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"NSF plans to claw back around US$500 million that has already been distributed to grant-making divisions. That money would be withdrawn from three of the NSF’s eight main areas, or directorates: engineering; computer and information science and engineering; and mathematical and physical science."

In a recent study, pupils using AI saw their average homework score rise by 18% across all subjects after six months. But come exam time, the same students scored 20% below their classmates who had not called on AI’s help. We analyse the data: bit.ly/4xQYpQt

Big Tech Wants to Harvest Your Thoughts. Silicon Valley companies are already working on neurotechnology products that track your brain activity. The next privacy frontier might be the things you only think. | WIRED www.wired.com/story/book-e...

“In mid-July, China introduced rules that require companies providing AI companion chatbots to disclose that users are speaking to a machine, provide reminders that they are not talking to a human, and intervene when conversations suggest self-harm.” www.independent.co.uk/tech/artific...

Well said, well said

"They Looked Like They Were Getting Rich on Polymarket—but None of It Was Real; The prediction market has flooded social media with deceptive videos by paid creators, according to a Wall Street Journal investigation." www.wsj.com/business/med...

Tell me again how Cövid is safe for kids ☠️☠️🤥 link.springer.com/article/10.1...

"At least 12 states break down program participation by age, and of the 1,670,011 people who are no longer receiving benefits in those states, 776,134, or 46%, were children." @nicolesantacruz.bsky.social reports for @propublica.org

Slop-O-Rama! "About 59% of TikTok videos served to a new account’s For You feed are AI slop, according to a report from Kapwing..." www.searchenginejournal.com/tiktok-shows...

Make some noise about this 🧪 www.npr.org/2026/06/03/n...

A decade ago, analysts were calling Spain a cautionary tale. Too much solar, too fast! Today, Spain is rapidly on its way to having the cheapest power in Europe. Maybe this time, solar naysayers will learn... haha, jk, they'll just move the goalposts.

Largely considered a problem of the past, prenatal alcohol exposure is still a leading driver of disability in the U.S. www.statnews.com/2026/05/19/d...

It’s May 19 and it’s already so hot here in the DC/northern VA area that heat orders have gone into effect "which means trains operate at a reduced speed for safety,” according to Virginia Rail Express.

“Concoct” is a good verb for AI

The world’s largest sand battery got through Finland’s harshest winter in years. 2,000 tonnes of sand, heated to 500-600°C by cheap power, feeding district heating in Pornainen. And it worked. Result from one install: oil down 100%, emissions down 70%. Industrial process heat is the real prize.

Discusses the Yale report on trust and the work Universities need to do.

A win for cycling tourism! In case you missed it, 𝗰𝘆𝗰𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗼𝘂𝗿𝗶𝘀𝗺 was recognised as a “strategic European sector” in a tourism report by the 𝗧𝗿𝗮𝗻𝘀𝗽𝗼𝗿𝘁 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗧𝗼𝘂𝗿𝗶𝘀𝗺 𝗖𝗼𝗺𝗺𝗶𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗲 (𝗧𝗥𝗔𝗡) of the European Parliament. 🔗Read more: www.ecf.com/en/news/cycl...

Cambodia is recognizing the life-saving contributions of a rat named Magawa with a statue. The late rat sniffed out landmines for a non-profit group, and in a short career helped find more than 100.

Now that the end of the world has been postponed for a fortnight, I can say that I‘ve received some nice bits of news about A Pox on Fools. I’ll start sharing tomorrow; I don’t think anyone (including me) is ready to switch gears that fast. For now, the usal: pre-orders are a book’s best friend.

Nine conservation centres should, in theory, offer hope for India’s decimated vulture population. 1843 reports how politics is complicating matters

Denmark didn’t “transition” its grid—it replaced it. ~15% → 92% renewable electricity in 25 years. Wind did the heavy lifting. Solar is scaling. Interconnection balanced. Flexibility solved variability. Wind built it. Solar is scaling. Fossil lost it. This IS system replacement. ⚡#Bettrification

Fantastic. Great decision by @prospect.org to remove programmatic ads. I hope the experiment is a huge success (and we can help make it so by reading & subscribing & sharing) prospect.org/2026/04/06/w...

Whoa 🤯 The Moon, in full eclipse, with the #Artemis II Orion spacecraft. Part of the Moon and spacecraft are lit by Earthshine, and both Saturn and Mars are visible to the lower right. Incredible. Details: images.nasa.gov/details/art0...

"The laws of war forbid the deliberate destruction of civilian infrastructure as a means of coercing a government." www.nytimes.com/2026/04/07/u...

We need more American leaders to speak with this moral clarity, not violent and dangerous threats.

Some thoughts on Artemis II www.economist.com/leaders/2026...

During the 2024–25 season, three-fourths of health care workers received a flu vaccine, while only about 40% got a COVID shot. Read more: ow.ly/L1nm50YCYVO

Read-the-room learning

My USDA-Forest Service-funded project with scientists there was about water in the western United States. I guess that’s not a concern anymore.

Bacteria have been fighting off viruses using a huge arsenal of molecular weaponry that scientists did not know about — until now. Researchers have identified proteins that could lead to virus-fighting drugs and technologies. go.nature.com/4dqQnXI

Analysis published today by the UK Climate Change Committee shows that decarbonising the UK by 2050 would cost less than than keeping the system as is if just one 2022 style price shock happened again. This analysis took place before the current price shock by the way.

Cognitive manipulation and AI will shape disinformation in 2026. Here's how to build resilience www.weforum.org/stories/2026...

Four million articles are now downloaded from bioRxiv every month, according to an analysis of the life-science preprint server’s first 13 years of existence go.nature.com/3Px4xMF

LiveNation head of ticketing, talking internally about their fees. “These people are so stupid. I almost feel bad taking advantage of them,” Baker wrote, adding later, “I gouge them on ancil prices...Robbing them blind, baby,” he said, “that’s how we do it.”" news.bloomberglaw.com/product/blaw...

FDA vaccine committee is meeting as we speak to select viral strains for fall flu shots. Everyone is a respected scientist. There are evidence-based presentations. We're an hour ahead of schedule. It's all so...normal. Quite the change of pace. #VRBPAC www.cidrap.umn.edu/influenza-va...

The 2026 National Science Foundation budget is $8.75 Billion.

It is remarkable how much clearer the air is in Silicon Valley than it was ten years ago. Electric cars have made a huge difference www.theguardian.com/environment/...

Talking to Parents About Vaccines, Pediatricians Navigate a Sea of Misinformation www.nytimes.com/2026/03/11/h... "Logic is no longer part of the discussion. It’s just kind of based on a feeling." “It’s just a really a sad & stressful time for pediatricians. I really worry about us as a field...”

World marks 150 years since first-ever phone call

Steve Emt and Laura Dwyer represent the U.S. in the Paralympics' new mixed doubles wheelchair curling event. They could bring home Team USA's first wheelchair curling medal ever. n.pr/4ljaCZ0

Faculty put up such a front against MOOCS — compared to AI? Am I just not seeing it?

Great interview and topic, lots to think on

Nature Report, Killed by Trump, Is Released Independently. A draft assessment of the health of nature in the United States is grim but shot through with bright spots and possibility. www.nytimes.com/2026/03/05/c...

talkingpointsmemo.com/news/as-the-...

I just had a conversation with an expert on shipping and the Strait of Hormuz that brought into sharp relief just how completely messed up that situation is. Y'all, 20% of the world's oil / natural gas, plus 15% of all container shipping passes through there, and almost no ships are now transiting

CIDRAP’s Vaccine Integrity Project launches an independent review of Tdap vaccine in pregnancy that will: -Be independent & transparent -Assess possible safety outcomes/effectiveness data -Answer policy questions developed w/ medical professional societies Full press release: ow.ly/Q2w250YpheT

During the Renaissance, people in Venice would vote by dropping little balls into an urn. The Italian word for “little ball” is ‘ballotta.’ Now any kind of secret voting, by ball, piece of paper, or voting machine, is called a ‘ballot.’

Oops! It’s March 1st. Isn’t this your April 1st post?

It’s legitimate to want a regime dismantled after decades of terror, regional destabilization, and repression. But that urgency doesn’t erase constitutional limits—or the need for strategy over impulse. The rule of law isn’t a barrier to security. It’s the only durable way to achieve it.