ERA

Feb 25 2026POLITICS

Casey Means’s Surgeon General Bid: A Wellness Twist on Public Health

Dr. Casey Means, a 38‑year‑old wellness star who runs her own health app and books, will appear before the Senate Health Committee to try for the Surgeon General slot. The hearing was pushed back from October after she went into labor on the day of her original appointment. Means says she wants to

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Feb 25 2026POLITICS

A New Surgeon General on the Horizon

The Senate health committee will hear from Dr. Casey Means, a 38‑year‑old wellness advocate, on Wednesday as she seeks the top public health post in Washington. The meeting was pushed back from last October after Means unexpectedly went into labor the day she was scheduled to appear. During her t

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Feb 25 2026HEALTH

Art as Medicine: How Creative Touch Can Heal

A scientist in London began to notice that patients who watched shows or listened to music felt better, even when they didn’t need painkillers or could not remember names. This sparked a long career that mixed music, psychology and biology to prove that art can lower stress hormones, reduce inflamm

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Feb 24 2026SCIENCE

Old Microplastics Meet Smart Surfaces

Microplastic pieces that have lived in the environment for years are hard to clean up. Scientists want to know how these tiny particles stick or slip off engineered materials. They studied polystyrene microplastics that had aged in water and tested how they interact with surfaces coated with special

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Feb 24 2026TECHNOLOGY

Hidden Bias in AI Advice: How Clicks Can Steer Your Choices

Artificial‑intelligence helpers are useful for quick answers, from picking software to diagnosing aches. Yet a new form of cyber trickery can sway those same tools toward biased suggestions. Researchers at Microsoft Security discovered that when users click a “summarize with AI” button on certain s

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Feb 24 2026POLITICS

A Power Player Behind the Scenes

Stephen Miller is often seen as a tough voice in immigration, but his role stretches far beyond that. He works with many parts of the government at once, from fixing city fountains to tackling drug cartels. On a typical day he meets with top officials to decide on everything from homeland security t

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Feb 23 2026POLITICS

Education Dept. Outsources Jobs to State and Health Agencies

The U. S. Department of Education has begun handing over parts of its work to other federal bodies, a move that aims to reduce the size and reach of the education agency. Two new agreements were announced, each giving a different department specific duties that used to belong to Education. One part

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Feb 23 2026EDUCATION

Small School, Big Impact

A new learning hub is opening its doors for kids in Ogle and Lee counties who need a different classroom vibe. The place is called the Chana Education Center, and it’s built to help students who face anxiety, trauma, or learning differences thrive. Instead of a huge lecture hall, Chana offers a t

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Feb 23 2026BUSINESS

New Partners Hunt Breakthroughs for Kids With Rare Brain Disorders

Angelini Pharma and Quiver Bioscience have joined forces to look for new medicines that could help children suffering from hard‑to‑treat genetic epilepsies. The deal gives Quiver a chance to use Angelini’s long experience in brain drugs while Angelini gains access to Quiver’s cutting‑edge AI tools a

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Feb 23 2026TECHNOLOGY

No Crypto Talk in the OpenClaw Discord

Peter Steinberger, who created the AI agent tool OpenClaw, decided to ban any mention of Bitcoin or other cryptocurrencies from his community chat. The rule was announced after a user reported being blocked from the Discord server for discussing crypto topics. Steinberger reminded members that they

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