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“Looking for certainty”: Evansville business leaders reflect on midterm elections
EVANSVILLE, Ind. (WEHT) — Economic growth is called to question at the Evansville Regional Economic Partnership’s 2026 Policy Focus. E-REP brought in Rob Engstrom, the president of the Washin…
Eastern Nebraska, including rural areas, favored online sports betting while the rest of the state said ‘no’
People in north-central Nebraska adamantly struck down two ballot measures that would have legalized online sports wagering.
North Georgia flooding: Businesses face long road to recovery
Business owners along the Georgia-Tennessee border are digging through mud and ruined inventory after severe flooding along the swollen Toccoa River devastated the twin towns.
What Drives Young Granite Staters to Get Involved in Politics?
If you ask members of Gen-Z why they ran for office, you’re likely to hear that they wanted to breathe new life into the political scene here in New Hampshire, and provide more representation of their generation.
A Health Care Crisis Awaits the Next California Governor
As the billionaire tax heads for defeat, Xavier Becerra will need to find ways to shore up the state’s health care system. Here are a few.
Brookdale Science Monday Explores New Technologies Protecting New Jersey’s Endangered Species
Brookdale Science Monday Explores New Technologies Protecting New Jersey’s Endangered Species Free November 23 lecture highlights innovative conservation efforts to protect the state’s most vulnerable wildlife How can cutting-edge technology help save New Jersey’s endangered
Meet the Authors: 'Mississippi Politics' by Andy Taggart and Jere Nash
A book co-authored by Andy Taggart and Jere Nash features political history in the state of Mississippi from 2006 to the mid-2020s.
Federal officials visit North Dakota to link soil health, farm profits and medical care
BISMARCK, N.D. (KFGO) - Top federal and state officials met in North Dakota on Thursday to examine how better ...
Bow parents win free speech fight over protesting transgender athletes in school sports
“It took more than two years, but the court has recognized that what happened to us was wrong,” parent Kyle Fellers said in a statement. “This was never just about sports. It’s about every parent’s right to peacefully express views without being punished for it.”
Democrat Eileen Laubacher leads Lauren Boebert in Colorado’s 4th CD
Democrat Eileen Laubacher saw her slim lead over Republican U.S. Rep. Lauren Boebert narrow as late returns posted Thursday in Colorado’s 4th Congressional District, the state’s most heavily GOP seat. The race remained too close to call, with Laubacher leading the incumbent by 2,276 votes, for a margin of just under 0.7%, according to results […]
California high school football state champion rocked by hazing investigation
A California high school football program has been suspended amid a police investigation into allegations of hazing, bullying and sexual battery.
Middleton boys volleyball sweeps Mukwonago, heads to state championship
GREEN BAY, Wis. (WKOW) — The Middleton boys volleyball team will play for another championship Friday night.
Former Gamecock QB Connor Shaw talks recovery, heart health advocacy
Former South Carolina quarterback Connor Shaw recently sat down with WIS to reflect on his recovery and discuss his statewide advocacy work, just over a year after surviving sudden cardiac arrest.
Three Biggest Risers From Timberwolves’ Statement Win Over Rockets
Who stood out for the Minnesota Timberwolves?
New AI tool speeds up food science research and development
A food scientist at Penn State University is using artificial intelligence to make food engineering research more accessible and easier to apply. Xu Zhou in the Department of Food Science tells Brownfield, “What’s really exciting to me for the future application is people do not need to read thousands or hundreds of scientific papers or […]
Gov. Newsom will commute all death sentences in state to life without parole
Newsom said the decision was among the most difficult choices of his career because it will surface painful memories for crime victims’ families.
Correctional Health Services Earns Full Accreditation
Governor Spencer Cox, Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) Executive Director Tracy Gruber, and Correctional Health Services (CHS) Director Dr. Marcus Wisner recently gathered to celebrate a historic milestone: achieving full accreditation from the National Commission on Correctional Health Care (NCCHC) across Utah’s state correctional facilities. To resolve past long-standing operational hurdles – including a 43 percent staffing vacancy … Read More
Unlikely political newcomer unseats NC powerhouse despite big challenges
LaKesha Womack had never run for office before, had very little funding or outside support, and had even been unhoused at one point. She also has an outstanding felony charge. None of that stopped her from unseating one of the state’s most powerful politicians.
Ballot measures affirm divisions over abortion and transgender issues
Voters in 2026 midterm elections decided state health policy ballot measures on abortion rights, marijuana laws, science bonds, and transgender youth care.
Election takeaways with ‘Soundside,’ ‘Sound Politics,’ and a whole lot of guests
As Washington state awaited additional ballots to be counted Wednesday afternoon, KUOW’s “Soundside” and “Sound Politics” considered initial takeaways from the midterm elections.
Wisconsin infant is US’ third measles-related death this week
An infant in Wisconsin has died in connection with an large, ongoing measles outbreak, the state health department said Thursday. The death marks the state’s first measles-related death in more than 35 years and the third reported in the US this week.
Boston 25 News
He’s just 19 and started getting interested in politics in middle school. Now, a Billerica teenager is headed to the Massachusetts State House
Melissa L. Gruys named dean of Nistler College of Business & Public Administration
Gruys, currently serving as professor of management at Cleveland State University, will assume Nistler College deanship on Jan. 2, 2027.
New Mexico Museum of Natural History & Science Celebrates 40 years of discovery
By Sara Atencio-Gonzales, The Paper. – From prehistoric fossils to the mysteries of outer space, the New Mexico Museum of Natural History & Science has spent four decades bringing the state’s scientific history to life. Now, as the museum celebrates its 40th anniversary, staff members are reflecting on its evolution while preparing several special events…
New Mexico Museum of Natural History & Science Celebrates 40 years of discovery
By Sara Atencio-Gonzales, The Paper. – From prehistoric fossils to the mysteries of outer space, the New Mexico Museum of Natural History & Science has spent four decades bringing the state’s scientific history to life. Now, as the museum celebrates its 40th anniversary, staff members are reflecting on its evolution while preparing several special events […]
Texas Republicans trade blame after Democrats sweep statewide races, end decades of GOP rule
Texas Republicans blamed each other, Trump and a failure to improve the lives of Texans after decades of one-party control of all statewide offices.
Club West Brewing changes owners with plans for extensive South End brewery rebuild
Rebranded Sycamore Brewery gets out-of-state owner with plans to “start again.”
Ferris State Can Tie Grand Valley’s Streak Record in Detroit
Ferris State's next win in Detroit ties a record held by the rival it beat last month. #FerrisState
Will Lawmakers Heed the Call for More Affordable Health Care by Expanding Medicaid in TX, GA, KS & WI?
Over the last year there hasn’t been much discussion around creating more affordable health coverage in the last ten states that haven’t expanded Medicaid. But yesterday’s election dramatically changed the political status quo in at least four of the non-expansion states: Georgia, Kansas, Texas, and Wisconsin. That makes Medicaid expansion more viable in those states […]
Two Navy veterans find support in Penn State Health pulmonary rehab program
Two Navy veterans found friendship, motivation and renewed strength at Penn State Health Pulmonary Rehabilitation at Holy Spirit Medical Center, helping them breathe easier and regain independence.
UW-Stevens Point Soil Judging Team takes 3rd at Regionals
The University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point (UWSP) Soil Judging Team earned a third-place overall finish at the 2026 Regional 3 Soil Judging Contest, hosted by The Ohio State University in Ohio, Oct.
Gusciora: Trenton Must Choose Progress Over Politics
Mayor says eight years of progress, including more than $250 million in state aid, more than 11,000 lead lines replaced and an estimated 20 percent decline in violent crime, are at stake in the December 8 runoff TRENTON, N.J. (Nov. 5, 2026) — Mayor Reed Gusciora said today that voters in the December 8 runoff will decide whether[...]
Democrat drops out of race due to health concerns and still wins, opponent says 'we deserve to know more'
Democratic Iowa state House candidate Eric Armstrong, who announced in September that he was dropping his campaign due to health struggles, still won the election contest.
Q and A: Harrison Hughes, SVP of Hughes Commercial
Harrison Hughes, SVP of Hughes Commercial, discusses his firm's work and its vision for the North of Broad District in downtown Greenville.
Wisconsin infant dies from measles: Health officials
It’s the first measles death in the state since 1990.
Infant's death linked to measles outbreak in southwest Wisconsin
It's the first measles-associated death in the state in more than 30 years, according to the Wisconsin Department of Health Services.
Zamarripa Has Unfinished Business at City Hall, Big Plans for State Office
Plus: Two potential successors have already emerged for her aldermanic seat.
Health: How Can Congress Combat The Rising Cost Of Healthcare?
The cost of most necessities is rising right now. And healthcare is no exception.In 2026, the average employer-based family healthcare plan cost a little over $28,000. And employees contributed over $7,400 more to those plans than in 2025. That’s according to analysis from the health research group KFF.And the nearly 20 million Americans who rely on the Affordable Care Act for health insurance are facing a 13 percent premium increase next year.Two days out from the midterm elections, what can Congress do to keep healthcare affordable in the United States?Find more of our programs online. Listen to 1A sponsor-free by signing up for 1A+ at plus.npr.org/the1a.
Sixth measles-associated death recorced in Jefferson County
The state Health Department on Wednesday confirmed that an unvaccinated person in Jefferson County who tested positive for measles has died.
Popular YouTuber charged with sex crimes after shocking documentary
Former YouTuber EDP445 has been arrested and charged with several felony sex crimes after statements he made in a documentary.
Why California’s billionaire tax was a harder sell than expected
LOS ANGELES — Despite a nationwide blue wave in the midterm election, California’s much-debated billionaire tax didn’t get the support many expected in one of the country’s most liberal states.
New York health officials warn flu season started early as cases surge statewide
New York state health officials are warning residents to brace for an unusually early and intense flu season.
Washington voters pass initiative to ban transgender girls in girls’ sports
The first of its kind in Washington state, the initiative requires all girls looking to participate in sports to undergo medical testing — through a genital exam, a hormone test or a chromosome test — before being able to participate on a girls school sports team.
Warriors' Growing Drama Compared to 76ers' Ben Simmons Disaster
Former Philadelphia 76ers star Ben Simmons is finding himself placed in comparisons with Golden State Warriors center Kristaps Porzingis.
Second year funding delayed for Rural Health Transformation Program
According to a report from KFF Health News, state leaders received an email on Oct. 30 alerting them to the second-year funding announcement delay.
‘Whatever the final outcome’: Drazan avoids concession after Oregon governor’s race is called for Kotek
Drazan’s 652-word statement Wednesday made one six-word glancing allusion to Tuesday’s outcome in the Oregon governor’s race.
German pension fund raided in probe of troubled real estate deals, including Chicago
At the heart of the probe are “loss making” investments by BVK in seven US real estate projects spanning Chicago, New York, Miami Beach, Beverly Hills and San Francisco.
Schottenstein Center teases mysterious orange news
The Schottenstein Center is back with another teaser. Orange you wondering what it is? All will be revealed on Nov. 6.
Schottenstein Center teases mysterious orange news
The Schottenstein Center is back with another teaser. Orange you wondering what it is? All will be revealed on Nov. 6.
Four Florida State University faculty members named Rising Stars by the Academy of Science, Engineering and Medicine of Florida
Four Florida State University faculty members have been named to the newest class of Rising Stars by the Academy of Science, Engineering and Medicine of
PAHO calls for health to take a central place on Ibero-America’s political agenda
Madrid, November 5, 2026 (PAHO) – The Director of the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO), Dr. Jarbas Barbosa, called for health to be placed among the political and diplomatic priorities of Ibero-America during a series of high-level meetings held in Madrid on the sidelines of the XXX Ibero-American Summit of Heads of State and Government.
Washington state passes ballot measure banning trans girls from school sports
Measure in Democratic state says students must submit health documents verifying biological sex for girls’ teams
Davidson Building among 8 Iowa projects awarded historic preservation tax credits
The historic Davidson Building in downtown Des Moines has been awarded nearly $1.46 million in state historic preservation tax credits to support its rehabilitation, one of eight projects across Iowa receiving a combined $18.5 million in tax credits. The Iowa Economic Development Authority announced the awards this week through its State Historic Preservation Tax Credit…
After 51 years, Penn State Health physician leaves lasting legacy of compassionate care
For 51 years, Dr. Larien Bieber made caring for people the heart of his work as a physician. When he retired Oct. 30 from his position as an internal medicine physician at Penn State Health Lime…
CARROLL CONDEMNS CHILD’S MISTREATMENT, RENEWS PUSH FOR JUVENILE MENTAL HEALTH DETENTION FACILITY
FRANKFORT, Ky. (Nov. 4, 2026) — Sen. Danny Carroll, R-Paducah, chairman of the Senate Families and Children Committee, issued the following statement in response to reporting on the mistreatment of a child at the McCracken Regional Juvenile Detention Center. “Leaving a child in a flooded cell for
The complex business of firing coaches: Why sticker-shock buyout numbers don't tell the whole story
Whether you're Florida State parting ways with Mike Norvell or Sam Houston firing Phil Longo, the financial dynamics of replacing a coach go well beyond the initial buyout cost
‘Cloud of confusion.’ State Health Plan changes leave participants dazed during open enrollment
Provider tiers were meant to be a tourniquet for NC State Health Plan that was bleeding money. Status of Atrium has created major headaches.
Value of Arkansas basketball depth can't be overstated
John Calipari will benefit from spreading out player minutes
Steve Kerr compares Stephen Curry to Michael Jordan amid 5-game win streak
Golden State Warriors head coach Steve Kerr recently compared Stephen Curry to his former teammate, six-time NBA champion Michael Jordan.
Election 2026: A Political Earthquake
Tuesday's election puts Democrats in position to block some of Trump's anti-environmental efforts while expanding state clean energy policies.
Sphere Entertainment Co. reports results for the quarter ended September 30
FORECAST CHANGESRECOMMENDATIONSThis summary was machine generated from LSEG data November 5 at 03:55 p.m. UTC. All figures in US dollars unless otherwise stated. (For questions concerning the data in this report, contact Estimates.Support@lseg.com. For any other questions or feedback, contact Refi…
How Democrats’ midterm wins reshape Farm Bill politics
Democrats’ sweeping gains in this week’s congressional midterms, driven in part by voter frustration in farm states, give the party new leverage in Farm Bill negotiations, according to farmers and farm advocates.
1115 Waiver Watch: A Look at Budget Neutrality Policy Changes
This brief discusses key Medicaid policy changes included in CMS budget neutrality guidance and identifies open questions about how the policy changes may be clarified and how they may affect states with existing 1115 waivers or states interested in applying for new ones.
Today on Texas Standard: How Texas’ Democratic sweep could change the state’s political identity
Texas has spent decades serving as a national symbol of Republican political power. Tuesday’s election overturned that image with Democratic victories up and down the ballot, leaving Texans and political observers elsewhere reassessing what the state represents.
Michigan voters approve ‘Money Out of Politics’ ballot initiative; lawsuit filed
(The Center Square) – Michigan voters overwhelmingly supported a proposal to ban political spending by state-regulated electric and gas utilities and companies with large government contracts. The “Mo...
Greenville takes a strategic look at downtown retail
The Greenville City Economic Development Corp. has focused on strategically recruiting new retail stores to downtown Greenville.
Lance Turner named communications director at State Chamber
The Arkansas State Chamber of Commerce/Associated Industries of Arkansas announced the hiring of Lance Turner as director of communications. Turner will oversee the State Chamber/AIA’s communications strategy, including digital and...
Building on success, growing with purpose with Harper General Contractors
Harper General Contractors welcomes Bryan Royal as president and CEO, continuing its legacy of strategic growth and leadership continuity.
Three Penn State researchers awarded scientific grants from Kaufman Foundation
The Charles E. Kaufman Foundation has selected three researchers from the Penn State Eberly College of Science to receive scientific research grants: Carlos Blanco, assistant professor of physics, Ribhu Kaul, professor of physics, and Bryce Gadway, professor of physics.
US Department of Justice Intervenes in Health Insurance Whistleblower Lawsuit Brought by Lieff Cabraser Against Centene Corporation
The Lieff Cabraser law firm represents a former employee. NASHVILLE, Tenn.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–On October 27, 2026, the United States sued one of the nation’s largest health insurance companies, Centene Corporation, for fraud under the False Claims Act. Lieff Cabraser’s Nashville Office is proud to represent the relator, who brought this matter to the government after internal
Rhode Island voters approve higher education bond, providing funds for new URI integrated health building
KINGSTON, R.I. – Nov. 5, 2026 – Rhode Island voters overwhelmingly approved Question 1 on Election Day, Nov. 3, authorizing a $275 million bond investment in the state’s public colleges and universities, including $165 million for a new integrated health building at the University of Rhode Island’s Kingston Campus. The bond approval represents a significant […]
State Launches New Rural Health Transformation Program Dashboard
NC Awarded $100M for Year 2, Funding to Come in Phases
Oregon was once a Republican stronghold. This politician started shifting the balance in 1954
For much of the first half of the 20th century, Oregon was effectively a one-party Republican state. Democrats had not won a U.S. Senate seat in 40 years, had not won a U.S. House seat in 18 years, and had controlled the state legislature for only four of 74 years since 1880. Into this landscape emerged Richard Neuberger, a Portland-born journalist of Jewish heritage whose prolific writing career, progressive convictions and remarkable personal drive would reshape Oregon politics.
Don’t miss the Ocean State Business Expo and Networking Event
Coming up on Tuesday, November 10, at the Crowne Plaza is terrific event not to be missed, the Ocean State Business Expo and Networking Event. Taking place in the Grand Ballroom and Lobby from 3-7p…
To better predict destructive hail, these scientists are turning to AI
Current forecasts often give warnings about hailstorms 30 minutes in advance. Researchers at Colorado State University say their models may be able to lead to alerts hours or days ahead of time.
The Texas-size Political Tremor Rattling Big Business
The Lone Star State’s business-friendly playbook could be rewritten by the Democrats’ election sweep there.
Memorial Health to close one of its Springfield facilities
"We are working with each of the residents and their families to create transition plans, including placements at other facilities if appropriate," said the statement.
MSUM Political Science Professor shares insight on Kupec, Peterson Minn. Senate race separated by four votes
MOORHEAD, Minn. (KVRR) - DFL State Senator Rob Kupec of Moorhead has always been aware that his District 4 sea...
Duke Football: NC State Preview
Get ready for a neighborhood brawl.
Here’s how to watch Ohio State women’s basketball vs Central Michigan for free
The Ohio State women are back in action tonight at The Schott. Here’s everything you need to know to stream the game vs. Central Michigan.
Sunflower Health Plan Earns 4 out of 5 Stars in NCQA's Health Plan Ratings 2026: Medicaid
Sunflower State Health Plan, Inc. (Sunflower Health Plan), a wholly owned subsidiary of Centene Corporation, announced today it has earned 4 out of 5 stars in NCQA's Medicaid Health Plan Ratings 2026.
Save the Date! State of the Science Forum: Community Water Fluoridation (CWF)
The State of the Science Forum: Community Water Fluoridation (CWF) will feature a discussion among experts in the field, residents and Board of Health members on the current evidence and scientific li
Save the Date! State of the Science Forum: Community Water Fluoridation (CWF)
The State of the Science Forum: Community Water Fluoridation (CWF) will feature a discussion among experts in the field, residents and Board of Health members on the current evidence and scientific li
Kamala Harris urges Dems to 'be ruthless' with power after midterms, demands Trump accountability
Former Vice President Kamala Harris, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, and former President Bill Clinton offered their thoughts on the heels of the midterm elections.
What State Street Health Care SPDR (XLV) Bought: Eli Lilly Leads on Nov. 3
The fund added $330.3 million in net purchases, lifting all 60 of its positions with no sells.
Patrick’s Politics: Enjoy this moment of hope
There is good news in the United States today. After two years of one-party Republican rule, the people fought back.
ESPN still predicts Texas A&M to make a bowl game
ESPN still predicts that Texas A&M will make a bowl game, this time potentially facing Arkansas State in the SERVPRO First Responder Bowl.
You Don’t Need to Be a Gambler to Be on ’Tilt’
The term captures the self-defeating loop of losing and not being able to stop. It also describes doomscrolling, politics and our society’s default state.
Michigan State basketball vs Toledo time, TV channel and streaming
Michigan State basketball hosts Toledo in a non-conference game on Thursday, Nov. 5, with the game available to stream on Peacock.
State Prize for VISTA Science Experience Center
The VISTA Science Experience Center was awarded the 2026 Austrian State Prize for Adult Education in the category “Science Education for Adults.” Federal Minister Eva-Maria Holzleitner presented the award on November 4 at the Haus der Begegnung in Vienna. The award recognizes the innovative concept
Scores, updates for Delaware high school girls volleyball playoffs
Check back with Delaware Online/The News Journal each day throughout the state tournaments for updated schedules, scores, photos and highlight videos.
Trump Administration Delays Awards Slated To Improve Rural America’s Health
State leaders who scrambled to win and begin spending their first-year shares of Republicans’ five-year, $50 billion fund are in the dark about how much they’ll receive in the Rural Health Transformation Program’s second year after a federal office notified states that more time is needed to make allocations.
New Oklahoma Children’s OU Health center to expand pediatric behavioral healthcare in state
Oklahoma’s first comprehensive pediatric behavioral health center integrated with a children’s hospital is expected to begin serving patients in December.
How the blue wave almost tilted Louisiana’s Senate race — but Julia Letlow narrowly won
Jamie Davis almost pulled up a shocking upset in a red state. Here’s how Julia Letlow eked out a win.
Brenda Lucas: Community news for Thursday, Nov. 5
Click for community news in the Huntington, West Virginia, and Tri-State area.
When papers become currency: a Chinese debate about trust in science
Last Saturday, 31 October, I went to the University of Hong Kong’s Beijing Centre for its Talent Forum. It was the fourth stop in the series this year, following events in Shanghai’s Zhangjiang, Shenzhen’s Qianhai, and on HKU’s main campus. The programme covered a remarkable distance in one afternoon. HKU’s Xiao-Jing Wang discussed computational neuroscience, intelligence, and the prefrontal cortex—before even delivering his inaugural public lecture to students back in Hong Kong. His colleague Bing Zhang took us from the Big Bang to artificial intelligence. Tsinghua’s Xue Lan asked how AI might reshape the institutional infrastructure underpinning higher education. There were lively panels featuring industry leaders from JD.com, Xiaomi, Haier—and Kaiser Y Kuo on the closing panel discussing innovation and international connections. I cannot pretend to have followed every detail of the brain models or the astrophysics. The talk that stayed with me was closer to something we have covered before: Zhou Zhonghe 周忠和 on papers, evaluation, and scientific trust. Zhou is a palaeontologist, an Academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, and an international member of the US National Academy of Sciences. He is also editor-in-chief of The Intellectual (知识分子), China’s leading science commentary platform. His subject was uncomfortable enough for a room full of successful academics: what happens when the system for recognising good science starts rewarding something else? Part of my interest came from our sister newsletter, The East is Read, which covered the controversy around “Geng Tongxue” in May. A PhD dropout from Beihang University, Geng has publicly challenged papers by prominent researchers through detailed online allegations of manipulated images and fabricated data. At Tongji University, an investigation into a challenged Nature paper found academic misconduct, and the dean of its life sciences school was removed. The affair brought doubts about academic integrity well beyond laboratories and university committees. How could someone outside the established hierarchy spot problems in papers that had passed through prestigious journals and institutions? And what, exactly, had all that prestige guaranteed? Zhou approached these questions through two essays published in July by The Intellectual: one by Wang Xiaodong, director of the National Institute of Biological Sciences, Beijing, and a response by Wang Liming, of Shanghai’s Shangsi Institute of Natural Sciences. Both began with the controversy over Geng. Their arguments deserve a wider audience, so I want to put parts of them alongside what Zhou said on Saturday. Wang Xiaodong’s starting point is evolution. A research system selects for the behaviour it rewards. Grants, jobs, journals, talent programmes, and prizes collectively determine which scientists prosper and which practices get passed down from advisors to students. “Whatever the system rewards is what it will evolve to produce,” he writes, citing the ancient Chinese saying: The King of Chu loved slender waists, and many in the palace starved to death. That is a more demanding diagnosis than saying there are dishonest people in science. Punishing a fraudster does not change the selective environment that made a particular kind of research profitable. His account also gives scientific success an awkward role in the story. As Zhou put it on Saturday, science became a victim of its own success. Once research became central to industry, national power, and economic growth, universities and laboratories expanded, and public money followed. That created an administrative need for rapid decisions: who should get the next grant, the next laboratory, the next appointment? The difficulty is that the true value of a discovery may take years or decades of testing and building to become clear. Resource allocation cannot wait that long. Publication counts, journal prestige, impact factors, and citations therefore become convenient ways to make an instant judgement. “The real problem is not that these indicators have no value,” Wang Xiaodong writes, “but that they are trying to answer a question that only time can answer.” Telling administrators simply to stop counting papers will never be enough. They still have budgets to distribute and appointments to make. Something has to replace the shortcut. Zhou described the consequences inside publishing. Papers acquire ever more requirements: a complete story, polished presentation, extensive datasets, and accessibility to readers beyond the immediate field. Individually, those demands sound reasonable. Together, he warned, they produce formulaic “eight-legged” papers 八股文 and rigid reviewing, while genuinely original or non-consensus work struggles to get past journal editors—some of whom wield immense gatekeeping power despite having limited laboratory experience themselves. Meanwhile, the demands for sprawling, “complete” narratives have fuelled a wider replication crisis. Wang Xiaodong uses a mahjong metaphor to describe the result: put the complex papers published by the exact same lab over several years side by side, and they often look like “Thirteen Orphans” (十三不靠)—every tile completely unrelated to the next, and none of them reproducible by outsiders. Zhou also spoke frankly as an editor who has trouble finding reviewers. Everyone wants someone else to review their work; qualified senior researchers have little time to return the favour. The labour is anonymous, unpaid, and brings almost no institutional recognition, so it increasingly gets passed down to postdocs and graduate students. And while anonymity protects reviewers from rank and personal favours, hyper-specialisation means an author’s most qualified reviewer is often a direct competitor, shielded from accountability. The protection and the problem coexist. Wang Liming takes the argument a step further. The decisive change, in his essay, is the instant conversion of academic honour into material resources. Once a paper can be cashed in for funding, a job, students, commercial investment, or even a company valuation, scientists are alienated from their work: they must keep minting this “research currency” to keep their teams alive. He is careful not to romanticise the past. The old world of gentleman scientists—financially independent figures like Boyle and Darwin who needed nothing from external funders—was also a closed club that excluded people without inherited wealth, women, and much of humanity outside the West. Professional science allowed ordinary people, himself included, to become researchers. Nobody should want to undo that. The problem, in his account, is an exchange system that becomes too uniform and too difficult to correct. His most pointed Chinese example is the “hat” (帽子): the prestigious talent designation that brings continuing access to money, laboratory space, students, and institutional influence. “If papers are the circulating currency of the research system, then a ‘hat’ is a bond that pays interest over the long term,” he writes. A paper at least requires another round of peer review. A title in the Chinese context can lock in a judgement made years ago and turn it into permanent status rent, regardless of whether its holder is still doing good science. Here, official institutions hire, organise, and evaluate scientists. Unlike honours awarded by autonomous academic communities in the West, a Chinese “hat” blends non-scientist administrative power with state authority. Once granted, it turns a past judgement into permanent status rent that is nearly impossible to revoke—because taking a hat off would imply that official authority erred in putting it on. Both Wangs see China as experiencing, at compressed speed, pressures present across global science. Research expansion, rising investment, publication growth, and elaborate evaluation metrics arrived in China within two or three decades rather than two or three centuries. Zhou agreed with that international framing—noting that recent US White House science policy documents and the new president of the US National Academy of Sciences, a fellow palaeontologist who recently visited Zhou’s institute in Beijing, have raised strikingly similar warnings about consensus-bound peer review, short-term project grants, and the replication crisis. Still, Zhou emphasised that China’s traditional hierarchy, personal networks (guanxi), and the ethos that “a good scholar becomes an official” (学而优则仕) amplify those pressures at home. So what would change things? Here Zhou’s tone differed from the call for a revolution in scientific trust in Wang Xiaodong’s essay. As an evolutionary biologist, Zhou favoured patchwork repair (修修补补). Living systems survive through accumulated adjustments; dramatic mutations are usually fatal. Science cannot return to a small, slow-moving pastoral era, especially after the successive accelerations of professionalisation after the Second World War, the internet, and now artificial intelligence. But it can alter the local environment in which researchers work. He pointed to domestic experiments designed to support unconventional research and diversify funding, including Tencent’s New Cornerstone Investigator Program, the Xplorer Prize, and the Future Science Prize. He also mentioned participating in reviews for “major non-consensus projects” under the National Natural Science Foundation of China. One guiding principle he recalled was wonderfully direct: “Failure is allowed; corruption is not” (允许失败，不允许腐败). That distinction would mean quite a lot if taken seriously. An honest attempt that fails should not have to disguise itself as a success to survive an assessment. Wang Liming’s essay adds a sharp caveat to the optimism about new domestic funders. Multiple organisations do not automatically produce multiple ways of judging science. If the same pool of senior domestic scientists makes the decisions through the same two-round review procedures, it is still “fake diversity.” He argues for three distinct kinds of money: broad baseline funding governed by fair procedures; patient funding for questions that take ten years; and non-consensus funding based on individual taste, deliberately empowering a few genuine experts to make biased, contrarian bets on eccentric ideas that would inevitably be averaged out by a committee. Replacing one monopoly with another achieves little; a healthy ecosystem needs variance. Zhou’s proposals for publishing were similarly concrete: strip papers of their resource-allocation burden and return them to recording discoveries and establishing priority; separate dissemination from evaluation, as eLife and Peer Community In do; adopt more modular “micro-publications” and real-name endorsements; recognize the labour of editors and reviewers; and give replication work proper credit rather than treating it as an unpublishable dead end. AI makes every part of this debate more urgent—and Zhou wove it throughout his talk. In his own preparation, he used AI to survey the declining influence of academic monographs, noting how tools are already changing how scholars gather information. More fundamentally, he placed AI as the latest great acceleration in scientific history: just as the internet sped up the pace of research and tightened external resource pressures, AI is compressing the cycle again. In the essays Zhou cited, AI cuts both ways. Wang Xiaodong expects large language models to erase much of the English-writing disadvantage long faced by Chinese scientists, further swelling the flood of papers coming out of Chinese labs. Wang Liming sees AI accelerating both ends of the trust crisis: it lowers the cost of paper mills and fabricated images just as quickly as it lowers the cost of automated image forensics, data auditing, and code reproduction. “Whoever builds the verification layer wins,” Wang Liming writes. His proposed alternative to the static, packaged “story paper” is a continuously versioned “unit of discovery” containing a falsifiable claim, raw data, analysis code, experimental parameters, and an ongoing log of independent checks—where negative results and failed replications are recorded rather than buried. Zhou ended his keynote by bringing AI back to the question of scientific honour and credit. Citing a recent Intellectual discussion on “What AI Means for Mathematics” featuring Fields Medalist Deng Yu 邓煜—at a moment when AI is already batch-solving mathematical conjectures, as HKU Vice-President Lin Chen noted in his opening remarks—Zhou agreed that human researchers must remain the principal agents: AI is a tool that frees scientists from tedious calculation to think about deeper, messier real-world problems. Yet that partnership creates a thorny new evaluation problem. When a breakthrough is made with AI, what is the human contribution and what is the machine’s? And since AI models distil centuries of accumulated human scholarship, is it right that the credit and value flow so heavily to the private AI companies building the tools? The old struggle over how to assign scientific honour is acquiring a whole new layer. What I took away was a serious discussion of how science can remain trustworthy as its scale, incentives, and tools change. These were scientists with real standing inside China’s system questioning how that standing is produced, and proposing changes that would affect their own institutions and peers. That made the afternoon at HKU’s Beijing Centre worthwhile. At the close, Wang Feng, Director of Communications and Public Affairs at HKU, said the value of the forum series—which heads to Hangzhou in December and cities like Chengdu early next year—would lie in the real cooperation it helped bring about. The university has plenty to celebrate: this week it topped the QS Asia rankings for a second consecutive year, alongside its 11th-place position in the QS World University Rankings 2027. For me, bringing this debate to an audience beyond the people who review papers and allocate grants was a useful contribution. 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