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In the Realm of the Last Man — how the future disappeared from politics
Francis Fukuyama’s memoir reflects on his intellectual journey and the enduring political questions raised by his 1992 book ‘The End of History and the Last Man’
Osborn, Ricketts spar on health care, immigration, beef imports at Nebraska State Fair
Candidates questioned on Medicaid, ICE funding and foreign beef imports.
Brendan Fraser says WW2 drama 'Pressure' offers timely warning against questioning science
Brendan Fraser says Anthony Maras' new World War Two drama "Pressure" serves as a cautionary tale that remains relevant today, more than 80 years after the D-Day invasion.
Luminis Health facilities dealing with a cyberattack
Representatives were not available to answer questions about when the cyberattack started or if patient data was compromised.
What Box Office Bomb Crushed Obsession on Streaming?
(Welcome to my weekly streaming ratings report, the single best guide to what’s popular in streaming TV and what isn’t. I’m the Entertainment Strategy Guy, a former streaming executive who now analyzes business strategy in the entertainment industry. If you were forwarded this email, please subscribe to get these insights each week.) Before we get into this week’s issue, let me ask you for some suggestions. At the risk of coining too many names for too many things (hence my dictionary of terms...), I need a name for straight-to-streaming films that are too expensive to justify a straight-to-streaming release, but not big enough to justify a theatrical release. Like some of the films I highlighted in last week’s tally of the biggest film flops of 2026 so far: Hulu’s Mike & Nick & Nick & Alice, Pizza Movie or Never Change! They don’t feel like “made for TV movies” (think Hallmark and Lifetime movies, cheap Netflix romcoms, or Disney Channel Original movies, for example) but they don’t feel big enough for the big screen. They’re not “cinematic” enough, so to speak. As I wrote... “I still need a name for this middle zone of film that’s too expensive to go straight-to-streaming but too small to justify a theatrical release (with all the PR, distribution, marketing and whatnot costs that go along with it), the Goldilocks zone of streaming film death.” Friend of the newsletter Brandon Katz has suggested the “Bermuda Budget Triangle”, “The Platform Gap” and “The Distribution Deadzone”. I love that first one. I’d offer up the much wordier “The Streaming Budget Dead Zone” or “the Goldilocks Zone of streaming film death” but that last one isn’t accurate since, unlike Goldilocks’ porridge, these films are the opposite of “just right”. That’s the problem! Anyway, if you have any suggestions, let me know! On to today’s Streaming Ratings Report. As you can tell by today’s headline, things are going to be spicy! I’m looking at a box office bomb that did really, really well on streaming, somewhat challenging a few different narratives. And another Netflix series declined in its second season. All that, plus Wicked: For Good switching streamers, The Hawk continuing its strong run, _The Bear’_s finale season finally dropping off the charts, the WNBA posting a big viewership number, “shallow libraries”, a sitcom spinoff failing to launch, more big budget IP flopping on Paramount+, all the flops, bombs and misses, and a whole lot more. Let’s dive right in! (Reminder: The streaming ratings report focuses on the U.S. market and compiles data from Nielsen’s weekly top ten viewership ranks, Luminate’s Top Ten Data, JustWatch and Reelgood interest data, Samba TV household viewership, company datecdotes, Netflix hours viewed data, Google Trends, and IMDb to determine the most popular content. While most data points are current, Nielsen’s data covers the weeks of July 20th to July 26th, 2026. You can find a link to my terminology here.) Subscribe Film - The Latest Theatrical Success Story on Streaming In the latest edition of “Flops, Bombs and Misses of the First Half of 2026”, I made a crucial change: I started including theatrical films with the streaming misses. The streamers have collectively—including Netflix, but not to as big of an extent—stopped making a lot of straight-to-streaming films, and the ones they do make aren’t as expensive as in the heyday of the streaming bubble. After the following two films bombed in theaters, you’d guess that they’ll be included in my next collection of flops, bombs and misses six months from now: Masters of the Universe on Prime Video (only $64 million domestic box office) Mortal Kombat II on HBO Max ($79 million domestic) But you’d be wrong! Masters of the Universe, a reboot of the He-Man franchise, a toy from the 1980s, came to streaming on 22-July and did great! This long-gestating project—it’s been at every studio for years, and came close to getting a greenlight at Netflix—then finally came to theaters in June, and showed up on streaming less than two months later. (I don’t love this short theatrical window.) It surprisingly grabbed nearly 20 million hours on its debut: That means, wait for it, Masters of the Universe is currently the eighth biggest film on streaming through two weeks. My rough bar for “hit” is shows or films in the top 15%. Ergo…Masters of the Universe is a legit, streaming hit! (One quick caveat: if it falls out of the top ten next week, it will move to 13th overall, just on the edge of the top 15.) Of course, that’s the data for just 2026. Here’s how it stacks up to Prime Video’s theatrical films: That drop into its second week is typical for Amazon films, but also a worrying sign. I have a feeling interest in this film is front-loaded and we’ll see it drop off after this. As for Mortal Kombat II, in this case, the viewership numbers roughly match the theatrical outing, with only 4.1 million hours in its first week. Here’s how it stacks up to other HBO Max films: The best defense of this number is that, as a relatively violent rated-R film, Mortal Kombat II never had a good chance at breaking out. So now it’s time for a little big of “Entertainment Nuance Guy”: First, yeah, my headline is obviously facetious, since Masters of the Universe besting Obsession says more about horror as a genre than it does that film. Second, I read and listened to quite a few “nobody wanted this IP” takes about Masters of the Universe, and that’s not really true. At least enough people wanted it to power a 20 million+ hour debut! Third, both this film and Mortal Kombat II were considered “average” by viewers, but not great films, with a 6.4 and 6.3 respectively on IMDb. That’s just shy of the level needed to be a word-of-mouth hit. Fourth, in the olden days, strong word of mouth could transform a box office miss into a cable/DVD hit, like Austin Powers or The Shawshank Redemption. We haven’t seen a lot of examples of that on streaming, though. And there are far fewer ways to monetize the post-theatrical life of a film these days. Fifth, Prime Video has shown an ability to push their own titles well, likely because they control the Amazon Fire TV ecosystem. Add it all up, and here’s my nuanced take on Masters of the Universe: it was a box office bomb, but, shockingly, a streaming hit. Unfortunately, while being a theatrical hit saves your film financially, being a streaming hit does not. Both Masters of the Universe and Mortal Kombat II had big budgets and needed to make more money in theaters to justify them. So…Straight-to-Streaming or Theaters? We’ve hit a really fun point in the streaming calendar, since the films that came out in theaters in April, May, and June are now arriving on streaming. So the “Do theatrical releases help streaming performances?” question is gonna get a fresh round of updates nearly every week. No single week will answer the question, but we may get some insights. For example, so far in 2026, it looks like theatrical films are lasting longer on the weekly Nielsen film charts. Here’s a list of films that have made the charts in their fourth or fifth week of release, separated by “for kids” and “general entertainment”: It certainly seems like theatrical films are lasting just a pinch longer on the charts, with Project Hail Mary being the current five-week champion. One Battle After Another did well for HBO Max too, and even The Sheep Detectives made it four weeks. The only exception to this trend? Obsession, which only lasted two weeks on the charts. You might tempted to overreact to this news. Don’t. Obsession is a huge horror hit, but horror just doesn’t do as well on streaming. By the way, here’s the Google Trends for various theatrical and stremaing films: Plus, when it comes to Netflix in four months, Obsession may have another big boost. Quick Notes on Film Note that when I write, “the streamers have pulled back on straight-to-streaming films” that doesn’t mean “abandoned” because Netflix is gonna Netflix. On 24-July, they released 72 Hours, a Kevin Hart comedy. Along with Eddie Murphy, Mark Wahlberg, John Cena and Adam Sandler, Kevin Hart is a streaming film star now. Did this latest one work? Not really. It only garnered two weeks of 13.2 and 12.2 million hours on its debut, well below the 20-million-hour hit threshold. It also was poorly received critically—a 44 on Metacritic—and by customers—a 5.4 on IMDb on 21K IMDb reviews. We’re just getting started with this issue, but the rest is for paid subscribers of the Entertainment Strategy Guy, so if you’d like to find out… The latest Netflix true crime doc to pop on the charts… How The Bear finished its run… Netflix’s latest Western to return to streaming… What Paramount+ animated film flopped… And what sitcom also missed… All the flops, bombs and misses… And a whole lot more… ...please subscribe! We can only keep doing this great work with your support. Coming Soon! I’m behind by a week, so we’ve got two issues coming your way this week, including one in a couple of days or so, then we’ll be all caught up**.** Next issue, inspired by The Super Mario Galaxy Movie coming to Peacock, I’m going to take a look at the workhouse of streaming TV: kids films. Plus The Devil Wears Prada 2 continues theatrical films’ big run on streaming. All that, plus another surprise hit on Hulu, Lioness on CBS, and a whole lot more. Long term, LeBron James is filming his own “Last Dance”-style docu-series, surprising no one. But as I’ve been writing about a lot this summer, this genre is really overrated, so whoever ends up buying it (reportedly ESPN) really shouldn’t pay too much for it.
Are sex-specific thresholds needed for coronary CT?
The question is further complicated by possibly needing different thresholds for pregnant, premenopausal, and postmenopausal woman.
Reports of Raúl Castro's critical health raise questions about Cuba's future
Sources cited by a Miami-based Cuban newspaper say the 95-year-old Cuban leader is in critical condition, renewing questions about power on the island.
Jalen Hurts addresses an old quote that fueled coachability questions
Jalen Hurts explained the thinking behind a 2024 comment that followed him for two seasons.
Biggest Questions Remaining After Panthers Trim Roster to 53 Players
Here's what we're still wondering after the Panthers finalized the roster.
LZ Sees Surprising Result in Search for Dark Matter
Key Takeaways Dark matter is the mysterious substance that accounts for the vast majority of matter in our universe. LUX-ZEPLIN (LZ) is a world-leading dark matter detector and specializes in searching for WIMPs, or weakly interacting massive particles. A new LZ study found one particle interaction that is difficult to explain with known background processes and could potentially have been caused by a WIMP. LZ continues to run to see if additional data strengthens or weakens the hint of a dark matter interaction. For the better part of a century, people have been trying to understand dark matter. This invisible substance makes up roughly 85% of the mass in the universe but has never been directly detected. Determining exactly what it is remains one of the biggest questions about our world. Now, a new analysis from the LUX-ZEPLIN (LZ) experiment has recorded a single particle interaction that researchers have great difficulty explaining with known background signals from normal matter. The result does not yet meet the statistical threshold required to claim a discovery, but is the most compelling hint of dark matter reported by the experiment to date. LZ is an international collaboration of 250 scientists and engineers from 39 institutions. The detector is managed by the U.S. Department of Energy’s Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley Lab) and operates nearly one mile below ground at the Sanford Underground Research Facility (SURF) in South Dakota. The experiment uses 10 tonnes of ultrapure liquid xenon to search for dark matter and is optimized to look for WIMPs, or weakly interacting massive particles. The results were presented in a scientific talk at the 2026 TeV Particle Astrophysics conference in Japan. The paper will be released on the online repository arXiv and submitted to the journal Physical Review Letters. “We’re very intrigued to see this event in the data, in the region where we expect dark matter to show up and the competing backgrounds are very low,” said Rick Gaitskell, a professor at Brown University and the spokesperson for LZ. “With only one event, we don’t want to get ahead of ourselves. We are not claiming to have seen dark matter. But we have seen something interesting that we want to share with the scientific community for their input.” The LZ collaboration studies experimental data in batches. In the new result, researchers analyzed 220 live days of data collected between March 2023 and April 2024. The collaboration had previously searched this dataset for faint signals from the simplest kinds of WIMP interactions. The new analysis searched for a broader range of possible WIMP interactions that could deposit more energy in the detector. LZ is particularly sensitive to such signals while also minimizing false positives. “This was a detailed study in a region we hadn’t explored within this dataset, and we spent months of additional effort to understand all the possible causes of background events,” said Sam Eriksen, a senior research associate at the University of Bristol in the U.K. and lead author of the study. “We understand our detector and the backgrounds so well that even a single outstanding event, like the one we found, is important. We expect dark matter events to be extremely rare, so only a handful could mark the first detection of WIMP dark matter.” If the anomalous event was caused by dark matter, the WIMP that generated it would likely have a mass of at least 200 GeV/c2 (gigaelectronvolts), or more than 200 times the mass of a proton. It would also suggest a specific type of interaction between WIMPs and ordinary matter beyond the simplest model. The LZ results have not reached “5-sigma” significance, the statistical threshold considered a discovery in physics. The new analysis is 2.6 sigma, meaning there is approximately a 0.5% chance that the event could be explained by known backgrounds. With additional data, researchers can test whether the finding continues to grow in significance or fades away. LZ has already accumulated the world’s largest dark matter dataset and will continue to accrue WIMP search data at SURF, substantially improving their search statistics. LZ searches for dark matter by looking for signature flashes of light from energy deposited in the detector. The collaboration leverages multiple methods to prevent or account for particle interactions caused by normal matter. This includes the mile of rock that shields the detector from cosmic rays from space, a water tank and outer detectors that protect the central detector from background neutrons, and a suite of computational tools that disentangle particle interactions and reject dark matter mimics. “Outlier events in the data are not unexpected, but they usually stand out as a background of some kind when you look at them deeper,” said Aaron Manalaysay, a physicist at Berkeley Lab and the chair of LZ’s Institutional Board. “This is the first example in any experiment I’ve worked on of an outlier that appears valid in every way. Of course, we’re still twisting our brains trying to think if there’s a rare background mechanism we could’ve missed, but it’s thrilling to wonder if this could be the first hint of a dark-matter observation.” LZ is supported by the U.S. Department of Energy, Office of Science, Office of High Energy and Nuclear Physics, and the National Energy Research Scientific Computing Center, a DOE Office of Science user facility. LZ is also supported by the Science & Technology Facilities Council of the United Kingdom; the Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology; the Swiss National Science Foundation; the Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence for Dark Matter Particle Physics; and the Institute for Basic Science, Korea. Thirty-nine institutions of higher education and advanced research provided support to LZ. The LZ collaboration acknowledges the assistance of the Sanford Underground Research Facility. ### 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.
Philadelphia Eagles’ Shocking QB Decision Gets Explanation
After a summer filled with quarterback battles behind Jalen Hurts, the Philadelphia Eagles have yet to answer the big question: who will be the primary backup? Many figured that by the time the Eagles submitted their initial 53-man roster, one-to-two quarterbacks would be left out, with one making its return to the practice squad. Instead, […] The post Philadelphia Eagles’ Shocking QB Decision Gets Explanation appeared first on HEAVY.
Can Ed Markey’s progressive politics overcome the age question?
The 80-year-old Massachusetts senator has appeared to harness antiestablishment energy even as he faces a younger primary challenger in Rep. Seth Moulton.
What can seashells teach us about the health of our oceans?
Seashells: They're beautiful remnants to carry home from the beach—and so much more! According to environmental journalist Cynthia Barnett, seashells record history more accurately than the humans who first wrote it down. In this episode, we talk about the science of seashells, their impact on humankind and the scientist behind a very famous tongue twister.Check out Cynthia’s book The Sound of the Sea and check out Emily’s reporting on sandcastles.Interested in more marine biology stories? Email us your question at shortwave@npr.org.Support public media with NPR+ and enjoy perks for over 25 podcasts like this one. This show’s hperks include sponsor-free listening. Learn more at plus.npr.org.
The Five Questions You Should Ask Before Believing the ‘Science of Math’ (Opinion)
Here’s why we should be wary of people claiming to have found the next ‘science of reading.’
3 burning Oilers questions entering 2026-27 NHL season
The Edmonton Oilers have one goal in mind this coming season. Connor McDavid and his teammates are looking to bring the Stanley Cup back north of the border to Edmonton. They have come oh-so-close in the past, but have fallen short each time. Last season’s defeat was the worst of them all, in some respects. The Oilers were eliminated in the first […] The post 3 burning Oilers questions entering 2026-27 NHL season appeared first on ClutchPoints.
Steph Curry Sends Strong Message on Warriors Extension
Steph Curry made his Warriors stance clear, but the timing of his next extension still leaves one intriguing question. The post Steph Curry Sends Strong Message on Warriors Extension appeared first on HEAVY.
Social Egg Freezing in the Spotlight: Choice, Business, or Burden?
Growing interest in egg preservation raises questions about access, affordability, informed consent, and whether workplace pressures shift reproductive responsibility onto women.
C.D.C. Director Challenges Pennsylvania’s Report of Two Measles Deaths
Questioning a state’s investigation is highly unusual for the public health agency, but reflects tensions between the Trump administration and many states over health issues.
U.S. military does not plan to deploy troops to the polls in November, general says
Responding to a senator’s questions, Gen. Dan Caine said the Pentagon did not plan to send military personnel to voting sites or to seize ballots or voting machines.
The 30 best detective shows of all time, ranked
Murder, clues, red herrings, and one last question: EW ranks the 30 greatest detective shows of all time.
To nap or not to nap? Science is still waking up to the question
Many people struggle to sleep enough at night. Surprisingly, science cannot say if adding in a nap to sleep in two blocks is healthy.
To nap or not to nap? Science is still waking up to the question
Many people struggle to sleep enough at night. Surprisingly, science cannot say if adding in a nap to sleep in two blocks is healthy.
Study A.I. Consciousness? The Bots Would Like a Word With You.
Given access to email, A.I. agents have started reaching out to the philosophers and researchers exploring deep questions about them.
Is USC’s terrible Week 0 attendance a big deal?
USC’s 51,144 attendance against San Jose State was hard to ignore. The sparse Coliseum crowd raises questions about Lincoln Riley and the program’s direction.
China’s AI Health Care Ambitions Hit Hard Business Questions
A state-backed push is raising the question: Who pays?
Amazon makes Alexa+ free on compatible Fire TVs
Amazon's Alexa+ rolls out free to Fire TV devices across the U.S., but hands-free microphones and stored voice data raise key privacy questions.
10 key questions about the proposed WakeMed-Atrium deal
Can WakeMed survive without Atrium? Would prices rise? Who would really control the hospital? Answers to your big questions about the deal.
Old questions return early in season
Tottenham manager Roberto de Zerbi said he was "not angry" and there was "no panic" after his side's second loss in two games - but it was a depressingly familiar story for the club's fans. With more than £300m spent in the summer, Spurs fans were expecting a push to get back into Europe, having won the Europa League two seasons ago and been in the last 16 of the Champions League in March. Instead, in the Premier League it is played two, lost two, scored none, 20th out of 20.
49ers address offensive line questions with trade for Texans veteran
There’s no bigger question mark on the 49ers’ roster than the interior of the offensive line, where the competition at left guard was uninspiring and they lost the player brought...
4 burning questions after Cowboys cut down to 53
These are our biggest questions about the new 53-man roster.
Sonia Gandhi: What will Congress leader's memoir reveal about India's most powerful political family?
Sonia Gandhi’s memoir may finally answer questions about power, loss and the Gandhi family’s political legacy.
How Female Biology Could Solve the Mystery of Longevity
Why do women live longer than men? An evolutionary question sparks a new hypothesis that dovetails with a growing movement in longevity research.
Between Two Bruins: Daily Bruin Sports answers the top questions about the 2026 season
UCLA football is days away from opening the 2026 campaign against former Pac-12 rival California. Daily Bruin Sports gathered some of the biggest questions surrounding the squad in its first season under coach Bob Chesney.
Patients opening up to AI over doctors for health questions
Healthvana’s AI tool is strictly conversational and refrains from providing medical advice, Palmeri said.
Schooler's Absence Adds One More Question on Patriots Special Teams
All-Pro in 2024 will miss at least four games to start the regular season.
Donalds dismisses Jolly’s call for new Hope Florida investigation as ‘politics’
Byron Donalds, the Republican nominee for governor deflected questions about opening a new investigation into Hope Florida
PlayStation May Delay Digital-Only Shift Following Rumors of "100% Physical Xbox Helix"
We recently reported that Xbox's disc-to-digital entitlement program and the new CEO's refusal to address questions about Helix's disc drive suggested that the gaming giant was moving towards a new all-digital future, starting with Project Helix. However, a competing rumor—via Eurogamer...
A draw in Cardiff still leaves unanswered questions
BBC Final Score's Laura Kenyon says despite their first Championship goals of the season, Sheffield United still have issues to resolve.
Gaylord — you never check in, but still pay
I go to a lot of conferences, often in beautiful cities I never actually see. Friends hear where I’ve been and ask depressing questions like, “Did you visit the famous museum?” No. I saw Ballroom C, the lobby bar and took out a loan to buy a Caesar salad. Having experienced some of the world’s […]
Smart ring reads your sweat to measure glucose, ketones, and more
Smart rings are everywhere: smart rings that can record your verbal notes and send them to your cellular telephone for transcription, smart rings that let users pose questions to AI and get answers via earbuds, and smart rings that help athletes reach their peak performance.
A fifth-grader in Kansas City clicked ball-and-stick atoms together in science class and asked her teacher if she'd made a real molecule — he photographed it, sent it to a chemistry professor, and at ten years old she became co-author of a published paper on a structure nobody had ever described
A ten-year-old's casual question about her chemistry model kit led to a published paper describing a molecular structure that had eluded professional scientists for decades.
Odell Beckham Jr.’s NFL comeback gets a curious twist as insider questions John Harbaugh’s latest words
Odell Beckham Jr. ’s NFL comeback has taken another twist after Giants head coach John Harbaugh made a telling choice of words about the veteran wide receive...
CAI Day lets homeowners, HOAs associate collegially
Plus, Barbara Holland answers a question on how long a ballot vote can be held open on the matter of changing a portion of an HOA’s CC&R’s.
What we know about Trump's deal giving U.S. access to vast oil reserves in Venezuela
The answers to questions such as how soon the reserves could be drilled and who will pay to make it happen were not immediately clear. No text of any agreement has been released.
When Netanyahu leaves, Israeli politics will have to stand for something
After years in which Netanyahu has been the question, it is time for Israeli politics to begin preparing for the day when it will finally have to provide the answers.
Untested in court, Trump's new tariffs on Canada raise legal questions
The president’s Section 338 tariff authority has never been used, let alone tested in court.
Updated Christian McCaffrey Fantasy Outlook 2026: Why Fear About 49ers Star’s Health Is Fair
Christian McCaffrey remains one of the most productive fantasy assets in football whenever he takes the field. The problem is that taking the field has become the entire question with him.
5 takeaways from Broncos’ 3 preseason games
The Denver Broncos had a productive preseason and have answered a lot of questions.
Updated George Pickens Fantasy Outlook 2026: Can the Cowboys Star Replicate Last Year’s Success?
George Pickens saw his fantasy football stock get unlocked during his first season in Big D, and the 25-year-old carries lofty expectations into 2026 as a result. The big question is about the type of stat line he can provide if CeeDee Lamb stays on the field, a worry that drafters don’t seem to have.
RFK Jr. questions measles deaths in Pennsylvania
Click in for more news from The Hill{beacon} Healthcare Healthcare The Big Story RFK Jr. seizes on Shapiro’s measles statements Top Trump administration health officials are seiz…
J.J. Watt Delivers Cold Truth About Kyler Murray, Vikings
J.J. Watt has a key question about former teammate Kyler Murray and the Minnesota Vikings that might already have a telling answer. The post J.J. Watt Delivers Cold Truth About Kyler Murray, Vikings appeared first on HEAVY.
One question about the Constitution puts liberals’ appetite for sweeping change to the test
March on Washington activists called to abolish the Senate and rewrite the Constitution while pushing Zohran Mamdani-style socialist policies.
NASA is preparing to launch the Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope. Here's what to know
NASA plans to soon launch a new space telescope that will survey a billion galaxies to trace how the universe evolved over time, all courtesy of America’s spy program and decades of research into detector technology. Once in position, it will take data that astronomers hope will help answer some of the field’s most puzzling questions.
‘Business as usual,’ for now: NC plans to send mail-in ballots next week following new court ruling
North Carolina was among the states suing to stop the U.S. Postal Service from being allowed to decide who should be allowed to receive or turn in mail-in ballots. The ongoing case has raised questions about whether the state would be able to send out mail-in ballots by Sept. 4.
Federal Rescheduling Sets The Stage For Marijuana Business Acquisitions As Pharma And Ag Firms Eye Industry (Op-Ed)
“The practical question isn’t whether this is something to celebrate, it’s whether your business is positioned to be a consolidator, an attractive acquisition target or something different.” By Christopher B. Lynch, Dickinson Wright PLLC There are a lot of rumors and misinformation out there about what the April 23 federal marijuana rescheduling order means. Some […]
‘Snake Men’ by Zach St. George
Who gets to name a newly discovered species is an unsettled question in the world of biology. Conflicts over taxonomy can become venomous.
Does Computer Science Need Computers?
The theoretical side of the field doesn’t require computing machines. But many questions would never have been posed without them.
What Hasan Piker could mean for Democrats’ Senate hopes
Left-wing streamer Hasan Piker’s involvement in Michigan Democratic Senate nominee Abdul El-Sayed’s campaign is raising questions about the party’s path to a Senate majority. Meanwhile, Presi…
Whole Hog Politics: Trump finds an easier midterm foe in his own party
[Watch Whole Hog Politics live: Hill Insider members can join us live today at 9 a.m. ET as Chris Stirewalt and host Bill Sammon break down this week’s political news and answer questions from a li…
Aldine Students Turn Food Truck Models Into Lessons in Business, Teamwork and Entrepreneurship
IMAGE For students in Marilyn Johnson’s business classes at Eisenhower Ninth Grade College Prep, a food truck begins with more than a menu. It starts with a question: What do their customers want? Over the past four years, Johnson has turned a classroom assignment into a hands-on business simulation that asks students to take an idea from customer research to a 3D food truck model — and build a business around it. The project recently received a boost when Greater Texas Credit Union presented Johnson with a $250 award recognizing her commitment to students and meaningful learning experiences. “I want students [...]
How a Former Spy Satellite Could Help Solve the Universe’s Greatest Mysteries
NASA plans to launch the Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope on August 30 to investigate questions about the composition of the universe and its ultimate end.
Scientists tested 212 plant-based meat alternatives. Every one contained fungal toxins
Every one of 212 plant-based meat alternatives and drinks tested in the UK contained at least one naturally occurring fungal toxin, though concentrations remained below recommended EU guideline levels. Researchers say the bigger question is whether regularly eating large amounts of these foods could lead to potentially concerning cumulative exposure over time.
Mitch McConnell’s Team Fuels Health Mystery With Cryptic Update
An update from Mitch McConnell’s staff has raised fresh questions about how he is faring in his reported recovery.
The Literacy Crisis Reaches Dog-Bear Science
“New analysis of more than 300 bear encounters suggests our canine companions often increase odds of conflict and rarely serve as early warning systems many recreationists assume,” reads a subhead in Mountain Journal. The thing is, that study reaches no such conclusion. But you have to read beyond the abstract to understand that. Mountain Journal is not alone. Let’s look at a brief list of takeaways published elsewhere just to establish that none of them seem to know how to read science. Wes Siler’s Newsletter is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. Subscribe Here’s CBC: “A new peer-reviewed study, The Canine Conundrum: Is a Dog a Help or Hindrance in Bear Country?, dug into conflicts similar to what the video depicts, by analyzing 326 reported human-bear conflicts from 1901 to 2023 involving dogs.” “The study found 54 per cent of conflicts were started by dogs. In the encounters researchers included in the study, five people and 56 dogs were killed, and 170 people were injured.” “Lana Ciarniello, an independent researcher who co-authored the study, said researchers found when a person goes hiking with at least one other person, the odds of a negative bear encounter decrease by 50 per cent.” “However, when a dog is involved, the chances of a negative bear encounter increase because ‘a dog really adds a chaotic factor into the mix of recreation,’ said Ciarniello.” Again, the study finds no data supporting that conclusion. “Hiking with your pet dog may make you feel safer in bear country—but a hiker’s recent encounter and a new study prove that the numbers don’t add up,” writes Backpacker, which is now part of Outside. The numbers don’t add up to support this take. There’s plenty more examples, but all are equally dumb, so I’ll stop there. How did so many people get this so wrong? Three reasons: 1) the study is published behind a paywall, with only the abstract freely available. 2) the methodology sets out to create work relevant to a hyper-specific audience, not the public. And 3) the dataset studied is almost absurdly limited and doesn’t bear (get it?!) comparison to wider information. Let’s work through all three. The Problem is Money I understand the irony, since I’m writing about this on a subscription-model newsletter, but information wants to be free. The study is published by The Wildlife Society and costs $16 to access. Reprinting it is specifically prohibited by the terms of use, so I can only share snippets and my conclusions with you here. Having worked as a journalist for 24 years, I can report with some authority that journalists are both lazy and cheap. I don’t think it’s a stretch to say that much of the material you’re seeing written about this study is drawn from the freely-available abstract (above) only, and not a deep dive into its methodology or data. And that’s a problem, because abstracts are where researchers are able to break from their numbers and editorialize their opinions about conclusions. So what’s getting reported isn’t based on numbers, it’s based on an opinion designed for a specific audience, not the general public. Hell yeah ladies, kick that bear’s ass. The Methodology is Designed to Support a Predetermined Conclusion One of the biggest issues with the science that everyone likes to cite about bear spray’s efficacy is that no one understands that study was designed for a specific audience, looking for a specific answer. And since that audience is not the public, and our safety was not the question being asked, its conclusion is rendered irrelevant to our needs. Yes, I’m talking about Efficacy of Bear Deterrent Spray in Alaska, which was created by Tom Smith and Stephen Herrero, two of the same scientists who put together this dog-bear conflict analysis. In the spray study, the purpose was to present relevant agencies with the information they needed to issue their field workers with bear spray. As such, incidents where people were unable to access the spray or similarly failed to get it deployed in time were excluded from the results, and only incidents they deemed successful were included. Could a ranger roll down their vehicle’s window and scare a bear away from a dumpster by spraying it? Turns out the answer was yes, and that was good enough for the purposes of that study. The sample size of actual bear attacks—the thing you and I would want bear spray to provide a solution to, was too small to draw conclusions from, and didn’t indicate success in that role. Is a Dog a Help or Hindrance in Bear Country? has similar limitations. “Insights provided here are intended to help wildlife managers create effective guidelines regarding the presence of domestic dogs in bear habitat,” is explained clearly by the study’s text. To conduct the study, Smith and Herrero went looking for publicly available reports of dog-bear conflicts: “All incidents included in our analysis involved at least one bear, one dog, and one person who was at immediate risk of injury (e.g., not in a protective structure such as a cabin or vehicle), injured, or killed,” explains the report’s methodology. Why is that a problem? “We recognize that data used in this study are biased in that people generally only report adverse interactions with bears, not benign ones. Consequently, we assume that for the most part, people and their dogs pass through bear country without incident.” As was the problem with the bear spray study, people are drawing conclusions here from a study that was never intended to be relevant to the general public. The Smith-Herrero database famously excludes Alaska’s Defense of Life and Property records, which are elsewhere considered the largest and most authoritative source on human-bear conflict. The Dataset is Absurdly Limited A 2009 study conducted by the Washington Department of Fish & Wildlife estimates that each year there are at least 43,000 documented complaints of human-bear conflict across North America. Is a Dog a Help or Hindrance in Bear Country? Examined those reports for years ranging from 1901 to 2023, and only managed to find 326 such incidents that met the criteria explained above. Let’s do some quick math, poorly. 43,000 incidents x 122 years = 5,246,000 total incidents of documented human-bear conflict. Smith and Herrero were only able to find 326 incidents that met their criteria for dog+human+bear+risk or occurrence of injury. That means there’s a 0.006 percent chance that the study’s conclusion—that dogs make bear encounters more dangerous—even gets a chance of occurring. And remember, that’s only in documented conflicts. There’s no way to know how many people across North America run into a bear in any given year without any conflict, but it’s probably safe to assume that the total number is well in excess of 43,000. And, dig deeper into the study and you can find further restrictions that skew its conclusions even more. “While the people involved in these incidents did not report the level of training their dogs had received, it is our assumption that most were untrained companion dogs as opposed to well-trained bear dogs, such as Karelians and livestock guardian breeds that have proven to be significant aids in bear country,” the study’s methodology explains. And that’s a problem, because an ongoing study here in Montana is finding that the simple presence of a Kangal like our youngest dog Teddy can reduce visits to private property from grizzly bears by 87.8 percent. In addition to being a badass, Teddy is also a companion animal. And in my admittedly limited sample size of the three dogs currently present in our living room, she’s no more effective than her mutt brothers. Plenty of people own a dog capable of deterring bears, even if they didn’t set out to own a bear dog. The real purpose of this study appears to be a recommendation that leashes are mandated and recreationists pursue training in their deterrent of choice. But that doesn’t make for sensational headlines. Are There Any Real Takeaways Here? Let’s throw some numbers around, just to try and get our hands around what the larger picture might look like for bears and dogs here. The American Veterinary Medical Association estimates that 42.6 percent of American households own a dog. The Canadian Animal Health Institute says roughly 35 percent of households in Canuckistan own a dog. In an attempt to create the worst possible result for dogs, let’s run with that 35 percent number. And given that outdoorsy and rural people are more likely to both own a dog, and have bear encounters, let’s just make a giant assumption and apply that number to those 43,000 conflicts documented annually. If 35 percent of 43,000 human-bear encounters involve a dog, then we can assume that at least 15,050 dog-bear conflicts are occurring annually in North America. 15,050 x 122 = 1,836,100. Smith and Herrero were only able to find 326 incidents that met their human, dog, chance or occurrence of injury criteria across 122 years. And only 170 documented human injuries. So, with all the obvious caveats about these numbers in no way describing reality beyond narrow study parameters, what they actually found is that your risk of injury if your dog tangles with a bear is only 0.009 percent. I’ll take those odds next time I’m hiking my dogs in bear country. Top photo: “Superintendent Horace Albright, eating pancakes with bears, at Lake Lodge, Yellowstone National Park.” NPS. A journalist with more than two decades of experience working around the world, Wes Siler is here to cut through the outrage and disinformation to bring you the factual, insightful, actionable reporting you need to understand what’s going on. Upgrading to a paid subscription supports this reporting, and buys personal access to Wes, who will help you save money on gear, plan outdoor adventures, and prepare for real life, and who promises he’s less salty in real life than he sometimes comes across as on the Internet. Wes Siler’s Newsletter is a reader-supported publication. 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