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Some East Grand Forks businesses must register with city to sell low-potency hemp products
Changes in requirements from the state Office of Cannabis Management mean businesses selling these products must now be licensed with the OCM and registered with their local cities.
Top climate scientist Kate Marvel just resigned from NASA. Here's why
Climate scientist Kate Marvel talked to Scientific American about her decision to leave NASA amid federal government turmoil and funding challenges
Partnership in Action: Reimagining Climate and Health Funding Together
Climate Communities Network members explore funding strategies to sustain community-based climate and health work amid shifting challenges.
Chuck Schumer’s Other Challenge Is Geographic | WSJ Politics Newsletter for March 25
Plus, a MAGA rebellion in Arkansas and the DHS-funding standoff continues
SW FL Business Hall of Fame honors four new leaders. Read about them
Junior Achievement of Southwest Florida inducted four new laureates into its Business Hall of Fame on March 24.
SW FL Business Hall of Fame honors four new leaders. Read about them
Junior Achievement of Southwest Florida inducted four new laureates into its Business Hall of Fame on March 24.
Poll: 1 in 3 Adults Are Turning to AI Chatbots for Health Information, Equaling the Share Who Use Social Media for Health
About a third (32%) of adults nationally say they have turned to artificial intelligence (AI) chatbots in the past year for health information, a new KFF Tracking Poll on Health Information and Trust finds. Most who turned to AI for health information say they were in search of quick and immediate advice, though challenges affording and accessing health care also play a role, particularly for younger adults.
Imaging manufacturer Guerbet faces financial challenges following recent FDA warning
Regulators recently scolded the France-based pharmaceutical firm for safety issues that occurred at its plant in Raleigh, North Carolina, which produces imaging contrast agents.
#46 | IT/Digital Solutions Business | Scope
From Recognition to Resolution—One-Stop Solutions for Digital Challenges
Mamdani uses fast food feast to bring attention to worker rights
“City Hall’s first-ever mukbang. Here we are," he said.
ICE detains longtime Kearney business owner and entrepreneur
Immigration and Customs Enforcement detained a Kearney business owner on March 11. Carlos Godinez, the owner of Nick’s Gyros for the past 15 years, is currently at the Hall County Department of Corrections on an ICE hold.
Pentagon will remove media offices after judge reinstates NYT's press credentials
The U.S. Defense Department will remove media offices from the Pentagon after a federal judge sided with The New York Times in a lawsuit challenging limits on reporters' access to the building, a department official announced Monday.
Royal Challengers Cricket Buy to Be Blackstone's First Sports Deal
Cricket team Royal Challengers is sold to investor group that includes Blackstone, Bolt Ventures, Aditya Birla Group and The Times of India Group
TDN Business Hour: The Global Thoroughbred Market
Mark Taylor, Marshall Gramm, Anthony Trimarchi and Case Clay join the TDN Business Hour podcast hosted by Najja Thompson.
Marathon has sold 1.2M copies across Steam, PS5, and Xbox
Alinea Analytics estimates show that Marathon has generated gross revenues of $55M via 1.2M copies sold on Steam, PS5, and Xbox: Looking at the split between Steam, PS5, and Xbox, Steam is clearly the main platform for Marathon, accounting for a little under 70% of the audience (800K copies sold). Meanwhile, PS5 takes about 19% (217K) and Xbox (including console, PC, and cloud) accounts for a bit over 11% or 133K. Marathon is technically a first-party Sony title, so seeing the home console struggle to break 20% of the volume is a notable data point for the ongoing platform-agnostic debate. PlayStation Studios online games will almost certainly continue being multiplatform (despite Sony reportedly pulling back on PC releases). Subscribe for free to get the most accurate games estimates in your inbox twice a week 🫶 Subscribe As for Marathon, the consensus among hardcore players who pushed through the awkward onboarding phase – myself included – is that it’s fantastic. The gunplay, aesthetic, and presentation are among the best in the shooter genre. A great game doesn’t always equal an immediate hit, though, as shown by our estimates. Things are looking lukewarm right now. But this might be one of those marathon-not-a-sprint situations. Had to, didn’t I? Why wasn’t Marathon a hit on the same level as Arc Raiders? One topic that came up in a lot of conversations at GDC this year was why Marathon hasn’t hit the same stratosphere as Arc Raiders. On paper, they’re both extraction shooters, and Marathon has the Bungie pedigree – the house that built the gold standard for gunplay in Halo and Destiny. Marathon’s neon-futuristic aesthetic also distinguishes itself from the gritty realism of Tarkov or the post-apocalyptic hope of ARC Raiders. But vibes can only get you so far for first impressions if the onboarding feels like a brick wall. Marathon is a sweaty PvP-focused experience with a first-time user experience and UI that I can only describe as dreadful. Players are dropped into a complex ecosystem where the UI, though visually striking, is functionally uninformative, forcing users to manually hover over nondescript, identical icons just to identify basic gear or weapon mods. This lack of clarity is compounded by punishing mechanics like a severe heat gauge for movement and a scarcity of vital resources, all without a clear tutorial or a low-stakes mode to learn the ropes. Most people – even top streamers and veteran shooter players – have no idea what’s going on in Marathon at first. Arc is on the complete other end of the spectrum. As we covered here and here, Arc Raiders offers a more collaborative, approachable loop where players often work together toward shared goals. And the objectives are instantly clear. To many players, this contrast only emphasised Marathon’s issues, especially during the testing period. Players understand the Arc Raiders loop within 30 minutes, while Marathon acts as a massive filter, chewing up newcomers and spitting them out before they can experience the depth of Bungie’s signature gunplay. What I’m getting at here is that the poor first-time user experience of Marathon’s Server Slam likely stifled launch sales, while the opposite was true for Arc. Let’s look at the pre-launch copies sold for each game during their respective Server Slams (launch-aligned) : Looking at the trajectory: Arc Raiders saw a massive 80% jump in copies sold during its three-day Server Slam (day -13 to -11). Players jumped in, realised the water was fine, and immediately opened their wallets. Marathon, meanwhile, saw a 49% increase in the four days following its Slam (Day -7 to -3). At the time of each game’s respective launch, Arc Raiders had nearly double the Steam footprint of Marathon – and word of mouth only continued to grow. Bungie could have had more time to fix the onboarding process had the beta happened earlier. But Marathon launched three days after the beta finished. These factors limited the launch sales quite a bit, I reckon. Marathon has found a niche audience, though Despite the friction-heavy start, the data suggests that those who survived Marathon’s onboarding are loving life. We’ve been tracking cross-platform DAUs, and while there’s the expected post-launch leakage, many players are sticking with it. After peaking at 478K total DAUs on its first Saturday, Marathon has settled into a respectable rhythm, holding 345K DAUs as of yesterday and averaging 380K DAUs across the weekend. Steam continues to do the heavy lifting here, consistently accounting for the lion’s share of the daily players. Players have been putting in the hours, too: On Steam, Marathon’s average playtime has climbed to 27.8 hours, significantly outpacing the console averages on PS5 (16.5h) and Xbox (17.3h). Even more telling than the averages: 22% of the Steam audience has surged past the 50-hour mark, and nearly 7% have already logged over 100 hours. Subscribe for free to get the most accurate games estimates in your inbox twice a week 🫶 Subscribe This data suggests that once the Bungie magic clicks, it hooks players deeper than the average extraction shooter. There’s also started to be a shift in the game’s discourse. Marathon launched as one of those games that’s cool to hate. But as Marathon’s 100-hour club grows, we’re seeing conversations around its mechanical merit outweigh the negativity. Several high-profile creators, who were initially vocal critics, have spent the last week coming around on the mechanical depth of the endgame. It’s a subtle but positive signal; the hate train is losing steam, and a new narrative about the game is emerging. Bungie faithfuls unite Another interesting metric in Marathon’s first few weeks is who, exactly, is playing. Bungie leans heavily on its prestige as the “makers of Halo and Destiny,” in its marketing, and that message has clearly hit the mark. On Steam, the gravity (hammer) of Bungie’s previous work is unavoidable. A staggering 78.2% of Marathon players also played Destiny 2. The trend carries across other platforms, with 74.2% of PS5 players and 82.7% of Xbox players also having played Destiny 2. The Halo legacy lives on, it seems. More on that in a bit. While Destiny 2 went free to play, these numbers still represent a high-intent migration of a fanbase that trusts Bungie’s specific brand of kinetic gunplay and cryptic world-building. The Xbox data adds another layer of legacy. About 85.7% of Marathon players on Xbox have played Halo Infinite, while over half of the Steam audience has spent time in Halo Infinite and 36.1% in the Master Chief Collection (a paid collection of the old Bungie-made legacy games). Interestingly, we see a 55.9% overlap with ARC Raiders on Steam. Overlap is even higher there on PlayStation (60.5%) and Xbox (66.5%). And there’s also significant crossover with Helldivers 2 on all platforms, too. Subscribe for free to get the most accurate games estimates in your inbox twice a week 🫶 Subscribe Bungie has found some of its fans with Marathon, and the challenge now is keeping this engaged in a high-stakes PvP environment when they’ve spent the last decade primarily enjoying the power fantasies of PvE. On that note… Go the full 26 miles? Or cut and run? Time for some could’ve, should’ve, would’ve. These things would have improved Marathon’s performance at launch: A more robust onboarding process, perhaps in the form of a short single-player/PvE campaign. We know Bungie fans love this stuff. A traditional arena-based mode akin to Destiny’s Crucible could have been a bridge for the cautious players who’d have been otherwise deterred by the Server Slam. It’s also a great palate cleanser after getting merked. Introducing a dedicated PvE environment would have similarly diversified the conversation and lowered the barrier for the Bungie faithful who found the pure PvP extraction loop too abrasive. PvE is safer than PvP these days. There’s an argument that a thin PvE mode would have just felt like a budget Destiny, potentially hurting the brand more. But given how dire the FTUE is, I think it would have been a net positive. Any kind of tutorialised loop that demystifies the stakes, really. While there is merit in a studio sticking firmly to a singular creative vision, and going all in on the hardcore extraction loop. Less forgiving is the technical reality is that the user interface and first-time user experience (FTUE) were not at a commercial standard for launch. Subscribe for free to get the most accurate games estimates in your inbox twice a week 🫶 Subscribe In a landscape where player time is oversaturated and the most contested currency, a flawed FTUE is a critical failure point. But it’s not all doom and gloom, as Marathon has an incredible, unique gameplay loop, suggesting that financial success is still attainable if Bungie can pivot effectively. Bungie and PlayStation now face a difficult strategic crossroads, though – one within a challenging games market. They could: Double down on Marathon with a long-term Rainbow Six Siege- or No Man’s Sky-style recovery plan, which is something I heard Last Stand Media’s Chris Maldonado mention last week. While this could be a sunk-cost fallacy in action, it could eventually yield the audience the game’s mechanical depth deserves. Shift focus toward the inevitable Destiny 3 or another project, mitigating the escalating opportunity cost and cutting their losses, so to speak. Doing both is an expensive proposition, given the high overhead and burn rate of operating out of Bellevue, Washington. With Sony recently demonstrating a lower threshold for underperforming studios and projects, the margin for error has vanished. Whatever happens, the next six months will determine whether Marathon becomes a cornerstone of Sony’s live-service portfolio or a cautionary tale of vision exceeding accessibility. I’m hoping it’s the former, because Marathon rocks. As always, hit subscribe to get updates on Marathon and other relevant games. Subscribe Want to get your hands on our data for yourself – for free? We’re offering a free trial of our platform for games companies. Send us a message here, or reply to this email, and we’ll set you up. The last word Reply to this email – or reach out here – if you have any feedback for the newsletter – or want to request a game for us to cover. [Alinea Analytics boasts the most accurate PC and console estimates in the business. Game makers use our platform to understand their audience, keep an eye on the competition, monitor sales trends, and spot new opportunities. We equip game studios and financial institutions with accurate data and the confidence to make smarter, data-driven decisions. Want to talk about all things games market data? We’d love to chat!]
UC Berkeley’s Lawrence Hall of Science to host Earth Day celebration, month of events
The Lawrence Hall of Science, University of California, Berkeley’s public science center, will host its third annual Earth Day Celebration on April 26,
Communicating Across Disciplines in Climate Change Litigation
Climate change litigation must climb many mountains to advance justice and reshape human behaviors for the well-being of people and our planet. On this long, arduous journey, litigants, lawyers, scientific witnesses, and judges face challenges of communicating across disciplines. UCS’s new resourc
Talking politics at work may support employee well‑being
Study challenges the conventional wisdom about avoiding talking politics at work, showing that it can sometimes benefit employee well-being.
Avalon’s New Challenges, Opportunities in Life Science Investing
LA JOLLA – As Avalon BioVentures wraps up deploying its very first fund, the $135 million ABV1, the early stage focused venture capital firm is already lookin
Football Hall of Fame to Honor St. John’s Alumnus Who Led Landmark Sports Statistics Firm
A St.
Arbitration case could bring change to NCAA's 'messy middle'
Why Nebraska's recent challenge could have wide-ranging salary cap implications.
New Fathers Face Mental Health Challenges, Study Finds
By Dennis Thompson HealthDay ReporterTUESDAY, March 24, 2026 (HealthDay News) — New fathers might be proud poppas, but their mental health might be shaky as they adapt to their increased responsibilities, a new study says. Men have a 30% increased risk of depression and stress disorders by the end ...
Alabama High School Sports Hall of Fame inducts 12 coaches, administrators in Class of 2026
Inductees selected from slate of 60 nominees.
Latest stats show stress and lack of physical activity are rising, putting heart health at risk
As people navigate higher levels of stress and spend more of their day sitting, finding time to move can feel challenging. Less than half of adults and fewer than one in five children in the U.S. get ...
Ron DeSantis, Nikki Haley tie for 3rd in New Hampshire GOP 2028 poll, far behind Marco Rubio, JD Vance
New polling shows another run for the Governor may be challenging.
Veterinary Science Certificate Program promotes early steps on career path
Rural communities face a growing shortage of veterinary professionals, creating challenges for pet owners and livestock producers alike.
Takeaways from arguments in the Supreme Court case that could end grace periods for mail-in ballots
The Supreme Court’s conservative majority appeared dubious of state laws that allow the counting of mail ballots that arrive at election offices after Election Day as justices heard oral arguments in a challenge to Mississippi’s five-day grace period for mail ballots.
Federal judge sides with Wisconsin in transgender health care suit
A U.S. judge ruled in favor of Wisconsin and 20 other states challenging a Trump administration declaration that tried to limit care for trans youth.
Lenoir-Rhyne Sports Hall of Fame Nominations Due April 1
HICKORY, N.C. - Nominations for the Lenoir-Rhyne Sports Hall of Fame are due by Wednesday, April 1. The 2026 Hall of Fame ceremony will take place on Saturday, September 19, prior to Lenoir-Rhyne's 6:00 p.m. football game vs. Mars Hill.
Cardinal Health Appoints Patricia A. Hemingway Hall as Board Chair
/PRNewswire/ -- Cardinal Health (NYSE: CAH) today announced that its Board of Directors has appointed Patricia A. Hemingway Hall to succeed Gregory B. Kenny as...
Executive Director of SnoCo Sports to be Inducted to the Sports ETA Hall of Fame
Tammy Dunn, Executive Director of the SnoCo Sports Commission, is to be inducted into the Sports ETA Hall of Fame on April 22, 2026.
I tested ChatGPT vs. Perplexity with the same 5 prompts — the winner surprised me
AI Madness Round 1: The Heavyweight meets the Challenger in our first round of Tom's Guide AI Madness
Socialist Emmanuel Grégoire elected Paris mayor in runoff vote
Emmanuel Grégoire has won the Paris mayoral race and takes over from fellow Socialist Anne Hidalgo. On Sunday, he sealed the moment by riding a city bike to City Hall.
How Obama’s Strategist Discouraged Biden From Running in 2016
In a new set of oral histories, David Plouffe, President Barack Obama’s political adviser, described how he urged Vice President Joseph R. Biden Jr. not to challenge Hillary Clinton for the nomination.
The Christian Science Monitor Daily for March 23, 2026
Rethink the news: Reducing news to hard lines and side-taking leaves a lot of the story untold. Progress comes from challenging what we hear and considering different views.
Kansas coach Bill Self non-committal if he'll return next year due to health concerns
Hall of Fame Kansas basketball coach Bill Self said after a crushing loss to St. John's that he hasn't decided if he'll be back next season or retire.
Scientists Open Moon Rocks Locked Away Since 1972 – and Find Something Totally Unexpected
Decades after being sealed away, Apollo-era lunar samples are revealing unexpected chemical signatures that challenge long-standing assumptions about the Moon’s composition.
Analyst reveals high expectations for 49ers after free agency spree
Could the 49ers really challenge in 2026?
Two-thirds of workers are burned out—here's what science says about how to tackle it
Burnout is at an all-time high, with some studies saying two-thirds of employees now cite job burnout as a major challenge. Overwork and chronic stress do not just drain energy, they can erode health, ...
Opinion | Jesse Jackson, the Prophet Who Became a Politician
He challenged black Americans in the 1960s and ’70s, then retreated into victimhood and grievance.
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.
Scientists twisted a mysterious superconductor and got a shocking result
A decades-old superconducting mystery just took a surprising turn. Strontium ruthenate, a material that conducts electricity with zero resistance at low temperatures, has long puzzled scientists with hints of an exotic, complex superconducting state. But by carefully twisting and distorting ultra-thin crystals, researchers found something unexpected: the material barely reacted at all. This challenges years of assumptions and suggests its behavior may be far simpler—or far stranger—than previously thought.
Colorado lawmakers can pass “Alyssa’s Act” to help coaches and parents monitor mental health (Opinion)
In 2019, we lost Alyssa after she struggled with her mental health following a series of concussions. We later learned that concussions can be linked to serious mental health challenges and an increase in suicide, especially in young people.
The Antidote to Our Growing Crises Must Transcend Politics
Each day, the challenges in our nation pile up. In just recent weeks, there has been the ongoing war in Iran and the Middle East, and ongoing debates about the growing negative impact of the Internet, looming AI challenges, and the Epstein files. The anticipation of divisive, even ugly, midterm elec...
Election in Slovenia Will Test Europe’s Political Mood
The center-left government is being challenged by a right-wing populist accused of launching a smear campaign in the final days of a close race.
Eddie Hall Teases Summer MMA Return, Dillon Danis Fight
Former World's Strongest Man Eddie Hall is eyeing a return to the cage later this year, and wants to face Dillon Danis.
Should you try the 75 Hard challenge? Experts warn the risks may outweigh the benefits
The 75 Hard regimen demands 75 days of strict rules covering diet, exercise and reading. Experts explain what helps, what harms and smarter, sustainable alternatives.
Denver Broncos mock draft: Post-Jaylen Waddle trade
We’re coming back to the mock draft simulator this weekend. The Denver Broncos said ‘f dem picks’ and acquired wide receiver Jaylen Waddle from the Miami Dolphins this week. That trade provided a big boost to the offense, but it will make their 2026 NFL Draft much more challenging. With the reduction in draft capital, […]
'Not a done deal': Democrats start to sweat over Virginia's redistricting referendum
The unique nature of the April special election and the state's recent redistricting history have presented challenges for Democrats, even as they hold a financial edge in the race.
130-Year-Old Unity Hall Hosts Bluegrass Legend Tony Trischka
A 130-year-old building was filled with music fans as a bluegrass legend performed on stage.
Trump’s UN Ambassador on the Strait of Hormuz: ‘Other countries need to help’
Tectonic shift: Earth was already moving 3.5 billion years ago
Scientists have uncovered the oldest direct evidence yet that Earth’s tectonic plates were on the move 3.5 billion years ago. By analyzing magnetic fingerprints in ancient rocks, they reconstructed how parts of the planet slowly drifted and even rotated over time. This challenges long-standing ideas that early Earth may have had a rigid, unmoving surface. Instead, it suggests the planet was already dynamic—and possibly setting the stage for life—much earlier than expected.
Judge sides with New York Times in challenge to Pentagon policy limiting reporters’ access
A federal judge agreed Friday to block the Trump administration from enforcing a policy limiting news reporters’ access to the Pentagon, agreeing with The New York Times that key portions of the new rules are unlawful.
Pacers' Eddie White named to Hall-of-Fame in hometown
Pacers public relations director and post-game radio host Eddie White was named to the Luzerne County Chapter of the Pennsylvania Sports Hall of Fame.
Far-left surge in Airbus’ hometown scares big business
Employers brace for France Unbowed’s possible takeover of city hall in Toulouse.
Family-focused venue The Block Jax opens in Deerwood with food vendors, live music, dog park & more
Whether you want to catch the big game or take the family out for a night, The Block Jax, Jacksonville’s first outdoor food hall, made its debut on Friday with a grand-opening celebration continuing through Sunday.
Saint Mary’s renames science building to Mathile Science Hall
Saint Mary’s held a renaming ceremony for the College’s Science Hall, which will now be known as Mathile Science Hall.
Younger Chinese Americans are fighting to save traditions
Younger business owners are adapting to challenges their parents didn’t face: historic tariffs, dwindling adherence to tradition and lower foot traffic in a post-pandemic San Francisco.
MYB This Weekend: Koufos Talks Navigating Business Challenges Through Cottage Four
On this weekend’s “Minding Your Business” on News 12+, Cottage Four President John Koufos talks with Bob Considine about his leading consultancy and
Judge says he will bar RFK move aimed at cutting gender-affirming care for minors
A U.S. judge on Thursday said he would block an effort by Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr that would have sharply restricted medical providers from providing gender affirming care to minors after a group of Democratic states challenged it.
Ex-FBI agents involved in Arctic Frost probe sue for wrongful termination
Two ex-FBI agents sued the bureau to challenge their firings, which they argued was an act of politically motivated retaliation tied 'solely' to their work on the Arctic Frost probe.
Fusion scientists face challenges in effort to produce reliable energy source
‘Special Report’ anchor Bret Baier reports on scientific research attempting to create fusion as a source of reliable energy and how artificial intelligence could help.
Recap: CCST Science & Technology Week 2026 - California Council on Science & Technology (CCST)
CCST’s 9th annual Science & Technology Week brought together policy leaders, science and technology experts, CCST champions, and our incredible network of partner institutions to discuss some of the state’s biggest challenges and opportunities
New study challenges a site that’s key to how humans got to the Americas
A new study challenges a site that's crucial to our understanding of how people got to the Americas.
A new study questions when people first reached South America
Data suggest people lived at Chile’s Monte Verde site thousands of years later than thought, challenging key “pre-Clovis” evidence. Not all agree.
New business workshop coming to Lower Burrell
For potential entrepreneurs looking to get in on Lower Burrell’s business district, an upcoming informational session may be a great first step, said Councilwoman Carley Logan. On April 16 the Lower Burrell New Business Workshop will be held at 6:30 in Fisher Hall at Burrell Lake Park. Logan, who is
Figma stock sinks after Google 'vibe design' tool gets update
Google's Stitch AI tool is the latest shot across the bow of software makers, as AI companies roll out features directly challenging their products.
Tariffs and Mitigating Actions: Focus on the Business Law Section Report with Participation of the International Section and Real Property Law Section - New York State Bar Association
The Business Law Section presents this report on tariff policy developments since February 2025. IEEPA-based tariffs have imposed rates of 10% to 50% on nearly all trading partners. Litigants have challenged the asserted authority for these tariffs in federal court, with an appellate decision invalidating that authority now on appeal before the U.S. Supreme Court.
‘Superhuman’ healthcare workers saved NHS from collapse, Covid inquiry concludes
Chair Heather Hallett says pandemic had devastating impact due to NHS being in ‘parlous state’ at time
German Health Minister Nina Warken and WHO Hub in Berlin highlight 2025 achievements
Germany’s Federal Minister of Health, Nina Warken, visited the WHO Hub for Pandemic and Epidemic Intelligence in Berlin today to review progress and launch its 2025 Annual Report. The report highlights advances in using artificial intelligence, data science and pathogen genomics to strengthen global preparedness for future pandemics.In 2025, the WHO Hub in Berlin worked with more than 160 Member States and over 190 partners to help countries and organizations develop new systems and tools to detect and understand new public health threats as quickly as possible, whenever and wherever they occur.BMG to confirm whether they wish to contribute a quote. “Detecting outbreaks early is one of the most effective ways to save lives and prevent epidemics from becoming global crises,” said Federal Minister of Health Nina Warken. “Germany is proud to host and support the WHO Hub for Pandemic and Epidemic Intelligence. Its work strengthens our safety at home and helps protect people worldwide.”Artificial intelligence is increasingly transforming the detection of outbreaks. In 2025, the Hub launched an upgraded version of the Epidemic Intelligence from Open Sources (EIOS) system, which uses enhanced AI functions to scan global online information in real time and help experts quickly identify unusual health events. The system is now used by 120 countries.To better anticipate health threats, countries need information beyond traditional health data. The Hub supports countries in implementing Collaborative Surveillance, which integrates data on climate, animals, travel, and population movement to provide a more comprehensive and real-time understanding of health threats.The Hub also expanded global access to pathogen genomics, which helps scientists detect new pathogens, such as viruses and bacteria, understand how they spread and how dangerous they may become. Through the International Pathogen Surveillance Network (IPSN), the WHO Hub in Berlin worked with 309 partners in 101 countries to expand access to these technologies.“We are in a new era of global health threats, and we need new tools to face tomorrow’s challenges,” said Dr Chikwe Ihekweazu, Executive Director of the WHO Health Emergencies Programme. “The WHO Hub in Berlin helps countries use data and technology more effectively so they can identify risks earlier and respond faster. No country can address these threats alone. Strong cooperation remains our best defence.”“Berlin offers an ideal environment for our work. We collaborate closely with world-leading institutions such as the Robert Koch Institute and the Charité Center for Global Health,” said Dr Oliver Morgan, Head of the WHO Hub for Pandemic and Epidemic Intelligence. “Germany has supported the WHO Hub since its establishment, and we are pleased to welcome Federal Minister Nina Warken to the Hub today. This strong partnership helps us advance innovation in pandemic and epidemic intelligence and better support countries to prepare for future health threats.”The Hub is expanding the use of advanced analytics and mathematical modelling to forecast how outbreaks may develop and to assess which response measures are most effective. Through its Collaboratory, the Hub connects modelers and analysts with governments to ensure their work addresses real public health needs. In 2025, the community grew to 1300 members from 50 countries and 200 institutions. An AI-powered pandemic simulator, currently in the prototyping phase, will help decision-makers compare outbreak scenarios and help identify effective disease control measures.
A public health professor is bringing the National Bioethics Bowl to Pitt
The competition, organized this year by Cindy McCarthy, gives students a chance to consider challenging questions about health and technology.
Panthers 'embrace' Challenge Cup win
Reclaiming the Challenge Cup for the first time in a decade is a triumph Nottingham Panthers will cherish, says head coach Danny Stewart.
Republicans are ramping up attacks on Muslims
Past GOP leaders, including George W. Bush, spoke out against Islamophobia. Now it is going unchallenged.
Vance is in a bind, supporting a war that could cost him politically
People close to JD Vance concede that a long conflict will be a challenge for the next GOP nominee but say the vice president hasn’t made up his mind about running.
'Price Is Right' model Holly Hallstrom recounts her 'hate' for late host Bob Barker
Former 'Price Is Right' model Holly Hallstrom says she was fired in 1995, after nearly two decades with the show. Here's why.
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
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.
County sports tourism booms, with field-space bottlenecks
“Our biggest challenge is checking the facilities box to have the requisite number of fields and space for tournaments.”…
Track 15 celebrates 1 year of business
The Track 15 Food Hall celebrated one year of business on Wednesday.
Video: Business Report Hall of Fame honoree Benny Alford
Benny Alford still shows up to work every day. At 80, the founder of Benny’s Car Wash keeps an open door at the company’s corporate headquarters overlooking Airline Highway, greeting employees, family members and the occasional visitor seeking advice. It’s a small but telling detail in a story that spans more than seven decades of […]
Video: Business Report Hall of Fame honoree Bob Greer
A respected figure in the insurance and banking industries, Robert Stephenson “Bob” Greer Jr. made an indelible impact on Baton Rouge, combining an abiding love for his hometown with ambitious ideas on how to make it better. Greer was recently named a 2026 Hall of Fame laureate (posthumous) by Business Report. Watch the video of Bob […]
Texas primary results showed limitations of polling
Many factors explain why pollsters face challenges in getting good sample sizes that truly reflect who is going to cast a ballot.
Madison County considers rezoning along scenic byway near Marshall
Lonesome Mountain Market owner Johnny Moore purchased the building in 2022 with the purpose of operating a general/convenience store, he said.
Health literacy: 5 key lessons for better global health
One in four people around the world have low health literacy. Tackling that challenge could improve lives and save billions in healthcare funding globally.
Swatch Warns Political, Economic Challenges to Continue in 2026
Swatch Group AG is bracing for economic and political upheaval to persist this year, as the Swiss watchmaker hit out at tariffs and trade disruption that have upended the luxury industry.
The media’s year of ‘change or die’
The media and entertainment industries face a period of great turmoil, including unprecedented business and political pressures. Evan Shapiro, the so-called “Media Universe Cartographer,” speaks to Geoff Bennett about those challenges and the future.
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.
Former state health commissioner appointed to role supporting Minnesota hospitals
Former Minnesota Department of Health Commissioner Jan Malcolm will collaborate with leaders from hospitals and health systems across the state to tackle financial challenges to support hospitals and ensure access to care statewide.
How Barbie became a $1 billion-a-year brand
Barbie became a $1 billion-a-year brand and one of the most iconic toys in history. Now Mattel's crown jewel is facing challenges.
Science & Innovation
Challenges to the American scientific enterprise—from the reproducibility crisis, to administrative bloat within research institutions, to diminished public trust in universities—together with sweeping reforms to the government’s role in science, make this a pivotal moment for science policy. An agenda to strengthen American science must enhance its productivity and credibility, preserve our research advantages, and ensure that the scientific enterprise remains accountable to American citizens.
UTC-hosted Regional Science and Engineering Fair highlights STEM talent
Dozens of students from across the Chattanooga region gathered on Monday, March 9, at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga’s Challenger STEM Learning Center to present their research projects to a panel of judges. The Chattanooga Regional Science and Engineering Fair has existed for 74 years and attracts both middle and high school students to showcase their projects and compete for the chance to advance to the Regeneron International Science and Engineering Fair.
Hail Yeah! NASA Researchers Use Volunteer Observations for Hail Estimates
The bigger the hailstone, the more damage it can cause. But scientists find that predicting hailstone size can be challenging. How quickly does hail melt as it falls?
Magic mushroom-infused products appear in Colorado gas stations – what public health officials want consumers to know
Hallucinogenic chocolate bars were removed from six Denver-area gas stations.
Maine Democratic Senate primary grows increasingly bitter as party vies to unseat Susan Collins in key race
A bitter Democratic primary is unfolding in Maine as Gov. Janet Mills and Graham Platner battle for the chance to challenge GOP Sen. Susan Collins — pitting a governor with a long political resume against an anti-establishment oyster farmer.
New Albany looks to annex, rezone 106 acres for business park expansion
A developer seeks to annex and rezone more than 100 acres in Licking County into New Albany, expanding the business park near Intel.
Wolfgang Puck at the Oscars: catering harder than running a restaurant
Wolfgang Puck leads the Governors Ball catering at the Oscars, managing challenges in the competitive catering industry.
Reusse: St. Patrick’s Day parade of deep thoughts about Minnesota’s sports teams
This Patrick must confess he might have been wrong about the Wild, Jaden McDaniels and the MLB challenge system.
Alabama High School Sports Hall of Famer returning as Maplesville’s head football coach
Including his three seasons at Jemison from 2001-2003, the coach has a 241-59 overall record and 47-20 postseason mark across 24 seasons as a head coach.
2026 NCAA tournament will feature a new, potentially crucial element: the coach's challenge
Gaumont Posts Stable $172 Million Revenue for 2025 With Theatrical Business Up, but Big Losses Amid Animation Slowdown
Gaumont, the venerable French studio which recently turned 130, reported stable revenue at €150 million (€172 million) in 2025 but saw its losses soar by 153% to €19.5 million, challenged by declining library deals and showdown in animation commissions. But while its cinema business was down 23%, Gaumont saw its theatrical distribution activity skyrocket by …