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Supreme Court strikes down long-standing campaign finance restrictions
The provision challenged by Vice President JD Vance and others limits how much party committees can spend in coordination with individual candidates.
Two Dan Sullivans will be on the ballot in Alaska
The incumbent senator accuses his challenger of being a Democratic plant set up to confuse primary voters, but fellow Republican Dan J. Sullivan has said his desire to run is genuine.
Fact-checking the Trump administration's challenges to birthright citizenship
Until President Donald Trump, few saw it as controversial.
Gorsuch suggests Supreme Court's Trump ruling is opening move against administrative state
Justice Neil Gorsuch's concurrence suggests the Supreme Court's FTC ruling could lead to sweeping challenges against independent federal agencies' power.
The Latest: Supreme Court is set to rule on Trump’s challenge to birthright citizenship
The Supreme Court will rule on the constitutionality of President Donald Trump’s order on birthright citizenship declaring that children born to parents who are in the United States illegally or temporarily are not American citizens.
Vatican Observatory addresses one of science’s greatest enigmas: quantum gravity
A conference addressed the subject of quantum gravity with regard to the incompatibility of quantum mechanics with general relativity, presenting a challenge for researchers to propose solutions.
Twin Cities Somali businesses face long, slow recovery after Operation Metro Surge
Customer traffic and spending remain down, and many Somali-owned shops have had to lay off workers and fallen behind on rent.
EDITORIAL: Bennet, Hick play politics with the judiciary
Facing spirited challenges from the left — in the final hours of races each thought would be a walk in the park — Colorado’s two Democratic U.S. senators are doing what comes naturally to politicians. Pandering. How else to explain their opposition, reported Sunday, to the pending nomination of respected and rock-solid U.S. District Judge […]
Two are elected to the USC wing of the L.A. Times Sports Hall of Fame
Two people have been elected into the USC wing of our Los Angeles Times Sports Report Hall of Fame .
Analysis | Democrats turn to unconventional organizing in an atypical ‘must-win’ Senate race
Alaska presents myriad challenges to political organizers.
Scientists cured sickle cell. Then their next challenge began.
Gene editing has delivered remarkable results against sickle cell disease. Now researchers are working to make these personalized treatments faster, cheaper, and available to far more patients.
US Sen. Dan Sullivan’s same-name challenger can be on primary ballot, Alaska Supreme Court rules
The Alaska Supreme Court on Monday ruled that a man with the same name and party affiliation as Alaska Republican US Sen. Dan Sullivan is qualified to run for the seat and ordered elections officials to place him on the August primary ballot.
Mammoth Structure Found in Deep Space Challenges Our Understanding of The Universe
What does it mean?
Northwest Earth and Space Science Pathways Project Celebrates Student Innovation Through ROADS from Earth to Venus National Challenge
The Northwest Earth and Space Science Pathways (NESSP) project recently concluded its 2025–2026 ROADS (Rover Observation And Discoveries in Space) from Earth
Socialists take fight west, target Colorado in latest bid to oust Democratic Party establishment
Democratic Socialists of America target Colorado primaries as DSA-backed Melat Kiros challenges Rep. Diana DeGette in Denver's 1st Congressional District.
"It's not gonna be good:' Local business braces for Parkway East closure
Dave Guerin, a Swissvale business owner, shared his concerns about the upcoming 25-day Parkway East closure, citing challenges for deliveries and suppliers navigating detours.
How 'masculinism' is reshaping American politics
Can the new faultline in American political tribalism be broken down along the masculine question? Republican attacks against Texas Democratic Candidate for Senate James Talarcio falsely claim he's vegan as a challenge to his masculinity. While others in the GOP say they want to repeal the Woman's right to vote. What is he overarching strategy here. Why testosterone matters in today's politics.
Watch out, Amazon: the Kobo eReader now has a Goodreads rival
Kobo users can now automatically sync their reading progress to StoryGraph, making it easier to track books, reading stats, and challenges without relying on Amazon’s Goodreads.
Minneapolis council member taking leave for mental health treatment, cites turmoil in city
Council Member Aisha Chughtai said the city’s various challenges in recent months have taken their toll on her.
Arsenal part ways with Tom Allen, head of sports science and performance, Sam Wilson also set to leave
Allen's exit is the latest following the club ending their 22-year wait for a league title.
New York AG lauds Supreme Court's mail-in ballot ruling
Letitia James released a statement shortly after the court's 5-4 ruling, which stemmed from a challenge brought by the Republican National Committee.
New York AG lauds Supreme Court's mail-in ballot ruling
Letitia James released a statement shortly after the court's 5-4 ruling, which stemmed from a challenge brought by the Republican National Committee.
Databricks and Nvidia Launch Genesis Workbench for AI Scientists
AI is becoming an increasingly important tool for drug discovery. However, for many pharmaceutical and biotech companies, the challenge isn’t finding more powerful models. It’s getting existing models to work […]
Vaccine Confidence Strategies and Emerging Vaccinology Science
With vaccine confidence top of mind for many infectious disease experts, the 2026 Annual Conference on Vaccinology Research covered communication challenges as well as the latest in vaccine science.
Business Monday: Aerial Arts Hawaiʻi helps build strength, confidence for aerialists at every skill level
While circus artists don’t always fit the mold, Aerial Arts Hawaiʻi has become a safe space for youth and adults who are ready to take on a challenge.
Arsenal head of sports science performance departs
Arsenal head of sports science performance Tom Allen is the latest member of the club's backroom team set to leave the club.
Arsenal head of sports science performance departs
Arsenal head of sports science performance Tom Allen is the latest member of the club's backroom team set to leave the club.
Arsenal head of sports science performance departs
Arsenal head of sports science performance Tom Allen is the latest member of the club's backroom team set to leave the club.
Arsenal head of sports science performance departs
Arsenal head of sports science performance Tom Allen is the latest member of the club's backroom team set to leave the club.
Princess Kate completes remarkable Three Peaks Challenge mountain climb
Princess Kate is keeping it casual while completing the Three Peaks Challenge.
Supreme Court rules states can count late-arriving mailed ballots, rejecting Trump-led challenge
The decision rejected a Republican-led attack on laws in more than half the states and the District of Columbia that permit mailed ballots to arrive and be counted some number of days after the election, provided they are postmarked by Election Day.
Templafy data reveals shifts in enterprise AI document workflows
Enterprises face AI challenges as generic tools cause content inconsistency and dilute brand identity, affecting business-critical document quality.
How Penn State Beaver is helping farmers respond sooner to animal health challenges
Penn State Beaver is helping strengthen animal health and agricultural resilience across western Pennsylvania through the Keystone Animal Diagnostic Center, which gives farmers and veterinarians closer access to critical and timely testing.
UC Berkeley is establishing the Nancy Pelosi Institute to address democracy's challenges
Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and the University of California, Berkeley, are partnering to form a new nonpartisan academic institute they say will be dedicated to strengthening democracy
UC Berkeley is establishing the Nancy Pelosi Institute to address democracy's challenges
Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and the University of California, Berkeley, are partnering to form a new nonpartisan academic institute they say will be dedicated to strengthening democracy.
New research shows the hidden challenges facing religious scientists
A recent study from Rice’s Boniuk Institute for the Study and Advancement of Religious Tolerance titled “Religious Representation in Science: How Scientists in the United States, Mexico and South Africa Respond” explores the aspect of religious representation in science.
Rocket Lab Buys Satellite Operator Iridium in Bid to Challenge SpaceX
The deal would give Rocket Lab control over a satellite fleet and access to wireless resources it could use to compete with SpaceX.
A $1000 PlayStation 6 No Longer Sounds Crazy, As Sony Doesn’t Intend To Sell Hardware At Significant Losses
The PlayStation 6 is set to launch at one of the most challenging times for consumer tech, if not the most challenging. With the rising prices of components, RAM and SSDs above all, manufacturers are having an extremely hard time keeping costs down, and with a bill of materials that is now close to $1000, there's a very high chance the system will cost way more than most anticipated. Adding fuel to the fires of speculation is Sony itself, as the company heavily suggested in a recent investor Q&A session that it won't heavily subsidize the system. "We regard hardware as the base […]
FIFA Let Politics Win Over Football, Iran Paid The Price For Political Hypocrisy
Football's governing body has long sold itself as apolitical - like the IOC - an organisation above borders, above diplomacy, above conflict. But this World Cup has challenged that idea and changed perceptions about FIFA.
Colorado’s regulations should address policy challenges only as truly needed
As Colorado approaches its 150th birthday, we should remember its first 100 years were characterized by repeated boom-and-bust economic cycles. Dependence on mineral extraction and agricultural commodity prices was subject to the volatility of these markets. In 1972, as I arrived in Denver with Ma Bell, 40,000 metro households were waiting for dial tone since […]
Secret Alchemist, Sarelly and Borntostandout Are Among the Winners of The Business of Beauty Global Awards 2026
From emerging challengers to established disruptors, this year’s Global Awards winners are setting a new benchmark for beauty entrepreneurship.
VSP Vision Announces Winner of Propel Student Business Challenge Scholarship
RANCHO CORDOVA, Calif.—VSP Vision, in collaboration with the Student Optometric Leadership Network (SOLN), today announced that Mason Martin, a student at the University of Alabama at Birmingham School of Optometry, is the winner of the 2026 Propel Student Business Challenge Scholarship, powered by PECAA. Martin, who was awarded the $10,000 scholarship and a travel grant to attend the SOLN conference in Denver, is the first first-year student at the school to receive this honor, the announcement said. VSP said his standout submission featured a thoughtful, patient-centered private practice business plan.
Lagos school emerges winner of 10th Edition of Tolaram Science Challenge
By Efe Onodjae Iwerekun Community Senior High School, Ibeju-Lekki, has emerged the winner of the 10th edition of Tolaram Science Challenge (TSC), marking their third consecutive win. The school triumphed over Magbon-Alade Senior Grammar School in a keenly contested grand finale of the competition. The Tolaram Science Challenge, sponsored by Lagos Free Zone, is an annual […]
Millions take omega-3 fish oil for brain health but a new study found no benefit
Fish oil supplements successfully delivered omega-3s to the brain, but a two-year study found no meaningful benefits for memory, cognition, or Alzheimer’s-related brain changes. The results challenge the idea that fish oil pills can help prevent Alzheimer’s and shift attention toward overall diet and lifestyle instead.
Millions take omega-3 fish oil for brain health but a new study found no benefit
Fish oil supplements successfully delivered omega-3s to the brain, but a two-year study found no meaningful benefits for memory, cognition, or Alzheimer’s-related brain changes. The results challenge the idea that fish oil pills can help prevent Alzheimer’s and shift attention toward overall diet and lifestyle instead.
Running through challenges: Elite runner returns to Missoula Half Marathon after health complications
Abby Rodseth finished as the 11th woman in the Missoula Half Marathon, completing an emotional return to competitive running.
Stetson Bennett dealing with ‘business side’ of NFL in QB competition with Rams
Former Georgia quarterback Jake Fromm provides perspective on the challenge Stetson Bennett faces competing with Ty Simpson on the Los Angeles Rams.
Miles Bridges trade details: Hornets send athletic forward to Suns, land Grayson Allen
Phoenix and Charlotte kept the NBA offseason rolling on Sunday, reportedly agreeing to a deal involving some key role players.
Hornets send Miles Bridges to Phoenix Suns, AP source says
Guard Grayson Allen and forward Royce O’Neale would be coming to Charlotte, according to a person familiar with the deal.
Suns trade Grayson Allen, Royce O'Neale for Miles Bridges
The Suns have agreed to trade two key rotation players and a 2033 first-round pick for Hornets forward Miles Bridges and future draft capital.
Catherine completes Three Peaks Challenge to 'explore life beyond' cancer diagnosis
The Princess of Wales did the endurance event to raise awareness about "holistic healthcare" for cancer patients.
Hornets reportedly trading Miles Bridges to Suns for Grayson Allen, Royce O'Neale, 1st-round pick
Charlotte continues its offseason overhaul after nearly making the NBA playoffs this past season.
NFL players come together to shine light on men's mental health in Kensington
The initiative brings together athletes, mental health professionals, and community leaders to raise awareness about challenges like depression and anxiety.
30-Day Challenge: All-Time Favorite Bears Defensive Back
Each day in June, we’ll roll out a fresh topic to get Bears fans thinking in our 30 Day Challenge, and today we want to know your all-time favorite defensive back.
Democrats wrestle with race, populism and ideology in clashes with lawmakers of color
The Democratic Party is confronting its long-standing dilemmas over identity and ideology as it wrestles with populist challengers in communities of color.
Brain activity under anesthesia challenges what we know about consciousness
The unconscious brain appears to be far more capable than scientists once believed. Researchers found that patients under general anesthesia could still process language at a sophisticated level, distinguishing nouns, verbs, and adjectives while listening to stories. Even more remarkably, neural activity showed signs of predicting upcoming words before they were heard. The results challenge traditional ideas about consciousness and hint at new possibilities for brain-computer interfaces.
Americans now live longer in Democratic-held House districts. Here’s why
Even as health care issues rise in the 2026 campaign debate, new data show that far more House Republicans than Democrats represent districts where the most residents face major medical challenges — and lack health insurance.
Progressives look to Colorado as next test of a rising movement
Melat Kiros, a 29-year-old democratic socialist and lawyer, is challenging 15-term Rep. Diana DeGette for a solidly blue seat in Denver, where she and her allies hope voters are ready for change.
Japan's workplace culture reshaped my expectations of work
Moving to Japan presented challenges in practices like gift-giving and limited sick leave, and reshaped what I expected from work.
Costs of Iran war will linger despite conflict's end, experts say
The effects of the war and other factors driving inflation are likely to stick around for months, experts say, presenting an ongoing challenge to American households.
Julia Letlow defeats John Fleming in GOP Senate runoff. Jamie Davis wins Democratic nod.
Letlow staved off a tough challenge from Treasurer John Fleming, while Davis overwhelmingly one his party’s nomination.
Diamondbacks 2, Tampa 4: Fish House Blues
Even without a dismal Zac Gallen performance, the Diamondbacks couldn’t play competitive baseball….
Robison leaves legacy of building partnerships as he accepts next public health challenge at state level
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How AI is changing and challenging healthcare access
More people are consulting bots in place of physicians and therapists
How AI changing and challenging healthcare access
More people are consulting bots in place of physicians and therapists
MacBook Retail Sales Challenged By Apple Silicon Legacy
The extended lifespan of first-generation M1 MacBooks is impacting retail sales of the newer AI-focused MacBook Air and MacBook Pro laptops.
Scientists Challenge a Fundamental Assumption About Consciousness
A new philosophical study challenges the idea that consciousness requires human-like biology.
GOP candidate with same name as senator can stay on Alaska ballot, judge rules
Supporters of incumbent Republican Sen. Dan Sullivan say a challenger with the same name is not running in “good faith,” but a judge says that is not an issue.
ChaosCollage
Already teaming up for the Chaos Spreads challenge? Submit a screenshot of you and your friends in Minecraft via Gleam.io for a chance to feature in our end-of-summer chaos collage! Find out more in this article
30 Day Challenge: Most Painful Bears Memory
What is the most painful Bears memory of yours? @BryanOrenchuk shares his!
Jeffries Faces Steep Test as Far Left Builds Strength in Congress
The victories of Darializa Avila Chevalier and other anti-establishment candidates are changing the face of House Democrats, posing a challenge for their leader.
Man with same name as US Sen. Dan Sullivan is eligible for Alaska's primary ballot, judge rules
An Alaska judge has ruled that a man with the same name and party affiliation as Alaska Republican U.S. Sen. Dan Sullivan is eligible to challenge the senator in the August primary
Democratic candidate challenging Rep. Lawler on her bid to ‘tear down political silos’
New York U.S. House candidate and combat veteran Cait Conley (D) joins Meet the Press NOW following her primary win. She faces incumbent Republican Rep. Mike Lawler in one of November’s most closely watched races as Democrats try to flip the House.
'The Bear' ending explained – Jeremy Allen White, cast unpack finale
Warning: This story contains spoilers from the Season 5 finale of “The Bear,” now streaming on Hulu. Clear the plates and pack the linens – “The Bear” has served its
Community Challenge Chaos Spreads
To celebrate the release of the Chaos Cubed game drop, the mayhem continues with our Chaos Spreads Community Challenge! Unite with your friends and play with the free add-on reward, courtesy of completing the Chaos Sparks Community Challenge. Players can collectively win a new Bedrock world for all from Blockception!
Stillwater’s early start for school is big challenge for football, fall sports
Learn why Stillwater is starting early and how teams are trying to make adjustments.
Intel’s chip business shows signs of life after years of struggle
Not long ago, Intel was seen as Silicon Valley’s fallen icon. Now it is showing signs of a turnaround amid the AI boom.
Council Explores AI, Quality Improvement and Patient Safety to Advance Community Health
The MHA Council on Health Access and Community Impact held its final meeting of the program year June 4 to examine emerging opportunities and challenges shaping healthcare delivery and advancing community health.
New York’s primaries signal a new force in US politics
Progressive, Muslim and Arab American candidates are challenging old limits on debate over Israel and Palestine.
Whole Hog Politics: It was voters, not Senate Republicans, who forced Trump’s hand on Iran
The early returns are in, and we can pretty safely say that Americans like the peace with Iran but strongly dislike the war that it ended. The truce is shaky, with hour-by-hour challenges that seem...
Earthquake shifts political ground for Venezuelan leader Delcy Rodriguez
Venezuela's strongest earthquake in over a century is the biggest challenge to Delcy Rodriguez's leadership but could also allow the interim president to stamp her authority on a fractured government.
Cutting costs to move forward: SoFi State of Small business 2026 survey
SoFi reports 86% of small business owners see growth or stability, yet 66% cite high costs, mainly inflation and interest rates, as major challenges.
Cutting costs to move forward: SoFi State of Small business 2026 survey
SoFi reports 86% of small business owners see growth or stability, yet 66% cite high costs, mainly inflation and interest rates, as major challenges.
Sweden and WHO launch new long-term initiative to transform Ukraine’s health system
WHO and the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (Sida) have launched a new multi-year cooperation project to support the long-term recovery and transformation of Ukraine’s health system. The new project, “Ukraine’s Health System Transformation Initiative: Strengthening Health Governance, Health Financing and Service Delivery for Long-Term Recovery”, was launched at the Ukraine Recovery Conference 2026 in Gdansk, Poland on 26 June, and will run from June 2026 to 2029. Sweden will contribute approximately US$ 26 million (240 million Swedish krona) to support this project. This contribution forms part of Sweden’s broader support to Ukraine through the Team Europe approach, which brings together the European Union, its Member States, and key partners such as the European Commission’s Directorate-General for Enlargement and Eastern Neighbourhood and Enabel, and WHO as lead health agency, to support Ukraine’s recovery, reform agenda and European integration.“Ukraine’s health recovery cannot be measured only by what is rebuilt, but by whether people can count on the health system when they need it most. The scale of the task is immense, with health reconstruction and modernization needs estimated at US$ 19.4 billion over the next decade. Sweden’s US$ 26 million contribution to Ukraine’s Health System Transformation Initiative is a timely investment in the institutions, financing and services that will support Ukraine’s long-term recovery and European integration. WHO remains a trusted partner of the Government of Ukraine in advancing this process. I am deeply grateful to Sweden for its consistent support and partnership,” said Dr Hans Henri P. Kluge, WHO Regional Director for Europe. More than 4 years of war have placed unprecedented pressure on Ukraine’s health system, creating 3 interconnected challenges. The first is responding to the immediate consequences of the war and the urgent health needs of the population. The second is recovering and modernizing health services today. The third is continuing reforms and aligning the health system with European standards in the context of Ukraine’s future accession to the European Union. The war has led to large-scale population displacement, an increasing need for trauma care and rehabilitation, and shortages of health workers. High out-of-pocket payments in Ukraine make access to health services more difficult. Around 46% of total health expenditure is paid directly by individuals, placing a significant financial burden on many households and underscoring the need for reforms in health financing. Older people, persons with disabilities, women, children and veterans continue to face the greatest difficulties in accessing health services. “Ukraine is demonstrating that health system transformation can continue even during war. Ukraine is also continuing to align its health system with European norms and standards. WHO is committed to supporting Ukraine on this journey. We provide technical support, help coordinate partners’ efforts and support the institutional changes needed to strengthen the system. We are grateful to Sweden for its support. Through this partnership, we can help Ukraine build a more resilient, accessible and people-centred health system,” said Dr Jarno Habicht, WHO Representative in Ukraine. About the Health System Transformation InitiativeThe new initiative will support Ukraine through 3 interconnected areas: strengthening governance and coordination of health sector reforms through more inclusive coordination platforms and structured policy dialogue; transforming service delivery by reinforcing a primary health care-centred model that integrates family medicine, nursing and midwifery; and improving financial sustainability by supporting reforms that ensure the long-term viability of the national health system and reduce out-of-pocket payments for households. Overall, these reforms are expected to make the health system more coherent and easier to navigate, improve the quality and continuity of care, and ensure more equitable access to services, particularly for those who need them most. They will also support Ukraine’s progress towards a more modern health system aligned with European standards. “We are convinced that long-term recovery is not possible without strong, high-quality, person-centred health services that are accessible to everyone. Our partnership with WHO is designed to support deep and lasting systemic changes. Investments in human capital especially autonomous midwives, whose role for maternal, newborn and adolescent sexual and reproductive health cannot be understated, stronger governance, digital transformation and the financial sustainability of the health system are investments in Ukraine’s future. We are proud to support this process,” said Malin Perhult, the Head of the Ukraine Unit at Sida. Focus throughout implementation will be given to the most vulnerable population groups, including older people, women and children, and persons with disabilities, who have been affected by the war and face greater health-care needs. The initiative will be implemented in close cooperation with the Ministry of Health of Ukraine, the National Health Service of Ukraine, the Public Health Centre of Ukraine, regional authorities and international partners. This project will help Ukraine move towards a system where everyone can access the health care they need. It will strengthen primary care, make the health finance system more stable and predictable, and reduce the out-of-pocket costs that Ukrainians face when using health services. As a result, the Ukrainian health system will become more aligned with European standards and more sustainable in the long run.
PlayStation Will Continue To Push Live Service Games Despite Evident Challenges, While Teasing A PlayStation 6 Handheld
Hideaki Nishino doubles down on live services like MARVEL Tōkon: Fighting Souls while teasing a PlayStation 6 handheld.
Outdoor recreation study highlights economic challenges for Wyoming businesses
The report represents the first comprehensive study of the state’s outdoor recreation economy. Businesses ranked hiring, climate and marketing as top concerns.
Gay Street businesses cope with Capital Line construction
The Capital Line is meant to be transformative for Downtown. But right now it's presenting challenges for businesses.
‘The Hot Zone’ led me to work with Ebola patients. Now I have mixed feelings about the book
“The reality of Ebola is simultaneously less sensational and far more challenging than most people imagine,” writes Krutika Kuppalli.
Children's Minnesota doctor warns of Benadryl challenge dangers
Prosperity Council’s Report Challenges Kotek to Signal That Oregon Is Open for Business
The 15-member panel of business and labor leaders proposed four modest tax code changes, replacing the Climate Protection Program, and some less controversial reforms.
Travelers Championship brings business boost and traffic headaches for Cromwell-area shops
As golfers compete at the Travelers Championship, nearby restaurants and shops in the Cromwell area are seeing the tournament’s impact on business, with some owners welcoming the crowds and others pointing to traffic challenges.
Making Our Own Luck
We are cross-posting a piece that former NIH official Kris Willis wrote for Macroscience. Kris is now the President and Founder of the Woodley Park Institute, for which I’m a board member. Picking winners or hedging bets? Federal science agencies have long wrestled with the question of how to ensure their billions of dollars of grants and contracts result in maximum benefits for Americans. On the surface, it might seem that a goal-oriented, interventionist style of management would be the best policy: prioritize our most pressing problems and distribute funding accordingly.This top-down strategy creates a unique hazard, though: bad choices can send resources in the wrong direction, resulting in slow progress that impedes the delivery of tangible benefits to citizens. Moreover, if decision makers pursue an applied advance when the underlying scientific principles remain poorly understood, they risk costly failures and a loss of support for the research enterprise at large. Examples include Nixon’s 1971 War on Cancer, undertaken on the premise that a cure could be achieved in less than a decade, the drive to build an operational commercial fusion plant by the mid-1990s, and the National Plan to Address Alzheimer’s Disease, which failed to produce the effective treatments and prevention strategies promised by 2025. The contrasting laissez-faire approach is to hedge your bets. If the path to an advance is impossible to predict, then the wisest choice might be to distribute funding to as widely as possible. The main risk of this strategy is that spreading funding thinly may limit the resources available to the most promising research, resulting in the same negative outcomes as the interventionist approach: limited support for the most promising topics, slow progress, and delayed returns. In reality, at science agencies like the National Science Foundation and National Institutes of Health, program managers navigate between these two extremes, setting some funds aside to target high-priority areas and using the rest to cover the widest possible range of meritorious proposals. This middle path seems like the most rational way to proceed, but it still requires making choices. How much should be set aside for high priority topics? What should those topics be? How should we define merit? Expert opinion can provide a helpful guide, but leading experts can have remarkably different opinions about what matters and what should be prioritized. Moreover, experts and administrators alike can be risk averse, giving an edge to high-profile, well-established concepts. What’s really needed is a data-driven framework to help guide decision-making, one that doesn’t simply repackage prestige or incumbency. Recognizing breakthroughs years in advance Many breakthroughs fail to attract funding or recognition at the earliest stages of development. Katalin Karikó, for example, spent years struggling to win grants for work on mRNA that would eventually win her and Drew Weissman a Nobel Prize. Similar stories can be told about Jim Allison’s groundbreaking studies leading to the development of cancer immunotherapy, Stan Pruisner’s demonstration that prions can self-replicate without DNA, or Robin Warren and Barry Marshall’s proof that Helicobacter pylori, not stress, causes ulcers. Yet at some point, the scientific community recognizes and responds to transformative breakthroughs like these. How does that change happen? And what if science funders could identify the areas that are on the cusp of a breakthrough? Those questions led my collaborators and me to study how scientists responded to past breakthroughs. Based on patterns in that data, we developed a means of predicting future breakthroughs, using biomedicine as a proof of concept. It’s worth taking a moment to describe how our approach works. Briefly, our prediction process begins by grouping the 18 million or so peer-reviewed papers in PubMed, the authoritative database of biomedical research, into roughly 50,000 unique topics. A small subset of these topics are so widely acclaimed as breakthroughs that they have been recognized with a major prize like a Nobel or a Lasker Award. We theorized that studying the development of these outliers over time, especially before they gained acclaim, was the key to identifying future instances of them. After defining topics, we chose 21 representative breakthroughs and asked what they looked like before they won prestigious prizes. To answer that question, we re-ran our topic-mapping algorithm repeatedly, winding back the clock one year each time, stringing together the years to follow the progress of each field as it grew and advanced. We found that in each case, the years leading up to a discovery followed a pattern: a burst of papers on a new, rapidly evolving topic, many of which quickly became influential. These characteristics—the percent of papers that are new, the percentage of papers that are brought in from other topics, and the influence of each individual paper—can all be measured separately for any given topic. Together, they act as a predictive signal that is detectable an average of five years before a transformative discovery is made, and up to thirty years before the discovery receives a major prize. Scanning the current research landscape for topics that display this signal allows us to predict what work will likely produce a future breakthrough. Each year we analyzed includes four or five signals, a number that appears to have remained constant across a twenty year time frame. In their classic work on the sociology of science, Bruno Latour and Steve Woolgar established that the desire to participate in a major discovery is an important motivator for scientists as they consider whether they should take up (or abandon) a research problem. Although further work is needed, the simplest explanation for our results is that this behavior is widespread enough to detect at scale. A foundational advance, or something like it, draws the attention of scientists and causes them to change the direction of their research. They vote with their feet, staking their own reputation and careers by publishing on and citing the new idea. That upswell of interest is the foundation of our breakthrough signal. What kind of research does our model identify as a breakthrough? After building a model based on the patterns in our 21 preselected breakthroughs, we tested it by identifying all early signals of discovery from 1994 through 1997. Of the 18 signals we found in that time period, 17 can be traced forward in time to a breakthrough. Examples include super-resolution fluorescence microscopy (see the image above), the directed evolution of proteins and enzymes (Chemistry Nobel, 2018), and sequencing the human genome (National Medal of Science, 2008). The discovery of the role of leptin signaling in obesity is a particularly interesting case study. Around 1950, scientists noticed the existence of a type of lab mouse that suffered from a unique inherited form of obesity. When given the freedom to choose their own diet, these mice ate more than normal and preferred food that was high in fat. Researchers had few clues as to why the animals overate; early experiments pointed to the existence of a soluble ob factor found circulating in the bloodstream that regulated appetite, but its identity was unknown. In 1994, Jeffrey Friedman and colleagues identified and sequenced the ob gene, noting that the protein it encoded appeared to fit the profile of a circulating factor. A year later, a trio of high-profile publications demonstrated that ob was a hormone that regulated body weight and fat deposition by regulating appetite. One of these was co-authored by Friedman, who christened it leptin from the ancient Greek word for thin. Using our model, the data from 1996 make it clear this advance would become a breakthrough. Scientists had flocked to study the biology of the new hormone, generating the flurry of new papers and citations required to produce a signal. One of these demonstrated that serum leptin concentrations reflected the amount of adipose tissue in the human body, providing clinical validation of the earlier mouse studies. Before the identification of leptin, scientists were unable to point to a specific molecule that controlled appetite and adiposity, so that it was impossible to rule out non-physiological causes of obesity; its characterization fundamentally changed our concept of weight gain. In 2010, Friedman and fellow pioneer Douglas Coleman were awarded a Lasker for the discovery. Our work also identifies breakthroughs in clinical practice and behavioral and social sciences, even though these areas are less likely to draw the attention of major prize committees. One example that falls into this category is the introduction of endovascular aneurysm repair, a minimally invasive surgical procedure for the treatment of abdominal aortic aneurysm, a leading cause of death among Americans over the age of 65. Relative to the previous standard of care, it reduces in-hospital mortality by almost four-fold. In 2017, Timothy Chuter received the American College of Surgeons’ prestigious Jacobsen Innovation award for his multiple refinements to the technique. Another under-recognized breakthrough identified by our model is the development of standardized survey instruments to assess the quality of life for HIV+ patients. The antiretroviral cocktails introduced in the mid-1990s reduced AIDS mortality, but treatment came with serious side effects. The new evaluations showed that patients whose disease progressed had worse physical functioning than Americans with other chronic diseases, while those who were asymptomatic maintained a health-related quality of life on par with the overall US population. This evidence made it possible for patients and activists to argue that even in the absence of a total cure, and in spite of the side effects, alleviation of symptoms was a worthwhile priority for clinicians. My colleagues and I have failed to identify any significant recognition for the physicians and health policy experts who pioneered this advance, although in 2016, researchers called for the World Health Organization to set targets for good health-related quality of life as part of its framework to end the AIDS pandemic. From forecasting to funding How should science funders use our predictions? Any serious discussion of what we should do with this new capability needs to begin with an understanding of its limitations. We can’t (and shouldn’t) invest all of our resources in the small number of topics predicted to produce breakthroughs. Innovative new fields are born from existing ones; they rarely arise de novo. If funders don’t maintain a diverse portfolio, the breakthroughs of tomorrow will have no antecedents. Think of this as eating the seed corn, or killing the goose that lays the golden egg. There are also multiple goals of funding beyond basic scientific discovery, including translating discoveries into clinical practice, developing new technologies, supporting economic development, and training new scientists. The investments needed to accomplish these goals are likely different from those required to support emerging breakthroughs. Finally, we must be aware that we may not capture every instance of a breakthrough. The concept is fuzzy, and not every significant discovery is recognized with a major award. Further, breakthroughs are rare, meaning that our dataset is, by necessity, small. This makes formal estimates of accuracy challenging. Although our overall success rate appears to be high, any one signal may turn out to be a false positive. We found one apparent example: the development of the third generation COX-2 inhibitors, Vioxx and Celebrex, which were much celebrated in the early 2000s as effective but non-addictive pain relievers, meets all the algorithmic criteria of a breakthrough. Five years after it received FDA approval, researchers demonstrated that Vioxx was associated with serious cardiovascular complications, and the manufacturer voluntarily pulled the drug from the market. Celebrex remains available, although like other NSAIDs, it carries an FDA warning for increased cardiovascular risk. Decision makers who were overly focused on the breakthrough potential of this research might have wasted substantial resources nurturing an area that ultimately proved to be a failure—but so would those who relied on expert opinion at the time. That said, the potential benefits of funding the next mRNA vaccine or cancer immunotherapy years earlier than we might have are large. When we can’t assume the outcome of an action, it’s worth conducting an experiment. Can targeted support for areas that are poised to produce a breakthrough increase the return on scientific investment without cannibalizing future advances? With the necessary administrative infrastructure in place, conducting this experiment would be straightforward. First, identify all the breakthrough signals between 2018 and 2023, select half at random, and commit to a decade of investment. For biomedicine, a six year window should yield about 30 topics with the potential to produce a breakthrough. Providing strong support to half of these might be accomplished for $300 million a year. That’s roughly half of the recent annual budget of the NIH Common Fund or around 20% of the fiscal year 2025 budget for ARPA-H. After five years, then again at ten, compare to see which group — the one that was actively managed, or the control — produced more breakthroughs, and on what timescale. Although we used biomedicine as an example, the same experiment could just as well be run for physics, materials science, or any other discipline. Any attempt to undertake such an experiment should keep three points top of mind. First, we can predict the topic of future breakthroughs, but the people and vision for how to move the work forward are still important. In practice, this means success requires active program managers with the expertise to develop the science and the authority to do so, including by recruiting investigators. Second, we would be wise to learn from the failures of past attempts to fund transformative research. High among these are funding modestly repackaged work, confusing the genuinely novel with the merely unfamiliar, and relying too much on incumbent investigators. All of these risks can be mitigated by thoroughly and intelligently integrating high quality data into portfolio management. Finally, we need to have patience. Even with strong funding support, producing a breakthrough takes time. If supporting breakthroughs is the best way to nurture the birth of new fields, we also need to accurately describe and properly manage the other two stages, so that we invest wisely throughout the productive lifetime of ideas and divest once they reach the point of diminishing returns. We would benefit from more study of all of these phases, especially the transition from one to another. More research could answer questions like: When does a breakthrough become an established field? How do the availability of funding, the size and characteristics of the available workforce, and the accumulation of evidence that disagrees with prevailing models affect a field’s decline? Exactly how do old ideas give birth to new ones, and can we speed up the process? The more we understand about the dynamics of scientific progress, the better we can maximize the odds that our curiosity leads to results. I’d call that finding a way to make our own luck.
$10M behavioral health unit opens at Milwaukee’s St. Francis Hospital
The renovated facility will serve 61 adults and children in need of behavioral health services, primarily assisting patients in southeastern Wisconsin. This expansion comes as Milwaukee faces challenges in keeping mental health facilities open
Microsoft Discovery Aims To Advance The Era Of Agentic Science
The cloud-based agentic AI platform aims to help human researchers overcome resource constraints and complex data challenges to accelerate science at scale.
How 12 ventures will improve health and food systems in Boston
Yes/Boston has announced its 12-member cohort through the UpLink Innovation Challenge to drive local innovation and transform food and health in Boston.
Yes/Boston Announces Inaugural Cohort of 12 Innovators Advancing Food and Health Solutions
/PRNewswire/ -- Yes/Boston, an initiative intended to accelerate innovation at the intersection of food systems and health, today announced its inaugural...
Democratic socialists cemented power in New York. Next, the rest of the country?
The Democratic Socialists of America won with support outside their usual base. Winning outside New York may be a different challenge.
David P. O'Brien
About five years ago, David P. O'Brien had a comfortable position at Marsh & McLennan Cos., where he held the top post at the financial giant's Louisville, Ky., office. Despite the lofty rank, Mr. O'Brien found himself longing to be at a smaller company that had to work a little harder to land business. That desire led him away from Kentucky five years ago and to Cleveland, where he serves as executive vice president at business insurance agency Oswald Cos. "I left Marsh before it was en vogue," he said, referring to layoffs and defections at Marsh over the course of this year that followed accusations of bid rigging at the big firm. Above all, Mr. O'Brien, 38, wanted to work at a company that relied on its inventiveness, rather than its name, for business. He said he has found that at Oswald. "It causes you to be more creative, to be more resourceful," Mr. O'Brien said. For instance, an Oswald client seeking to do business internationally might be directed to the network of offices abroad run by competitors such as Marsh and Aon Risk Services Inc. "We're going to use whatever access into the market that makes the most sense for our clients," he said. Of course, using such a strategy can be dangerous for Oswald if its client decides to further a business relationship with one of the firms Oswald recommended. "That's the obvious question and why it's nontraditional," he said. "I think if we're good, and if we're bringing value to the client, then there's no risk. I'm not threatened by it." Imaginative business solutions of that type made his career move to Oswald from Marsh worthwhile. "It's very much a challenge," he said. "It helps you keep your edge. I'm all for the competition." John Jacunski, currently vice president and corporate controller at York, Pa., paper company PH Gladfelter Co., met Mr. O'Brien four years ago when Mr. Jacunski was at WCI Steel Inc. in Warren. So impressed was he with Mr. O'Brien's work for WCI that Mr. Jacunski has retained the Oswald executive at PH Gladfelter. "He's a young guy for the position he has, but he's done a great job for us," Mr. Jacunski said. Among his roles at Oswald, Mr. O'Brien leads the firm's client retention efforts and also serves as director of its property and casualty group. "You don't have the same human resources," he said of the job jump to Oswald. "You don't have, obviously, the safety net a big company has." But sometimes, it can be difficult to ascertain individual contributions when working at a big company. "I wanted to be able to see the end results of my work and my efforts," Mr. O'Brien said.
Everything Announced At The 2026 Capcom Spotlight
Here's a quick recap of the 30-minute broadcast.