SCROLL NEWS / DISCOVERY
Search headlines
Find the stories shaping the conversation.
Results for " ACE " 29,496 found 🔀 AI-powered Shuffle
The noise is getting louder, which is why science matters more than ever
For brands and formulators in gut health, the rise of AI-generated misinformation makes verified science a commercial differentiator, not just a regulatory safeguard
After Myles Garrett trade, Jared Verse confident joining Browns: ‘I’m ready to see the look on everybody’s face’
PwC cancels Disney World trip for US summer interns
The Big Four firm PwC has cut a 20-year tradition of taking summer interns to "The Happiest Place on Earth."
New Business Licenses: 8.7.26
Crawlspace construction, medical communications, family care practice are some of this week's new licenses. (BizSense Pro required)
Here's what tariffs have cost our small business
If we are uncertain whether tariffs will rise again, we become even more cautious.
COLL Q2 Deep Dive: ADHD Expansion and Pain Business Headwinds Shape Guidance
Pharmaceutical company Collegium Pharmaceutical (NASDAQ:COLL) fell short of the market’s revenue expectations in Q2 CY2026, but sales rose 6.3% year on year ...
Court orders Instagram and Facebook's Meta to pay $567M to address kids' mental health online
Judge Bryan Biedscheid said in a ruling late Thursday that the bulk of the money will be used for treatment services for young people.
Flutter Entertainment (FLUT) Stock Faces Margin Squeeze Despite Steady Revenue
Flutter Entertainment walked into this earnings print with a stock that has quietly drifted lower over the past month, yet the immediate reaction has been almost flat. The share price edged only 0.1% higher to about US$93, even as the company reported a sharp squeeze in adjusted EBITDA and a group net loss in the quarter. The market mood looks numb rather than shocked. Traders appear focused on the profit hit from heavier U.S. marketing and higher taxes. The more patient question is whether...
Wiener built an AI chatbot to mock Chan’s politics. Pelosi says it’s ‘sexist’ and ‘racist’
The race between state Sen. Scott Wiener and Connie Chan to succeed Pelosi in Congress is taking a turn for the personal.
Waikīkī resort opens entertainment center
Family bowling is possible in Waikīkī at this entertainment center, which opened in June. The 6,000-square-foot space also includes more than 60 arcade…
Kyler Murray Continues Building Momentum in Vikings' Quarterback Competition
Vikings reporter believes Wednesday's practice offered another significant clue in Minnesota's ongoing quarterback battle.
Trump imposes 15% tariff on key chip material to counter China
The move aims to protect US firms as they face increasing competition from China's chip industry.
Thousands of Haitians lose immigration status, face deportation
The temporary protected status many Haitians had has been cancelled as the country remains unstable
Scientists find unexpected life on Ötzi the Iceman’s 5,300-year-old body
More than 5,000 years after his death, Ötzi the Iceman is still hosting a remarkable mix of ancient and modern microorganisms. Researchers separated microbes that lived in his body during his lifetime from those that arrived after his death, uncovering traces of his original gut bacteria and cold-loving yeasts that may have survived alongside him in the glacier for millennia.
Court orders Meta to pay $567M to address kids' mental health online
A New Mexico court has ordered Instagram and Facebook parent company Meta to pay $567 million to address harms to young people from its platforms
Wellness club gives Latino men space to focus on mental health
There's a new community group designed to use movement to support the mental well-being of Latino men. It's called the Hermanos Wellness Club.
Democrat says political appointee placed at Interior Inspector General
{beacon} Energy & Environment Energy & Environment The Big Story Political appointee placed at Interior IG, Democrat says The Trump administration has installed a former Whi…
Trump-backed incumbent loses primary after super PAC bankrolled by Dems meddled in race
A super PAC bankrolled by a California billionaire and frequent Democratic donor spent $2 million to unseat Andy Ogles over renewable energy policy.
In the Sport-light: Roundup of news from Hull's wide world of sports
Compiled by Matt Haraden • Registration for the 2026-27 Hull Pirates Youth Basketball Travel season (boys and girls entering grades 3 -8) is now open. Families are encouraged to register early to help with team planning and ensure players are ready for the upcoming season. The
Trump tries new tack against birthright citizenship after Supreme Court snub
President Donald Trump signed two executive orders targeting children born to foreign lobbyists and tourists. The orders are certain to face legal challenges.
Environmental groups challenge FCC approval of startup’s plan to beam on-demand sunlight from space
While the FCC approved only a single test mission, the groups argue it could pave the way for a much larger constellation of satellites in the future.
Orlando Magic Receive Shockingly Low Power Rankings Placement
Despite internal championship aspirations and a fresh coaching perspective, analysts remain skeptical of Orlando’s roster depth, dropping the young core further down the league’s latest hierarchy.
What the left’s Michigan breakthrough does – and doesn’t – mean: From the Politics Desk
Plus, Ohio GOP Rep. Max Miller faces growing calls to step aside.
Church protesters could face tougher penalties under rare bipartisan crackdown
A bipartisan House bill would impose civil fines up to $10,000 for protests that disrupt worship within 100 feet of a house of worship entrance.
Political shifts make NC-11 more competitive than ever, analysts say
Republicans in North Carolina's 11th Congressional District are just days away from choosing a candidate to replace U.S. Rep. Chuck Edwards on the ballot.
El-Sayed win kicks Democrats’ Midwest ideological battle into high gear — and some Dems fear November fallout
Progressive Democrats scored key wins in Michigan's primary, and now Wisconsin's governor race and Minnesota's senate primary are the next battlegrounds.
Francesca Hong faces scrutiny over ‘cancel Thanksgiving’ post
Francesca Hong, a democratic socialist running for Wisconsin governor, is getting attention for social media posts calling for canceling Thanksgiving and abolishing police.
Data centers shaping Mississippi's politics and workforce
The Mississippi Marketplace: The state's data centers boom is no longer just a business story. It has also crept into politics and education.
Fading Echo coming to Switch 2
Fast-paced desert punk action adventure game Fading Echo will launch for Switch 2 alongside its PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series versions in 2026, publisher New Tales and development subsidiary Emeter…
Enterprises embrace AI-native shift with HPE solutions
HPE drives virtualization modernization, enabling enterprises to unify cloud control and improve agility amidst rising costs and AI demands.
You vs you: The other side of when you almost decide not to go
Discover how taking action and increasing your luck surface area can transform your farm business and open doors to new opportunities.
Trump has broken a lot of rules of politics. He’s about to face his biggest test.
After the midterms, he could quickly become a lame duck.
How Abdul El-Sayed rose from political oblivion to progressive breakthrough in Michigan
El-Sayed, 41, has never held elected office and entered the race seven years after losing Michigan’s Democratic gubernatorial primary by more than 20 percentage points.
Penn to replace much of David Rittenhouse Laboratory with $520M project
University of Pennsylvania is investing $520 million in a new Physical Sciences Building at 33rd and Walnut, expected to open in 2031.
Epic Spaceman Uses Animation, VFX To Explain Science. Without AI
Toby Lockerbie explains how he turned self-taught animation and VFX skills into one of YouTube’s top science channels, and why genAI has no place in his videos.
Michigan Science Center launches new weekend dissection program, ‘Insides Out’
The dissection series will take place on the museum’s main floor in Mi-Sci’s Learning Launchpad from 2-4 p.m. every Saturday and Sunday.
Google reveals who is hosting Pixel 11 launch event and other guests
With Made by Google 2026 taking place in less than a week, the company today revealed who is hosting: Trevor Noah.
First photos of SpaceX lunar rocket crash show blackened hole torn into the moon's surface
New images from South Korea's Danuri lunar orbiter reveal where a runaway SpaceX rocket part slammed into the moon on Wednesday.
Rochester's Davis-Fetch Building Corp. seeks tax exemptions for LeRoy expansion
The contractor wants to build a new $1.2 million 16,500-square-foot space on Lent Avenue in the village.
Sen. Bernie Moreno tells CNN he sent daughter and granddaughter ‘out of state to a secure place’ amid Max Miller allegations
Sen. Bernie Moreno told CNN that he sent his daughter, Emily Moreno, his granddaughter and his wife “out of state to a secure place” as GOP Rep. Max Miller, Emily’s ex-husband, faces heightened scrutiny over abuse allegations, which he denies.
With a new contract due, Puka Nacua makes agent change
On the surface, Rams receiver Puka Nacua isn't clamoring aggressively for a new contract.
Weekend Entertainment | Fireworks and the Youngstown Symphony
Ignite the Night – Youngstown’s Independence Day celebration – will take place Saturday and Sunday downtown.
Why smartphone makers stopped using removable batteries, and why they're making a comeback
Thanks to a new law in the EU, companies will be required to create phones with batteries that can be replaced by the end user.
‘Warrior Cats’ Video Game Announced Based on Hit Novel Series
Trailmark Games and the Coolabi Group announced “Warrior Cats: Clans of the Forest,” a turn-based RPG inspired by the “Warrior Cats” novel series.
Oscar Health Stock Sinks Amid This Second-Half Risk
OSCR stock dived despite a big earnings beat. Oscar Health management is bullish on the outlook, but big ACA Marketplace coverage shifts limit visibility.
Space Compute Is Moving From Science Fiction To Infrastructure
As satellites generate more data than Earth can efficiently process, space compute is emerging as a new infrastructure category for AI, storage and edge computing.
Ideas for Home Entertainment Spaces
I love entertaining at home, and the suburban San Diego house I chose as my “forever residence” makes it a pleasure. Holiday gatherings are hosted in the dining room. Brunches…
AHF • ‘We the People’ Coalition Merges Faith & Politics to Engage Black Voters -- L.A. Gospel Concert & Panel, Sat., Aug. 8th
AIDS Healthcare Foundation (AHF), the world's largest HIV/AIDS healthcare organization, currently provides medical care and services to more than 1.75 million clients in 45 countries. With more than 7,000 employees worldwide, AHF now has treatment clinics and other operations in the US, Africa, Latin America/Caribbean, the Asia/Pacific Region, and Europe. To learn more about AHF, please visit our website: www.aidshealth.org, find us on Facebook: www.facebook.com/aidshealth, and follow us on Twitter: @aidshealthcare and Instagram: @aidshealthcare.
Black Immigrants Face Greater Barriers to Health Care
LDI’s Joseph Nwadiuko finds that Black immigrants, especially those who are undocumented, face higher rates of uninsurance and lower health care use.
IAM Union: Workers Deserve Protection from Deadly Heat
As record-breaking temperatures continue to put working people at risk across the country, the Trump Administration is pulling back protections for workers from one of the fastest-growing workplace hazards: extreme heat. Recent reports say the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has reduced the heat-focused inspections and enforcement efforts that were previously expanded under the
Bernie Sanders hails Michigan result as ‘most extraordinary victory that I can think of in modern American politics’
Abdul El-Sayed has never held elected office and entered the race years after losing the Democratic gubernatorial primary by over 20 percentage points.
Blue Origin blames New Glenn fireball on engine oxygen valve
Small modifications under way as Bezos's rocket biz races to rebuild pad and fly again this year
Bill Belichick Announces His Son, Steve, Is On Medical Leave
North Carolina football coach Bill Belichick revealed Thursday morning that his son, Steve, has been placed on medical leave. Steve Belichick is entering his second season as North Carolina's defensive coordinator. Although the program struggled in 2025, his defense was one of two units in the ACC ...
Nate Morris questioned about attacks on McConnell in nomination hearing
At a hearing on Capitol Hill Wednesday, Nate Morris faced questions about his attacks on Sen. Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., during Morris' campaign for U.S. Senate
Bills sign familiar linebacker after training camp injury
The Bills brought back linebacker Otis Reese IV and placed Demetrius Flannigan-Fowles on injured reserve before Thursday's practice.
Why truckers always seem to be on the phone while they drive
Social media is linked to feelings of isolation, but less so for truckers. They benefit from long phone calls and connections on apps like FaceTime and WhatsApp.
Papa John’s Cuts Sales Forecast and Suspends Dividend
Papa John’s cut its outlook for the year and suspended its dividend, as the pizza chain’s North American business continues to face a soft consumer environment.
Jonathan Taylor agrees to two-year extension with Colts
Taylor is set to make $44 million under the terms of his new deal.
US Stand Up for Science movement expands to Europe
A grassroots movement by scientists in the US pushing back against threats to academic freedom is setting up a Swiss outpost to take the movement global. Stand Up for Science started in February 2025 to protest against politically-motivated grant cancellations by the Trump administration. Since then, it has organised numerous rallies by scientists and turned into a broader campaigning organisation, supporting “pro-science” political candidates and attempting to impeach Robert F. Kennedy Jr, the health and human services secretary the group accuses of advancing “quack” science. Now, Stand Up for Science is establishing a Swiss office to take some of its campaigning beyond the US, and its leader is urging European academics to organise similar pro-science groups in case they face similar threats in Europe. There will likely be “spillover” to Europe from what the Trump administration is attempting in the US, said Colette Delawalla, chief executive of Stand Up for Science, who last month returned from a tour of Europe. “Are we going to see a Trump-style scientific [. . .] take over in the same way?” she asked.Delawalla, who is doing a PhD in clinical psychology, said she was driven to help found the organisation after the Trump administration started cancelling health research grants in politically taboo topics, such as transgender people, diversity and HIV, in early 2025. Since then, the administration has introduced several other measures that infringe academic and institutional autonomy.It threatened to cut Harvard University’s federal funding unless the university accepted a “critical mass” of new faculty and students to create “viewpoint diversity.” And this year, it proposed explosive new rules that would allow political appointees at research funders to screen grants to make sure they “advance the president's policy priorities.”US scientists have been at times stunned by the volume of announcements, and the country’s researchers were relatively unprepared. “We sit in front of the fire hose every day,” said Delawalla. For this reason, European scientists need to prepare now for similar assaults. “If you've got a little bit of extra time to start thinking through, and making those preparations and building community and solidarity,” then European researchers will “start five steps ahead of where we were.” She plans to return to Paris in September to share experiences with concerned French academics. Is Le Pen the same?During her European tour, Delawalla said that French academics were beginning to worry about a National Rally (RN) victory in presidential elections next year. She said there were “chilling similarities” between Trump and Marine Le Pen, the RN’s likely candidate. However, so far, the RN hasn’t proposed anything nearly as radical as the Trump administration has carried out. Its current manifesto is all but silent on university and research policy. Le Pen’s 2022 manifesto bemoaned a lack of French R&D spending, including in fundamental research, and promised to modernise labs and strip away grant bureaucracy. The party’s 2024 European election manifesto explicitly supported the Erasmus+ student exchange programme, scientific exchange and joint European technology projects. However, a Le Pen victory next year could see France drastically cut its contribution to the EU, which would hit the budget for science and innovation. Meanwhile, more restrictive immigration policies could hit university recruitment of faculty and students. Climate science denial?As heatwaves and wildfires have ravaged France, the RN has sought to distance itself from previous comments casting doubt on climate science.In the UK, the radical-right party Reform UK, now second in the polls, denied climate research in a draft of its 2024 election manifesto, but its leader, Nigel Farage, then appeared to quietly U-turn and said he was “not arguing the science.” By contrast, Trump has repeatedly and explicitly denied climate change science, in 2025 calling it “the greatest con job.” Like the RN, Reform UK has been light on research and university policy. However, it did say in its 2024 manifesto that universities should suffer “heavy financial penalties” for allowing “political bias or cancel culture” on campus, building on laws brought in by a previous Conservative government. Ahead of September state elections in Saxony-Anhalt in Germany, the poll-leading Alternative for Germany has proposed abolishing gender studies and postcolonial studies, and promised money for “critical” climate research and studies of Islam. Starts with rhetoricEven if European radical right parties aren’t currently planning the draconian policy measures of the Trump administration, Delawalla said that academics should not be complacent, and fight even small funding restrictions or anti-science talk from the start. “It starts off with sowing distrust about institutions,” she said. “It starts off with these small things, and then all of a sudden it's there.” There are other, more established science and university advocacy groups in the US aside from Stand Up for Science. But the group stands out because of Delawalla’s refusal to attempt to appear politically bipartisan or conciliatory. “I firmly believe that the US is experiencing fascism,” she said. “We’re not trying to win over the super Maga people,” she said, “and we never have been.” The lesson of the US is that even if universities or other institutions capitulate to government demands, this doesn’t save them from cuts and restrictions. “It doesn’t matter what people do,” she said. Global “pseudoscience”Another aim of Stand Up for Science’s push into Europe is to better coordinate a campaign to protect people in poorer countries from what the group describes as “pseudoscientific exploitation,” trials outside the US used to build a case against things like vaccines. Earlier this year, the group sent an investigator to Guinea-Bissau to investigate a controversial, Danish-run Hepatitis B vaccine project funded by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.The study would have withheld a proven vaccine from newborns, Stand Up for Science argued in a briefing it presented to Congress, risking their health. Significantly, the research group based in Guinea-Bissau, known as Bandim, focuses on the “non-specific effects” of vaccines: impacts on health beyond preventing the target disease. Related articlesEuropean researchers sound the alarm that Trump rule changes will hit cooperationData corner: which fields of health science is the US curbing? The US ‘golden age’ science strategy: what Europeans need to know The suspicion is that the study was funded as part of an attempt to shop around for results that could help build a case against vaccines in the US, said Delawalla. “This is just code for vaccines cause autism,” she said.Bandim has put out a rebuttal of Stand Up for Science’s criticisms, arguing its work has uncovered a number of vaccine side effects, both positive and negative, which need to be taken into account in public health. However, Congressional Democrats took up the Stand Up for Science cause, and in February, Guinea-Bissau said it had permanently halted the study. WatchdogBut for Delawalla, this is not the end of the fight. Kennedy has made a number of health claims that scientists think lack evidence, such as the idea that seed oils cause inflammation, for example. Delawalla worries that more studies could be launched in poorer countries to fish around for evidence to support this agenda. Stand Up for Science is talking to African science organisations to create a kind of “watchdog” to scrutinise any further trials. “Outsourcing the investigation to some of the most vulnerable children in the world who are desperate [. . .] is fundamentally wrong,” she said.
2026 Fall Preview: Pleasant Hope Football
Share on Facebook Share on Twitter By Chris Parker Pleasant Hope football is looking to bounce back from an 0-10 season with six offensive and eight defensive starters returning. Daylin Campbell (junior) and Peyton Guy (senior) are
2026 Fall Preview: Hillcrest Football
Share on Facebook Share on Twitter By Chris Parker Hillcrest football is looking to bounce back from an 0-10 season with six offensive and four defensive starters returning this season. The offense will rely on speed. “I
The best business school I ever attended was the Peace Corps
In this story Paul shares his journey as a soldier, then Peace Corps Volunteer, and finally, entrepreneur.
Unearthed paper exposes Dem House hopeful's 'insane' proposal for meeting climate goals
Manny Rutinel's resurfaced paper argued governments should incentivize ranchers to transition to plant-based farming in Colorado's top cattle district.
Todd Blanche’s Attorney General nomination faces uncertain Senate floor vote
Insmed Reports Second-Quarter 2026 Financial Results and Provides Business Update
—Total Company Revenues of $425.5 Million for the Second Quarter of 2026— —BRINSUPRI® (brensocatib) Revenues of $309.2 Million for the Second Quarter of 2026,...
Busy Baby, which became one of the faces of tariff woes, receives $50K tax refund
Oronoco-based importer Beth Benike said the money helps, but the tariffs caused long-term damage to the company.
India’s Student Movement Shuns Politics, Stays Pressure Group
The Cockroach Janta Party, which spearheaded India’s biggest student protests in recent years, said it won’t become a political party, opting instead to remain a “pressure group” after weeks of demonstrations forced Prime Minister Narendra Modi to replace his education minister.
Newcastle plot £85m Nmecha bid as Guimaraes replacement
Newcastle United are lining up a club-record bid for Borussia Dortmund’s Felix Nmecha as the club seek a replacement for Bruno Guimaraes.Guimaraes is closing in on a £75m transfer to Arsenal after ...
Cohen's reversible male contraception research earns recognition at international science summit
Dr. Paula Cohen has been chosen as a finalist for the Falling Walls Global Call for Science Breakthroughs 2026. Since 2009, the Falling Walls Science Summit has united the world’s greatest minds to break down barriers in science and innovation.Cohen's work in reversible male contraception has earned her place as a finalist in the life sciences category. Falling Walls interviewed Cohen on this project recently:
Cashing in on SpaceX: 'Every chance I get, I'll sell a little more'
Andre Lavoie joined SpaceX in 2009 as an engineer, now he's looking to cash in his shares in the company.
El-Sayed victory may bring a progressive doc to Senate
It also elevates health care in a key Senate race.
Perez Hilton, a medical emergency and how fans stepped in
In the age of social media, mental health crises are playing out differently. Perez Hilton's fans are one example.
Senate Finance Committee wrestles with how to sustain Social Security benefits
The Senate Finance Committee held a hearing yesterday on how to prevent deep cuts to Social Security benefits in a few years. The math is simple but the politics are not.
Eve Muirhead: Winter Olympic gold medal-winning curler revokes retirement
Winter Olympic gold medallist Eve Muirhead revokes her retirement, saying being Team GB's chef de mission at this year's Games has inspired her to return to curling after four years away.
Best of - Arts, Entertainment & Recreation
Best Night Club and Best Place to Shake Your BootyThe BasementLots of night clubs are cool. But walking into The Basement and taking a seat with a swanky cocktail or mocktail, surrounded by polished wood and good lighting, makes you feel a little cooler, too. Which might contribute to one’s confidence at booty shaking. The […]
Another huge Pixel Watch 5 leak showcases everything from design to health features
New Pixel Watch 5 leak showcases health features such as heart rate variability tracking, "Ask Coach," and more alongside Gemini Intelligence.
Building Business Success On A Solid Foundation
Grady Wold, owner of Trend Stone Surfaces, understands the importance of building a business on a solid foundation. When he needed a financial partner to help expand his granite and quartz countertop business, he turned to Security Financial Bank (SFB), where he works with Scott Erickson, Bloomer
‘Spectral lines’ and a giant plume: what science saw when the SpaceX rocket hit the moon
Sodium and lithium gas was detected in a plume thought to span tens of kilometres, created when part of a SpaceX rocket crashed into the lunar surface
A new type of flu shot is coming after FDA approves mRNA-based vaccine
The agency’s former top vaccine regulator declined to review the Moderna shot, and it’s now likely to face pushback from allies of the health secretary.
Baron Von Opperbean reaches 10,000 visitors. What's next?
An all-ages immersive attraction, Baron Von Opperbean (or BVO) opened May 1 in the former Mississippi River Museum space on Mud Island.
Most detailed images ever taken of sun's surface revealed: "Major step forward"
Viewpoint: Europe needs a new scientific contract
The White House's new science strategy should be required reading in the Berlaymont and every European capital.Not because Europe should copy it. Parts of it should concern Europeans deeply. But because it asks the question Europe has so far avoided while steadily losing ground in the global race for technological leadership.Europe already possesses many of the world's finest universities, scientists and research-intensive companies. It produces world-leading research in fields ranging from quantum technologies and biotechnology to climate science. Yet time and again Europe generates the scientific breakthroughs while others build the companies, industries and strategic advantages around them, particularly in digital technologies. Increasingly, we find ourselves regulating technologies whose underlying capabilities were developed elsewhere.This is not primarily a scientific failure. It is an institutional one.The settlement that shaped modern science policy emerged after the Second World War. In Science, the Endless Frontier, Vannevar Bush argued that governments should invest in fundamental research while protecting scientists from political direction. Public investment was justified precisely because no government, university or company could predict where the next transformative discovery would emerge.That scientific contract served liberal democracies extraordinarily well. It underpinned decades of advances in medicine, computing, energy and communications, but the world for which it was designed no longer exists.Artificial intelligence is transforming not only technology but the production of knowledge itself. Advanced chips, computing power, data and scientific instruments have become strategic assets. Scientific knowledge now diffuses globally almost instantly. Competitive advantage increasingly lies not in making discoveries first, but in possessing the infrastructure, capital, engineering capability and institutions required to translate those ideas into products, industries and strategic advantage.The old boundaries between science, industrial policy, national security and geopolitics have largely disappeared. Dual-use technologies now underpin both economic power and military deterrence.The US has recognised this shift. In July, the White House published Science: A New Golden Age, a comprehensive attempt to rethink the relationship between science and national power. The report builds on Bush's legacy, but departs from his framework in important ways. Science is no longer treated simply as the source of future discoveries. It is presented as the foundation of economic resilience, technological leadership and national security. AI, advanced infrastructure and the capacity to build become as important as discovery itself.Yet the report also reveals a striking paradox. The same administration calling for “a new golden age” of US science has simultaneously proposed deep cuts to the federal research enterprise while expanding political influence over the allocation of public research funding. Europe should therefore distinguish between the report's diagnosis and its prescription. The diagnosis, that science has become a strategic asset, is compelling. But the prescription is self-defeating. Long-term technological leadership depends on strong universities, academic freedom and the institutional autonomy that makes scientific discovery possible. This distinction matters. Bush's achievement was never simply to make science serve national strength. It was to establish a division of labour in which governments invested in research without attempting to direct discovery itself. Scientific breakthroughs emerge precisely because researchers retain the freedom to pursue questions whose value cannot yet be demonstrated and whose conclusions cannot be anticipated.Neither China, nor the USAs science becomes more strategically important, the temptation to politicise it inevitably grows. But scientific freedom is not an obstacle to technological leadership, it is an essential precondition.China represents the opposite model. For decades it has integrated science, manufacturing, infrastructure and industrial policy into a single national strategy. Its ability to mobilise resources around critical technologies is formidable. But it does so within an authoritarian system where scientific priorities are increasingly inseparable from political power.Europe should imitate neither model. It should learn from the strategic ambition of the US without importing its growing politicisation of science. And it should learn from China's capacity to build without adopting its concentration of power.Instead, Europe needs a scientific contract of its own. Bush's scientific contract protected the freedom to discover because the defining challenge of the 20th century was producing new knowledge. Europe's next scientific contract must preserve that freedom while ensuring that scientific discoveries can be converted into technological, industrial and strategic capability. Because in a transactional world, Europe's freedom to shape its own future depends on its capacity to build it.Related articlesThe US ‘golden age’ science strategy: what Europeans need to knowEuropean researchers sound the alarm that Trump rule changes will hit cooperationNIH turmoil risks reciprocal EU-US access to health research fundingThis does not mean subordinating free science to competitiveness or industrial policy. On the contrary. Scientific autonomy remains the first principle of Europe's next scientific contract. Governments should not direct scientific discovery. Their responsibility is to ensure that Europe's scientific, industrial, financial and regulatory institutions work together rather than in isolation.Meeting that responsibility requires far more than research funding. European researchers need access to world-class computing infrastructure, advanced laboratories, shared datasets and scientific facilities. Innovative companies need patient capital, testing environments and a genuine single market in which they can scale without facing 27 different regulatory regimes. Public procurement must evolve from purchasing existing technologies to creating markets for new ones. Regulators must become partners in experimentation rather than guardians of yesterday's rules.A connecting architectureEurope does not need to invent the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (Darpa) model from scratch. Britain's Aria, Germany's Sprind and Wellcome Leap already show that Europe can build institutions capable of taking high-risk, mission-oriented bets while preserving democratic accountability. The challenge now is not to create more isolated initiatives, but to connect them to Europe's broader scientific, industrial and financial system so that breakthrough discoveries can scale.Above all, Europe must stop treating research, innovation, industrial policy, finance and security as separate policy domains. The challenge is no longer to create excellent institutions in each of these fields, but to make them work as one European innovation system. Europe's strength will increasingly depend not on excellence within institutions, but on excellence across them.Europe's ambition should be neither to imitate the US nor to emulate China. It should demonstrate that scientific freedom, democratic legitimacy and technological capability are not competing objectives, but mutually reinforcing strengths. In an age of geopolitical rivalry, Europe's greatest advantage may ultimately be its ability to attract the world's best talent by combining scientific freedom, democratic openness and technological ambition.Bush's scientific contract helped define the 20th century because it protected the freedom to discover. Europe's challenge is not to abandon that achievement but to extend it. The defining task of Europe's next scientific contract is to preserve the freedom to discover while building Europe's capacity to translate scientific discovery into technological power.Kaare Nielsen is founder of Pomus, a Danish think tank on science and innovation.
Science|Business summer reads of 2026
As most people in the European research and innovation policy bubble are going on a well-deserved summer break, we have come up with a list of our favourite books, podcasts and essays from the past year that ask deeper questions about science, technology and politics.BooksPasteur’s Quadrant: Basic Science and Technological Innovation, by Donald StokesIf you haven’t read Pasteur’s Quadrant yet, now is the time. In the EU and elsewhere, we’re living through a period of dwindling faith that curiosity-driven research automatically leads to economic growth and technological progress. Pasteur’s Quadrant, published in 1997 by the Princeton academic Donald Stokes, is the most influential critique of the standard “linear model” of R&D: the idea that new discoveries made in ivory-tower labs get neatly passed on for commercialisation by start-ups. In reality, Stokes argues, practical applications often inspire more theorical lines of inquiry. Of course, we have long known that things are more complex than the linear model, but even today, it’s still often assumed in Brussels discourse. The book is a useful corrective, and is being used now to argue for new types of scientific institutions. David MatthewsThe Weaponization of Expertise: How Elites Fuel Populism, by Jacob Hale Russel and Dennis PattersonAre society’s problems solvable by technical expertise alone? “If only the benighted would listen,” say Jacob Hale Russel and Dennis Patterson, two professors at Rutgers Law School who got frustrated with how scientists and politicians handled public health communication during the Covid-19 pandemic. In the book, they argue that clichéd mantras about scientific evidence and expertise perpetrated by academics, journalists and politicians have harmed public trust in the very institutions they were trying to defend. Paradoxically, slogans such as “we believe in science,” “follow the science” and “defer to the experts” can fuel mistrust in science, experts and democratic institutions. The authors criticise “condescension” and “technocratic paternalism” in the public discourse and make the case for a more nuanced approach to scientific and expert policy advice that rests on humility, doubt, scepticism and open dialogue. “Most complex social questions in fact revolve around values, not the recitation of unambiguous facts,” they say. Florin ZubascuBreakneck: China's Quest to Engineer the Future, by Dan WangIn this book, Dan Wang compares the structural differences between the US and Chinese industrial policies, but raises a very timely question for innovation policy wonks: how can advanced manufacturing know-how contribute to technology-intensive economic growth? Wang says technology has three components: the tools, the blueprints and patents, and the process knowledge. The third component represents the “proficiency gained from practical experience, which isn’t easily communicated and requires years of implementation.” According to Wang, rather than seeing tools and blueprints as the ultimate ends of technological progress, policymakers should see them as milestones in the training of better scientists and manufacturers. Over the past decades, China has amassed “process knowledge” because capital flowed to complex fabrication facilities, while investors in the West have parked their money in capital-light businesses such as digital platforms or chip companies that focus on design. As it turns out, thanks to its oversized focus on manufacturing, China has gained remarkable advantages in the global technology race. Florin ZubascuBaltic: The Future of Europe, by Oliver MoodyWhat can Europe learn from the nine countries surrounding the Baltic Sea? Alongside the familiar stories about Estonia's digital transformation, the book examines how the region has used technology, resilience, education, governance and long-term thinking to respond to geopolitical, economic and security challenges. Innovation policy wonks might find fresh perspectives on how innovation can strengthen defence, societal resilience and Europe's capacity to adapt in an uncertain world. Whether or not you agree with all of Oliver Moody's conclusions, the book is a useful guide to a region that is increasingly shaping European debates on security, competitiveness and technology. Goda NaujokaityteThe Invention of Nature, by Andrea Wulf This book chronicles the wild and adventurous life of natural science pioneer Alexander von Humboldt who at some point in the 19th century seems to have been just about the most famous person in the world. Through scientific expeditions to the Andes Mountains and to the depths of Siberia, von Humboldt contributed a host of discoveries and concepts. During his life he met and formed relationships with historical figures as different as Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, Simon Bolivar, Thomas Jefferson, Napoleon Bonaparte and Charles Darwin. He is also claimed to be the person in the world with most things named after him, a list that includes an ocean current, a penguin and a region of the Moon. Still venerated in Germany, with numerous scientific institutions named after him, von Humboldt has slipped out of public consciousness in most of the rest of the world. For anyone not familiar with him, this book does a good job of describing his fascinating life. Ole EllekrogCareless People, by Sarah Wynn-WilliamsYou may have heard this referred to as the book Meta doesn’t want you to read. The 2025 memoir from Sarah Wynn-Williams, former director of global public policy at Meta, then just called Facebook, includes explosive claims about everything from a toxic workplace culture to how the company worked with advertisers to target vulnerable teens, and the lengths it was prepared to go to in order to break into China. It’s a fascinating insight into how and why the tech company gradually shifted its approach to policy, whether in the US, Europe or Asia. Meta has denied the allegations in the book, and last year won an emergency ruling to prevent Wynn-Williams from promoting it. In response, the author is now suing her former employer. If that doesn’t make you want to read it. Martin GreenacrePodcastsThe Europeans: Europe’s anti-ElonThis podcast is a great choice for a light-hearted dose of European policy and culture news. Most of it has little to do with research, innovation and technology, but this particular podcast features an interview with Mastadon’s founder Eugen Rochko. He talks about his experience running an open-source, federated, European-made social media platform, and leaving it all behind. The conversation, which starts 14 minutes in, gently encourages us to reflect on what kind of technology we, as Europeans, want to make. Goda NaujokaityteSolarpunk and how we escape dystopiaNew technologies are very often taken from science fiction. Alberto Santos-Dumont, inventor the airship, was inspired as a child by the adventure stories of Jules Verne. OpenAI’s attempt to build a personal assistant with the voice of Scarlett Johansson was lifted from the 2013 film Her, completely ignoring the movie’s cautionary message. So if we want better tech, we need to imagine it first. Unfortunately, the state of current sci-fi is relentlessly dystopian, giving inventors precious few ideas or hope. However, a new genre, Solarpunk, which envisages a technologically advanced but ecologically harmonious future, is now taking off. The actual tech the genre imagines, such as permaculture, renewable energy or community repair workshops, while nice, isn’t all that inspiring or ambitious. But it’s a first step towards rescuing sci-fi from its pessimistic Blade Runner rut. David MatthewsEveryday AbundanceLaunched in June, Everyday Abundance is a podcast that tells the stories of the inventions we now take so for granted that we barely given them a second thought. For example, the washing machine, which liberated women from a lifetime “bent over washtubs and washboards.” Or modern dentistry, which ended the reality that “tooth pain was simply part of human life.” Historians of technology, Virginia Postrel and Charles C Mann are very much on the optimistic end of the spectrum when it comes to the capacity of invention to improve human life. Here, they set out their case: if it wasn’t for progress, you might be hunched over a washtub with toothache rather than reading these words. David Matthews‘We will not know what we lost’: Conservation fallout a year after USAID shutdownSince his return to the White House, Donald Trump has been on a mission to undermine science. He slashed jobs at federal agencies, terminated grants in some research areas, took unprecedented control over university affairs and, within hours of his inauguration, suspended the US Agency for International Development. While its initial focus was to administer health and food aid around the world, it had since expanded to conservation projects. The result? Some of these projects were stopped abruptly. In this Mongabay podcast, environmental reporter Michelle Nijhuis tells the story of the EcoGuard conservation programme in Liberia, whose local patrols had helped protect rainforests, monitor endangered wildlife and track illegal threats. From one day to the next, these were left without salaries. Luckily, she notes, the initiative was able to get emergency funding from international NGOs, but its future remains “incredibly uncertain.” Juliette PortalaEssaysThe Mars Delusion, by Henry WismayerWhy is humankind so fixated on establishing a colony on Mars? asks London-based writer Henry Wismayer. From space evangelists promoting Martian settlement as an insurance policy, to billionaire Jeff Bezos, who said humans should settle on Mars “because it’s cool,” the mission is not running short of advocates. However, in this essay, Wismayer reminds us that some critics expect any future Mars pioneer to end up “irradiated, sick, mad and dead.” Scientists have already looked into the possible effects of prolonged exposure to Martian gravity, and it’s not pretty: muscle shrinking, bones weakening, changes to the central nervous system and other biological modifications to make us all reconsider the journey. “Some researchers have forecast that the future settler, after generations of evolutionary conditioning, will look less like an Übermensch and more like ET,” Wismayer writes. Juliette Portala
Honouring Guatemala’s Indigenous midwives and making space for Indigenous health systems
Guatemala’s Indigenous midwives won recognition of their work before the Constitutional Court. Seven years on, UN Human Rights has documented that the ruling still has not reached the health services where they work every day. This year’s International Day of the World’s Indigenous Peoples is dedicated to them.
Byron business celebrates grand opening thanks to Business Builder Grant
"I've had this picture in my mind for, honestly, three to five years. I was like, ‘It would be great if we could have this little farm store.’ This grant helped make it happen." —Stacey Freitag, co-owner, Free Day Popcorn
Digital Science Rolls Out Papers AI Research Ecosystem
Digital Science unveiled Papers AI, an AI-native workspace for research writing, analysis, management, and collaboration.
Seeds Rybakina, Pegula and Gauff advance at WTA Toronto event
Second seed Elena Rybakina, third seed Jessica Pegula and fourth-seeded Coco Gauff advanced to the third round of the WTA 1000 tournament in Toronto on Wednesday.Rybakina hit back-to-back double faults to drop the second set and three double faults while serving for the match before advancing to next face 28th-seeded American Ann Li, who eliminated Canadian wildcard Kayla Cross 7-6 (7/2), 6-3.
Georgia gubernatorial candidates pitch competing plans at business forum
ATHENS — Georgia’s two candidates for governor showcased their competing plans for healthcare, jobs and other top issues at a business-focused gathering Wednesday. Gov. Brian Kemp also gave his full-throated support to fellow Republican Rick Jackson, saying Jackson was the most likely candidate to continue his business-friendly policies. The Democrat in the race, former Atlanta […]
New Glenn explosion linked to rocket engine valve
Blue Origin has traced the explosion of its New Glenn rocket during a static-fire test in May to a valve in the rocket’s BE-4 engine.
Yankees’ Aaron Judge gives significant injury update
The Yankee captain gives a major update when speaking to the media.
VDH confirms first case of dengue virus in Virginia
The Virginia Department of Health has confirmed the commonwealth’s first case of dengue, a virus transmitted through mosquito bites, in northern Virginia.
Broncos' last remaining unrestricted free agent finds new NFL team
Sam Mustipher, who was the Broncos' last remaining unrestricted free agent, has found a new NFL home.
Scientists are certain a wayward SpaceX rocket slammed into the moon as predicted
A SpaceX rocket that launched a pair of lunar landers slammed into the moon as predicted on Wednesday after drifting off course for the past year, scientists reported.
Blue Origin CEO says faulty valve caused massive explosion in Florida
Blue Origin CEO Dave Limp says a faulty valve caused the massive New Glenn rocket explosion that rocked Florida's Space Coast in May.
American Dream Opens Two New Entertainment Facilities
American Dream unveiled a 3,000-seat performing arts center and a 60,000-square-foot event space this July at its East Rutherford location. Dream Live Performing Arts Center made its debut on July…
Abdul El-Sayed’s Next Big Challenge
He called out Democrats. Now he needs to bring them together.
CME venture with FanDuel falters as prediction startups race ahead
CME Group Inc. and FanDuel are scaling back a joint effort to take on prediction market startups after failing to gain traction.
Will Trump Try to Keep His Qatari-Gifted Flying Palace?
Recent comments from Eric Trump indicate that the Qatari-gifted luxury Air Force One won’t be heading for his dad’s presidential library after all.