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Spotlight Now: Civil Beat politics editor Chad Blair
Civil Beat’s Chad Blair says Derek Kawakami’s LG bid energizes 2026, as Sylvia Luke faces scrutiny and key congressional races take shape.
Procurement Roadshow in Germany: Health
Join German companies to explore World Bank Group health sector procurement. Learn about WBG reforms, tender requirements, and market opportunities with experts.
The art of small-town politics
When we arrived in River Forest, the village board was dominated by a village president who had reigned from 1993-2009. An interregnum of four years ensued, followed by the current board president, in place since 2013. Ours is a small town next to a large town. River Forest has about 12,000 residents. Our neighbor to […]
Airport congestion eases as TSA workers receive backpay but record DHS shutdown drags on
Union boss says workers have received some, but not all, of their pay
Vote now for the Free Press MHSAA girls basketball player of the year
Detroit Free Press readers can vote on the best player during the 2025-2026 MHSAA girls basketball season.
Political group attacks South Anchorage Assembly candidate from both left and right with contradictory mailers
Both mailers were paid for by the same political group, Friends of the Good Guys.
Young researchers showcase projects at North Platte science competition
Students from across Greater Nebraska presented research projects Monday during the Nebraska Junior Academy of Sciences Western Regional Science Competition at Mid-Plains Community College.
Gov. Stein announces $8.5 million for WNC small business recovery after Helene
Governor Josh Stein announced nearly $8.5 million in new infrastructure grants to support small business recovery in western North Carolina on Friday.
‘Press Your Luck’ hosted by Elizabeth Banks to shoot in Trilith Studios in April
The game show, which was rebooted in 2019, begins filming next month at Trilith Studios in Fayetteville.
Ways to save money at live sports events in San Diego
Rooting for the Padres, catching a hometown soccer game or even cheering on the local hockey team can get expensive, fast. Here are a few ways tips to go to the games and save money.
Schreyer Scholar explores entrepreneurship through computer science
Schreyer Scholar Aryan Sabnekar first learned coding from an online course during the COVID-19 pandemic. Since then, he has continued to explore all of his interests in coding and entrepreneurship both inside and outside the classroom at Penn State, most recently placing at HackPSU.
Maine Science Festival brings in the next generation with interactive exhibits
WABI TV5 News at 4
Final Four predictions: Who will advance to 2026 National Championship?
Arizona, Illinois, Michigan and UConn are all that's left from the 68 teams who began March Madness. Check out our Final Four predictions.
Politics Unplugged (Full Episode) March 29, 2026
This week on Politics Unplugged, Secretary of State Adrian Fontes discusses a judge’s ruling that the No Labels Party can’t change its name to the Arizona Independent Party. Then, consultants Stacy Pearson and Matt Benson discuss the impact of high gas prices in Arizona and the Phoenix City Council's vote restricting ICE's use of public facilities.
Amazon's Big Spring Sale Drops Prices on Top-Rated Laptops and Desktop PCs
Big discounts on all kinds of computers are making us very happy when we visit Amazon's massive sale, but you only have a few more days to get the lowest prices of the year.
Why do men sexually harass women at work? Science offers two explanations – but only one of them holds up
There are two ways to understand sexual harassment in the workplace, but one of them is more scientific than the other.
Georgia State Senate candidate to resume campaigning after life-threatening health event
Georgia Senate candidate Lanny Thomas shared an update on his condition and plans to continue campaigning on Sunday.
Barcelona send fresh contract offer to Robert Lewandowski
Barcelona have offered forward Robert Lewandowski the chance to remain at the club next season if he so desires. The 37-year-old forward is out of contract next season, and there is no clarity on his ...
I’ve been using ChatGPT as my own personal Spotify DJ — here’s how I did it
Can ChatGPT capture the vibe of a human-made playlist?
Arizona fans pack Arcadia sports bar to watch Wildcats advance
Arizona fans filled a popular UofA sports bar in Phoenix's Arcadia neighborhood to cheer on their Wildcats.
Politics Unplugged Podcast: Jeremy Duda on ICE restrictions
Axios reporter Jeremy Duda talks about the ICE restrictions in Phoenix and his new book on the murder of journalist Don Bolles. Then Dennis and Colin share their dislike for “old school” coaches.
Saturday Sports: Lacrosse season has returned to the North Country
Here’s a recap of your North Country sports this Saturday.
10 Million Grill Brushes Recalled Over Concerns About Loose Bristles Being Ingested
In at least five cases, customers sought medical attention to remove bristles “from their digestive tract or throat,” a federal agency said.
How Dems are committing political suicide over anti-ICE obsessions
Democrats now risk a midterm-elections fiasco if they can’t let go of their anti-ICE obsession, and their related insistence on protecting even violent-criminal illegal immigrants from deportation.
Heartland Sports on The Breakfast Show 3/28
Heartland Sports on The Breakfast Show 3/28
Why does cannabis give people 'the munchies'?
A researcher explains how your body processes the THC from cannabis, resulting in "the munchies."
Why does cannabis give people 'the munchies'?
A researcher explains how your body processes the THC from cannabis, resulting in "the munchies."
LIVE: Palmetto Sports at Atlanta Braves Opening Day
LIVE: On Atlanta Braves Opening Day, Palmetto Sports Anchor Caroline Soro & Reporter Ella Grogan preview game one from Truist Park.
Possible Health Care Affiliation Under Review
Possible Health Care Affiliation Under Review
New material science facility
The 150,000-square-foot building sits in the center of campus and provides classrooms and labs for materials science
Brian Miller on the Need for Emotional Intelligence in Science
The context is when students with a religious background enter the sciences at the undergraduate or graduate level.
BravesVision is officially on DIRECTV
The Atlanta Braves announced another major carriage agreement hours before Opening Day.
Here's the stargazing gear you need for April 2026 — don't miss the Lyrids, two comets and the full moon
These are our top camera, binocular and telescope recommendations for April's stargazing events, including the Lyrid meteor shower and two bright comets.
Your eyes do not deceive you: Lauren Conrad and Kristin Cavallari are BFFs on the 'Laguna Beach' reunion red carpet
Lauren Conrad and Kristin Cavallari posed together on the 'Laguna Beach' reunion red carpet after squashing their feud: 'As you get older, you're not worried about the small stuff'
Nonbinary doctor sues NYC Health and Hospitals for alleged workplace discrimination
A former dermatology resident alleges gender identity discrimination, retaliation and a hostile work environment at a Manhattan hospital.
These Americans are quitting before AI can take their jobs—and starting their own businesses: 'I just wanted to be in control'
Americans are incorporating new businesses in record numbers, as AI sweeps across many U.S. workplaces. That's not a coincidence, some new entrepreneurs say.
Seven weeks in, Kristaps Porziņģis enamored with Warriors as free agency looms
Seven weeks in, Warriors center Kristaps Porziņģis is enamored with Golden State ahead of his critical unrestricted NBA free agency.
Trump imagines negotiation with Sharpie maker for $5 signature pens
Trump told a lengthy story about negotiating over the price of Sharpie pens. The company says it has no record of any such conversation.
DHS funding bill moves to House after early morning passage in Senate
Lawmakers have felt pressured to make a deal because of lengthy security checkpoint delays at some airports.
Overwhelming fuel prices cause Somalis to struggle to reach health care
Soaring fuel prices mean that journeys to health facilities are becoming unaffordable for many families.
13 surprising ways GLP-1s may benefit the body, according to science
A condition-by-condition guide to GLP-1 drugs breaks down what’s proven, promising and still untested.
"Godfather of Bay Area sports producers," former KPIX producer Art Dlugach dies in Texas
Texas Youth Sports Leagues: A world with little oversight - what families can do
After KPRC 2’s investigation into Katy American Little League, families across the Houston area are raising similar concerns, highlighting a lack of oversight in youth sports — and what parents can do to protect their money and their kids.
Woman arrested after investigation at Dallas massage business
A woman was arrested Wednesday after an investigation into alleged criminal activity at a massage business in Dallas, authorities said.
US ramping up production of weapons critical for major war
From Tomahawk missiles to THAAD interceptor seekers, the US is massively increasing its production rates for key munitions amid stockpile concerns.
Orlov Offers Winning Wisdom Amidst Sharks’ Losing Streak (+)
ST. LOUIS — Dmitry Orlov has been an unappreciated leader in the San Jose Sharks’ surprising season. The veteran defenseman is also one of just four Sharks players who have won a Stanley Cup. Orlov hoisted the Cup in 2018 with the Washington Capitals. “It’s not easy. It’s a mind-set,” he said. “If you want […] The post Orlov Offers Winning Wisdom Amidst Sharks’ Losing Streak (+) appeared first on San Jose Hockey Now.
Gilbert Latin restaurant, Chandler bowling alley cited by health inspectors
A popular Latin restaurant in Gilbert and other East Valley spots were cited by health inspectors in this week's Dirty Dining report.
Palmetto Sports & Entertainment and Greenville Drive expand partnership
Viewers will be able to watch Drive home games on Palmetto Sports & Entertainment, from the opening weekend through the end of the season.
Amex launches new Graphite Business Cash Unlimited Card: Earn unlimited 2% on every purchase
Earn cash back on every purchase with the new American Express Graphite Business Cash Unlimited Card. Here's what business owners should know.
The Best Amazon Big Spring Sale Apple Deals We've Found So Far
You can save $100 on the flagship Apple Watch Series 11 or pick up an Apple MacBook Pro for $200 less. But that's not all, there's even more savings at Amazon's seasonal sale.
Inter Miami CF Announces Heron Sports & Entertainment as Club Continues Unprecedented Growth
Heron S&E to serve as promoter of major entertainment events both locally at their new home at Miami Freedom Park, Inter Miami CF Stadium in Fort Lauderdale, the Florida Blue Training Center, and globally Continuing to push the boundaries in the global entertainment landscape, Inter Miami CF is excited to
Inter Miami CF Announces Heron Sports & Entertainment as Club Continues Unprecedented Growth
Heron S&E to serve as promoter of major entertainment events both locally at their new home at Miami Freedom Park, Inter Miami CF Stadium in Fort Lauderdale, the Florida Blue Training Center, and globally Continuing to push the boundaries in the global entertainment landscape, Inter Miami CF is excited to
Compilation of Events Supported by Heron Sports & Entertainment
With the opening of Nu Stadium in Miami, Heron Sports & Entertainment, the dedicated platform focused on arranging, promoting, and producing major events in South Florida and Globally enters a new era. Since opening its doors in 2020, the Club’s state-of-the-art facilities have staged hundreds of events including Major International
Compilation of Events Supported by Heron Sports & Entertainment
With the opening of Nu Stadium in Miami, Heron Sports & Entertainment, the dedicated platform focused on arranging, promoting, and producing major events in South Florida and Globally enters a new era. Since opening its doors in 2020, the Club’s state-of-the-art facilities have staged hundreds of events including Major International
UM Health-Sparrow honored for organ, tissue donation impact
University of Michigan Health-Sparrow will receive an award Wednesday for its efforts in giving patients a second chance at life through organ and tissue donation.
Asking Eric: Skip my niece’s wedding over political divide with her dad?
Letter writer abhors her brother’s politics and wants to skip his daughter’s wedding.
DeForest Yards developer looks to add a hotel to mixed-use housing and entertainment district
Developers for an upcoming mixed-use housing and entertainment district in DeForest are looking to adding a hotel to their plans
Apache Junction dog groomer’s mobile business destroyed in hit-and-run crash
Surveillance video shows a pickup truck crashing into Purple Pup Salon early Sunday morning, pushing the trailer back and causing extensive damage before the driver took off.
Talking about politics at work may support employee well-being, study finds
In an era of nonstop headlines and growing political division, many workplaces still follow a familiar rule of thumb: Don't talk politics at work. New research from Washington State University suggests ...
Democrat gets upset win in Trump’s backyard in Florida state house race
Emily Gregory won the special election to represent a district that includes President Donald Trump’s Mar-A-Lago home on Tuesday, the Associated Press projected.
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...
'The Pitt' Star Noah Wyle Talks Universal Health Coverage, Season 3
The hit drama took the London spotlight ahead of the U.K. launch of HBO Max, as Wyle shared how his years of TV doc experience helped when the producer of 'KPop Demon Hunters' needed a medical hand this awards season.
Cloudflare’s new Dynamic Workers ditch containers to run AI agent code 100x faster
Cloudflare says dynamically loaded Workers are priced at $0.002 per unique Worker loaded per day, in addition to standard CPU and invocation charges
Why Philadelphia’s workplace protections for menstruation and menopause are necessary
Opinions from across America, powered by the Washington Post
Knoxville sports coach indicted on sexual battery charges
A Knoxville man who coached youth sports teams has been indicted on multiple charges including aggravated sexual battery, the Knoxville Police Department said Tuesday.
Jacobs Entertainment begins construction on downtown sports fields
Jacobs Entertainment has begun building the flat fields
Lowndes County leaders cut ribbon on medical, mental health jail expansion
The new facility includes 60 cells with a total of 90 beds, according to the county.
Age Comes for Us All—Even Politicians
Don’t look now, but the period from now through the 2028 presidential election will be a historic inflection point in our politics. We’ll see enormous generational change take place amid enormous uncertainty and volatility.
New Latino-focused market to celebrate Sonoma County businesses, artists
Agueda Ulloa said of Mercado Rosa, “It aligns with our values of bringing community together, just to have that third space for the community to walk around, to see new things and connect with other businesses.”
World TB Day: Scaling workplace healthcare interventions
Four lessons from the End Workplace TB initiative could help other private sector-led campaign coalitions to scale their workplace healthcare programmes.
Broncos restructure Jaylen Waddle's contract for salary cap purposes
The Broncos converted Jaylen Waddle's option bonus into a signing bonus for salary cap purposes, according to KPRC-TV.
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.
The Monday Outlook: Project Hail Mary and the Science Behind Blockbuster Sci-Fi
Project Hail Mary is the latest sci-fi blockbuster to stretch the bounds of audience imagination and stir the curiosity of real scientists. But the science driving films like Project Hail Mary, Interstellar and The Martian isn’t all fictional: at UChicago, researchers exploring the cosmos and decoding the origins of life are making discoveries that would feel right at home on the big screen. This week's Monday Outlook features scientists from UChicago and Argonne National Laborat
Health inspectors found thawed seafood, food stored in buckets leading to temporary closure of Mama Tina’s Gumbo
Houston health inspectors investigating a customer illness complaint after eating Mama Tina’s Gumbo at the Houston Livestock Show & Rodeo found thawed seafood labeled “keep frozen” and learned the gumbo had been moved to a freezer at an unlicensed off-site location without temperature logs before being served, according to Houston Health Department records obtained by KPRC 2 News.
Ewing to announce entertainment for Omaha’s Memorial Park concert
The event is happening on Friday, June 26.
Ewing to announce entertainment for Omaha’s Memorial Park concert
The event is happening on Friday, June 26.
Funny business: Humor scholars on whether jokes help or hurt at work
Leeds researchers Tony Kong and Peter McGraw agree humor has real workplace benefits, but pulling it off can be tricky.
Two veteran relievers clinch jobs on Diamondbacks' Opening Day roster
Right-handers Jonathan Loaisiga and Joe Ross have made the Diamondbacks' roster for Opening Day. Both will pitch in relief.
Cockroaches with smart backpacks? Scientists turn insects into cyborgs to detect hidden pipeline leaks
Science News: Although the concept seems like something from science fiction, science is rapidly adopting it. Researchers have started creating ‘cyborg cockroaches,.
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.
Oscar-Winning Alumnus Returns to Pasadena’s ArtCenter for Entertainment Design Expo
One week after winning the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature, KPop Demon Hunters co-director Chris Appelhans returns today to ArtCenter College of Design, the Pasadena campus where he studied illustration, for the college’s third annual Entertainment Design Expo. The expo, known as ENTX, opens the Hillside Campus to the public for a full day of gallery exhibitions, game playtesting, animation screenings and interactive experiences featuring work from more than 200 ArtCenter students and alumni. General admission is free with advance registration. Two industry panels — including Appelhans’s talk — require $15 tickets. Appelhans, who graduated from ArtCenter with a bachelor of fine arts in 2002, co-directed KPop Demon Hunters with Maggie Kang. The animated film, produced by Sony Pictures Animation and released on Netflix, became the streaming platform’s most-watched film in history, according to Netflix, and swept awards season with wins at the Golden Globes, the Annie Awards and the Grammys before taking the Oscar on March 15. His talk and audience Q&A is scheduled from noon to 1 p.m. in the Ahmanson Auditorium. Doors open at 11:30 a.m. The film’s ArtCenter ties extend beyond its co-director. Art director Angela Sung, cinematographer Gary H. Lee, visual development artist Celine Kim and painter Simon Baek are all ArtCenter graduates who worked on the production, according to the college. The free portions of ENTX include a concept design showcase, a production design gallery, a model gallery, a stop motion studio preview, an alumni gallery and a KPop Demon Hunters fan art gallery. Visitors can also playtest games designed by ArtCenter students. An Animation Shorts Showcase runs from 2 to 3 p.m. and includes “Boy, I’m Scared,” a capstone short by ArtCenter graduate Lindsey Tenaglia that was named a semifinalist for the 2025 Student Academy Awards in the animation category. Also screening
Titans sign ex-Browns linebacker
The Titans have signed former Browns linebacker Mohamoud Diabate to a contract after he wasn't tendered as an RFA.
NCAA tournament takeaways, Day 3: Big Ten reigns supreme, 'Cinderella' Texas and an extra edge for Houston
Warriors' Stephen Curry set for major checkpoint in injury recovery
According to Steve Kerr, Golden State Warriors star, Stephen Curry will participated in a scrimmage on Sunday, March 22.
Politics Unplugged (Full Episode) March 22, 2026
This week on Politics Unplugged, Progressive activist Kai Newkirk explains why he is running to unseat Democratic incumbent Greg Stanton in the congressional race in CD4. Then, consultants Marcus Dell’Artino and Matt Grodsky discuss the fallout from the Cesar Chavez allegations and the political importance of high gas prices.
Why Buc-Ee's Received An 'F' Rating From Better Business Bureau
Buc-ee's is a beloved Texas-based gas/convenience store chain with dozens of locations across the U.S. So why did it get an F from the Better Business Bureau?
Chicago spring equinox celebration highlights mental health, nature | ChicagoLIVE
Friends of Nature is hosting a spring equinox celebration on Chicago's Southeast Side that will highlight mental health, nature and community.
1 person hurt, multiple detained after overnight shooting in Surprise
An overnight shooting has left one person in the hospital in the West Valley on Saturday morning.
Thousands of runners gear up for half marathon
Road closures will be in place for town's half marathon, with thousands expected to line the route.
Microsoft Promises Slew of Windows 11 Changes in Response to "Microslop" Criticisms
With every Windows 11 update seemingly introducing a new bug or somehow breaking some core functionality, it seems as though trust in Microsoft and Windows is at an all-time low, with the recent "Microslop" insult popping up in online tech circles as a sort of culmination of the recent spate of issu...
Why the Trump administration is easing sanctions on certain Iranian oil stockpiles
Trump administration officials are making a desperate push to secure every available barrel of oil amid a worsening energy crisis — even if it means lifting sanctions on the very country that they’re fighting against.
US House Democrat blasts Commerce's 'highly concerning' $1.6 billion USA Rare Earth deal
A senior House Democrat accused U.S. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick on Thursday of structuring Washington's $1.58 billion investment into USA Rare Earth in a way that gives the government "highly concerning" leverage over the company while boosting Lutnick's family-run investment firm.