California is in the midst of a tough battle against COVID-19, with infection and death rates soaring. To fight back, researchers are studying four vaccines: Pfizer, Moderna, AstraZeneca, and Johnson & Johnson. The goal? To find out which one can help end the pandemic the fastest. If everyone gets v
Imagine this: the U. S. could soon reduce its funding for Ukraine, leaving Europe to potentially fill the gap. This scenario has become more likely since the election results, where Donald Trump and the Republican party took control. Trump has suggested that U. S. aid to Ukraine might decrease, whic
Imagine a hidden battle playing out in the rivers of Curitiba, Brazil. The culprits? Three drugs—azithromycin, ivermectin, and hydroxychloroquine—used widely during the COVID-19 pandemic. Scientists dove into this issue, finding alarming levels of these medicines in both water and sediment from urba
The Heliophila plant family, with over 100 species, is the most diverse in the Brassicaceae lineage. It's mostly found in southern Africa, near two biodiversity hotspots. A close relative, Chamira, has a unique trait: it keeps its seed leaves. Researchers found a big genome change, like a duplicatio
Vermont, a state known for its liberal leanings, saw an unexpected shake-up during the recent election. While the state overwhelmingly supported Vice President Kamala Harris over Donald J. Trump, a surprising number of Democratic state lawmakers were ousted. This upset left Vermont without its previ
Apple CEO Tim Cook is set to break bread with President Donald Trump at the luxurious Mar-a-Lago resort. This is the first time they'll meet since Trump's re-election. The two have had a pretty cozy relationship, unlike Trump's chilly dealings with other tech bigwigs like Meta's Mark Zuckerberg and
Our bodies have an in-built timekeeper, called the circadian rhythm, that keeps many functions running smoothly. When this rhythm gets disrupted, it can cause health problems. Modern life, with its long indoor hours and irregular schedules, can throw off this rhythm. Besides personal habits, environ
You know how rivers are like veins, carrying water from one place to another? Well, dissolved inorganic carbon, or DIC, is a crucial part of this watery journey. DIC is basically carbon that's dissolved in water, and it plays a big role in the carbon cycle. Scientists studied two rivers in a big cit
Ever wondered how the data used to train large language models (LLMs) affects their ability to understand new information? Turns out, it's a big deal! The variety and mix of this data can make or break an LLM's performance. Currently, many LLMs rely on guesswork and trial and error to tweak how much
The Supreme Court has agreed to take on a big case about religion and taxes. The question is whether places like Catholic Charities should be exempt from state unemployment taxes because of their religious ties. Catholic Charities says it should be exempt, but Wisconsin's highest court disagrees. Th
