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Dunham, Ascension Christian football teams look to bring home state titles
Dunham, Ascension Catholic are both playing for high school football state championships on Thursday.
DePaul hosts UMass Lowell after Larsson's 22-point outing
UMass Lowell visits the DePaul Blue Demons after Sabrina Larsson scored 22 points in the River Hawks' 60-43 win against the New Haven Chargers
Adobe Makes Creativity Accessible for Everyone with Adobe Photoshop, Adobe Express and Adobe Acrobat in ChatGPT
Adobe brings Adobe Photoshop, Adobe Express and Adobe Acrobat to ChatGPT, making creativity accessible to 800 million ChatGPT users through a conversational interface
Avalanche's Gavin Brindley: Removed from IR
Avalanche's Gavin Brindley: Removed from IR
Football gossip: Salah, Semenyo, Alysson, Zirkzee, Affengruber, Grealish
Saudi Arabia keen to bring Mohamed Salah to league in January, Antoine Semenyo prefers Liverpool move but Arsenal and Manchester City also interested.
The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim Anniversary Edition Out Now on Nintendo Switch 2
The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim Anniversary Edition is available now on Nintendo Switch 2, bringing the epic adventure to the next generation of portable systems with new technical enhancements!
First look: Android 17 may finally let you remap buttons on your game controller
2026's big Android 17 update could bring some major new gaming features like support for remapping the buttons on your favorite gamepad.
I Tried the New Android XR Smart Glasses From Google and XReal. I Didn't Expect to Be This Impressed
Google's Android XR platform and XReal's Project Aura are bringing smart glasses closer to mainstream reality, offering developers powerful tools to create practical, everyday wearable experiences that go far beyond novelty gadgets.
Danone's Oikos and Silk bring science-backed nutrition to Big Ten campuses
Here's the deal: Danone, a leader in nutrition science and innovation, is now the Big Ten Conference's first official partner for yogurt and plant-based beverages, featuring Danone's Oikos and Silk brands.
Vegas Golden Knights Add Three Senior Executives to Accelerate Next Phase of Business Growth and Innovation
Golden Knights announced the addition of three senior executives who bring decades of experience
Yahoo Sports Network Adds Live Indoor Football League Games to Growing Programming Slate
Yahoo Sports, C15 Studio, and the Indoor Football League (IFL) are teaming up to bring live football broadcasts to Yahoo Sports Network, the new streaming TV channel available on leading FAST services and yahoosports.tv.
Fairbuds XL Gen 2 bring improved drivers, ANC and battery while retaining modular design
Fairphone's latest over-ear headphones are built with repairability in mind. Over two years since launching its first over-ear headphones, Fairphone has a...
Through Collaboration, 7 Research Teams Aim to Transform Biomedical Science
Collaboration powers scientific discovery. Now 14 accomplished researchers are teaming up to lead such a charge as The Pew Charitable Trusts’ 2025 Innovation Fund investigators. The new class, announced Dec. 9, brings together pairs of leading scientists whose studies span immunology, cancer biology, biophysics, and more. Through their interdisciplinary partnerships, these investigators will explore creative research projects at the forefront of health and medicine.
Xbox architect Jason Ronald teases big things for 2026 — “we want to celebrate the great legacy of Xbox next year”
A new BBC video showcases the Xbox Ally X handheld and includes a short interview with Jason Ronald, who hints that Xbox’s 25th anniversary could bring major announcements.
Netflix-HBO combo brings sports documentary questions — and opportunity for TNT Sports
If Netlfix completes its purchase of Warner Bros. and HBO, it would offer properites tied to TNT Sports a unique opportunity for exposure on a sports-focused app.
Health on the Go: Community Health Hub
Join us for the Health on the Go Community Health Hub! This year’s event will bring together health, housing, and financial resources to create a one-stop community hub that connects residents to vital services, wellness activities and educational opportunities. Brooklyn Park residents can expect a vibrant experience filled with activities such as: 75+ vendors and...
Clarksville Industrial Association: Where business leaders connect and collaborate
The Clarksville Industrial Association (CIA) is a cornerstone of business engagement in Montgomery County, bringing together more than 100 leaders each quarter.
Non-Banks Are Now a Big Banking Business
Hello and welcome to the newsletter, a grab bag of daily content from the Odd Lots universe. Sometimes it's us, Joe Weisenthal and Tracy Alloway, bringing you our thoughts on the most recent developments in markets, finance and the economy. And sometimes it's contributions from our network of expert guests and sources. Whatever it is, we promise it will always be interesting.
PROOF OF THE PUDDING EXPANDS NATIONAL SPORTS AND ENTERTAINMENT FOOTPRINT WITH ACQUISITION OF RS3 STRATEGIC HOSPITALITY
Strategic Move Strengthens Hospitality Company’s Growing Presence Across Texas, Enhances Partnerships In Sports, Entertainment, Golf And Large-Scale VenuesATLANTA, Dec. 08, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Proof of the Pudding has acquired RS3 Strategic Hospitality, an established hospitality provider serving sports, entertainment and community venues throughout Texas and major markets across the country. The move is a reflection of Proof of the Pudding’s continued nationwide expansion. RS3 brings a bro
Column: The Golden Globes' ethics are worse than ever, and no one seems to care
The Golden Globes came back from the brink of scandal. But the awards' suspect ethics haven't really changed, our columnist writes.
Delta’s Wi-Fi revolution hits 1000th aircraft, bringing personalized entertainment and more to every seat
Delta has reached another major industry milestone with the installation of fast, free Delta Sync Wi-Fi presented by T-Mobile on its 1,000th aircraft, representing approximately 75% of the total fleet. This achievement illustrates Delta’s unmatched leadership in delivering seamless, gate-to-gate connectivity at a scale.
Trump gets his peace prize at FIFA 2026 World Cup draw
World Cup 2026 draw brings President Donald Trump his coveted peace prize. Awarding of inaugural FIFA prize takes center stage with team groupings.
Trump gets his peace prize at FIFA 2026 World Cup draw
World Cup 2026 draw brings President Donald Trump his coveted peace prize. Awarding of inaugural FIFA prize takes center stage with team groupings.
A New Chapter in Hormone Health: Dr. Rachel Fishman Oiknine Brings MDVIP's Personalized Model to St. Louis
Women in the St. Louis region will soon have access to a new model of personalized endocrinology care centered on women's health and long-term wellness. The new MDVIP-affiliated practice, led by Rachel Fishman Oiknine, MD, MSCP, marks a significant expansion of specialty care within the MDVIP network.
Opinion | Josh Hawley’s non-solution on health care
A proposed tax deduction won’t bring down prices.
Samsung Launches One UI 8.5 Beta for Next-Level Ease of Use
Latest version of One UI brings enhanced productivity, privacy and performance across the Galaxy ecosystem
Why a deal isn’t coming together on health care
OPINION: Industry experts have been warning about sticker shock but are routinely ignored by a Congress addicted to last-minute brinkmanship.
Wonder and discovery coalesce at Vatican Observatory exhibition
Wonder Bound, the product of a collaboration between Johns Hopkins University, the Space Telescope Science Institute, and the Vatican Observatory, brings images from the Hubble and James Webb space telescopes to a historic venue
PVUSD brings computer science nights to Watsonville High, Santa Cruz MAH
Computer Science Education Week Community Nights are open to K-12 students, parents and community members to explore hands-on activities that showcase opportunities within the computer science field.
Scientists uncover a volcanic trigger behind the Black Death
A newly analyzed set of climate data points to a major volcanic eruption that may have played a key role in the Black Death’s arrival. Cooling and crop failures across Europe pushed Italian states to bring in grain from the Black Sea. Those shipments may have carried plague-infected fleas. The study ties together tree rings, ice cores, and historical writings to reframe how the pandemic began.
NBCU’s Frances Berwick On Peacock’s ‘Reality Hot Seat’ Being The Manifestation Of Entertainment & Sports Coming Together
Peacock is bringing two of the most passionate fandoms together for Sunday Night Football with Reality Hot Seat, an alternative cast like never before.
Graeagle business owner takes Hot August Nights helm
Hot August Nights announces Lisa Jansen as its new executive director, bringing fresh leadership to one of Nevada’s most iconic annual events as it gears
Pokémon GO Events This Week: December 8 to December 14, 2025
Pokémon GO’s December 8 to December 14 week brings with it the first full week of the new season of Precious Paths! Enjoy a busy week with the Well Armed Event, and Gigantamax Snorlax Max Battle Day! Plus the weekly rotating Spotlight and Raid Hours, Dynamax Battles and Mega Raids. Highlights Raid Boss Change (December […]
Better Business Bureau warns of holiday delivery scams targeting online shoppers
The holiday season brings an increase in online shopping and package deliveries, creating opportunities for scammers or thieves to target busy buyers. The Better Business Bureau (BBB) has tips on how you can protect yourself this holiday season.
Interfaith Leaders Rally To Bring Business Back To 26th Street After Federal Immigration Crackdown
The city's second busiest economic corridor saw 60-80 percent declines in business during the Trump administration's Operation Midway Blitz, local leaders said.
Three Poly Grads Turn Holiday Window Painting Into Year-Round Business
RCC students Jewell, Ariel and Felicity bring hand-painted nostalgia to neighborhood windows.
WebGPU is now supported by all major browsers
WebGPU could bring AAA games to browsers in 2027 WebGPU has cleared its last big hurdle. The new GPU API is now enabled in stable releases of Chrome and
Meet IndyStar Purdue sports reporter Nathan Baird
Meet IndyStar journalists who bring you the news from around Central Indiana. Up this week is Nathan Baird
Former Nintendo staffers explain why Nintendo ditched the "Nindies" name
Do you remember the “Nindies” term that Nintendo used to bring up on a regular basis? It was very prominent in the Wii U / 3DS era, and even the very early Nintendo Switch days. You probably don’t need us to tell you what it was for, but essentially it was an easy way to label indie games on Nintendo...
From Antarctica to AI: India International Science Festival 2025 brings science enthusiasts under one roof
The festival features over 150 technical and thematic sessions spanning science, technology, innovation, and industry. Key focus areas include artificial intelligence (AI), bio-economy, space, quantum technology, and the integration of traditional knowledge with modern science, alongside sessions on deep-tech entrepreneurship and the blue economy.
Inside the push to bring mental health care into American mosques
American Muslim communities are working to reduce stigma around therapy by bringing mental health services into mosques and making counseling easier to access.
Tommy’s BBQ brings mystery to dinner
VICKSBURG, Miss. (VDN) — Tommy’s BBQ offered more than deliciously smoked meats and scrumptious desserts for dinner Thursday, Dec. 4. In partnership with The Detectives, a dinner theater group based […]
Fox News Entertainment Newsletter: Sydney Sweeney sizzles in white swimsuit, Halle Berry slams Gavin Newsom
The Fox News Entertainment Newsletter brings you the latest Hollywood headlines, celebrity interviews and stories from Los Angeles and beyond.
Expansive prescribed fire research project brings Montana scientists together
The SMART FIRES project combines smoke and fire science, smart sensors, sociology, artificial intelligence, ethics and more in the context of prescribed fires.
NFL Week 14 Preview: Stats and Storylines for 6 FOX Sports Games
Week 14 brings six games to the FOX Sports lineup and we preview a busy slate, including Bears at Packers.
Netflix to acquire Warner Bros. studio and streaming business for $72 billion
The acquisition, announced Friday, would bring two of the industry’s biggest players in film and TV under one roof and alter the entertainment industry landscape.
Christmas on the River brings holiday magic and business boost to Parkville
The 32nd annual Christmas on the River celebration, and local business owners are hoping the holiday crowd will provide Parkville their biggest sales night of the year.
Netflix to acquire Warner Bros. and HBO Max streaming for $72 billion
The merger would bring two of the industry’s biggest players under one roof.
How Donald Trump brings MAGA ideals into global politics
In his second term, US President Donald Trump has taken his MAGA movement global, criticizing election outcomes, climate change initiatives and migration policy while backing populist presidential candidates.
Boston 25 News
"This acquisition brings together two pioneering entertainment businesses, combining Netflix’s innovation, global reach and best-in-class streaming service with Warner Bros.’ century-long legacy of...
Netflix to acquire Warner Bros. studio and streaming business for $72 billion
Netflix has struck a deal with Warner Bros. Discovery to buy the legacy Hollywood giant's studio and streaming business for $72 billion. The acquisition, announced Friday, would bring two of the industry's biggest players in film and TV under one roof.
Netflix to acquire Warner Bros. for $82.7 billion in a deal that could reshape Hollywood
Netflix will acquire Warner Bros. for $82.7B, bringing HBO and major franchises under one streaming giant.
Baldwin girls and boys basketball teams look to bring more titles to...
The Nassau school’s girls and boys basketball teams have much to look forward to in the 2025-26 campaign.
New Samsung One UI 8.5 leak hints at a bigger redesign than we first thought
In addition to broader UI redesign, Samsung's upcoming One UI 8.5 update could also bring a redesign for several system apps.
Ulta Beauty says its bet on K-beauty is paying off
CEO Kecia Steelman said in an earnings call that K-beauty is driving sales and bringing in new customers.
Google and Replit expand partnership in push to bring vibe coding to more companies
Google Cloud and Replit expanded their partnership to bring enterprise-grade vibe coding to companies.
Starship Troopers: Ultimate Bug War! Brings A "New Retro FPS" Experience To Switch 2 Next Year
From the developers of Warhammer 40,000: Boltgun
Turtle Shell: Maryland Conceals Terms of Blueprint Sports Deal
The Terrapins led the way in bringing the now-controversial NIL company on campus, but is keeping almost all of its deal under wraps.
New Illinois laws will bring big changes to insurance, healthcare
Hundreds of new Illinois laws are set to hit the books in 2026, and many could have a big impact on your health and wellness.
House GOP leaders finalizing health bill for next week
House Republican leaders are finalizing health care legislation for early next week, with a plan to bring it to the floor by the end of the year. Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) t…
Total War: Medieval 3 announced, bringing series back to its historical roots for 25th anniversary
Creative Assembly has revealed Total War: Medieval 3, a new game in the long-running strategy series that's returning to its historical roots.
Schumer says Democrats will bring up bill to extend health care tax credits for 3 years
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer announced Thursday that Democrats will offer a clean three-year extension of enhanced Affordable Care Act tax credits for a vote next week.
Cowboys vs. Lions: Predictions, picks, best bets for Week 14's Thursday Night Football matchup
CBS Sports NFL expert Will Brinson shares his favorite bets and props for Thursday's contest between Dallas and Detroit
ECU Health Partners With Artisight to Bring Smart Hospital Technology to Eastern North Carolina
GREENVILLE, N.C. & CHICAGO, December 04, 2025--ECU Health, a rural health system serving 29 counties in eastern North Carolina, has partnered with Artisight to introduce Smart Hospital technology across its facilities, starting with five hospitals and expanding to more in the coming year. This new platform will make telehealth services more efficient by expanding specialized care from ECU Health Medical Center to patients in ECU Health hospitals across eastern North Carolina and improve the expe
Gran Turismo 7 Spec III Update 1.65 & Power Pack DLC Now Available
Ten weeks after it was first announced, the bumper Gran Turismo 7 Spec III update is now available to players worldwide, bringing a host of new content and features to get to grips with. If you didn't check in ahead of time and missed out on the preload -- only the second time a GT7 update has be
Collapse of key Atlantic current could bring extreme drought to Europe for hundreds of years, study finds
Scientists modeled Europe's future if a key Atlantic current were to collapse and found that the continent faces a much drier future.
One UI 8.5 brings a new look and a time-saving feature to the Calculator app
Samsung is bringing a slightly newer UI design to the stock apps. One of those apps include Calculator, which is getting a depth effect.
NYS funding stalls for North Star Health Alliance
Funding delay puts facilities "on the brink of crisis"
ASRock puts extra DDR4 slots to its DDR5 H610M COMBO motherboard
ASRock H610M COMBO brings DDR4/DDR5 flexibility to business desktops ASRock has introduced the H610M COMBO, a Micro ATX motherboard for Intel LGA1700 that targets business and enterprise desktops rather than gaming builds. The board is based on Intel’s H610 chipset and a simple 3+1 power phase design, aimed at office PCs, industrial systems, and OEM […]
'Health desert' in rural mid-Missouri sees hope with commitment from Boone Health
Boone Health's commitment to bring emergency care back to Audrain County brings hope for those who felt left behind after the closure of Audrain Community Hospital in 2022.
Arsenal's 'beautiful' line-up change
Match of the Day pundit Danny Murphy says Arsenal's squad depth is "remarkable" after Brentford struggled to contain the right side of their attack in the 2-0 win on Wednesday: "It's becoming remarkable now how good their squad is because [Jurrien} Timber and [Bukayo] Saka play on the right hand side normally, which is arguably one of the best combinations down the right side in Europe. "Then they bring in [Ben] White and [Noni] Madueke, who looked like they have played together for seasons. It was a beautiful combination.
Valley elementary school brings science to life with virtual reality
A Valley elementary school is taking classroom lessons into the virtual world. The Prendergast Elementary School District is using the virtual-reality technology with the help of Arizona State University and its partner Dreamscape.
Sabrina Carpenter flames White House over deportation video using her song
he White House posted a video celebrating migrant deportations, complete with federal agents “handcuffing, tackling and chasing people,” all set to Sabrina Carpenter’s song “Juno.”
Redding Rancheria Tribal Health announces new Public Health Advisory Board member
The Redding Rancheria Tribal Health System has announced the appointment of a new Public Health Advisory Board member.The new member is Dr. Paul Davis, bringing
Where Science Meets Storytelling: Twelve Years of the Science Blogs Web Archive
More than a decade after its launch, the Science Blogs Web Archive continues to grow and evolve. In this interview, Jennifer “JJ” Harbster reflects on building and maintaining the collection, while intern Yahir Brito brings a fresh perspective on updating and expanding it. Together, they share a few of their favorite blogs and discuss why it is important to preserve these unique examples of scientific communication.
Jennifer Millar Jumps From Paradigm to Brillstein Entertainment Partners, Bringing Longtime Client Sydney Sweeney With Her
Jennifer Millar and Sydney Sweeney have joined Brillstein Entertainment Partners, where Millar will now act as Sweeney's manager.
Android 16’s latest update ushers in a more frequent release schedule
Switching up the release schedule could bring new features to third-party Android phones much faster.
Director Ken Burns almost turned down an offer from Steve Jobs 20 years ago. They struck a different deal.
Ken Burns and Steve Jobs made a $1 million deal to bring the "Ken Burns Effect" photo technique to iMovie in 2002.
UCF Researcher Creates Novel Sensors for Smartphone-Based Health Monitoring
Professor Debashis Chanda’s low-cost, smartphone-based biosensor could bring rapid, reliable disease detection to areas with limited access to traditional diagnostics.
Meet Amar Subramanya, the 46-year-old Google and Microsoft veteran who will now steer Apple's supremely important AI strategy
“We are pleased to welcome Amar to Craig’s leadership team and to bring his extraordinary AI expertise to Apple," CEO Tim Cook said in a statement.
Meridian Health Plan of Illinois Commits $1.15 Million to Expand St. Louis Area Foodbank Mobile Pantry Program
Meridian Health Plan of Illinois, Inc. (Meridian), a company of Centene Corporation (NYSE: CNC), announced it will provide a $1.15 million grant over the next three years to Food On The Move, a mobile food pantry program by the St. Louis Area Foodbank that brings healthy food to underserved populations and food deserts in urban communities and rural areas in Illinois. This partnership will deliver healthy food and essential resources to underserved communities across Illinois, aligning with Meri
Replay Sports Cards Awards First-Ever Franchise to Business Partners Josh Stigdon and Jason Buckel
Replay Sports Cards ("Replay") – America's first national franchise dedicated exclusively to the hobby – has signed its first-ever franchise agreement with business partners Josh Stigdon and Jason Buckel, marking a pivotal moment in the company's growth and franchise expansion. The duo will open a new Replay shop in Seymour, Indiana, bringing the brand's modern, community-first take on the local card shop to collectors and families in the region.
‘It’s (Probably) Not Rocket Science’ brings light to farolitos and luminarias
Carmella Scorcia Pacheco joins new It’s (Probably) Not Rocket Science (IPNRS) podcast host, Cameron Goeldner, to talk about the deep cultural roots, memories and traditions behind farolitos and luminarias, in an episode titled “Little Lanterns: The...
30 Under 30 Hollywood & Entertainment 2026: The Actors, Producers And Financiers Ushering In A New Wave Of Entertainment
Lola Tung, Chris Briney and Mikey Madison are taking over Hollywood. Here’s a look at more young stars—on screen and behind the scenes—shaping the business of entertainment.
It seems inevitable that Sam Altman will bring ads to ChatGPT. When will it happen — and what will they look like?
Everyone believes ads are going to end up in ChatGPT. But we don't know when or how — and it's possible Sam Altman doesn't either.
Feds Promised ‘Radical Transparency’ but Are Withholding Rural Health Fund Applications
Proposals from states that have shared their applications to a new $50 billion rural health program include using drones to deliver medication, installing refrigerators to expand access to healthy produce, and bringing telehealth to libraries, day cares, and senior centers.
Small business Saturday brings disappointing turnout for Omaha stores
While this weekend’s snowstorm played a role in the underwhelming turnout, some think it’s part of a bigger trend.
Developer plans to bring daytime business to St. Mary’s Strip in San Antonio
A developer plans to renovate some aging homes amid the bars that make the St. Mary’s Strip synonymous with San Antonio nightlife to bring some different bustle to the area.
Science teacher bringing lessons to life with a touch of magic
Alexus Ables uses magic and real-life experiences to draw her students in to learning.
UW: Anonymous $50M gift will cover tuition for med lab science students
The anonymous gift is estimated to bring $50 million over the next 50 years to UW's Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathology.
Hochul signs bill into law to build first New York state Holocaust memorial
Public officials and the Capital District Jewish Holocaust Memorial are trying to bring it to Albany.
Ribbon-cutting ceremony held for Historic Downtown Entertainment District in Madison
MADISON, Ala. (WHNT) – A ribbon-cutting ceremony was held Monday for the newly designated Historic Downtown Entertainment District in Madison. The ribbon-cutting took place at Garner St. Alley, and city officials said the event marked a milestone in efforts to bring more traffic to the heart of the city. “Today marks a commitment to our […]
Kevin Durant’s return brings dilemma to Rockets starting lineup
After missing two games due to personal reasons, superstar Kevin Durant returns to a team that has handled his absence superbly.
Once-in-a-century floods set to become annual events in northeastern US in the next 75 years, study finds
Rising sea levels and storm surges from hurricanes will bring more frequent extreme floods to northeastern U.S. states, including Connecticut, New York and New Jersey.
Warriors icon Steph Curry reveals heartfelt advice for young Sharks superstar Macklin Celebrini
Warriors icon Steph Curry revealed his heartfelt advice for young Sharks superstar Macklin Celebrini on NBC Sports Bay Area's "Dub Talk."
CNN Academy Brings Real-Time Sports Newsroom Simulation to Georgia Tech
ATLANTA—CNN and the Georgia Institute of Technology today announced the launch of the CNN Academy Sports Journalism Bootcamp and Simulation, a two-week immersive program designed to prepare the next generation of storytellers for the fast-paced world of sports media.
Science must move from materialism to mystery
Theoretical physicist and neuroscientist Àlex Gómez-Marín argues that modern science has become trapped in a framework that mistakes matter for the whole of reality. In this wide-ranging interview, Gómez-Marín challenges the foundations of materialism, defends the scientific study of near-death experiences, and calls for a new type of science grounded in mystery and a renewed sense of the sacred. He suggests that abandoning materialism could open the door to a deeper understanding of consciousness, death, and the purpose of human existence. Simon Custer: You are both a theoretical physicist and a neuroscientist, and you have also been fiercely critical of materialist theories of mind and consciousness. What do you think the ultimate nature of reality is?Àlex Gómez-Marín: I don't know what the ultimate nature of reality is, but what I try to first assess is whether the stories that they [mainstream science] have told us about it are right, or maybe whether there are other alternatives. That's why I've been a fierce critic of materialism. As a scientist, I realized that they had sold us this idea that to be a good scientist you also had to subscribe to many other -isms, like materialism, reductionism, and even secularism. And so first I think one needs to unmount these -isms, and then, as is happening today in consciousness studies, we have a huge landscape where there isn't only one game in town, the idea that matter is the only thing that really exists. But because we are studying the hard problem of consciousness, it may be the case that other views of reality, like idealism, or even dualism, or other theories like dual aspect monism... these are philosophical ideas that now, I think, have room in science to be taken seriously. How does something like materialism relate to dualism or idealism? What is materialism in the first place?Well, materialism is the philosophical position that matter is the only really ‘real’ thing in the universe. And I think that worked kind of well because science started 400 years ago and Galileo made that split, I call it the foundational wound. It was a great business move.He said, let's start doing science on that portion of reality that lends itself more easily to mathematization and measurement. So, for some reason, the solidity of this table or the movement of planets lend themselves very well to this foundational idea of science. But as time went on, 400 years later, we realized that we had forgotten the other side, which is what really matters.What really matters is pain, is love, is feelings, sensation, consciousness, which is very hard to define, but very intimate. We all know what it is. It's that thing that disappears when we go into deep sleep and comes back in the morning. SUGGESTED VIEWING On the edges of knowledge With Michael Shermer, Rupert Sheldrake, Güneş Taylor It's what it is like to be, as Nagel said. It's the feeling of being alive. So, materialism is good to study certain things, but then when it ossifies into this ideology and then is dressed like science, now it's preventing us from understanding these key questions that are really that everybody wants to know.Why are we here? Why do we feel reality? Where do we go when we die? And so we need other ways. We need pluralism. I'm only asking for having more options on the table and taking them seriously. Why does materialism fail to explain consciousness? For example, if you were to lobotomize me, I would not be a functional human being. What do you say to someone who might think that materialism adequately explains the mind?Well, here we could speak about different things. We could talk about physics or about neuroscience. I happen to have training with both.For instance, for neuroscientists, 99% of them, I'm not included in that portion, believe that the brain can only be a productive organ. It's an organ that somehow, somewhere, consciousness emerges. It's like a lamp. And then something happens, magic happens, and then consciousness emerges.That's the position you need to be if you're a materialist because if the only really ‘real’ thing is matter, then you need to say, just give us some more time and money and we'll figure out how mind emerges or is produced from matter. There are many philosophically sophisticated ways of criticizing this.Now there's another option, which is the brain as a permissive organ. This was said by William James more than 100 years ago.Now then the brain wouldn't be like this machine, like for instance, a heat engine whose smoke is consciousness, which is what we would have in the first big model, the productive model. But in the permissive model, the brain would be a kind of a filter. And so the brain would still have a very important role in consciousness, but it wouldn't be a productive role.It would be permissive, much like a filter or much like a prism which would receive light. And - I'm speaking metaphorically - it would receive the light of the mind and then it could reflect it and refract it.Now, with these two big options on the table, I think we can make progress into what I call the edges of consciousness, which are all these experiences, weird experiences that many people have, but we don't talk about enough, like near-death experiences, precognitive dreams, synchronicities. These experiences are very important for humans and they have a place in the permissive hypothesis and they are literally impossible in the productive hypothesis. So that's yet one more reason to explore alternatives to materialism. There may be anecdotal evidence for near-death experiences, but is there robust evidence that would be accepted by the majority of scientists who subscribe to the scientific method?Sure. And the plural of anecdotes, someone said, is data.And there's a lot of data. Actually, this year is the 50th anniversary, half a century, since Dr. Raymond Moody realized that we have two ears and one mouth and started listening to what his patients had to say about their experiences while they were clinically dead.The heart had stopped, breathing had stopped in these patients. These patients would come back and tell him these amazing stories that some people may say are hallucinations, but for the patients were hyper-real, like seeing light at the end of the tunnels, seeing deceased family members waiting for them, feeling bliss.___I would say the evidence suggests that the mind can survive the death of activity of the brain.___And so he and others started taking them seriously and writing their accounts down. And then you can do a science based on that material of experience that people have. Now, on the more objective side, more recently people have started to measure what's going on in the brain when people are clinically dead and brought back. This has opened a proper field of study, which is near-death studies.Evidence is a difficult word, because sometimes people think that when you say evidence, this is just the final proof. Evidence is like in a jury. You bring testimony, you bring pieces of data that point in one direction or another.I would say the evidence suggests that the mind can survive the death of activity of the brain. When brains are broken or shut off, there can still be mind going on. And that's revolutionary.That would entail that when we die, it's not game over, which, by the way, is the thesis of materialism. If consciousness survives, materialism dies. It's game over for materialism if something of us continues after we die. Do you think that there is mental continuity after death?Well, I think so, and I believe so, and I could also say I may have experienced it myself, because four years ago I had a near-death experience. I was in the hospital, I lost a lot of blood, and I saw those beings at the end of the tunnel, three beings, and there was yellow light. I was in a well, I was looking upwards, and I hadn't read about NDEs by then, but when I came back from this experience, I decided I would try to integrate this also in my professional life. Not just my personal life, of course, but my professional life as a physicist and as a neuroscientist. So I may have had the experience of glimpses of what an afterlife would be, and I'm not ashamed to say it in this way, and then one can do science of it, and then one can do philosophy of it.One can think about what -isms we were discussing, what views on reality would allow those experiences to be really ‘real,’ as opposed to, well, poor guy, the brain was kind of broken, it must have been a hallucination. Do you have a view about whether individuality or “the ego” persists after death, or whether we sort of merge into some sort of cosmic consciousness instead?I don't know, but my view would be along those lines you're suggesting. I think we could speak about a kind of universal mind, and then the problem is not how we emerge from matter, but how we fragment from a more holistic consciousness into these individual eddies and then when we die, this kind of dissipates.But I'm not sure. For instance, idealism would promote that view, but then what would survive of us after these eddies just vanish and become again the big Consciousness, I'm not sure what that would be. I don't know for sure, but I would tell you I believe something of us survives.And there are other lines of research, not just near-death experience, that can address this really hard question of survival. For instance, there are children who remember previous lives. This was studied by Ian Stevenson at the University of Virginia for more than 50 years.___Research takes place within a selection mechanism that also sometimes reinforces things that are not very scientific.___It's amazing research. He went all over the world, especially in the East, and collected all these case studies, all these stories. In plural, these were data of kids, very young age, who would describe up to 40 items that then he could go and verify.There was no internet. There was really no way the kid could know. Why would the kid say that when I was living in this other body and I was a woman and that's how my house would look like or that's how I would die, right? Again, there is evidence, not proof, but there's evidence not only that something weird and interesting is happening as we cross the threshold, but also when we come back to this life.Scientists should not be afraid of studying this, but they are because there's stigma. There's usually stigma upon the enigma, and this is so unfortunate. And one of the reasons is because of the ideology of materialism, because those things cannot be possible. What is wrong with the politics of science such that they have generated this stigma?So many things. Science is a human activity to begin with.So it falls prey to all our passions and ego and greed. That's one thing. Science is a job for the good and for the bad.You need to get a salary. You need to get grants. Research takes place within a selection mechanism that also sometimes reinforces things that are not very scientific.And then, we didn't have time to unpack this, but science for many years become entangled, as I was suggesting before, to other -isms, materialism, secularism. So anything that smells like the afterlife, people may think has to do with God, and then they freak out.Anything that suggests that there's something about the mind that may not need a physical material substrate to exist, it smells like non-materialism. So, all these -isms are ideologically blocking that kind of research, and then there are all these sociopolitical constraints as to what should be studied and what shouldn't be studied.I call it the backstage of science. Sometimes we scientists or science communicators seem to speak as if the data is the only thing that matters. We say, well, data and theory.But then there's a third leg of this stool, which is all the politics that goes behind the scenes. And we often don't speak about this, and it's quite vicious and petty, and it's very real. Why is materialism so attractive to most scientists?Well, an easy answer is because we've grown up with it.It's what the educational system promotes, and that's what you hear when you go to university. So it's like growing in a culture. It feels like the air in which you breathe.So it's very hard to begin with to detect, well, maybe there's another alternative. Maybe there are other ways of doing science, other environments in which one could do science. That's one reason.And other reasons maybe are more profound, and I'm not qualified to explain them, but I could say, looking at this 400-year history of science, since it started around 1623 with Galileo's book The Assayer, that science went and coupled with all what's going on in the West.And so the fall of religion, you could say, and science presented us this new alternative that then could be coupled very well with other -isms, and this idea of growth, and then science losing its good twin brother, which was philosophy. There's a whole natural history of science starting as philosophy, kind of emancipating or breaking out from philosophy, and then marrying technology, and then marrying other social systems.From that point of view, materialism is a very convenient idea to propose. There were attempts, like the German idealists tried to do a more romantic science. But no, the idea prevailed, like Francis Bacon said: You should pursue nature through all her corners, he said, and make her spill her secrets.Our attitude towards nature in the science that dominates is very much reflecting how we treat nature in our society, in our culture, like a resource to extract secrets by force and then dominate it. How is materialism related to the notions of growth and progress? What's wrong with having a productive citizenry?This is another very interesting and very difficult question to answer.But there's this recent book coming out by Paul Kingsnorth. In it, he explains this idea of the machine and this idea of progress. And this, again, this conflation of more is better, of we need to go forward always, and convincing us that the way to do that is to continually extract more from nature. But because we don't have the religious context anymore, because God is dead, then what do we have? We have what we can do as humans with our own gadgets.It's kind of the story of the Promethean fire. We will just build anything to make ourselves God.A good example today is transhumanism. Transhumanism is this pseudo-religion dressed in technoscientific language whose goal is very religious. They promise immortality, they promise redemption, they promise transformation of the entire natural world, but it's done by human means through technology. Are you suggesting that we can't have ethics without religion?Well, we should have ethics with or without religion. That's another pruning that has happened in science. We say, forget about aesthetics, although some physicists still think that beautiful means probably true, and forget about politics. We pretend there's no backstage of science, and even let's forget about ethics.___Science needs to be in the service of mankind.___Scientists, when they become more like engineers, they're just thinking how to make things work so that they can go to the moon, go to Mars, make machines that think, but they don't think whether that's a good idea.And also consider metaphysics. Many scientists for a long time pretended, and maybe that comes from the stream of positivisms, that really one doesn't need metaphysics at all, except that materialism is always the metaphysics running the system.You see, it's not just ethics. It's the pruning of all of these, you could say, five main legs of philosophy that just makes a kind of unconscious science, a science that doesn't really know what it's doing. It's doing it very well locally, but it just doesn't know what it's doing globally. Do you think science has to have an ultimate vision and purpose behind it for it to be effective or for it to be meaningful and transformative?Yes, a way I would say that is that science needs to be in the service of mankind. And it hasn't been that. And we can see it through, you know, when we discovered the secrets of the atom, and all of a sudden, the Manhattan Project, and then we create nuclear weapons.And now we're trying to crack how machines may think, and now we're creating this mess, right? So science needs to be in service of mankind, not in service of a few ideas that maybe want to make more money or just dominate upon nature. What about planes, trains, automobiles, and modern medicine? Hasn't science served mankind by helping us develop those technologies?Yes and no. I see where you're going, and it's fair.I came here by plane, and it's a blessing. When I almost died, the surgeons did their job, and they saved my life. But these two forced choices between Luddites and Silicon Valley types, I think, of course, it's a false dichotomy.Progress, in a way, it's good, but we often don't speak about the dark side of the moon. We say the great things that progress has brought, and we don't speak about the disasters, the side effects that it has come with, and the same when we promise new technologies. We tend to think that any technology is great, that email is going to save us so much time because we don't need to write letters and send them anymore.Is that true? I spend so many hours a week writing emails. Let's just say there are great things about it and bad things about it. People like Harvard psychologist Steven Pinker, for example, argue that we've made moral progress over time because of the Enlightenment. Do you think that's totally wrong-headed?I think he's emphasizing a side of the moon, and he does that very well, and you can find tons of plots where there's a slope going up and say it's great. But I think he should also tell the not-so-friendly story.But if your ideology is just to resist and continue to explain that the Enlightenment is the best thing ever and reason is the best thing ever… this feels to me like you're worshipping these abstractions.I'm very critical of it and also of these, again, science communicators and scientists that say, Oh, science says, in the name of science, experts say. It's like, come on, let's be careful because we can shoot ourselves in the foot by putting forth to the people an image of science that we know is not really true. Recently there's been a resurgence of spirituality and of people who say that they're spiritual but not religious, especially in the United States. If materialism is going away, what is going to fill that gap? Are we going to return to traditional religion? Do you see that being connected with the rise of the political right?I'm not a fortune teller, so I don't know what's going to happen. But, yeah, we could say we're in this post-materialist age and even post-secular age. One cannot come back to the past, but maybe just to contact with the roots is a good idea.What do I mean by that? I think we need to do a science 2.0, a science that says thank you to Galileo and thank you to materialism, but we need to reinvent even a new kind of scientific method. We need to do so in a culture where we realize humans cannot thrive in a vacuum where there's this idea that the sacred has to be removed.Now, how do we do that without bringing in back all the vices of religion? I don't know. I'm from a Catholic country.Here we are in England, so there are differences and interreligious dialogue has always been a challenge. But I think maybe a way of putting it is: after all these conflicts and branchings I was quickly alluding to, science from philosophy and then also from religion, now there's a time of reconciliation perhaps and maybe debates in the proper sense, like exchange of ideas in service of learning and getting into something higher than both poles. We need science to talk to religious people and it's interesting when people say they're spiritual and not religious.I think this is just a way of saying, no, I don't want to go back, I want to go forward. But at the end of the day, religions have offered us practices and grounding that we now desperately need. Everybody can and should just meditate or pray or do whatever they want, but we're in a crisis and it's time for reconciliation. What do you say to critics that say you are merely projecting our need for meaning onto a fundamentally indifferent universe?Yeah, I know that the typical science communicator says something like this. But we're not projecting. Human beings feed on meaning.It's the other way around. If you're a materialist, because the only thing that there is is matter, all that comes next, free will, consciousness, meaning, this is a kind of illusion that we need to explain.They're just craving for meaning, but there isn't really for them. I would also like to remind my materialist friends that for decades, if not centuries, they've said in the name of science, we know that this and this and this doesn't really exist. I think now they sense they're forced to say, well, actually, we don't know. We've been saying, for instance, that there's nothing after you die, and now probably they need to admit that they don't know the answer.___We need to do a science 2.0, a science that says thank you to Galileo and thank you to materialism, but we need to reinvent even a new kind of scientific method.___So it's a moment to open up possibilities and also to gently but fiercely critique these claims that I think harm society. If you say in the name of science, get on with it, when your father dies, you'll never see him again. Well, what the F do you know about it? You haven't studied the literature, you haven't had any of those experiences, and basically what you're doing is you're just doing marketing on ideology. This needs to stop. Do you think that it's scarier for some people to entertain the thought that there might be life after death, compared to a materialist worldview where you just die, given that there might be consequences for unsavory behaviour?Well, death and dying is scary. It's maybe the ultimate ending. It's a limit on life, and when we're in this conquest mode, we don't like limits.And it also has, there's a shockwave backwards, so I think if you change your notion of what death is or may be, you live differently. It also has consequences, as you're saying, for the future because this is not our only goal here and we come back in whatever form. And again, different religions would say different things. I the East, they are more happy with the idea of reincarnation, and here in the West, there are other preferences. But in any case, it changes how we live, and that's really what matters.It's not about just projecting or imagining what we'll be after, but how we live now and also how we treat those who are dying. So it goes from the individual to the families, to the hospitals.Now in the near-death research I do, this has ramifications at all these levels, all the way to society.But our society is thanatophobic. It has a phobia of death. We don't want to hear about death, and this is another thing we need to put on the table and be willing to talk about it. Do you think that we might get closer to answering ultimate questions like why is there anything at all if we jettison materialism?That’s an excellent question, Simon. Two things: we should stop treating reality, I believe, as a great sudoku, as an enigma, as something that with intelligence, money, and time that we will crack and instead treat reality more like a mystery. And what you do for in front of a mystery is not to be the clever guy in a class and say “I’ll solve you” but more like “I will bow and you will transform me.”I know this sounds a bit like a scientist speaking like a mystic. But I think this reorientation is needed. In the end, we won’t crack the big questions, but they will transform us. If we free ourselves from this prison of materialism, the way we will explore these questions will be freer, more creative, and in service of mankind. Do you think exploring mystery is the reason why we are here?I think we are here because, and this pseudo-theological argument I’m making off the cuff, But the One, the Absolute, if there is such a thing, had everything except limitation. We are that absolute experiencing that contingency. It’s like an act of divine proprioception. It’s a wonderful adventure, it’s just incredible to be alive. Perhaps we have forgotten why we are here and the whole point is to experience the flesh.Let me end by saying this. I criticize materialism harshly. I bang on this dead horse, because I think it’s dead. But matter is a great mystery. So maybe my invitation is as follows: hey materialist friends, come here, let’s work on materialism 2.0! Consciousness is a mystery, but matter is also a mystery. The fact that we can have an intersubjective experience consensus, the fact that we can apply mathematics, that we can measure things... the physical world we take for granted, but it is a great mystery too.Maybe that’s related to your last question: why are we here? Why did spirit decide to incarnate? Being in the flesh may be a great thing if spirit decided to do so.Àlex Gómez-Marín, thank you very much.My pleasure.
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