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AI Swarm Attacks Are Coming, Is Your Business Ready?
Leaders need a new cybersecurity playbook for the agentic era, with stronger governance, faster response systems, workforce awareness, and up-to-date security frameworks.
Extendend interview: Dr Roham Alvandi on Iran, Britain, and the futures that might have been
From Cold War power games to the cultural aspirations of the Pahlavi era, this extended conversation pulls back the curtain on the global forces that continue to shape - and be shaped by - Iran today. Dr Roham Alvandi is Director of the Iranian History Initiative at the London School of Economics and Political Science.
Politics, protests and popular culture: The University of Minnesota community responds to ICE impact through memes and music
Outside Coffman Union on March 3, The University of Minnesota’s Students for a Democratic Society protested Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s presence in Minnesota and on campus, despite reports that Operation...
Jason Momoa forced to evacuate as devastating storm hits Hawaii
Thousands have been ordered to flee as the archipelago faces its most intense surge of storms in two decades.
Business closed after new Ohio law banning intoxicating hemp products went into effect
Senate Bill 56 grants law enforcement the authority to remove intoxicating THC products from unlicensed retail locations,
Your Thymus and Your Healthspan
Our thymus gland plays a central role in the development or our immune system, specifically for supporting T cell development (how these cells got their name, maturation and differentiation in the thymus) and discriminating between self and foreign, non-self antigen proteins with production of dendritic cells. As we age, our thymus gland shrinks—the process known as involution—with progressive change from spongy to fatty tissue, with loss of functionality. But this process, with respect to timeline and extent, markedly varies from one person to the next. And to make things even more complicated, our thymus gland anatomy and precise location in the chest also is highly variable. So the famous Frank Netter diagrams from the 1960s (such as at left below) don’t capture the remarkable heterogeneity that a random set of 12 chest CT scans (below at right). What I consider as 2 landmark papers in Nature this week (here and here) used AI to quantify health of the thymus in 2 large cohorts, and then correlate the metric to a broad array of health outcomes. In this edition of Ground Truths, I’m going to cover three questions: (1) How was thymus health determined by AI?; (2) How is thymus health linked to key clinical outcomes? and (3) Are there ways we can promote a healthy (aka rejuvenate) thymus gland in our later years? Subscribe 1. How was thymus health determined by AI? This was accomplished by extensive work developing and validating an AI pipeline for 2 stages, the first for localization and segmentation of the thymus bed, and the second to quantify a digital marker, termed the thymic health score. There’s a lot to this algorithmic development, so I won’t go into all the details, but just provide a rudimentary outline of what was done. The 1st stage used supervised learning with 2 radiologists reviewing 2,461 chest CT scans. That work trained a 3D U-Net model to automatically identify the thymic bed’s 3D cropped region using center of mass coordinates, which reached 99.8% accuracy. The 2nd stage used a foundation model that was pre-trained with SwAV (which stands for Swapping Assignment between multiple Views), a self-supervised model, that generated a high-dimensional thymus representation of 4,096 features. That compares to the radiology reductionist and subjective scoring of 0 to 3 where 0 means the thymus is fully degenerated and fatty, and 3 is considered dense, intact glandular soft tissue. Notably, the self-supervised learning (SSL) performance was superior to supervised (AUC ~0.75 vs 0.55, respectively) reflecting the shallowness of the 0-3 classifier vs SSL’s holistic, self-taught AI. The thymic health score ranged from 0 to 100, with the highest number indexed to fully preserved thymic health. The algorithmic work extended to explainability with both Shapely value distribution, meaning the model was holistic not relying on any “magic” pixel, and occlusion sensitivity, demonstrating the model’s performance was not affected by ribs, sternum, lung tissue, but rather focused on the thymic bed directly. Below are a few saliency maps from the occlusion sensitivity that indicate the thymic bed focus, not affected by neighboring structures, using the jet color scale. Now the AI was ready for processing ~25,000 CT scans, each over 30 MB files, from the 2 large participant cohorts to provide a thymic health score, it did so in less than 14 hours, which is less than 2 seconds per scan! Share 2. How is thymus health linked to key clinical outcomes? The two cohorts were the National Lung Screening Trial, NLST (N=25,031) and the Framingham Heart Study, FHS (N=2,581) each with baseline demographics and long term follow up of >12 years for health outcomes. From the NSLT, you can see below that increased age and body-mass index were correlated to reduced thymic health. And, overall, men had reduced thymic health scores compared with women. There are a lot of graphs in the paper for outcomes, for both the NLST and FHS cohorts. To simplify the major outcomes, below is a composite Figure with striking reduction of all-cause mortality and for the different causes of death. The results were consistent between the 2 cohorts. For example, the cardiovascular mortality hazard ratio average was 0.57 in NLST and 0.38 in FHS (weighted to be 0.53 for the aggregate). The reduction of mortality also extended to digestive diseases and pulmonary disease (data not shown below). Lung cancer incidence was reduced by 36% for high vs low thymic health (Figure below, with a panel -incidence and b panel-mortality, adjusted for age, sex, BMI, smoking status). Notably, there was a smoker’s paradox: lower incidence and improved survival for lung cancer in smokers who had a high thymus health score. Smoking was associated with lower thymic scores whereas alcohol was not. Higher thymic health was linked to higher HDL cholesterol, lower triglycerides, lower fasting blood glucose, and lower systolic and diastolic blood pressure. Inflammation biomarkers, such as C-reactive protein and interleukin-6, were elevated in the people with lower thymic health scores. In their second paper, the same team looked at the relationship between thymic score and outcomes for 3,476 patients receiving cancer immunotherapy. The non-small cell lung cancer progression-free survival was reduced in patients with low thymic health score. A parallel relationship for survival was seen for other types of cancer including melanoma, breast, and kidney with a 44% lower risk among high thymic scores (Figure). A similar pattern was seen with different immune checkpoint inhibitors. The thymus health score outperformed programmed death ligand-1 (PD-L1)and tumor mutation burden (TMB) assay of the tumor and was an independent prognostic marker of progression-free survival. In this dataset, a direct connect with thymus score and adaptive immune function was noted with a correlation before cancer treatment for both T-cell diversity and thymus T-cell production (a metric known as T cell receptor excision circles). Thymus Removal Study There is a highly relevant citation about thymus function before moving onto ways to rejuvenate it. In 2023, a very important study of thymus removal during cardiothoracic surgery was published, with 1146 patients undergoing thymus removal vs 1146 matched controls (mean age 55 years). The adverse outcomes for thymus removal were striking, with a 2.9 higher risk of all-cause mortality and doubling of cancer incidence, 1.5 fold increase in cancer mortality, and 1.5-fold increase in autoimmune diseases. The immune function showed marked compromise after thymus removal, as reflected by CD4+ and CD8+ T cells (Figure below) Share Ground Truths 3. Are there ways we can promote a healthy (aka rejuvenate) thymus gland in our later years? In recent months we’ve learned a lot about the process of thymus involution and the pathways by which this may be modulated. Thymus involution is primarily due to loss to thymus epithelial cells (TECs) and there are 2 subtypes with different functions: the cortical, responsible for positive selection of T cells, and the medullary, for negative selection. When adipose tissue infiltrates the thymus, thymic adipocytes are pro-inflammatory, knocking out T-cell output. Likewise, systemic inflammation, or “inflammaging,” from smoking, obesity, and chronic stress promote thymic adipocytes. Now, from preclinical studies, we know about key pathways that account for these processes. Historically, back in 2014, FOXN1 was recognized as a single master transcription factor essential for TEC function, with studies in mice with forced FOXN1 upregulation leading to thymus regeneration. That laid the foundation for potential regrowth of quiescent thymus cells. It took awhile to find pathways to accomplish this goal and to even refute its role as the master regulator. The Liver-Thymus Axis Feng Zhang and his team recently showed that injection of an mRNA vaccine to the liver encoding DLL1, IL-7 and FLT3-L in combination, factors known to support thymopoiesis (Figure), successfully enhanced immune function in aged mice. However, the effect was transient. The FGF21 Story Two reports in 2025 addressed the thymus gland’s production of FGF21, a growth factor (fibroblast growth factor 21) and its control of thymus involution. This growth factor is also produced by the liver, but it doesn’t have impact on the thymus in aged rodent models. In contrast, The liver’s hepatocyte growth factor (HGF) has been shown to reverse senescent TEC structural changes. Growth hormone stimulates production of insulin growth factor-1 (IGF-1) in the liver and the thymus. Two small studies in human participants (TRIIM, for Thymus Regeneration, Immunorestoration, and Insulin Mitigation) of 6 and 50 people, respectively, treated with combined human growth hormone, metformin and DHEA, suggested the potential of slowing epigenetic aging and improving thymus mass and function. But the combination of drugs, small sample, and lack of controls make conclusions murky. Increased thymus FGF21 led to increased CD8 T cells in old mice and extended healthspan and improved physical performance. Building on the previous FOXN1 data, ablation of β-klotho, the obligatory co-receptor for FOXN1, accelerated thymic aging. The benefit to FGF21 was confirmed in a companion paper using an FGF21 knock-in mouse model showing thymus enlargement and increased TECs throughout the lifespan. (schematic Figure below). The accompanying editorial for these 2 papers speculated: “The proposed link between age-associated thymus involution and organismal aging is intriguing, and suggests we might seek to achieve systemic rejuvenation by counteracting thymic involution.” Other Factors Lessons from the Axolotl (Mexican Salamander) In an elegant set of experiments of the axolotl (Figure), known for its complete thymus regeneration after total surgical removal, mediators were identified. Surprisingly FOXN1 was dispensable. But midkine, a growth factor, appeared to be the driver, the initiator of thymus cell growth, survival, and repair. Other components that contributed were Postn+ (periostin-expressing mesenchymal niches) and Ccl19, a chemokine protein from the bloodstream. RANK and RANKL RANK (receptor activator of nuclear factor κB its ligand (RANKL) have been considered key regulators of medullary TECs. In a study of both aged mice and human thymus cell cultures, their key role was confirmed, with multiple benefits of resorting TEC function, recruitment of progenitor cells, and T cell development. Subscribe Summing Up This body of work strongly supports the health of the thymus gland as a critical regulator of human healthspan, not just a correlate or link. The new landmark studies are reinforced by the regenerative biology experimental models that have shown, via an array of mediators, that healthspan of aged mice is at least in part dependent on thymus gland function and its critical role for maintaining adaptive immunity. It sure seems that we’d be better off having an immune reservoir of naive T cells instead of a profile in older adults of exhausted, low quality, memory T cells, with a senescent phenotype. It is striking that we ignored the importance of the thymus gland for many decades. A wake-up call was the results of the thymectomy matched control study reviewed here, with the opposite of high thymic health score improved health outcomes. The convergence of AI and healthspan here is notable. The exceptional and laborious work for developing and validating (no less explaining) the AI to quantify thymus health set the foundation for probing the connect the major health outcomes in two cohorts with extensive follow-up. We’ve never had a way to meaningfully quantify the thymus gland before, so this represents important leverage of supervised, self-supervised, and transformer models. The study wouldn’t have been possible without AI. And it begs the question as to whether there are ways we can maintain our thymus at a high health score. But it’s not so simple to rejuvenate our thymus. There are multiple risks including the induction of autoimmunity, increasing the risk of cancer, and inducing a pro-inflammatory state. For example, factors that increase TEC proliferation could compromise the medulllary negative selection process and leak out auto-reactive (self-attacking) T cells. Thymic cells could be induced to proliferate, but we know, for example, that growth hormone and IGF-1 are associated with an increase risk of cancer. If thymus rejuvenation doesn’t clear out the accumulated senescent cells in older adults, then inflammation within the gland could block the production of TECs. Keeping these risks in mind, we now have identified many ways to keep our thymus healthy as we age that undoubtedly will be tested in clinical trials going forward. Ultimately, the benefit-to-risk tradeoffs will be defined. In the meantime, we have desperately needed an immunome. As I’ve stressed in multiple prior Ground Truths, we have no test in the clinic to assess a patient’s immune status! It was very encouraging for me to get an email from Hugo Aerts, the senior author of the landmark papers in the days after they were published: “I also wanted to say that your Substack on “Why We Need an Immunome” was inspiring for this work. We found it a very compelling perspective and greatly enjoyed reading it.” Just having an assessment of a person’s immune status via a chest CT scan, with millions of these performed per year, might help in guiding the right immunotherapy for cancer (e.g. more intensive, combinations for those with low thymic health scores) and help define people who are increased risk for age-related diseases of cancer, cardiovascular, and neurodegenerative. The main theme of Super Agers is that we now have many layers of data (genetics, proteins, biomarkers, organ clocks that can be integrated via multimodal AI) for us to define a person’s specific risk decades before one of these age-related diseases leads to symptoms, enabling prevention. From the new studies this week, we can add thymus health score as yet another way to understand a person’s risk, a window into their adaptive immune system and healthspan. And perhaps someday we will be able to safely rejuvenate the thymus, or maintain its health through one’s life, and use the thymus health score to monitor. NB: I wrote this post (No A.I.) A Quick Poll Loading... ********************************************************************* Thanks to Ground Truths subscribers (now > 200,000) from every US state and 212 countries. Your subscription to these free essays and podcasts makes my work in putting them together worthwhile. Please join! If you found this interesting PLEASE share it! Share Ground Truths Paid subscriptions are voluntary and all proceeds from them go to support Scripps Research. They do allow for posting comments and questions, which I do my best to respond to. Please don’t hesitate to post comments and give me feedback. Let me know topics that you would like to see covered. Leave a comment Many thanks to those who have contributed—they have greatly helped fund our summer internship programs for the past two years. It enabled us to accept and support 47 summer interns in 2025! We aim to accept even more of the several thousand who will apply for summer 2026.
Fear of immigration enforcement in NC keeps immigrants home, hurting Latino-owned businesses
Immigration crackdown impact on local Latino-owned businesses
Latino business owners told WRAL News that fear and uncertainty following a nationwide crackdown in immigration enforcement are keeping some families out of public spaces, leaving small businesses struggling to survive. This story was written by Oriana Torre, a senior graduating journalism student at the University of Florida, participating in the CBC-UNC News Media Multiplatform Fellowship.
Long Lost 'Mystery Science Theater 3000' Episode Finally Found
Thanks to a garage sale, the 'Star Force' episode from the earliest days of 'Mystery Science Theater 3000' is online for all to see.
Third-generation cafeteria owner won't force his 4 sons to take over
Michael Greene, who runs Matthews Cafeteria, shares the highs and lows of managing a family business, and why his kids may not take over one day.
Politics chat: Trump's mixed messages on the Iran war, the latest on DHS funding
We look at President Trump's mixed messages on the war with Iran, plus the latest on Department of Homeland Security funding, which Congress has frozen over his immigration enforcement policies.
Scientists discover surprising brain trigger behind high blood pressure
Scientists have uncovered a surprising brain-based trigger for high blood pressure, tracing it to a small region in the brainstem that normally controls breathing. This area, which kicks in during forceful exhalations like coughing, laughing, or exercise, also appears to activate nerves that tighten blood vessels—raising blood pressure. When researchers switched off this region in experiments, blood pressure dropped back to normal, suggesting it plays a direct role in hypertension.
A Grip on Sports: In a season when Gonzaga's defense was the driving force behind its success, the Zags couldn't get the one stop they needed
A GRIP ON SPORTS • After all the flotsam and jetsam is swept away, sometimes a college basketball game, an NCAA Tournament game, comes down to making one play. Saturday night in Portland, Texas did. And Gonzaga’s season once again fell short of its ultimate goal.
Friction without contact discovered as magnetic forces break a 300-year-old law
Researchers have uncovered friction without contact—driven entirely by magnetic interactions. As two magnetic layers slide, their internal forces compete, causing constant rearrangements that dramatically increase resistance at certain distances. This creates a surprising peak in friction instead of a steady rise, breaking a long-standing physics law.
Healthy Kids Day collaboration with PTO Science Night, April 17
FROM FACEBOOK__Get ready for an action-packed evening! This year, the Bluffton YMCA Healthy Kids Day is joining forces with the Bluffton Schools PTO Science Night for one massive community event!
Michigan meeting only 40% of mental health workforce needs, report finds
A new report shows Michigan’s mental health workforce is in a crisis.
Trump threatens to deploy ICE agents to airports Monday if funding deal isn’t reached
President Donald Trump said Saturday he will deploy Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents to US airports on Monday if an agreement isn’t reached to fund the Department of Homeland Security amid a partial government shutdown.
Salesforce (CRM) Partners with NVIDIA for AI Agents in Enterprise Business Workflows
Salesforce, Inc. (NYSE:CRM) is one of the 10 Best AI Stocks to Buy for the Next 10 Years. On March 16, Salesforce, Inc. (NYSE:CRM) announced a partnership with NVIDIA Corporation (NASDAQ:NVDA) to use its Agentforce platform and NVIDIA’s Nemotron models to bring AI agents into enterprise business workflows. This partnership connects Salesforce, Inc.’s (NYSE:CRM) Agentforce […]
Robert Mueller, former special counsel who led Trump-Russia probe, dies
A decorated Marine and longtime law enforcement leader, Mueller served as FBI director before taking on the high-profile investigation in 2017.
Microsoft could drop the forced Microsoft account sign-in during Windows 11 setup
Windows 11 nudges you to use a Microsoft account, and it's been getting worse since the last few Windows updates, but that could change soon.
NCDHHS launches new program looking to expand number of mental health providers in state
In North Carolina, the demand for social workers in the state is growing as substance use and mental health service needs increase. The North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services launched the Public Service Leadership Program, a collaboration between the NCDHHS and 25 higher education institutions in the Social Work Coalition on NC Work Development, to help with that demand.Alongside the announcement of the new program on March 2, the NCDHHS released its first “State of North Carolina’s Mental Health and Substance Use Services Workforce Report” supported by UNC’s Behavior Health Workforce Research Center and Sheps Health Workforce NC.
OpenAI to double workforce as business push intensifies
The $730bn start-up plans to increase staff to 8,000 by end of 2026 in bid to close gap with rival Anthropic
Tottenham eye transfer move for Freiburg’s Noah Atubolu
Tottenham Hotspur have watched Freiburg’s Noah Atubolu as they search for goalkeeping reinforcements this summer, according to the Daily Mail.Tottenham need a new goalkeeper, with Guglielmo Vicario ...
Seattle business out $10K after burglary, owner blames SPD alarm policy
A Ballard business owner is out thousands of dollars after someone forced their way inside, and she says she feels little support from the city or police.
Swalwell plays up athletic credentials in effort to blunt DHS sweeps at World Cup
Rep. Eric Swalwell, citing his Division I soccer past, introduced a bill to ban ICE enforcement on public transit near World Cup sites this summer.
Prairieville’s Sarah Taylor is scaling a health network for industrial growth
As Ascension Parish’s industrial boom continues to draw contractors and skilled workers to the region, the demand for occupational health services is rising alongside it. NuREADY Health Network is expanding its footprint across the Gulf South to help companies manage workforce testing, injury care and compliance across multiple job sites. Major industrial construction and maintenance […]
US furiously seeks to avert potential months-long closure of Strait of Hormuz
US officials are furiously trying to avert a potential months-long closure of the Strait of Hormuz, privately acknowledging that reopening the key waterway is a problem without a clear solution and dependent at least in part on what lengths President Donald Trump is willing to go to force the Iranian regime’s hand, multiple administration and intelligence officials tell CNN.
NVIDIA DLSS 5 Takes 2D Frame and Motion Vectors as Input
The public is still learning more about DLSS 5 technology, and NVIDIA is gradually revealing additional details. In a conversation between YouTuber Daniel Owen and NVIDIA's GeForce Evangelist Jacob Freeman, we discover that DLSS 5 essentially takes 2D frames and motion vectors as input, applying its...
NVIDIA’s DLSS 5 Reveal Was a Mistake, Needs to Go Back to the Drawing Board, Says Eternal Darkness Dev Denis Dyack
Eternal Darkness creator Denis Dyack calls NVIDIA's DLSS 5 reveal a mistake and adds that it needs to go back to the drawing board.
Spiking diesel prices force WA businesses to make tough choices
Drivers, trucking firms and other shipping companies worry the rise in diesel prices will reignite inflation and force many operators out of business
Markiplier to Microdramas: The Ankler x NAB Show’s Future of Entertainment
Share Subscribe Vegas, baby! The Ankler is heading back to NAB Show for a second year in a row — and doubling down on conversations with the smartest people in the industry. From April 18–22, we’re partnering again with the industry’s biggest media and tech gathering to break down the Business of Media and Entertainment as it’s actually evolving: faster, riskier and increasingly driven by new formats, new audiences and new power players. This curated series will bring together top creators, executives and innovators to tackle the forces reshaping the industry — from the AI disruption of Hollywood’s creative ecosystem to the rise of the creator economy, shifting audience behavior and the changing economics of production. We’ll be rolling out more programming in the coming weeks — including top speakers from leading AI studios, prediction markets and beyond — so keep an eye on the Business of Media and Entertainment hub. But first up, we’re announcing two panels about what’s actually working in Hollywood: The Scary-Smart Business of Horror A good scare has become one of the entertainment economy’s most reliable engines. With disciplined budgets, built-in fandoms and global box office upside, horror consistently outperforms. From theatrical releases to streaming-first originals and creator-driven IP, the genre is artistically flexible and financially durable — and one of the last truly communal experiences for Gen Z and Gen Alpha audiences. Join YouTube creator Mark Fischbach, aka Markiplier, whose independent feature Iron Lung earned more than $50 million at the global box office, Atomic Monster president Michael Clear and screenwriter Akela Cooper (M3GAN, Malignant) for a conversation moderated by Like & Subscribe’s Natalie Jarvey about why horror travels so effectively across platforms and borders, how studios and independents are building sustainable genre pipelines and why the next wave of breakout franchises may emerge from unexpected sources. Inside the Microdrama Boom Short-form serialized storytelling is having a major moment. Microdramas, social-native series and creator-led narratives are capturing massive audiences with low-cost, rapid production cycles and direct-to-fan distribution. What was once dismissed as niche or experimental is now attracting major platform investment. Moderated by Jarvey, this panel of microdrama creators and executives — including one of the format’s top stars and producers, Kasey Esser, and Dhar Mann Studios’ head of vertical content, Erin McFarlane — examines how format innovation, fandom dynamics and algorithmic discovery are reshaping the economics of scripted storytelling and what traditional studios can learn from these agile models. For sponsorship opportunities, contact Lynne@theankler.com Share
NYSIF Delivers on Affordability for New York Businesses and Their Employees with Competitive Pricing and Faster Payments
NYSIF Reduced Disability Benefits Insurance Rates by 28% at the Start of 2026 NYSIF Has Made Over 2 Million Same-Day Payments Paid Family Leave Claimants and Injured Workers Receive Payments Faster Than EverNew York, New York, March 19, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The New York State Insurance Fund (NYSIF), the state’s nonprofit and largest workers’ compensation insurance carrier, today announced new milestone in its efforts to increase affordability for New York businesses and its workforce. This i
Joe Kent's resignation over Iran war reignites antisemitism fears and debate over Israeli influence
It was no surprise when Joe Kent showed up on Tucker Carlson’s podcast a day after quitting his counterterrorism job in President Donald Trump’s administration. But before long, the conversation moved in a different direction as Kent nodded to conspiracy theories that pro-Israel forces were behind the assassination of conservative activist Charlie Kirk.
Google details new 24-hour process to sideload unverified Android apps
The "advanced flow" will be available before verification enforcement begins later this year.
What sports can teach us about Houston: Black Houston(s) Symposium returns to Rice
The fourth annual event will take place over March 26-27, bringing scholars, athletes, artists and community members together to examine sports as a social and cultural force.
Mathews Local School board freezes coach salaries, no sports cuts
Superintendent Russell McQuaide decided tonight that the programs can stay, but warned that diminishing funding will force them to make tough decisions in the future.
Nextdoor Promotes Tony Castellanos to Executive Vice President, People as AI-Driven People Strategy Becomes Core to Business Growth
SAN FRANCISCO, March 19, 2026--Nextdoor Holdings, Inc. (NYSE: NXDR), the essential neighborhood network, today announced the promotion of Tony Castellanos to Executive Vice President, People. Castellanos will lead Nextdoor's People organization — including talent acquisition, compensation, HR business partnering, and benefits — as the company deepens its investment in AI-enabled People operations and continues to scale its workforce strategy.
Former Buccaneer & Cineflix Execs Launch High Road Entertainment
Former Buccaneer CEO Richard Tulk-Hart and former Cineflix Head of Scripted TV James Durie have joined forces to launch High Road Entertainment.
Forum on harnessing Artificial Intelligence for health equity
Register to this forumOver the past decade, artificial intelligence (AI) has significantly evolved in complexity, performance, and utility. Its integration across a wide range of industrial sectors has accelerated, with healthcare emerging as one of the most transformative sectors. In this sector, AI has enabled high-impact applications – from enhancing the speed and accuracy of disease diagnosis and supporting clinical decision-making, to strengthening public health initiatives such as disease surveillance and workforce optimization. Moreover, AI holds immense potential to empower individuals, enabling them to take greater control of their personal health and well-being. Yet the central question remains: Who benefits, who is at risk, and do these innovations close or widen health inequities? While the potential of AI-enabled applications is substantial, many countries have approached their adoption with caution. This hesitancy stems from concerns about risks and benefits, including model bias, data breaches, privacy violations, and the erosion of professional skills due to over-reliance on AI. Additional barriers include inadequate data infrastructure and a lack of robust evidence on the most effective forms and interfaces of AI to enhance service delivery and system performance. Moreover, the rapid rise of Generative AI has introduced a heightened urgency for the development of comprehensive governance and ethical frameworks. The Asian Development Bank (ADB) Health Practice Team and Digital Sector, in collaboration with the World Health Organization (WHO) Regional Office for the Western Pacific, are convening the Forum on Harnessing AI for Health Equity on 25–26 March at ADB Headquarters. Senior health officials from 16 developing member countries (DMCs), alongside leading researchers, innovators, and policymakers from across Asia and the Pacific, will engage in discussions on how AI can be governed, financed, and scaled to deliver healthier lives for all. The forum is funded through the High-Level Technology Fund with support from the Government of Japan. Objectives The two-day forum aims to:Identify high-impact, evidence-based health AI use cases suitable for resource-constrained settings and map out a pipeline for potential supportIntroduce and validate the WHO's policy guidance on minimum necessary ecosystem for countries and institutions to self-assess readiness for AI adoptionObtain initial commitment from participating stakeholders to join a pilot regional initiative focused on data/model sharing for a priority health challengeEndorse a prioritized set of actionable policy recommendations focusing on governance, regulation, and sustainable financing necessary to scale high-impact health AI use cases in resource-constrained settings Target participants The forum will convene participants from 16 ADB DMCs including Bangladesh, Bhutan, Cambodia, Cook Islands, Fiji, Indonesia, Lao People's Democratic Republic, Mongolia, Nepal, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Philippines, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Uzbekistan, and Viet Nam. In addition, health system leaders and practitioners, private sector technologists, academic experts, representatives from civil society organizations, development partners, and philanthropic institutions engaged in AI for Health from Australia, the People’s Republic of China, Japan, Malaysia, New Zealand, Singapore, and the Republic of Korea will also be invited. SessionsDay 1 (25 March)Session 1: AI Use Cases for the Care Continuum: Improving Access and QualitySession 2: Adopting a risk-based approach for AI use case prioritizationSession 3: Establishing the Minimum Ecosystem for Implementation Risk ManagementSession 4: Future-Ready Health Workforce: Building Competency for Human-AI CollaborationDay 2 (26 March)Session 5: The Political Economy of AI in Health: Understanding Stakeholder Interests and their Impact on EquitySession 6: AI and Health Financing: Supporting Fair Coverage and ProtectionSession 7: AI Regulation and Oversight: Pathways for Different RealitiesSession 8: The Way Forward – Building Alliances and Regional Partnership How to registerThe forum will be held in a hybrid format. In-person attendance is by invitation only, while livestreaming of the forum will be available to the public. To register, please complete this form on or before 24 March 2026.Event organizers / partnersAsian Development Bank (ADB)WHO Regional Office for the Western Pacific High-Level Technology Fund (HLTF)ContactAkihito WatabeHealth Specialist, SD3-HSDawatabe@adb.org Jae Kyoun KimHealth Specialist, SD3-HSDjkkim@adb.org
In Swaths of Germany, the Far-Right AfD Is Part of the Fabric
The Alternative for Germany party, or AfD, is shunned in federal politics but is a regional force. This fall, it could win broader power for the first time.
Denver electronics repair business receives support after being force to leave workshop
HHS announces first Rural Health Transformation Program funding opportunity to strengthen rural health care workforce | Health and Human Services North Dakota
North Dakota Health and Human Services (HHS) today announced the first Rural Health Transformation Program funding opportunity is now available to support the retention of health care professionals in North Dakota’s 37 critical access hospitals and their owned and operated clinics. The deadline to apply is 5 p.m. CT April 30.
HSBC mulls job cuts that could impact around 20,000 roles, Bloomberg News reports
HSBC Holdings Plc is weighing a wave of deep job cuts over the coming years that could ultimately impact around 20,000 roles, or about 10% of its total workforce, Bloomberg News reported on Wednesday, citing people familiar with the matter.
Crisis or opportunity? Thousands of baby boomer business owners to retire in West Michigan
Roughly ten thousand baby boomers, every single day in the United States, retire from the workforce.
GOP blocks Booker-led push to curb Trump's military authority in Iran
Senate Democrats plan multiple war powers resolutions to challenge President Trump's Iran military operations in a bid to force public testimony from top administration officials.
Business owner says 'we don’t have money' as NYC officials propose minimum wage hike: report
New York City business owners warn $30 minimum wage proposal could force job cuts and restaurant closures as Mayor Zohran Mamdani signals support for the legislation.
Family Sharing in iOS 26.4 No Longer Forces Adults to Share a Payment Method
With iOS 26.4, Apple has made a small but useful change to the way that Family Sharing works. Each adult member of the family can now use their own payment method for purchases, rather than being forced to share a payment method. Apple has long required all of the members of a Family Sharing group to use a single shared payment method for app and content purchases when purchase sharing is turned on, with no option for family members to use separate payment methods.
Different uniform, same mission
Tim Barnes, the clinical manager for radiation oncology, has spent 17 years with ECU Health, but started his career in law enforcement.
Nvidia has lost the plot with gamers
The company at the center of AI and gaming should have known better.
DLSS 5: Has Nvidia’s AI graphics technology gone too far?
Photo realistic like an Instagram filter.
A weekend of live shows in the arts: Two theater productions and the U.S. Air Force Band at LSU
A weekend of live shows in the arts: Two theater productions and the U.S. Air Force Band at LSU.
Meet the Public Health Leaders of the 2026 Workforce Advisory Council
Members' insights will help de Beaumont identify and develop practical strategies to support public health professionals and strengthen systems.
Deputy AG Blanche defends DOJ’s work on Epstein case ahead of closed-door Hill briefing
Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche, ahead of his appearance on Capitol Hill Wednesday, defended the Justice Department’s handling of the Epstein files and asserted it does not have new evidence to prosecute anyone for crimes related to Jeffrey Epstein, in an interview released Tuesday that forced him to face theories plaguing the department.
Spring Break chaos hits Houston streets and businesses
Spring break in Houston turned chaotic over the weekend, with streets overtaken by crowds, businesses forced to shut down early, and safety concerns on the rise.
Two men have been charged with running a fraudulent contracting business in Lower Merion
The Lower Merion Police Department is urging anyone who believes they were a victim of contractor fraud by Jake Fox and Scott Bradley to contact law enforcement.
Read the White House Letter to Senate Republicans
In a letter sent to two Republican senators, White House officials outlined narrow changes it would be willing to make to its immigration enforcement operations.
Trump's security pick Mullin poised to inherit a DHS beset by challenges
Immigration enforcement is at a crossroads. Disaster-hit states and their lawmakers are angry at delayed federal assistance. Frustrated travelers face long airport security lines due to a monthlong funding battle in Congress.
Minnesota's Allina Health merges with Sutter Health
Allina Health is set to join forces with Sutter Health, forming a nonprofit healthcare system with a focus on innovation and patient care. Allina Health and Sutter Health have signed a Letter of Intent for Allina Health to join the California-based system.
Who is Joe Kent? Meet the Green Beret, MAGA loyalist, and former political candidate who quit over Iran
Joe Kent, a Green Beret Army special forces officer who ran for Congress, has a personal reason for his anti-interventionist views on the war between the U.S., Israel, and Iran.
More health care price changes could be on the way in NC for state employees
Some state workers could soon get specialty care for free. Others might be forced to pay more, or else choose a new doctor.
Dell's workforce quietly shrank 10% in the last year
Dell's employee headcount has fallen by 27% in the last three years, the tech giant's latest 10-K filing showed.
NH Executive Council approves $640M in federal funds for GO-NORTH rural health initiative
The funding is aimed at improving access to care for rural patients, developing the rural health care workforce, and boosting technology and innovation.
Nvidia Wants to Slop-ify Your PC Games With Its New AI Upscaler
You'll love DLSS 5 if you can't get enough of ugly, uncanny, and overly textured AI slop.
Scientists build tiny hydrogel machines that mimic living cells
Hydrogel micromachines recreate the push and pull of living cells, helping scientists study how mechanical forces shape tissues in the lab.
Bleak Economic Indicators Add To Business Risk
Also in the Forbes CEO newsletter: How to ready manufacturing leaders for the future; Trump doubles down on Powell investigation; Atlassian lays off 10% of its workforce.
Republican in Congress resist calls for Iran war hearings, creating a new standoff with Democrats
Some Democrats are threatening this week to force a series of votes on the war, hoping that the efforts to gum up the Senate's voting schedule will prod Republicans to action.
Dem senators call to fund DHS after voting to block it 4 times amid shutdown fight
Government shutdown continues over Department of Homeland Security funding as Democrats seek immigration enforcement reforms amid terror attacks.
Education programs strengthen VA’s health care workforce
VA recognize trainees, academic partners and staff for the role they play in the education for the next generation of health care professionals.
More than 1,800 US flights canceled as massive March storm disrupts travel
A massive storm sweeping the US forced more than 1,800 flight cancellations, disrupting major airline hubs during the busy spring break travel season.
The New York Times
Gun-rights activists are a long-established force in Republican politics. But no candidate with a credible chance of reaching Congress has had a profile quite like Brandon Herrera, who has built a...
A Democratic fight for an Illinois Senate seat is testing the sway of JB Pritzker, pro-crypto forces and anti-ICE messaging
The retirement of Illinois Sen. Dick Durbin after nearly 30 years in office sparked an expensive three-way Democratic primary that has showcased the party’s divisions over how to confront President Donald Trump’s immigration crackdown and introduced pro-crypto forces as an influence seeking to shape the midterm elections. The contest is also setting up a test of Gov. JB Pritzker’s political clout in the state as he eyes a potential 2028 presidential bid.
Reports: some 9/11 WTC health staffers reassigned to ICE, other roles
The Senate’s top Democrat joined a group of local Republican lawmakers seeking answers amid reports that 9/11 World Trade Center health fund program workers are being reassigned to other agencies, including U.S. Immigrations & Customs Enforcement. “It would be bad enough if they just reduced the number. That would be horrible enough,” Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-New York) told…
UC Health opens $10M center billed as world's most advanced
The C-STARS facility will train 300 Air Force medical teams annually. UC Health has trained more than 5,000 Air Force medical professionals since 2002.
Cells can sense 10x farther than expected and it may explain cancer spread
Scientists have discovered that cells can sense far beyond the surfaces they touch. While individual cancer cells can probe about 10 microns ahead by tugging on surrounding collagen fibers, clusters of normal epithelial cells can combine forces to detect layers as far as 100 microns away. This long-range “depth sensing” helps cells decide where to migrate. Understanding how it works could reveal new targets to stop cancer from spreading.
Strengthening One Health Field Epidemiology Capacity in the WHO South-East Asia Region
Recent public health emergencies—including the COVID-19 pandemic, recurrent zoonotic disease outbreaks, and the high level of antimicrobial resistance—have underscored the urgent need for strong, multisectoral field epidemiology capacities. This reinforces the importance of a workforce equipped with One Health field epidemiology competencies. To address this need, WHO works with the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), and the World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH), as part of Quadripartite Alliance for One Health, to strengthen field epidemiology training programmes using a One Health approach.These efforts are aligned with WHO SEARO’s Strategic Framework for Action for Strengthening Surveillance, Risk Assessment and Field Epidemiology and the Regional Roadmap to Advance Field Epidemiology Capacities 2025–2029 emphasize workforce development, multisectoral collaboration, and enhanced preparedness for health emergencies. With funding from the Pandemic Fund, The Competency for One Health Field Epidemiology (COHFE) integration within Field Epidemiology Training Programmes (FETPs) or similar initiatives has been initiated in Bangladesh and India and is planned in Sri Lanka.BangladeshIn Bangladesh, COHFE is being adapted to strengthen the Field Epidemiology Training Programme, Bangladesh (FETP-B) Advanced programme. Initiated in July 2025 and led by the Institute of Epidemiology, Disease Control and Research (IEDCR), the process brought together stakeholders from human, animal, and environmental health sectors, academia, and laboratories.A Multisectoral Working Group (MWG) was established to guide implementation, conduct readiness assessments, and identify opportunities to institutionalize One Health collaboration. Through national multisectoral consultations and a competency prioritization workshop held in Dhaka in November 2025, stakeholders identified priority technical competencies for surveillance, outbreak investigation, data analysis, and risk assessment, alongside functional competencies related to leadership, coordination, and the laboratory–epidemiology interface. The process also surfaced systemic barriers—such as challenges in data sharing and limited joint investigations—enabling targeted recommendations. These outcomes are guiding curriculum revision, the introduction of One Health simulations and joint field exercises, and the development of a national multisectoral mentorship pool, with updated training materials expected to be implemented in the upcoming cohort.Figure 1. Competency prioritization involving multisectoral stakeholders“COHFE represents a significant step forward in operationalizing the One Health approach. The collaboration between national institutions and the Quadripartite partners is critical for building resilient systems to address complex health challenges in the region.”, Prof. (Dr) Tahmina Sirin, Director, Institute of Epidemiology, Disease Control and Research (IEDCR), Bangladesh.Aligning India’s One Health Training with COHFEIn India, the National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) has strengthened One Health workforce development through its SectorConnect initiative. WHO supported a comprehensive competency mapping and curriculum review to align the Field Epidemiology Programme in One Health (FEP-OH) with all 14 COHFE domains. The review identified strong foundations while generating actionable recommendations to strengthen One Health learning outcomes, expand joint field-based learning, and enhance competency-based assessment. These improvements are informing programme refinement and phased scale-up across additional states.Figure 2. Strengthening learning outcomes for the SectorConnect FEP OH CurriculumThrough these efforts, WHO SEARO will continue to support countries to move from separate sector-based training toward an integrated, impact-driven One Health field epidemiology workforce capable of addressing complex health threats at human-animal-environment interface.ReferencesFood and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, World Health Organization, & World Organisation for Animal Health. (2024). Competencies for One Health field epidemiology (COHFE) framework. https://www.who.int/publications/i/item/9789240080058World Health Organization. (2023). Strategic framework for action for strengthening surveillance, risk assessment and field epidemiology for health security threats in the WHO South-East Asia Region. WHO Regional Office for South-East Asia. https://www.who.int/publications/i/item/9789290210030World Health Organization. (2024). Regional roadmap to advance field epidemiology capacities in the WHO South-East Asia Region 2025–2029. WHO Regional Office for South-East Asia. https://www.who.int/publications/i/item/9789290229544
SIGN NOW: Demand the Maximum Penalty for This Illegal Dog Meat Operation!
Authorities recently uncovered and shut down an illegal dog meat processing and online selling operation during a joint enforcement action in Pasay and Makati.
Israeli forces kill four Palestinians in West Bank, Palestinian health authorities say
Israeli forces killed four Palestinians, including two children, during a raid in the occupied West Bank on Sunday, Palestinian health authorities said.
Israeli Forces Kill Four Palestinians in West Bank, Palestinian Health Authorities Say
JERUSALEM, March 15 (Reuters) - Israeli forces killed four Palestinians, including two children, during a raid in the occupied West Bank on Sunday, Palestinian health authorities said. A mother and father, ages 35 and 37, were shot dead in the West Bank village of Tammun, along with two of ...
Scientists Solve a 70-Year Mystery Behind the Universe’s Strange Magnetic Fields
Researchers have identified a potential mechanism that explains how turbulent plasma can produce the vast, ordered magnetic fields observed across the universe Cosmic magnetic fields are everywhere, but their origin has remained one of plasma astrophysics’ most persistent mysteries. Planets, star
Textbooks were wrong: Scientists reveal the surprising way human hair really grows
Hair may grow in a completely different way than scientists once believed. Instead of being pushed out from the root, new research shows that moving cells inside the follicle actually pull the hair upward like a microscopic motor. Advanced 3D imaging revealed a spiral movement of cells that generates this force. The finding could change how scientists study hair loss and design future treatments.
Universities slow hiring, faculty navigate rocky future amid Trump attacks on higher education
The Trump administration’s attacks on universities have led to a slowdown in hiring, with international academics particularly caught in the crossfire. Colleges are being forced to navigate b…
Meta eyes massive 20% workforce cut as AI infrastructure costs continue to soar across operations: report
Meta layoffs could cut 20% of workforce as tech giant weighs job reductions to offset rising artificial intelligence infrastructure costs.
Passenger’s mental health episode turns ferry around - The Martha's Vineyard Times
A Vineyard Haven man’s mental health episode forced a Steamship Authority ferry to turn around and head back to Woods Hole shortly after departing this week. On Tuesday morning, Falmouth Police responded to the ferry terminal in Woods Hole for what was described as a “disruptive passenger” aboard the passenger ferry M/V Woods Hole shortly […]
Democratic senators file war powers resolution to check Trump on Cuba
Senate Democrats have filed legislation that would prevent the U.S. from attacking Cuba without congressional approval as they seek to force a vote on President Donald Trump's stated goal of a “takeover” of the Caribbean country.
After firings, funding cuts, and a shooting, can a demoralized CDC workforce recover?
It's been a year since mass firings began at the CDC, the federal public health agency. Then came a shooting, and the government shutdown. Atlanta is still feeling the economic and emotional effects.
Drake University’s Zimpleman College of Business Announces 2026 Social Impact Award Winners
Drake University’s Zimpleman College of Business today announced the recipients of the 2026 Social Impact Awards for Research and Outreach. These annual awards, valued at $5,000, recognize faculty and staff who model positive societal impact through work that aligns with the College’s “North Star” mission: ensuring business education serves as a force for good. To...
NVIDIA, Intel join Microsoft for Advanced Shader Delivery, confirmed for Lunar/Panther Lake and GeForce RTX 50
Intel and NVIDIA promote Advanced Shader Delivery Advanced Shader Delivery is currently supported through the Xbox PC app, while Intel and NVIDIA say they
Shasta County health care shortage blamed on politics
A report blames political differences for Shasta County's healthcare crisis, citing high death rates and workforce shortages.
Business of golf betting is booming – and a Tiger Woods Masters showing could cause an explosion
The business of golf is booming, and there is a white whale that could force an explosion.
Marigny Opera Ballet joins forces with Sweet Crude for two world premieres
One of the choreographers has has performed with the Joffrey Ballet, Royal New Zealand Ballet, Norwegian National Ballet and other companies throughout the U.S. and Europe.
Health Care Workforce: Federal Grants Supporting Mental Health
Health professionals often work in stressful environments that can affect their mental health. From 2022-2024, the Department of Health and Human...
Behavioral health crisis center back on track after funding "breakthrough"
A new agreement clears the way for the Cuyahoga County center aimed at easing strain on ERs and law enforcement.
Trump doesn't recognize the debt we owe veterans
At a time when our forces are in harm's way, the people who care for them at home through Veterans Affairs are being stretched thinner and thinner.
Treasury’s FinCEN Whistleblower Portal Presents Business Risks
The Treasury Department’s new whistleblower portal is likely to increase enforcement risks for companies that must comply with the Bank Secrecy Act, US sanctions, and beyond.
Old NASA science satellite plunges back to Earth
The U.S. Space Force said the Van Allen Probe A came in west of the Galapagos Islands.
Big Ten asks NCAA to pause tampering inquiries, revamp rules
The Big Ten sent a letter to the NCAA asking the organization to suspend investigations and enforcement related to tampering, and modernize its rules.
Old NASA science satellite plunges back to Earth
The U.S. Space Force says the Van Allen Probe A plunged uncontrolled from orbit on Wednesday.
Old NASA science satellite falls back to Earth
An old NASA science satellite is no more. The U.S. Space Force says the Van Allen Probe A plunged uncontrolled from orbit on Wednesday, reentering over the Pacific west of the Galapagos Islands.
Old NASA science satellite plunges back to Earth
An old NASA science satellite plunged uncontrolled from orbit and reentered over the Pacific on Wednesday. The U.S. Space Force said the Van Allen Probe A came in west of the Galapagos Islands. NASA...