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Matches To Make After UFC Vegas 115
UFC Vegas 115 went down last night (Sat., April 4, 2026) inside Meta Apex in Las Vegas, Nevada, which saw Renato Moicano submit Chris Duncan in the second round in the headlining bout (see it again here). In the co-featured bout, Virna Jandiroba defeated Tabatha Ricci via unanimous decision, while Tommy McMillen had himself a […]
Oakland audit finds troubling gaps it business tax collection system
While auditors point out that it's difficult to say exactly how much tax revenue the city lost out on, they estimate that about $9 million to $12 million would generally be referred to collections or liens annually.
Newly discovered fossils give scientists first look at the evolution of early complex animals
Newly discovered fossils have given scientists their first real glimpse of when Earth made a crucial transition from plants and unrecognizably simple animals to the complex creatures that took over the world and would eventually lead to us.
Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham
It's back, Albuquerque! The New Mexico Museum of Natural History & Science reopens today, April 4th after eight months of renovations! Expect a revamped lobby, the brand-new Animal Armor traveling...
RFK Jr. launches midterm travel push to shore up ‘MAHA’ support
The Trump White House counts RFK Jr. as a top surrogate – but he comes with downsides, too.
The night Geno Auriemma snapped — and Dawn Staley showed the game has changed
A power dynamic shift is happening at the top of women's basketball. And Auriemma knows it.
Sixers' Joel Embiid explains missing Wizards game, pending B2B, health
Philadelphia 76ers star Joel Embiid opens up on missing the matchup with the Washington Wizards, the pending back-to-back, and his health.
Bears’ Caleb Williams: ‘Iceman’ trademark application is to protect my business interests
He applied for a trademark last month.
Tribal gas stations see surge in business as fuel prices hover significantly below WA state average
Tribal gas stations in Washington are experiencing a significant surge in business as drivers seek lower prices amid rising fuel costs.
What Trump's Iran war means for Republicans ahead of midterms
This is not the run-up to the midterm elections that Republicans wanted.
Packers warn possible changes to Sports Broadcasting Act pose ‘existential threat’ to team
The Sports Broadcasting Act of 1961 allows professional sports leagues like the NFL to negotiate broadcast deals collectively. However, a review of the law by the House Judiciary Committee could bring changes.
PlayStation 6 Leaks Point To Sony Paving The Way for A Handheld
It also sounds like the next PlayStation could be imminent
Palumbo family business secrets revealed in settlement agreement with IDOT
It turns out there were more connections than previously known between Sebastian "Sam" Palumbo, his construction firms and a road-building group overseen by relatives known as Builders Companies. But the firms insist those ties didn't violate Palumbo's agreement not to participate in state or federal contracts following a 1999 guilty plea in a racketeering case.
Exclusive: US upends global supply program for malaria and HIV amid warnings of gaps
The U.S. is upending the way it delivers medical supplies for diseases such as HIV and malaria to lower-income countries, according to seven sources and an internal email, risking a second dislocation of life-saving services in just over a year.
Psychiatric nurse practitioner discusses role of mental health inside prisons
Life inside correctional facilities has been under the spotlight in New York State for the last year.The beating deaths of Robert Brooks and Messiah Nantwi, co
After more than 50 years, owners of Poor Richard's sell business
After more than 50 years of selling books, toys and pizza, the owners of Poor Richard's have sold their business.
Kat Abughazaleh expands political network, keeps campaign office open as mutual aid hub after primary loss
On Thursday, Abughazaleh announced in a video that she will help campaigns "integrate mutual aid and direct action into their races," and she plans to help races across the country, "especially in the Midwest."
Dennis Quaid to Be Honored at Military and Veteran Entertainment Awards
The star will receive the Patriot Ally Award at the May 23 event, in a night hosted by actor and advocate Maurice P. Kerry.
With Iran war address, Trump urges increasingly skeptical electorate to give him a bit more time
President Donald Trump finds himself not only negotiating with an enemy that refuses to throw in the towel but also dealing with an American tolerance for a conflict that's being stretched.
Knicks Announce Jalen Brunson News After Missing Grizzlies Game
New York Knicks guard Jalen Brunson missed Wednesday's game against the Memphis Grizzlies.
Coinbase clears key regulatory hurdle in bid to bolster its stablecoin business
Coinbase has received conditional approval from the U.S. Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC) to operate as a trust bank, the company said Thursday.
‘Good riddance’: Mass. politicians react to Pam Bondi’s removal as attorney general
The move ends the contentious tenure of a loyalist who upended the Justice Department’s culture of independence from the White House.
Rob Gronkowski among 8 nominees for Patriots Hall of Fame
The 2026 Patriots Hall of Fame process is underway.
Will the Aurora exit the Lawrenceville stage?
Earlier this year as part of its 30th season, the Aurora Theatre produced “The Play that Goes Wrong,” a farcical “play within a play” where technical mishaps, flubbed lines and
Can Donald Trump singlehandedly withdraw the US from NATO?
For years President Donald Trump has been deeply critical of NATO, including a slew of statements since the beginning of the Iran war. In two recent interviews he has said he would consider taking the significant step of withdrawing the US from the alliance altogether.
Mayor Brandon Johnson demotes housing authority board chair over CEO flap
Mayor Brandon Johnson said he demoted the CHA board chair because Johnson believes the appointment of Keith Pettigrew violated state law.
Owen's Jackson Warnock leads Week 6 boys spring sports top performers
Owen's Jackson Warnock dominated a doubleheader to lead the list of Week 6 WNC high school spring sports boys top performers.
Ranking the 10 most foolish NFL draft decision of the last 10 years
In the NFL draft, everybody plays the fool at some point. In honor of April Fools' Day, here are the 10 most foolish draft moves of the last 10 years.
Illinois business leaders want more funding for child care as facilities close and demand increases
Illinois businesses advocated for more funding to child care facilities as demand for services remains high. ReadyNation Illinois came out with a report that Illinois is losing $6.2 billion each year because of the child care crisis.
Tom Brady, famed health nut, explains his junk food endorsements in retirement: 'Moderation in all things'
Tom Brady has struck a new partnership with chocolate maker Ferrero pegged to the 2026 World Cup.
Jury can't reach verdict in corruption trial of 2 ex-FirstEnergy executives
A jury in Akron said Friday it was at an impasse in the trial of former CEO Chuck Jones and former senior vice president Michael Dowling.
Trio of soccer hat tricks leads Week 6 girls spring sports top performers
Three different girls soccer players scored hat tricks to lead the list of Week 6 WNC high school spring sports girls top performers.
Politics & Power: Democrats expand target map, Republicans push turnout amid AI misinformation worries
Rising public anxiety about election fairness and the spread of misinformation mean both parties must confront organizational, legal and ethical challenges as they prepare for a consequential midterm season.
Jury can't reach verdict in corruption trial of 2 ex-FirstEnergy executives
A jury in Akron said Friday it was at an impasse in the trial of former CEO Chuck Jones and former senior vice president Michael Dowling.
Amazon’s satellite business gets another win as it seeks to challenge Musk’s Starlink
Delta Air Lines said it would equip hundreds of aircraft with Amazon’s nascent satellite-internet system.
John Hood: In politics, common decency should still matter
Among the worst features of today’s politics is its pervasive crudity. Democrats and Republicans don’t just compete for electoral power and disagree on policy. They question motives, hurl insults and
SBA offering low-interest loans to residents, businesses impacted by last year's severe storms
Residents and businesses in six counties, including Cook, can apply for federal disaster loans if their properties were damaged by storms in August 2025.
Celine Dion announces her return to the stage. She always believed she could
Celine Dion was previously sidelined from performing due to a rare neurological disorder called stiff person syndrome. Now, she’s back.
Quilty Launches as the Entertainment's Intelligence Platform
Today, Quilty launches as the first unified intelligence platform for the entertainment industry, a new tool set that consolidates creative analysis, writer development, packaging, market forecasting, production planning, industry introductions and legal intelligence. Founded by Simon Horsman, a technology and entertainment lawyer and film, television, and theatre producer, alongside technology entrepreneur and film producer, Daniel Wood, Quilty was created to address the global entertainment in
THE WEEK OF MARCH 30, 2026
- NASA revises lunar plans - Trump clamps down on federal contractor DEI - DOE Office of Science heads discuss reorg and facilities
Kemi the attention-seeker somehow always makes two plus two equal five
The looming oil crisis caused by the Iran war gives the Conservative leader a platform from which to jump to the wrong conclusions
7+ Florida Politics Now: Discussing Florida’s Farm bill and midterm elections
This week we’re discussing this year’s farm bill and midterm elections.
'In the absence of any real news, rumours start'
The reason for my new-found, hyper-specific activism is that when there's an international break, particularly at this point in the season, there are still column inches to fill on the clubs that get covered. What I'm saying is won't someone please consider the mental impact on me, personally, of headlines suggesting the entire spine of Newcastle United is going to be sold this summer? If the rumours are to be believed then Sandro Tonali, Tino Livramento, Bruno Guimaraes, Anthony Gordon are the key players eyeing a move, and there could be more.
Nurses are an afterthought in health care debate, and that's deadly
As hospitals consolidate and executive pay rises, nurses and other frontline employees continue to get squeezed. Such pressures stretch patient safety.
Phonons in Focus
Phonon lasers are used to trap and levitate nanoparticles in the laboratory of Nick Vamivakas, the Marie C. Wilson and Joseph C. Wilson Professor of Optical Physics at the University of Rochester. https://www.doi.org/10.1038/s41467-026-70564-3
The Trump-voting pastor Democrats think could cost them a chance at a Nebraska Senate seat
In Nebraska’s Senate race, a Trump-supporting, anti-abortion pastor is running as a Democrat. The state’s Democratic Party — which is backing an independent candidate — says he’s a Republican plant. And another Democratic primary candidate says she’s running just to stop him.
Killing off the Regional Transportation District
This column is appearing the same day state Sen. Matt Ball (D) of Denver and his legislative co-sponsors unveil legislation implementing many of the recommendations advanced by last summer’s RTD Accountability Committee. Although it isn’t readily apparent, they have allowed themselves to be enlisted in a plot that will likely lead to the bankruptcy and […]
Who slept worst last night: James Vowles
More problems struck Williams at the Japanese Grand Prix, as its poor 2026 F1 campaign continues
Pricing, politics and patients: the new drug affordability battle
The USA remains the outlier among wealthy drug markets. OECD data for 2023 put US retail pharmaceutical spending at $1,713 per person, against an OECD average of $766. Germany was at $1,158 and Switzerland at $1,061.
What to stream: Two doses of Amanda Seyfried, 'The Housemaid' with Sydney Sweeney and Jon Hamm robs
Amanda Seyfried starring in “The Testament of Ann Lee” and Bravo’s hit reality show “The Valley” returning for Season 3 are some of the new television, films, music and games headed to a device near you. Also among the streaming offerings worth your time this week, as selected by The…
Basketball tournament makes space for trans athletes amid international sports bans
The court, split into competitive and recreational sides, pitted players of all genders against each other for 15-minute matchups less than a week after transgender female athletes were banned from women’s events at the Olympics after the International Olympic Committee agreed to a new eligibility policy.
Penguins are ‘furious’ over string of disputed NHL decisions
Frustration is building inside the Pittsburgh Penguins organization after a series of disputed NHL decisions against them during a critical stretch. The Penguins are pushing for a playoff spot after a three-season drought. The issue gained attention after comments from…
Old Forge Library plans Easter activities
Old Forge Library will host Easter egg dyeing April 1 and an outdoor egg hunt April 4, with free activities for families and children.
Full network of clitoral nerves mapped out for first time
Anatomy of one of least studied human organs could improve outcomes for women who have pelvic surgery
With an Iran funding vote looming, Ruben Gallego urges Democrats to rethink how to support the troops
The veteran who arrived a few minutes late to the matcha shop down the street from Fort Sam Houston hovered behind Ruben Gallego, trying to figure out where to sit.
Nebraska quarterback Anthony Colandrea impresses in spring game
New Nebraska quarterback Anthony Colandrea was impressive in his debut at the spring game on Saturday.
Cosmically Curious: Citizen Science & Space Weather
Listen to Cosmically Curious on NHPR's Weekend Edition Sunday at 8:35 a.m. and again on Mondays during Morning Edition at 7:32 a.m. and 9:32 a.m.
Insider: Term limits is not the culprit for Michigan House's turnover
In past years, the Michigan House suffered from turnover because of term limits. This year, state representatives are leaving for different reasons.
Bluetti’s Sora 500 solar panel is incredibly powerful for its size
The clear winner for anyone who has limited space to store an extra solar panel.
Teen sports betting is rising fast — and addiction risks are growing
As online sports betting surges in Massachusetts, experts warn adolescent boys are especially vulnerable to gambling addiction.
Frontdoor, American Airlines, Viking, MGM Resorts, and Caesars Entertainment Stocks Trade Down, What You Need To Know
What Happened? A number of stocks fell in the afternoon session after the latest University of Michigan survey revealed a sharp drop in consumer sentiment to...
CERAWEEK Oil, gas exploration is back: Energy giants hunt to replenish reserves
Global energy companies are getting back to basics and focusing on the hunt for new sources of oil and gas, executives declared at the CERAWeek conference in Houston this week, ending years of underinvestment in exploration.
Racine-based Burn Pit BBQ coming to Wisconsin Walmart stores in April
The Racine-based barbeque seasoning business expands to 70 Walmart stores on April 19. It's a big leap for the small business.
Pay to win? The uneven playing field of NIL in college sports
With the rise of NIL, college sports are facing dilemmas that never existed in the past.
On Opening Day, some Cubs fans lean into sports betting boom while others remain wary
Sports betting has exploded in Illinois since it was legalized in 2020. Fans heading into Wrigley Field on Thursday could gamble on their phones or at a sportsbook at the ballpark.
How Utah State became college basketball's most influential mid-major job for future power conference coaches
Utah State has served as a stopping point for several coaches on their way to jobs in the power conferences
With Bears in mind, Sanders bill would offer up sports teams to city before 'billionaire owners' try to move
The Home Team Act would require an owner to announce that it wants to relocate a year prior, giving the community a chance to buy at "fair market value." Texas U.S. Rep. Greg Casar called it a "keep-the-Bears-in-Chicago bill."
Sperm get lost in space, Australian research into microgravity impacts suggests
Study into how fertilisation could work in space finds sperm may get disorientated when trying to find an egg
The Best Time to Eat High-Fiber Foods If You Want to Poop Tomorrow, According to Dietitians
Learn the best time to eat fiber to help you poop the next day, plus which foods work fastest and how long fiber takes to improve digestion.
Avery County's Hank Johnson leads Week 5 boys spring sports top performers
Avery County's Hank Johnson shot six-under-par to lead the list of Week 5 WNC high school spring sports boys top performers.
Science Mill offers three special events in April
Sharing news, features, and sports with the Dripping Springs community. Support local news and subscribe here: linktr.ee/drippingspringsnews.
Wisconsin passes legislation requiring insurers to cover supplemental breast imaging
Dubbed "Gail's Law" after a breast cancer care advocate, the passage follows years of advocacy from radiologists and patients.
Midland ISD CTE Animal Science Program: Career Success for Students
MIDLAND, Texas (KMID/KPEJ)- Midland ISD Career and Technical Education is opening doors for students to become career-ready. Animal Science is one of the four-year plan programs within CTE that high s...
Rural health care providers can now apply for $50M to stabilize access - New round of health care funding builds on record $146M investment - Office of the Governor
SANTA FE – New Mexico’s rural health care providers can now apply for a share of $50 million in health care funding as part of the State of New Mexico’s three-year, $146 million investment that has helped recruit more than 800 health care workers to underserved communities. The funding comes from New Mexico’s Rural Health […]
Broadview mayor demands closure of ICE facility, reimbursement of village, business losses
The suburban mayor asked the feds to pay back $700,000 in costs to the villlage associated with Operation Midway Blitz and for economic losses suffered by nearby businesses.
Broadview mayor demands closure of ICE facility, reimbursement of village, business losses
The suburban mayor asked the feds to pay back $700,000 in costs to the villlage associated with Operation Midway Blitz and for economic losses suffered by nearby businesses.
76ers' Paul George blamed mental health for banned substance use
The Sixers' Paul George, who was suspended 25 games for a failed drug test, is set to return Wednesday when Philadelphia faces the Boston Celtics.
Nebraska and Indiana traded sports, plus Kyle Whittingham’s Utah exit
Until Saturday is The Athletic's free college football newsletter.
Jacobs Entertainment begins construction on downtown sports fields
Jacobs Entertainment has begun building the flat fields that will make up their youth sports initiative.
Jacobs Entertainment begins construction on downtown sports fields
Jacobs Entertainment has begun building the flat fields that will make up their youth sports initiative.
What’s That Building? South portico of the Griffin Museum of Science and Industry
The structure’s south entrance will be put to use for the first time in more than a century, just in time for the Obama Presidential Center opening nearby this summer.
Las Vegas talent agency grows as city’s entertainment market expands
As the city continues to grow, more opportunities are coming up for local models and actors.
Las Vegas talent agency grows as city’s entertainment market expands
As the city continues to grow, more opportunities are coming up for local models and actors.
Las Vegas talent agency grows as city’s entertainment market expands
As the city continues to grow, more opportunities are coming up for local models and actors.
2026 ‘Dirty Dozen’ produce: Nearly 100% tested positive for pesticides, including ‘forever chemicals’
The 2026 “Dirty Dozen” list of most contaminated produce has a worrisome finding. Many of the most common pesticides are also potentially toxic “forever chemicals.”
Top business leader demands end to stalemate over City Council's pick for zoning chair
Chicagoland Chamber of Commerce President Jack Lavin said more than 40 development projects have been stalled by City Council's failure to agree on new permanent chair for the powerful Zoning Committee. He wants Mayor Brandon Johnson to forge a compromise to break the stalemate.
Rock Island Bridge announces grand opening after years of planning
A long-awaited entertainment district above the Kansas River has set an opening date.
AMC Entertainment Holdings, Inc. (AMC) Is a Trending Stock: Facts to Know Before Betting on It
Zacks.com users have recently been watching AMC Entertainment (AMC) quite a bit. Thus, it is worth knowing the facts that could determine the stock's prospects.
Alabama vs. Texas Tech odds, time, March Madness predictions: 2026 NCAA Tournament picks from proven model
SportsLine's model has revealed its Texas Tech vs. Alabama picks for the NCAA Tournament 2026 second-round game on Sunday
‘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.
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.
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