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Google's Much-Improved App Icons Are Rolling Out Now
The old icons that debuted five years ago had very little to visually differentiate them.
A Tourist’s Guide to Forza Horizon 6, From A Designer’s Perspective
Take a tour through some of Forza Horizon 6's most iconic locations, and how they were designed, built and adapted for the world of Horizon.
New MatterChat Model Helps AI to ‘See’ the Language of Science
From writing emails to generating computer code, much of the artificial intelligence prevalent in our daily lives has succeeded by mastering one domain: text. However, this leaves a major blind spot in the physical sciences, where models depend on the high-resolution, three-dimensional data of the physical world, like the intricate lattice of atoms in a crystal. Delivering on the promise of using AI for science requires teaching these data-driven text models to seamlessly “talk to” physics-based models. Now, a new AI framework from Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley Lab), called MatterChat, solves this problem by creating a specialized “bridge.” It connects the conversational power of a Large Language Model (LLM) with a physics-based AI that models “interatomic potentials”: the complex physical forces between atoms. The resulting system already significantly outperforms general-purpose AI tools like GPT-4 at predicting material properties, and the team hopes it can accelerate scientific discovery by serving as a robust research partner that provides grounded insights and generates step-by-step instructions for synthesizing novel materials. A paper describing this work was recently published in Nature Machine Intelligence. “Traditional simulations can provide the physical rigor required for materials science, yet their computational cost remains prohibitive for high-throughput screening. Conversely, while LLMs excel at rapid knowledge synthesis, they inherently lack the ‘structural vision’ to interpret materials directly from their underlying atomic coordinates,” said Yingheng Tang, a postdoctoral researcher in Berkeley Lab’s Applied Math and Computational Research Division (AMCR) and lead author on the paper. “MatterChat was built to solve this dilemma, empowering LLMs with a structural ‘vision’ that allows researchers to leverage their full potential for solving complex, real-world materials challenges.” Empowering language models to solve complex challenges in materials science To build MatterChat, the Berkeley Lab team drew inspiration from technologies like Vision Question Answering (VQA) and Text-to-Image (T2I) generation. In these tasks, AI must translate high-level text concepts into visual images, or vice versa. Doing so requires developers to build tools that “bridge” two fundamentally different forms of data. The researchers adapted this concept to the physical sciences. With MatterChat, they created a “bridge model” that successfully connects an LLM’s general knowledge with the deep understanding of the atomic-scale world encoded in scientific interatomic potentials. Until now, researchers using LLMs to solve materials problems usually had to feed them raw data files as if they were just strings of text. It’s like asking an AI to understand a complex 3D engine based only on a parts list: the LLM can read the names, but it can’t “see” how the atoms fit together in space. MatterChat solves this by training a specialized AI bridge model, pre-trained on millions of crystal structures and an LLM, to align the LLM’s representation of the world with the interatomic potential’s representation of the world. The bridge model can translate physical insights into a format the LLM can actually understand. By giving the LLM these “scientific eyes”— a scientific “inductive bias” in the terminology of AI — the Berkeley Lab team has transformed it into a robust research tool capable of providing grounded scientific insights into complex materials challenges, such as predicting thermal stability or analyzing electronic band gaps. “We think of atoms as living in a physical space, but from a machine learning perspective, they are just vectors living in some very non-trivially structured manifold in a high-dimensional Euclidean space; and, of course, the same is true for the sentences and paragraphs that we use to express our ideas about those atoms,” said co-author Michael Mahoney, Berkeley Lab’s Scientific Data Division (SDD) AI Initiative Research Lead. “The bridge model basically gets those two structures to ‘talk with’ each other.” As a proof-of-concept of this general approach, the team trained their bridge model on a dataset curated by pairing nearly 143,000 stable atomic structures from the Materials Project with their corresponding physical properties. This training data was automatically assembled using the Materials Project’s API and deliberately enriched with properties fundamental to microelectronics design — like formation energy and bandgap — allowing MatterChat to learn the complex patterns connecting a material’s atomic blueprint to its functional performance. To validate their model, the researchers benchmarked MatterChat against a suite of other AI systems, from general-purpose LLMs to other specialized scientific AI methods. The results show that MatterChat consistently outperformed its competitors across a range of tasks. The model was more accurate in classifying material types and demonstrated superior precision in predicting numerical properties. For example, it excelled at predicting a material’s bandgap, a property critical for designing new electronics from high-capacity energy storage to next-generation computer chips. “Our design is significantly more efficient because we don’t have to build a massive AI model from the ground up,” said co-author Zhi (Jackie) Yao, a research scientist in Berkeley Lab’s AMCR. “Instead, we take two powerful, pre-trained models — a structural encoder for materials physics and an open-source LLM — and use them off-the-shelf. The only component we actually train is the lightweight ‘bridge model’ that translates between them. It’s the difference between building an entire car factory and simply designing a smart adapter that connects a world-class engine to a world-class navigation system. This approach is not only computationally efficient, but also makes the system modular, so we can easily upgrade components or adapt the bridge for other scientific domains in the future.” Crucially, this modular design highlights exactly how institutions like Berkeley Lab and the Department of Energy are carving out a highly valuable niche in the booming AI landscape. Rather than competing with Silicon Valley tech giants to build ever-larger language models from scratch, the lab is focusing on the specialized connective tissue that makes commercial AI useful for hardcore science. Because the bridge model approach underlying MatterChat is forward-compatible, it is perfectly positioned to leverage these parallel tracks of innovation. As Mahoney pointed out, “We expect that industry will continue to develop improved LLMs, and we expect domain scientists and facilities will continue to generate new data. An important part of scientific machine learning is not simply to solve problems on today’s data, but instead to develop general methods that will be forward-compatible with orders of magnitude more data, whether from scientific domains or from LLMs.” According to Yao, the MatterChat project, which was initially developed and enhanced with funding from a Berkeley Lab Laboratory Directed Research & Development (LDRD) Program, will now expand its capabilities. In a collaboration with Fermilab, MatterChat is already contributing to a U.S. Department of Energy Genesis Mission project — called Accelerating eXtreme Environment Specs-to-Silicon (AXESS) — that aims to speed up the development of next-generation, high-speed, radiation-hardened detectors for challenging particle physics experiments by using advanced 3D integrated circuits (chiplets) and AI-driven data analysis. In addition to the LDRD support, the team also credits supercomputing resources at the National Energy Research Scientific Computing Center (NERSC), located at Berkeley Lab, with MatterChat’s success. “We are incredibly grateful to NERSC; this research simply would not have happened without access to the Perlmutter supercomputer through their AI for Science program,” said Tang. Wenbin Xu, a NERSC postdoctoral fellow at the time, was also a major co-author of the work, as was Benjamin Erichson, a research scientist in Berkeley Lab’s SDD, highlighting the benefits of AMCR-SDD collaboration on AI for science. ### Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley Lab) is committed to groundbreaking research focused on discovery science and solutions for abundant and reliable energy supplies. The lab’s expertise spans materials, chemistry, physics, biology, earth and environmental science, mathematics, and computing. Researchers from around the world rely on the lab’s world-class scientific facilities for their own pioneering research. Founded in 1931 on the belief that the biggest problems are best addressed by teams, Berkeley Lab and its scientists have been recognized with 17 Nobel Prizes. Berkeley Lab is a multiprogram national laboratory managed by the University of California for the U.S. Department of Energy’s Office of Science. DOE’s Office of Science is the single largest supporter of basic research in the physical sciences in the United States, and is working to address some of the most pressing challenges of our time. For more information, please visit energy.gov/science.
Gradient Google icon redesign starts rolling out
Following our report last month, Google is beginning to roll out its gradient icon redesign for Workspace apps.
Most iconic barbecue restaurant in every state
From roadside shacks to barbecue institutions like Franklin Barbecue in Austin, here's the most iconic barbecue restaurant in every state.
Google's new gradient icons for Gmail, Calendar, Drive and more are finally rolling out
Say hello to new icons for Docs, Drive, Gmail, Calendar, Tasks, and more.
Iconic rock group’s founding member dead at 76: ‘Faced illness with remarkable strength’
The New Jersey native co-founded Dr. Hook and the Medicine Show in 1969 and had announced his retirement from touring just months before his death.
‘It’s not supposed to look like you’re going to dive in’: Historians criticize Trump’s Reflecting Pool makeover as group sues
Workers with boots dyed an “American Flag Blue” have painted over about two-thirds of the iconic Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool, covering the dull gray with bright azure following a directive by President Donald Trump to expedite the pace of the project.
Puzzle game Namco Legendary Mountains announced for Nintendo Switch 2, and Switch
BeXide has announced Namco Legendary Mountains for the Nintendo Switch, and the Nintendo Switch 2. The title is planned for launch this summer, with an exact release date not yet provided. Namco Legendary Mountains is similar to titles like 2048 and Suika Game in which you combine icons to create bigger ones. The twist however, is that it takes place...
Stars at the ACM Awards do the iconic 'Let's Go Girls' by Shania Twain
Shania Twain hosted the 2026 Academy of Country Music Awards in Las Vegas. Watch stars say her iconic line on the red carpet.
Phonon-polaritonic skyrmions: transition from bubble- to Néel-type
Light: Science & Applications - We demonstrate wavelength-tunable surface phonon-polariton skyrmions on silicon carbide membranes. Leveraging strong material dispersion, we experimentally...
What That Line Under The Battery Icon On Your iPhone Lock Screen Is For
What is the line under the battery icon on your iPhone lock screen? We explain the Control Center indicator and how disabling it prevents iPhone theft.
Astrobiology Science Conference (AbSciCon26) Media Tips 2: Technosignatures, Life in Space, Existential Questions, Robot Explorers
The 2026 Astrobiology Science Conference hosted by the American Geophysical Union (AGU) will convene next week
Kentucky’s curious cast of political characters
Rep. Thomas Massie is just one of a tradition of powerful and iconoclastic politicians from Kentucky.
I almost gave up on Google Calendar until this Gemini hack fixed my main gripe
Google Calendar gets better when I don't have to open it
No one's happy in Silicon Valley, Menlo Ventures partner says
More money, more problems, as they say. Menlo Ventures partner Deedy Das paints a bleak picture of the mood in Silicon Valley right now.
Sames, local organizations recognized at Laredo Chamber awards
Evelyn Sames, Clear Choice Emergency Room and other local leaders were recognized during the Business Icons Awards in Laredo.
John Cena plans to lift weights in his 80s: longevity lessons from WWE
WWE icon John Cena said he's training for longevity with 3 tips he picked up in his pro wrestling career. He wants to stay strong for years to come.
Why We Can’t Cut Earth Science to Fund the Next Earthrise Shot
We love space, but not as an abstraction. For my twin sons, it is a tradition. Their birthday themes have evolved from “Two the Moon” for their second birthday, featured on NASA.gov, to “From Space to the Farm,” with the boys in those iconic orange astronaut suits, standing in a cornfield. In the ye...
I removed Samsung's unremovable apps, and now my phone zips along
Half an hour with ADB and my Samsung finally runs clean
First Public macOS Kernel Exploit on Apple M5 Prepared Using Mythos Preview in Five Days
Apple's M5 silicon has reportedly been exploited for the first time in a public macOS kernel memory corruption attack, successfully bypassing the company's notable hardware-level memory protection.
Stunning 150-million-year-old stegosaur skull rewrites dinosaur evolution
A spectacular dinosaur discovery in Spain is giving scientists a rare new look inside the world of stegosaurs. Paleontologists uncovered the best-preserved stegosaur skull ever found in Europe, belonging to the iconic plated dinosaur Dacentrurus armatus, which roamed Earth around 150 million years ago. Because stegosaur skulls are extremely fragile and almost never survive intact, the fossil is helping researchers uncover previously unknown details about how these armored giants evolved.
'Pawn Stars' icon Rick Harrison says Trump tax policies change everything for small businesses
Rick Harrison of "Pawn Stars" told Fox News that workers at his Las Vegas businesses are seeing astronomical tax returns thanks to Trump's small business tax policies.
Gavin Newsom targets California businesses with new digital software tax
‘The Big Money Show’ discusses Gov. Gavin Newsom’s proposed new tax on digital software purchases as Silicon Valley faces mounting pressure from AI disruption and Wall Street volatility.
Cleveland Browns win the schedule announcements with iconic YouTube names
The Browns just dropped the best schedule release video in team history.
How to Prevent Chrome Browser from Downloading 4GB of Local AI Model Files
If you’re a Mac user of the Chrome web browser, as many are, you might be interested to know that the latest versions of Chrome default to downloading a large local Gemini AI model that can t…
Googlebook finally delivers a true desktop with app icons and widgets to Google’s laptops
For over a decade, the ChromeOS desktop has been little more than a glorified wallpaper viewer. While there is definitely an appeal to that distraction-free, minimalist approach, users migrating...
VW Ads Have Occasionally Ventured Into Science Fiction
Usually when I talk about Volkswagen advertising, I tend to talk about their golden age of ads, the midcentury ones created by Doyle Dane Bernbach (DDB) that we all know, the ones that have become icons of advertising. The other day when I wrote about car ads that feature zero cars in them, I referenced […]
What crypto’s success means for American politics
The legislative triumph of the crypto industry in the Senate this week may be a Rubicon-crossing moment for the shape of U.S. capitalism.
Silicon Valley's latest binge-watch is a humanoid warehouse worker
Figure AI's livestream of a humanoid robot sorting packages drew millions of views, and showed the promise and limits of warehouse automation.
Belgian entertainment group Studio 100 posts record turnover and profit in 2025
The Belgian entertainment group Studio 100, known for the Plopsa theme parks and iconic Belgian children's TV characters such as Samson and Plop...
Bomani Jones on Jordan, LeBron, Politics, and Why Sports Are Never Just Sports
In this new episode Maury sits down with the brilliant @righttimebomani to explore the powerful intersection of sports and culture. The conversation serves as a moving tribute to Maury’s father, the legendary Shirley Povich, a titan of sports journalism who utilized his iconic column to challenge the status quo and break social barriers. Together, Maury […]
‘Gemini Spark’ is Google’s upcoming AI agent in the Gemini app
In the ramp up to I/O 2026, Google has been working on adding a more advanced agent. It now looks like it will be branded as “Gemini Spark.”
Google is quietly turning Gemini into a productivity OS, and it's awesome
The silent takeover
Seaport Entertainment Group and the Team Behind Public Records Announce Partnership to Open New Project in New York City’s Seaport Neighborhood
NEW YORK, May 14, 2026--Seaport Entertainment Group (NYSE: SEG) today announced a partnership with Public Service, the organization behind Public Records, to develop a new project in the Seaport in Lower Manhattan. The restaurant concept, which will involve the revitalization of a historic building, is expected to open in 2027. This addition brings an exciting new dimension to one of the most iconic waterfront neighborhoods in New York City.
YAS ISLAND TO BE HOME OF SPHERE ABU DHABI, A NEW GLOBAL ICON FOR IMMERSIVE ENTERTAINMENT
The Department of Culture and Tourism – Abu Dhabi (DCT Abu Dhabi) and Sphere Entertainment Co. (NYSE: SPHR) today announced that Yas Island has been selected as the location for Sphere Abu Dhabi, a landmark project with a construction phase cost of USD 1.7 billion. Poised to become a global icon, the venue will attract tourists from around the world, boost economic diversification, and strengthen Abu Dhabi's sense of place for residents and visitors alike. Sphere Abu Dhabi, which will be the first Sphere venue outside the United States, will be built on a plot of land between Yas Mall and SeaWorld Abu Dhabi, with lush green surroundings and proximity to other Yas Island theme parks and attractions. Construction on the venue is expected to be completed by the end of 2029. HE Mohamed Khalifa Al Mubarak, Chairman of DCT Abu Dhabi, said: "Abu Dhabi has always built for the long term, and Sphere Abu Dhabi is a powerful demonstration of that commitment. In a region where the appetite for
Apple wants apps to integrate with Siri in iOS 27, but one fear holds some back: report
Apple is reportedly working with developers to get apps integrated with the new Siri, but it’s facing concerns over a key point: money.
Jim Cramer on Affirm: “This Is Now a Very Profitable Business”
Affirm Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ:AFRM) was among Jim Cramer’s stock calls on Mad Money as he discussed how semiconductor and AI infrastructure stocks are driving the market higher. Cramer noted a “great opportunity” in the stock, as he said: Alright, what do we make of these numbers from Affirm Holdings, the king of buy now, pay […]
Iconic diner chain set to close dozens of locatons after 60 years in business
The chain is shaking things up to try to stay competitive.
Thinking Machines Lab sees key talent leave for Meta, OpenAI, xAI
Thinking Machines Lab, led by former OpenAI CTO Mira Murati, faces talent loss to rivals like Meta amid Silicon Valley's competitive AI sector.
Scientists discover a mysterious silicone pollutant that may be everywhere
Researchers have uncovered unexpectedly high levels of silicone-based pollutants called methylsiloxanes floating through the atmosphere across cities, rural regions, and even forests. Much of the pollution appears to come from vehicle emissions, likely linked to engine oil additives that survive combustion and escape into the air. Scientists say humans may inhale more of these compounds daily than other notorious pollutants like PFAS or microplastics.
From nuisance to raw material: Trying to solve the sargassum crisis
As increasing amounts of sargassum are washing up on beaches in Mexico, companies are working to solve the crisis sustainably.
Evelyn Sames wins 2026 Laredo Business ICONS award
Sames Auto Group CEO Evelyn Sames was named 2026 Business Person of the Year by the Laredo Chamber of Commerce.
Ian McKellen says 'Star Wars' icon told him to avoid LGBTQ politics
Ian McKellen revealed in a new interview that he was allegedly discouraged by fellow actor Alec Guinness from speaking out on LGBTQ rights.
Diane Keaton’s Daughter Pens Heartfelt Mother’s Day Tribute to Late Actress
'First Mother’s Day without you,' Dexter 'Dexie' White began her post honoring the iconic actress.
Diane Keaton’s Daughter Pens Heartfelt Mother’s Day Tribute to Late Actress
'First Mother’s Day without you,' Dexter 'Dexie' White began her post honoring the iconic actress.
Democrats’ internal fights sway the race to succeed Nancy Pelosi in San Francisco
With just weeks to go in the first round of the race to replace Nancy Pelosi in her San Francisco-based district, an iconic center of liberalism is trying to figure out what comes next. As the Democratic Party churns over what makes a progressive and what kind of fighters its base wants, how to tackle affordability, or even whether to use the word “genocide” about Gaza, those fights are coming to a head on in the streets of the city Pelosi has represented since 1987.
Alok Gadkar of Tuesday: Balancing Science and Storytelling in Healthcare
Alok is co-founder, CEO and CCO of Tuesday, a Dubai-based independent creative agency designed to shape culture and challenge convention. Alok cut his teeth at agencies in India before relocating to Dubai, earning Campaign's "Young Creatives to Watch." He went on to craft fashion work for Splash and launch new brands including Iconic. Alok mentors Alok is co-founder, CEO & CCO of Tuesday, a Dubai-based independent creative agency designed to shape culture and challenge convention. Alok cut his teeth at agencies in India before relocating to Dubai, quickly earning Campaign's "Young Creatives to Watch." He went on to craft iconic fashion work for Splash and launch new brands including Iconic.
New Beatles fan experience set to open in London in 2027
The Beatles are returning to one of their iconic sites with a new fan experience in London | KMBZ
New Beatles fan experience set to open in London in 2027
The Beatles are returning to one of their iconic sites with a new fan experience in London | KNSS Radio
New Beatles fan experience set to open in London in 2027
The Beatles are returning to one of their iconic sites with a new fan experience in London | 1080 WTIC NEWSTALK
New Beatles fan experience set to open in London in 2027
The Beatles are returning to one of their iconic sites with a new fan experience in London.
New Beatles fan experience set to open in London in 2027
The Beatles are returning to one of their iconic sites with a new fan experience in London.
Here's how Apple could make its Hide My Email feature even better for iCloud+ users
Introduced in iOS 15, Hide My Email is an iCloud+ feature that does exactly what it says on the tin...
Zavion Thomas Already Familiar with Bears Royalty
Rookie Zavion Thomas brings explosive versatility to Chicago, drawing inspiration from return legend Devin Hester and embracing a rumored family connection to the iconic Walter Payton.
6 Android apps I keep on my phone specifically because they ignore AI
Android apps that do their jobs without AI getting in the way
Letter: Science corrects itself, but doesn’t issue an apology
For 20 years, climate scientists fed the public a steady diet of apocalyptic projections — flooded cities, mass extinctions, a planet on the verge of collapse. What they didn’t prominently disclose was that most of those projections w…
Remembering Bobby Cox, iconic manager of the Atlanta Braves
A former player, general manager and manager, Cox let an indelible imprint on the organization.
Scientists just sent unhackable quantum keys across 120 kilometers
Scientists have taken a major step toward ultra-secure quantum communication by demonstrating a remarkably stable quantum encryption system that worked across more than 120 kilometers of optical fiber. Using tiny semiconductor quantum dots that emit single particles of light on demand, the team achieved one of the highest secure key rates yet for this type of technology while maintaining continuous operation for over six hours without manual adjustments.
Iconic Chicago museum named among world's best by popular travel magazine
One of the city's most recognizable attractions recently earned worldwide recognition.
Sony Accelerates Entertainment and AI Strategy as Anime Business Drives Growth at FY2026 Management Briefing
Sony accelerates anime and AI growth strategy as Crunchyroll surpasses 21 million subscribers during its FY2026 management briefing.
Review: FRANKLINLAND Holds the Key to Entertainment at B St. Theatre
Forty years celebrating the iconic B St. Theatre continues with Franklinland, an engaging exploration of power, legacy, and the bonds between father and son. Lloyd Suh’s play about the complexities of Benjamin Franklin has an emotional core that centers on the volatile relationship between the founding father and his son, William. Director Sean Patrick Nill approaches the show with a balance of comedy and sincerity, wasting no time establishing the imbalance between icon and son.
China’s bet on frontier science
The 15th Five-Year Plan seeks to turn China’s industrial strength into frontier science, but structural constraints may determine how far it can go
2026 National Defense Science and Engineering Graduate (NDSEG) Fellowship Award
First year Materials and Nanoscience graduate student Stéphane Miaule (Tolbert group) has been awarded the 2026 National Defense Science and Engineering Graduate (NDSEG) Fellowship, one of the country’s most prestigious honors for graduate students in the fields of Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM). The program, jointly sponsored by the U.S. Army, Navy, and Air Force, supports doctoral students across a broad range of scientific and technological fields of strategic importance. This highly competitive fellowship provides full tuition, fees, and a monthly stipend for three years. In 2026, only 102 fellowships were awarded nationwide, and Stéphane is the sole recipient from UCLA. Before transferring from Santa Monica College to UCLA, Stéphane interned at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center and Marshall Space Flight Center, where he researched the mechanical and thermodynamic properties of lunar regolith, as well as radiation shielding materials for lunar habitation development. At UCLA, he joined the Soft Materials Research Laboratory under Professor Qibing Pei, focusing on the synthesis and characterization of hafnium oxide nanocomposite scintillators. After earning his bachelor’s degree in chemistry, he remained in the Soft Materials Research Laboratory as a post-baccalaureate researcher for one year before joining Professor Sarah Tolbert’s group as a Ph.D. student. Stéphane’s Ph.D. research is focused on improving the properties of conjugated polymers, which are a family of plastic materials that can conduct electricity. Stéphane is specifically looking at self-assembling polymers that can be processed in water to create light-weight, flexible, high-conductivity polymer devices without the need for toxic or volatile organic solvents. After completing his Ph.D., Stéphane hopes to work in a national laboratory, researching semiconducting polymers for applications in new electronic devices. “The Graduate (1967) featured a memorable scene in which the protagonist was told that ‘there’s a great future in plastics.’ We know this still holds true today, as polymer research has expanded rapidly due to the wide variety of applications these materials enable. Through my work on semiconducting polymers, I hope to contribute to the continued development of plastic electronics,” Stéphane said. Penny Jennings, UCLA Department of Chemistry & Biochemistry, penjen@g.ucla.edu.
Scientists split gentoo penguins into four species, one totally new to science
The four-foot-tall Emperor penguin of Antarctica may be the most iconic member of this unique family of birds, but 17 other species of penguins populate the Southern Hemisphere, many of them confined ...
iOS 27 has new features coming for two of iPhone’s most popular apps
Here are all of the rumored new features that iOS 27 will bring to two of the iPhone’s most popular apps: Camera and Photos.
WOAH Statement on Hantavirus - WOAH - World Organisation for Animal Health
Hantavirus is a zoonotic disease, meaning it originates in animals — primarily rodents — before crossing into human populations.
The bromance that never was: Why the budding relationship between Vicente Fox and George W. Bush failed
It wasn't only broccoli that nipped the budding bromance between George W. Bush and Vicente Fox in the bud. But the vegetable didn't help.
Colorado Senate honors journalism icon Fred Brown
The Colorado Senate on Thursday honored longtime Denver Post bureau chief Fred Brown with a ceremony as distinctive as the journalist himself, donning masks bearing his likeness and celebrating his five decades of shaping political reporting and ethical standards in the state. The tribute, offered by Sen. Mark Baisley, R-Woodland Park, noted Brown’s 50 years […]
Mexico in Numbers: Women's representation in politics
Mexico in Numbers: Mexican women in politics now hold 50% of cabinet seats, lead 44% of states and are a majority in the Chamber of Deputies.
Trump's pick for science director: a Silicon Valley investor with no science background
Jim O'Neill, a longevity enthusiast and vaccine skeptic, is Trump's pick to head the National Science Foundation
The Museum of Innovation and Science is gearing up for its annual "Big Bang" fundraiser
The Museum of Innovation and Science is gearing up for its annual Big Bang fundraiser tonight, inviting the community to celebrate science, art, and the future
Silicon Valley Bank Expands Life Science & Healthcare Team
/PRNewswire/ -- Expanding its already deep bench of sector expertise, Silicon Valley Bank (SVB), a division of First Citizens Bank, announced it has added...
Is the FDA Really Suppressing Science? Plus. . .
It’s Thursday, May 7. This is The Front Page, your daily window into the world of The Free Press—and our take on the world at large. Today: Aaron MacLean says Trump is poised to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory in the Iran war. Joe Klein on the life of CNN founder Ted Turner. Jillian Lederman on why cruise ships are here to stay. And much more. But first: Is the FDA suppressing science? On Tuesday, The New York Times published a story with an alarming takeaway. “FDA Blocked Publication of Research Finding Covid and Shingles Vaccines Were Safe,” read the headline. It is the latest in a string of stories that all have the same message: The Food and Drug Administration (FDA), and other agencies, are engaged in a cover-up—and silencing scientists trying to get the word out about the Covid vaccine. What all these stories suggest—some more subtly than others—is that the outsiders now running the public health establishment, officials such as Marty Makary at the FDA and Jay Bhattacharya at the National Institutes of Health, are on a revenge tour. That they are doing harm to the country to get back at the scientists and bureaucrats who ostracized them for deviating from the public-health consensus during the pandemic. It’s a seductive narrative. But is it true? That’s the question we address in our latest editorial. —The Editors Read [ Marty Makary's FDA Has All the Right Enemies ](https://www.thefp.com/p/marty-makary-vaccine-study-fda) [ Trump Blinks First ](https://www.thefp.com/p/iran-peace-deal-pakistan-trump-strait-of-hormuz) Aaron MacLean In return for no detectable concessions, President Trump this week gave up on forcing open the Strait of Hormuz. Now, the Trump administration looks desperate for a deal to end the war with Iran. It’s easy to understand the desire to end the war, but are they blowing the chance at victory? Aaron MacLean makes sense of the administration’s latest moves—and Iran’s response—in his column today. Read full story Aaron MacLean and Niall Ferguson: Live in New York City Join Aaron MacLean and Niall Ferguson on May 19 for a live recording of School of War at the iconic New York Historical. In a conversation as timely as it is wide-ranging, Aaron and Niall will explore the strategic stakes of the moment, including the Middle East, China, and the future of American leadership on the global stage. Get Tickets Now [ Ted Turner, the Optimist Who Built CNN ](https://www.thefp.com/p/ted-turner-cnn-tribute) Joe Klein The man who gave us CNN and the 24-hour news cycle, Ted Turner, died Wednesday at the age of 87. Today, political writer Joe Klein—who almost ghostwrote Turner’s autobiography—remembers his friend, the American media mogul who stood out for his idealism and lack of a filter—something that got Turner in trouble more than once. “His was not a traditional intelligence, but one of horizon: Ted saw things before other people did,” Joe writes. Read full story [ Nothing Can Sink the Cruise Ship ](https://www.thefp.com/p/cruise-ship-hantavirus) Jillian Lederman A viral outbreak on a cruise ship that left three passengers dead has left some people wondering: Are cruise ships on the way out? Not so fast, says Jillian Lederman, who has been on many a cruise herself. Read her piece on why 38 million people a year take a cruise—and aren’t about to stop. Read full story [ The Great Writers Who Were Terrible People ](https://www.thefp.com/p/the-great-writers-who-were-terrible) Shilo Brooks Throughout history, some of the greatest literary geniuses have also been immoral bigots. In the latest episode of Old School, Shilo Brooks is joined by Eli Lake for a conversation about those geniuses, from Voltaire to Norman Mailer and Roald Dahl—and why we should read their work despite their odious prejudices. Listen on MORE FROM THE FREE PRESS [ Inside the Digital Intifada ](https://www.thefp.com/p/digital-intifada-social-media-hamas-terror) Warren Kinsella Read full story [ This Week in American History: Trump’s Over-Arching Problem ](https://www.thefp.com/p/this-week-in-american-history-trumps-over-arching-problem) Jonathan Horn Read full story [ Humanity Is Still Evolving—and Fast ](https://www.thefp.com/p/humanity-is-still-evolvingand-fast) Razib Khan Read full story THE NEWS Thirteen D.C. Metropolitan Police officers have been placed on administrative leave and could face termination after an internal investigation found evidence that crime statistics were manipulated to make the city look safer. The Republican-led House Oversight Committee previously alleged that former D.C. police chief Pamela Smith pressured officers to skew data. Tennessee Republicans unveiled a redrawn U.S. House map yesterday that would split up Memphis’s black-majority Democratic district, the latest move in a nationwide push to redraw congressional boundaries ahead of the midterms. The effort follows a Supreme Court ruling last week on Louisiana’s districts, which Tennessee House Speaker Cameron Sexton said gave states the green light to redraw maps along partisan lines. Israel struck Beirut for the first time since a ceasefire with Hezbollah took effect last month, saying it targeted a commander of the militant group’s elite Radwan force in the city’s southern suburbs. The strikes risk destabilizing that truce at a delicate moment, as Iran and the U.S. report progress toward a deal to resolve their own standoff. The U.S. Air Force is aiming for a Fourth of July delivery of a Boeing 747 gifted by Qatar, hoping to add it to the Air Force One fleet in time for the U.S.’s 250th anniversary, Reuters reported. (For more on the controversy surrounding the aircraft, read Jed Rubenfeld’s piece “It’s a Terrible Idea, but Trump Probably Can Accept a Free Jet from Qatar.”) Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick testified privately before Congress that he has no memory of why he and his family dined on Jeffrey Epstein’s private island in 2012, according to Reuters. The admission contradicts Lutnick’s earlier claim that he had cut ties with the convicted sex offender well before that visit. Weeks before a former JPMorgan investment banker filed a lawsuit packed with explosive allegations, the bank reportedly offered him $1 million to settle his sexual assault and harassment claims, according to The Wall Street Journal. The suit, filed by Chirayu Rana, alleges he was sexually assaulted by a female colleague, subjected to racial discrimination, and forced into a degrading dynamic at work. JPMorgan says the claims lack merit, and the female colleague’s lawyers call the accusations fabricated. A new report from the Hartford Institute for Religion Research shows that, for the first time in roughly 20 years, church attendance is trending upward, with more people volunteering and clergy expressing renewed optimism. The study’s authors described the findings, based on a survey of more than 7,400 congregations, as showing signs of widespread recovery from low attendance numbers.
As federal scientists faced turmoil, the Devils Hole pupfish reached a crisis point
The Devils hole pupfish lives in just one spot in Death Valley. Wildlife officials have managed this iconic fish for decades, and last spring, just as the Trump administration was laying off all kinds of scientists, the wild population of this fish plummeted to only 20 individuals. Officials then took an irrevocable step.
Atari Acquires Rights to the Legendary Wizardry RPGs
Atari® (Euronext Growth Paris: ALATA) — one of the world's most iconic consumer brands and interactive entertainment producers — announced today the acquisit...
Google Says Pixel Phones Won't Get Apple's Liquid Glass Design
The Android operating system for Pixel smartphones is not going to take design cues from Apple and adopt a Liquid Glass aesthetic, Google Android president Sameer Samat said recently (via 9to5Google). In response to a social media mockup of an Android device with a Liquid Glass design, Samat said, "Not happening! Y'all are wild". The mockup was in response to a teaser video for The Android Show: I/O, which depicted the Android mascot pulling a light switch and turning translucent.
The Unintended Consequence the War in the Middle East Could Have on Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company's Business
Luckily, it shouldn't slow down the chipmaker's momentum.
BioShock, game prices, GTA, the disappearing NFL deal and more: An interview with Take Two CEO Strauss Zelnick
In 20 years of covering the video game beat, I’d probably not spoken more than 20 words with Take Two chairman Strauss Zelnick, who’s been running the company behind NBA 2K, Grand Theft Auto, BioShock and Red Dead Redemption for, you guessed it, nearly 20 years. Last week, though, ahead of a panel I was hosting at the iicon event in Las Vegas, I had about 20 minutes to interview Zelnick. I could ask one question for each year, I joked, as we settled into our seats on opposite sides of a conference table. Take Two’s longtime head of corporate communications, Alan Lewis, was seated at Zelnick’s side. I didn’t quite conduct our chat that way, but we wound up going through a lot, including… The state of BioShock The ramifications of the rising costs of game development The fate of Take Two’s recent multi-game deal with the NFL Some hints about Take Two’s mobile plans Whether Zelnick’s answer to me about Civ VII was a good one The do’s and don’t’s of NBA 2K microtransactions Take Two’s take on the Switch 2 Oh, and GTA VI (Spoiler: if Zelnick had spilled the beans on the price of the game or a release date for a PC version or whether there will be a polka radio station, that would have been this article’s headline). Before all of that, I would learn what it’s like to interview Strauss Zelnick, who is confident, calm and focused on delivering precise answers. To wit, I thought I’d start our chat with something fun, a bit insidery but maybe safe for him to share. The team at Take Two’s Rockstar label delays their games a lot, I noted. Of course, those delays, however painful, tend to be worth it. So, I was wondering how Zelnick finds out about them. Take the most recent postponement back in November 2025, when Rockstar said that GTA VI would not hit its May 26, 2026 release date (just 20 days from now!) and would instead come out on November 19, 2026. Was that news delivered via a call? An email? How does it work? “I work super closely with my team,” Zelnick said. “It's a very thin team at Take Two. The entire senior management team is six executives who sit in one hallway and share two assistants. And then, basically, there are two people who head up each of our labels.” They meet weekly to discuss their business, he said. So no one emails him about a delay? Nothing like that? Zelnick craned his neck to look at my left hand. He asked if I was married. I am, I said. “Does your partner email you to give you information?” he asked. Fair enough. I didn’t get the sense Zelnick was going to read me the minutes of the management meeting where the GTA VI delay was discussed. Slight pivot, maybe I could get some personality insights about one of the most successful gaming execs of the last 20 years, before getting to my big list of questions about specific Take Two games, franchises and policies. I asked: How do you deal with delay news like that? Go for a run? Meditate? “I tend to default to being very calm,” he said. “I’m not a person who freaks out easily.” He noted that he has a daughter with special needs due to an illness, and he shared that that situation had gotten him worked up. It was a personal, family emergency. “But, you know, business is not that,” he said. “I have no trouble distinguishing between, like, a business challenge and an emergency.” He turned to his left to ask Lewis, his colleague of 17 years, a question. “Have you ever seen me freak out?” “Never,” Lewis replied. “You’ve seen me upset,” Zelnick told Lewis. “Have you seen me raise my voice? Maybe how many times? Be honest, because we might as well be.”
Anime News, Top Stories & In-Depth Anime Insights
Stay on top of anime news and updates straight out of Japan with Crunchyroll News. From breaking stories to evergreen content, get all your anime and manga news updates in one place. You heard it here first!
Tech’s big tobacco moment: problems and solutions
Silicon Valley has spent decades perfecting the digital hook; now, the most profitable growth sector might just be the one that teaches us how to unhook...
Atlanta hip-hop icon Ludacris announced as Black Music and Entertainment Walk of Fame inductee
Princess Ivori said she recognized Ludacris’ potential early, pointing to his drive and consistency even in his earliest days in radio.
This iconic L.A. Mexican restaurant is celebrating 70 years in business with a special honor
Iconic Mexican restaurant Casa Vega was given a special honor on Tuesday as the Sherman Oaks staple celebrates 70 years in business. A ceremony was held to commemorate the naming of the intersectio…
Dolly Parton cancels Vegas residency due to health issues. What is wrong
The iconic Dolly Parton recently canceled a planned a series of appearances in Las Vegas. Here's why.
Lego Batman's Developers Are Trying To Do It All
Lego Batman has to distill decades of comic book iconography into a rewarding but breezy adventure
Mini-STEM Oct 11, 2013
Mini-STEM Oct 11, 2013 page for Science Technology Engineering and Mathematics at USNA.edu. Updated Fri Sep 05 15:45:17 EDT 2025.
Mini-STEM March 21, 2014
Mini-STEM Oct 11, 2013 page for Science Technology Engineering and Mathematics at USNA.edu. Updated Fri Sep 05 15:45:17 EDT 2025.
Drag performances, karaoke and more: ICONS offers a week of entertainment
At ICONS gay piano bar, the drinks are strong, the vocals are stronger and the stage is never empty for long. Known for its singing bartenders and high-energy atmosphere, the downtown bar at 16 E. Kiowa St. is keeping the spotlight on all week long with a lineup that blends drag, music and community connection. […]
Chiefs Icon praises Patrick Mahomes for affecting post-football income
During a recent media appearance, Kansas City Chiefs Icon Christian Okoye praised Patrick Mahomes for affecting post-football income | @EdEastonJr
Apple confirms iOS 26.5 Messages app adds RCS end-to-end encryption
iOS 26.5’s RC is available now, and Apple has confirmed that the update will bring a key RCS upgrade we’ve been waiting for.
Barry Manilow postpones shows for fourth time in 5 months
The iconic singer underwent surgery for lung cancer in December.
Yankees announcer John Sterling passes away at 87
The sports world is mourning the loss of one of its most iconic voices. Longtime New York Yankees radio voice John Sterling has passed away at the age of 87. Sterling stepped into the Yankees broadcast booth in 1989 after spending much of the 1980s calling games in Atlanta for the Hawks and Braves. He…
Resident Evil Requiem Producer Dodges NVIDIA DLSS 5 Question, But Fan Reaction to Her Design Speaks Louder Than Words
Capcom producer reacts to Resident Evil Requiem DLSS 5 backlash and the future of icons like Leon Kennedy
Fallout Officially Returns With A New July 2026 Release
Fallout's iconic Nuka Girl returns this July with official new release.
Motorola Beats Apple And Samsung: The Razr Ultra 2026 Debuts Innovative Battery Tech
Motorola’s latest is the first major U.S.-focused smartphone brand to use a carbon-silicon battery.