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Scientists spent a decade recording the Arctic Ocean. What they heard raises some unsettling questions | BBC Science Focus Magazine
The Arctic used to be one of the quietest places on Earth. But all that’s changing, putting animals at risk
Is Sphere Entertainment (SPHR) Still Attractive After Its Recent Share Price Surge?
If you are wondering whether Sphere Entertainment is still worth a closer look after its recent run, or if the price has moved ahead of the story, this article will walk you through what the current share price might be saying about value. The stock last closed at US$115.70, with reported returns of 21.9% over 7 days, 20.1% over 30 days, 22.7% year to date, 140.0% over 1 year and 307.7% over 3 years. This naturally raises questions about how much of the company’s potential is already...
Politics of renaming a presidential memorial
The debate over adding Trump’s name to the Kennedy Center raises questions about presidential memorials and what they reveal about our values today.
Farm use of PFAS-laden sludge raises health concerns. But, some ask, where else can it go?
A resourceful solution to repurpose waste and nourish farmland, or a poisonous and permanent mistake? Depending on whom you ask, the practice of spreading treated sewage, or sludge, on New Hampshire farmland might be either.
Paramount Raises Stakes in Warner Bros. Fight - Los Angeles Business Journal
The fight for Warner Bros. Discovery Inc. gained more traction Tuesday as Paramount Skydance Corp. announced a “ticking fee” of $650 million for each
Padres' Manny Machado praises Dodgers' for spending big on free agents: 'I f***ing love it'
Small Business Technology News: AI Models That Are Better Than ChatGPT
Intuit adds more AI for QuickBooks, LinkedIn does more for recruiting and a startup raises $25M to answer the calls you're missing.
DC Wrap: Trump praises military; Feds investigating ICE shooting
A look at the day's biggest stories in national politics
Community raises $17,000 for Brighton barbershop after water main break floods business
Children's Hospital Colorado Radiothon with 105.9 raises money for research, mental health programs
STAT Health Tech: Researchers take another look at Apple's hypertension feature
In this edition of STAT Health Tech: Fundraises by Talkiatry, Big Health, and the accuracy of Apple Watch hypertension feature.
Anterior raises $40M for health plan AI
Prior authorization has long been a lengthy and costly process in health care admin.
Big Health raises funding as investors see glimmer of hope for digital therapeutics
Big Health raises $24 million as investors bet that digital therapeutics' time has finally arrived.
Exclusive | Garden City Equity Raises $255 Million From Business Figures, Musicians and Athletes
Backers of the company include former Intel CEO Pat Gelsinger, former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush and ex-NFL quarterback Drew Brees.
American Heart Association's Go Red for Women movement raises awareness, funds for women's health
Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is the leading cause of death in women.
St. Petersburg school measles case raises alarm of highly contagious disease
Some unvaccinated students stayed home after case confirmed at St. Petersburg Catholic High School.
At a touchy moment for stocks, a delayed jobs report raises ‘Goldilocks’ hopes
Data on job openings and labor turnover isn’t always a big market mover. But with stocks trading near record highs, markets are a little touchy.
Mikaela Shiffrin's slalom struggle raises ghosts of Beijing Olympics
Mikaela Shiffrin was 15th in the slalom portion of the Alpine team combined event, causing. her and Breezy Johnson to miss the podium. Was it a fluke?
A.I. Personalizes the Internet but Takes Away Control
The relentless addition of artificial intelligence in popular apps raises questions about what’s at stake. The answer: the future of the internet and its lifeblood, digital advertising.
Super Bowl watch party raises money for mental health in Greater Cincinnati
A football watch party held at Great American Ball Park's Champions Club turned into a fundraiser for mental health resources Sunday night.
New UD athletic director on navigating college sports' changes
UD President Laura Carlson praises Jordan Skolnick during his official intro for his willingness to interact with all.
Making science more visible
As he enters a laboratory with saltwater pools full of fish, Luka Žuvić explains how climate change is affecting the feeding ecology and reproductive biology of Atlantic bluefin tuna, and how the species is adapting.It is a topic that may seem remote to many people. But in a country where fishing and aquaculture are important to the economy and national identity, Žuvić’s research is at the intersection of science and society. “In Croatia, marine and environmental science are closely connected to people’s lives because fisheries, aquaculture, tourism and coastal development are a big part of our lives,” explains Žuvić, a doctoral student working at the Croatian Institute of Oceanography and Fisheries in the Adriatic coastal city of Split. He also serves as one of Croatia’s ambassadors to Science Comes to Town (SCTT), a European Commission-funded project that aims to make scientific research more accessible, while inspiring young people to study the sciences. The project kicked off in Spilt on 20 January with a conference attended by partner institutions, community representatives, policymakers and scientists. Along with Split, Brest (in France) and Kiel (in Germany) will host a year of activities connecting scientists with the public.Žuvić, 31, is part of the Young Researchers' Career Development Project, a doctoral programme funded by the Croatian Science Foundation. His research on Atlantic bluefin tuna builds on a foundation-backed project focusing on the reproductive potential of farmed tuna, including their sexual maturation and spontaneous spawning in captivity, which has implications for the restoration of the Adriatic Sea's natural tuna populations. He also studies the tuna's feeding ecology through stomach-content analysis, using DNA metabarcoding and morphological approaches, and employs geometric morphometrics to improve the identification of juvenile tuna and related species. The research aims to enhance understanding of the tuna farming ecology, improve fish farm management and contribute to sustainable aquaculture and fisheries research.Engaging with local communitiesConnecting with the community is crucial for Žuvić’s research. Conversations with fishermen help him better understand the bluefin tuna's habits and how marine pollution affects the fish. “They are also curious about the biology and ecology of bluefin tuna,” he says of local fishermen, adding that sharing research with non-scientists benefits everyone. “Sometimes scientific research is invisible,” he explains. “That's why we as researchers need to go out from our institutions and labs to the public so that we can show them what we are working on. This helps create more trust in the scientists and their research.”Engaging the public also raises awareness about the anthropogenic changes to the marine environment resulting from human activities and pollution. Žuvić helps remove plastic and other rubbish from the Adriatic Sea that pose a direct threat to marine species. Predators, such as bluefin tuna, are especially vulnerable to ingesting waste churned up by fishing trawlers. “They are very opportunistic fish that follow trawlers and ingest everything,” he notes. To illustrate the impact, he has shown students the contents of bluefin tuna stomachs. “Finding a plastic bottle cap in the stomach of a bluefin tuna is concerning,” he says. "Science can be a powerful way to turn curiosity into practical solutions,” Žuvić adds, and sharing research outcomes “helps increase public awareness and improve understanding of human impacts on the marine environment.”The research also has implications for Croatia's economy. The Atlantic bluefin tuna’s rich, flavourful meat is highly valued for sushi and other raw fish dishes. However, overfishing nearly brought its population to collapse by the early 2000s. Although the species has made a comeback in the Atlantic and Mediterranean regions, catches continue to be managed through agreements with the International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas. Croatia was a pioneer in developing commercial aquaculture as an alternative to open-sea fishing and accounts for about 10% of the EU’s farmed production of the bluefin tuna, with Japan being a key export market.A history of European collaborationCroatia has participated in Europe’s framework programmes for research and innovation since 2007, six years before officially joining the EU. Žuvić believes that EU funding and collaboration with other European researchers is vital for Croatian science. As part of the SCTT opening conference, the Institute of Oceanography and Fisheries, the University of Split and other local institutions were part of a science fair to showcase research on topics, such as robotics and an EU LIFE project on the protection of sharks and rays in the Mediterranean. “I hope that Science Comes to Town will help increase scientific literacy and curiosity among citizens, particularly students, and show that science is not something that is distant or abstract, but something that directly affects everyday life,” Žuvić concludes. “Ultimately, I hope that projects like it contribute to building a society that values knowledge and critical thinking, and that we can think about long-term sustainability using knowledge from science.”Science|Business, which connects policymakers, academics and industry through its news reporting, analysis and events, is an SCTT partner.
Trump praises Nexstar-Tegna broadcast television deal he once opposed
President Donald Trump on Saturday endorsed Nexstar Media Group’s $6.2 billion purchase of broadcast rival Tegna, an apparent reversal from earlier criticism of the deal. In November, Trump had criticized
Kelly Osbourne's Weight Loss Raises Health Concerns As Photos Of Her 'Giant' Hands Go Viral
Trump’s toxic, racist video surpasses previous levels of debasement
Video deleted by White House breaks through numbness barrier and raises further questions about fitness for office
Amazon's AI bet on Anthropic soars to $61 billion valuation
The cloud giant holds convertible notes in Anthropic. As the AI startup raises more money, this debt converts to equity.
Driven: The 2026 Lamborghini Temerario raises the bar for supercars
This V8 hybrid with more than 900 hp replaces the V10 Huracán.
Y Combinator startup Orange Slice secures $5.3M seed funding
Michigan grads Vihaar Nandigala and Kishan Sripada's startup Orange Slice raises $5.3M for AI-driven sales tools, backed by Y Combinator.
Leela Gray raises upward of $150,000 in first 48 hours of challenge to Anna Paulina Luna
'This energy is amazing!'
Indian central bank raises loan limits for small businesses, backs REIT lending
India’s central bank on Friday announced measures to boost credit to small businesses and the real estate sector to improve access to formal financing and strengthen last-mile lending, Governor Sanjay Malhotra said in his policy address.
Cardinal Health Reports Second Quarter Fiscal Year 2026 Results and Raises Outlook
Revenue increased 19% to $65.6 billion GAAP1 operating earnings increased 29% to $707 million; GAAP diluted EPS increased 19% to $1.97 Non-GAAP operating earnings increased 38% to $877 million;...
Darren Soto raises less than most targeted Dems as Thomas Chalifoux closes 2025 with $2M
Is the Democrat feeling too comfortable?
Bedrock, an A.I. Start-Up for Construction, Raises $270 Million
The year-old company, founded by veterans of the autonomous vehicle business Waymo, is seeking to automate excavators and other building equipment.
On the Future of Species by Adrian Woolfson review – are we on the verge of creating synthetic life?
A genomic entrepreneur’s guide to the coming revolution in biology raises troubling questions about ethics and safety
Space tourism raises ‘urgent’ fertility questions, Nasa says
As more people travel beyond Earth, scientists have warned that the risks to reproductive health from zero-gravity and radiation remain little understood
Measles outbreak at Texas detention center raises health concerns
DILLEY, Texas - Serious concerns have emerged about public health at the South Texas Residential Center in Dilley, where families are still being transferred de
Exclusive | Ariel Investments Raises $250 Million for Women’s Sports Fund
The Chicago asset manager has closed one of the largest funds ever dedicated exclusively to women’s sports and plans to acquire stakes in teams and leagues in the U.S. and Europe.
Streaming service Crunchyroll raises prices weeks after killing its free tier
Sony has made streaming anime pricier since buying Crunchyroll.
Waymo raises $16 billion to take its robotaxi business ‘global’
Waymo says its ambitions are global.
This global health leader praises Trump's aid plan -- and gears up to beat malaria
Bill Steiger, who served in the George H.W. Bush and first Trump administrations, reflects on the past year's changes in the U.S. role — and his new job as head of Malaria No More.
Cuba denies security threat accusations as US raises pressure
Havana says it is ready for 'constructive engagement' with Washington as White House moves to choke off oil supplies.
Employers are spreading raises like peanut butter – and workers are paying the price
These across-the-board raises to all employees versus individual performance-based raises are simply lazy
TikTok Superstar Khaby Lame’s Big Deal—Which Saw Him Valued At $6.6 Billion—Raises Red Flags, Experts Say
The all-stock transaction revolved around a small Chinese firm with less than $6 million in revenues, which went public just six months ago and saw its stock skyrocket over 650%
Epstein files release raises key question for Trump administration: From the Politics Desk
Plus, a Democratic divide in California with 2026 and 2028 campaign implications.
Patriots’ Christian Gonzalez Praises ‘Amazing’ Seahawks Star Before Super Bowl
New England Patriots cornerback Christian Gonzalez will have his hands full during a marquee matchup that could sway Super Bowl LX against the Seattle Seahawks. New England’s red-hot defense must find ways to slow down Jaxon Smith-Njigba at Levi’s Stadium. The 23-year-old has blossomed into arguably the NFL’s best wide receiver during his third season, […]
Fate of Colorado River hangs in balance as political battle brews
The fight over the dwindling Colorado River has long been nonpartisan. Now an unprecedented meeting of governors over the issue raises the political stakes.
Samsung’s confusing Galaxy S26 pricing raises base model cost, but makes Ultra cheaper
New reports reveal that Samsung is, in fact, planning to raise the price of the Galaxy S26 series, but only...
Minneapolis small business supports strike against ICE, raises money
ICE activity and tariffs are making for an especially tough month for Perennial Cycle in Minneapolis. The owner is focusing on the community.
Viral Moltbot AI assistant raises concerns over data security
Security researchers are warning of insecure deployments in enterprise environments of the Moltbot (formerly Clawdbot) AI assistant, which can lead to leaking API keys, OAuth tokens, conversation history, and credentials.
Washington Capitals and Monumental Sports & Entertainment Pride Auction Raises $30,485
Proceeds benefit the Wanda Alston Foundation, with a portion of funds allocated for MSE Foundation
Women's College Hoops Spotlight: Georgetown Coach Praises 'Best' UConn Team
FOX Sports' Laken Litman breaks down Georgetown coach Darnell Haney's eyebrow-raising comments after UConn throttled his team.
Limy raises $10M to help brands boost AI agent visibility: pitch deck
Limy raised $10 million from investors including Flybridge and a16z to help brands boost their visibility to AI agents.
‘Phoenix heat melts ICE’: Zipps Sports Grill Bar raids raise questions
Although the Department of Justice said it was not an official immigration action, Raul Piña, who serves on the Community Advisory Board for the Melendres v. MCSO case about racial profiling, disagreed. Piña said this technique of detaining undocumented immigrants was pioneered by former Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio.
Curbing your drinking? This number of drinks raises colon cancer risk
Drinking alcohol is linked to higher chances of colorectal cancer − but just how many drinks increase your risk? Here's what new research says.
Outside investment in Michigan State sports raises oversight questions
Michigan State University was one of the first universities to announce their intentions to seek "investment capital."
Senior NFL reporter praises the Ravens' hire of Jesse Minter
Albert Breer has no issues with the Ravens' choice to lead their team forward.
What Elevance Health (ELV)'s Scale-Driven Efficiency Amid Membership Declines Means For Shareholders
In recent weeks, analysts including RBC Capital and Wolfe Research have reiterated positive views on Elevance Health, citing its scale advantages and strong capital efficiency ahead of its late-January 2026 earnings release. At the same time, Elevance’s shrinking customer base over the past two years raises important questions about how competition and product positioning are affecting long-term demand. We’ll now examine how analyst optimism around Elevance’s scale-driven efficiency shapes...
Google AI Overviews cite YouTube more than any medical site for health queries, study suggests
Exclusive: German research into responses to health queries raises fresh questions about summaries seen by 2bn people a month
Google AI Overviews cite YouTube more than any medical site for health queries, study suggests
Exclusive: German research into responses to health queries raises fresh questions about summaries seen by 2bn people a month
WHO statement on notification of withdrawal of the United States
WHO regrets the United States’ notification of withdrawal from WHO – a decision that makes both the United States and the world less safe. The notification of withdrawal raises issues that will be considered by the WHO Executive Board at its regular meeting starting on 2 February and by the World Health Assembly at its annual meeting in May 2026.
Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta 'feels part' of Los Angeles Rams Super Bowl challenge as he praises 'special' Sean McVay
Stan Kroenke is the owner of both Mike Artetas Arsenal and Sean McVays Los Angeles Rams; watch the Rams face the Seattle Seahawks for a place at Super Bowl LX in Sundays NFC Championship Game, live on Sky Sports NFL at 11.30pm on Sunday.
Have Mental Health Days Gone Too Far? One Teacher Raises Questions About Resilience
“I feel like people are avoiding hard things."
Facial Filler, Reversibility, and the Science We Don’t See
I talked about Botox a lot in 2025. Which, in the social circles of a 22-year-old woman, raises a fair question: why? We don’t have wrinkles yet. Our frontal lobes aren’t even finished developing.
Somali-born activist praises Trump's stark warning at Davos speech: 'Priority number one'
After President Donald Trump took to the stage in Davos to declare that Western Civilization must defend itself, Somali-born activist and author Ayaan Hirsi Ali said that “Trump is right."
Johnson & Johnson CEO celebrates company’s cardiovascular business during Q4 earnings call
Johnson & Johnson reported $24.6 billion in sales for the fourth quarter of 2025, up 9.1% from the previous year. On an earnings call with investors, the company's CEO sang the praises of the company's cardiovascular health division.
Johnson & Johnson CEO celebrates success of company’s cardiovascular business during Q4 earnings call
Johnson & Johnson reported $24.6 billion in sales for the fourth quarter of 2025, up 9.1% from the previous year. On an earnings call with investors, the company's CEO sang the praises of the company's cardiovascular health division.
The influencer racing to save Thailand’s most endangered sea mammal
Amateur conservationist and social media influencer Theerasak 'Pop' Saksritawee has a rare bond with Thailand’s critically endangered dugongs. Pop raises an urgent alarm — before Thailand’s dugongs vanish forever
MSI reportedly raises GeForce RTX 50 distributor pricing, ASUS and Gigabyte to follow
NVIDIA and AMD said to raise GPU+VRAM bundle pricing as GDDR6 and GDDR7 costs climb Taiwanese reporting points to higher shipment pricing for GPU cores
Samsung Raises Panther Lake-Equipped Galaxy Book 6 Pro’s Price By Nearly $477 Over The Previous-Gen Model
Samsung has increased the prices of its new generation Galaxy Book 6 Pro laptops by a whopping 25% vs the previous generation.
PCC event raises health awareness for Black men and honors late coach Aaron Bell Sr.
An event honoring the late Aaron Bell Sr., a beloved coach and community figure, was held at PCC to promote health awareness among Black men.
Rackspace raises email hosting prices by as much as 706 percent
Rackspace tells Ars that hosted email is still a part of its "mission."
JPMorgan's Newest Division Wants to Help Your Small Business Raise Money
The investment bank is assembling a new team focused on equity raises and M&A.
Gene Munster Says Apple's Move From OpenAI's ChatGPT To Google Gemini Significantly Raises Chances Of New Siri Succeeding: 'Nice Job'
On Tuesday, Deepwater Asset Management's managing partner Gene Munster said that Apple Inc.'s (NASDAQ:AAPL) switch from OpenAI's ChatGPT to Alphabet Inc.'s (NASDAQ:GOOG) (NASDAQ:GOOGL) Google Gemini gives Siri a much stronger chance of success. Apple Partners With Google Gemini To Reinvent Siri Munster took to X and said, "Odds of new Siri succeeding just went up," while praising Apple CEO Tim Cook for turning long-standing Siri shortcomings into an opportunity for future device and services gro
Google separates, raises Gemini 3 ‘Thinking’ and ‘Pro’ usage limits
Gemini 3’s Thinking and Pro models no longer have the same usage limits, with Google separating the "shared pool" while raising limits...
Boulder Highway project raises concerns for local business
A segment of Boulder Highway in the City of Henderson is undergoing a significant transformation as part of the "Reimagine Boulder Highway" project.The $170 mi
Cardinal Health Raises Fiscal 2026 Outlook and Highlights Strategic Progress During J.P. Morgan Healthcare Conference Presentation
Raising Fiscal 2026 Outlook: Cardinal Health is increasing expectations for fiscal year 2026 non-GAAP diluted earnings per share (EPS)1 to at least $10.00, from its prior guidance range of $9.65...
Knox News 40 under 40's James Tourville raises a glass to Knoxville
James Tourville and 39 other East Tennessee young professionals were honored in Knoxville as they joined Knox News' 40 Under 40 Class of 2025.
‘We fell in love with it’: Matthew McConaughey praises Alabama city for people, politics
The famed actor talked about his visit to Birmingham on a podcast with Ted Danson and Woody Harrelson.
Taxing issue – Wood County Board of Health suspends pay raises due to property tax worries
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Bob Buckhorn political committee raises $400K-plus in Q4, bringing total to $1.4M for eventual Tampa mayoral comeback
The early fundraising push could serve to dissuade others considering running for Mayor as the race approaches in 2027.
Indian Hill High school student raises money for hospital after health journey
After years of doctor visits, Aiden Kincaid is raising awareness for kids still searching for answers
Trump’s targeting of blue states raises questions about political motives
President Trump is targeting a number of blue states amid the fraud scandal plaguing Minnesota, raising questions about the motivation behind the move. On Tuesday, the administration announced it w…
Lux Capital Raises $1.5 billion for Fund Focused on New Science, Defense
Venture firm Lux Capital raised $1.5 billion for its ninth fund — the largest in its more than 20-year history — with plans to back more companies that focus on fields like breakthrough science and national security.
Oasys raises $4.6M for behavioral health tech
The startup recently turned down an acquisition offer.
Study Raises Serious Questions About The Benefits of Intermittent Fasting
Calories count too.
Trump’s actions are not reckless, they’re resolute — ‘not political, but necessary’: Brian Kilmeade
Fox News host Brian Kilmeade praises the Trump administration’s efforts to capture Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and criticizes the negative reaction to the move on ‘One Nation.’
Everyday chemicals are quietly damaging beneficial gut bacteria
A large study has revealed that dozens of widely used chemicals can damage beneficial gut bacteria. Many of these substances, found in pesticides and everyday industrial products, were never thought to affect living organisms at all. When gut bacteria are stressed by these chemicals, some may also become resistant to antibiotics. The research raises new questions about how chemical exposure could be influencing human health behind the scenes.
Louisiana health notes: A new Livingston Parish hospital, $50K for psychosis care and more.
Louisiana nonprofit benefit raises $50K to support early psychosis care
Myth busted: Your body isn’t canceling out your workout
Being active boosts your daily calorie burn more than previously thought. Researchers found that increased physical activity raises total energy use without triggering the body to conserve energy elsewhere. Basic functions keep running at full speed, even as movement increases. The result: exercise truly adds to your energy output rather than being metabolically “offset.”
MIT study shows high-fat diets give liver cancer a dangerous head start
A high-fat diet does more than overload the liver with fat. New research from MIT shows that prolonged exposure to fatty foods can push liver cells into a survival mode that quietly raises the risk of cancer. Faced with ongoing metabolic stress, these cells abandon their normal roles and revert to a more primitive state that helps them endure harsh conditions. Over time, that shift leaves the liver less functional and far more vulnerable to tumor formation, helping explain why fatty liver disease so often precedes liver cancer.
'Putting the servers in orbit is a stupid idea': Could data centers in space help avoid an AI energy crisis? Experts are torn.
Google’s proposal to explore space-based AI infrastructure raises fundamental questions about energy, physics and feasibility – and whether Earth has really run out of options.
Business Bulletin: Grizzell earns; STLMGAC raises; Casa Boutique opens; Clinton Manor ranks
Catch up on local business awards, donations, and recognition.
Barstool Sports founder raises nearly $500K for family of Del. trooper killed in DMV shooting
Cpl. Matthew “Ty” Snook is credited with protecting civilians during the deadly attack; he leaves behind his wife and 1-year-old daughter
Opinion: Slow walking compliance with PFAS regulations delays protection of public health
Study reveals that PFAS exposure in New Hampshire may lead to increased infant deaths. The EPA's proposed weakening of drinking water standards raises concerns.
Popular painkiller offers little relief, raises serious health risks, study finds
A widely prescribed opioid painkiller showed limited effectiveness and increased risk of negative effects in a new analysis published in BMJ Evidence-Based Medicine.
6 charts to show your family when they ask why you don't have a new job
From the highest unemployment in years to job switchers seeing more modest raises than years past, charts show how the job market fared in 2025.
New flu variant hits SoCal, raises concerns among public health experts
Holiday travel is in full swing and flu cases are ramping up. Some experts are worried about a new flu variant making its way to Southern California.
The disunity of science is a feature, not a bug
Mathematical models wield miraculous power, but mistaking them for reality has trapped science in a destructive quest for a “Theory of Everything.” Physicist and philosopher Ragner Fjelland argues that this leads to bloated, Frankenstein theories kept alive by clumsy, ad-hoc amendments, which reduce rather than boost science’s power. Fjelland calls for a radical shift in our attitude: we must reorientate towards creating entirely new theories, celebrating rather than lamenting disunity and diversity in science. Science, from the scientific revolution in the seventeenth century to the present day, has more or less developed in a “reductionist” way. The fundamental assumption is that all sciences may be ordered in a hierarchy that can be represented as an upside-down pyramid. At the top we find the human sciences, and at the bottom physics. Strong (or “ontological”) reductionism maintains that all theories at one level can be completely reduced to the lower level, all the way down to theories of atoms and elementary particles, or whatever is “at the bottom.” In the end, all diversity in the world can be unified in one fundamental theory. Hence it is called a final theory, or a Theory of Everything.One of the central figures in developing the idea of a Theory of Everything is the Dutch theoretical physicist Gerard 't Hooft, who received a Nobel Prize in physics in 1999 for his work. He emphasizes the non-empirical status of the theory:There exists no closely resembling alternative theory. This means that any slight change brought about in the rules would make the theory unlikely or inelegant. The theory will be a "package deal": take it, or leave it. This should hold both for the local laws and for the boundary conditions.This endeavor is not new. On the contrary, it goes all the way back to the birth of Western philosophy 2,500 years ago. The Babylonians made regular astronomical observations during a period of 600 years, from 747 BCE until 150 ACE. They developed mathematical techniques to predict astronomical phenomena, but they made no attempts at explaining them. However, the Greeks developed models, both material and theoretical, to explain the observed phenomena.The best example is Plato’s late dialogue Timaeus. Here he introduces a divine craftsman, the Demiurge, who has constructed the universe according to an original plan. Plato seems to have thought that the original plan is what is actually real, while the material world is merely an imperfect realization of it. He therefore does not, in the Timaeus, reconstruct the material universe, but the original plan, which can then be used to explain the material universe.Plato’s aim in producing a theoretical model is to reconstruct the original plan. That is what he carries out in Timaeus—and some modern physicists have embarked on the same project. For example, Einstein’s basic attitude is reflected in the title of Abraham Pais’ biography: “Subtle is the Lord...,” echoing Einstein’s comment, “Subtle is the Lord, but malicious He is not.” In an interview Einstein compared our situation to a child who enters a huge library. The child knows that someone has written the books, but he does not know the languages in which they are written. He suspects that there is a mysterious order, but he does not know what it is.___“We have all been working in what Husserl called the Galilean style; that is, we have all been making abstract mathematical models of the universe to which at least the physicists give a higher degree of reality than they accord the ordinary world of sensation.”Steven Weinberg, Nobel Prize in Physics (1979)___This Platonist view is contrary to a widespread impression of science, symbolized by the picture of the “father” of modern science, Galileo Galilei, with his telescope. According to this impression, Galileo liberated himself from the dominating metaphysics of his day—basically Aristotelian philosophy—and constructed a telescope that he directed towards the sky, showing that Jupiter has four moons. He also performed experiments with bronze balls rolling down inclined planes and found the law of freely falling bodies.However, in other cases Galileo emphasized the unreliability of our senses. It is easy to see why. He defended Copernicus’ heliocentric hypothesis. According to this hypothesis, we are not at rest at the center of the universe, but moving at a tremendous speed through space. Why don’t we observe this motion? Galileo praises Copernicus because “with reason as his guide he resolutely continued to affirm what sensible experience seemed to contradict.” In other places he directly refers to Plato. SUGGESTED VIEWING The quest for a final theory With Michio Kaku Galileo’s Platonism goes back to his early writings. In The Assayer, published as early as 1623, Galileo compared the universe to a grand book that is written in the language of mathematics, and “its characters are triangles, circles, and other geometric figures without which it is humanly impossible to understand a single word of it.” Therefore, things that cannot be described by mathematics—for example, colors, smells and odors—are not real. They are merely subjective.This division into subjective and objective, advocated by Galileo and his younger contemporary René Descartes, is normally associated with a mechanistic world view, which is regarded as the opposite of Platonism. When we reduce something to, for example, molecules and atoms, we move “downwards.” In contrast, the Platonist moves “upwards,” to abstract entities. However, it only shows that when we address fundamental questions, we should be careful in applying everyday spatial metaphors like “up” and “down.”___Nature is complex, and we cannot in general construct mathematical models that adequately describe the world.___The endeavor of finding a Theory of Everything has been heavily criticized. In 2006, the theoretical physicist Lee Smolin published “The Crisis in Fundamental Physics.” He argued that one of the most fundamental principles of science is that we should only regard theories as scientific if we have the possibility to show that they are false by experiments. Although he did not refer to Karl Popper, other critics have referred to Popper and argued that a theory is not scientific if it cannot be falsified (see for example Ellis & Silk 2014).These were not the first physicists to be anti-reductionists. In 1972, the journal Science published an article by the physicist Philip Anderson with the title “More Is Different.” This is the kind of article a scientist would normally write only after he has won a Nobel Prize. However, Anderson won the Nobel Prize for physics five years later, in 1977. The article is amazing, not primarily because it argues in favor of anti-reductionism in general, but because it argues for anti-reductionism within physics itself. Anderson’s conclusion was:At each stage entirely new laws, concepts, and generalizations are necessary, requiring inspiration and creativity to just as great a degree as in the previous one. Psychology is not applied biology, nor is biology applied chemistry.We may say that Plato started the “unity of science movement,” based on Euclidean geometry as the model of all knowledge. A distinguishing mark of geometry is that all possible constructions can be reduced to a few fundamental principles. We have to acknowledge that this approach has limitations. In general, we can easily model technological systems. In addition, we may construct simplified and idealized models that capture important aspects of systems, from various perspectives and for various purposes. But nature is complex, and we cannot in general construct mathematical models that adequately describe the world. In a complex system, each level has its distinct, emergent, properties that are characteristic of this level. Therefore, a complex system should be investigated at different levels and from different perspectives. Instead of exclusively pursuing a scientific ideal based on the unity of science, we should acknowledge the diversity—or even the disunity—of science.