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Why the UC system is seeing a drop in computer science enrollment
It was once a degree to some of the highest-paying jobs in the world, but now the University of California is seeing a drop in enrollment for computer science.
Scientists Discovered How to Defy the Laws of Gravity—And Now They Can Compress Space and Time
China’s hypergravity machine is the first of its kind, seeing futures that would otherwise stay invisible.
Xbox next-gen console will be Microsoft's riskiest gaming platform yet
A new report about the next-gen Xbox suggests that Microsoft could be taking big risks, and we're seeing some of it in action with the Xbox Ally.
Sustain CFO Develops Financial Resilience Framework for Maryland Businesses Experiencing “Growth-Induced Cash Crunch”
Ellicott City, MD, Feb. 08, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Many Maryland business owners are seeing revenue rise while feeling increasingly constrained by cash. To address the disconnect, Sustain CFO, a fractional CFO in Maryland, has developed a financial resilience framework to help growth-stage companies that want to scale without undermining liquidity. Fractional CFO Team Delivers Financial Clarity The framework is designed to help founders and executives understand a common but often misunderstoo
Controversial new Overwatch character design has fans seeing double
Some prefer the fan art and want Anran to be redesigned.
Samsung Unpacked 2026: 5 biggest rumors I'm seeing on Galaxy S26 Ultra, Buds 4 Pro, more
From the Galaxy S26 Ultra to new flagship earbuds (and maybe smart glasses), here's what we expect Samsung to showcase at its next Unpacked event.
UCF to chase season sweep against reeling Cincinnati
After seeing a three-game win streak come to an end, UCF aims to get back on track and bolster its postseason resume by hitting the road to take on fading Cincinnati on Sunday in Big 12 Conference play.
Business Lookahead: Near, far, wherever markets are
STORY: From Japan's snap election to key U.S. data, these are the stories to watch in business and finance in the coming week. :: Japan votesJapan's Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi is hoping for a stronger mandate as voters head to the polls on Sunday.The closely-watched lower house election is shaping up to be one of the most unpredictable in years.A strong showing by Takaichi's Liberal Democratic Party would allow her to expand stimulus.That could heighten concerns about Japan's finances and push up government bond yields further in a selloff that could ripple out overseas.:: AI winners and losersCisco Systems and Germany's Siemens Energy report earnings on Wednesday.They've benefited from the AI boom in different ways, but now Barclays says that trade is "seeing extreme dispersion."That’s been evident in sliding software and data analytics stocks, which have plunged as traders focus on the existential threat posed by increasingly powerful AI models.AI enablers, companies contributing to the global AI data center build-out, meanwhile, have fared better. :: Delayed data dumpA double dose of major U.S. economic reports should give investors a critical view of the economy, following a delay by the recently ended three-day government shutdown.The January non-farm payrolls report, now due on Wednesday, is expected to show an increase of 70,000 jobs, according to a Reuters poll. Then, on Friday, the Bureau of Labor Statistics is set to release the January consumer price index, one of the most closely watched measures of inflation.
Louisville officially names Ivey and Ellis co-defensive coordinators
From U of L: University of Louisville football assistant coaches Mark Ivey and Steve Ellis have been named Co-Defensive Coordinators, head coach Jeff Brohm announced. Ivey and Ellis will share defensive coordinator responsibilities, with Ivey leading the defensive line and Ellis overseeing the secondary. Ivey has coached the Cardinals’ linebackers since being retained when Brohm was hired prior to the 2023 […]
Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul to question DHS leaders next week
Next week, Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., will question federal officials overseeing the aggressive tactics being used by immigration enforcement agents.
Winter weather hurts restaurant business as customers stay home
Restaurants across central Kentucky are seeing significant drops in business as winter weather keeps customers at home, with some establishments reporting foot traffic down by half and tips falling dramatically.
Puppy Bowl to take center stage at Liberty Science Center on Super Bowl weekend event
The canine participants will come from The Seeing Eye of Morristown.
State Health Secretary: Measles outbreak serves as reminder about how contagious virus is
Washington state is seeing its first measles outbreak in years.And state health leaders say it's an important reminder about just how contagious the virus can
Microsoft Steps Back from "AI Everywhere" in Windows 11 to Focus on Core Features
If you're tired of seeing Microsoft's AI features like Copilot, agentic workloads, and Recall forced into their products, you're not alone. Microsoft has finally confirmed that it will be stepping back from its "AI everywhere" strategy. According to an exclusive report by Windows Central, the intern...
Gershon's Deli in Schenectady closes after 72 years in business
“I will miss seeing you all more than I can put into words,” said current owner Antonia “Toni” Nelson.
UVA student business-owners take on icy parking lots
Seeing the need for snow and ice removal services, UVA student business-owners took up the task.
Fertitta Entertainment names Nicki Keenan COO, overseeing Landry's
Longtime Landry's executive Nicki Keenan will oversee the nationwide operations of Tilman Fertitta's entertainment empire, Fertitta Entertainment said Friday.
Year three of our transformation
Business Insider is seeing strong momentum heading into 2026 with a focus on engagement.
Prison Stocks Tumble With ICE Backlash Stoking Business Angst
Wall Street investors who drove a massive surge in the shares of the two biggest private prison operators when President Donald Trump won the US election are seeing the trade fizzle out barely a year into his second term.
Here's the Magnetic Charging Puck for Galaxy S26
We keep seeing upcoming accessories for the Galaxy S26 series, all basically confirming the lineup’s support for the Qi2 charging standard. In simple terms, that means... #GalaxyS26 #GalaxyS26Ultra
Social Sciences in the News: Political Science Professor Omar Wasow
Political Science Professor Omar Wasow authored an op-ed in The New York Times titled "We’re Seeing the Weakness of a Strong State." I study the political consequences of protest and state violence.
Clawdbot sparks Mac mini memes as Anthropic forces name change
If you’re seeing a lot of photos of stacks of Mac mini machines filling the internet, that’s been sparked by...
Seeing yearly rise in members, Choice Health and Fitness not expected to be impacted by Altru Sports Complex
Total membership revenue at Choice has increased from $1,653,086 in 2021 to $2,205,903 in 2025.
Hong Kong’s Constitutional Minister Resigns for Health Reasons
Hong Kong’s minister overseeing constitutional affairs Erick Tsang resigned, citing health reasons.
Steelers Reporter Points Out Coaching Staff Ties To Mike McCarthy
Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Mike McCarthy has some work to do… McCarthy, who was hired as the organization’s 17th head coach on Saturday, still has to put together his coaching staff after already seeing three coaches depart for other jobs — offensive coordinator Arthur Smith is joining Ohio State, while assistant defensive backs coach Anthony […]
In downtown Wilmington, Live Oak shutting down inclusive small business center
Live Oak Bank is turning Channel off. Described by Live Oak as an inclusive small business center, Channel opened in November 2021 to serve as a free resource for small business owners, helping numerous minority-owned and other small businesses from its headquarters downtown at 106 Market St. "After careful consideration, we’ve decided to bring Channel ... to a close at the end of this month. Live Oak determined that the needs of Wilmington’s small business community have evolved. Since Channel opened, the local small business ecosystem has grown significantly, with many strong organizations now offering education, technical assistance and community programming for entrepreneurs," stated Claire Parker, managing director of corporate communications for Live Oak Bank, in an email Monday. "With those resources firmly in place, Live Oak is refocusing on what we do best – providing banking and financing solutions that help small businesses grow and thrive." Channel's demise also resulted in the elimination of two positions – those of Channel's director, Chakema Clinton-Quintana, and Atiba Johnson, the certified professional business advisor (CPBA) at Channel. On Monday, Clinton-Quintana, who was elected to the Wilmington City Council in November, said of her immediate plans after Channel: "I will continue my work serving the public while I look for other full-time opportunities." She said Channel "served over 1,000 small business owners in the greater Wilmington area, as well as some of the surrounding areas, such as Brunswick and Pender. A lot of folks had reached out to us needing those resources because they were free, and we were able to assist them in that capacity." Johnson said he will be devoting his time to the Wilmington Minority Chamber of Commerce, which is not affiliated with the Greater Wilmington Chamber of Commerce. The minority chamber is celebrating its launch from 5 to 8 p.m. Tuesday at the Wilmington Sportsman Club, 1111 Castle St., Wilmington. Johnson, the founder and executive director of the new chamber, said about 50 businesses are on board to join the Wilmington Minority Chamber of Commerce. According to a news release, the new chamber "was established to foster growth, networking, and advocacy for underrepresented business owners. By providing essential resources and community engagement, the chamber aims to build a more inclusive and prosperous local economy." Johnson said the creation of the new chamber is in response to "lapses in funding, education, advocacy for minority businesses...Some of the things that are going on now just don't reach all the way down to those businesses." For Lynne Jones, owner of LJ Design Studio LLC, the loss of Channel also means a reduction in income. She had contracted with Channel to run the center's social media and to provide some marketing for small business owners. "It's pretty disappointing to hear that it is closing...it was a place to connect with other small business owners and collaborate. It was like a family for those of us who were there. If you had issues or things that you needed to talk through concerning your business, there was always someone there that you could sit down with and talk things through, recalibrate, and they set you off on your way to make that pivot and move in a different direction," Jones said Monday. She said she worked with many Channel participants creating their websites and will miss seeing the joy on their faces when those websites were up and running. Dawn McDowell, owner of Creatively Covered Co. LLC, credits Channel with helping her business grow and regrow after her social media pages were hacked and shut down in 2023. "Channel was a great resource for small businesses, for women-owned businesses, for minority-owned businesses; they provided a lot of assistance, especially when you needed it," McDowell said. "If it wasn't for Channel, I don't know if I'd be where I am now, in my business, and regrowing my business and even finding out about some of the certifications and things that were out there for small businesses that I just didn't know about ... because there was no one really sharing that information for small businesses, for minority- and women-owned businesses in particular." Parker said shutting down Channel was not part of an overall cost-cutting plan. She stated in the email, "Live Oak’s commitment to Wilmington remains strong. We are continuing to support entrepreneurs by focusing our efforts where we deliver the greatest value – through specialized banking and financing solutions aligned with our mission to be America’s small business bank." As for Channel's downtown office, Live Oak had leased the 5,000-square-foot space above Seabird restaurant in 2021. The bank’s lease for the office is up in March, Parker said.
Public health giant William Foege, who helped eradicate smallpox, has died at 89
‘I wish we could have spared him from seeing that’: Friends of Bill Foege on his legacy, and his anger over anti-vaccination.
This Picture Of A Nissan CrossCab Repaired With Spray Foam Insulation Is A Terrifying Warning
As I’m sure you’re aware, we here at the Autopian have a company car: our ridiculous Nissan Murano CrossCab, which we’ve half-wrapped in Xpel protective film and then done all sorts of dumb stuff with. It’s been a hell of a lot of fun, perversely, and people seem to really enjoy seeing this strangely improbable […]
My porta-potty business brings in $4.3 million a year
Daniel Tom, 31, owns and operates Bay Area Sanitation, overseeing a fleet of almost 2,000 portable toilets servicing construction sites and events across the San Francisco Bay Area. The company brought in $4.3 million in total income in 2025, according to documents reviewed by CNBC Make It.
After seeing potential, NC State set to take on Pitt
After North Carolina State played its worst game this season, it rebounded with its best performance Tuesday.
Jasmine Crockett and James Talarico Face Off in a Texas Senate Primary Campaign
Two of the Democrats’ rising stars, Jasmine Crockett and James Talarico, are seeing if a red state should be won courting disaffected Republicans or focusing on the party’s base.
A Senate Primary in Texas Tests the Future of Democratic Politics
Two of the Democrats’ rising stars, Jasmine Crockett and James Talarico, are seeing if a red state should be won courting disaffected Republicans or focusing on the party’s base.
Inside the Push to Protect Candidates From Political Violence Ahead of 2026 Elections
Two leaders of a political security group talked about what they’re seeing and hearing.
App Store and Apple TV Experiencing Outage
Apple's App Store, iTunes Store, and Apple TV service are experiencing an outage at the current time, according to Apple's System Status page. Apple says that some users may be experiencing issues with the App Store and iTunes Store. Apple also says some users may be seeing intermittent issues with Apple TV. The Apple TV Channels feature is down too, and users may be unable to access some services or make purchases. The services have been having issues since 6:48 p.m. Eastern Time. Eastern Time.
Pinterest Hires Lee Brown as Chief Business Officer
Pinterest named former Spotify ads chief Lee Brown as its first Chief Business Officer, overseeing sales, content, “ad product marketing” and “customer-facing operations.” The appointment comes days after Brown quit DoorDash after just a few months. At the same time, Pinterest said Chief Revenue Officer Bill Watkins has decided to leave the company. Watkins had been with the firm for 12 years,
Preserving Community Science in the Face of Attacks
Increasingly, the public is being cut out of decisions that impact their health, communities, and livelihoods—and, unfortunately, we are also seeing this play out at the state level.
Nintendo Unhappy at Sega Mascot's Foot During Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games Development
Nintendo allegedly expressed dissatisfaction at Sega during the development of Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games, after seeing Sonic's foot placed ahead of Mario's.
NC health insurance consumers left in limbo by Congress
Despite compromise US House bill to extend ACA subsidies, Senate hasn’t reached a deal. Customers in NC seeing insurance premiums soar.
Two presidential elections, two seismic shifts... (Politics+) : The NPR Politics Podcast
In today's bonus episode, Don Gonyea (national political correspondent) and Deepa Shivaram (White House correspondent) each share the "most" memorable story they've worked on. Don talks about a moment in the 2016 presidential election when he started seeing a key voting group for Democrats shift to then-candidate Donald Trump. Deepa recalls the day President Joe Biden dropped out of the 2024 race and her experience covering Kamala Harris' first campaign rally as the presumptive Democratic nominee. Listen to find out how you can submit a most-type question for us to answer in a future bonus episode! To unlock this and other bonus content, and get sponsor-free listening, sign up for NPR Politics Podcast+ via Apple Podcasts or at plus.npr.org. Regular episodes haven't changed and remain available every weekday!
Pamela Anderson says she 'felt weird' seeing 'Pam & Tommy' star Seth Rogen at the Golden Globes
Pamela Anderson 'felt weird' seeing Seth Rogen at the Golden Globes after he produced and starred on Hulu's Pam & Tommy, about her tumultuous relationship with ex-husband Tommy Lee.
Dawgs in the NFL: An MVP moment
It was an exciting weekend of playoff football in the NFL. It featured back and forth contests, multiple comebacks, a defensive battle in New England, and a loss so bad that it ended the tenure of the league’s longest serving head coach. Above all, we are another week closer to seeing who will compete in […]
RSV vaccination push made a huge difference for Utah's kids, Intermountain Health says
Doctors at Intermountain Health are seeing a big difference in infant hospitalizations for RSV after pushing for Utahns to get vaccines in the last two years since they were approved in 2023.
Rikers manager position moves forward as monitor cites 'dysfunction'
The federal monitor overseeing the city’s jails issued a scathing new report, saying dysfunction on Rikers Island remains “steadfastly in place.”
As health insurance costs go up, El Paso families make tough choices
Texans are seeing insurance premiums rise as health care services become more expensive.
Harassment toward Somali businesses surges after viral video
As national attention focused on Minnesota’s Somali community over allegations of day care fraud, business owners from the community say they’re seeing a rise in threats.
As owners retire, CT's family businesses face a succession gap
“The kids are seeing the pressure, and then they're like, ‘This is not for me,’” Matthew Kerzner said.
I Just Saw the Wireless Body-Transmitting Network My Future Wearables Need
Ixana's Wi-R network could be a way to help smart glasses stream more reliably to a wide range of connected wearables, and after seeing a few demos, I'm eager to learn more.
Emergency rooms, clinics across Metro Detroit strained by flu surge, health leaders warn
Emergency rooms and community-based clinics across metro Detroit are seeing a sharp rise in flu cases, putting added pressure on local health systems and staff.
40 in 40: Julio Rodríguez is the Edgar
After years of near-Griffey expectations, what if we’ve been seeing Julio all wrong?
Schumer rejects idea of another government shutdown
Lawmakers returned to Washington from a holiday break Monday after seeing a record-long 43-day shutdown in the fall.
Seeing blue snow in your yard? Here’s the science behind it
Here's why the snow you're seeing may look blue.
Seeing blue snow in your yard? Here’s the science behind it
Here's why the snow you're seeing may look blue.
A simple chemistry trick could end forever plastic
Seeing plastic trash while hiking inspired a Rutgers chemist to rethink why synthetic plastics last forever while natural polymers don’t. By mimicking tiny structural features used in DNA and proteins, researchers designed plastics that remain durable but can be triggered to fall apart naturally. The breakdown speed can be precisely tuned, from days to years, or switched on with light or simple chemical signals. The discovery could reshape everything from food packaging to medicine delivery.
Health departments report high flu activity in the DMV
Across the DMV, more people are going to the hospital each week with flu-like symptoms, and doctors say it’s hitting the most vulnerable hardest. Health departments are working hard to slow the spread of the flu. “We’re seeing flu-related emergency department visits really tripling over the last couple of weeks,” said Dr. David Rose of the Alexandria Health Department. There’s…
Today Only: Assassin’s Creed Shadows for PS5 and Xbox Series X Is Nearly 60% Off
This feudal Japan open world epic is seeing a massive one-day price drop.
Woodburn High winter sports roundup: Fresh faces, multiple takedowns
As the winter sports season heats up, Woodburn High School’s winter sports are seeing both early success and challenges. Whether it’s the girls wrestling squad dominating tournaments or the boys […]
SSM Health and UnitedHealthcare Reach Temporary Deal to Keep Missouri Patients In-Network
Missourians covered by UnitedHealthcare can breathe a sigh of relief. SSM Health and UnitedHealthcare have signed a letter of agreement, extending their contract for 30 days after months of negotiations and a looming December 31st deadline. The temporary deal means more than 140,000 Missourians with UnitedHealthcare commercial or Medicaid plans can continue seeing SSM Health […]
Boxing schedule 2026: Dates, division, location for best upcoming fights
What fights are you looking forward to seeing in 2026? Here is the complete guide to upcoming boxing bouts.
What causes early-onset colon cancer? New research offers clues
Doctors Are Seeing Colon Cancer in People in Their 20s and 30s. New Research Suggests It Starts in Infancy.
Health officials warn of flu surge across ENC as peak season approaches
Medical facilities across ENC are witnessing a sharp spike in flu cases, some even seeing a nearly 3000% increase.
Health officials see spike in flu cases in Cook County after Christmas holiday
Chicago health officials are urging residents to get the influenza vaccine to keep themselves safe as the region and nation are seeing an uptick in cases.
71 Hysterical Fails From This Year That Made Me Laugh So Hard I Forgot 2025 Was Hell on Earth
Feeling like I have a LOT to be grateful for in 2025 after seeing how badly some folks put their feet in their mouths this year.
Deadline Hollywood
Media and entertainment is seeing a burst of dealmaking from M&A to spinoffs, AI investment and leveraged buyouts, setting the stage for a pivotal 2026. Read more below.
Seeing Sound For Under $200
There are five general senses: touch for feels, taste for food, smell for avoiding trash, hearing for sounds, and, of course, eyesight for visualizing the very waves making up that sound. [Plasmatr…
Health Beat: The benefits of creatine
But if you’re not seeing the results you want in the gym, Cleveland Clinic says this supplement can help.
Court: consultant liable after bad advice dooms laundry business
A southern Israel man hired a financial consultant after seeing Facebook ads, paying 200,000 shekels for his services; the business collapsed within months, and a court ruled the consultant was negligent
Belvidere business owner donates leftover toy drive gifts to children in need
A Belvidere business owner says seeing children smile is what motivates her to keep giving back.
Bruins Labeled Top Trade Destination For Veteran Forward
The Boston Bruins find themselves in the middle of their worst stretch of hockey in the 2025-26 campaign, as they have lost their last four games, with their two most recent defeats seeing them lose 6-2 to both the Ottawa Senators and Montreal Canadiens. Still, the B’s remain in the thick of the playoff hunt […]
6 charts to show your family when they ask why you don't have a new job
From the highest unemployment in years to job switchers seeing more modest raises than years past, charts show how the job market fared in 2025.
Female youth sports injuries on the rise in Michigan, doctors say
Doctors are seeing an uptick in ACL knee injuries in young athletes across Michigan. WCMU's Tina Sawyer recently sat down with WCMU multimedia producer Stefanie Mills to learn more.
Inside the North Carolina GOP’s Decade-Long Push to Seize Power From the State’s Democratic Governors
For almost a decade, North Carolina’s majority-Republican legislature tried six times to strip Democratic governors of control over the board overseeing the swing state’s elections. This year, it finally succeeded.
California Politics 360 Full Episode | Capitol Annex project, enhanced ACA subsidies expiring
Lawmakers overseeing the construction of California's controversial Capitol Annex project are breaking their years-long silence and promising to be more transparent.
Jackson councilman concerned about business closures in city
JACKSON, Miss. (WJTV) – Businesses leaving Jackson is a trend many officials said they’re seeing more and more. Now, another long-standing business could be next if a major bridge stays…
Steam Replay 2025 shows that only 14% of all user playtime was spent playing new PC games
Steam Replay 2025 is here, and in addition to seeing all of your PC gaming stats for the year we learn some interesting things about PC gaming in 2025.
North Texas health officials urge flu shots as new mutation spreads
Doctors are seeing a slight uptick in the number of positive flu cases across North Texas, largely due to a new mutation known as “subclade K."
Palantir CIO Jim Siders leaves to become head of Thrive Capital's new IT services business
Siders spent more than 12 years at Palantir, recently overseeing its global IT operations, business applications and infrastructure.
Small business owners seeing effect of paid parking in Wichita
Owners say the parking is making a difference in sales during the holidays.
Space Force officials fear program delays from small business fund fight
The Space Rapid Capabilities Office already is seeing an impact from the congressional impasse on reauthorizing Pentagon use of Small Business Innovation Program grants, Director Kelly Hammett said.
Theresa May and the Brutality of Politics
Former UK Prime Minister Theresa May speaks with Francine Lacqua about Vladimir Putin and her approach to leadership in a world seeing a rise in "strongmen." (Source: Bloomberg)
Warlock: Dungeons and Dragons Is a New Single-Player RPG That Leans Into 'Expressive Magic' | The Game Awards 2025
The Dungeons & Dragons franchise has been steadily making more attempts to expand into video games, and we're seeing that next effort with Warlock: Dungeons & Dragons, a new open-world single-player action-RPG that's all about wielding dark magic to battle foes.
Harger: Washington's floods don't care about your politics
Governor Ferguson declared a statewide emergency yesterday. And you know what I'm seeing online? People attacking him. Viciously.
Poppin' Tags Free Store owner extends mission with funds, new business
Sonya Dembowski remembers the moment she decided to begin her Poppin’ Tags Free Store in West Deer. She was driving through Coraopolis in the height of the pandemic shutdown. She remembers seeing piles of donations left outside a closed store. Dembowski later saw on the news that because the donations
Alvin and Yvette Harris Sports Peformance Center Pays Off For Student-Athletes
Augusta, Ga- When the Alvin and Paulette Harris Sports Performance Center opened before the start of the first semester at Augusta University, most everyone knew it would be a game changer for student-athletes. They now had a dedicated space for them to get faster, stronger and more fit for their athletic seasons. Now, after a full semester of its utilization, the student-athletes are seeing the dividends.
Centennial Yards' Entertainment District bags big Irish pub from NYC
In a recent interview, Centennial Yards Company president Brian McGowan predicted the downtown megaproject he’s overseeing will emerge in coming years as the “Times Square of the South.” Helping that cause, perhaps, is the rising district’s newest signing.
Massachusetts is seeing more people drop health insurance
“In the first month of open enrollment, we’ve seen over 10,000 people terminate their coverage for 2026," says Audrey Morse Gasteier, Health Connector Executive Director.
Congressional lawmakers hear from Navy admiral overseeing boat strikes
Lawmakers are threatening to withhold a quarter of Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s travel budget if the Pentagon does not turn over unedited video
AirPods Pro 3 suspiciously crash back to Black Friday price —...
We thought we were seeing things too...
Nintendo Switch 2 and Switch 21.1.0 update out now, patch notes
Another system update has been released for both the Nintendo Switch, and Nintendo Switch 2. Version 21.1.0 should be rolling out now. The big N has stricken once again with unspecified adjustments in this update, with the patch notes headliner being more stability. It is likely that we’ll be seeing more backwards compatibility patches with this update however, so we’ll...
Changes for proposed Midtown Business Improvement District security after neighbor feedback
A plan to make Midtown a better place for businesses and residents alike is seeing changes.
Jeannette business district: 'fledgling stages of being reborn'
As people were flowing into Jeannette’s downtown business district Saturday for the city’s holiday parade, there was a positive vibe among several business owners along Clay Avenue that downtown is seeing a revitalization. “It’s slowly coming back. There’s a lot of great things happening. We just need more,” said Jen
Users say they are seeing ads on ChatGPT. OpenAI says it's not true.
OpenAI's head of ChatGPT, Nick Turley, said OpenAI is not conducting any live tests for ads on the platform.
Netflix Aims for Entertainment Domination
Fewer streaming options, or a streaming landscape where two of the three largest outlets have the same corporate parent, likely means a continuation of the price hikes that we’re already seeing.
'I just gambled our entire savings away': Young adults in Mass. are hooked on online sports betting
Addiction specialists, treatment programs and 12-step recovery groups tell WBUR they’re seeing a rise in young adults — ranging from their late 20s to early 30s — seeking help for serious gambling problems tied to sports betting apps.
Athletics intent on joining sport’s Goliaths but knows it has long way to go
Jon Ridgeon is overseeing World Athletics’ reach for a younger audience but has to battle it out with football and F1
10 US cities where home values are actually increasing
Home prices may be falling in many cities, but some homeowners are still seeing their property values rise in these US cities.
Science must move from materialism to mystery
Theoretical physicist and neuroscientist Àlex Gómez-Marín argues that modern science has become trapped in a framework that mistakes matter for the whole of reality. In this wide-ranging interview, Gómez-Marín challenges the foundations of materialism, defends the scientific study of near-death experiences, and calls for a new type of science grounded in mystery and a renewed sense of the sacred. He suggests that abandoning materialism could open the door to a deeper understanding of consciousness, death, and the purpose of human existence. Simon Custer: You are both a theoretical physicist and a neuroscientist, and you have also been fiercely critical of materialist theories of mind and consciousness. What do you think the ultimate nature of reality is?Àlex Gómez-Marín: I don't know what the ultimate nature of reality is, but what I try to first assess is whether the stories that they [mainstream science] have told us about it are right, or maybe whether there are other alternatives. That's why I've been a fierce critic of materialism. As a scientist, I realized that they had sold us this idea that to be a good scientist you also had to subscribe to many other -isms, like materialism, reductionism, and even secularism. And so first I think one needs to unmount these -isms, and then, as is happening today in consciousness studies, we have a huge landscape where there isn't only one game in town, the idea that matter is the only thing that really exists. But because we are studying the hard problem of consciousness, it may be the case that other views of reality, like idealism, or even dualism, or other theories like dual aspect monism... these are philosophical ideas that now, I think, have room in science to be taken seriously. How does something like materialism relate to dualism or idealism? What is materialism in the first place?Well, materialism is the philosophical position that matter is the only really ‘real’ thing in the universe. And I think that worked kind of well because science started 400 years ago and Galileo made that split, I call it the foundational wound. It was a great business move.He said, let's start doing science on that portion of reality that lends itself more easily to mathematization and measurement. So, for some reason, the solidity of this table or the movement of planets lend themselves very well to this foundational idea of science. But as time went on, 400 years later, we realized that we had forgotten the other side, which is what really matters.What really matters is pain, is love, is feelings, sensation, consciousness, which is very hard to define, but very intimate. We all know what it is. It's that thing that disappears when we go into deep sleep and comes back in the morning. SUGGESTED VIEWING On the edges of knowledge With Michael Shermer, Rupert Sheldrake, Güneş Taylor It's what it is like to be, as Nagel said. It's the feeling of being alive. So, materialism is good to study certain things, but then when it ossifies into this ideology and then is dressed like science, now it's preventing us from understanding these key questions that are really that everybody wants to know.Why are we here? Why do we feel reality? Where do we go when we die? And so we need other ways. We need pluralism. I'm only asking for having more options on the table and taking them seriously. Why does materialism fail to explain consciousness? For example, if you were to lobotomize me, I would not be a functional human being. What do you say to someone who might think that materialism adequately explains the mind?Well, here we could speak about different things. We could talk about physics or about neuroscience. I happen to have training with both.For instance, for neuroscientists, 99% of them, I'm not included in that portion, believe that the brain can only be a productive organ. It's an organ that somehow, somewhere, consciousness emerges. It's like a lamp. And then something happens, magic happens, and then consciousness emerges.That's the position you need to be if you're a materialist because if the only really ‘real’ thing is matter, then you need to say, just give us some more time and money and we'll figure out how mind emerges or is produced from matter. There are many philosophically sophisticated ways of criticizing this.Now there's another option, which is the brain as a permissive organ. This was said by William James more than 100 years ago.Now then the brain wouldn't be like this machine, like for instance, a heat engine whose smoke is consciousness, which is what we would have in the first big model, the productive model. But in the permissive model, the brain would be a kind of a filter. And so the brain would still have a very important role in consciousness, but it wouldn't be a productive role.It would be permissive, much like a filter or much like a prism which would receive light. And - I'm speaking metaphorically - it would receive the light of the mind and then it could reflect it and refract it.Now, with these two big options on the table, I think we can make progress into what I call the edges of consciousness, which are all these experiences, weird experiences that many people have, but we don't talk about enough, like near-death experiences, precognitive dreams, synchronicities. These experiences are very important for humans and they have a place in the permissive hypothesis and they are literally impossible in the productive hypothesis. So that's yet one more reason to explore alternatives to materialism. There may be anecdotal evidence for near-death experiences, but is there robust evidence that would be accepted by the majority of scientists who subscribe to the scientific method?Sure. And the plural of anecdotes, someone said, is data.And there's a lot of data. Actually, this year is the 50th anniversary, half a century, since Dr. Raymond Moody realized that we have two ears and one mouth and started listening to what his patients had to say about their experiences while they were clinically dead.The heart had stopped, breathing had stopped in these patients. These patients would come back and tell him these amazing stories that some people may say are hallucinations, but for the patients were hyper-real, like seeing light at the end of the tunnels, seeing deceased family members waiting for them, feeling bliss.___I would say the evidence suggests that the mind can survive the death of activity of the brain.___And so he and others started taking them seriously and writing their accounts down. And then you can do a science based on that material of experience that people have. Now, on the more objective side, more recently people have started to measure what's going on in the brain when people are clinically dead and brought back. This has opened a proper field of study, which is near-death studies.Evidence is a difficult word, because sometimes people think that when you say evidence, this is just the final proof. Evidence is like in a jury. You bring testimony, you bring pieces of data that point in one direction or another.I would say the evidence suggests that the mind can survive the death of activity of the brain. When brains are broken or shut off, there can still be mind going on. And that's revolutionary.That would entail that when we die, it's not game over, which, by the way, is the thesis of materialism. If consciousness survives, materialism dies. It's game over for materialism if something of us continues after we die. Do you think that there is mental continuity after death?Well, I think so, and I believe so, and I could also say I may have experienced it myself, because four years ago I had a near-death experience. I was in the hospital, I lost a lot of blood, and I saw those beings at the end of the tunnel, three beings, and there was yellow light. I was in a well, I was looking upwards, and I hadn't read about NDEs by then, but when I came back from this experience, I decided I would try to integrate this also in my professional life. Not just my personal life, of course, but my professional life as a physicist and as a neuroscientist. So I may have had the experience of glimpses of what an afterlife would be, and I'm not ashamed to say it in this way, and then one can do science of it, and then one can do philosophy of it.One can think about what -isms we were discussing, what views on reality would allow those experiences to be really ‘real,’ as opposed to, well, poor guy, the brain was kind of broken, it must have been a hallucination. Do you have a view about whether individuality or “the ego” persists after death, or whether we sort of merge into some sort of cosmic consciousness instead?I don't know, but my view would be along those lines you're suggesting. I think we could speak about a kind of universal mind, and then the problem is not how we emerge from matter, but how we fragment from a more holistic consciousness into these individual eddies and then when we die, this kind of dissipates.But I'm not sure. For instance, idealism would promote that view, but then what would survive of us after these eddies just vanish and become again the big Consciousness, I'm not sure what that would be. I don't know for sure, but I would tell you I believe something of us survives.And there are other lines of research, not just near-death experience, that can address this really hard question of survival. For instance, there are children who remember previous lives. This was studied by Ian Stevenson at the University of Virginia for more than 50 years.___Research takes place within a selection mechanism that also sometimes reinforces things that are not very scientific.___It's amazing research. He went all over the world, especially in the East, and collected all these case studies, all these stories. In plural, these were data of kids, very young age, who would describe up to 40 items that then he could go and verify.There was no internet. There was really no way the kid could know. Why would the kid say that when I was living in this other body and I was a woman and that's how my house would look like or that's how I would die, right? Again, there is evidence, not proof, but there's evidence not only that something weird and interesting is happening as we cross the threshold, but also when we come back to this life.Scientists should not be afraid of studying this, but they are because there's stigma. There's usually stigma upon the enigma, and this is so unfortunate. And one of the reasons is because of the ideology of materialism, because those things cannot be possible. What is wrong with the politics of science such that they have generated this stigma?So many things. Science is a human activity to begin with.So it falls prey to all our passions and ego and greed. That's one thing. Science is a job for the good and for the bad.You need to get a salary. You need to get grants. Research takes place within a selection mechanism that also sometimes reinforces things that are not very scientific.And then, we didn't have time to unpack this, but science for many years become entangled, as I was suggesting before, to other -isms, materialism, secularism. So anything that smells like the afterlife, people may think has to do with God, and then they freak out.Anything that suggests that there's something about the mind that may not need a physical material substrate to exist, it smells like non-materialism. So, all these -isms are ideologically blocking that kind of research, and then there are all these sociopolitical constraints as to what should be studied and what shouldn't be studied.I call it the backstage of science. Sometimes we scientists or science communicators seem to speak as if the data is the only thing that matters. We say, well, data and theory.But then there's a third leg of this stool, which is all the politics that goes behind the scenes. And we often don't speak about this, and it's quite vicious and petty, and it's very real. Why is materialism so attractive to most scientists?Well, an easy answer is because we've grown up with it.It's what the educational system promotes, and that's what you hear when you go to university. So it's like growing in a culture. It feels like the air in which you breathe.So it's very hard to begin with to detect, well, maybe there's another alternative. Maybe there are other ways of doing science, other environments in which one could do science. That's one reason.And other reasons maybe are more profound, and I'm not qualified to explain them, but I could say, looking at this 400-year history of science, since it started around 1623 with Galileo's book The Assayer, that science went and coupled with all what's going on in the West.And so the fall of religion, you could say, and science presented us this new alternative that then could be coupled very well with other -isms, and this idea of growth, and then science losing its good twin brother, which was philosophy. There's a whole natural history of science starting as philosophy, kind of emancipating or breaking out from philosophy, and then marrying technology, and then marrying other social systems.From that point of view, materialism is a very convenient idea to propose. There were attempts, like the German idealists tried to do a more romantic science. But no, the idea prevailed, like Francis Bacon said: You should pursue nature through all her corners, he said, and make her spill her secrets.Our attitude towards nature in the science that dominates is very much reflecting how we treat nature in our society, in our culture, like a resource to extract secrets by force and then dominate it. How is materialism related to the notions of growth and progress? What's wrong with having a productive citizenry?This is another very interesting and very difficult question to answer.But there's this recent book coming out by Paul Kingsnorth. In it, he explains this idea of the machine and this idea of progress. And this, again, this conflation of more is better, of we need to go forward always, and convincing us that the way to do that is to continually extract more from nature. But because we don't have the religious context anymore, because God is dead, then what do we have? We have what we can do as humans with our own gadgets.It's kind of the story of the Promethean fire. We will just build anything to make ourselves God.A good example today is transhumanism. Transhumanism is this pseudo-religion dressed in technoscientific language whose goal is very religious. They promise immortality, they promise redemption, they promise transformation of the entire natural world, but it's done by human means through technology. Are you suggesting that we can't have ethics without religion?Well, we should have ethics with or without religion. That's another pruning that has happened in science. We say, forget about aesthetics, although some physicists still think that beautiful means probably true, and forget about politics. We pretend there's no backstage of science, and even let's forget about ethics.___Science needs to be in the service of mankind.___Scientists, when they become more like engineers, they're just thinking how to make things work so that they can go to the moon, go to Mars, make machines that think, but they don't think whether that's a good idea.And also consider metaphysics. Many scientists for a long time pretended, and maybe that comes from the stream of positivisms, that really one doesn't need metaphysics at all, except that materialism is always the metaphysics running the system.You see, it's not just ethics. It's the pruning of all of these, you could say, five main legs of philosophy that just makes a kind of unconscious science, a science that doesn't really know what it's doing. It's doing it very well locally, but it just doesn't know what it's doing globally. Do you think science has to have an ultimate vision and purpose behind it for it to be effective or for it to be meaningful and transformative?Yes, a way I would say that is that science needs to be in the service of mankind. And it hasn't been that. And we can see it through, you know, when we discovered the secrets of the atom, and all of a sudden, the Manhattan Project, and then we create nuclear weapons.And now we're trying to crack how machines may think, and now we're creating this mess, right? So science needs to be in service of mankind, not in service of a few ideas that maybe want to make more money or just dominate upon nature. What about planes, trains, automobiles, and modern medicine? Hasn't science served mankind by helping us develop those technologies?Yes and no. I see where you're going, and it's fair.I came here by plane, and it's a blessing. When I almost died, the surgeons did their job, and they saved my life. But these two forced choices between Luddites and Silicon Valley types, I think, of course, it's a false dichotomy.Progress, in a way, it's good, but we often don't speak about the dark side of the moon. We say the great things that progress has brought, and we don't speak about the disasters, the side effects that it has come with, and the same when we promise new technologies. We tend to think that any technology is great, that email is going to save us so much time because we don't need to write letters and send them anymore.Is that true? I spend so many hours a week writing emails. Let's just say there are great things about it and bad things about it. People like Harvard psychologist Steven Pinker, for example, argue that we've made moral progress over time because of the Enlightenment. Do you think that's totally wrong-headed?I think he's emphasizing a side of the moon, and he does that very well, and you can find tons of plots where there's a slope going up and say it's great. But I think he should also tell the not-so-friendly story.But if your ideology is just to resist and continue to explain that the Enlightenment is the best thing ever and reason is the best thing ever… this feels to me like you're worshipping these abstractions.I'm very critical of it and also of these, again, science communicators and scientists that say, Oh, science says, in the name of science, experts say. It's like, come on, let's be careful because we can shoot ourselves in the foot by putting forth to the people an image of science that we know is not really true. Recently there's been a resurgence of spirituality and of people who say that they're spiritual but not religious, especially in the United States. If materialism is going away, what is going to fill that gap? Are we going to return to traditional religion? Do you see that being connected with the rise of the political right?I'm not a fortune teller, so I don't know what's going to happen. But, yeah, we could say we're in this post-materialist age and even post-secular age. One cannot come back to the past, but maybe just to contact with the roots is a good idea.What do I mean by that? I think we need to do a science 2.0, a science that says thank you to Galileo and thank you to materialism, but we need to reinvent even a new kind of scientific method. We need to do so in a culture where we realize humans cannot thrive in a vacuum where there's this idea that the sacred has to be removed.Now, how do we do that without bringing in back all the vices of religion? I don't know. I'm from a Catholic country.Here we are in England, so there are differences and interreligious dialogue has always been a challenge. But I think maybe a way of putting it is: after all these conflicts and branchings I was quickly alluding to, science from philosophy and then also from religion, now there's a time of reconciliation perhaps and maybe debates in the proper sense, like exchange of ideas in service of learning and getting into something higher than both poles. We need science to talk to religious people and it's interesting when people say they're spiritual and not religious.I think this is just a way of saying, no, I don't want to go back, I want to go forward. But at the end of the day, religions have offered us practices and grounding that we now desperately need. Everybody can and should just meditate or pray or do whatever they want, but we're in a crisis and it's time for reconciliation. What do you say to critics that say you are merely projecting our need for meaning onto a fundamentally indifferent universe?Yeah, I know that the typical science communicator says something like this. But we're not projecting. Human beings feed on meaning.It's the other way around. If you're a materialist, because the only thing that there is is matter, all that comes next, free will, consciousness, meaning, this is a kind of illusion that we need to explain.They're just craving for meaning, but there isn't really for them. I would also like to remind my materialist friends that for decades, if not centuries, they've said in the name of science, we know that this and this and this doesn't really exist. I think now they sense they're forced to say, well, actually, we don't know. We've been saying, for instance, that there's nothing after you die, and now probably they need to admit that they don't know the answer.___We need to do a science 2.0, a science that says thank you to Galileo and thank you to materialism, but we need to reinvent even a new kind of scientific method.___So it's a moment to open up possibilities and also to gently but fiercely critique these claims that I think harm society. If you say in the name of science, get on with it, when your father dies, you'll never see him again. Well, what the F do you know about it? You haven't studied the literature, you haven't had any of those experiences, and basically what you're doing is you're just doing marketing on ideology. This needs to stop. Do you think that it's scarier for some people to entertain the thought that there might be life after death, compared to a materialist worldview where you just die, given that there might be consequences for unsavory behaviour?Well, death and dying is scary. It's maybe the ultimate ending. It's a limit on life, and when we're in this conquest mode, we don't like limits.And it also has, there's a shockwave backwards, so I think if you change your notion of what death is or may be, you live differently. It also has consequences, as you're saying, for the future because this is not our only goal here and we come back in whatever form. And again, different religions would say different things. I the East, they are more happy with the idea of reincarnation, and here in the West, there are other preferences. But in any case, it changes how we live, and that's really what matters.It's not about just projecting or imagining what we'll be after, but how we live now and also how we treat those who are dying. So it goes from the individual to the families, to the hospitals.Now in the near-death research I do, this has ramifications at all these levels, all the way to society.But our society is thanatophobic. It has a phobia of death. We don't want to hear about death, and this is another thing we need to put on the table and be willing to talk about it. Do you think that we might get closer to answering ultimate questions like why is there anything at all if we jettison materialism?That’s an excellent question, Simon. Two things: we should stop treating reality, I believe, as a great sudoku, as an enigma, as something that with intelligence, money, and time that we will crack and instead treat reality more like a mystery. And what you do for in front of a mystery is not to be the clever guy in a class and say “I’ll solve you” but more like “I will bow and you will transform me.”I know this sounds a bit like a scientist speaking like a mystic. But I think this reorientation is needed. In the end, we won’t crack the big questions, but they will transform us. If we free ourselves from this prison of materialism, the way we will explore these questions will be freer, more creative, and in service of mankind. Do you think exploring mystery is the reason why we are here?I think we are here because, and this pseudo-theological argument I’m making off the cuff, But the One, the Absolute, if there is such a thing, had everything except limitation. We are that absolute experiencing that contingency. It’s like an act of divine proprioception. It’s a wonderful adventure, it’s just incredible to be alive. Perhaps we have forgotten why we are here and the whole point is to experience the flesh.Let me end by saying this. I criticize materialism harshly. I bang on this dead horse, because I think it’s dead. But matter is a great mystery. So maybe my invitation is as follows: hey materialist friends, come here, let’s work on materialism 2.0! Consciousness is a mystery, but matter is also a mystery. The fact that we can have an intersubjective experience consensus, the fact that we can apply mathematics, that we can measure things... the physical world we take for granted, but it is a great mystery too.Maybe that’s related to your last question: why are we here? Why did spirit decide to incarnate? Being in the flesh may be a great thing if spirit decided to do so.Àlex Gómez-Marín, thank you very much.My pleasure.