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Takeaways from arguments in the Supreme Court case that could end grace periods for mail-in ballots
The Supreme Court’s conservative majority appeared dubious of state laws that allow the counting of mail ballots that arrive at election offices after Election Day as justices heard oral arguments in a challenge to Mississippi’s five-day grace period for mail ballots.
Bill introduced seeks to ban sports bets on prediction markets
A bipartisan Senate bill introduced Monday seeks to ban prediction markets from allowing transactions that mimic sports betting.
SCOTUS conservatives signal readiness to curb late-arriving mail ballots
Conservative Supreme Court justices appeared skeptical during oral arguments of allowing states to continue counting late-arriving mail-in ballots. A decision is expected in June.
Chelan Co. Sheriff’s Office secures nearly $55k in funding for behavioral health unit
The Chelan County Sheriff’s Office has secured nearly $55,000 in outside grant funding to support and expand its behavioral health crisis response program, allowing the agency to add training, equipment and other resources without using county funds.
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.
Square Enix announces it will integrate Google’s generative AI Gemini into popular online game Dragon Quest X
Square Enix has found a use for Google’s generative AI Gemini and will be putting it to use in the popular online game, Dragon Quest X. Gemini will be used in-game as a feature that allows players to…
Inflatable homes on the Moon? Scientists reveal how humans could live there sooner than expected - Futura-Sciences
How could humans live on the Moon? Although the Artemis program has taken a more cautious approach following recent delays, the goal remains the same: send astronauts back to the lunar surface. Doing so will require systems that allow crews to stay there for several days, or even several weeks....
Arizona softball walks off ASU to even series
Arizona softball earned a walk-off win over ASU Saturday night, though not the kind the Wildcats may have been expecting through the first part of the game. Arizona jumped out to an 8-0 lead, then allowed the Sun Devils to claw all the way back before Regan Shockey delivered a walk-off single in the seventh […]
Illinois State, Wake Forest battle for NIT quarterfinal spot
Another prolific scoring performance by Juke Harris allowed Wake Forest to keep its season alive and the best game of Landon Wolf's career enabled Illinois State to continue playing.
Apple TV Is Now Almost 20 Years Old
The Apple TV is now almost two decades old amid rumors of the announcement of a new model. Today marks 19 years Apple launched the original Apple TV. Apple CEO Steve Jobs unveiled the Apple TV at Macworld Expo in January 2007 alongside the original iPhone, but it didn't launch until March. The Apple TV was initially previewed as the "iTV". The device allowed users to wirelessly stream movies, TV shows, music, and photos from their Mac or PC directly to their TV.
Downtown Chico business owner voices concerns over street closures for events
A DOWNTOWN CHICO MERCHANT IS EXPRESSING CONCERN OVER THE IMPACT OF STREET CLOSURES FOR EVENTS -- ON THEIR BUSINESS. ACTION NEWS NOW REPORTER BELLA BARBOSA REPORTS FROM DOWNTOWN CHICO { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@type": "VideoObject", "name": "Downtown Road Closure Dilemma", "description": "A DOWNTOWN CHICO MERCHANT IS EXPRESSING CONCERN OVER THE IMPACT OF STREET CLOSURES FOR EVENTS -- ON THEIR BUSINESS. ACTION NEWS NOW REPORTER BELLA BARBOSA REPORTS FROM DOWNTOWN CHICO", "thumbnailUrl": "https://bloximages.newyork1.vip.townnews.com/actionnewsnow.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/c/47/c47e26d6-03c3-5f35-bf49-37925ab603d7/69bdedc4eb57d.image.jpg", "uploadDate": "2026-03-20T17:45:00-07:00", "contentUrl": "https://cdn.field59.com/KHSL/1774053903-6e1ef36dd09fbebf020833aee86b60da3b3cca3f_fl9-720p.mp4" } CHICO, Calif. - A downtown Chico business owner is voicing concerns about the impact of street closures for events on local shops. Leann Powell, owner of The Peddler’s Closet, expressed concern about events closing down streets downtown and bringing in food trucks and other shops’ products that directly compete with the brick-and-mortar stores in downtown Chico.Powell said an upcoming event held on a Saturday has brought up concerns for her and other business owners downtown, due to it being a busy day for businesses. "We're already struggling, and then to bring in more businesses on top of our businesses and shut our streets down is absolutely devastating," said Powell.Powell noted a decline in business during events like the Thursday Night Market, where street closures allow outside vendors to set up shop. She shared that while organizers for these types of events often offer booths to local businesses, it does not alleviate the burden."I don't really feel like that's a solution because you're bringing in other businesses, you're shutting the streets down. Yes, we can go down and set up a space, but then you've gotta pay somebody to run that space, plus run your own business for the day, and it's really not, it's really not helpful for us," said Powell.Applying for a street closure permit in Chico involves approval from the Public Works Department, the Chief of Police, and the Fire Chief. Permits can be denied only under a handful of circumstances, such as interference with first responders, previously scheduled construction, or existing permits for the same space.Mayor Kasey Reynolds addressed the issue, saying the city council has tasked staff with reviewing the municipal code for street closure permits with the goal of finding ways to minimize negative impacts on local businesses during events.Reynolds mentioned that any recommended changes might require further direction from the city council, depending on the extent of any changes recommended. googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.display('ad-1514992'); });
WXYZ-TV sports anchor Brad Galli to leave the station
Galli posted on Facebook that he is excited about a new opportunity that he didn't name. He said it will allow him to be home more with his family.
David Botstein, Gene-Mapping Pioneer, Dies at 83
His method of locating genes in human DNA allowed researchers to find disease-causing genes, and later to map the entire, sprawling human genome.
The R.I.-based pharmacy giant also owns health insurer Aetna and pharmacy benefit manager Caremark, allowing it to control how medications are priced, prescribed, and dispensed
CVS owns health insurer Aetna and pharmacy benefit manager Caremark, allowing it to control how medications are priced, prescribed, and dispensed.
Scott Galloway: Cost of his Big Tech protest, paternity leave comments
Scott Galloway wants you to quit Big Tech. First, he had to do his own audit.
How did these flowers evolve to survive a megadrought?
A multi-year megadrought in the Western U.S. has claimed untold populations of wild plants. Amid the conditions, some have survived. Scientists have produced a stunningly complete picture about how populations of one particular flower – the scarlet monkeyflower – made it through. In a new study published in the journal Science, a team of scientists spent decades studying and sampling select populations of scarlet monkeyflowers in California and Oregon. Through genetic sequencing, the team discovered that the populations that did best went through genetic changes in a short time period. This is known as rapid evolution. The team found that three of the populations that recovered the BEST adapted their stomata to open less, so they could conserve more water. Stomata act like a plant’s pores, managing gas exchange and water loss. This allowed the scarlet monkeyflowers to hunker down in the drought and survive. Interested in more stories about rapid evolution? 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.Listen to Short Wave on Spotify and Apple Podcasts.This episode was produced by Jeffrey Pierre, Rachel Carlson and Hannah Chinn. It was edited by Christopher Intagliata and Rebecca Ramirez. Aru Nair checked the facts. The audio engineers were Becky Brown and Robert Rodriguez.
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."
Oz Says California’s Not Fighting Health Care Fraud, but Data Shows It’s Part of a Larger Battle
Trump administration officials say the state allows rampant fraud and have promised to investigate, blaming the “Russian, Armenian mafia” in the hospice and home health care industry. But data shows hotbeds of health care fraud throughout the country, with California outperforming most other states in recovering fraud dollars.
Pikl Pioneers a New Category of Insurance-Enabled Business Models, Earning it 20% UK Short-Term Rental Market Share
Pikl, the company pioneering insurance-enabled business models that drive revenue whilst protecting against downside risk, today announced that it has achieved 20% market share in the UK short-term rental market – the first industry in which its insurance-enabled growth solutions have been delivered. The achievement comes just two years after Pikl launched its flagship flexible cancellation solution in 2024, which allows property management companies (PMCs) to offer guests the flexible booking o
Hurricanes Hold On, Overcome Penguins in Milestone-Filled Game
Wednesday night, the Logan Stankoven line was fire. They were also score. …Please allow me the Evgeni Malkin puns, I […]
Thai Leader Anutin Set to Extend Rule in Vote After Election Win
Thai Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul is poised to win lawmaker approval for a new term less than six weeks after elections, potentially bringing stability to the country’s often volatile political landscape and allowing him to manage the fallout from the war in the Middle East.
Ski For Life: Oregon adaptive sports program opens slopes to students with disabilities
An Oregon Adaptive Sports program allows young people with disabilities to participate in outdoors sports by providing them with adaptive equipment.
Entertainment Industry Foundation Launches EIF Studios for Social Impact-Focused Content
“EIF Studios will allow us to shepherd important stories from around the world to reach an audience that can make a real impact on the outcome,” said EIF president and CEO Nicole Sexton.
Entertainment Industry Foundation Launches EIF Studios
“EIF Studios will allow us to shepherd important stories from around the world to reach an audience that can make a real impact on the outcome,” said EIF president and CEO Nicole Sexton.
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.
Trump waives Jones Act for 60 days in bid to free up the flow of oil to US ports
President Donald Trump temporarily waived the century-old shipping law for 60 days, allowing foreign ships to carry oil and resources between U.S. ports.
EU Inc proposal seeks to rival US in innovation by easing startup creation
The European Commission proposed on Wednesday allowing firms to set up in as little as 48 hours and operate according to a single set of rules across the 27-nation EU in a bid to narrow the gap with the United States in innovative startups.
Wisconsin lawmakers approve measure to allow tribes to offer online sports betting
MADISON, Wis. (AP) — As sports fans wager billions of dollars on the NCAA basketball tournaments, Wisconsin lawmakers are taking a shot at an expanded sports betting plan that could ...
Wisconsin lawmakers take a shot at joining the ranks of states allowing online sports betting
MADISON, Wis. (AP) — As sports fans wager billions of dollars on the NCAA basketball tournaments, Wisconsin lawmakers are taking a shot at an expanded sports betting plan that could bank big bucks for…
Cuban American business owners in South Florida react to the island's announcement to allow foreign investment
Cuban Americans Will Be Allowed to Own Businesses in Cuba, but Is That Enough?
The Cuban government announced that Cubans living abroad can own and invest in businesses, but experts said they were disappointed that the measures didn’t go further.
Bipartisan Science of Reading Bill Passes House Committee
The legislation would prevent states from allowing what one member called ‘discredited approaches.’
Kalshi charged criminally in Arizona for operating illegal gambling business
Arizona's attorney general on Tuesday filed criminal charges against Kalshi, accusing the prediction markets platform of operating an illegal gambling business in the state and unlawfully allowing people to place bets on elections.
Google's Personal Intelligence feature is expanding to all US users
Personal Intelligence allows Google's AI assistant to tap into your Google ecosystem, such as Gmail and Google Photos, to provide more tailored responses.
PR firm solo operators use AI to support their strategic services
Boutique PR agency solopreneurs use AI to streamline tasks, allowing focus on client strategy and creative work.
We work in an ICU — and see firsthand how Trump’s health care cuts are endangering Americans’ lives
Senate Republicans have deliberately allowed health insurance protections to expire to reduce federal spending, exposing a fragile system built upon temporary fixes — and leading to a growing number of tragic outcomes.
Insider’s view: how China mobilises resources nationwide to develop new weapons
The country’s military modernisation integrates civilian scientific and industrial capabilities into defence innovation allowing rapid development.
US National Academy of Sciences awards four Spaniards for explaining how life escaped an evolutionary dead end
After research spanning more than 30 years, Jordi Bascompte, Bartolo Luque, Fernando Ballesteros, and Enrique Muro managed to explain the abrupt change in living beings that allowed the appearance of plants and animals, including humans
Scientists uncover the secret timing behind glowing fireflies
Researchers have discovered the mathematical pattern that allows thousands of synchronized fireflies light up the night.
Cuba will allow nationals living abroad to invest in and own businesses on the island, economic czar tells NBC News
“Cuba is open to having a fluid commercial relationship with U.S. companies" and "also with Cubans residing in the United States and their descendants," Deputy Prime Minister Oscar Pérez-Oliva Fraga said in an interview in Havana.
Business majors preparing for the future
The third annual Arizona Statewide Business School Case Competition (ASBSCC), coming to Northern Arizona University, provides students with the opportunity to apply their knowledge and test their soft skills—communication, leadership, adaptability, networking and collaboration—by placing them in realistic business scenarios that demand quick thinking and effective teamwork. This collaborative effort between Arizona State University, the University of Arizona and NAU allows students to work across institutional lines to…
Girls & Science 2nd Saturday
2nd Saturdays at CSU Spur are free and open to the public for lots of family-friendly programming, including cooking activities in the CSU Spur kitchen, opportunities to watch veterinarians perform surgery on dogs and cats, see horses assisting with human therapies, engage with scientists at work, and play in a kid's kitchen and kid's vet clinic - allowing kids to become a veterinarian for the day and fix up stuffed animals.
Cuban political activist says police not allowing her to leave home
Cuban activist Yoani Sánchez says a purported policeman dressed in civilian clothes is stopping her from leaving her home in Havana
Sen. Booker demands ‘accountability’ for the war in Iran
Democratic Senator Cory Booker tells CNN that both parties have allowed presidential power to grow unchecked, but says the war in Iran is unlike anything seen before and demands a congressional response.
Havana is expected to allow Cubans in Miami, elsewhere to own businesses on the island
The economic opening for Cuban exiles comes after president Donald Trump said he wanted Cuban Americans to be able to go back and helped rebuild the country, whose infrastructure is crumbling by a severe economic crisis.
Virginia Dems send sweeping gun ban to Spanberger as West Virginia weighs expanding machine-gun access
Virginia Democrats advance sweeping assault weapons ban while West Virginia Republicans propose allowing machine gun ownership, highlighting sharp divide.
Cloverdale weighs new downtown ‘entertainment zone’ that would allow open-air drinking
Cloverdale city leaders are considering a new proposal that would create a special entertainment zone that would allow for open-air drinking in part of its downtown district.
WA residents may soon be able to bet on UW, WSU, Gonzaga sports
Under the measure, bettors would be allowed to wager on the outcome of games or matches featuring schools from Washington.
New tech helps us hear these nature sounds beyond normal human range
New technology enables us to perceive sounds beyond human hearing range, allowing a new perspective on our place on the planet.
‘We want Mikie Sherrill to save our hospital.’ N.J. community’s final rallying cry for health care.
Mayor James Solomon said Jersey City will be left a health care desert if the ER is allowed to close Saturday as planned.
City says no more Old Joliet Haunted Prison, but entertainment company wants to return
The Old Joliet Haunted Prison run by Thirteenth Floor Entertainment since 2020 during the Halloween season will not return this year.
The Neighborhood Politics of a Massive Home Addition
As municipalities encourage more housing density, neighbors debate what kind of construction should be allowed.
Mamdani addresses residents in third 'Rental Ripoff' hearing
This was the first time New York City housing residents were allowed inside.
M5 Max’s Fusion Architecture Allows For Better Sustained Performance While Running 8 Degrees Celsius Cooler Than M4 Max; Still Gets Uncomfortably Hot
The Fusion Architecture allows the M5 Max to maintain better thermals than the M4 Max while delivering better performance, as shown in the latest comparison
Republicans Concede They Need a Pivot on Immigration Ahead of Midterms
In public comments and private meetings at a House G.O.P. retreat, top officials allowed that President Trump’s immigration crackdown had hurt the party and that they needed a course correction on the issue.
Report: Scott County Jail staff ignored inmate’s mental health crisis
Scott County Jail workers allowed a woman in mental distress to repeatedly bang her head against cell walls without intervening, a report alleges.
Samsung wants Galaxy S26 Ultra’s Privacy Display users to stay cautious
Samsung has released some of the important notes about the Galaxy S26 Ultra’s Privacy Display feature, which you should know before you buy this phone based on its intriguing promos and advertisements. The privacy display feature allows you to hide the on-screen content from other people while using the phone in public or crowded places. […]
India-China reset? Relaxed rules allow Beijing to invest in India after about six years of friction
The Indian cabinet has approved changes to its foreign direct investment policy, allowing investments from "Land Bordering Countries."
My stay in Switzerland’s oldest mountain inn – where winter sports aren’t allowed
Perched high above a frozen lake, Grimsel Hospiz in the Bernese Oberland offers an unusual winter escape, with gourmet food, a hot tub, star-filled skies and no distractions
Microsoft SQL Server Zero-Day Vulnerability Allows Attackers to Escalate Privileges
Microsoft has disclosed a critical zero-day vulnerability in SQL Server that allows authenticated attackers to escalate their privileges to the highest administrative level on affected database systems.
Asus releases new 14-inch gaming laptop in the US with AMD Strix Halo
Asus has finally started selling its first AMD Strix Halo gaming laptop in the US. Equipped with a 165 Hz display, the new laptop also features a 73 Wh battery with 100 W charging via USB Type-C. Unfortunately, Asus has decided against offering a 64 GB RAM variant in the US, which would have allowed the TUF Gaming A14 FA401EA to assign up to 48 GB VRAM to its Radeon 8060S iGPU.
ChatGPT can now create interactive visuals to help you understand math and science concepts
On Tuesday, OpenAI introduced dynamic visual explanations, a new ChatGPT feature that allows users to see how formulas, variables, and mathematical
Studio Display XDR White Paper Reveals New Color System and Future Calibration Feature
Apple's newly published Studio Display XDR Technology Overview white paper reveals two notable display technologies: a forthcoming Full Calibration feature and a new color measurement model called Apple CMF 2026. According to the document, a future macOS update will introduce Full Calibration, a feature that allows users to recalibrate key display characteristics using professional measurement equipment.
YouTube Adds Politicians and Journalists to Deepfake Detection Tool
The tool, previously only available to Hollywood stars and some top YouTube creators, will allow these high-profile users to flag deepfakes or other AI-generated content that features their likeness.
Mental health solutions for the digital age
Ask the digital natives of Gen Z about the source of their biggest mental health challenges, and most will say social media and AI.Several of the nearly 400 guests at the third annual Gen Z Wellness Summit, presented by the Friends of Semel Teen Advisory Council at UCLA on March 8, explicitly named the endless stream of content on their phones as serious stressors. “Everybody is addicted to (Tik Tok) as if they were addicted to substances,” said Jantin Asmar, 17, a senior at Virtual Academy in Antelope Valley. “We’re always chasing that dopamine. We’re expecting that dopamine rush and it’s really decaying our interactions with others.” High school student Jantin Asmar was among nearly 400 people who attended the third annual Gen Z Wellness Summit. (Photo by Sandy Cohen) Even young teens feel pressure to be on social media constantly, both to consume content and collect “likes,” said 13-year-olds Chloe and Sophia, both students at Brentwood School. “Everyone’s always on, and you miss stuff if you’re not on it,” Chloe said, adding that social media’s emphasis on appearances is leading to eating disorders: “That’s a big thing for our generation.”The incessant influx of images and updates creates expectations that “weigh teenagers down,” said Linda Kou, 16, a junior at San Gabriel High School.Even though digital spaces allow people to connect with others beyond their immediate surroundings, it doesn’t always translate to real-life community, said Kelah Morgan, 17, a senior at Animo South Los Angeles Charter High School. High school students Kelah Morgan, left, and Linda Kou, shared about the challenges presented by social media. (Photo by Sandy Cohen) “Even if you see people saying that they relate to you online, it might be hard to find people in your personal life who you see every day who you feel comfortable enough to say, ‘You see me online, but this is me in real life and what I’m actually going through,’” she said.Solutions for our digital timesThe Gen Z Wellness Summit was intentionally designed as a free, in-person gathering where young people interested in mental health from across the southland could meet in person. “Peer support is the most important element of maintaining our mental health in community,” said Helena Hansen, MD, PhD, director of UCLA’s Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior.Keynote speakers at the summit addressed AI, social connection and self-empowerment, while breakout sessions included discussions about eating disorders, dating, substance use, phone detox and breathwork. Here are some of the day’s top takeaways:Beware of FOPO: Scott Barry Kaufman, PhD, a psychology professor at Columbia University, said that rather than FOMO, or fear of missing out, we ought to be more aware of FOPO: fear of people’s opinions. “Just think about how much your FOPO might be holding you back in your life,” Dr. Kaufman said. “And just that inner contemplation should be enough for you to change your life, because there’s so many things we don’t go after because we have debilitating FOPO.”We don’t need to feel like we’re the best – or what he called “narcissistic self-esteem” – but it’s helpful to acknowledge our own worth, recognize our good qualities and develop self-belief in the skills and talents we’ve cultivated. When we have that – dignity and self-respect, without needing everyone to like us – FOPO is less of a concern.Self-reflection is most effective in community: “When we try to self-reflect alone, we sometimes ruminate,” said Ira Bedzow, PhD, executive director of the Emory University Purpose Project. “But when we self-reflect with people that we trust … (it) allows us to hold ourselves accountable to different ways of seeing and different ways of hearing and different ways of being.”Opening up about our experiences and listening to others are skills we can develop, Dr. Bedzow said.He invited students to participate in what he called a “fishbowl exercise,” where four students sat in a small circle, surrounded by a dozen or so students forming a larger circle. Those in the inner circle answered such questions as: “What stops you from being you today?” and “What helps you feel most like you?”Within minutes, the group in the small circle (the fishbowl), were sharing intimately about their life challenges as those in the outer circle nodded in understanding.After the exercise, one participant said, “I felt like I wasn’t alone, that it wasn’t just me who feels that way.”Another remarked on how “personal” it felt to share face-to-face with others, even strangers.Don’t let AI crush your creativity: Theoretical neuroscientist Vivienne Ming, PhD, has been studying artificial intelligence for more than 20 years. And while she said “it’s reasonable to be concerned” about the fast-growing technology, it can also help humans become better problem-solvers when used strategically.“The smartest thing on the planet today are humans and machines working together creatively,” Dr. Ming said. “What gets more valuable in humans as machines get smarter? Our ability to explore the unknown.“Your unique voice is literally your value to the world … but most of us for most of our lives have been taught to not be unique,” she continued. “Be your own person. Celebrate being different. It is genuinely, measurably, truly valuable.”In a breakout session called “Phone Detox? IYKYK: Living Your Story IRL” led by Don Grant, PhD, students shared their frustrations with AI compromising academic work, art and creativity.“Art is a translation of human experience,” one participant said. “When people use AI, they diminish their own human experience.”Dr. Grant urged them, as “the last generation to remember a world before AI,” to remember the power of imagination and creativity – and to act on it.Remember that social media distorts perceptions: Stuart B. Murray, PhD, PsyD, who directs the Eating Disorders Program and Translational Research in Eating Disorders Program at UCLA, asked the students in his breakout session to take a spontaneous selfie and edit it to conform with society’s beauty standards. All 20 girls in the room immediately got to work, thickening their hair, slimming their faces, plumping their lips.“The pressure to look like what we present on social media can be crippling,” Dr. Murray said. “We now know that social media use is part of a causal pathway into an eating disorder.”Adolescents and young adults are most at risk of developing an eating disorder, he said, with one in three students on college campuses exhibiting clinically meaningful eating-disorder symptoms. More than 4 million people in California will have an eating disorder in their lifetime.Even for those who don’t develop anorexia or bulimia, the ubiquity of modified images online distorts what we consider normal, making us feel worse about ourselves. Remembering that, he and other speakers said, might inspire us to log off occasionally and spend time in the real world with people who love us as we are.
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