SCROLL NEWS / DISCOVERY
Search headlines
Find the stories shaping the conversation.
Results for " less " 5,188 found 🔀 AI-powered Shuffle
Latest stats show stress and lack of physical activity are rising, putting heart health at risk
As people navigate higher levels of stress and spend more of their day sitting, finding time to move can feel challenging. Less than half of adults and fewer than one in five children in the U.S. get ...
STC HVACR student turns childhood lessons into vision for future business
Currently pursuing an associate degree in Heating, Ventilation, AC and Refrigeration (HVACR) at South Texas College, Cesar Bernal III said he was just 12 years old when he began watching his father turn determination and hard work into a small but thriving air-conditioning business in Weslaco.
I go to Florida often; favorite destination is quiet, lesser-known
I grew up visiting family in Fort Pierce, Florida, and I think of this beach city as a hidden gem. The beaches are relatively uncrowded and beautiful.
Ohio lawmaker proposes election board changes after Delaware County dispute
Dispute at the Delaware County Board of Elections prompted a state lawmaker to propose changes to how county election boards work.
How ‘Tiny Shortcuts’ Are Poisoning Science
Seemingly harmless data tweaks are undermining the integrity of the entire field. We must define the problem to prevent it.
In California, a Republican Sheriff Seizes Ballots, Prompting Concerns
Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco, a candidate for governor, recently took possession of more than 650,000 ballots as part of a fraud probe. Election officials say his investigation is baseless.
An end to the battle between touchscreens and long fingernails is on the horizon
Anybody who has tried to use a smartphone or tablet with long nails knows that there's a learning curve. Rather than effortlessly tapping with a fingertip, you must awkwardly lay the pads of your fingers ...
Small swings, high drama: why UK polls are less volatile than they seem
In what is beginning to look like a fragmented five-party system, small swings carry outsized political consequences
5 Laptops With Better Specs Than The MacBook Neo For The Same Price
The MacBook Neo starts at $600, but these five laptops deliver better RAM, storage, and larger screens for the same price or less.
Lessons from Binghamton led alumni award winner to public health
Clare Biging ’16 is an epidemiologist and public health advocate at the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene.
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.
Politics Now: March 22, 2026
This week on Politics Now with host John Langeler: Nevada is trying to lessen its reliance on fuel from California. We talk with the vice-chair of the committee tasked with determining how to do th…
‘Trump should keep his reckless mouth shut’: Jeffries responds to Trump calling Democrats America’s ‘greatest enemy’
Sebastian Kehl exits role as Borussia Dortmund sporting director
Borussia Dortmund sporting director Sebastian Kehl is leaving the team with immediate effect as the club undergoes a major shakeup after what will be a trophyless season.
'Completely lawless': Why this congresswoman wants Pam Bondi impeached
From the Epstein files to the integrity of prosecutions, Democratic Congresswoman Summer Lee says Attorney General Pam Bondi is damaging the DOJ.
Federal employee retired, works at TJ Maxx; feels happy, less stress
Karime Masson thought she'd keep working for the Social Security Administration until she was at least 62. But after a tough 2025, she retired early.
How “Feeling Over Facts” Reshaped American Politics—from Gingrich to Trump
There was a moment in the 2016 presidential campaign that, in retrospect, sounds less like campaign chatter than something a post-modern French philosopher might have slipped into American politics.
One All-in-One AI Platform, Endless Business Possibilities for Just $85
1min.AI combines writing, images, and video.
These are my favorite budget-friendly iPhone 17e accessories
Best budget accessories for iPhone 17e: cases, chargers, MagSafe gear, AirPods, and more to upgrade your setup for less.
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.
GOP, Dems battle over Trump's SAVE Act. But who will it really help?
The president says the election security bill 'will guarantee the midterms' for Republicans. Available data is far less clear cut. Here's why.
Laid Off in Midlife, China’s Reform Generation Braces for Downward Mobility
The future once seemed boundless for those who grew up during China’s reform era. Now in middle age, they are pinned between economic stagnation and institutional age discrimination.
Spurs look to extend winning streak while hosting hapless Pacers
The San Antonio Spurs carry a four-game winning streak as they continue their hunt for the top spot in the Western Conference while hosting the hapless Indiana Pacers on Saturday.
Microsoft Is Finally Ready to Make Windows 11 Less Terrible After Bloating It With AI Crap
Less Copilot, better search, and more taskbar customization are apparently in the pipeline.
The Best Early Amazon Big Spring Sale Apple Deals We've Found So Far
You can save $100 on the flagship Apple Watch Series 11, plus pick up an Apple MacBook Pro for $200 less, and that's even before Amazon's seasonal sale begins on March 25.
Learning by serving: Rose fellows reflect on lessons from the field | Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health
The Rose Service Learning Fellowship funds community-engaged field projects around the globe.
Belkin Charging Case Pro for Switch 2 review: A more elegant solution
The pro version of Belkin's Switch 2 charging case is a more sophisticated and versatile power solution. But it’s also more expensive, so unless you're comfortable shelling out an extra $30 for the same basic features, you're probably better off sticking with the non-pro option.
Reform UK suspends Scottish candidate less than a day after announcing him
Stuart Niven suspended after it emerged he had been struck off as a company director over financial allegations
Men are losing a key chromosome with age and it may be deadly
Aging men often lose the Y chromosome in a growing number of their cells—and it may be far more dangerous than once believed. This loss has been linked to heart disease, cancer, Alzheimer’s, and shorter lifespans. Researchers suspect Y-less cells may grow faster and disrupt normal body functions. What seemed like a minor genetic quirk could actually be a major driver of age-related disease.
Phillies News: Dylan Moore, J.T. Realmuto, New Concessions
The Phillies have a roster decision to make, Moore or less. Also, ice cream!
Lesson about lichens spurs kids' curiosity
A rainy day led a science club leader to teach third-graders about lichens, sparking curiosity and learning.
NYC health budget plan: More support for children, less for fighting disease
The $2.51 billion spending plan includes increases for early childhood initiatives and a new public health lab - but less funding to fight communicable diseases, sexually transmitted infections, and tuberculosis.
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.
David Lynch heaps praise on ‘absolutely brilliant’ Liverpool star
Liverpool 4-0 Galatasaray: Dominik Szoboszlai Leads Ruthless Charge into Champions League Quarter-FinalsLiverpool’s emphatic 4-0 win over Galatasaray at Anfield has reignited belief, and much of tha...
To chop spending, Ottawa will cut science, tourism, foreign aid programs
While 40 departments will collectively spend $23 billion more next year, another 85 departments will spend $31 billion less in 2026-27.
1,800-year-old nails discovered in 3 burials in Roman necropolis, possibly to 'protect' both the living and the dead
Archaeologists excavating in Rome's Ostiense necropolis found three skeletons with iron nails on their chests, hinting at a ritual to prevent restless spirits.
What Business Leaders Can Learn From A Symphony Orchestra
How Montreal Symphony Orchestra leaders balance artistic excellence and business strategy, offering lessons in leadership, innovation and audience growth.
Galaxy S26 Ultra 25W wireless fast charging won’t work unless you do this
Samsung has clarified that the Galaxy S26 Ultra 25W wireless charging only works if a 45W charger is used with the charging pad.
Norway’s Improving Business Outlook in Survey Dents Easing Bets
A key survey of Norway’s business sentiment signaled somewhat better prospects for the nation’s companies, suggesting less pressure on the central bank to consider any easing moves in the near term.
LeBron James’ path to NBA ownership ‘less likely’ as partners pass on expansion bid: Sources
LeBron James has repeatedly made it clear that he wants to own an NBA team in Las Vegas. That dream is looking more unlikely now.
Instagram worse for mental health than WhatsApp, global study finds
World Happiness Report finds platforms focused on connection less harmful than algorithm-driven apps
Ozempic Linked to Lower Risk of Plunging Mental Health in Study
Swedish people with depression and anxiety who took Novo Nordisk A/S’s blockbuster shots Ozempic and Wegovy were less likely to see their mental health get worse, the latest data to suggest that popular diabetes and obesity drugs could also have a broader impact on well-being.
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.
Nvidia is quietly building a multibillion-dollar behemoth to rival its chips business
Nvidia's networking business raked in $11 billion last quarter despite getting significantly less fanfare than chips and gaming.
WNBA CBA talks show execs still don't take women seriously. Do they like losing?
WNBA reaches new contract only after owners realized players knew their worth and weren't going to accept less.
Champions League scores: Live updates as Barcelona face Newcastle, Liverpool, Tottenham Hotspur in action
All six English teams entered this week after going winless in the first leg, with only Arsenal booking a spot in the quarterfinals so far
Google Search referrals to the web have plummeted, AI links are ‘less than 1%’ of traffic
New data shows just how impactful AI has been to the web, with Google Search referrals falling off of a...
Galaxy S26 wireless charging is a mess, Qi2 25W speeds sound near-impossible to find
Wireless charging is very much moving in the direction of Qi2 and magnetic alignment, but Samsung stubbornly continues to avoid...
Vikings Add 6-Time All Pro Veteran
The Minnesota Vikings were punter-less for about a week until Tuesday evening, when the club announced the signing of six-time […]
Apple Cracks Down on ‘Vibe Coding’ Apps
Apple has quietly prevented AI vibe coding apps such as Replit and Vibecode, which help people create games and other applications, from releasing updates to their mobile apps on the App Store unless they make modifications, according to several people with knowledge of the situation. The ...
Exploding Pintos, imploding politics: Celebrating 50 years of fearless journalism
The Center for Investigative Reporting’s CEO, Monika Bauerlein, looks back on a half-century of “Mother Jones” magazine and what lies ahead for America’s nonprofit newsrooms.
I moved my company from Wall Street to Florida—wish I'd done it sooner
Webull's chief of staff and head of strategic partnerships explains the benefits of moving the company's headquarters to a less saturated market.
Health literacy: 5 key lessons for better global health
One in four people around the world have low health literacy. Tackling that challenge could improve lives and save billions in healthcare funding globally.
Tireless Advocates for Health
Three Gonzaga alumni are strengthening Washington’s community health network, supporting 28 systems and 400+ clinics that provide essential care regardless of insurance, income or circumstance.
The Road Less Considered: The Overlooked Connection Between Infrastructure, Nature And Public Health
Improving infrastructure with nature in mind, including building wildlife crossings that save animal and human lives.
5 lessons from a weekend vibe coding class as a non-technical person
I joined a weekend vibe coding class and built apps in two mornings. As a non-technical builder, I learned five lessons.
Rumor: iPhone 19e may bring ProMotion display
Apple is at least considering it, according to a new report. It’s been less than a week since the iPhone 17e was announced, but we’re already getting our...
iPhone 17e Teardown Shows How Apple Made It An Effortless Process To Add MagSafe Charging To The iPhone 16e In A Few Minutes
A teardown performed by iFixit shows that the iPhone 17e is easy to get into and how you can added MagSafe charging to the iPhone 16e
Gemini for Home finally learns to cut the chatter and focus on the job
Gemini for Home is getting quicker responses, less verbose replies, and smarter alarms in the latest Google Home update.
Need a healthy reset? Scales, supplements and smart trackers are on sale now
Refresh your wellness routine for less with top Amazon deals on smart scales, supplements, fitness trackers and more—all under $50.
Colorado Springs charter school drops creationism lesson
A complaint prompted the school to remove creationism from an eighth-grade science unit.
Oppo Find N6 goes official with ‘crease-less’ display, but limited ‘global’ launch plans
After a few weeks of teasers, the Oppo Find N6 is now official with its “crease-less” display, but you probably...
Devils Rally Past Bruins in OT
It’s nights like these that make you wonder, what could have been. The New Jersey Devils certainly didn’t look like the hapless, directionless mess of a hockey team that spent the past three-plus months struggling to get out of its own way while plummeting to the darkest depths of the Eastern Conference standings. Well, maybe […]
This massive crater could expose the heart of a lost planet
A mysterious metal-rich asteroid called Psyche has been baffling scientists for over two centuries, and its true origin remains one of the biggest unanswered questions in planetary science. Is it the exposed core of a failed planet, or a chaotic mix of rock and metal forged through countless violent collisions? To find out, researchers simulated how a massive crater near Psyche’s north pole formed, revealing that the asteroid’s internal “porosity” — how much empty space it contains — may hold the key to its secrets.
Plagued by early deficits, Wild turn page to meet Blackhawks
A three-game winless streak has done little to compromise the Minnesota Wild's solid playoff positioning.
Sony’s AI graphics upscaling for PS5 Pro games is getting a big update tonight
Less flickering and shimmering this time around.
Opinion: New Book Helps Teachers Implement Science of Reading in Their Classrooms
Get kids reading fluently. As much as you can. Have them read and write about books. That, more or less, is the key to translating the science of reading into classroom practice, according to a new bo...
Partisanship and science
I recently participated in a symposium of the Denver-based Institute for Science & Policy, during which I had a “fireside chat” with Tony Mills of the American Enterprise Institute. Mills has written extensively on the politicization of science, and the two of us had a very enjoyable hour-long conversation on the topic. You can watch it below. The main questions we dealt with are why there is such a vast partisan gap in trust of science, and to what extent this is a unique moment. Mills helpfully brings a good deal of data to the discussion, as he did in this useful piece at Issues in Science & Technology. Tusk depends on reader support. To support this work, please become a paid subscriber. Subscribe Note this graph, drawing on a range of survey data to demonstrate partisan attitudes toward science since 1970s. As it demonstrates, there’s been a very sharp partisan divergence in confidence in science during the Trump Era, starting prior to the Covid pandemic. At least in part, we can attribute this to a rise in populist anti-science rhetoric embraced by Trump, his appointees, and those in his media orbit. But as the graph also shows, the partisan divide has existed in the past, and it’s not always in the same direction. The largest divergence in party views toward science prior to 2016 was in the 1970s, when liberals equated scientific achievement with the military-industrial complex and thus trusted it less. That era of scientific mistrust is often overlooked. Indeed, as Mills notes, the Moon landings (1969-72), which today are considered one of the last great moments of national unity, were experienced nothing like that at the time. There was sharp debate back then over whether the Apollo missions were worth the vast expenditures when the country had so much else to deal with. It’s outside the dataset, and we don’t have the partisanship lens for it, but the 1950s was another deeply anti-science decade, with critics of intellectuals and college professors alleging their ties to communism and their lack of commitment to basic American moral beliefs. This was the subject of Richard Hofstadter’s 1962 book Anti-Intellectualism in American Life, in which he quotes religious leaders like Franklin Graham: [In place of the Bible] we substituted reason, rationalism, mind culture, science worship, the working power of government, Freudianism, naturalism, humanism, behaviorism, positivism, materialism, and idealism. [This is the work of] so-called intellectuals. Thousands of these “intellectuals” have publicly stated that morality is relative—that there is no norm or absolute standard.… This fervor was heavily whipped up by Sen. Joe McCarthy (R-Wisconsin), although it’s clear that not all his fellow Republicans were on board with his red-baiting. What ended that era? The simple answer is the 1957 launch of Sputnik. Americans became afraid that they were losing to Soviet scientists, and suddenly university researchers and government projects were awash with funding. In our conversation, I asked Mills about the possibility of us having a Sputnik moment again that would rally the American public in favor of science today. Mills argued that the COVID-19 pandemic was essentially a Sputnik moment — a terrifying threat to all Americans that required scientific advances to address. But thanks in part to political polarization and the populist and conspiratorial leanings of Donald Trump, we got the opposite of a unifying moment. Many Americans turned against science, despite science actually stepping up in that moment. As we discussed in the chat, it’s not clear what scientists could or should be doing in this moment to increase faith in their work. As Mills notes, one of the chief complaints against scientists and professors is that they’ve become too political; scholars becoming even more political might not help them achieve their goals. This (mainly Republican-driven) anti-science era will end, of course, but it’s not clear what event will bring that about. Share
Build a 4K PC gaming home entertainment setup for less with these limited-time discounts
A 4K PC gaming setup for your home entertainment center is closer than you think. With these limited-time deals, you'll be gaming in style.
From game plans to lesson plans: How teachers are using sports to teach economics
A St. Cloud State professor made lesson plans teaching econ using real-world examples, like the Minnesota Lynx, Caitlin Clark and Taylor Swift's effect on NFL viewership.
From game plans to lesson plans: How teachers are using sports to teach economics
St. Cloud State professors are teaching econ using real-world examples, like the Minnesota Lynx, Caitlin Clark, and Taylor Swift's effect on NFL viewership.
Still crazy: chaotic Six Nations showed the timeless appeal of great sporting drama
France’s dramatic triumph in the most extraordinary tournament was proof Test rugby played at full throttle ranks among the most compelling spectacles
Behind Mamdani’s Smile, a Politician Who Can Be a Ruthless Operator
Mayor Zohran Mamdani, while charming in public, has thrown sharp elbows in private as he pushes his political brand and agenda among fellow Democrats.
Javier Bardem Condemns ‘Trump and Netanyahu’ for ‘Another Illegal War’ at a Very Political Oscars
Host Conan O'Brien was subtle with his comments, Jimmy Kimmel less so, and the nominated films themselves carried a political charge.
Reimagined children’s gallery opens in Fort Worth Museum of Science and History
Cook Children’s Medical Center helped design a new medical play space aimed at making kids less afraid of hospitals.
Sharp rise in young Britons saying ill health is reason they are jobless, study finds
Share of 16- to 24-year-old Neets who report a work-limiting condition up 70% in a decade, says thinktank
What Oscars best actress winners wore on the red carpet
From Julie Andrews' elbow-length gloves to Jennifer Lawrence's strapless gown, here's what best actress winners have worn to the Oscars.
Resident Evil Requiem’s scariest moment actually comes from Leon’s campaign
In a surprise twist, Resident Evil Requiem's scariest moment doesn't come from the defenselessness of Grace; it actually happens while playing as Leon.
Why Are People Hating ‘Marathon’ As A Sport?
Marathon has been the target of a relentless hate campaign for months now, which is amplifying after launch. But why?
I ate at Red Lobster for the first time since its revamp: review, photos
I tried Red Lobster's "Shrimp Your Way" meal and compared it to the chain's $30 endless shrimp. There were some improvements.
Why Mrs. Meyer's Clean Day founder sold business, retired early
Mrs. Meyer's Clean Day founder Monica Nassif ignored "countless" offers to buy her company over the years.
The founder of $100M brand Late July and Nixie started selling $1 cookies at 12 and learned the snack trade from the founder of Cape Cod chips—her dad
Nicole Bernard Dawes, the founder of Late July and Nixie, got her start in business selling $1 cookies at local delis—the lessons she learned from the $500 summer hustle led to multimillion-dollar success.
Medicine in motion: Ballroom dancing helps all ages step to better health
On a dance floor, the waltz looks effortless: couples gliding in sweeping circles, posture tall, movements fluid. But beneath the elegance is a surprisingly...
Scientists tested vitamin D for COVID and found an unexpected long COVID clue
A major clinical trial has delivered an unexpected twist in the search for ways to fight COVID-19 and its lingering effects. Researchers at Mass General Brigham found that taking high doses of vitamin D3 did not make COVID-19 infections less severe or reduce hospital visits. However, the study uncovered a subtle but intriguing signal suggesting that people who consistently took vitamin D supplements might be slightly less likely to develop long COVID symptoms weeks after infection.
Linux Finally Catches Up to Windows with a Game-Changing Performance Feature
For years, the Linux kernel’s scheduler has been world‑class at balancing loads, yet it missed a crucial, cache‑aware instinct. In modern multi‑core systems, that gap can turn into measurable latency, especially when threads bounce between cores that don’t share the same cache. A new upstream feature, often called Cache Aware Scheduling, is now set to change that equation. A cache‑savvy scheduler arrives At the heart of any OS, the scheduler decides which thread runs where and for how long. In modern CPUs, small private caches (L1 and L2) sit beside each core, while a larger Last Level Cache (LLC, typically L3) is shared among groups of cores. When a task migrates across LLC boundaries, its warm data may vanish from the cache, forcing slower trips to main memory. Cache Aware Scheduling keeps related tasks close to their shared LLC, reducing destructive migrations. By respecting cache topology, the kernel minimizes cold‑start penalties and preserves locality that many workloads desperately need. The result is less thrashing, fewer memory stalls, and more consistent throughput. "Keep tasks close to their data, and the system will keep performance close to its peak." Why this narrows the Windows gap Windows has long leaned on topology‑aware, cache‑sensitive heuristics, especially since the Windows 10 era. That advantage helped Microsoft handle hybrid designs with P‑cores and E‑cores, plus complex cluster and NUMA layouts. With cache awareness integrated upstream, Linux brings parity to this vital dimension, without sacrificing its trademark flexibility. The Linux approach remains deeply configurable, reflecting the ecosystem’s breadth across servers, desktops, and embedded devices. It layers atop existing NUMA‑balancing and energy‑aware logic, refining placement rather than reinventing the wheel. Crucially, it aligns scheduling with the hardware’s real shape, not just with abstract CPU counts. Real‑world gains and who benefits Early tests on Intel Sapphire Rapids platforms point to gains in the 30–45% range for select workloads. Those wins appear in cache‑sensitive tasks like in‑memory analytics, high‑thread compilation, and microservices with tight working‑sets. Games and latency‑bound engines can also feel steadier frame‑times, especially when threads share hot assets. The benefits extend to AMD’s 3D V‑Cache parts, where keeping threads near enlarged cache slices prevents needless misses. Hybrid x86 designs with performance and efficiency cores further profit when cache and core roles are scheduled in concert. Even handhelds running SteamOS can squeeze more out of limited power, translating cache locality into smoother play. Key advantages include: Lower end‑to‑end latency Fewer expensive misses to RAM Better multi‑socket and NUMA behavior Improved energy efficiency More predictable QoS under mixed loads Stronger scaling on dense servers Caveats, tuning, and rollout No scheduler change is purely free, and trade‑offs still exist. Favoring locality can reduce cross‑cluster balance if limits are set too tight. Likewise, fairness and utilization must remain healthy, especially under heterogeneous, bursty workloads. Linux’s implementation is designed to be measured and tunable, not a blunt instrument. It cooperates with energy‑aware scheduling for mobile efficiency, and with NUMA‑balancers on big iron. Expect architecture‑specific refinements as vendors surface richer topology hints and cache‑sharing maps. Upstream integration has begun, with broad distribution adoption likely over the next cycles. Many users will encounter the change through standard kernel updates in 2025–2026, depending on distro cadence. Server‑class kernels may enable or tune it sooner for targeted fleets where cache locality is money in the bank. How to think about performance impact Cache Aware Scheduling amplifies gains when your workload is both CPU‑bound and cache‑sensitive. Think tight inner loops, hot code paths, and datasets that fit snugly in shared LLC. It’s less dramatic for I/O‑bound services or memory‑hungry tasks that blow past cache capacity. Still, even modest locality improvements often translate into smoother tail‑latency, which is where user experience and SLAs typically break. Developers can further help by pinning related threads, batching work, and aligning data to reduce cross‑cluster chatter. The scheduler’s new awareness works best when applications expose good hints. The bottom line By understanding and honoring cache topology, Linux removes a subtle yet costly bottleneck. The kernel’s smarter placement keeps hot data hot and work near where it belongs. That narrows a long‑standing gap with Windows, while preserving the openness and tunability Linux champions. For gamers, creators, and operators, the payoff is practical: more consistent frames, faster builds, and snappier services. For the ecosystem, it’s another step toward hardware‑savvy scheduling that turns transistor complexity into real‑world speed. And for Linux itself, it’s a timely upgrade that matches today’s silicon with tomorrow’s expectations.
Evidence mounts suggesting health costs from WV lawmaker moves on data centers, water
In a span of less than half an hour March 12, 2026, the West Virginia House of Delegates made three moves undermining the state’s already poor drinking water quality. Moves the House of Delegates and Senate have made in the 2026 legislative session's final days are likely to inflict significant health costs, recent studies suggest.
High gas prices can make Costco's membership math look better
Average US gas prices topped $3.60 this week. Costco, meanwhile, sells gas for about $0.20 less than nearby stations.
How to Make a Killing to Wu-Tang Clan: your complete entertainment guide to the week ahead
Glen Powell indulges in some murder most profitable, and the influential rap collective arrive in the UK complete with a clutch of peerless classics
The New CEO Of Acquisition.com: From Goldman To Building The ‘Disney Of Business’
Most Goldman Sachs bankers leave with a set of deal-structuring skills and a polished LinkedIn profile. Sharran Srivatsaa left with a lesson he learned at a closing dinner.
Japan PM’s health sparks concern before Trump summit
Japan’s Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi appeared unwell at a budget committee session on Thursday, which sparked concerns over her health. This comes less than a week before her meeting with President Trump in Washington. On Friday, Japan’s government said she has recovered and returned to official duties. CNN’s Hanako Montgomery reports.
I Watched My Father's Million-Dollar Business Fail — Here's What It Taught Me About Business
My father's restaurant hit $1 million in revenue and still went bankrupt. I was 11, and those lessons shaped every company I've built since.
The Art of Seeing More: a Fearless Science Forum - Morgridge Institute for Research
At "The Art of Seeing More" on March 10, a panel of experts came together for the Morgridge Institute’s Fearless Science Forum series to explore how scientists and artists challenge the limits of human perception.
Time to pay your last respects to Microsoft's "This is an Xbox" campaign, as it appears to have been killed off
Microsoft appears to have quietly removed its marketing campaign which proclaimed the Xbox was less of a console and more of a platform.
MacBook Neo Teardown: Modular Ports, Glue-Less Battery, Zero Tape
A teardown of the new MacBook Neo by Australian YouTube repair channel Tech Re-Nu reveals what may be the most modular and repair-friendly Mac laptop in recent times. The Neo is shown being taken apart in just six minutes, suggesting Apple has prioritized simplicity across the board, using standard Torx screws (T3, T5, and T8) and a clean cable routing design. To open the aluminum body, eight screws on the bottom are loosened, similar to the MacBook Air and MacBook Pro.
Hollywood's top films were less diverse in 2025, study finds
The percentage of women and people of color holding lead roles in Hollywood's top movies dropped in 2025, according to a new UCLA study.
Science Lesson About Elephant Whiskers
There are about 1,000 tiny hairs on an elephant’s rugged trunk, all designed to help the animal feel, a new study found.
5 ways to resist the urge to keep looking at your phone
So you want to spend less time on your phone. How do you do that when it's designed to suck you in? Life Kit spoke to experts in behavioral science, psychology and technology for real-world advice.