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Solar cells just did the “impossible” with this 130% breakthrough
A new solar breakthrough may overcome a long-standing efficiency barrier. Researchers used a “spin-flip” metal complex to capture and multiply energy from sunlight through singlet fission. The result reached about 130% efficiency, meaning more energy carriers were produced than photons absorbed. This could lead to much more powerful solar panels in the future.
Iran-linked hackers have breached FBI Director Kash Patel’s personal emails
Hackers connected to the Iranian government accessed FBI Director Kash Patel’s personal email and posted materials — including photos and documents — taken from his account, a person familiar with the hack confirmed to CNN.
The Oscars are moving to the Peacock Theater in 2029
The Academy reached an agreement with AEG
Arctic Winter Sea Ice Ties Record Low, NASA, NSIDC Scientists Find
For the second consecutive year, winter sea ice in the Arctic reached a level that matches the lowest peak observed since satellite monitoring began in 1979.
Patience and Hard Work Paying Off for Karl - Kansas State University Athletics
Cadyn Karl remembers the at-bat so perfectly, as you'd expect from a guy who had never reached such heights before in his three seasons as centerfielder on t...
Oil rises as markets assess supply risks after Iran denies US talks
Oil prices rose in early trade on Tuesday on supply fears, as Iran denied it had held talks with the United States to end the war in the Gulf, contradicting President Donald Trump, who said a deal could be reached soon.
Emmanuel Grégoire, Socialist long involved in local politics, voted new Paris mayor; AP explains
Grégoire won over 50% of the votes, beating out prominent conservative contender Rachida Dati who reached 41% while hard-left contender Sophia Chikirou got about 8%.
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.
Robert Mueller, and Trump’s many insensitive comments about people who died
For years, President Donald Trump has offered crass and insensitive comments about people who died – especially his foes. That reached a new level on Saturday.
Trump threatens to deploy ICE agents to airports Monday if funding deal isn’t reached
President Donald Trump said Saturday he will deploy Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents to US airports on Monday if an agreement isn’t reached to fund the Department of Homeland Security amid a partial government shutdown.
Federal judge rules RFK Jr. overreached in restricting trans healthcare to minors
Click in for more news from The Hill{beacon}View Online Health Care Health Care The Big Story Federal judge rules RFK Jr. overreached in restricting trans healthcare to minors U…
Judge rules US government overreached with transgender health care declaration
A federal judge has ruled that the government overreached when it declared certain types of gender-affirming care unsafe for young people.
Federal judge in Oregon rules US government overreached with transgender health care declaration
The judge’s ruling Thursday in Oregon is part of multistate lawsuit filed against the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, its secretary, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., and its inspector general.
Judge rules US government overreached with transgender health care declaration
Judge Mustafa Kasubhai’s ruling was centered on Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. not going through the proper administrative procedures when issuing the declaration in December.
Judge rules US government overreached with transgender health care declaration
A federal judge has ruled that the government overreached when it declared certain types of gender-affirming care unsafe for young people
Judge rules the government overreached with transgender health care declaration
A federal judge has ruled that the government overreached when it declared certain types of gender-affirming care unsafe for young people.
Judge Rules US Government Overreached With Transgender Health Care Declaration
PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — A federal judge said the government overreached by issuing a declaration that called treatments like puberty blockers and surgeries unsafe and ineffective for young people experiencing gender dysphoria, according to a ruling Thursday in Oregon. Judge Mustafa Kasubhai's ruling ...
New dispute emerges around Subnautica 2’s early access release
Lawyers for the ousted—and now partially reinstated—leadership team of Unknown Worlds, the studio behind Subnautica 2, are crying foul over news that the game will be released into early access in May. The release announcement earlier this week was made improperly, potentially “damaging the game and sowing additional confusion among the Subnautica community,” the lawyers said in a letter sent on Tuesday to Vice Chancellor Lori Will of Delaware’s Court of Chancery. In their letter, the lawyers also floated the idea of asking Will to find Krafton in contempt of the court’s ruling. The letter was sent just one day after Will’s bombshell ruling that publisher Krafton had breached its contract with Unknown Worlds’ executive team, when it fired them last June. The new issue isn’t necessarily the May early access timeframe, but how the news was announced. The letter and Krafton’s response have not been previously reported. A quick recap of prior events: Subnautica 2 is an unreleased, underwater survival adventure and the most-wishlisted game on Steam. Last year, longtime Unknown Worlds CEO Ted Gill, along with studio co-founders Charlie Cleveland and Max McGuire, were fired by Krafton. They swiftly sued, saying the publisher had terminated them to avoid paying out up to $250 million in potential performance-based bonuses. The studio leaders had hoped to earn that with an early access release of the game, which Krafton had blocked. The publisher argued in court that Subnautica 2 wasn’t ready, which the ousted execs disputed. On Monday, Will ruled that Krafton had violated its contract, firing the execs to avoid the performance payouts, and that it had to reinstate Gill and give him full authority over any early access release for Subnautica 2. On Tuesday, IGN reported on a new memo issued that day to Unknown Worlds staff by Steve Papoutsis, the executive Krafton had put in charge of Unknown Worlds after the 2025 firings. In the note, Papoutsis said that Subnautica 2 had passed a key development milestone “last week” and that he and Krafton had determined the game “is ready for Early Access release in May.” This news appeared to catch the lawyers for Gill, Cleveland and McGuire by surprise. On Tuesday night, they sent a letter to Will expressing “serious concerns” about whether it would be possible to forge an agreement with Krafton consistent with the judge’s order. Papoutsis’ memo was a problem, they wrote. He didn’t have the authority to declare anything about Subnautica 2’s release. As of 9am ET on Monday, March 16, the effective date of Will’s order, Papoutsis wasn’t CEO of Unknown Worlds. Gill was. And, per Will’s order, only Gill could make Subnautica 2 release decisions. They continued: Krafton self-servingly announced the launch without any regard to its impact on the game, the team, or the community—let alone this Court’s Opinion. Announcing the release of a game is momentous, and it is typically accompanied by significant marketing activity, fanfare, and community coordination. And most importantly, the announcement is carefully designed to maximize excitement for the game. That entire process was supposed to be driven by Mr. Gill. However, in defiance of the Court’s Opinion, Krafton has now taken that away, further damaging the game and sowing additional confusion among the Subnautica community. The lawyers speculated that Krafton had “intentionally leaked” Papoutsis’ memo and then issued an official statement to confirm the leak. Game File is a reader-supported publication. My reporting is only possible through support from readers like you. To support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. Subscribe On Wednesday, lawyers for Krafton defended their client in their own letter to vice chancellor Will, saying nothing they did violated her order nor showed contempt: Papoutsis’s message was simply celebrating the UW employees’ efforts toward a past event: Krafton’s pre-Opinion determination that Subnautica 2 was ready for Early Access release. There was nothing improper about conveying the results of the milestone review or thanking the development team for their dedication and talent. They added that Gill could still make his own call about Subnautica 2’s release: In his role as CEO, Gill will be able to assess independently his views on the state of Subnautica 2 and the appropriate release schedule; nothing in Papoutsis’s message alters Gill’s authority or discretion. Vice chancellor Will has not responded to the letters and doesn’t necessarily have to. Both parties were previously ordered by Will to confer this week and submit a proposed judgment consistent with her ruling. The letter from Gill’s attorney’s this week doesn’t indicate whether he would or would not support a May release for Subnautica 2. But it could limit his options. And, if Gill’s lawyers are right, the lack of marketing fanfare around the leak of the May date could dull the launch of the game. Any harm to Subnautica 2’s launch is an extra sensitive issue given the context of the legal dispute: millions of dollars of payouts are on the line, tethered to the scale of the game’s initial performance. In her ruling on Monday, Will noted that there was obvious “bad blood” between Gill’s side and Krafton but that the two would need to work together: “They can—and must—act in good faith to navigate their remaining contractual relationship.” Item 2: A new kind of couch co-op game A highlight of GDC each year is the Alt.Ctrl showcase that features games played with extremely experimental controllers. Perusing this year’s offerings last Friday, I found a game controlled with giant scissors, another with big toothbrushes and one that amounted to dumpster diving. My favorite was Pivot, a co-op game about collectively maneuvering a couch. It was developed by students at the University of Utah’s masters of arts and engineering games program. Players lift and tilt the physical couch in order to control the position of a virtual one. That virtual one is moving through an obstacle course on-screen, while being pursued by a giant skull. Developer Nishant Verma told me at GDC that the couch is made of styrofoam (this became more evident as I watched!) and that the name was a riff on an episode of the sitcom Friends. Item 3: In brief… 🚫 Ubisoft is laying off more than 100 workers at its Red Storm studio, as the North Carolina location known for decades for its Tom Clancy games, ceases in-house game development, VGC reports. 👀 On Monday, Nvidia’s revealed its DLSS 5 AI-driven graphics technology that purports to improve game graphics… and it has been roasted about it by the media and the online gaming public for the remainder of the week. The tech changed the faces of characters in footage from Resident Evil Requiem, Hogwarts Legacy and EA Sports FC, drawing accusations of giving carefully art-directed games the generic look of AI “slop.” Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang had said on Monday that “DLSS 5 is the GPT moment for graphics—blending handcrafted rendering with generative AI to deliver a dramatic leap in visual realism while preserving the control artists need for creative expression.” By mid-week, Huang was telling Tom’s Hardware that the new tech’s critics were “completely wrong” because game-makers could still “fine-tune the generative AI” to suit their game’s aesthetics.
A new study questions when people first reached South America
Data suggest people lived at Chile’s Monte Verde site thousands of years later than thought, challenging key “pre-Clovis” evidence. Not all agree.
Dutchess County and CSEA workers reach 4-year labor agreement
The agreement reached Wednesday is retroactive to Jan. 1, 2025.
Olympics urged to drop reported gender test plans for female athletes
Global sports leaders reached consensus on a new set of eligibility criteria for transgender athletes in February.
Scientists from Northwestern, other institutions cool down chamber for groundbreaking dark matter search
An international team involving Northwestern University announced Tuesday that it has reached a major milestone in its quest to detect dark matter.
Penny for your thoughts on how to round cash payments
As the U.S. says goodbye to pennies, Washington lawmakers have reached a solution for how local businesses should handle cents in cash transactions.
Trump Claims an Ex-President Confided His Regrets on Iran. But Who?
The New York Times reached out to people close to President Trump’s predecessors. They disputed Mr. Trump’s claims.
Amazon Deepens Digital Health Push As Logistics Deal Supports Valuation
Amazon.com (NasdaqGS:AMZN) is rolling out its AI powered healthcare assistant to all customers, expanding access beyond existing One Medical members. Air Transport International's pilot union has reached a tentative labor agreement with management after five years of talks, affecting a key part of Amazon's air cargo network. These developments touch both Amazon's digital health ambitions and the operational reliability of its logistics operations. At a share price of $207.67, Amazon.com...
Mike Schultz has won Paralympic gold, but his sporting legacy goes far beyond
The U.S. snowboarder has reached the Paralympic pinnacle. But it's his other job that will leave a lasting mark on para sports.
Scientists discover a universal temperature curve that governs all life
Researchers have uncovered a universal pattern showing how temperature affects life on Earth. Across thousands of species—from microbes to reptiles—performance rises gradually with warming until an optimal temperature is reached, after which it drops sharply. Although each species has its own preferred temperature range, they all follow the same underlying curve. This surprising constraint suggests evolution may have limited room to help species cope with rapid climate warming.
Nessel vows to continue antitrust case against Live Nation for monopolizing live entertainment industry
LANSING – On Monday, following the announcement of a settlement reached between Live Nation and the U.S. Department of Justice to resolve antitrust claims brought by the federal authority alongside a broad, bipartisan coalition of states, Attorney General Nessel and the multistate coalition have resolved not to join the settlement and instead continue to litigate […]
Patriots Lose Team-Leading Ball Hawk In Secondary
Former New England Patriots safety Jaylinn Hawkins has reached an agreement with the Baltimore Ravens.
A record number of Republicans are leaving the House
The number of Republicans leaving the US House of Representatives after this term has reached a historic high, deepening concern in the conference over the chamber’s already razor-thin margins.
CERN Science Gateway celebrates its 1000th science show
CERN Science Gateway has reached another milestone: the delivery of its 1000th science show! Since opening its doors in October 2023, Science Gateway has welcomed nearly 900 000 visitors of all ages to explore the fundamental questions of the Universe. Among its most popular activities are the science shows – dynamic, interactive demonstrations led by CERN guides and tailored to a broad audience of different age levels, including school groups, families and the general public. Designed to make complex scientific concepts accessible and entertaining, these live shows combine spectacular experiments, multimedia elements and audience participation. From the physics of particle collisions to the properties of superconductivity, electromagnetism and cryogenics, the science shows translate the research carried out at CERN into engaging visual experiences. Visitors might see superconductors levitate, follow particles through different detector layers or discover the beauty in phase transitions. Each demonstration is carefully crafted to spark curiosity while maintaining scientific accuracy. Members of the CERN community are of course warmly invited to visit CERN Science Gateway with their family or friends and attend one of the science shows. To register, please visit this page, and don’t forget to check the programme for the coming days. Become a CERN guide and run your own super-cool science show (and more)! To become a CERN guide, you can join the introduction course held every 3–4 weeks, which will give you an overview of what being a CERN guide entails. From there, further courses are available depending on what type of guide you would like to be. Because, of course, CERN guides are needed everywhere at CERN. If you imagine yourself as a more ‘traditional’ guide, you should know that there are currently more than ten exciting visit points in CERN’s visits portfolio, such as the Antimatter Factory, the ALICE experiment (surface), the Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer (AMS) control room, the ATLAS experiment (surface), the CERN Control Centre (CCC), the Data Centre, the LHCb experiment (surface), the Synchrocyclotron (SC), the SM18 test facility and the newly inaugurated Linac2 visit point. Indeed, CERN’s Visits Service and Visual Impact and Exhibitions Section recently collaborated on redesigning the Linac2 visit tour, which has just reopened to the public after several months of renovation work. The new tour offers visitors and guides alike an enriched, more immersive experience, designed to highlight the history and scientific significance of this major facility. So, fancy becoming one of the insiders? Join the introduction course, check the guides website or contact guides.manager@cern.ch. And remember, becoming a guide can benefit you, too.
INTEGRIS Health, UnitedHealthcare reach deal, saving care for thousands of Oklahomans
A deal has been reached between INTEGRIS Health and UnitedHealthcare, saving thousands of Oklahomans from potentially losing care.
Panthers reportedly signing All-Pro linebacker Devin Lloyd from Jaguars
The Carolina Panthers have reached terms with one of the best defenders in free agency.
LIVE NATION ENTERTAINMENT REACHES SETTLEMENT WITH U.S. DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE
/PRNewswire/ -- Live Nation Entertainment, Inc. (NYSE: LYV), the world's leading live entertainment company, announced today that the company has reached a...
St. Mary's alumna becomes second woman in 51 years to earn engineering honor
St. Mary’s University alumna Jennifer “Jenny” LaFoy reached a career milestone in 2025 when the Texas Society of Professional Engineers named her Engineer of the Year. She is only the second woman to receive the distinction in the award’s 51-year history.
Hims & Hers Health and Novo Nordisk end lawsuit over weight loss medications, enter collaboration
Novo Nordisk is dismissing its patent infringement lawsuit against telehealth company Hims & Hers, as the two companies have reached an agreement that will see Novo Nordisk’s branded weight los…
Hims & Hers Health and Novo Nordisk end lawsuit over weight loss medications, enter collaboration
Novo Nordisk is dismissing its patent infringement lawsuit against telehealth company Hims & Hers, as the two companies have reached an agreement that will see Novo Nordisk’s branded weight loss medicines sold through the Hims platform.
Hims & Hers Health and Novo Nordisk End Lawsuit Over Weight Loss Medications, Enter Collaboration
Novo Nordisk is dismissing its patent infringement lawsuit against telehealth company Hims & Hers, as the two companies have reached an agreement that will see Novo Nordisk’s branded weight loss medicines sold through the Hims platform. Shares of Hims & Hers Health Inc. jumped more than 40% in ...
Justice Department and Live Nation reach settlement over illegal monopoly case
Justice Department attorneys say they've reached a settlement in its antitrust lawsuit against Ticketmaster and its parent company, California-based Live Nation Entertainment, but a trial may continue with states leading
Live Nation settles antitrust lawsuit with Justice Department
Live Nation and Ticketmaster has reached a settlement with federal authorities over its practices that accused the ticket giant for monopolizing the live events music industry, according to a source familiar with the matter. The industry came under intense scrutiny in 2022 after glitches at Ticketmaster blocked millions from purchasing tickets for Taylor Swift’s tour.
Vance, Rubio and others in Trump’s inner circle preached caution on Iran. Now they’re on board
When President Donald Trump first raised the prospect of war with Iran, some of the most serious reservations came from his second in command.
Blue Cross, Michigan Medicine contract fight: What patients should know
Answers to your questions, including how to know if you're eligible for an extension of in-network benefits if no contract deal is reached by June 30.
Milestone reached on bumpy road to northeast Omaha business park buoyed by $90M from state
A milestone is reached on a bumpy road to a northeast Omaha business park funded in part by $90 million state grant.
TNT Sports Acquires Exclusive U.S. English Language Broadcast Rights to World-Class FIBA Men’s and Women’s Tournaments
TNT Sports and the International Basketball Federation (FIBA) have reached a multiyear deal for exclusive U.S. English language rights for all Men’s and
Bureaucracy Index 2026: Business sector hit hardest
The Bureaucracy Index, which tracks the growth in the volume of applicable German federal laws, has once again reached a record high. Since 2010, the volume of legislation has risen steadily, with no structural reversal in sight. The scope of legislation continued to rise in 2025. Despite commitments to reducing bureaucracy, regulation has not eased.
Blue Cross, Michigan Medicine dispute puts 300K patients in limbo
The dispute could put some 300,000 Michigan Medicine patients out of network with Blue Cross by July 1 if no deal is reached.
Teams have been calling about Broncos backup quarterback Jarrett Stidham
According to The Athletic’s Dianna Russini, teams have reached out to the Denver Broncos about the availability of backup quarterback Jarrett Stidham. The veteran backup started the AFC Championship Game vs. the Patriots after Bo Nix suffered a broken ankle and is viewed highly by teams around the league. With it being a weaker quarterback […]
Michigan Medicine resists significant cuts by Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan that would limit patient access
Michigan Medicine is informing patients about potential impacts that could result in changes for those insured by certain Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan commercial health plans if an agreement is not reached by June 30, 2026.
Mental Health Startup Grow Therapy Hits $3 Billion Valuation
Sequoia Capital-backed mental health startup Grow Therapy has reached a $3 billion valuation with new funding.
The Galaxy S26 series doesn’t feature 10-bit displays
A Samsung spokesperson has reached out to us notifying us that the Galaxy S26 Ultra's display has an 8-bit color depth, and not 10-bit.
“Entry-Level PC Segment Will Disappear by 2028,” Says Gartner, as Soaring Memory Costs Start to Cripple Manufacturers
PC manufacturers won't find it viable to offer hardware to gamers at 'entry-level' prices, as memory costs have reached unprecedented levels.
Six Flags Entertainment (FUN) Is Down 6.6% After Deep 2025 Losses And Investor Exit Has The Bull Case Changed?
In February 2026, Six Flags Entertainment reported its fourth-quarter and full-year 2025 results, showing quarterly revenue of US$116.97 million and a quarterly net loss of US$92.38 million, while full-year revenue reached US$3.10 billion with a much larger full-year net loss of US$1.60 billion. The earnings release, combined with Broyhill Asset Management’s exit after citing integration challenges, weather exposure, pressure on lower-income guests, and leadership changes, has sharpened...
Women’s sports reach record NCAA participation as leadership roles keep rising
Women's sports participation reached a record 242,341 student-athletes in 2024-25, while women's representation continued to rise among athletics directors, head coaches and college presidents. The NCAA also recently approved four new women's championships and added women's flag football to the Emerging Sports for Women program.
24 Unexplained Experiences That Will Give You Chills
"I stayed frozen under the blanket for what felt like hours, listening to footsteps that never quite reached my bed."
OpenAI strikes a Pentagon deal, hours after Anthropic was cut
OpenAI has reached a deal with the Pentagon over the use of its AI models, CEO Sam Altman announced late Friday.
Scientists confirm a mysterious “cosmic barcode” hidden near black holes - Futura-Sciences
It is hard to believe, but it has already been ten years since the first detection of a gravitational wave source. Named GW150914, after the date of its observation on 14 September 2015, the signal reached Earth and opened an entirely new chapter in astronomy. It marked the first direct...
Hornets' Kon Knueppel breaks NBA rookie record for 3-pointers
Charlotte’s Kon Knueppel reached yet another milestone in a remarkable rookie season for the No. 4 overall pick from Duke.
Australia's Star Entertainment agrees on refinancing terms with WhiteHawk
Australia's Star Entertainment said on Thursday it has reached an agreement for a non-binding term sheet with U.S.-based private credit investment manager WhiteHawk Capital Partners for proposed refinancing of its debt.
UConn Health, Aetna reach agreement to restore in-network coverage
FARMINGTON, Conn. (WTNH) — UConn Health and insurance provider Aetna have reached a multi-year agreement which restores full in-network access to UConn Health’s hospitals, physicians and clinical s…
The challenge of the current generation of Black politicians
Black political power has reached a high point, with record numbers of Black members in the House and Senate, but Black voters are still asking what Black political power has done for them, as they…
Family member of armed man who breached Mar-a-Lago perimeter describes personality, politics
The family of an armed North Carolina man killed at Mar-a-Lago early Sunday calls the incident "mind-blowing," describing him as quiet and afraid of guns.
Uniting to respond to mental health impacts of digital violence
Technology-facilitated gender-based violence (TFGBV), from doxxing and cyberstalking to cyberbullying and online harassment, is reshaping how women and girls navigate digital spaces. Globally, an estimated 23% of women have experienced digital violence. In Indonesia, reported cases of TFGBV reached 1,791 in 2024, a 40.8% increase from the previous year. Yet very few survivors seek help, leaving lasting effects on their mental health and wellbeing. As part of the multi-UN agencies UNiTE campaign for the 16 Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence, the World Health Organization (WHO) and the Ministry of Health (MoH) co-hosted a talk show on 6 December 2025 to spotlight this urgent issue. The event brought together voices from Meta, the Indonesian Clinical Psychologist Association and Dr Vivi Syarif, a WHO Fides content creator, creating a cross-sectoral dialogue on the magnitude and mental health impact of digital violence. The talk show introduced psychological first aid as a vital initial intervention that communities can provide to survivors. This intervention aligns with the Psychological First Aid: Guide for Field Workers, a framework that has been standardized for over a decade. The "look, listen, link" approach focuses on ensuring safety and urgent needs, reassuring survivors and connecting them to appropriate services. In addition to this public health approach, Meta also outlined mechanisms to respond to digital violence and reaffirmed its commitment to building safer digital spaces by continuously updating community guidelines based on user feedback. Such collaborative discussions help connect community engagement initiatives with daily digital life. They empower audiences not only to understand how the health sector and industry are responding, but also to educate others, promote first-line support and encourage referrals to appropriate help. By fostering awareness and engagement, these dialogues strengthen collective resilience against digital violence. Written by Jessie O. Yunus, National Professional Officer (Gender, Equity, Rights and Disability Inclusion), WHO Indonesia
Business owners are wondering if they'll get their money back after tariff ruling
We reached out to business owners who paid those Trump tariffs that have been struck down by the Supreme Court as unconstitutional. The question on their minds: will they get their money back? How will they get their money back?
Investment bank settles case that put 100-hour workweeks on trial
Centerview Partners has reached a settlement with a former analyst just before a trial was set to begin over its grueling 100-hour workweeks.
Missouri City woman says a trademark dispute is hurting her wings business
A Missouri City woman reached out to ABC13, upset by what she calls bullying from the master planned community where she lives and owns a business.
NC mental health overhaul: Coastal Horizons sees high demand as state releases year-one progress report
The North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services said it is working to meet growing demand. Secretary Dev Sangvai said the state has reached a turning point.
LIVE NATION ENTERTAINMENT FULL YEAR AND FOURTH QUARTER 2025 RESULTS
/PRNewswire/ -- "In 2025, the bond between artists and their global fan bases reached new heights, fueling another year of double-digit growth. As artists...
Live Nation Entertainment Full Year And Fourth Quarter 2025 Results
In 2025, the bond between artists and their global fan bases reached new heights, fueling another year of double-digit growth. As artists continue to unlock untapped markets and headline the world’s most iconic stadiums, we’ve built momentum that carries us into a record-breaking 2026. We’re not just building venues; we’re crafting world-class stages designed to elevate the artist’s vision and their connection to fans. By strategically expanding our global footprint and investing in premium, upgraded infrastructure, we provide the canvas for career-defining performances. This investment doesn’t just drive ticket sales—it revitalizes local economies and cements our venues as cultural anchors. With a deep pipeline of large-scale shows and ticket demand continuing its ascent, we are positioned for another year of double-digit operating income and AOI growth in 2026. Our commitment to being the ultimate partner for artists ensures we are set to compound this double-digit growth for years to come. – Michael Rapino, President and CEO
'Absolute surprise': Homo erectus skulls found in China are almost 1.8 million years old — the oldest evidence of the ancient human relatives in East Asia
A new date for Homo erectus skulls found in central China provides new insight into how and when ancient human relatives reached eastern Asia.
Democrats celebrate as 73,000 North Carolina voters without proper ID stay on rolls
North Carolina's election board reached a settlement allowing 73,000 voters to keep registration status after a GOP lawsuit challenged voter rolls.
NASA fired three rockets into the northern lights and the results are stunning
NASA has pulled off a high-flying aurora investigation, launching three rockets into the glowing northern lights over Alaska. One mission targeted mysterious dark patches called black auroras, while the twin GNEISS rockets created a 3D scan of the aurora’s electrical currents. All rockets reached their planned altitudes and returned strong data. The result: an unprecedented look at how these dazzling light shows are wired from space to sky.
The Bear’s Den, February 17, 2025
The Chicago Bears & the NFL have reached the first day of franchise tags. How many will get tagged around the league?
NAACP asks judge to protect against 'misuse' after FBI seized of voter data in Fulton County
Georgia residents entrusted the state with their “sensitive personal information” when they registered to vote, and the Jan. 28 seizure of ballots and other election documents from the Fulton County elections hub “breached that guarantee, infringed constitutional protections of privacy, and interfered with the right to vote,” the organizations said in a motion filed late Sunday.
Microplastics have reached Antarctica’s only native insect
Even Antarctica’s toughest native insect can’t escape the reach of plastic pollution. Scientists have discovered that Belgica antarctica — a tiny, rice-sized midge and the southernmost insect on Earth — is already ingesting microplastics in the wild. While lab tests showed the hardy larvae can survive short-term exposure without obvious harm, those exposed to higher plastic levels had reduced fat reserves, hinting at hidden energy costs.
A Cosmic “Barcode” Has Indeed Been Detected Around Black Holes - Futura-Sciences
It is hard to believe, but it has already been ten years since the first gravitational wave source was discovered. Named GW150914, for gravitational wave and the date of its observation, September 14, 2015, the signal reached Earth on that day and opened a new era in astronomy. GW150914 marked...
Politics Now: February 14, 2026
This week on Politics Now with host John Langeler: A partial government shutdown is in effect and we look into the logjam in Congress over ICE funding. No deal is reached by the states along the Co…
Book review: ‘Capitol Crude’ details decades of oil industry impact on Alaska politics
The new book by Lisa Weissler will thrill policy wonks and inform those seeking a clear-eyed understanding of how Alaska reached its present dysfunction.
McLaren Health Care to pay $14M in data breach class action settlement
The Grand Blanc-based hospital system reached a class action settlement after two ransomware attacks exposed social security numbers, medical records and other personal data.
Garbarino's long efforts pay off on 9/11 health funding
"We owe it to them," says Rep. Andrew Garbarino, who reached an elusive deal.
Rocket science? 3D printing soft matter in zero gravity
What happens to soft matter when gravity disappears? To answer this, UvA physicists launched a fluid dynamics experiment on a sounding rocket. The suborbital rocket reached an altitude of 267 km before ...
Snowball Earth was not completely frozen, new study reveals
Even when Earth was locked in its most extreme deep freeze, the planet’s climate may not have been as silent and still as once believed. New research from ancient Scottish rocks reveals that during Snowball Earth — when ice sheets reached the tropics and the planet resembled a giant snowball from space — climate rhythms similar to today’s seasons, solar cycles, and even El Niño–like patterns were still pulsing beneath the ice.
Microsoft releases Windows 11 26H1, but it's not for existing PCs. Windows 11 26H2 is coming for all PCs
Microsoft reached out to Windows Latest to confirm Windows 11 26H1 is real and rolling out. Existing PCs get version 26H2.
Tuesday Cannon Fodder: the others
Good morning, TSFers. We’ve finally reached our thaw here in the D.C. area. It looks as if it’ll be smooth, above-freezing sailing for most of the rest of the month. Of course, that’s brought on by winds having pushed warmer ocean waters further north, which is an El Nino thing, and will result in a […]
Riot Games downsizes 2XKO team, about 80 employees affected
Free-to-play fighting title "hasn't reached the level needed to support a team of this size long term," says executive producer
Some Blue Cross Blue Shield of Kansas patients lose KU Health System coverage after contract dispute
Amanda Storm is a patient who reached out to KSHB 41. She said her healthcare is caught in the crossfire after learning her insurance plan was no longer in network with her preferred providers.
Patient private capital is needed to help Asia plug its healthcare gaps
Governments have reached the threshold of what public finance alone can deliver.
Temporary agreement reached between United Healthcare and INTEGRIS Health
United Healthcare and INTEGRIS Health have reached a temporary agreement to extend their contract, providing relief to thousands of Oklahomans who faced losing their healthcare coverage.
Multiple measles cases confirmed in DC. Check potential exposure sites and dates
DC Health said Saturday it has confirmed multiple cases of measles in the District. While officials did not specify exactly how many cases there are, they are the first to be confirmed in D.C. in 2026, according to the Johns Hopkins U.S. Measles Tracker. News4 has reached out to DC Health to ask how many cases were identified and is…
Olympic committee: New transgender policy consensus reached across sports
A proposed new consensus between sports leaders across the globe about gender policy would be a first uniform criteria.
Sports leaders reach consensus on new gender policy
Global sports leaders have reached consensus on a new set of eligibility criteria for transgender athletes, with the new policy expected to be announced within the first half of this year, the International Olympic Committee said on Saturday.
LSU ousts Chancellor Steve Nelson from post atop New Orleans medical school
“We have reached a point where a change in direction is appropriate,” said LSU President Wade Rousse and the system’s chancellor, Jim Dalton, in an email to faculty and staff.
Officers respond to report of man with gun at California Science Center parking lot
Officers responded Thursday morning to a report of a man with a gun at the California Science Center parking lot south of downtown Los Angeles. LAPD received a call to the museum at about 9:30 a.m. NBCLA has reached out to authorities for more information, including whether shots were fired and whether anyone is in custody. Video posted to the…
The Green surge shows UK politics has reached a turning point – and it has surprisingly little to do with Zack Polanski
At a party event in a school hall in Lewisham, people told me how disillusionment with Labour has led to this moment, says Guardian columnist Aditya Chakrabortty
Flirty Emails and Chummy Photos Show How Far Epstein Reached Into Business World
Los Angeles scion Casey Wasserman, celebrity doctor Peter Attia and film director Brett Ratner are facing scrutiny over new Epstein files.
NFL, NFLPA disagree about 18th regular-season game
The NFL wants an 18th game. The NFLPA says that the NFL hasn’t even reached out to discuss that possibility
Carbon Health files for Chapter 11 bankruptcy relief with more than $100M in debt
Primary care company Carbon Health filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy relief in Texas. | The company, which offers both in-person care at nearly 100 clinics and virtual care services, said Monday it reached a restructuring agreement with its existing lenders that establishes a "clear path to recapitalization and new ownership."
Thorniley departs Oxford after contract terminated
Oxford United defender Jordan Thorniley leaves the club after an agreement was mutually reached to terminate his contract.
CARBON HEALTH IMPLEMENTS FINANCIAL RESTRUCTURING
Carbon Health Technologies, Inc., (Carbon Health) a technology-enabled healthcare provider, announced today that it has reached an agreement with its existing lenders on the terms of a comprehensive restructuring that establishes a clear path to recapitalization and new ownership.
Astronomers spot 'time-warped' supernovas whose light both has and hasn't reached Earth
Will two rare supernovas finally tell us how fast the universe is expanding? Perhaps, but we'll have to wait for it for them to 'reappear'.