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Why people are turning to salt rooms and halotherapy to unwind
Salt rooms regenerate health skin cells and boost our breathing. Here's what to look for when finding a salt room experience.
A Grip on Sports: The Zags survive a first-round rock fight in Portland, one that also caused contusions for those watching from home
A GRIP ON SPORTS • There was one thing I was certain of when I began writing this column almost 15 years ago. The day Chuck Norris died, I would share my story of the lone interaction I had with the “Walker, Texas Ranger” star. It has everything. High school football. A rickety press box. Family. Sports writing. But, alas, it may have to wait. Today is just not the day.
12 hours, 4 games, 1 unavoidable truth: There is nothing better than the first day of March Madness
The thing that always gets me on the first day of the NCAA Tournament are the school buses, the ones chugging along stuffed with kids. Because it is, of course, Thursday morning and this is what ordinary people do on a Thursday morning.
Trump’s global agenda flies into domestic headwinds
Even as US President Donald Trump calls for international support for the war in Iran, within the US there are dissenting voices, as not everyone is convinced that war is the answer. What is clear is that domestic factors will increasingly limit Trump’s foreign policy and diplomatic engagement. Academic Derek Grossman discusses the issue.
Purple Row After Dark: Colorado Rockies Community Predictions 2026!
How do you think the Rockies will do this year?
Valve’s huge SteamOS 3.8 update adds long-awaited features — and supports Steam Machine
Xbox Ally gets SteamOS improvements too.
Unilever in talks to combine food business with McCormick, WSJ reports
Unilever is in talks to separate its food business and combine it with spice maker McCormick in an all-stock deal which could come within weeks, the Wall Street Journal reported on Thursday, citing sources.
Librarians seek continued funding from Congress to support local libraries
Librarians are breathing a temporary sigh of relief after President Trump signed the 2026 federal budget last month
Would you look at that. FIFA did something good for a change
FIFA is requiring teams playing in its women's tournaments to have at least two women on their on-field staffs.
Brooklyn businesses, consumers feeling the pinch from soaring oil prices
The soaring crude oil prices continue to push up the price at the pump, but it's also impacting everything from airfare to farmers, and products you buy at the store.
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.
Bungie Reveals All Details of Marathon's First Raid, Cryo Archive; Goes Live on March 20 and Weekends Only
Here's everything you need to know about Marathon's Cryo Archive raid that goes live on March 20, which will only be available on weekends.
Alien Life Could Look Nothing Like What We Expect. Here's How Microbes Beyond Earth Might Live Without Liquid Water
Like the lead character of “Project Hail Mary,” some scientists are proposing ways that life might exist beyond a star’s “habitable zone,” often considered the gold standard of potential livability
Switch 2 Handheld Boost Mode Battery Life Sucks But Is Worth It
Handheld Boost Mode is breathing new life into old Switch games
Steam Spring Sale 2026: The Best And Biggest PC Gaming Deals
From newer games like Assassin's Creed Shadows to older hits like Fallout: New Vegas, there's something for everyone in this big sale
New Cholesterol Guidelines: The No. 1 Thing Young People Can Do Now to Boost Heart Health
New cholesterol guidelines offer opportunities to not just treat disease, but to get ahead of it.
Green Bay Packers officially announce full 2026 coaching staff
Expect the Green Bay Packers to run a 3-4 defense in 2026. Everything is trending that way, including staff titles
Most ACA enrollees cutting back on food, household needs to pay for health care: Poll
A little more than half of Affordable Care Act (ACA) Marketplace enrollees reported cutting back on spending for food, clothing and other basic household items to afford health care that’s be…
Mozilla’s VPN is free, limited, and not really a VPN
Mozilla has a long history of launching and abandoning products and calling things "privacy" that aren't quite that.
Marathon Players Are About To Solve Its Weeks-Long ARG
Alternate reality games are kind of Bungie's thing.
Cowboys updates on George Pickens, Brandon Aubrey situations are murky
Things are reportedly the same with both Brandon Aubrey and George Pickens
Get an Lp(a) test — and 3 other things you must do now for heart health
I’m a cardiologist. Here are the most important new guidelines that younger people need to know about when it comes to their heart health.
Essentia Health holding advance care planning classes
ACP is a process that helps you think and talk about your choices for health care in the future. It’s important for every adult to have an advance directive, also known as a living will or health care directive.
The White House Is Lost in the ‘Weave’
The Trump administration has a coherence problem. This issue starts at the top with a fabulist president who is increasingly unfiltered and unfocused, offering up ping-ponging thoughts with little purpose or explanation. His approach to governing and to waging a war has itself become “the weave,” his term for the random asides that pepper his speeches. For much of his political life, Trump, 79, understood the importance of a simple and repetitive story, the need to keep the main thing the main t
I’ve been using the Nothing Phone (4a) Pro for a week, and it’s absolutely brilliant
Since its announcement earlier this month, I’ve been pretty excited for the Nothing Phone (4a) Pro’s debut and, after using...
Dodgers notes: Shohei Ohtani shines, Miguel Rojas gets apology
Shohei Ohtani did Ohtani things in his first pitching outing, plus details on Kyle Tucker and Miguel Rojas
The best strength training plan might be simpler than you think
New strength training guidelines emphasize that doing any resistance training is what truly matters. Based on decades of research, experts say even simple routines can increase muscle, strength, and physical function. The key is not perfection but consistency. In fact, the best workout plan is the one you can maintain long term.
Albert Breer drops tidbit about Broncos' free agent target
Albert Breer thinks the Broncos could still be in the market to add a tight end.
Early Easter party, Red Beans & Rice Fest, and Buddy Walk: 3 things to do this weekend
Our 3 picks
Venezuela's yanqui-beating baseball triumph evokes politics — and yet something else more vital
COMMENTARY Venezuela's first World Baseball Classic title win, against the U.S. in Miami, inevitably packed political symbolism — but it radiated a more important reminder of the country's character.
Something extremely weird is happening to our galactic neighbor. Scientists think they know why
The stars in the Small Magellanic Cloud aren’t behaving the way they should. A cataclysmic collision with another nearby galaxy may be the culprit
Trading or gambling? How a new way to wager on sports is evading Nebraska’s betting ban
Prediction markets have allowed Nebraskans to put money on everything from Husker basketball to Omaha's mayoral election. The markets say their users aren’t "betting" — they’re "trading."
Political operatives with Trump ties raked in millions of dollars in commissions from DHS ad campaign
The ads became a sore spot within the White House over Kristi Noem.
3 stress signals show why investors are underpricing Iran war risks
Amova Asset Management's Naomi Fink thinks investors are looking at the Iran war market volatility all wrong, and it's not just a simple oil shock.
The architectural salvage business in Louisiana has been slow. Here's why
"Set decorators used to buy light fixtures and other things from us. During the pandemic, the TV series 'Interview with a Vampire' provided up 20% of our income one year, but it's not like that anymore."
SK pharmteco Reaffirms Three-Business-Unit Strategy, Strengthens Global Gene Therapy Business Unit with Funding Commitment
RANCHO CORDOVA, Calif., March 19, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- SK pharmteco today announced a significant funding commitment to support strategic initiatives within its viral vector business, while reaffirming its long-term growth strategy across three business units: small molecule, peptides, and viral vectors. SK pharmteco is sharpening its strategy to provide pharmaceutical and biotechnology partners with the financial strength, technical rigor, and operational infrastructure needed for long-term
Tim Cook on iPhone's Future: 'There's So Much Left That We Can Do'
In an interview with Nikias Molina at New York's Grand Central Terminal last week, Apple's CEO Tim Cook briefly commented on the future of the iPhone. "There's so much left that we can do with the iPhone," said Cook. "I think it's going to continue to be the center of people's digital lives".
Everything New In Fortnite Chapter 7 Season 2
Bugs Bunny just stumbled into a grudge match between Dwayne "The Foundation" Johnson and the Ice King.
Frustrated Democrats walk out of tense Epstein briefing with Bondi and Blanche on Capitol Hill
When Attorney General Pam Bondi and Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche arrived on Capitol Hill Wednesday afternoon, they hoped to boost members’ confidence on their handling of the Jeffrey Epstein investigation. Within half an hour, Democratic lawmakers had walked out.
Ban corporate donations to UK political parties to protect elections, says thinktank
CenTax warns bill under debate in parliament has ‘easily exploitable’ loopholes and will not prevent foreign interference
Ryan Gosling knows nothing in his career will ever matter because he was a 'liability' in 'Remember the Titans'
Ryan Gosling admitted to Jason and Travis Kelce that he was a 'liability' in 'Remember the Titans.'
Millions of iPhones hit by hackers using new DarkSword spyware
The exploit doesn't even require anything to be downloaded on a victim's iPhone.
Georgia was going to dump voting machines that Trump hates. But then things got complicated
A Georgia effort to dump voting machines that Donald Trump hates may get derailed by fear of a chaotic last-minute shift in election methods.
Nothing CEO Carl Pei says smartphone apps will disappear as AI agents take their place
Nothing CEO Carl Pei says AI agents will eventually replace apps, shifting smartphones toward systems that understand intent and act on a user's behalf.
8 things you need to do in the first 90 days of launching your consulting business
The early days of an entrepreneurial endeavor will define how the business is received as well as its trajectory.
Samsung Is Now Allowing Users In A Key Market To Use The Galaxy S26 Series For A Year By Paying Just 50 Percent Of The Price
Samsung Mobile is throwing everything, including the proverbial kitchen sink, to keep the sales cadence for the Galaxy S26 series elevated.
Amazon Is Taking Business From USPS. That’s Good for FedEx and UPS, but Not in the Way You Think.
If Amazon doesn’t renew its last-mile delivery relationship with the USPS there will be more packages for other logistics providers to deliver.
Here’s The Release Time For ‘Fortnite’ Chapter 7, Season 2: Showdown
Fortnite Chapter 7 season 2 is about to arrive, and here's the release time, along with some of the things we know are coming.
Rubio says Cuba’s efforts to improve its economy are failing
Cuba “can’t fix” its economy, Secretary of State Marco Rubio said, as President Donald Trump said his administration will be “doing something with Cuba very soon.”
Eastern Athletics Announces Two Promotions in Sports Medicine - Eastern Michigan University Athletics
Eastern Michigan University Athletics announced two promotions within the sports medicine department, recognizing the work and leadership of athletic trainer...
By Director Mr. Sakurai, Kirby Air Riders: Development Insights — Part 4 - News
Join Kirby Air Riders director Masahiro Sakurai as he shares insights into the development and details behind some of the game's modes and features. Check out the rest of the interview Part 1: Air Ride and Top Ride Part 2: Cramming everything into S…
Nasal Swab Test Spots Early Alzheimer’s Signals
DURHAM, N.C. – Alzheimer’s disease affects millions of people worldwide, yet the illness is hardest to catch at the very beginning, when new treatments may work best.In a new study, Duke Health researchers show that a quick, outpatient nasal swab can pick up early biological changes linked to Alzheimer’s, even before thinking and memory problems appear.
Bangladesh sports minister to consult ICC on future of BCB
Sports minister Aminul Haque said on Tuesday that once the five-member committee submits its report within 15 working days, he will discuss the matter with the ICC | ESPN.com
What is happening in Cuba? Economic struggles, US tensions explained
Trump has recently increased pressure on the island nation of Cuba, adding March 17 Washington would be doing "something with Cuba" soon.
Arizona charges Kalshi, alleging illegal gambling with election bets
Kalshi calls Arizona’s case ‘paper-thin’ and says the platform should not be overseen by ‘inconsistent state laws’
CATACLYSM Is Now Live!
The CATACLYSM expansion is erupting into Hearthstone, and nothing will ever be the same.
The 2026 Lollapalooza lineup just dropped: Everything to know about dates, headliners, tickets and more
The annual four-day music festival officially returns to Grant Park in Chicago, Illinois July 30-Aug. 2 with over 150 musicians including this year's headliners Charli XCX, Tate McRae, Lorde, Olivia Dean, John Summit, Jennie, The Smashing Pumpkins and The xx.
A Massive Midterm Wave Isn’t Forming Yet. Here’s Why.
This is an era not just of hyperpartisanship, but of negative partisanship, in which partisans often hate the other side even more than they love their own. Many voters thus tend to see everything on a binary basis. Any given election outcome is seen as either a landslide victory or an unmitigated disaster. There is little appreciation, or even tolerance, for gradations between those outcomes.
Trump reacts to Kent resignation: ‘It’s a good thing that he’s out’
California governor candidate sends scathing letter to USC
"You can't escape the detestable outcome."
Starfield finally lands PS5 release date, along with new story DLC and Free Lanes update which - among other things - adds a Milliewhale pet
After plenty of rumours and rumblings, Bethesda has today announced that Starfield is coming to PlayStation 5.
We Saw Starfield's Big Overhaul and DLC - Is It Enough to Revive Bethesda's Space RPG?
Starfield is getting new DLC, Terran Armada, along with some major quality-of-life updates. And a PS5 version! We got an extended first look at everything on its way to Bethesda's big outer-space RPG.
Science & Innovation
Challenges to the American scientific enterprise—from the reproducibility crisis, to administrative bloat within research institutions, to diminished public trust in universities—together with sweeping reforms to the government’s role in science, make this a pivotal moment for science policy. An agenda to strengthen American science must enhance its productivity and credibility, preserve our research advantages, and ensure that the scientific enterprise remains accountable to American citizens.
Garmin Launches WhatsApp Integration for Watches
Everything you need to know about Garmin's new WhatsApp integration on their newer watches.
Everything Coming in Starfield’s Free Lanes Update & Terran Armada DLC
April 7 marks the beginning of a new era for Starfield, with the game’s biggest free update yet, the all-new Terran Armada story DLC, and the official PlayStation 5 launch all arriving at once.
Dell XPS 16 (2026) review: Return of the king
The XPS 16 has nearly everything you want from a premium 16-inch productivity laptop and it's a worthy flagbearer for one of the most iconic notebook lines of all time.
Oregon Lays Out Core Public Health Plan Goals for Years Ahead
The plan, while largely conceptual, offers some insight into the thinking inside the state agency responsible for Oregonians’ health outcomes.
Bills make $17.7 million DJ Moore contract decision after trade
Buffalo was expected to do something like this.
President Trump says ‘I think I could do anything I want’ with Cuba
Study finds ChatGPT gets science wrong more often than you think
A new study put ChatGPT to the test by asking it to judge whether hundreds of scientific hypotheses were true or false—and the results were far from reassuring. While the AI got it right about 80% of the time on the surface, its performance dropped significantly when accounting for random guessing, revealing only modest reasoning ability. Even more concerning, it frequently contradicted itself when asked the exact same question multiple times, sometimes flipping answers back and forth.
Health officials flag two Salt Lake County locations for measles exposure as cases rise
Salt Lake County health officials have flagged two new locations for measle locations within the last the week
US troops in Iran? What Americans think, and what it would mean
Polling suggests the idea of US troops on the ground in Iran is a complete nonstarter for Americans overall — and even a tough sell for the GOP base.
How Netflix thinks AI can help it fight off rivals
Netflix co-CEO Ted Sarandos said that "faster and cheaper" doesn't matter if AI isn't making films "better."
Montana’s wild week in politics could have national consequences
What was shaping up to be a sleepy election year in Montana is now anything but. It was a head-spinning week in Montana politics: Two incumbent congressmen declared they weren’t running for re-election — and another got into a scuffle on Capitol Hill. In a tight election year, the shakeup could have national consequences.
Fishing shop says business is unusually good for March, but warm winter could hurt them down the road
With temperatures expected to push record highs for March later this week, typically summer-oriented businesses are experiencing an early-season boost in success. While things are looking good in t…
Nintendo Switch 2 and Switch update 22.0.0 out now, patch notes
Nintendo Switch 2 and Switch just got a new firmware update with version 22.0.0 and here are the patch notes including Friend List notes.
When Indigenous Knowledge and Climate Science Meet, Good Things Happen
Tribal leaders and climate coordinators are working together to protect lands and waterways
GameStop declares Nintendo Wii U as a retro console, trade-in bonus offer announced
GameStop issues statement that Nintendo Wii U, PS3, and Xbox 360 are retro consoles and announces a special trade-in bonus offer.
Lenovo Unveils Next-Gen Workstations and Announces the World's First 1,000 Wh/L Silicon-Anode Battery for Notebooks and Workstations
Lenovo introduces the next-generation of AI workstations optimized for on-device AI development, inference and creation, including the ThinkPad P14s i Gen 7, ThinkPad P14s Gen 7 AMD, ThinkPad P16s i Gen 5, ThinkPad P16s Gen 5 AMD, ThinkPad P1 Gen 9 and the powerhouse desktop ThinkStation P5 Gen 2. ...
Going Panther Lake very quickly: Lenovo updates ThinkPad P1 line with the P1 Gen 9 after just six months
An unexpected update: Lenovo is already replacing the ThinkPad P1 Gen 8 with the next gen model, the new ThinkPad P1 Gen 9. This new version is only a small update, focused mainly on internal changes.
Smith: politics and big oil slow nationwide year-round E15 push
A U.S. Senator from Minnesota says politics have made nationwide, year-round E15 an interesting topic of discussion in the Senate. “It’s hard to find someone who opposes it, yet you really can’t get it done.” Tina Smith tells Brownfield “let’s be honest. I think there are U.S. Senators who have big oil interests in their […]
Champions League burning questions: Could all six Premier League teams be eliminated?
With no English team winning their first leg, could the unthinkable happen in the Premier League?
Politics no stranger to World Cup, Men in Blazers' Bennett says
Politics at the World Cup is "nothing new," Men in Blazers Media Network founder and CEO Roger Bennett said, arguing that the tournament has long been a stage where national history, culture and conflict travel with the teams onto the field.
Samsung allegedly launches Galaxy A37 and A57; pricing is turning heads
It turns out that Samsung has silently unveiled the Galaxy A37 and A57 in Thailand, with the pricing is the first thing that makes you stop scrolling. The Galaxy A57 5G and Galaxy A37 5G are now official in Thailand, via droidsans. The two phones look like typical yearly upgrades to the A series. In reality, […]
Square Enix games for Nintendo Switch 2 and Switch now on sale, including Final Fantasy 7 Remake
A new Square Enix sale for Nintendo Switch 2 and Switch has started up at retailers, including Final Fantasy 7 Remake and more.
New Grant to Grow Interdisciplinary Biochemistry Master’s Program
Dontae Mosley wasn’t sure graduate school was within his reach due to financial constraints, but thanks to the Interdisciplinary Biochemistry Master’s Program, he was able to pursue his master’s degree and launch his career in the biotech industry. Now, more biochemistry graduate students will have the same opportunity through a new grant from the National Science Foundation.
Partisanship and science
I recently participated in a symposium of the Denver-based Institute for Science & Policy, during which I had a “fireside chat” with Tony Mills of the American Enterprise Institute. Mills has written extensively on the politicization of science, and the two of us had a very enjoyable hour-long conversation on the topic. You can watch it below. The main questions we dealt with are why there is such a vast partisan gap in trust of science, and to what extent this is a unique moment. Mills helpfully brings a good deal of data to the discussion, as he did in this useful piece at Issues in Science & Technology. Tusk depends on reader support. To support this work, please become a paid subscriber. Subscribe Note this graph, drawing on a range of survey data to demonstrate partisan attitudes toward science since 1970s. As it demonstrates, there’s been a very sharp partisan divergence in confidence in science during the Trump Era, starting prior to the Covid pandemic. At least in part, we can attribute this to a rise in populist anti-science rhetoric embraced by Trump, his appointees, and those in his media orbit. But as the graph also shows, the partisan divide has existed in the past, and it’s not always in the same direction. The largest divergence in party views toward science prior to 2016 was in the 1970s, when liberals equated scientific achievement with the military-industrial complex and thus trusted it less. That era of scientific mistrust is often overlooked. Indeed, as Mills notes, the Moon landings (1969-72), which today are considered one of the last great moments of national unity, were experienced nothing like that at the time. There was sharp debate back then over whether the Apollo missions were worth the vast expenditures when the country had so much else to deal with. It’s outside the dataset, and we don’t have the partisanship lens for it, but the 1950s was another deeply anti-science decade, with critics of intellectuals and college professors alleging their ties to communism and their lack of commitment to basic American moral beliefs. This was the subject of Richard Hofstadter’s 1962 book Anti-Intellectualism in American Life, in which he quotes religious leaders like Franklin Graham: [In place of the Bible] we substituted reason, rationalism, mind culture, science worship, the working power of government, Freudianism, naturalism, humanism, behaviorism, positivism, materialism, and idealism. [This is the work of] so-called intellectuals. Thousands of these “intellectuals” have publicly stated that morality is relative—that there is no norm or absolute standard.… This fervor was heavily whipped up by Sen. Joe McCarthy (R-Wisconsin), although it’s clear that not all his fellow Republicans were on board with his red-baiting. What ended that era? The simple answer is the 1957 launch of Sputnik. Americans became afraid that they were losing to Soviet scientists, and suddenly university researchers and government projects were awash with funding. In our conversation, I asked Mills about the possibility of us having a Sputnik moment again that would rally the American public in favor of science today. Mills argued that the COVID-19 pandemic was essentially a Sputnik moment — a terrifying threat to all Americans that required scientific advances to address. But thanks in part to political polarization and the populist and conspiratorial leanings of Donald Trump, we got the opposite of a unifying moment. Many Americans turned against science, despite science actually stepping up in that moment. As we discussed in the chat, it’s not clear what scientists could or should be doing in this moment to increase faith in their work. As Mills notes, one of the chief complaints against scientists and professors is that they’ve become too political; scholars becoming even more political might not help them achieve their goals. This (mainly Republican-driven) anti-science era will end, of course, but it’s not clear what event will bring that about. Share
Scientists Think the Most Extreme Beings on Earth Can Help Save Human Lives
A new review study explains that extremophiles have revolutionized medicine, and are invaluable allies in the fight against climate change.
Build a 4K PC gaming home entertainment setup for less with these limited-time discounts
A 4K PC gaming setup for your home entertainment center is closer than you think. With these limited-time deals, you'll be gaming in style.
Scientists create first-of-its-kind ‘hexagonal diamond’ harder than real thing
Material exhibits slightly higher hardness than naturally found diamond
‘A molten, mushy state’: scientists may have found a new type of liquid planet
Latest observations of L98-59d, about 35 light years from Earth, suggest it could be different to anything seen before
Get hands-on at 2026 Atlanta Science Festival Exploration Expo
Mercer University and Mercer Health Sciences Center are sponsors of the annual Atlanta Science Festival (ASF) — the city’s ultimate celebration of all things science and one of the largest of its kind…
Why it’s time to rethink “leadership from 20,000 feet”
CEOs should not step back completely as organizations grow. Leaning too much on a belief in “leadership from 20,000 feet” and the myth that their role is only strategic can cost companies momentum and results.
How to recover after a workout
It's normal to feel some pain or soreness after a workout. But how much is too much, and more importantly, how do you get relief? This episode, build out your post-workout recovery routine. A sports medicine doctor, nutritionist and professional athlete break down everything you can do from the moment your last workout finishes to right before your next one begins – to feel better in your body, minimize your injury risk and get the most out of that gym session. This episode was originally published on Jan. 30, 2025Follow us on Instagram: @nprlifekitSign up for our newsletter here.Have an episode idea or feedback you want to share? Email us at lifekit@npr.orgSupport the show and listen to it sponsor-free by signing up for Life Kit+ at plus.npr.org/lifekit
This is your brain on pleasure (even the guilty kind)
It’s likely you have at least one “guilty pleasure.” Maybe it’s romance novels. Or reality TV… Playing video games… or getting swept into obscure corners of TikTok. Neuroscientists say the pleasure response helps us survive as a species. So why do we feel embarrassed by some of the things we love the most? Even if you don't have these negative emotions, experiencing – and studying – pleasure is not as straightforward as it might seem. For a long time, neuroscientists thought the concept of "pleasure" referred to a singular system in the brain. But as research into the subject grew, scientists realized that pleasure is really a cycle of "wanting" and "liking" – each with separate neural mechanisms. Today on the show, producer Rachel Carlson explores this cycle with researchers, who weigh in on the science of pleasure. Even the kind that makes us feel guilty. Read more of Rachel’s story on guilty pleasures. Interested in more brain science? Email us your question at shortwave@npr.org.Listen to every episode of Short Wave sponsor-free and support our work at NPR by signing up for Short Wave+ at plus.npr.org/shortwave.
Hansi Flick closing in on Pep Guardiola record at Barcelona
The team’s home record is something else.
Farage Mega Donor Exposes Vulnerability in UK Politics
Britain’s biggest political donor is a crypto investor and aviation entrepreneur who has lived in Thailand for more than two decades. The £12 million ($16 million) that Christopher Harborne gave to Nigel Farage’s Reform UK last year wouldn’t be permitted in France, Canada or Ireland. If you’re sensing something askew with the UK’s rules for campaign finance contributions, you’re not alone.
Things ‘I do not like’ led me to quit US for Hong Kong, top mathematician says
The academic also says he is motivated by his vision to make Asia an intellectual powerhouse for science and learning.
Driving habits of teens and young adults
Nearly all parents think their teen or young adult child’s driving ability is as good or better than other teens and young adults. 1 in 3 parents worry their teen or young adult driver will cause an accident. 1 in 4 parents have taken steps to address their teen or young adult child’s driving behavior. Witnessing risky driving behavior does not affect parents’ rating of their teen or young adult child’s driving ability.