this graph, drawing on a range of survey data to demonstrate partisan attitudes toward science since 1970s. As it demonstrates, there’s been a very sharp partisan divergence in confidence in science during the Trump Era, starting prior to the Covid pandemic. At least in part, we can attribute this to a rise in populist anti-science rhetoric embraced by Trump, his appointees, and those in his media orbit. But as the graph also shows, the partisan divide has existed in the past, and it’s not always in the same direction. The largest divergence in party views toward science prior to 2016 was in the 1970s, when liberals equated scientific achievement with the military-industrial complex and thus trusted it less. That era of scientific mistrust is often overlooked. Indeed, as Mills notes, the Moon landings (1969-72), which today are considered one of the last great moments of national unity, were experienced nothing like that at the time. There was sharp debate back then over whether the Apollo missions were worth the vast expenditures when the country had so much else to deal with. It’s outside the dataset, and we don’t have the partisanship lens for it, but the 1950s was another deeply anti-science decade, with critics of intellectuals and college professors alleging their ties to communism and their lack of commitment to basic American moral beliefs. This was the subject of Richard Hofstadter’s 1962 book Anti-Intellectualism in American Life, in which he quotes religious leaders like Franklin Graham: [In place of the Bible] we substituted reason, rationalism, mind culture, science worship, the working power of government, Freudianism, naturalism, humanism, behaviorism, positivism, materialism, and idealism. [This is the work of] so-called intellectuals. Thousands of these “intellectuals” have publicly stated that morality is relative—that there is no norm or absolute standard.… This fervor was heavily whipped up by Sen. Joe McCarthy (R-Wisconsin), although it’s clear that not all his fellow Republicans were on board with his red-baiting. What ended that era? The simple answer is the 1957 launch of Sputnik. Americans became afraid that they were losing to Soviet scientists, and suddenly university researchers and government projects were awash with funding. In our conversation, I asked Mills about the possibility of us having a Sputnik moment again that would rally the American public in favor of science today. Mills argued that the COVID-19 pandemic was essentially a Sputnik moment — a terrifying threat to all Americans that required scientific advances to address. But thanks in part to political polarization and the populist and conspiratorial leanings of Donald Trump, we got the opposite of a unifying moment. Many Americans turned against science, despite science actually stepping up in that moment. As we discussed in the chat, it’s not clear what scientists could or should be doing in this moment to increase faith in their work. As Mills notes, one of the chief complaints against scientists and professors is that they’ve become too political; scholars becoming even more political might not help them achieve their goals. This (mainly Republican-driven) anti-science era will end, of course, but it’s not clear what event will bring that about. Share
Scientists Think the Most Extreme Beings on Earth Can Help Save Human Lives
A new review study explains that extremophiles have revolutionized medicine, and are invaluable allies in the fight against climate change.
Girls in Math and Science Day welcomes young scientists with unique STEM experiences
The Mid-Michigan Graduate Women in Science chapter and campus RSO hosted a Girls in Math and Science Day on March 14. This year’s event had the highest attendance since the pandemic, with an estimated 150 kids, 150 volunteers and 80 parents in attendance.
Scientists create first-of-its-kind ‘hexagonal diamond’ harder than real thing
Material exhibits slightly higher hardness than naturally found diamond
Providing Medicaid to immigrants who are children or pregnant is costing Colorado 611% more than expected
The state predicts that the Covering All Coloradans program will cost Colorado $104.5 million in the fiscal year that began July 1. Nonpartisan fiscal analysts estimated the cost would be $14.7 million.
Get hands-on at 2026 Atlanta Science Festival Exploration Expo
Mercer University and Mercer Health Sciences Center are sponsors of the annual Atlanta Science Festival (ASF) — the city’s ultimate celebration of all things science and one of the largest of its kind…
FIU defeats UTEP softball in DH to sweep series
MIAMI, Florida – UTEP softball finally saw action late Friday night after multiple weather-related schedule changes but ultimately fell to FIU, 4-3, in the series opener. Originally scheduled as part of a three-game series across three days, the weekend slate was first moved to an early Friday doubleheader and Saturday single game before prolonged lightning delays pushed the matchup to […]
'Golden' from 'KPop Demon Hunters' wins Oscar for best original song
“Golden,” from the massively popular animated film “KPop Demon Hunters,” won original song at Sunday’s Oscars. The first-time nominees behind the song are EJAE, Mark Sonnenblick, Joong Gyu Kwak, Yu
Mavericks' P.J. Washington gives Cooper Flagg ultimate compliment
Cooper Flagg registered another double-double on Sunday, leading the Mavericks to a road victory over the Cavaliers.
A strange new quantum state appears when atoms get “frustrated”
Physicists at UC Santa Barbara have uncovered a new way to manipulate unusual magnetic states by exploiting “frustration” inside a crystal’s atomic structure. The team discovered a rare system where two different kinds of frustration—magnetic and electronic bond frustration—coexist and interact. By coupling these competing effects, researchers may be able to control exotic quantum states, potentially unlocking new ways to manipulate entangled spins for future quantum technologies.
Scientists unlock a powerful new way to turn sunlight into fuel
Scientists have developed a powerful new computational method that could accelerate the search for next-generation materials capable of turning sunlight into useful chemical energy. The work focuses on polyheptazine imides, a promising class of carbon nitride materials that absorb visible light and can drive reactions such as hydrogen production, carbon dioxide conversion, and hydrogen peroxide synthesis. By analyzing how 53 different metal ions influence the structure and electronic behavior of these materials, researchers created a framework that predicts which combinations will perform best.
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
Americans are now diagnosing their political opponents instead of understanding them
Psychological interpretation of political disagreement is replacing reasoned debate, leading to a culture of avoidance and echo chambers, and ultimately hindering democracy.
Animated ‘Firefly’ Series in Development With Original Cast Set to Return
‘Clearly, the return of Firefly is something the fans want,’ star Nathan Fillion said. ‘More importantly, it’s something they deserve.’
Pete Buttigieg: ‘This is clearly amateur hour at the Pentagon and in the White House’
This 18-year-old college student accidentally emailed thousands of classmates—it turned his pet-sitting business into a valuable side hustle
University of Alabama student Hector Gutierrez joins a growing number of Gen Zers building their own businesses before even finishing college.