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Palm Beach boat show fuels local businesses
The Palm Beach International Boat Show in West Palm Beach is drawing tens of thousands of visitors, significantly benefiting local businesses and generating over $1 billion in economic impact.
NTT Data CEO on managing business in the Middle East amid on-going conflict
Abhijit Dubey CEO of NTT Data says rising energy prices so far have had little impact on their data center businesses due to the long-term contracts and their ability to pass on costs to customers.
How Iran war impacts support for Trump and US Republicans
A majority of Americans — and even some top MAGA figures — disapprove of the US war against Iran. DW asked Republican voters at the CPAC conference for their thoughts on the conflict and the gasoline crisis it has sparked.
Bringing SaaS to a wellness business
Wellhub CFO Bruno Annicq joined the company for the chance to make a big impact.
“Night and day”: Adventuring through childhood with newfound immune systems
This article discusses the significant impact of an accelerated FDA-approved gene therapy on children with severe leukocyte adhesion deficiency-I. Families share how their lives have transformed from chronic hospital visits to thriving, healthy lifestyles following the treatment at UCLA.
Trump to pitch new relief for farmers battered by tariffs, Iran war
Trump is looking to bolster support for the agriculture industry at a time when farmers are struggling with the impact of tariffs and the Iran war.
How to improve mental health safety on social media – not just for young people
With social media companies losing or settling court cases about their products' impact on young peoples' mental health, experts offer tips for reducing impacts for those who use the platforms.
United Healthcare, ECU Health pause contract talks as price dispute puts coverage in focus
Discussions around healthcare could impact people across Eastern North Carolina,United Healthcare and ECU Health have paused negotiations on a new contract and
Marina and bar owner remains hopeful after Key Bridge collapse impacted business
It was two years ago that the Key Bridge collapsed in seconds after being slammed into by the Dali cargo ship.It was one of those moments those in Maryland reme
Fayetteville businesses brace for impact as Fort Bragg deployments loom
When soldiers deploy, small businesses often feel the strain.
More concussions equal worse brain health 5 years after college sports
New concussion study deviates from the norm; most research in this space examines people in their 50s or 60s — decades after sport participation. Instead, this U-M study looks at college athletes in their 20s, and researchers already see the impact of concussion, which enables early intervention.
The Celsius Stock Selloff Shows How Costco Can Impact Any Business
Investors are digesting news that Costco has launched its own energy drink line.
Sperm get lost in space, Australian research into microgravity impacts suggests
Study into how fertilisation could work in space finds sperm may get disorientated when trying to find an egg
Health influencers talk social media and mental health
In this week's STATus Report, influential health communicators Jessica Knurick, Morgan “Dr. Noc” McSweeney, and Jessica Malaty Rivera chat about the mental health impacts of social media.
Businesses around Climate Pledge Arena abuzz with news of potential SuperSonics return
Local restaurants and bars near Climate Pledge Arena are feeling real excitement as the news of the NBA Board of Governors approved a vote to explore expansion
New Dems Hear from Small Businesses on the Harmful Impacts of Tariffs
The Official Site For The New Democrat Coalition
Authentically Engaged
Public health builds trust through everyday conversations. When people feel seen, it becomes personal — and connection turns into lasting impact.
Campaign hopes to boost business at Marshall restaurants impacted by water outage
A shop local campaign aims to help Marshall restaurants that were forced to shut down during the recent water main break and boil water notice. The city of Marshall, Marshall […]
State of Tennessee Honors Gospel Artist T-RAN as Ambassador of Music & Entertainment
Nashville, TN — Gospel recording artist, producer, and creative visionary Terran “T-RAN” Gilbert has been officially honored with a state resolution from the Tennessee House of Representatives, recognizing his outstanding contributions to music, culture, and community impact. As part of this distinction, he has been formally recognized as an Ambassador of the Music and Entertainment
All-League Greyhounds in winter sports named | Healdsburg Tribune | Local News Healdsburg, California
“What’s impactful about these selections is that they are decided on by all of the peer head coaches in the girls league. Each girl is talked about; some advocated for stat by stat, others in a speech-like cadence. These girls selected are getting head nods from all these other coaches. It’s a special recognition.”
San Diego scientists discover gene in plants that could slow drought impacts
Research from San Diego's The Salk Institute for Biological Studies could soon protect crops from drought all around the world. A recently published study says drought directly impacts the rate at which plants age.
The global burden of hypertension preventable by urban greenness
Nature Health - A scenario-based health impact framework and meta-analysis of exposure-responses estimates that 11.7% of global hypertension is preventable through increasing urban greenness.
Denver’s forgotten trailblazers: The Colorado Xplosion’s lasting impact on women’s sports
The first professional women’s sports team in the Mile High City, the Colorado Xplosion, was short-lived but not forgotten.
2025-26 Sweet 16 Betting Report: Swing in Futures Liability Impacting Books
The books no longer need who they thought they needed when the Tournament began. Patrick Everson has the scoop.
Fortnite developers say there will be a huge impact on development "for the rest of the year and likely beyond" following mass layoffs
Fortnite developers are still in shock following over 1,000 colleagues being laid off by Epic Games, and the game's immediate future might look dark.
States Brace for a Potential Supreme Court Ban on Late-Arriving Ballots
The court’s conservatives appear skeptical of laws allowing mail ballots to arrive after Election Day. A decision could come as late as June, potentially scrambling midterm elections.
AHA launches custom innovation summits, revamped reducing disparities in health outcomes webpage
The AHA is now offering custom innovation summits — proven, high-impact workshops designed to convene health care leaders and co-design solutions for organizations committed to reducing health disparities.
Jaguars President Mark Lamping on Impact of New Business Headquarters in Downtown Jacksonville
Jaguars President Mark Lamping meets with the media following the grand opening of One Tower Court: The Jaguars' new business headquarters.
Sports events in Cleveland expected to generate over $95M in economic impact
The lineup includes 20 major sporting events, which include youth, collegiate and professional levels.
Who's a rising star in Capital Region health care?
Every seasoned health care leader started somewhere. The question is: Who in the Capital Region is just getting started, and already making an impact? That’s the focus of the Emerging Health Care Leader category in Business Report‘s inaugural Excellence in Health Care Awards. This recognition is for the early-career professionals who aren’t waiting their turn—the […]
Vandalia Health restructuring, eliminating north/south regions; Goldberg out
Changes come with President and CEO David Ramsey set to retire and anticipated impact from Medicaid changes.
This Week in Politics: Developments in the U.S. and Iran War
The U.S. war with Iran rages on and continues to draw mounting public opposition and to induce harsh economic impacts. The conflict has prompted substantial blowback for the Trump administration. A recent poll from Quinnipiac University found that a majority (53%) of U.S. voters disapproved of U.S. military action against Iran, with a larger percentage...
From idea to publication: How RISE Ambassadors are impacting science education
When Sara Brownell began the RISE Ambassadors program three years ago as part of her Charter Professorship, she hoped to make a positive impact on STEM learning environments by empowering undergraduate students to have greater agency in both the research conducted and its translation into meaningful change.
Inside the impact of NIL and revenue sharing on college hockey
Can competitive balance survive in the sport with the widest variety of athletic programs?
UM Health-Sparrow honored for organ, tissue donation impact
University of Michigan Health-Sparrow will receive an award Wednesday for its efforts in giving patients a second chance at life through organ and tissue donation.
WNBA's labor deal is a structural shift for women's sports
America's top women's basketball league just agreed to a new CBA. It will have a significant impact on women's sport.
Rising gas prices impact local businesses
As the nation continues to see rising fuel prices, businesses are feeling the impact.
Hawaii launches emergency relief program for farmers, businesses
The Hawaii Department of Agriculture and Biosecurity today opened up applications for an emergency farm relief program for those impacted by the recent Kona low storms.
MLB Opening Day 2026: Top 50 people who will impact the MLB season, starting with Nos. 50-26
New Mexico jury finds Meta violated consumer protection law at trial about child safety
A New Mexico jury found Tuesday that social media conglomerate Meta is harmful to children's mental health and in violation of state consumer protection law. Jurors sided with state prosecutors who argued that Meta — which owns Instagram, Facebook and WhatsApp — prioritized profits over safety. The jury determined Meta violated parts of the state’s Unfair Practices Act on accusations the company hid what it knew about about the dangers of child sexual exploitation on its platforms and impacts on child mental health.
Board Approves Horvath Motion to Evaluate Warner Bros Acquisition and Protect LA Entertainment Jobs - Supervisor Lindsey P. Horvath
Today, the Board approved a motion to analyze the potential economic impacts of the proposed Paramount-Warner Bros. merger and advance efforts to protect the region’s entertainment workforce.
How easing regulations on heavy metals air pollution could impact health | Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health
A recent repeal of federal environmental regulations aimed at limiting the emission of mercury and other heavy metals from power plants could have serious health impacts, according to Harvard Chan School experts.
Ford recalls more than 254,000 SUVs due to software issues
Ford is recalling more than 254,000 SUVs in the U.S. after a software defect was found to impact rearview cameras and key driver-assistance safety systems.
G7 Entertainment Marketing Launches Wild by G7 to Help Destinations Turn Culture Into Travel Demand
New Venture Responds to Surging Demand for Experience-Driven Travel by Helping Destinations Create Cultural Moments that Drive Visitation, Economic Impact, and Brand Loyalty Wild by G7 is producing the Rendezvous Music Festival The Head and the Heart band performed at a past Rendezvous Music Festival in Jackson, Wyoming Wild by G7 Sizzle NASHVILLE, Tenn. and JACKSON, Wyo., March 24, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- G7 Entertainment Marketing, the experiential and talent booking agency behind campaigns f
Scientists Must Speak Clearly, Especially in Court: Five Tips for Clear Communication
As climate impacts intensify, so does the legal push to hold polluters accountable, protect vulnerable communities, and enforce environmental laws. And in these legal cases, science is key. Because science can’t present itself on the stand, scientists are essential to give scientific results a voice
WashU Expert: Sports betting is ‘all around us, all the time’
Sports betting is “all around us, all the time,” says Washington Universisty in St. Louis’ Noah Cohan, who studies sports and fan cultures. In this Q&A, Cohan discusses the rise of online gambling, the formative impact of fantasy sports and how structural changes are reshaping the fan experience.
Notre Dame, NBC Sports panel reflects on 20 years of ‘What Would You Fight For?’ storytelling
On Thursday (March 19), the University of Notre Dame hosted an event celebrating 20 years of storytelling through the “What Would You Fight For?” (WWYFF) campaign. Part of the 2025-26 Notre Dame Forum, the panel discussion brought together leaders from the University and NBC Sports to reflect on the impact and evolution of this storytelling platform.
4 Pitt people were named Pittsburgh Business Times 2026 Women of Influence
The awards recognize the region’s businesswomen, including one Pitt dean and three alumnae, who make impactful change by leading organizations.
Segment: Financing Action on Extreme Heat and Maternal and Newborn Health: The Way Forward
The segment “Financing Action on Extreme Heat and Maternal and Newborn Health: The Way Forward” will examine how innovative and better-aligned financing approaches can respond to these growing risks. Discussions will highlight country experiences in mobilizing domestic resources, opportunities to unlock and scale climate finance, and the role of heat-smart innovations in building resilient health systems. Particular attention will be given to low- and middle-income countries, where exposure and vulnerability remain highest, and where integrated solutions can deliver the greatest impact.
Dual-threat Dixon makes an impact beyond his own sport
Few athletes embody their sport and community like senior track and field athlete Ashriel Dixon.
How LuGus Studios Turned a Viral Prototype Into a Successful Business
LuGus Studios discusses building Liftoff, growing a niche drone sim audience, and sustaining a 15-year indie studio through community-driven development, iterative workflows, and a focus on impact over scale.
Senior Playgrounds Are the Latest Healthy Aging Trend With Real Benefits
They're full of low-impact equipment for seniors to get their bodies moving and keep their minds active.
NRG CEO: Too early to change business models from impacts of war in Iran
Larry Coben, NRG CEO, joins 'The Exchange' to discuss managing NRG amid the energy landscape, pullbacks in energy use and much more.
Borussia Dortmund names second-division exec as sporting director
Borussia Dortmund has dipped into the German second division to appoint a new sporting director who won praise for making impactful transfers on a budget.
Inaugural Health Care by Food research award honors excellence in food is medicine science
DALLAS, March 23, 2026 — At a time when American dietary patterns are facing renewed attention, the American Heart Association has announced its inaugural Health Care by Food™ Most Impactful Food Is Medicine Research Award, honoring the year’s most...
Inaugural Health Care by Food research award honors excellence in food is medicine science
DALLAS, March 23, 2026 — At a time when American dietary patterns are facing renewed attention, the American Heart Association has announced its inaugural Health Care by Food™ Most Impactful Food Is Medicine Research Award, honoring the year’s most...
Data centers under scrutiny by California lawmakers as fears rise about health and energy impacts
Due to health and energy concerns, the California Legislature is considering bills to prohibit data centers from being exempted from the state's stringent environmental law and impose new tariffs on new major energy users that strain power supplies.
Devin Booker gets 100% on Suns’ playoff seeding chase
Devin Booker knows where the Suns sit amid their previous five-game skid and how it impacts the playoff seeding chase.
Pokémon GO Memories in Motion Season GO Battle League Update
Learn about Pokémon GO updates that will impact the latest Season.
The war in Iran's impact on gas prices in Texas
NBC 5’s Phil Prazan tells us about the continued Texas impacts of the war in Iran as shockwaves are sent through the oil industry.
Politics, protests and popular culture: The University of Minnesota community responds to ICE impact through memes and music
Outside Coffman Union on March 3, The University of Minnesota’s Students for a Democratic Society protested Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s presence in Minnesota and on campus, despite reports that Operation...
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.
United Airlines Just Issued a Playbook for Any Business Staggered by Skyrocketing Costs
In a letter to employees, CEO Scott Kirby delivered a master class on boosting morale as he deals with the impact of surging jet fuel prices.
Immigration crackdown impact on local Latino-owned businesses
Latino business owners told WRAL News that fear and uncertainty following a nationwide crackdown in immigration enforcement are keeping some families out of public spaces, leaving small businesses struggling to survive. This story was written by Oriana Torre, a senior graduating journalism student at the University of Florida, participating in the CBC-UNC News Media Multiplatform Fellowship.
It’s time to take politics out of the Small Business Administration
The White House’s politicization of the agency will have a real-world impact on small business owners in the US
It’s time to take politics out of the Small Business Administration
The White House’s politicization of the agency will have a real-world impact on small business owners in the US
The Antidote to Our Growing Crises Must Transcend Politics
Each day, the challenges in our nation pile up. In just recent weeks, there has been the ongoing war in Iran and the Middle East, and ongoing debates about the growing negative impact of the Internet, looming AI challenges, and the Epstein files. The anticipation of divisive, even ugly, midterm elec...
Gov. Stein announces $8.5 million for WNC small business recovery after Helene
The funding will assist 13 projects through the North Carolina Department of Commerce’s Small Business Infrastructure Grant Program, continuing the state’s response to the impacts of Hurricane Helene.
Health insurance jargon can be frustrating and confusing – here’s how to navigate it
What plan you pick has a huge impact on what you will end up paying.
Health system operating in full emergency mode following Iranian missile impacts in south
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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'); });
[VIDEO] Lucy Wang Featured in Business Interview TV Series
Watch a new Business Insurance interview with Lucy Wang, discussing how California's historic insurance regulatory reform has impacted the state's insurance market and rates in response to increasing wildfire exposure.
Unknown Worlds co-founders' lawyers accuse Krafton of "intentionally leaking" Subnautica 2 release date
"Krafton self-servingly announced the launch without any regard to its impact on the game, the team, or the community," say lawyers
Aditya Kaddu
My goal is that my career path always enables me to create real, positive impact on others.
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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.
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Forum on harnessing Artificial Intelligence for health equity
Register to this forumOver the past decade, artificial intelligence (AI) has significantly evolved in complexity, performance, and utility. Its integration across a wide range of industrial sectors has accelerated, with healthcare emerging as one of the most transformative sectors. In this sector, AI has enabled high-impact applications – from enhancing the speed and accuracy of disease diagnosis and supporting clinical decision-making, to strengthening public health initiatives such as disease surveillance and workforce optimization. Moreover, AI holds immense potential to empower individuals, enabling them to take greater control of their personal health and well-being. Yet the central question remains: Who benefits, who is at risk, and do these innovations close or widen health inequities? While the potential of AI-enabled applications is substantial, many countries have approached their adoption with caution. This hesitancy stems from concerns about risks and benefits, including model bias, data breaches, privacy violations, and the erosion of professional skills due to over-reliance on AI. Additional barriers include inadequate data infrastructure and a lack of robust evidence on the most effective forms and interfaces of AI to enhance service delivery and system performance. Moreover, the rapid rise of Generative AI has introduced a heightened urgency for the development of comprehensive governance and ethical frameworks. The Asian Development Bank (ADB) Health Practice Team and Digital Sector, in collaboration with the World Health Organization (WHO) Regional Office for the Western Pacific, are convening the Forum on Harnessing AI for Health Equity on 25–26 March at ADB Headquarters. Senior health officials from 16 developing member countries (DMCs), alongside leading researchers, innovators, and policymakers from across Asia and the Pacific, will engage in discussions on how AI can be governed, financed, and scaled to deliver healthier lives for all. The forum is funded through the High-Level Technology Fund with support from the Government of Japan. Objectives The two-day forum aims to:Identify high-impact, evidence-based health AI use cases suitable for resource-constrained settings and map out a pipeline for potential supportIntroduce and validate the WHO's policy guidance on minimum necessary ecosystem for countries and institutions to self-assess readiness for AI adoptionObtain initial commitment from participating stakeholders to join a pilot regional initiative focused on data/model sharing for a priority health challengeEndorse a prioritized set of actionable policy recommendations focusing on governance, regulation, and sustainable financing necessary to scale high-impact health AI use cases in resource-constrained settings Target participants The forum will convene participants from 16 ADB DMCs including Bangladesh, Bhutan, Cambodia, Cook Islands, Fiji, Indonesia, Lao People's Democratic Republic, Mongolia, Nepal, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Philippines, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Uzbekistan, and Viet Nam. In addition, health system leaders and practitioners, private sector technologists, academic experts, representatives from civil society organizations, development partners, and philanthropic institutions engaged in AI for Health from Australia, the People’s Republic of China, Japan, Malaysia, New Zealand, Singapore, and the Republic of Korea will also be invited. SessionsDay 1 (25 March)Session 1: AI Use Cases for the Care Continuum: Improving Access and QualitySession 2: Adopting a risk-based approach for AI use case prioritizationSession 3: Establishing the Minimum Ecosystem for Implementation Risk ManagementSession 4: Future-Ready Health Workforce: Building Competency for Human-AI CollaborationDay 2 (26 March)Session 5: The Political Economy of AI in Health: Understanding Stakeholder Interests and their Impact on EquitySession 6: AI and Health Financing: Supporting Fair Coverage and ProtectionSession 7: AI Regulation and Oversight: Pathways for Different RealitiesSession 8: The Way Forward – Building Alliances and Regional Partnership How to registerThe forum will be held in a hybrid format. In-person attendance is by invitation only, while livestreaming of the forum will be available to the public. To register, please complete this form on or before 24 March 2026.Event organizers / partnersAsian Development Bank (ADB)WHO Regional Office for the Western Pacific High-Level Technology Fund (HLTF)ContactAkihito WatabeHealth Specialist, SD3-HSDawatabe@adb.org Jae Kyoun KimHealth Specialist, SD3-HSDjkkim@adb.org
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