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Sick of empty VR app stores? Google's new AI tool lets you build VR apps in under a minute
Gemini's new Vibe Coding XR could finally solve the Android XR content problem.
Android 17 Beta 3 finally brings the desktop multitasking we’ve been waiting for
The latest beta turns your phone into a mini desktop with floating apps.
13 surprising ways GLP-1s may benefit the body, according to science
A condition-by-condition guide to GLP-1 drugs breaks down what’s proven, promising and still untested.
As Trump feels pressure to end war, allies fear what Iran may do next
Iran has demonstrated it can inflict significant damage on the world’s economy, even while outgunned. That creates a dilemma for President Trump.
Older and younger conservatives at CPAC are split over Trump's war in Iran
A sharp generational split over the Iran war is opening up at this year’s Conservative Political Action Conference
Preserving Detroit History: City awards grants to 30 long-standing local businesses
On Thursday evening, 30 Detroit legacy businesses were awarded a grant by the Detroit Economic Growth Corporation and the mayor's office.
Colorado Springs business groups launch new networking initiative to help local business owners succeed
Local organizations are teaming up to host "4-Business After Hours," a series of events designed to connect business owners and provide resources for success in the Pikes Peak region.
Google Gemini now lets you import your chats and data from other AI apps
Google is adding a pair of new features to Gemini aimed at making it easier to switch to the AI chatbot.
Sports betting boom raises mental health concerns
ABC News' investigative unit is looking at how the evolution of online gambling and sports betting has triggered a potential public health crisis.
Google Gemini Adds Tool to Make It Easier to Switch from ChatGPT
Google released new tools for its Gemini artificial intelligence assistant that will let users upload chat history and context from other AI apps, a move to lure users from rivals like OpenAI’s ChatGPT and Anthropic PBC’s Claude.
As Trump skips CPAC, MAGA’s rifts over Iran war are on display
At the annual gathering of conservative activists, many express reservations about the war, amid support for Trump.
Gemini now lets you import chats and memory from other AI apps
Besides Gemini 3.1 Flash Live today, Google is rolling out the ability to import memory and chats into Gemini from other AI apps.
iOS 27: Apple will reportedly let Claude and other AI chatbot apps integrate with Siri
Apple will unveil iOS 27 on June 8 at WWDC, and we’re learning new details about what to expect in...
Testing Building Structures at the Orlando Science Center
Testing Building Structures at the Orlando Science Center
Jackson Co. Executive to announce "next steps" for Truman Sports Complex ahead of Chiefs departure
Thursday's "significant announcement" deals with the next steps for the county-owned site that currently houses Arrowhead and Kauffman stadiums.
Jackson County executive to announce future plans for Truman Sports Complex
Jackson County Executive Phil LeVota has called an 11 a.m. news conference Thursday to discuss the future of the Truman Sports Complex.
Scientists Finally Figured Out the Math Behind How You See Color
The team behind the study created what might be the most accurate mathematical representation of photoreception ever.
Scientists Discovered What Makes Coral Cities So Strong—and Want to Copy Their Blueprint
The tiny cnidarians that build massive structures like the Great Barrier Reef out of their skeletons have inspired new advances in materials.
As women’s sports grow, Kansas City-based group empowers women to take leadership roles
Women Leaders in Sports is a professional-development organization based in Kansas City that helps empower and connect women in or seeking leadership across the sports landscape.
Inside the GOP struggle with bigotry among young activists
Many Republicans dismiss such party members even as white supremacists like Nick Fuentes gain popularity, but there’s growing unease at their presence in the rank and file.
House Democrat accused of misspending covid-19 money could be expelled
The family health care company Rep. Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick worked for was sent FEMA money it shouldn’t have received. She’s accused of using the money on a run for office.
Politicians are trying to make life cheaper. Economists are appalled.
Both Republicans and Democrats are pitching ideas intended to address affordability, but experts warn the proposals could cause other problems.
'This is our fight': Suburbanites embrace anti-Trump resistance ahead of No Kings protests
A growing faction of concerned citizens across America’s suburbs are positioned on the front lines of the anti-Trump resistance
Trump envoy credits colorful rhetoric and vodka shots in helping him build bond with Belarus leader
President Donald Trump’s special envoy to Belarus recently revealed how he used vulgarity and vodka shots to help ingratiate himself with the country’s autocratic leader
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.
What it takes to declare state measles outbreak over after 7 days without new case
It's been one week since no new cases of the measles have been reported in South Carolina, and health officials say they will remain hopeful but vigilant.
Hands-on science program brings STEM to life at Mass. school
The school's 5th graders enjoyed a special science lesson by Preeti Mostello, an educator with the nonprofit Traveling Science Workshops from the Discovery Museum in Acton.
Mass. woman diagnosed with Alzheimer's in 30s told 'too young' for drug by insurance
A Massachusetts woman with early onset Alzheimer's fought her insurer over a denied treatment, raising questions about age limits and access to care.
White House delays CDC pick as officials search for permanent director
The responsibilities of leading the agency will fall to Jay Bhattacharya, the head of the National Institutes of Health, who has been serving as acting CDC director since last month
What a GOP loss in Trump’s Mar-a-Lago district says about the midterms
Including off-year elections last year, Democrats have flipped 30 Republican seats since the start of 2025.
KCCI Investigates: What one science teacher taught students about water quality
First- through fifth-grade students at Bergman Academy in Des Moines took on one of Iowa's biggest environmental issues at the school's first science fair: water quality.
UK bans crypto donations to political parties in bid to curb foreign influence
Britain is banning political parties from taking cryptocurrency donations in a move the government says will help protect democracy from illicit finance
All of Life Has the Same Ancestor. Scientists Are Still Figuring Out How Old It Is.
Before we were anything, we were microbes.
How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the New York Yankees
A feel-good story about winning, losing, raising kids, the joy of sports, and, well, the Battle of Stalingrad.
She taught backyard swim lessons. A single complaint shut them down.
Local governments should encourage home businesses instead of making them illegal.
Partisan brawl in Virginia muddles Spanberger’s message of moderation
The congressional redistricting fight is tainting the governor’s image, one Democrat said: “This should be a flashing red light for Democrats everywhere.”
Conservatives gather for CPAC with the right openly divided over the Iran war
Conservatives are holding one of their largest annual gatherings as President Donald Trump faces a tough moment and a growing rift over the war in Iran
Asking Eric: Skip my niece’s wedding over political divide with her dad?
Letter writer abhors her brother’s politics and wants to skip his daughter’s wedding.
Democrat gets upset win in Trump’s backyard in Florida state house race
Emily Gregory won the special election to represent a district that includes President Donald Trump’s Mar-A-Lago home on Tuesday, the Associated Press projected.
Belton approves development plan for Uptown Entertainment District, completion expected in 2032
The city of Belton approved a rezoning application and preliminary development plan for the Uptown Entertainment District, expected to bring 600 new homes and residents.
Democrat flips seat in special election for Florida district that includes Trump’s Mar-a-Lago resort
Democrat Emily Gregory has won a special election for a Florida state House seat, flipping a district that is home to President Donald Trump’s estate, Mar-a-Lago
Long lines persist at some U.S. airports despite ICE arrival
The Trump administration’s deployment of ICE officers to more than a dozen U.S. airports appeared to have a limited effect on reducing security lines.
Billings' Daylis Stadium reconstruction 'slightly ahead of schedule'
Driving by Daylis Stadium recently, it's easy to notice a lot of dirt and all sorts of construction rigs. So, where does the renovation progress stand?
Apple's M5 Pro & M5 Max easily beat the RTX 5090 in PugetBench creator benchmarks
MacBook's are very popular among content creators and the two new SoCs M5 Pro as well as M5 Max manage excellent results in the PugetBench tests for Adobe apps and DaVinci Resolve. They also clearly beat the mobile GeForce RTX 5090.
City says closing nuisance businesses cuts crime. Some residents question the approach
Some city leaders say shutting down nuisance businesses reduces crime, but some residents argue the closures just shift problems elsewhere.
Rural health’s tech push has its limits
Plus: Focus on private equity in daycare as costs rise
Veteran prosecutor confirmed to lead new Justice Department division targeting fraud nationwide
The Senate has confirmed President Donald Trump’s pick to lead a new Justice Department division focused on prosecuting fraud over critics’ concerns of potential political pressure to target White House opponents
Missouri court upholds mid-decade congressional redistricting backed by Trump
A Missouri court has upheld a mid-decade redistricting plan that gives Republicans a chance to win an additional congressional seat in this year’s midterm elections
Melania Trump hosts world counterparts and tech reps to discuss children, education and technology
Melania Trump is calling on nations to work together to improve access to education and technology for children
Rubio plans travel to France to sell Iran war to skeptical G7 allies
Secretary of State Marco Rubio will travel to France this week to try to sell America’s skeptical Group of Seven allies on the Iran war that has sent global fuel prices soaring
Scientists Sequenced the DNA of the ‘Last Neanderthal’—and It Alters Human History
Discover new clues about how our ancient relatives disappeared from time.
These Creatures Have One Cell and No Brain. Scientists Just Discovered They Can Learn.
In 1897 Russian physiologist Ivan Pavlov proved that animals can be trained using associative learning. A new study finds that even single-celled organisms can behave like “Pavlov's dog.”
Trump casts Florida mail ballot as he pushes Congress to severely limit that voting option
President Donald Trump has cast another mail ballot in Florida as he continues to publicly bash the voting method as a source of fraud and push Congress to curtail the practice
RFK Jr. and Dr. Oz have a plan to save rural health care. Here’s the catch.
Top health officials point to AI as the solution for dying hospitals, but experts from rural areas of the country say the solution isn’t that simple.
DoorDash, Uber are using gig workers for AI, other data gathering
DoorDash and other gig apps are adding new tasks that let users photograph store shelves and train AI, moving gig work beyond delivery and rides.
He was Rubio’s friend and roommate. Now Rubio will testify against him.
Former congressman David Rivera, accused of secretly lobbying for Nicolás Maduro’s government in Venezuela, climbed Miami politics alongside Marco Rubio.
Colorado’s Tamale Act may decide whether home cooks can build a business
An eclectic coalition, including the MAHA call for “food freedom,” gave the law a second chance as backers push for immigrant assistance and entrepreneurship.
Oracle reworks its finance, procurement apps for AI agents
Oracle is revamping its cloud-based financial software used by large companies to work with artificial intelligence agents, with a goal of having humans ask the system business questions and letting AI figure out how to find the data.
SC bill looks to put more money in the pockets of at-home health workers
SC lawmakers will hear a bill that looks to increase take-home pay for at-home health care workers in the state.
$5 flat-fee deliveries: A Haverhill business is built on community connection
From restaurant supplies to last-minute hardware runs, Store to your Door is meeting everyday needs
The Family Van brings free health screenings to Boston neighborhoods
With barriers rising in health care access, mobile clinic fills critical gaps
Former Brazilian leader Bolsonaro's health improves and he could serve sentence under house arrest
One of his doctors says former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro has been transferred to a regular hospital room in the capital of Brasilia as he continues to recover from pneumonia
White House pitches pharma on pricing draft
Plus: Names of the candidates to lead the CDC
MacBook Neo Silences Critics Over 8GB RAM Being Inadequate; Can Open 60 Apps In Unison While Windows Laptop Powers Off Performing The Same Task
A YouTube channel decided to take the MacBook Neo for an apps stress test and opened up 60 apps at the same time to see if that 8GB RAM will be sufficient
Scientists Say Surprising Smells Are Unlocking the Secrets of Ancient Mummies
Analyzing samples of mummies from different dynastic periods showed how the mixtures of substances used in mummification became more complex with time.
Rock Island Bridge announces grand opening after years of planning
A long-awaited entertainment district above the Kansas River has set an opening date.
New C8 Corvette Grand Sport Makes Surprise Debut at 12 Hours of Sebring
The first mid-engined Grand Sport dons a widebody and red hashmarks, with the car's full reveal coming later this week.
Intel Core Ultra 7 270K Plus & Core Ultra 5 250K Plus Official Benchmarks: Faster Than 14900K & Comparable To Ryzen X In Gaming, Much Faster In Apps, Superb Value
Intel shared official benchmarks of its Core Ultra 7 270K Plus & Core Ultra 5 250K Plus in gaming, apps, and more, against AMD Ryzen CPUs.
DanDan restaurant in Milwaukee temporarily closed by health department
Popular Third Ward restaurant shuts down pending health department re-inspection; reason for closure not yet released.
Companies Aren’t Ripping Out Business Software for AI. Here’s What They’re Doing Instead.
Tech leaders at large corporations say that, for now, they’re vibe-coding their own small, custom apps, and putting pressure on their software vendors.
Doubts from key Republicans on surgeon general test MAHA’s political power
Casey Means faces pushback from some Republicans over her refusal to forcefully recommend vaccines.
Rahm Emanuel proposes banning all federal employees from betting on prediction markets
Rahm Emanuel is proposing a far-reaching measure to crack down on betting in predictive markets in Washington as part of an effort to call attention to what he sees as a culture of corruption gripping the nation’s politics
As mayoral election looms, D.C.’s business class worries about what’s next
A potential leftward shift in the wake of the pandemic and the Trump administration’s cutting of thousands of federal jobs has sparked unease in the city’s business community.
River Cats top Giants in exhibition at Sutter Health Park as fans welcome baseball’s return
"Finally, the drought is over between football and the start of baseball."
Emmanuel Grégoire, a Socialist long involved in local politics, becomes Paris' new mayor
Emmanuel Grégoire has won the Paris mayoral race and takes over from fellow Socialist Anne Hidalgo
State lawmakers debate new round of business tax cuts
Rep. Joe Sweeney, R-Salem, and Sen. Donovan Fenton, D-Keene, discussed their support and opposition to House Bill 155, which would reduce the business enterprise tax from 0.55% to 0.50%.
Executive Council seeks greater role in half-billion-dollar rural health initiative
New Hampshire executive councilors are seeking a greater role in a $640 million rural health initiative after initially delaying approval and securing more oversight.
California Politics 360 Full Episode | Sexual abuse allegations against César Chávez
Civil rights leader Dolores Huerta broke her silence, saying she was also sexually abused by Chávez. It led to the birth of two children, a secret she kept for 60 years.
24-year-old killed after shooting outside Last Call Sports Bar
24-year-old killed after shooting outside Last Call Sports Bar
Crews responding to fire burning behind an Upstate business
Multiple fire departments responded to a fire behind the Tractor Supply Co. in Mauldin, SC.
‘Project Hail Mary’ blasts off with $80.5 million, a best for Amazon MGM, and the year
Studio estimates on Sunday say Amazon MGM's “Project Hail Mary” has topped the North American box office charts with $80.5 million in ticket sales — the second biggest ever for a non-franchise film.
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.
Bucket hats and home run chains: Getting decked out for baseball season at Poor Boys Sports
From shirts featuring new players to hats in every color, Poor Boys Sports has all your Orioles merch needs for Opening Day.
Tom Steyer explains why he should be California's next governor
Tom Steyer sat down for an interview with California Politics 360 for a wide-ranging conversation on his run to be the state's next governor.
Assemblywoman Alexandra Macedo says César Chávez allegations are "just the tip of the iceberg"
California lawmakers this upcoming week are set to move quickly to rename César Chávez Day to Farmworkers Day ahead of the holiday that takes place every year on March 31.
Electron's Investment Into Good Wayland Support
For years Electron apps were notorious for continuing to depend upon X11/XWayland and not jive well with the modern Wayland experience on modern Linux desktops
The case against the Senate filibuster no Republican can make
How to put Congress, not the president, in the U.S. politics driver’s seat: End the 60-vote tradition.
Four truths about covid that have become clouded over time
In the early days, the virus posed a graver threat to people and the health care system, Trump embraced lockdowns he now blasts, and the benefits of vaccines were oversold.
White House navigates vaccine politics, midterm risks in CDC director search
The Trump administration faces complicated political dynamics as it seeks someone to helm the key public health agency suffering a prolonged leadership vacuum.
White House navigates vaccine politics, midterm risks in CDC director search
The Trump administration faces complicated political dynamics as it seeks someone to helm the key public health agency suffering a prolonged leadership vacuum.
Milwaukee stair climb raises awareness for lung health and firefighters
The American Lung Association hosted its 18th annual stair climb in Milwaukee, where participants, including firefighters, climbed 30 stories to raise funds and awareness for lung health.
Trump continues to target Robert Mueller after his death
Mueller, who led the Russia investigation and the bureau after 9/11, remained a target of Trump years after his probe of possible election interference.
Senate rejects Trump-backed measure to ban trans athletes in female sports
The chamber considered adding the measure to a far-reaching voting bill supported by the Republican president.
Robert Mueller, ex-FBI director at center of political tempest, dies at 81
After building a reputation for quiet rectitude, he became a political target as special counsel investigating Russian interference in the 2016 election.
Super PAC spending passes $200M, with some groups hiding their cause
Groups that include pro-Israel organizations obscured their spending in some midterm races to try to defeat candidates that oppose their cause.
Refund checks coming for former Boston Sports Club members, AG says
Former members of Boston Sports Clubs in Massachusetts may be eligible for a refund if they were wrongfully charged by the company during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Apple Wanted to Buy Halide to Boost iPhone 18 Pro's Camera App—Now There's a Lawsuit
Apple's plans to enhance the iPhone 18 Pro's Camera app led it to consider acquiring Halide, but the talks ultimately collapsed and were followed by a fierce legal dispute between the startup's co-founders, according to The Information reports. In the summer of 2025, Apple reportedly held discussions to acquire Lux Optics, the developer behind the popular iPhone camera apps Halide, Kino, and Spectre.
Tom Kean Jr.'s political roots date to 1776. Is that enough to protect the Republican's House seat?
Tom Kean Jr.’s bid for a third term representing New Jersey’s 7th Congressional District offers a window into the larger battle for control of the narrowly divided House
Congress could be headed for a tipping point, irreversible decline
After nearly two decades covering Capitol Hill, a reflection on how bad things are.
Sacramento businesses recover after string of burglaries; 1 suspect arrested
Sacramento police have arrested a man believed to be connected to 11 burglaries affecting local businesses, as authorities work to prevent further incidents.