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Who slept worst last night: Valtteri Bottas
The Finn had a rough weekend in Austria, battling reliability issues that echoed the fortunes of backmarkers of old
Cognition's CEO says token leaderboards are 'directionally correct'
Cognition CEO Scott Wu said there are better ways to incentivize employees to use AI.
Opinion: Bring back respect in politics
No matter your party or political persuasion, it is undeniable that American politics has taken on a tenor of anger and pessimism. This national mood has made American politics atoxic stew of rage, discontentment and despair. Many Americans don’t feel that the reforms they would like to see in their government are possible. These...
Bill Maher receives Mark Twain Prize amid uncertainty at Kennedy Center
Comedian and Trump critic Bill Maher on Sunday received the Mark Twain Prize for American Humor at the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, the Washington institution that is entangled in a legal battle over President Donald Trump’s effort to overhaul it.
Former WJZ reporter, weekend sports anchor Stan Saunders dies at 72
Former WJZ reporter and weekend sports anchor Stan Saunders died on Friday, June 26, his family said. He was 72 years old.
Holistic Hilda shares 'Make America Healthy Again' health tips
Wellness leader Holistic Hilda shares her personal health journey and offers advice for transitioning to a healthier lifestyle on ‘The Big Weekend Show.’
Comedian Bill Maher wins Twain humor prize as the Kennedy Center navigates Trump-era upheaval
Comedian Bill Maher is being awarded the prestigious Mark Twain Prize for American Humor. The ceremony is happening at the Kennedy Center, which has been embroiled in controversy. President Donald
After budget impasse, business as usual for Virginia Democrats, analysts say
This has been a budget battle like none other, with big personalities, personal attacks and what looked like a high-stakes game of chicken with days to go before the Virginia state government couldn’t pay its bills.
NBC Announces Plans For Special 'Star-Spangled Sunday'
NBC is having a special "Star-Spangled Sunday" broadcast next weekend. Next Sunday is July 5, 2026. It's a very special Fourth of July weekend this year. It's America's 250th birthday. NBC and Peacock will be airing all 15 MLB games on Sunday, July 5. Two games - Mets-Braves and Padres-Dodgers - ...
Health insurers are looking for MAHA wins
The companies are offering benefits aimed at appealing to Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and his Make America Healthy Again movement.
Cassidy, fresh off a blowup with Trump, blasts RFK Jr.’s policies
The GOP senator said a “foundation of lies” had shaped Kennedy's health stances. He also accused Trump of treating Congress as an "appendage."
Penguins organizational outlook heading into free agency
It ended up being a mostly uneventful draft weekend for the Pittsburgh Penguins. They acquired Hendrix Lapierre for draft picks, used some of their stockpile future of picks to get extra 2026 mid-round selections and went about their business of drafting players without many fireworks going down with massive moves. The big landmark for the […]
Meet the Bruins’ 2026 draft class
Don Sweeney and the Bruins added seven new players to the organization over the weekend in the 2026 NHL Draft.
Gretchen Walsh breaks Kate Douglass' 50 meter freestyle World Record
Gretchen Walsh has broken the 50 meter freestyle world record, becoming the fastest female sprinter in the history of swimming.
GOP Sen. Cassidy seeks to explains RFK Jr. confirmation vote for Health and Human Services
Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-La.) in a Sunday inteview sought to explain his controversial vote to confirm Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., as he said Kennedy is dug in on h…
Trump’s Great American State Fair attendees say they haven’t noticed politics overshadowing the celebration
The gloomy, overcast weather on Saturday didn’t disturb visitors who attended the first weekend of President Donald Trump’s Great American State Fair, an event commemorating America’s 250th anniversar...
Xbox Pre-Order Sales For GTA 6 Break Records Despite PS5 Blitz
Microsoft says Xbox pre-order sales have broken records
NFL players come together to shine light on men's mental health in Kensington
The initiative brings together athletes, mental health professionals, and community leaders to raise awareness about challenges like depression and anxiety.
Humor laurels for comedian Bill Maher as the Kennedy Center navigates Trump-era upheaval
Comedian Bill Maher is set to receive the Mark Twain Prize for American Humor at the Kennedy Center.
Humor laurels for comedian Bill Maher as the Kennedy Center navigates Trump-era upheaval
Comedian Bill Maher is set to receive the Mark Twain Prize for American Humor at the Kennedy Center.
Humor laurels for comedian Bill Maher as the Kennedy Center navigates Trump-era upheaval
Comedian Bill Maher is set to receive the Mark Twain Prize for American Humor at the Kennedy Center.
Humor laurels for comedian Bill Maher as the Kennedy Center navigates Trump-era upheaval
Comedian Bill Maher is set to receive the Mark Twain Prize for American Humor at the Kennedy Center.
Habs Daily: Canadiens Draft Picks, Focus On Physicality, Trades
Here are the Montreal Canadiens and NHL news items you may have missed on a very busy NHL Draft weekend. […]
Anaheim Ducks help Wisconsin Badgers extend major NHL draft milestone
This weekend's NHL Draft marks 29 straight where the Wisconsin Badgers have had a player selected.
What watching a sunset can do for your brain
Humans appear to see sunrises and sunsets "almost like bookends". Here's what a daily dose of golden hour can do for our memory, sleep and mood.
Kentville man collects ticks for science
Glen Parsons collecting ticks behind his home in 2019. First it was for search, but now it's for public awareness.
'High-strung' camels race in Australian outback
Camels with "a bit of fire in them" raced in a remote Australian outback town this weekend at an annual event celebrating the desert beasts first imported in the mid-19th century."You would want a little bit of temper, a little bit of fire in them -- a sort of splashy look in the eye," Woodhouse told AFP. "They want to be wary of you a little bit but not, like, aggressive," he added.
Black Hills Renaissance Fair draws crowds for weekend of medieval entertainment
The kickoff of the Renaissance Festival started on Saturday
MINNEAPOLIMEDIA PRESENTS | This Weekend in the Twin Cities – Entertainment Guide: June 26 ~ June 28, 2026 Edition
Twin Cities Pride, Breakaway, Broadway, concerts, festivals and family fun headline one of summer's biggest weekends across Minneapolis and Saint Paul.
Private Selection chicken breast product target of health alert
The U.S. Department of Agriculture wants people who may have purchased a variety of Private Selection raw boneless chicken breasts to check their freezers or refrigerators in case they still have them.
Private Selection chicken breast product target of health alert
The U.S. Department of Agriculture wants people who may have purchased a variety of Private Selection raw boneless chicken breasts to check their freezers or refrigerators in case they still have them.
Community baby shower in Landover aims to address disparities, promote healthier lifestyles
This weekend in Prince George’s County, people came together for a community baby shower aimed at promoting healthier lifestyles among Black and Brown families across the DMV. With a lot of energy and laughter in the room, hundreds of people gathered at Prince George’s Sports and Learning Complex in Landover. The free event offered support for expecting mothers and parents…
See the fun at the 2026 Boone County Fair
See Kentucky residents embrace the rainy weather at the 2026 Boone County Fair. The fair also included a monster truck show.
Mary Means Business: Raising Cane's eyes Starkville location
I’m about to act a fool, because it looks like Raising Cane’s is finally on its way to Starkville. The, in my opinion, premier chicken joint is officially
The weekend of Andy Burnham’s life - Live Updates
If England wins the World Cup, one pollster says the new prime minister should call a snap election.
Flyers hope to hit on another fifth-rounder from Minnesota high school level
The Flyers have had some success with fifth-rounders from the Minnesota high school level. They’ll hope Kent Sauer adds to it.
Oxford bring in former Hearts defender Kent
League One side Oxford United sign former Hearts defender Frankie Kent on a free transfer.
'Drag Race' star reveals queen dropped out of 'All Stars 11'
Jasmine Kennedie revealed to EW that 'Drag Race' queen Utica dropped out of 'All Stars 11' before filming began — and Utica responds in an exclusive statement to EW.
“RuPaul's Drag Race” star reveals queen dropped out of “All Stars 11 ”cast“ ”before filming (exclusive)
Jasmine Kennedie tells EW which one of her franchise sisters exited before filming — and the queen in question responds!
How Domo went from a $2.8 billion darling to fighting for its survival
Domo has been rocked by executive departures, new competition from AI agents, and the drunken-driving arrest of its founder and CEO, Josh James.
Cowboys Weekend Headlines: History's brink, Quinnen, Parker dilemmas
The Cowboys are looking to avoid an inglorious feat in 2026, while there are close eyes on two key components in the fight.
Science news this week: Life on Mars, weird water and a curious human cousin
June 27, 2026: Our weekly roundup of the latest science in the news, as well as a few fascinating articles to keep you entertained over the weekend.
Science news this week: Life on Mars, weird water and a curious human cousin
June 27, 2026: Our weekly roundup of the latest science in the news, as well as a few fascinating articles to keep you entertained over the weekend.
Malachi Moreno: “Next year is my year”
Big expectations surrounds Kentucky’s second-year, homegrown center.
Riding Into 2028: On the Midterms Trail, Andy Beshear Eyes a Bigger Prize
The two-term Democratic governor of deep-red Kentucky, in demand as a surrogate in key 2026 races, talks horses, faith and family politics as he considers a run for the White House.
Siekerka Talks Data Centers, NJ Business Climate on News 12’s ‘Power & Politics’ This Weekend
NJBIA President and CEO Michele Siekerka will appear on News 12’s Power & Politics with Eric Landskroner this weekend to discuss data center
Siekerka Talks Data Centers, NJ Business Climate on News 12’s ‘Power & Politics’ This Weekend
NJBIA President and CEO Michele Siekerka will appear on News 12’s Power & Politics with Eric Landskroner this weekend to discuss data center
Federal health officials recall chicken, other items in Washington
The Washington State Department of Health recalled chicken, pasta salad and raisins for potentially containing unlisted ingredients.
Seattle World Cup match brings fans, Pride weekend, and global politics together
The World Cup’s stop in Seattle has already delivered packed streets, record-setting business days and a surge of international energy around Lumen Field.
Audio: RFK Jr. urges Libertarian candidate to drop out race to help GOP keep House
OutFront obtains audio of US Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. urging a Libertarian congressional candidate in Iowa to drop out of the race to improve Republicans’ chances of winning - and keep control of the House. Rick Stewart, who had no prior relationship with RFK Jr., tells Erin Burnett it’s “ludicrous” a Trump cabinet official would make such an offer.
DNC plans weekend of local events to focus on affordability concerns under Trump
Two years ago, Democrats were the ones accused of being indifferent to Americans’ anger about rising prices. Now they're pointing the finger at Trump, who has downplayed the impact of lingering inflation.
‘Pineapple Days’ sidewalk sale draws business to Lincoln stores amid downtown construction
Cinnamon Dokken, owner of A Novel Idea Bookstore, said it was named for the Lemon Days sidewalk sales that many businesses around Lincoln used to do, instead using pineapples.
Cool Desert Nights returns to Richland with classic car show, entertainment
RICHLAND, Wash. — One of Tri-Cities’ biggest events, Cool Desert Nights, returns to Richland with a weekend of classic cars, live entertainment, food and community events.
Trump ramps up attacks on Democrats as ‘godless Communists’ ahead of November’s midterms
President Donald Trump on Friday seized on the electoral success of several democratic socialist candidates to ramp up his attacks on the Democratic Party, claiming it was being taken over by “godless Communists” who pose an existential threat to the nation.
Ohio State Buckeyes projected to land elite offensive lineman
Ohio State sits on the cusp of another top-5 recruiting class, and the Buckeyes could be receiving even more good news this weekend. Four-star Jackson (Miss.) offensive lineman Caden Moss is set to commit Friday night, and the Buckeyes are surging late as the favorite to land him. Over the past 24 hours, Rivals national […]
This Week's 10 Must-Read Stories on Women in Politics: Title IX Anniversary, AI's Anti-Women Bias and Ranked-Choice Voting Victories
Weekend Reading on Women’s Representation is a weekly compilation of stories about women’s representation in politics, on boards, in sports and entertainment, in judicial offices and in the private sector in the U.S. and around the world—with a little gardening and goodwill mixed in for refreshment! Published every Friday. —This week marked the 54th anniversary of Title IX. —As the Taliban approaches the five-year mark of its return to power this August, a rare protest in western Afghanistan last week laid bare both the brutality of its rule and the resilience of those living under it. —A woman will replace Eric Swalwell in California … but for not two more months. —A study of 133 AI systems found that 44 percent demonstrated gender bias, and more than a quarter showed both gender and racial bias. ... and more.
Trump posts new passport rendering — featuring a memorable photo of himself
President Donald Trump unveiled a new rendering of a special commemorative US passport bearing his likeness Friday, debuting a limited-edition passport to mark America’s 250th anniversary this year.
Public health alert issued for chicken sold at popular grocery store in the Tri-State area
A public health alert was issued for chicken sold at a popular grocery store chain in the Tri-State area.
Uncle Julio's Fort Worth Celebrates Grand Re-Opening Weekend with Renovated Restaurant, Expanded Patio, Live Entertainment and Exclusive Offers
Uncle Julio's is welcoming guests back to its newly refreshed Fort Worth location with a three-day Grand Re-Opening celebration packed with exclusive offers,...
A new “Supergirl”, the end of “The Bear”, and a fisherman thriller top this week's Must List
Book of Love's 40th anniversary album and "Dad Don't Read This" round out our picks for the weekend of June 26.
Six Kentucky Football Players Included on Athlon Sports’ 2026 All-SEC Team
Ty Bryant, Tavion Gadson, Lance Heard, Mi’Quise Humphrey-Grace, Coleton Price and Willie Rodriguez were honored by the magazine
MSU Vet Tech program awarded $150k NIFA-USDA grant
Morehead State University's nationally ranked veterinary technology program was recently awarded significant financial support to help it maintain its place as the #1 program of its kind in Kentucky. The National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA), part of the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), awarded MSU's vet tech program a $150,000 NIFA-USDA grant for equipment to support small and large veterinary technology education and workforce competency at MSU. Learn more about veterinary technology programs at MSU by emailing Staton at a.staton@moreheadstate.edu or calling 606-783-2328. Find out more about MSU's veterinary technology program by calling 606-783-2662.
An Incomplete History of Seattle Sports
Sonics, Seahawks, Sounders, Storm, Steelheads, Mariners, Kraken, and more.
New feed trailer expands feed delivery opportunities
Delivery of bulk feed produced at the Iowa State University Kent Feed Mill and Grain Science Complex to Iowa State’s animal science farms is now possible, thanks to a new high-tech feed trailer.
Two Yankees Pitching Prospects ‘Turning Heads’ in Minors This Year
The old saying is you can never have enough pitching, which the New York Yankees have apparently taken to heart. The Yankees have a stockpile of potential starting-pitching arms in the minor leagues, including Elmer Rodriguez, and two “head turning” prospects, Ben Hess and Chase Hampton. The Yankees lead the majors in team ERA (3.30) […] The post Two Yankees Pitching Prospects ‘Turning Heads’ in Minors This Year appeared first on HEAVY.
Vance Downplays Watergate and Compares Himself to Nixon
The vice president said that the scandal that ended Richard Nixon’s presidency would be “like a 12-hour news story” if it happened today and that the “deep state” had taken down Nixon.
Dragon's Dogma 2: Dark Arisen: What We Learned In Capcom's Showcase
Kento Kinoshita, Dragon's Dogma: Dark Arisen's original director, is returning for Dragon's Dogma 2: Dark Arisen
Weather drives cowherd size, not broken markets
Data shows weather, not broken markets, drives cowherd decisions. Producers cite grazing concerns and drought as top barriers to expansion.
Lionel Richie is 'heartbroken' to postpones concerts after reported hospitalization
Lionel Richie is postponing two shows after cutting his St. Paul, Minn., concert short and a reported hospitalization.
Enterprise AI spending grows, OpenAI leads, RBC reveals
RBC's latest CIO survey finds no AI token panic, no SaaSpocalypse, and surging enterprise AI spending, led by OpenAI.
Why Vrancken marks fresh start at data-driven Hearts
As Belgian head coach Wouter Vranckin takes charge at Hearts, it marks a strengthening of the club's data-driven vision, writes Thomas Duncan.
Top 2027 big man expected to visit Arkansas basketball
Arkansas basketball is expected to host 2027 big man Caleb Ourigou for an official visit this weekend.
MINNEAPOLIMEDIA PRESENTS | This Weekend in the Twin Cities – Entertainment Guide: June 26 ~ June 28, 2026 Edition
Twin Cities weekend features Pride, Breakaway, concerts, festivals, theater, museums and family events across Minneapolis, St. Paul and beyond.
UFC Baku early weigh ins results
Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) will stage its early and official weigh ins at 9 a.m. local time for this weekend’s UFC Baku mixed martial arts (MMA) event on Paramount+. Unfortunately for stateside fight fans, Baku is eight hours ahead of Eastern Standard Time, so most of us will be asleep by the time the first […]
CRAWFORD | Kenny Klein, beloved longtime Louisville sports information director, dies at 66
Klein's career spanned nearly four decades and helped shape the public face of Cardinals athletics through some of its greatest triumphs and most difficult crises.
Kenny Klein, former longtime Louisville Athletics administrator, dies
Kenny Klein, a former Louisville Athletics administrator of 39 years who worked more than 1,300 straight men's basketball games, has died at age 65.
iHeart-broken: Listeners react to mass layoffs at local sports radio station
iHeart lays off radio hosts at three of its four stations in Des Moines.
21ALIVE SPORTS DIGITAL EXCLUSIVE: Loyer to the Clippers, TinCaps find second half success
21Alive Sports Director Andy Newman and Weekend Sports Anchor Nia Hinson catch you up on this week’s sports news.
College Sports Commission to continue reviewing deals by multimedia rights companies
A judge ruled that multimedia rights companies that represent university athletic departments can continue to be subject to the same rules governing millions in third party name-image-likeness payments to players that are reshaping college sports.
College Sports Commission to continue reviewing deals by multimedia rights companies
A judge ruled that multimedia rights companies that represent university athletic departments can continue to be subject to the same rules governing millions in third party name-image-likeness payments to players that are reshaping college sports.
Kentucky State hosts students for agriculture and health science camp
Students from across the country are at Kentucky State University for a summer program focused on agriculture, health and environmental science.
HOMETOWN ENTERTAINMENT: A pageant finale, concerts, comedy show and New River Day
CONCERTS THIS WEEKEND: Niko Moon plays Friday in Danville and Kathy Mattea performs Sunday in Rocky Mount
Valve Quietly Walks Back Steam Machine 4K 60 FPS Performance Claims
Valve's Steam Machine has earned more than its fair share of skeptics, thanks to performance claims and more recently its unfortunate pricing. More recently, though, Valve has seemingly taken some of this criticism to heart and silently changed some of those performance claims on the Steam Machine p...
Making Our Own Luck
We are cross-posting a piece that former NIH official Kris Willis wrote for Macroscience. Kris is now the President and Founder of the Woodley Park Institute, for which I’m a board member. Picking winners or hedging bets? Federal science agencies have long wrestled with the question of how to ensure their billions of dollars of grants and contracts result in maximum benefits for Americans. On the surface, it might seem that a goal-oriented, interventionist style of management would be the best policy: prioritize our most pressing problems and distribute funding accordingly.This top-down strategy creates a unique hazard, though: bad choices can send resources in the wrong direction, resulting in slow progress that impedes the delivery of tangible benefits to citizens. Moreover, if decision makers pursue an applied advance when the underlying scientific principles remain poorly understood, they risk costly failures and a loss of support for the research enterprise at large. Examples include Nixon’s 1971 War on Cancer, undertaken on the premise that a cure could be achieved in less than a decade, the drive to build an operational commercial fusion plant by the mid-1990s, and the National Plan to Address Alzheimer’s Disease, which failed to produce the effective treatments and prevention strategies promised by 2025. The contrasting laissez-faire approach is to hedge your bets. If the path to an advance is impossible to predict, then the wisest choice might be to distribute funding to as widely as possible. The main risk of this strategy is that spreading funding thinly may limit the resources available to the most promising research, resulting in the same negative outcomes as the interventionist approach: limited support for the most promising topics, slow progress, and delayed returns. In reality, at science agencies like the National Science Foundation and National Institutes of Health, program managers navigate between these two extremes, setting some funds aside to target high-priority areas and using the rest to cover the widest possible range of meritorious proposals. This middle path seems like the most rational way to proceed, but it still requires making choices. How much should be set aside for high priority topics? What should those topics be? How should we define merit? Expert opinion can provide a helpful guide, but leading experts can have remarkably different opinions about what matters and what should be prioritized. Moreover, experts and administrators alike can be risk averse, giving an edge to high-profile, well-established concepts. What’s really needed is a data-driven framework to help guide decision-making, one that doesn’t simply repackage prestige or incumbency. Recognizing breakthroughs years in advance Many breakthroughs fail to attract funding or recognition at the earliest stages of development. Katalin Karikó, for example, spent years struggling to win grants for work on mRNA that would eventually win her and Drew Weissman a Nobel Prize. Similar stories can be told about Jim Allison’s groundbreaking studies leading to the development of cancer immunotherapy, Stan Pruisner’s demonstration that prions can self-replicate without DNA, or Robin Warren and Barry Marshall’s proof that Helicobacter pylori, not stress, causes ulcers. Yet at some point, the scientific community recognizes and responds to transformative breakthroughs like these. How does that change happen? And what if science funders could identify the areas that are on the cusp of a breakthrough? Those questions led my collaborators and me to study how scientists responded to past breakthroughs. Based on patterns in that data, we developed a means of predicting future breakthroughs, using biomedicine as a proof of concept. It’s worth taking a moment to describe how our approach works. Briefly, our prediction process begins by grouping the 18 million or so peer-reviewed papers in PubMed, the authoritative database of biomedical research, into roughly 50,000 unique topics. A small subset of these topics are so widely acclaimed as breakthroughs that they have been recognized with a major prize like a Nobel or a Lasker Award. We theorized that studying the development of these outliers over time, especially before they gained acclaim, was the key to identifying future instances of them. After defining topics, we chose 21 representative breakthroughs and asked what they looked like before they won prestigious prizes. To answer that question, we re-ran our topic-mapping algorithm repeatedly, winding back the clock one year each time, stringing together the years to follow the progress of each field as it grew and advanced. We found that in each case, the years leading up to a discovery followed a pattern: a burst of papers on a new, rapidly evolving topic, many of which quickly became influential. These characteristics—the percent of papers that are new, the percentage of papers that are brought in from other topics, and the influence of each individual paper—can all be measured separately for any given topic. Together, they act as a predictive signal that is detectable an average of five years before a transformative discovery is made, and up to thirty years before the discovery receives a major prize. Scanning the current research landscape for topics that display this signal allows us to predict what work will likely produce a future breakthrough. Each year we analyzed includes four or five signals, a number that appears to have remained constant across a twenty year time frame. In their classic work on the sociology of science, Bruno Latour and Steve Woolgar established that the desire to participate in a major discovery is an important motivator for scientists as they consider whether they should take up (or abandon) a research problem. Although further work is needed, the simplest explanation for our results is that this behavior is widespread enough to detect at scale. A foundational advance, or something like it, draws the attention of scientists and causes them to change the direction of their research. They vote with their feet, staking their own reputation and careers by publishing on and citing the new idea. That upswell of interest is the foundation of our breakthrough signal. What kind of research does our model identify as a breakthrough? After building a model based on the patterns in our 21 preselected breakthroughs, we tested it by identifying all early signals of discovery from 1994 through 1997. Of the 18 signals we found in that time period, 17 can be traced forward in time to a breakthrough. Examples include super-resolution fluorescence microscopy (see the image above), the directed evolution of proteins and enzymes (Chemistry Nobel, 2018), and sequencing the human genome (National Medal of Science, 2008). The discovery of the role of leptin signaling in obesity is a particularly interesting case study. Around 1950, scientists noticed the existence of a type of lab mouse that suffered from a unique inherited form of obesity. When given the freedom to choose their own diet, these mice ate more than normal and preferred food that was high in fat. Researchers had few clues as to why the animals overate; early experiments pointed to the existence of a soluble ob factor found circulating in the bloodstream that regulated appetite, but its identity was unknown. In 1994, Jeffrey Friedman and colleagues identified and sequenced the ob gene, noting that the protein it encoded appeared to fit the profile of a circulating factor. A year later, a trio of high-profile publications demonstrated that ob was a hormone that regulated body weight and fat deposition by regulating appetite. One of these was co-authored by Friedman, who christened it leptin from the ancient Greek word for thin. Using our model, the data from 1996 make it clear this advance would become a breakthrough. Scientists had flocked to study the biology of the new hormone, generating the flurry of new papers and citations required to produce a signal. One of these demonstrated that serum leptin concentrations reflected the amount of adipose tissue in the human body, providing clinical validation of the earlier mouse studies. Before the identification of leptin, scientists were unable to point to a specific molecule that controlled appetite and adiposity, so that it was impossible to rule out non-physiological causes of obesity; its characterization fundamentally changed our concept of weight gain. In 2010, Friedman and fellow pioneer Douglas Coleman were awarded a Lasker for the discovery. Our work also identifies breakthroughs in clinical practice and behavioral and social sciences, even though these areas are less likely to draw the attention of major prize committees. One example that falls into this category is the introduction of endovascular aneurysm repair, a minimally invasive surgical procedure for the treatment of abdominal aortic aneurysm, a leading cause of death among Americans over the age of 65. Relative to the previous standard of care, it reduces in-hospital mortality by almost four-fold. In 2017, Timothy Chuter received the American College of Surgeons’ prestigious Jacobsen Innovation award for his multiple refinements to the technique. Another under-recognized breakthrough identified by our model is the development of standardized survey instruments to assess the quality of life for HIV+ patients. The antiretroviral cocktails introduced in the mid-1990s reduced AIDS mortality, but treatment came with serious side effects. The new evaluations showed that patients whose disease progressed had worse physical functioning than Americans with other chronic diseases, while those who were asymptomatic maintained a health-related quality of life on par with the overall US population. This evidence made it possible for patients and activists to argue that even in the absence of a total cure, and in spite of the side effects, alleviation of symptoms was a worthwhile priority for clinicians. My colleagues and I have failed to identify any significant recognition for the physicians and health policy experts who pioneered this advance, although in 2016, researchers called for the World Health Organization to set targets for good health-related quality of life as part of its framework to end the AIDS pandemic. From forecasting to funding How should science funders use our predictions? Any serious discussion of what we should do with this new capability needs to begin with an understanding of its limitations. We can’t (and shouldn’t) invest all of our resources in the small number of topics predicted to produce breakthroughs. Innovative new fields are born from existing ones; they rarely arise de novo. If funders don’t maintain a diverse portfolio, the breakthroughs of tomorrow will have no antecedents. Think of this as eating the seed corn, or killing the goose that lays the golden egg. There are also multiple goals of funding beyond basic scientific discovery, including translating discoveries into clinical practice, developing new technologies, supporting economic development, and training new scientists. The investments needed to accomplish these goals are likely different from those required to support emerging breakthroughs. Finally, we must be aware that we may not capture every instance of a breakthrough. The concept is fuzzy, and not every significant discovery is recognized with a major award. Further, breakthroughs are rare, meaning that our dataset is, by necessity, small. This makes formal estimates of accuracy challenging. Although our overall success rate appears to be high, any one signal may turn out to be a false positive. We found one apparent example: the development of the third generation COX-2 inhibitors, Vioxx and Celebrex, which were much celebrated in the early 2000s as effective but non-addictive pain relievers, meets all the algorithmic criteria of a breakthrough. Five years after it received FDA approval, researchers demonstrated that Vioxx was associated with serious cardiovascular complications, and the manufacturer voluntarily pulled the drug from the market. Celebrex remains available, although like other NSAIDs, it carries an FDA warning for increased cardiovascular risk. Decision makers who were overly focused on the breakthrough potential of this research might have wasted substantial resources nurturing an area that ultimately proved to be a failure—but so would those who relied on expert opinion at the time. That said, the potential benefits of funding the next mRNA vaccine or cancer immunotherapy years earlier than we might have are large. When we can’t assume the outcome of an action, it’s worth conducting an experiment. Can targeted support for areas that are poised to produce a breakthrough increase the return on scientific investment without cannibalizing future advances? With the necessary administrative infrastructure in place, conducting this experiment would be straightforward. First, identify all the breakthrough signals between 2018 and 2023, select half at random, and commit to a decade of investment. For biomedicine, a six year window should yield about 30 topics with the potential to produce a breakthrough. Providing strong support to half of these might be accomplished for $300 million a year. That’s roughly half of the recent annual budget of the NIH Common Fund or around 20% of the fiscal year 2025 budget for ARPA-H. After five years, then again at ten, compare to see which group — the one that was actively managed, or the control — produced more breakthroughs, and on what timescale. Although we used biomedicine as an example, the same experiment could just as well be run for physics, materials science, or any other discipline. Any attempt to undertake such an experiment should keep three points top of mind. First, we can predict the topic of future breakthroughs, but the people and vision for how to move the work forward are still important. In practice, this means success requires active program managers with the expertise to develop the science and the authority to do so, including by recruiting investigators. Second, we would be wise to learn from the failures of past attempts to fund transformative research. High among these are funding modestly repackaged work, confusing the genuinely novel with the merely unfamiliar, and relying too much on incumbent investigators. All of these risks can be mitigated by thoroughly and intelligently integrating high quality data into portfolio management. Finally, we need to have patience. Even with strong funding support, producing a breakthrough takes time. If supporting breakthroughs is the best way to nurture the birth of new fields, we also need to accurately describe and properly manage the other two stages, so that we invest wisely throughout the productive lifetime of ideas and divest once they reach the point of diminishing returns. We would benefit from more study of all of these phases, especially the transition from one to another. More research could answer questions like: When does a breakthrough become an established field? How do the availability of funding, the size and characteristics of the available workforce, and the accumulation of evidence that disagrees with prevailing models affect a field’s decline? Exactly how do old ideas give birth to new ones, and can we speed up the process? The more we understand about the dynamics of scientific progress, the better we can maximize the odds that our curiosity leads to results. I’d call that finding a way to make our own luck.
Earthquakes Have Often Shaken Latin American Politics
How governments respond to natural disasters can shape their political trajectories, an expert writes.
13 things to do this weekend around the Seattle area
From the Seattle Pride Parade to new art gallery exhibitions, here are the latest local things to do around the Seattle area.
13 things to do this weekend around the Seattle area
From the Seattle Pride Parade to new art gallery exhibitions, here are the latest local things to do around the Seattle area.
Best of Santa Cruz County entertainment, arts & food events this weekend, June 25-28
With the weekend nearly here, check out things to do around Santa Cruz County with a recommendation from Lily Belli and a specially curated list from Lookout's BOLO events calendar.
Roundup: Shift in NIL / BlackBerry transitions / Agriculture aid
More inclusive: A recent NCAA rule change is shifting name, image and likeness opportunities away from only the biggest star athletes to a wider range of student-athletes. The update gives schools more structured involvement in managing and facilitating NIL deals, which reduces some of the previous free-for-all environment. As a result, athletes who are not […]
5 states targeting Medicaid behavioral health enrollment amid fraud concerns
At least five states have taken steps in 2026 to restrict new Medicaid behavioral health provider enrollments as stakeholders seek to curb fraud, waste and abuse while strengthening oversight of high-risk services. The developments come as the Trump administration aims to crack down on healthcare fraud. On June 25, the Justice Department charged 455 people, […]
Adidas’ NIL pipeline is producing NBA rookies who already know the business
Mikel Brown Jr. reached the NBA with a head start few rookies have. Long before being selected sixth overall by the Brooklyn Nets at Tuesday’s NBA Draft, the 20-year-old guard had been embedded in Adidas’ ecosystem through a name, image and likeness deal that began in high school. “By the time our athletes walk across […]
Senator Ron Wyden accuses US health agency of plan to deport more than 500 migrant children
Wyden says in a letter addressed to Robert F Kennedy Jr that HHS is preparing an ‘unprecedented legal framework’
Q&A: What does science say about plants as medicine?
Plants have always played an integral role in traditional medicine and healing practices, according to Kent Vrana, Elliot S. Vesell Professor of Pharmacology at Penn State College of Medicine…
This weekend in Clarksville: Science guy, rodeo, Nunsense, ‘How to Train Your Dragon’
From science to fantasy, from rodeo to religion, there's a range of stuff going on in Clarksville this weekend.
Mars Meets The Seven Sisters, In Astronomical Event You Won't See Again Until 2034
Mars meets the Pleiades this weekend, the subject of what may be humanity's oldest story.
'Unflappable' Justin Wrobleski Becoming 'The Shark' In Dodgers' Rotation
Justin Wrobleski created his own model to chart his development. Here's how it's taken him from fringe starter to potential All-Star.
Entertainment: Card Shows, Bike Races and More
Plus: Don't forget the second weekend of Summerfest.
Yoga, Vinyl & Family Fun: Free Summer Entertainment Returns to Hudson Yards
NEW YORK CITY (PIX11) — Hudson Yards Turns Into NYC’s Outdoor Playground This Summer.
Texas Democrats head to convention with optimism, but questions about November remain
The Texas Democratic Convention begins Thursday in Corpus Christi. The three-day convention features several national and statewide figures in the party — this while polls show Democratic candidate James Talarico essentially even with his Republican opponent for U.S. Senate, Attorney General Ken Paxton.