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Hornets eyeing entertainment district around Spectrum Center
The Charlotte Hornets leadership says they are still interested in an entertainment district around the Spectrum Center.
Newsom says he regrets earlier comments likening Israel to an ‘apartheid state’
California Gov. Gavin Newsom said that he regretted using the word “apartheid” to describe the Israeli government’s treatment of Palestinians, though he warned “that’s a word you may hear others use” if Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu pushes for territorial gains.
A $25 minimum wage in D.C. could shift business to N. Va., restaurant association says
A $25 minimum wage proposal in D.C. could push some restaurant workers into Northern Virginia in the short term and, in the long term, potentially drive businesses to relocate as well, the head of the region's restaurant association says. The Restaurant Association Metropolitan Washington -- an outspoken opponent of D.C.'s Initiative 82, which sought to phase
Google says Pixel Watch step counts and other stats are fixed, but your data won’t be
Following a few days where Pixel Watch owners would run into wonky step counts and other stats, Google says the...
Epic Games cuts 1000 jobs, says Fortnite engagement is down
Epic Games also increased the price of V-Bucks, the Fortnite in-game currency.
Epic Games lays off over 1,000 employees following "downturn in Fortnite engagement"
CEO Tim Sweeney says cuts are necessary to "keep the company funded" and to put it "in a more stable place"
Ed Davey accuses Reform UK and Tories of importing ‘Trump-style divisive politics’
Lib Dems will focus on ‘rolling up their sleeves and getting things done’, leader says at launch of local election campaign
Public health alert issued for ground beef product; possible foreign material contamination
PORTSMOUTH, Va. (WAVY)– The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) has issued a public health alert for a ground beef product. Officials say the R…
Ayaneo says selling its Windows gaming handheld ‘is no longer sustainable’
The RAM shortage claims another victim.
WashU Expert: Sports betting is ‘all around us, all the time’
Sports betting is “all around us, all the time,” says Washington Universisty in St. Louis’ Noah Cohan, who studies sports and fan cultures. In this Q&A, Cohan discusses the rise of online gambling, the formative impact of fantasy sports and how structural changes are reshaping the fan experience.
Is it ‘Ih-ran’ or ‘E-ron’? Inside the politics of pronunciation
Both President Trump and Vice President Vance pronounce Iran as ‘Ih-RAN,’ not ‘Ih-RON.’ A linguist says that how the country’s name is pronounced may be a political choice.
G.SKILL showcases DDR5-10000 memory speed on Core Ultra 7 270K Plus
G.SKILL says existing DDR5 kits are now Intel XMP 3.0 Ready for Core Ultra 200S Plus G.SKILL has announced that both existing and upcoming DDR5 memory
Blount: Online sports betting proposal has little support in Senate, would cost casino industry
Sen. David Blount, chairman of the Gaming Committee in the Senate, says a proposal to legalize online sports betting lacks support in the Senate, and could harm the state's casino tourism industry, which provides thousands of jobs and millions in state revenue. Blount also discusses proposed, and recently enacted, changes to the Public Employee Retirement System, and proposals to increase tax credits for private schools.
ICE officers at airports a ‘test run’ for midterms, Steve Bannon suggests
Former White House strategist says current situation at airports will help ‘really perfect ICE’s involvement in the 2026 midterm elections’
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 ...
Anthropic says Claude can now use your computer to finish tasks for you in AI agent push
Anthropic and its rivals are trying to ramp up capabilities of AI agents after OpenClaw went viral earlier this year.
RFK Jr. and Dr. Oz have a plan to save rural health care. Here’s the catch.
Top health officials point to AI as the solution for dying hospitals, but experts from rural areas of the country say the solution isn’t that simple.
Opinion | Nothing against California-based Sutter Health, but Allina’s local governance matters
Allina is built on a "model of care that puts patients and families at the center of everything. That is not something that transfers automatically with a transaction. It has to be protected deliberately, by people who understand what it is and why it matters," the writer says.
A three-generation store in business for 100 years is expanding in CT. Owner says they, ‘nailed it.’
The father-son business team says they plan to continue to grow, as “one of the satisfactions of our job is we’re helping people.”
John Fogerty, Cyndi Lauper, more join forces to say 'Thank You, NYPD'
The 'Thank You, NYPD' concert will feature John Fogerty, Cyndi Lauper and Fat Joe, comedians Chris Distefano and Sam Morril, and more.
Josh Shapiro endorses James Malone in key Lancaster County Senate race
Gov. Josh Shapiro has officially endorsed James Malone’s bid for reelection in the Lancaster County state Senate district that both parties say could determine party control next year.
As winters warm, Minnesotans grapple with climate grief
Winters in Minnesota are warming faster than any other season. That’s jeopardizing seasonal traditions in the state — and mental health experts say that takes a toll on mental health.
No fuel shortage in Britain, says minister, as Reeves prepares to set out economic response to Iran war
Energy minister Michael Shanks reassures drivers ahead of chancellor’s statement to MPs
Nintendo reportedly adjusting Switch 2 production after weak holiday sales
Sources say lower production volume is expected to continue in April
Old Wisdom, New Science, and the Tools of Tomorrow
How can firefighters navigate between the hard-earned practical wisdom of the past and modern technological developments? Scott Guillerault says fire research may point the way.
New Xbox CEO Could Make Game Pass Less Expensive, Report Says
Asha Sharma is reportedly trying to make Xbox "more enticing to a broader range of customers."
Singing in Britain's Got Talent choir 'helps mental health' says farmer
Ben Brooke is part of a choir of farmers which has wowed viewers of Britain's Got Talent.
Kalshi says it will crack down on politicians and athletes betting
Kalshi said the new features were aimed at preventing "bad actors" in sports and politics from engaging in insider trading.
MDMA Therapy in Australia Shows Results for PTSD Patients, but the Cost Is Limiting Access
The country’s experiment with psychedelic medicine has led to positive outcomes, psychiatrists say, but also highlights the limitations of the nascent field.
Neal Stephenson, who coined the term ‘metaverse’, says head-mounted VR hardware will never happen
: ‘People don’t like wearing things on their faces and don’t trust those who do’
Sarah Michelle Gellar says she and Reese Witherspoon were too shy to ask Adele for a play date
Sarah Michelle Gellar says she and Reese Witherspoon were both too nervous to ask Adele if they could schedule a play date for all of their kids: 'None of us wanted to ask.'
Monrovia business owners say sudden closure of beloved movie theater could have negative ripple effect
Gigantic 'Heat Dome' Baking The Whole US May Be Historic, Scientists Say
"The entire US is going to be hot... that's really bizarre.”
Scientists say NAD+ could slow aging and fight Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s
A global team of leading scientists is zeroing in on a tiny but powerful molecule that could reshape how we age. Known as NAD⁺, it plays a crucial role in keeping our cells energized, repairing DNA, and maintaining overall health—but its levels steadily decline over time, potentially fueling diseases like Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s. Researchers are now exploring ways to boost NAD⁺ using compounds like NR and NMN, with early studies hinting at improvements in memory, metabolism, and physical function.
Demand for GLP-1 pills and shots surges, and not just for weight loss
Use of blockbuster anti-obesity drugs like Wegovy and Zepbound is growing, with about 1 in 8 adults in the U.S. saying they currently take the medications.
Cypress business owner charged with felony water pollution, authorities say
Detectives said the Cypress company, which power washes dump-truck engines, was dumping contaminated wastewater into a drainage ditch that eventually leads all the way to the Gulf.
Former Brazilian leader Bolsonaro's health improves and he could serve sentence under house arrest
One of his doctors says former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro has been transferred to a regular hospital room in the capital of Brasilia as he continues to recover from pneumonia
Advocates want $150M collectively in state budget for food assistance programs
Advocates say the need is dire as more New Yorkers are having to make difficult choices when it comes to how they spend their money.
Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak says he's 'not a fan' of AI
Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak says he is 'not a fan of AI,' warning the technology lacks reliability and the human understanding users expect.
‘Don’t Make Any Deal’: Trump Tells Republicans to Hold Firm on Shutdown Talks
The president is using the standoff over funding the Department of Homeland Security as leverage to pass a strict voter ID bill. Critics say the bill would place an undue burden on eligible voters.
Rahm Emanuel says federal workers shouldn't bet on politics
Former Obama chief of staff and possible 2028 presidential candidate Rahm Emanuel is calling for a federal employee ban on prediction markets betting.
Henderson County launches crisis response program for behavioral health emergencies
In Henderson County, officials say a new program is already working to respond when someone is in crisis, often through a 911 call.
Jensen Huang softens DLSS 5 response, says “I don’t love AI slop myself”
Jensen Huang changes tone on DLSS 5 Jensen Huang has shifted to a softer tone on DLSS 5 criticism, saying he understands why some players reacted
Beyond the brackets, Florida seeks college sports solutions amid possible Trump action
“We don’t want to do something or say something that’s going to disadvantage these major institutions,” said Alan Levine, who chairs the Board of Governors.
UCI Health says it will lay off 150 in 'strategic restructuring'
About 1% of the system's workforce is expected to be laid off as the county's only academic health system restructures, citing cuts at the federal level.
Health experts say spring cleaning can help boost mood
Scientists Say Surprising Smells Are Unlocking the Secrets of Ancient Mummies
Analyzing samples of mummies from different dynastic periods showed how the mixtures of substances used in mummification became more complex with time.
Nvidia CEO Says He Hates AI Slop Too After DLSS 5 Panic
Jensen Huang tried again to defend one of the company's most unpopular initiatives
Trump says talks are happening. Iran says they’re not. Why a former Trump Iran negotiator says both might be true
Trump administration to pay French company $1B to walk away from US offshore wind leases
The Department of Interior says a French energy company has agreed to give up two U.S. offshore wind leases and invest in fossil fuel projects instead.
Trump’s Political Risk Insurance Plan for Ships in the Gulf Could Benefit China, Says Democratic Senator
President Trump’s $20 billion plan to provide political risk insurance for ships aimed at unblocking the Strait of Hormuz could end up ultimately
Mills says federal abortion investigation is ‘political’
In particular, the federal government says it wants to find out if Maine “is unlawfully coercing entities covered by Federal health care conscience protection laws to provide, pay for, or provide coverage of abortion.”
Voice of America Journalists Sue, Saying Trump Officials Interfered in Coverage
The journalists said in the complaint that the administration was trying to force them to be a “mouthpiece” and that one official demanded “loyalty” if reporters wanted to “keep their jobs.”
Epic says it has uncovered rot in patient record sharing. Will HHS act?
A recent Epic lawsuit revealed a company allegedly posed as a provider to access patient records for law firms, prompting a call for increased oversight.
Kyler Murray Vikings Era Begins
Why Kyler Murray's stats say he could be Darnold 2.0 — plus free agency, the draft, and Harrison Smith's future.
Trump to Maria Bartiromo: Iran wants to make a deal badly, could be within 5 days or sooner
Maria Bartiromo reports that President Donald Trump says Iran ‘wants to make a deal badly’ as he orders a five-day pause on planned strikes against key infrastructure, signaling ongoing high-level talks and triggering a sharp market rebound.
Starmer says ‘every lever’ will be explored to ease rising costs of living from Iran conflict
PM will chair Cobra meeting with key ministers and Bank of England on Monday, as experts warn of economic shock
Trump whistleblower Alex Vindman: ‘Sitting on the sidelines was not an option’
Democratic Senate hopeful says experience of being key witness in Trump’s first impeachment makes him right choice for Florida
Companies Aren’t Ripping Out Business Software for AI. Here’s What They’re Doing Instead.
Tech leaders at large corporations say that, for now, they’re vibe-coding their own small, custom apps, and putting pressure on their software vendors.
Closing the women’s health gap: 5 key focus areas and why they need more research
Only 6% of private investment targets women's health, a World Economic Forum report says. 5 examples show how strategic investments could change this.
Kent meningitis outbreak passed its peak, says UKHSA
"We could still see cases continuing to come in, we need to keep an eye on those, the UKHSA says.
“It’s a bit of an event. It’s not a sport” - Kevin Garnett thinks the modern NBA is more entertainment than competition
Kevin Garnett says NBA has become entertainment-driven.
New York approves cannabis for anxiety. Science says it may not help
A Lancet Psychiatry study found no evidence cannabinoids treat anxiety, PTSD. In NY, any practitioner can certify a patient for medical cannabis for any condition they deem appropriate.
The 'Nail Test': Why This $54 Billion Innovation Is Terrifying Western Auto Executives
BYD says it's fixed yet another major problem with EVs.
No 10 says Starmer had ‘constructive’ call with Trump on Middle East and strait of Hormuz
PM will meet with the Commons liaison committee and chair the government’s Cobra emergency committee today
Inside the Turmoil at RFK Jr.’s CDC, as Told by Current and Former Employees
Forty-three current and former C.D.C. employees on the changes they say are replacing science with ideology — and making Americans more vulnerable.
In California, a Republican Sheriff Seizes Ballots, Prompting Concerns
Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco, a candidate for governor, recently took possession of more than 650,000 ballots as part of a fraud probe. Election officials say his investigation is baseless.
Rising Health Costs Push Some Middle-Aged Adults To Skip the Doc Until Medicare
Adults ages 50 through 64 faced some of the steepest increases in out-of-pocket costs for Obamacare plans after a set of federal subsidies expired at the end of December. Some say they are putting off care or considering dropping health insurance coverage until Medicare picks up the bill.
Four Jewish ambulances set on fire in London in what health secretary calls 'sickening' attack
The attack on the Jewish Community Ambulance service in north London is being treated as an "antisemitic hate crime", the Metropolitan Police says.
Dr Liz O'Riordan: Women's health must be taken more seriously
Dr Liz O'Riordan says it is important women seek help from professionals not "Google and Chat GPT".
Those who cannot live without wild things
Aldo Leopold wrote in his Sand County Almanac, “There are some who can live without wild things and some who cannot.” The collection of essays first published in 1949 was accepted by a publishing house after a steady stream of rejections. His work long outlived him as Leopold died of a heart attack while fighting […]
Obesity report sets out vision for healthy future in Peterborough
A new obesity charter for Peterborough says authorities should look beyond individual behaviour.
Funding for populist-right ‘media-political complex’ exceeded £170m in five years, research finds
Handful of billionaires gave huge sums in particular to media organisations that boosted rightwing politicians, says Liam Byrne MP
Cursor acknowledges its new low-cost coding model has Chinese roots
Cursor says its new coding model builds on Kimi K2.5, a Chinese model it didn't mention at launch.
At 85, I can still work out on the bars and do headstands with my wife
Peng Lin Hua, 85, says retirement didn't slow him down. He and his wife split their time between two countries.
California Politics 360 Full Episode | Sexual abuse allegations against César Chávez
Civil rights leader Dolores Huerta broke her silence, saying she was also sexually abused by Chávez. It led to the birth of two children, a secret she kept for 60 years.
Bill Self says coaching future at Kansas to be determined
Longtime Kansas coach Bill Self said after Sunday's season-ending loss to St. John's that he has not yet made a decision about his coaching future, later adding that any decision will be based solely on his health.
Joe Kent says he wants Donald Trump to hear MAGA opposition to Iran war
It’s a concerted effort, Kent said, to rally members of the president’s Make America Great Again movement and ensure he hears dissenting voices.
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, ...
‘Project Hail Mary’ blasts off with $80.5 million, a best for Amazon MGM, and the year
Studio estimates on Sunday say Amazon MGM's “Project Hail Mary” has topped the North American box office charts with $80.5 million in ticket sales — the second biggest ever for a non-franchise film.
iRacing on Vision Pro bringing 'immersion and fidelity never before seen in sim racing'
iRacing on Apple Vision Pro will bring a “level of immersion and fidelity never before seen in sim racing,” says...
Does walking after a meal improve gut health?
If you’re looking for ways to improve your digestion and gut health, doctors say walking after a meal may help.
Federal union says 'untrained' ICE agents shouldn't replace TSA
President Donald Trump said he would tap ICE agents to run security at US airports as unpaid TSA officers stop showing up to work.
Chappell Roan pushes back after soccer star Jorginho alleges his daughter was mistreated
Chappell Roan pushes back after a Brazilian soccer player says a guard mistreated his young daughter at a hotel. Jorginho says his 11-year-old recognized Roan at breakfast in São Paulo and got...
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.
Assemblywoman Alexandra Macedo says César Chávez allegations are "just the tip of the iceberg"
California lawmakers this upcoming week are set to move quickly to rename César Chávez Day to Farmworkers Day ahead of the holiday that takes place every year on March 31.
Box Office: ‘Project Hail Mary’ blasts off with $80.5 million, a best for Amazon MGM
Studio estimates on Sunday say Amazon MGM's “Project Hail Mary” has topped the North American box office charts with $80.5 million in ticket sales. It's the biggest opening for the studio and the...
Box Office: ‘Project Hail Mary’ blasts off with $80.5 million, a best for Amazon MGM
Studio estimates on Sunday say Amazon MGM's “Project Hail Mary” has topped the North American box office charts with $80.5 million in ticket sales.
Homan says ‘more conversations need to be had’ to end standoff over ICE, DHS funding
Drew Barrymore says talk show audience member once criticized her dating profile
Drew Barrymore is remembering the time an audience member on her talk show gave his honest thoughts about her dating profile: 'I would probably run away.'
Cuba Says Its Military Is Prepared as Trump’s Threats Multiply
A senior Cuban official said the country is preparing for a possible military assault as President Donald Trump increases economic pressure on the government in Havana and suggests it could be the next US target after Venezuela and Iran.
AI was everywhere at gaming’s big developer conference
Developers say it removes the craft from making games.
Golden Knights intent on igniting sluggish offense vs. Stars
With 12 games left in the regular season, it's fair to say that things are trending in the wrong direction for the Vegas Golden Knights.
Neighbors say Indian Springs revival could do KCK ‘more good than that stadium’
Area businesses said they want to see the project revitalize the State Avenue business corridor near I-635.
Ron DeSantis says politics should be more than 'sugar high' entertainment
'If it's not leaving something that is durable, then it doesn't matter.'
Ron DeSantis says politics should be more than 'sugar high' entertainment
'If it's not leaving something that is durable, then it doesn't matter.'
Andrej Karpathy says he uses an AI agent to control his pool
Andrej Karpathy said an AI agent named Dobby texts him whenever he gets a Fedex package and helps him control his spa.
'Completely lawless': Why this congresswoman wants Pam Bondi impeached
From the Epstein files to the integrity of prosecutions, Democratic Congresswoman Summer Lee says Attorney General Pam Bondi is damaging the DOJ.
The Supreme Court Could Make it Harder to Vote by Mail in the Midterms
The Republican National Committee wants to toss ballots arriving after Election Day. Critics say thousands of votes — a majority cast by Democrats — are at stake.