Alaska’s rich and dynamic ecosystems draw scientists from around the world. But for the people who live here—many of whom have deep cultural, historical, and personal connections to the land and sea—it’s especially important that scientific research feels local, accessible, and relevant.
As part of the deep-sea research and exploration cruise in the Aleutian Arc, the expedition team, including scientists from the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM), the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), and the Smithsonian Institute (SI) partnered with local organizations to host a series of community engagement events in Unalaska. These events provided a chance to connect with residents, share deep-sea research, and celebrate the incredible biodiversity and geology of this region. Here’s a look at some of the highlights:
Ship Tours of the R/VAtlantis
Community members—including representatives from the Qawalangin Tribe of Unalaska, the Museum of the Aleutians, Unalaska City Council, local students, and other organizations—toured the 274-foot research vessel Atlantis. One of the biggest highlights? Seeing the deep-diving submersible HOV Alvin in person!
Dive into Tidepools – Museum of the Aleutians
Christina Bonsell, marine ecologist with BOEM, had the pleasure of leading this hands-on event at the Museum of the Aleutians, where visitors of all ages got an up-close look at the incredible marine life found right in their own backyard. From sea stars to anemones, attendees explored tidepool creatures and learned about local biodiversity through interactive touch tanks and engaging conversations about life in the nearshore ocean.
“Exploring the Deep Sea: Hidden Habitats, Volcanoes, and More!” – Public Talk at the Unalaska Library
Scientists from the expedition team—including Bonsell, Cathleen Yung (NOAA), Ashton Flinders (USGS), Katlin Bowman Adamczyk (USGS), and Stephanie Bush (SI)—gave a public presentation at the library, sharing the goals and the exciting science behind the 2025 Aleutian Arc Expedition.
Ocean Discovery Day – Hands-on Science with Local Students
In partnership with the Qawalangin Tribe of Unalaska and the Museum of the Aleutians, the science team hosted a day of hands-on activities that brought deep sea science to life for local students:
Deep Sea Biodiversity: Students learned how scientists use Alvin to explore life in the deep sea, led by Rhian Waller (Gothenburg University) and Lauren Rice (Florida State University).
Traditional Boatbuilding: Keegan Salners, Matt Tutiakoff, and Anfesia Tutiakoff of the Qawalangin Tribe introduced students to iqyax (Aleutian kayak) design—and the students even built their own boats!
Volcanoes and Earthquakes: Ashton Flinders (USGS) got students moving and learning as they became “earthquake-makers” and explored seismic waveforms.
Archaeological Discoveries: Thomas McLenigan from the Museum of the Aleutians guided students through sorting fish, bird, and mammal bones from ancient midden material to reveal clues about past ecosystems.
Deep Sea Pressure: Shannon Cofield (BOEM) explained the effects of deep-sea pressure, and students decorated foam cups that will travel to the ocean depths and shrink to amusingly-small size.
Community Science and Ecosystem Knowledge: Shanoy Anderson from the Qawalangin Tribe led a discussion on local ecosystem observations and how to share them using the Local Environmental Observer (LEO) Network.
Students sort animal bones from ancient midden material in a hands-on archaeological activity during the Ocean Discovery Day. Image courtesy of The Aleutian Arc: Integrated Exploration of Biodiversity at Priority Benthic Habitats. Photographer: Art Howard.
It was an honor to collaborate with dedicated local partners and organizations to make this action-packed week of activities a success. These events offered an incredible opportunity to share our science, inspire curiosity, and build lasting connections with the community.
We can’t wait to share the discoveries we make as this deep-sea expedition unfolds.
Members of the local community including representatives from the Qawalangin Tribe of Unalaska, the Museum of the Aleutians, Unalaska City Council, local students, and other organizations had the chance to tour the research vessel Atlantis (Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution) in Dutch Harbor, Unalaska. Image courtesy of The Aleutian Arc: Integrated Exploration of Biodiversity at Priority Benthic Habitats. Photographer: Art Howard.
ROCHESTER, N.Y., June 18, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — American Power Company (APC), a pioneer in AI-driven battery manufacturing optimization, has been awarded a $100,000 SuperBoost grant from the National Science Foundation Energy Storage Engine in Upstate New York. The funding will accelerate the development of APC’s AI-powered cell formation optimization model, designed to improve lithium-ion battery performance, reduce production time and lower manufacturing costs.
The formation cycling process — the precise charge-discharge sequence that activates a newly assembled battery — plays a crucial role in determining a battery’s efficiency, longevity and energy density. However, current methods remain slow and costly. APC’s project will integrate artificial intelligence and active learning techniques to refine this process, offering a pathway to faster, more cost-effective and higher-performing battery production.
The ability to optimize battery formation cycling has broad implications for the energy storage sector. By reducing the formation cycle time from multiple days to just hours, APC’s AI-driven solution could significantly cut production costs and enable faster scaling of lithium-ion gigafactories worldwide. With an initial focus on lithium iron phosphate (LFP) pouch cells, the project will use the RIT Battery Development Center to conduct experimental validation and process refinement.
“Battery cell formation is a well-known bottleneck in lithium-ion cell production,” said Lincoln Miara, CTO of American Power Company. “Our AI-driven approach has the potential to drastically reduce cycle times while enhancing battery quality. With the support of the NSF Energy Storage Engine in Upstate New York, we’re developing a scalable solution that will optimize global battery production.”
The SuperBoost program, a core initiative of the Energy Storage Engine, is designed to fast-track the commercialization of transformative battery technologies. By reducing the time-to-market from over five years to under two years, the program connects startups with funding, infrastructure and industry partnerships to support rapid technology deployment.
SuperBoost funding has already accelerated numerous groundbreaking projects, and AI-driven manufacturing is a particularly critical area of focus as the industry looks to scale battery production efficiently.
Fernando Gómez-Baquero, translation pillar director for the NSF Energy Storage Engine in Upstate New York, emphasized that APC’s innovation aligns directly with the Engine’s mission to enhance U.S. battery manufacturing capabilities. “The SuperBoost program is about advancing technologies that make energy storage manufacturing more efficient, scalable and cost-effective. American Power Company’s AI-powered approach to formation cycling will help streamline production while improving battery performance, a critical step in strengthening U.S. battery supply chains.”
Bridging the gap between laboratory research and commercial-scale production is a defining goal of the Engine’s strategy. Meera Sampath, CEO of the NSF Energy Storage Engine in Upstate New York, noted the broader industry impact of AI-driven innovation in battery production. “This is exactly the type of technology needed to advance the next generation of lithium-ion battery production,” she said. “By supporting innovations in AI-driven manufacturing, we are helping companies like APC optimize production workflows and accelerate the adoption of cutting-edge battery solutions.”
With this funding, American Power Company is set to refine its AI-driven formation model, pilot real-world applications, and bring a next-generation battery manufacturing optimization tool to market. The project aligns with the Engine’s broader mission to position upstate New York as a global leader in battery technology, manufacturing, and commercialization.
AboutAmericanPowerCompany
American Power Company is revolutionizing lithium-ion battery manufacturing with AI- powered optimization models that enhance energy efficiency, reduce production costs, and improve battery performance. By leveraging machine learning and experimental validation, APC develops advanced manufacturing solutions that drive innovation in the EV, energy storage and consumer electronics sectors. Learn more at www.americanpower.ai.
About the NSF Energy Storage Engine in Upstate New York
The NSF Energy Storage Engine in Upstate New York, led by Binghamton University, is a National Science Foundation-funded, place-based innovation program. The coalition of 40+ academic, industry, nonprofit, state, and community organizations includes Cornell University, Rochester Institute of Technology, Syracuse University, Griffiss Institute, Launch-NY and NY-BEST as core partners. The Engine advances next-gen battery technology development and manufacturing to drive economic growth and bolster national security. Its vision is to transform upstate New York into America’s Battery Capital.
ROCHESTER, N.Y., June 18, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — American Power Company (APC), a pioneer in AI-driven battery manufacturing optimization, has been awarded a $100,000 SuperBoost grant from the National Science Foundation Energy Storage Engine in Upstate New York. The funding will accelerate the development of APC’s AI-powered cell formation optimization model, designed to improve lithium-ion battery performance, reduce production time and lower manufacturing costs.
The formation cycling process — the precise charge-discharge sequence that activates a newly assembled battery — plays a crucial role in determining a battery’s efficiency, longevity and energy density. However, current methods remain slow and costly. APC’s project will integrate artificial intelligence and active learning techniques to refine this process, offering a pathway to faster, more cost-effective and higher-performing battery production.
The ability to optimize battery formation cycling has broad implications for the energy storage sector. By reducing the formation cycle time from multiple days to just hours, APC’s AI-driven solution could significantly cut production costs and enable faster scaling of lithium-ion gigafactories worldwide. With an initial focus on lithium iron phosphate (LFP) pouch cells, the project will use the RIT Battery Development Center to conduct experimental validation and process refinement.
“Battery cell formation is a well-known bottleneck in lithium-ion cell production,” said Lincoln Miara, CTO of American Power Company. “Our AI-driven approach has the potential to drastically reduce cycle times while enhancing battery quality. With the support of the NSF Energy Storage Engine in Upstate New York, we’re developing a scalable solution that will optimize global battery production.”
The SuperBoost program, a core initiative of the Energy Storage Engine, is designed to fast-track the commercialization of transformative battery technologies. By reducing the time-to-market from over five years to under two years, the program connects startups with funding, infrastructure and industry partnerships to support rapid technology deployment.
SuperBoost funding has already accelerated numerous groundbreaking projects, and AI-driven manufacturing is a particularly critical area of focus as the industry looks to scale battery production efficiently.
Fernando Gómez-Baquero, translation pillar director for the NSF Energy Storage Engine in Upstate New York, emphasized that APC’s innovation aligns directly with the Engine’s mission to enhance U.S. battery manufacturing capabilities. “The SuperBoost program is about advancing technologies that make energy storage manufacturing more efficient, scalable and cost-effective. American Power Company’s AI-powered approach to formation cycling will help streamline production while improving battery performance, a critical step in strengthening U.S. battery supply chains.”
Bridging the gap between laboratory research and commercial-scale production is a defining goal of the Engine’s strategy. Meera Sampath, CEO of the NSF Energy Storage Engine in Upstate New York, noted the broader industry impact of AI-driven innovation in battery production. “This is exactly the type of technology needed to advance the next generation of lithium-ion battery production,” she said. “By supporting innovations in AI-driven manufacturing, we are helping companies like APC optimize production workflows and accelerate the adoption of cutting-edge battery solutions.”
With this funding, American Power Company is set to refine its AI-driven formation model, pilot real-world applications, and bring a next-generation battery manufacturing optimization tool to market. The project aligns with the Engine’s broader mission to position upstate New York as a global leader in battery technology, manufacturing, and commercialization.
AboutAmericanPowerCompany
American Power Company is revolutionizing lithium-ion battery manufacturing with AI- powered optimization models that enhance energy efficiency, reduce production costs, and improve battery performance. By leveraging machine learning and experimental validation, APC develops advanced manufacturing solutions that drive innovation in the EV, energy storage and consumer electronics sectors. Learn more at www.americanpower.ai.
About the NSF Energy Storage Engine in Upstate New York
The NSF Energy Storage Engine in Upstate New York, led by Binghamton University, is a National Science Foundation-funded, place-based innovation program. The coalition of 40+ academic, industry, nonprofit, state, and community organizations includes Cornell University, Rochester Institute of Technology, Syracuse University, Griffiss Institute, Launch-NY and NY-BEST as core partners. The Engine advances next-gen battery technology development and manufacturing to drive economic growth and bolster national security. Its vision is to transform upstate New York into America’s Battery Capital.
Humanitarian needs are rising around the world. At the same time, major donors such as the US and the UK are pulling back support, placing increasing strain on already overstretched aid systems.
Global humanitarian needs have quadrupled since 2015, driven by new conflicts in Sudan, Ukraine and Gaza. Added to these are protracted crises in Yemen, Somalia, South Sudan, and DR Congo, among others. Yet donor funding has failed to keep pace, covering less than half of the requested US$50 billion in 2024, leaving millions without assistance.
As funding shortfalls widen, humanitarian agencies increasingly face tough choices: reducing the scale of operations, pausing essential services, or cancelling programmes altogether. Disruptions to aid delivery have become a routine feature of humanitarian operations.
Yet few rigorous studies have provided hard evidence of the consequences for affected populations.
A recent study from one of the world’s largest refugee camps in Kenya fills this gap.
Our research team from the University of Oxford and the University of Antwerp was already studying Kakuma camp and then had an opportunity to see what happened when aid was cut. We observed the impact of a 20% aid cut that occurred in 2023.
The study reveals that cuts to humanitarian assistance had dramatic impacts on hunger and psychological distress, with cascading effects on local credit systems and prices of goods.
Kakuma refugee camp
Kakuma is home to more than 300,000 refugees, who mostly came from South Sudan (49%), Somalia (16%), and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) (10%). They have been housed here since 1992. With widespread poverty, lack of income opportunities, and aid making up over 90% of household income, survival in the camp hinges on humanitarian support from UN organisations.
When the research began in late 2022, most refugees in Kakuma received a combination of in-kind and cash transfers from the World Food Programme. Transfers were worth US$17 per person per month, barely enough to cover the bare essentials: food, firewood and medicine.
Over the span of a year, the research team tracked 622 South Sudanese refugee households, interviewing them monthly to monitor how their living conditions evolved in response to the timing and level of aid they received. We also gathered weekly price data on 70 essential goods and conducted more than 250 in-depth interviews with refugees, shopkeepers, and humanitarian staff to understand the broader impacts.
Then came the cut. In July 2023, assistance was reduced by 20%, just as the research team was conducting its eighth round of data collection. This sudden reduction in humanitarian aid created a rare opportunity to assess the effects of an aid cut on both recipients and the markets they depend on.
Consequences of aid cut
The 20% cut in humanitarian aid had cascading effects, affecting not just hunger, but local credit systems, prices, and well-being.
1. Hunger got worse. As a Somali refugee interviewed by the researchers put it: “After the aid reduction, the lives of refugees become hard. That was the money sustaining them. […] Things are insufficient, and hunger is visible.”
Food insecurity was already widespread before the cut, with more than 90% of refugees classified as food insecure. Average caloric intake stood below 1,900 kcal per person per day – well under the World Food Programme’s 2,100 kcal target and about half the average daily calorie supply available to a US citizen.
Food insecurity further increased following the aid cut, with caloric intake falling by 145 kcal, a 7% decrease. The share of households eating one meal or less increased by 8 percentage points, from about 29% to 37%. At the same time, dietary diversity narrowed, indicating that households tried to mitigate the negative impacts of the aid cut by reducing the variety of foods they consumed.
2. Credit collapsed. As a refugee shopkeeper of Ethiopian origin reported: “When we give out credit we have a limit; since the aid is reduced, the credit is also reduced.”
Cash assistance in Kakuma is delivered through aid cards, which refugees routinely use as collateral to access food on credit. When transfers are delayed or unexpected expenses arise, refugees hand over their aid cards as a guarantee to trusted shopkeepers, allowing them to borrow food against next month’s aid.
But when assistance was cut, the value of this informal collateral plummeted. Retailers, fearing default, reduced lending or refused lending altogether. Informal credit from shopkeepers shrank by 9%. Many refugees reported being refused food on credit or having to repay past debt before receiving any new goods.
3. Households liquidated assets. With no access to credit, households began selling off possessions and drawing down food reserves. The average value of household assets fell by over 6% after the aid cut.
4. Psychological distress increased. The aid cut reduced self-reported sleep quality and happiness, indicating that reductions in aid go beyond physical impacts and also have psychological effects.
5. Prices fell. With reduced expenditure and purchasing power, the demand for food dropped, and food prices went down, partially offsetting the negative effects of the aid cut.
First, aid in contexts like Kakuma should not be treated as optional or discretionary, but as a structural necessity. It is the backbone of daily life. Mechanisms are needed to protect it from abrupt donor withdrawals.
Second, informal credit is not peripheral, it is central to economic life in refugee settings. In many camps, shopkeepers act as retailers and de facto financial institutions. When aid transfers serve as both income and collateral, cutting them risks collapsing this fragile credit system. Cash transfer programmes must therefore be designed with these dynamics in mind.
Olivier Sterck receives research funding from the IKEA Foundation, the World Bank, and The Research Foundation – Flanders (FWO).
Vittorio Bruni is affiliated with Oxford University
Humanitarian needs are rising around the world. At the same time, major donors such as the US and the UK are pulling back support, placing increasing strain on already overstretched aid systems.
Global humanitarian needs have quadrupled since 2015, driven by new conflicts in Sudan, Ukraine and Gaza. Added to these are protracted crises in Yemen, Somalia, South Sudan, and DR Congo, among others. Yet donor funding has failed to keep pace, covering less than half of the requested US$50 billion in 2024, leaving millions without assistance.
As funding shortfalls widen, humanitarian agencies increasingly face tough choices: reducing the scale of operations, pausing essential services, or cancelling programmes altogether. Disruptions to aid delivery have become a routine feature of humanitarian operations.
Yet few rigorous studies have provided hard evidence of the consequences for affected populations.
A recent study from one of the world’s largest refugee camps in Kenya fills this gap.
Our research team from the University of Oxford and the University of Antwerp was already studying Kakuma camp and then had an opportunity to see what happened when aid was cut. We observed the impact of a 20% aid cut that occurred in 2023.
The study reveals that cuts to humanitarian assistance had dramatic impacts on hunger and psychological distress, with cascading effects on local credit systems and prices of goods.
Kakuma refugee camp
Kakuma is home to more than 300,000 refugees, who mostly came from South Sudan (49%), Somalia (16%), and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) (10%). They have been housed here since 1992. With widespread poverty, lack of income opportunities, and aid making up over 90% of household income, survival in the camp hinges on humanitarian support from UN organisations.
When the research began in late 2022, most refugees in Kakuma received a combination of in-kind and cash transfers from the World Food Programme. Transfers were worth US$17 per person per month, barely enough to cover the bare essentials: food, firewood and medicine.
Over the span of a year, the research team tracked 622 South Sudanese refugee households, interviewing them monthly to monitor how their living conditions evolved in response to the timing and level of aid they received. We also gathered weekly price data on 70 essential goods and conducted more than 250 in-depth interviews with refugees, shopkeepers, and humanitarian staff to understand the broader impacts.
Then came the cut. In July 2023, assistance was reduced by 20%, just as the research team was conducting its eighth round of data collection. This sudden reduction in humanitarian aid created a rare opportunity to assess the effects of an aid cut on both recipients and the markets they depend on.
Consequences of aid cut
The 20% cut in humanitarian aid had cascading effects, affecting not just hunger, but local credit systems, prices, and well-being.
1. Hunger got worse. As a Somali refugee interviewed by the researchers put it: “After the aid reduction, the lives of refugees become hard. That was the money sustaining them. […] Things are insufficient, and hunger is visible.”
Food insecurity was already widespread before the cut, with more than 90% of refugees classified as food insecure. Average caloric intake stood below 1,900 kcal per person per day – well under the World Food Programme’s 2,100 kcal target and about half the average daily calorie supply available to a US citizen.
Food insecurity further increased following the aid cut, with caloric intake falling by 145 kcal, a 7% decrease. The share of households eating one meal or less increased by 8 percentage points, from about 29% to 37%. At the same time, dietary diversity narrowed, indicating that households tried to mitigate the negative impacts of the aid cut by reducing the variety of foods they consumed.
2. Credit collapsed. As a refugee shopkeeper of Ethiopian origin reported: “When we give out credit we have a limit; since the aid is reduced, the credit is also reduced.”
Cash assistance in Kakuma is delivered through aid cards, which refugees routinely use as collateral to access food on credit. When transfers are delayed or unexpected expenses arise, refugees hand over their aid cards as a guarantee to trusted shopkeepers, allowing them to borrow food against next month’s aid.
But when assistance was cut, the value of this informal collateral plummeted. Retailers, fearing default, reduced lending or refused lending altogether. Informal credit from shopkeepers shrank by 9%. Many refugees reported being refused food on credit or having to repay past debt before receiving any new goods.
3. Households liquidated assets. With no access to credit, households began selling off possessions and drawing down food reserves. The average value of household assets fell by over 6% after the aid cut.
4. Psychological distress increased. The aid cut reduced self-reported sleep quality and happiness, indicating that reductions in aid go beyond physical impacts and also have psychological effects.
5. Prices fell. With reduced expenditure and purchasing power, the demand for food dropped, and food prices went down, partially offsetting the negative effects of the aid cut.
First, aid in contexts like Kakuma should not be treated as optional or discretionary, but as a structural necessity. It is the backbone of daily life. Mechanisms are needed to protect it from abrupt donor withdrawals.
Second, informal credit is not peripheral, it is central to economic life in refugee settings. In many camps, shopkeepers act as retailers and de facto financial institutions. When aid transfers serve as both income and collateral, cutting them risks collapsing this fragile credit system. Cash transfer programmes must therefore be designed with these dynamics in mind.
– What happens when aid is cut to a large refugee camp? Kenyan study paints a bleak picture – https://theconversation.com/what-happens-when-aid-is-cut-to-a-large-refugee-camp-kenyan-study-paints-a-bleak-picture-259055
Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments
An observational study published in JAMA looks at addictive screen use, suicidal behaviours and mental health in adolescents.
Dr Amy Orben, Programme Leader Track Scientist at the MRC Cognition and Brain Sciences Unit, University of Cambridge, said:
“The study suggests that poor mental health in young people is not directly linked to how much time they spend using technologies like social media. Instead, those who increasingly feel they use technologies compulsively, use them to avoid their problems, or feel their use is harming their lives (e.g., schoolwork) are more likely to report mental health issues or suicidal thoughts later on. The study cannot prove that technologies use causes these problems, and it could be that other unmeasured factors, such as young people’s ability to self-control, is the root cause for both higher reported problems with technology use and lower mental health. Yet the study importantly highlights that why and how young people use technologies, and how they feel technologies affect their lives, may matter more to their mental health than the time spent online. As those reporting such issues are not a small proportion of the population, supporting them should be taken seriously.”
Prof Lisa Henderson, Head of Department of Psychology, University of York, said:
“This paper is critical and timely, contributing a much-needed large-scale longitudinal analysis to the debate on digital harms in young people. The data points span a relatively recent period (2016-22), relatively more representative of the current digital landscape than many existing longitudinal datasets and meta-analyses. The authors adopt an innovative, fine-grained measurement approach, going beyond simple screen time metrics (which incidentally did not correlate with the mental health outcome measures) to model trajectories of additive use via latent class linear mixed models, separately for gaming, social media and phone use. The latter is particularly crucial, with existing evidence suggesting that the type (not just the amount) of digital activity is important when considering risks for mental health. The findings are alarming, showing that 1 in 2 had a high addictive use trajectory for video games, 1 in 3 for social media and 1 in 4 for mobile phone use, although some caution should be taken in extrapolating these findings to now given this study spanned the pandemic. We also need to determine the neurobiological and psychological mechanisms that underlie the relationships between addictive use and mental health outcomes. For example, converging evidence suggests that sleep disturbance may be a mediating mechanism here. Relatedly, this study did not directly address bidirectionality – that young people at greater risk of mental health problems may be more likely to turn to digital activities such as video gaming and social media, with this in turn feeding a further downward spiral in mental health. Finally, despite the innovative approach to characterising screen time, the study is nevertheless limited by a reliance on self-report measures which are prone to subjectivity and bias.”
Prof Chris Ferguson, Professor of Psychology, Stetson University, said:
“There are two take aways from this study. One is that time spent on screens does not predict mental health. The second is that for some kids overusing screens can be a red flag for other problems. It would be a mistake to think that removing screens would solve those problems…this study doesn’t show that. However, screen overuse can be a sign that kids are stressed in other areas. Other studies suggest this typically comes from schools and families not the screens themselves.”
‘Addictive Screen Use Trajectories and Suicidal Behaviors, Suicidal Ideation, and Mental Health in US Youths’ by first author et al. was published in JAMA at 16:00 UK time on Wednesday 18th June.
DOI: 10.1001/jama.2025.7829
Declaredinterests
Dr Amy Orben: “In the past 36 months, AO has received funding from the Jacobs Foundation, UK Research and Innovation (incl. Medical Research Council, Economic and Social Research Council and Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council), the UK Department for Science, Innovation and Technology, National Institute of Health, University of Cambridge, Emmanuel College of the University of Cambridge and the Livelihood Impact Fund. She was an unpaid member of the ESRC Smart Data Research UK Programme Board, British Academy Public Policy Committee, UK Department for Education Science Advisory Council, UK Department for Science, Innovation and Technology and UK Department for Culture, Media and Sport College of Experts, Australian eSafety Commissioner Social Media Minimum Age Evaluation Academic Advisory Group, and a paid member of the Digital Futures for Children Centre Advisory Board. She has received payment for lectures from SWGfL and Apple University; she also received consulting fees from Innovate UK through Opalescent LTD.”
Prof Lisa Henderson: I have no conflicts of interest to declare.
Source: Moscow Government – Government of Moscow –
A “University of Entrepreneurs” will appear in Moscow. It will start working on September 1, 2025. This is a joint project Department of Entrepreneurship and Innovative Development of the City of Moscow, the Agency for Strategic Initiatives (ASI) and the ANO “Human Capital Development”. The key element in it will be workshops of famous Russian businessmen, where they, using scientific developments and the infrastructure of partner universities, will work together with students and research staff to create new business projects.
During the session “Interaction of Science, Business and the State as the Basis of Russia’s Technological Sovereignty” held on June 18 at the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum, organized by the Moscow Government and ASI, experts discussed how to translate scientific knowledge and university research into working business products and what models of interaction between all parties – the state, the business sector and universities – allow this to be done effectively.
Leading representatives of business, science and government took part in the dialogue. Among them was the head of the Department of Entrepreneurship and Innovative Development of the City of Moscow Kristina Kostroma, General Director of the ANO “University of Entrepreneurs” Grigory Gorchakov, Rector of the Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology Dmitry Livanov and others.
“The potential of modern universities allows them to become full-fledged participants in the innovative transformation that our country is actively experiencing today. Thanks to research and high-tech projects, universities are becoming centers for generating ideas and innovative solutions. The University of Entrepreneurs, which is based on the symbiosis of business and science, will allow fundamental projects to quickly find application in the real sector of the economy, creating an opportunity for the formation of start-ups and the commercialization of scientific developments,” noted Kristina Kostroma.
The experts also discussed the development strategy and the plan for implementing the university’s program for 2025. The main focus was on approaches to overcoming the difficulties of coordination between universities, the scientific community and business when introducing technological products to the market. The participants considered the mechanisms of effective interaction necessary for the successful launch and implementation of projects aimed at achieving technological sovereignty.
Following the discussion, the Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Aquarius Group of Companies, Alexey Kalinin, presented a manifesto on the interaction of science, business and the state, initiated by the ANO University of Entrepreneurs and the Gorki International Business School. The document emphasizes that the creation and development of a technology business, as well as the achievement of technological sovereignty, should be based not only on commercial and innovative components, but also on the common value guidelines of all participants in the process.
“This platform is critically important for discussing approaches to coordinating the efforts of universities, science and entrepreneurs. Each of these groups has its own characteristics and interests. Our task is to create conditions under which these interests will be taken into account, which will ensure a high-quality contribution to science and the subsequent transformation of scientific developments into technologies in demand by the market. The presentation of the manifesto is an important step in the formation of this cooperation based on common values,” said Alexander Vaino, Director of the Young Professionals direction of the ASI, member of the Supervisory Board of the University of Entrepreneurs program.
Twenty entrepreneurs — market leaders — have already confirmed their participation in the project. They include Andrey Krivenko (JSC VkusVill, agrotechnologies), Mikhail Goncharov (JSC Teremok, foodtech), Andrey Davidyuk (co-founder of Motorika) and others. The University of Entrepreneurs will become a place for business where entrepreneurs will have direct access to the best developments of leading Russian universities, scientific infrastructure, laboratories, and intellectual capital.
The result of the interaction of the “University of Entrepreneurs” with business will be the launch of hundreds of technological startups, the integration of scientific developments into business practice and the formation of a sustainable ecosystem. In this environment, entrepreneurs will gain access to promising ideas, and students will gain invaluable practical experience and opportunities to scale their developments to the level of a market product, contributing to the strengthening of Russia’s technological sovereignty.
After the session, a ceremonial signing of cooperation agreements took place between the ANO “University of Entrepreneurs” and eight leading universities of the country. Among them are the Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology, the Skolkovo Institute of Science and Technology, the National Research University “Higher School of Economics”, the National Research Nuclear University “Moscow Engineering Physics Institute”, the National University of Science and Technology “MISIS”, the Plekhanov Russian University of Economics, the First Moscow State Medical University named after I.M. Sechenov and the Central University. As part of the signed agreements, a project was created where scientists, business teams and students will develop innovative solutions for key sectors of the Russian economy.
Please note: This information is raw content directly from the source of the information. It is exactly what the source states and does not reflect the position of MIL-OSI or its clients.
Please Note; This Information is Raw Content Directly from the Information Source. It is access to What the Source Is Stating and Does Not Reflect
Authorities are urging people to avoid unlawfully feeding wildlife after a close encounter with a cassowary.
Security video from south Mission Beach on May 09 shows a habituated male cassowary and his chick approaching a home in the hopes of being fed.
The Department of the Environment, Tourism, Science and Innovation is urging people in cassowary habitat to stop feeding them.
Wildlife Ranger Jeff Lewis said feeding cassowaries changes their behaviour, creating significant risks for people and our iconic endangered birds.
“This incident is one of several cassowary interactions in the area which are linked to unlawful feeding,” Mr Lewis said.
“Thankfully the mother and child were able to get inside to safety, but it’s an important reminder to not interfere with wildlife.
“In April, a man in his seventies was kicked in the leg by a cassowary which approached him expecting food. He was treated for a cut to his leg and was lucky the injuries weren’t worse.
“These incidents are stark examples of the dangers of feeding cassowaries.
“Local wildlife rangers have been warning people of the risks, installing signage and providing education, but the unlawful feeding persists.
“When cassowaries associate humans with food, they can become impatient and aggressive, particularly when accompanied by chicks.
“We encourage anyone with information in relation to unlawful feeding to report it to the Department.”
If you encounter a cassowary displaying concerning behaviour or see one injured, contact 1300 130 372. For general sightings.
Cassowaries can inflict serious injuries to people and pets by kicking out with their large, clawed feet. People are asked to Be cass-o-wary at all times in the Wet Tropics.
Never approach cassowaries.
Never approach chicks – male cassowaries will defend them.
Never feed cassowaries – it is illegal, dangerous and has caused cassowary deaths.
Always discard food scraps in closed bins and ensure compost bins have secure lids.
Slow down when driving in cassowary habitat.
Never stop your vehicle to look at cassowaries on the road.
Researchers at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory wanted to find out whether tomatoes would grow better using a specifically designed light filter that leverages a rapidly emerging photovoltaic cell technology that’s more flexible, lightweight, and inexpensive. Image by Wayne Hicks, NREL
Experiments lead to a greater understanding, deeper insights, and sometimes they even bear fruit. That was certainly the case last summer at the U.S. Department of Energy’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), where researchers nurtured a dozen tomato plants.
Tucked into a corner on the second floor of the Field Test Laboratory Building, the plants were housed in two custom greenhouses. Six were exposed to the full solar spectrum, serving as a control to the six plants grown under less light. The reduced sunlight reaching the other plants was filtered through purplish panels so that only the spectrum most beneficial to the tomatoes would reach them.
The experiment was meant to prove the effectiveness of what is called a BioMatch, which enables the exact spectrum of light that best suits the physiological needs of the plant to pass through organic semiconducting materials found in solar cells. Now in the second year of the multi-disciplinary project known as “No Photon Left Behind,” the researchers determined limiting the spectrum made the tomatoes grow faster and bigger than those under direct sunlight.
“When light comes into contact with a plant, there are a lot of things that can happen. Different physiological pathways are triggered based on the type and amount of light. Those physiological pathways often determine productivity of the plant,” said Bryon Larson, an NREL chemist with expertise in organic photovoltaics (OPV) and principal investigator on the project. “We are studying what happens to plants when sunlight is filtered into only the spectrum and dose the plant needs, which is the plant light requirement, and we can produce that through the concept of BioMatched spectral harvesting, while using the light plants don’t need to make electricity with transparent OPV modules.”
Earlier Efforts Focused on Algae
Researchers grew the tomatoes adjacent to a lab space devoted to algae. In fact, the initial experiments on this project involved algae. They covered bottles containing the single-cell organism with a BioMatched photovoltaic filter intended to stimulate optimal growth. Rather than the months it takes to grow tomatoes, the work on algae proved fruitful over a single weekend.
Lieve Laurens, a plant biologist who heads NREL’s algae research, serves as the co-PI on the project. “We demonstrated that the cells grew faster, yielding more biomass, even though a large part of the spectrum was removed and the algae received fewer photons overall,” she said. “We found that photosynthetic algae had a much higher rate of converting photons to electrons to biomass, so it was great. So naturally we asked the question if the same effects would translate to plants and crops, where you could get the same yield with only the light spectrum the crop needs, without needing to bounce back the light it doesn’t need as wasted photons.”
Those findings showed the science was sound, provided preliminary data, and gave the researchers confidence to make their pitch for funding from the Laboratory Directed Research and Development program. A dedicated greenhouse would have been ideal, but the scientists had to make do with the available space.
NREL researchers Bryon Larson and Lieve Larens pose in the Field Test Laboratory Building where a variety of plants are grown, including tomatoes. Photo by Gregory Cooper, NREL
Photovoltaics capture sunlight and convert it to electricity. The OPV filters for the algae and the tomatoes do not generate electricity, but the eventual goal would be to incorporate BioMatched materials into semitransparent solar panels that supply power to a greenhouse while letting plant light shine through.
“When full spectrum light shines on a plant, the light contains both productive and damaging photons, and plants have to deal with un-needed light by expending energy to protect itself,” Larson said. “Algae have to do that. Regular plants have to do that. If you were to take the useful vs non-useful wavelengths of light that you need to separate out, collect the non-useful part for electricity and send the other bit through for plant growth, you’ve now designed a system that’s overall more efficiently using solar energy because it’s spectrally binning it into different functions—plant growth through photosynthesis versus electricity generation through photovoltaics. This is a unique element of our work, hence, No Photon Left Behind.”
The makeshift greenhouses each stand about eight feet tall, four feet wide. The sunlight coming into the room appears from a wall of windows behind the plants and skylights above them. Three evaporative coolers on the roof keep moist air circulating. A refrigerator sits on the other side of the room, filled with ripe beefsteak tomatoes. Many are the size of a baseball. The tomatoes won’t win any prizes for looks; they were plucked on a schedule, which gave the skin on some of the fast-growing fruit time to split.
Seth Steichen, a biologist who works with Laurens, has kept a close watch on the tomatoes, assisted by Kelly Groves. They have seen the plants grown under the OPV BioMatched Light stretch higher than the neighboring plants treated to full sun exposure. Even though the control plants receive 30% more light, the OPV plants are selectively bathed in the slice of the solar spectrum they crave.
“For laboratory experiments, these particularly bright tomatoes are pretty much unheard of,” Steichen said. “Basically, no one does lab experiments on these. Because of their size, their relatively long lifecycle, those are the reasons why they’re not commonly used for lab experiments. These are the most commonly grown variety of tomato in greenhouses in the U.S., so that is the reason why these are growing here right now, to make the most real-world connection possible.”
The regularly conducted tests considered such factors as size, weight, and photosynthetic yield, which measures how well the plants convert light into biomass. The tomatoes grown under BioMatched filters came out ahead.
“By and large, these are slightly more efficient in terms of photosynthetic yield than the control plants,” Steichen said, gesturing toward the plants under the filtered light. “The overall concept here is that you can still remove some of the light and convert it to electrons while still maintaining the same amount of fruit yield. This is just a test of whether or not that works with this given light-filtering chemistry, basically.”
Researcher Seth Steichen inspects tomato plants in NREL’s Field Test Laboratory Building. Photo by Gregory Cooper, NREL
Plants Absorb Light To Fuel Growth
The most widely used solar cells are inorganic and made from a singular material, specifically silicon. But NREL researchers have been pioneering work in solar cells based on organic semiconductors, which are made using synthetic chemistry. These organic photovoltaic devices have shown promise and potential to produce highly efficient cells that are also flexible, lightweight, and inexpensive.
Larson has accumulated a database of organic semiconductor properties during his more than 15 years at NREL, which allows him to select—or BioMatch—compounds that will produce the right spectrum for a particular plant. Plants convert light to chemical energy needed for growth. After calculating the amount of light a plant needs, the team uses a software program they created to generate BioMatch compositions based on a given plant light requirement. The team then scales up thin-film deposition processes to produce appropriate filters to allow only the desired spectrum to reach the plants. To show the reverse is also true, they have shown the anti-BioMatch filters will quickly starve a plant of light.
“I was worried when summer arrived nine months into the project, ideal conditions for tomato experiments,” Larson said about the shift from experimenting with algae. “What if we’re taking too big of a jump going from these single-cell organisms to far more complicated multicellular plants?”
But being able to put the BioMatch concept to test against growing tomatoes, he said, “is a bit of a dream come true. I mean, the fact that we got to grow tomatoes in the first year was way ahead of what the project was originally drawn up to do.” The confidence gained from experimenting with model algae strains convinced the researchers to take advantage of the summer growing season right then rather than wait until the second year of the project.
“When you’re doing experiments that rely on the weather, you don’t have much of a choice but to ‘make hay when the sun is shining’ as they say,” Larson said. “It was a choice to pull forward the experiment. Not wait for it. It panned out.”
The research could play an important role in the emerging field of agrivoltaics, in which various plants are grown near and beneath rows of solar panels, or help design next-generation energy-efficient greenhouses. The panels can be tailored to BioMatch the ideal light spectrum a plant needs, regardless of what species, or where on the planet you want to grow it, within reason.
But How Do They Taste?
With the experiment concluded that revealed the tomatoes grown beneath the OPV had accelerated growth, one final test had to be conducted.
“We’ve been all just licking our lips, waiting for the taste test,” said Larson, adding that he would be “personally very sad” if the tomatoes turned out to be tasteless given how promising the plants appeared by eye. The light reaching the tomatoes activates different functions, such as making sugar to sweeten the fruits and proteins to change the texture. “The taste test will be the final hurrah.”
Unlike most experiments conducted at NREL, this project ended with a taste test. Photo by Gregory Cooper, NREL
Science demands variables, so Larson purchased organically grown industry reference greenhouse tomatoes as part of the test. He chopped up the various tomatoes, put them on plates, and mixed them up so even he could not tell which were which. Only the labels on the bottom of the plates held the answer. The researchers tried the tomatoes by themselves, with some salt, with some pepper, with some crackers, and then ranked each in order of preference.
The store-bought tomatoes came in last place. The consensus was split between whether the tomatoes grown under the OPV were a favorite, or the control tomatoes grown under regular sunlight. Larson said he took those results as a win for Steichen and the biology team, who were responsible for caring for the tomatoes six days a week for nearly five months.
With the initial experiment completed, and tasty at that, the researchers are on their way to a greater understanding of the interplay between light and plant growth.
Learn more about NREL’s research in the areas of bioenergy and bioeconomy, organic photovoltaic solar cells, and agrivoltaics.
MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif., June 18, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — ThoughtSpot, the Agentic Analytics Platform company, today announced Gartner Inc. has positioned the company in the Leaders quadrant in the 2025 Gartner® Magic Quadrant™ for Analytics and BI Platforms. A complimentary copy of the report can be found here.
We believe the 2025 Gartner Magic Quadrant arrives amidst a transformative period, characterized by a rapid surge in demand for trusted generative AI solutions that customers can rely on. Business, data, and product leaders are faced with the challenge of scaling efficiently, sparking innovation and delivering differentiated experiences – or risk being left behind. Traditional BI tools characterized by static charts and standalone dashboards that require the user to go and find the insight are long over. We’re now in a world where self-service is delivering the experience it always meant to be.
ThoughtSpot’s recognition as a Leader in this dynamic landscape of GenAI analytics we feel is a testament to how our agentic analytics platform is connecting users with accessible, governed, transparent AI-powered insights embedded directly in their flow of work. We believe the recognition underscores ThoughtSpot’s unwavering commitment to redefining how the world gets insights, empowering businesses to drive decisions on data and AI at scale.
Customers like Capital One, Comcast, Lyft, and Klaviyo are turning to ThoughtSpot as an innovative business partner they can trust to deliver value in their GenAI analytics strategies.
As reviewed on Gartner Peer Insights™ by customers across industries and roles:
“ThoughtSpot has been an excellent choice for our business users who may not be technically savvy, but have mastery of their data. This tool allows them to drill down into levels of detail quickly and easily to help them understand how the business is performing, detect anomalies, and perform data-driven strategic planning,” said a VP of data engineering at $30B insurance firm; source.
“We wanted the best natural language search BI tool that leverages generative AI and helps both technical and non-technical business users access their data and get their questions answered. We were able to successfully implement a production analytics offering within 4 months from contract signing, which was incredible including we were able to keep the team optimised… Spotter is tech that’s best in class, drill down on visuals was also really important to always be able to access the underlying data,” said the data product manager at an IT Services company; source.
“We are incredibly proud to be recognized as a Leader in the 2025 Gartner Magic Quadrant as the industry fully embraces the transformative power of AI-powered analytics – a shift that legacy BI solutions simply weren’t built for,” said Ketan Kharkanis, CEO at ThoughtSpot. “ThoughtSpot has surged in driving Agentic Analytics for the market, enabling customers across the Fortune 500 to agile startups in operationalizing data and AI at scale with connected insights that meet you where you are. Our robust platform supports data teams in preparing AI ready data in Analyst Studio, equips business users with a conversational data experience that takes them from insight to action, and allows product builders and developers to effortlessly create smart apps and intelligent experiences. As a trusted partner, we empower our customers to unlock unprecedented value and drive their businesses forward with confidence. This continued recognition is a testament to our relentless pursuit of innovation, from pioneering search-driven analytics to now leading the industry with agentic analytics.”
Key Business Achievements
The report publication follows a year of exceptional growth and innovation for ThoughtSpot, including:
The launch of Spotter, an agentic AI analyst, built for every business user and transforming the way users proactively derive actionable and meaningful insights from their data.
The expansion of the ThoughtSpot platform with the introduction of Analyst Studio, the creator space that empowers data teams to get data ready for AI and analytics, manage cloud costs, seamlessly switch between ad-hoc analysis and advanced data science, and focus on driving strategic impact—all within a unified, flexible, and integrated platform.
ThoughtSpot announced two additional agentic capabilities including ThoughtSpot Agentic MCP Server, allowing users to bring the power of the world’s leading Agentic Analytics Platform to any AI agent or application that supports MCP and the introduction of ThoughtSpot’s Agentic Semantic Layer designed for the AI era. This advanced semantic layer acts as the intelligent bridge between your data and the business logic that drives decision-making.
Rapid expansion of ThoughtSpot’s global presence with significant growth in Japan, ANZ and across EMEA. These key regions are pivotal to continued growth and helping leading organizations across the globe with AI-powered data-driven decision making.
These milestones are underpinned by ThoughtSpot posting significant fiscal growth in Fiscal Year 2024, closing with 40% year-over-year SaaS growth and more than doubling its monthly active users.
Magic Quadrant reports are a culmination of rigorous, fact-based research in specific markets, providing a wide-angle view of the relative positions of providers in markets where growth is high and provider differentiation is distinct. Providers are positioned into four quadrants: Leaders, Challengers, Visionaries and Niche Players. The research enables companies to get the most from market analysis in alignment with their unique business and technology needs.
Gartner, Magic Quadrant for Analytics and Business Intelligence Platforms, Anirudh Ganeshan, Edgar Macari, Jamie O’Brien, Kurt Schlegel, Christopher Long, June 16, 2025.
GARTNER is a registered trademark and service mark of Gartner, Inc. and/or its affiliates in the U.S. and internationally, and MAGIC QUADRANT is a registered trademark of Gartner, Inc. and/or its affiliates and are used herein with permission. All rights reserved.
Gartner does not endorse any vendor, product or service depicted in its research publications, and does not advise technology users to select only those vendors with the highest ratings or other designation. Gartner research publications consist of the opinions of Gartner’s research organization and should not be construed as statements of fact. Gartner disclaims all warranties, expressed or implied, with respect to this research, including any warranties of merchantability or fitness for a particular purpose.
About ThoughtSpot ThoughtSpot is the Agentic Analytics Platform that empowers every enterprise to transform insights into action. Our mission is to create a more fact-driven world by delivering a platform where anyone can effortlessly explore any data, ask any question, and uncover actionable insights faster—leading to growth, better business outcomes, and efficiency in their organizations. Agentic AI combined with ThoughtSpot’s intuitive natural language search, every user can confidently discover proactive insights from their business data creating real-time decisioning with impact. The platform’s unified capabilities, along with our agentic AI analyst, Spotter, ensures insights are connected and pervasive, enabling users to create precise, transparent, personalized, and actionable insights with enterprise grade trust, security, and scale. Accessible via the web and mobile app, ThoughtSpot ensures intelligent decision-making happens seamlessly, wherever and whenever needed. For organizations looking to drive value, ThoughtSpot Embedded provides a low-code solution to integrate AI-powered analytics directly into products and services that make every application an intelligent experience, driving data monetization and boosting user engagement for customers. Industry leaders like NVIDIA, Toyota, Hilton Worldwide, Capital One and Matillion rely on ThoughtSpot to transform how their employees and customers take advantage of data to create better business outcomes. Try ThoughtSpot today and experience the new era of analytics.
PR Contact: Lindsay Noonan Director of Communications, ThoughtSpot press@thoughtspot.com
MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif., June 18, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — ThoughtSpot, the Agentic Analytics Platform company, today announced Gartner Inc. has positioned the company in the Leaders quadrant in the 2025 Gartner® Magic Quadrant™ for Analytics and BI Platforms. A complimentary copy of the report can be found here.
We believe the 2025 Gartner Magic Quadrant arrives amidst a transformative period, characterized by a rapid surge in demand for trusted generative AI solutions that customers can rely on. Business, data, and product leaders are faced with the challenge of scaling efficiently, sparking innovation and delivering differentiated experiences – or risk being left behind. Traditional BI tools characterized by static charts and standalone dashboards that require the user to go and find the insight are long over. We’re now in a world where self-service is delivering the experience it always meant to be.
ThoughtSpot’s recognition as a Leader in this dynamic landscape of GenAI analytics we feel is a testament to how our agentic analytics platform is connecting users with accessible, governed, transparent AI-powered insights embedded directly in their flow of work. We believe the recognition underscores ThoughtSpot’s unwavering commitment to redefining how the world gets insights, empowering businesses to drive decisions on data and AI at scale.
Customers like Capital One, Comcast, Lyft, and Klaviyo are turning to ThoughtSpot as an innovative business partner they can trust to deliver value in their GenAI analytics strategies.
As reviewed on Gartner Peer Insights™ by customers across industries and roles:
“ThoughtSpot has been an excellent choice for our business users who may not be technically savvy, but have mastery of their data. This tool allows them to drill down into levels of detail quickly and easily to help them understand how the business is performing, detect anomalies, and perform data-driven strategic planning,” said a VP of data engineering at $30B insurance firm; source.
“We wanted the best natural language search BI tool that leverages generative AI and helps both technical and non-technical business users access their data and get their questions answered. We were able to successfully implement a production analytics offering within 4 months from contract signing, which was incredible including we were able to keep the team optimised… Spotter is tech that’s best in class, drill down on visuals was also really important to always be able to access the underlying data,” said the data product manager at an IT Services company; source.
“We are incredibly proud to be recognized as a Leader in the 2025 Gartner Magic Quadrant as the industry fully embraces the transformative power of AI-powered analytics – a shift that legacy BI solutions simply weren’t built for,” said Ketan Kharkanis, CEO at ThoughtSpot. “ThoughtSpot has surged in driving Agentic Analytics for the market, enabling customers across the Fortune 500 to agile startups in operationalizing data and AI at scale with connected insights that meet you where you are. Our robust platform supports data teams in preparing AI ready data in Analyst Studio, equips business users with a conversational data experience that takes them from insight to action, and allows product builders and developers to effortlessly create smart apps and intelligent experiences. As a trusted partner, we empower our customers to unlock unprecedented value and drive their businesses forward with confidence. This continued recognition is a testament to our relentless pursuit of innovation, from pioneering search-driven analytics to now leading the industry with agentic analytics.”
Key Business Achievements
The report publication follows a year of exceptional growth and innovation for ThoughtSpot, including:
The launch of Spotter, an agentic AI analyst, built for every business user and transforming the way users proactively derive actionable and meaningful insights from their data.
The expansion of the ThoughtSpot platform with the introduction of Analyst Studio, the creator space that empowers data teams to get data ready for AI and analytics, manage cloud costs, seamlessly switch between ad-hoc analysis and advanced data science, and focus on driving strategic impact—all within a unified, flexible, and integrated platform.
ThoughtSpot announced two additional agentic capabilities including ThoughtSpot Agentic MCP Server, allowing users to bring the power of the world’s leading Agentic Analytics Platform to any AI agent or application that supports MCP and the introduction of ThoughtSpot’s Agentic Semantic Layer designed for the AI era. This advanced semantic layer acts as the intelligent bridge between your data and the business logic that drives decision-making.
Rapid expansion of ThoughtSpot’s global presence with significant growth in Japan, ANZ and across EMEA. These key regions are pivotal to continued growth and helping leading organizations across the globe with AI-powered data-driven decision making.
These milestones are underpinned by ThoughtSpot posting significant fiscal growth in Fiscal Year 2024, closing with 40% year-over-year SaaS growth and more than doubling its monthly active users.
Magic Quadrant reports are a culmination of rigorous, fact-based research in specific markets, providing a wide-angle view of the relative positions of providers in markets where growth is high and provider differentiation is distinct. Providers are positioned into four quadrants: Leaders, Challengers, Visionaries and Niche Players. The research enables companies to get the most from market analysis in alignment with their unique business and technology needs.
Gartner, Magic Quadrant for Analytics and Business Intelligence Platforms, Anirudh Ganeshan, Edgar Macari, Jamie O’Brien, Kurt Schlegel, Christopher Long, June 16, 2025.
GARTNER is a registered trademark and service mark of Gartner, Inc. and/or its affiliates in the U.S. and internationally, and MAGIC QUADRANT is a registered trademark of Gartner, Inc. and/or its affiliates and are used herein with permission. All rights reserved.
Gartner does not endorse any vendor, product or service depicted in its research publications, and does not advise technology users to select only those vendors with the highest ratings or other designation. Gartner research publications consist of the opinions of Gartner’s research organization and should not be construed as statements of fact. Gartner disclaims all warranties, expressed or implied, with respect to this research, including any warranties of merchantability or fitness for a particular purpose.
About ThoughtSpot ThoughtSpot is the Agentic Analytics Platform that empowers every enterprise to transform insights into action. Our mission is to create a more fact-driven world by delivering a platform where anyone can effortlessly explore any data, ask any question, and uncover actionable insights faster—leading to growth, better business outcomes, and efficiency in their organizations. Agentic AI combined with ThoughtSpot’s intuitive natural language search, every user can confidently discover proactive insights from their business data creating real-time decisioning with impact. The platform’s unified capabilities, along with our agentic AI analyst, Spotter, ensures insights are connected and pervasive, enabling users to create precise, transparent, personalized, and actionable insights with enterprise grade trust, security, and scale. Accessible via the web and mobile app, ThoughtSpot ensures intelligent decision-making happens seamlessly, wherever and whenever needed. For organizations looking to drive value, ThoughtSpot Embedded provides a low-code solution to integrate AI-powered analytics directly into products and services that make every application an intelligent experience, driving data monetization and boosting user engagement for customers. Industry leaders like NVIDIA, Toyota, Hilton Worldwide, Capital One and Matillion rely on ThoughtSpot to transform how their employees and customers take advantage of data to create better business outcomes. Try ThoughtSpot today and experience the new era of analytics.
PR Contact: Lindsay Noonan Director of Communications, ThoughtSpot press@thoughtspot.com
The first blockbuster movie sent waves of panic and awe through audiences. “Jaws” – the tale of a killer great white shark that terrorizes a coastal tourist town – captured people’s imaginations and simultaneously created a widespread fear of the water.
To call Steven Spielberg’s masterpiece a creature feature is trite. Because the shark isn’t shown for most of the movie – mechanical difficulties meant production didn’t have one ready to use until later in the filming process – suspense and fear build. The movie unlocked in viewers an innate fear of the unknown, encouraging the idea that monsters lurk beneath the ocean’s surface, even in the shallows.
And because in 1975 marine scientists knew far less than we do now about sharks and their world, it was easy for the myth of the rogue shark as a murderous eating machine to take hold, along with the assumption that all sharks must be bloodthirsty, mindless killers.
But in addition to scaring many moviegoers that “it’s not safe to go in the water,” “Jaws” has over the years inspired generations of researchers, including me. The scientific curiosity sparked by this horror fish flick has helped reveal so much more about what lies beneath the waves than was known 50 years ago. My own research focuses on the secret lives of sharks, their evolution and development, and how people can benefit from the study of these enigmatic animals.
The business end of sharks: Their jaws and teeth
My own work has focused on perhaps the most terrifying aspect of these apex predators, the jaws and teeth. I study the development of shark teeth in embryos.
Small-spotted catshark embryo (Scyliorhinus canicula), still attached to the yolk sac. This is the stage when the teeth begin developing. Ella Nicklin, Fraser Lab, University of Florida
Sharks continue to make an unlimited supply of tooth replacements throughout life – it’s how they keep their bite constantly sharp.
Hard-shelled prey, such as mollusks and crustaceans, from sandy substrates can be more abrasive for teeth, requiring quicker replacement. Depending on the water temperature, the conveyor belt-like renewal of an entire row of teeth can take between nine and 70 days, for example, in nurse sharks, or much longer in larger sharks. In the great white, a full-row replacement can take an estimated 250 days. That’s still an advantage over humans – we never regrow damaged or worn-out adult teeth.
Magnified microscope image of a zebra shark (Stegostoma tigrinum) jaw. They have 20 to 30 rows of teeth in each jaw, each a new generation ready to move into position like on a conveyor belt. Humans have only two sets! Gareth Fraser, University of Florida
Interestingly, shark teeth are much like our own, developing from equivalent cells, patterned by the same genes, creating the same hard tissues, enamel and dentin. Sharks could potentially teach researchers how to master the process of tooth renewal. It would be huge for dentistry if scientists could use sharks to figure out how to engineer a new generation of teeth for human patients.
Extraordinary fish with extraordinary biology
As a group, sharks and their cartilaginous fish relatives – including skates, rays and chimaeras – are evolutionary relics that have inhabited the Earth’s oceans for over 400 million years. They’ve been around since long before human beings and most of the other animals on our planet today hit the scene, even before dinosaurs emerged.
Sharks have a vast array of super powers that scientists have only recently discovered.
Their electroreceptive pores, located around the head and jaws, have amazing sensory capabilities, allowing sharks to detect weak electrical fields emitted from hidden prey.
CT scan of the head of a small-spotted catshark (Scyliorhinus canicula) as it hatches. Skin denticles cover the surface, and colored rows of teeth are present on the jaws. Ella Nicklin, Fraser Lab, University of Florida
Their skin is protected with an armor of tiny teeth, called dermal denticles, composed of sensitive dentin, that also allows for better drag-reducing hydrodynamics. Biologists and engineers are also using this “shark skin technology” to design hydrodynamic and aerodynamic solutions for future fuel-efficient vehicles.
Fluorescent skin of the chain catshark (Scyliorhinus retifer). Gareth Fraser, University of Florida
Some sharks are biofluorescent, meaning they emit light in different wavelengths after absorbing natural blue light. This emitted fluorescent color pattern suggests visual communication and recognition among members of the same species is possible in the dark depths.
Tagging programs and their “follow the shark” apps allow researchers to learn more about these animals’ lives and where they roam – highlighting the benefit of international collaboration and public engagement for conserving threatened shark populations.
Sharks under attack
Sharks are an incredible evolutionary success story. But they’re also vulnerable in the modern age of human-ocean interactions.
Sharks are an afterthought for the commercial fishing industry, but overfishing of other species can cause dramatic crashes in shark populations. Their late age of sexual maturity – as old as 15 to 20 years or more in larger species or potentially 150 years in Greenland sharks – along with slow growth, long gestation periods and complex social structures make shark populations fragile and less capable of quick recoveries.
Take the white shark (Carcharodon carcharias), for example – Jaws’ own species. Trophy hunting, trade in their body parts and commercial fishery impacts caused their numbers to dwindle. As a result, they received essential protections at the international level. In turn, their numbers have rebounded, especially around the United States, leading to a shift from critically endangered to vulnerable status worldwide. However, they remain critically endangered in Europe and the Mediterranean.
“Jaws” was filmed on the island of Martha’s Vineyard, in Massachusetts. After careful management and the designation of white sharks as a prohibited species in federal waters in 1997 and in Massachusetts in 2005, their populations have recovered well over recent years in response to more seals in the area and recovering fish stocks.
You might assume more sharks would mean more attacks, but that is not what we observe. Shark attacks have always been few and far between in Massachusetts and elsewhere, and they remain rare. It’s only a “Jaws”-perpetuated myth that sharks have a taste for humans. Sure, they might mistake a person for prey; for instance, surfers and swimmers can mimic the appearance of seals at the surface. Sharks in murky water might opportunistically take a test bite of what seem to be prey.
But these attacks are rare enough that people can shed their “Jaws”-driven irrational fears of sharks. Almost all sharks are timid, and the likelihood of an interaction – let alone a negative one – is incredibly rare. Importantly, there more than 500 species of sharks in the world’s oceans, each one a unique member of a particular ecosystem with a vital role. Sharks come in all shapes and sizes, and inhabit every ocean, both the shallow and deep-end ecosystems.
Most recorded human-shark interactions are awe-inspiring and not terrifying. Sharks don’t really care about people – at most they may be curious, but not hungry for human flesh. Whether or not “Jaws” fans have grown beyond the fear of movie monster sharks, we’re gonna need a bigger conservation effort to continue to protect these important ocean guardians.
Gareth J. Fraser receives funding from the National Science Foundation (NSF).
The first blockbuster movie sent waves of panic and awe through audiences. “Jaws” – the tale of a killer great white shark that terrorizes a coastal tourist town – captured people’s imaginations and simultaneously created a widespread fear of the water.
To call Steven Spielberg’s masterpiece a creature feature is trite. Because the shark isn’t shown for most of the movie – mechanical difficulties meant production didn’t have one ready to use until later in the filming process – suspense and fear build. The movie unlocked in viewers an innate fear of the unknown, encouraging the idea that monsters lurk beneath the ocean’s surface, even in the shallows.
And because in 1975 marine scientists knew far less than we do now about sharks and their world, it was easy for the myth of the rogue shark as a murderous eating machine to take hold, along with the assumption that all sharks must be bloodthirsty, mindless killers.
But in addition to scaring many moviegoers that “it’s not safe to go in the water,” “Jaws” has over the years inspired generations of researchers, including me. The scientific curiosity sparked by this horror fish flick has helped reveal so much more about what lies beneath the waves than was known 50 years ago. My own research focuses on the secret lives of sharks, their evolution and development, and how people can benefit from the study of these enigmatic animals.
The business end of sharks: Their jaws and teeth
My own work has focused on perhaps the most terrifying aspect of these apex predators, the jaws and teeth. I study the development of shark teeth in embryos.
Small-spotted catshark embryo (Scyliorhinus canicula), still attached to the yolk sac. This is the stage when the teeth begin developing. Ella Nicklin, Fraser Lab, University of Florida
Sharks continue to make an unlimited supply of tooth replacements throughout life – it’s how they keep their bite constantly sharp.
Hard-shelled prey, such as mollusks and crustaceans, from sandy substrates can be more abrasive for teeth, requiring quicker replacement. Depending on the water temperature, the conveyor belt-like renewal of an entire row of teeth can take between nine and 70 days, for example, in nurse sharks, or much longer in larger sharks. In the great white, a full-row replacement can take an estimated 250 days. That’s still an advantage over humans – we never regrow damaged or worn-out adult teeth.
Magnified microscope image of a zebra shark (Stegostoma tigrinum) jaw. They have 20 to 30 rows of teeth in each jaw, each a new generation ready to move into position like on a conveyor belt. Humans have only two sets! Gareth Fraser, University of Florida
Interestingly, shark teeth are much like our own, developing from equivalent cells, patterned by the same genes, creating the same hard tissues, enamel and dentin. Sharks could potentially teach researchers how to master the process of tooth renewal. It would be huge for dentistry if scientists could use sharks to figure out how to engineer a new generation of teeth for human patients.
Extraordinary fish with extraordinary biology
As a group, sharks and their cartilaginous fish relatives – including skates, rays and chimaeras – are evolutionary relics that have inhabited the Earth’s oceans for over 400 million years. They’ve been around since long before human beings and most of the other animals on our planet today hit the scene, even before dinosaurs emerged.
Sharks have a vast array of super powers that scientists have only recently discovered.
Their electroreceptive pores, located around the head and jaws, have amazing sensory capabilities, allowing sharks to detect weak electrical fields emitted from hidden prey.
CT scan of the head of a small-spotted catshark (Scyliorhinus canicula) as it hatches. Skin denticles cover the surface, and colored rows of teeth are present on the jaws. Ella Nicklin, Fraser Lab, University of Florida
Their skin is protected with an armor of tiny teeth, called dermal denticles, composed of sensitive dentin, that also allows for better drag-reducing hydrodynamics. Biologists and engineers are also using this “shark skin technology” to design hydrodynamic and aerodynamic solutions for future fuel-efficient vehicles.
Fluorescent skin of the chain catshark (Scyliorhinus retifer). Gareth Fraser, University of Florida
Some sharks are biofluorescent, meaning they emit light in different wavelengths after absorbing natural blue light. This emitted fluorescent color pattern suggests visual communication and recognition among members of the same species is possible in the dark depths.
Tagging programs and their “follow the shark” apps allow researchers to learn more about these animals’ lives and where they roam – highlighting the benefit of international collaboration and public engagement for conserving threatened shark populations.
Sharks under attack
Sharks are an incredible evolutionary success story. But they’re also vulnerable in the modern age of human-ocean interactions.
Sharks are an afterthought for the commercial fishing industry, but overfishing of other species can cause dramatic crashes in shark populations. Their late age of sexual maturity – as old as 15 to 20 years or more in larger species or potentially 150 years in Greenland sharks – along with slow growth, long gestation periods and complex social structures make shark populations fragile and less capable of quick recoveries.
Take the white shark (Carcharodon carcharias), for example – Jaws’ own species. Trophy hunting, trade in their body parts and commercial fishery impacts caused their numbers to dwindle. As a result, they received essential protections at the international level. In turn, their numbers have rebounded, especially around the United States, leading to a shift from critically endangered to vulnerable status worldwide. However, they remain critically endangered in Europe and the Mediterranean.
“Jaws” was filmed on the island of Martha’s Vineyard, in Massachusetts. After careful management and the designation of white sharks as a prohibited species in federal waters in 1997 and in Massachusetts in 2005, their populations have recovered well over recent years in response to more seals in the area and recovering fish stocks.
You might assume more sharks would mean more attacks, but that is not what we observe. Shark attacks have always been few and far between in Massachusetts and elsewhere, and they remain rare. It’s only a “Jaws”-perpetuated myth that sharks have a taste for humans. Sure, they might mistake a person for prey; for instance, surfers and swimmers can mimic the appearance of seals at the surface. Sharks in murky water might opportunistically take a test bite of what seem to be prey.
But these attacks are rare enough that people can shed their “Jaws”-driven irrational fears of sharks. Almost all sharks are timid, and the likelihood of an interaction – let alone a negative one – is incredibly rare. Importantly, there more than 500 species of sharks in the world’s oceans, each one a unique member of a particular ecosystem with a vital role. Sharks come in all shapes and sizes, and inhabit every ocean, both the shallow and deep-end ecosystems.
Most recorded human-shark interactions are awe-inspiring and not terrifying. Sharks don’t really care about people – at most they may be curious, but not hungry for human flesh. Whether or not “Jaws” fans have grown beyond the fear of movie monster sharks, we’re gonna need a bigger conservation effort to continue to protect these important ocean guardians.
Gareth J. Fraser receives funding from the National Science Foundation (NSF).
Alexander Stadium, host venue during the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games, has marked a new chapter in its 48-year history following the completion of its Legacy Capital Redevelopment Programme.
The two-year Commonwealth Games-funded Capital programme included redevelopment work at Alexander Stadium and the neighbouring Perry Park, and has produced new and improved infrastructure to inspire future generations.
This significant milestone was celebrated last week at Alexander Stadium where key stakeholders and partners in the project, including the beloved mascot Perry the Bull, came together to recognise the success and explore the new facilities on offer.
Improvements at the Stadium include a new 120-station health and fitness suite, a new third generation artificial pitch for football and rugby, a new cycle studio and a refurbished indoors athletics hall. The permanent lighting arrangement in the main stadium has been designed to future proof future growth and the securing of other major televised events.
At Perry Park, the redevelopment work includes a replacement children’s playground and new sports activation zone for the community, with new routes around the park and reservoir for running, walking and cycling.
The improvements, which are part of wider regeneration work in Perry Barr and is set to provide the local community and visitors alike with access to green spaces and high-quality facilities for sport and recreation all year round.
Following the additional capital works, the stadium continues to be a world-class sporting venue and is set to welcome the European Athletics Championship in August 2026, the first time the UK has hosted the Championship.
The Stadium also continues to be the home to Birchfield Harriers Athletics club, the most successful athletics club in the country, who have occupied the stadium since 1975; and Birmingham City University, who relocated part of their sports and science campus to the Stadium in 2023.
Cllr Mariam Khan, Cabinet Member for Health and Social Care said: “I am delighted to hear about the successful redevelopment of Alexander Stadium and Perry Park, cementing its position as a world-class international sports venue.
“With the European Athletics Championships arriving in 2026 and the UK Athletics Championship and English Schools Athletics Championships amongst other events taking place at Alexander Stadium this summer, it is an exciting time for sport in Birmingham.
“The completed regeneration of Alexander Stadium delivers a lasting Commonwealth Games legacy in promoting sport and recreation for not just the people of Perry Barr but the whole city to enjoy all year round.”
Katie Sadleir, CEO at Commonwealth Sport said: “Alexander Stadium’s transformation is an inspiring example of the continued legacy of the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games.
It embodies the Commonwealth Sport Movement’s ambition to create lasting impact beyond the field of play — delivering world-class facilities, enhancing community wellbeing, and inspiring the next generation of athletes.
We are proud to see this legacy come to life in Perry Barr, and look forward to seeing the Stadium thrive as a hub for sport, learning and community engagement for years to come.”
Nicola Turner, CEO at United by 2022 said “United By 2022 is incredibly proud to support the opening of the Perry Fitness Centre as a lasting legacy of the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games.
As the custodians of the Games’ community legacy — and of course, the much-loved mascot Perry the Bull — we are thrilled to see these facilities come to life for local residents. These improvements represent more than just bricks and mortar; they are a catalyst for stronger community engagement, healthier lifestyles, and greater access to sport and recreation for all. We can’t wait to see the positive impact they will have in the years to come.”
Lisa Dodd-Mayne, Executive Director for Place, Sport England, said:
“The legacy of the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games still shines strongly in the city and wider West Midlands. We have a long history with Birmingham and the Alexander Stadium – one that that we’re really proud of. We are investing in partners and places that need the most help in getting people active. We look forward to seeing the local communities of Birmingham enjoy and use these facilities to give them the opportunities they deserve and seeing the legacy of the Commonwealth Games live on.”
This is puzzling. Canadians didn’t opt for Conservative Pierre Poilievre, considered by some to be an oil and gas industry mouthpiece, in the last federal election. Instead, voters gave Carney’s Liberals a minority government.
But it’s unclear how a country grappling with abysmal air quality due to wildfires fuelled by global warming will benefit from further global fossil fuel development and its related emissions.
Canada is warming faster than most of the globe. Its leaders should be laser-focused on mitigating climate change by reducing fossil fuel use to the greatest extent possible, as soon as possible.
Vacant urban land could be revitalized and existing industrial parks could boost their economic output and circular trade by building stronger partnerships to share resources, reduce waste and cut emissions.
Canada would benefit economically and environmentally by building on existing expertise and expanding successful sustainability strategies to achieve economic, environmental and social goals.
But by continuing to invest in fossil fuels, Canada misses out on opportunities to diversify trade and boost economic competitiveness.
The secret to China’s success
Real diversification makes Canada less vulnerable to economic shocks, like the ones caused by the tariffs imposed by United States President Donald Trump.
That’s seemingly why Trump is so fixated on China. China today is a serious competitor to the U.S. after making smart trade and economic decisions and forging its own path, disregarding American pressure to remain a mere follower.
Investing in its huge Belt and Road Initiative, China also aligned itself with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. It’s building diplomatic bridges with many Belt and Road countries in southeast Asia as Trump’s America alienates its partners, pulling out of the Paris Agreement and cutting foreign aid.
As another one of the America’s mistreated partners, Canada was poised to forge its own path under Carney. Instead, Carney is supporting American oil and gas by encouraging Canadian pipeline projects.
Clean innovation is the path forward
Canadian oil and gas is a concentrated industry controlled by a wealthy few, primarily Americans. More pipelines would therefore mean more sales of fossil fuels to other countries, with the beneficiaries mostly American.
Fossil fuel investments reduce Canada’s diversification because the resources used to further these projects could go elsewhere — toward clean diversification. With almost unlimited clean economy options across many sectors, clean diversification would broaden Canada’s economic and trade portfolios and reduce American control.
This is International Business 101, and would make the Canadian economy more competitive through innovation, while reducing the country’s climate risk.
My recent research shows that clear, decisive choices like those made in California will be key to Canada’s future success. Canada must make choicesaligned with goals — a core principle of strategic management.
My research also suggests Canada must restructure its energy industry to focus on renewable energy innovation while reducing fossil fuel reliance. Increased renewable energy innovation, as seen in patent numbers, leads to higher GDP.
Do Canadian taxpayers truly want to keep funding an outdated, polluting industry that benefits a wealthy few, or invest in clean industries that boost Canada’s economy, create better jobs and protect the environment? To differentiate Canada from the United States, it would make sense to choose the latter.
Carney’s support for pipelines may have stemmed from Alberta Premier Danielle Smith’s implicit support for Alberta sovereignty. She made veiled threats to Canada at a critical juncture, when Trump was making repeated assertions about annexing Canada.
Banks that felt pressure to at least recognize sustainable finance during the Joe Biden administration joined Carney’s Net-Zero Banking Alliance.
But as soon as Trump came to power a second time and walked away from the Paris Agreement, many American banks abandoned the alliance. Canadian banks followed suit, and Carney remarkably missed another moment to show Canadian leadership by stopping their exit.
In fact, Carney seems to have abandoned his own organization to appease Trump as the president made multiple 51st state threats. The prime minister had the chance to differentiate Canada and demonstrate his own leadership. Instead, he seems to have easily turned his back on his principles under pressure from Trump.
Deborah de Lange receives funding from SSHRC and ESRC. She is affiliated with The Liberal Party of Canada and The Writers’ Union of Canada.
A delegation of 10 overseas government officials today completed their three-day visit to Hong Kong, having met senior officials of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region and toured the city’s major cultural and innovation and technology facilities to deepen their understanding of the city’s advantages and development opportunities.
The visit was arranged by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, which invited officials from 10 countries across Africa and Asia. These countries comprise Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Mauritania, Morocco, Nepal, Pakistan, Qatar, Sri Lanka and Tunisia.
During the trip, the delegation met Acting Financial Secretary Michael Wong, Deputy Chief Secretary Cheuk Wing-hing and Deputy Secretary for Justice Cheung Kwok-kwan to obtain a better understanding of Hong Kong’s distinctive advantage of enjoying the strong support of the motherland while being closely connected to the world under the “one country, two systems” principle.
The delegation learnt of Hong Kong’s important roles as a “super connector” and a “super value-adder”, serving as a bridge between the Mainland and the rest of the world.
They also met Secretary for Financial Services & the Treasury Christopher Hui, Under Secretary for Commerce & Economic Development Bernard Chan and Under Secretary for Innovation, Technology & Industry Lillian Cheong as well as representatives of a number of relevant institutions.
Additionally, they toured the Science Park and West Kowloon Cultural District to find out about the city’s latest developments and opportunities in finance, trade, innovation and technology, and arts and culture.
NEWPORT BEACH, Calif., June 18, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — PMGC Capital LLC (“PMGC Capital”), a wholly owned subsidiary of PMGC Holdings Inc. (NASDAQ: ELAB), today issued a public statement urging Alaunos Therapeutics, Inc. (NASDAQ: TCRT) to accept and act upon the term sheet previously facilitated through a leading Wall Street Bank.
As disclosed in PMGC Capital’s May 14, 2025 press release, available on the PMGC Holdings website, PMGC Capital holds a significant ownership position in Alaunos and continues to act in the best interest of all shareholders.
The proposed financing sent to the board on 5/25/2025, introduced by PMGC Capital and led by a leading wall street bank, represents a compelling, value-aligned opportunity for Alaunos. The bank recently behind many Leading Treasury Strategy transactions that has since garnered widespread institutional attention and market momentum.
“We believe this term sheet offers Alaunos a timely and strategic path forward,” said Braeden Lichti, “This is one of the cleanest financing offers we’ve seen for a micro-cap company,” said Braeden Lichti, CEO of Northstrive Companies Inc., Manager of PMGC Capital, “It’s non-toxic, well-structured, and provides the company with substantial capital while potentially creating massive value for shareholders. The board should not miss this opportunity.”
PMGC Capital remains committed to working constructively with Alaunos’ Board and management to maximize long-term value and urges them to engage directly with the bank while the opportunity remains actionable.
We commend Alaunos Therapeutics for maintaining a clean capital structure and exercising prudent financial stewardship during challenging market conditions. PMGC Capital looks forward to collaborating with the Alaunos’ leadership to pursue initiatives that align with its shared objective of enhancing long-term shareholder value.
About PMGC Capital LLC A multi-strategy investment firm focused on direct investments, strategic lending, and acquiring undervalued companies and assets across diverse markets. Our mission is to identify and seize high-potential opportunities, delivering sustainable growth and maximizing returns on capital.
About PMGC Holdings Inc. PMGC Holdings Inc. (“PMGC Holdings”) is a diversified holding company that manages and grows its portfolio through strategic acquisitions, investments, and development across various industries. Currently, our portfolio consists of three wholly owned subsidiaries: Northstrive Biosciences Inc., PMGC Research Inc., and PMGC Capital LLC. We are committed to exploring opportunities in multiple sectors to maximize growth and value. For more information, please visit https://www.pmgcholdings.com.
Forward-Looking Statements
This press release contains forward-looking statements, including statements regarding potential strategic opportunities and the expected benefits thereof. These statements are based on current expectations and involve risks and uncertainties that may cause actual results to differ materially. Therefore, you should not rely on any of these forward-looking statements. These and other risks are described more fully in the Company’s filings with the United States Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”), including the “Risk Factors” section of PMGC Holdings’ Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2024, filed with the SEC on March 28, 2025, and its other documents subsequently filed with or furnished to the SEC. Investors and security holders are urged to read these documents free of charge on the SEC’s web site at www.sec.gov. All forward-looking statements contained in this press release speak only as of the date on which they were made. Except to the extent required by law, the Company undertakes no obligation to update such statements to reflect events that occur or circumstances that exist after the date on which they were made.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi received a rousing welcome by the vibrant Indian community in Zagreb as he began his landmark visit to Croatia – the first-ever by an Indian Prime Minister to the country – on Wednesday.
Zagreb is the last stop on PM Modi’s three-nation tour, which also included visits to Cyprus en route to Canada for Tuesday’s G7 Summit in Kananaskis.
As a special gesture, the PM was warmly received by his Croatian counterpart Andrej Plenkovic at the Franjo Tudman Airport with a ceremonial welcome.
“This is a special visit, the first ever by an Indian Prime Minister to a valued European partner. I am grateful to Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic for the special gesture of welcoming me at the airport,” PM Modi posted on X.
Plenkovic said that PM Modi’s significant visit comes at a pivotal moment.
“We welcomed the Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi to Zagreb! This is the first visit by the Prime Minister of India – the most populous country in the world, and it comes at an important geopolitical moment. We are starting a new chapter in Croatia-India relations and creating the conditions for strengthening bilateral cooperation in a number of areas,” the Croatian Prime Minister commented.
Members of the Indian diaspora, waiting to catch a glimpse of PM Modi, were seen gathered in huge numbers as the PM’s motorcade drove through the city.
Hundreds of people, including locals, also gave a grand welcome to PM Modi as he arrived at his hotel.
Amid chants of “Modi-Modi”, “Bharat Mata Ki Jai” and “Vande Mataram”, PM Modi witnessed vibrant and energy-filled cultural performances from people present at the venue.
PM Modi joined a group of locals chanting Vedic shlokas and also interacted with a few in the gathering while getting inside the building.
Citing the centuries-old close cultural links, PM Modi had said before arriving in the country that he is looking forward to his visit and meetings with President Zoran Milanovic and Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic.
Prime Minister Modi had asserted that the three-nation tour is also an opportunity to thank partner countries for their steadfast support to India in India’s fight against cross-border terrorism, and to galvanise global understanding on tackling terrorism in all its forms and manifestations.
Analysts reckon that the first-ever visit by an Indian PM to Croatia will help in fostering stronger political and economic collaboration with Croatia. It will also provide a crucial opportunity to expand bilateral cooperation in various sectors including trade, innovation, defence, ports, shipping, science and tech, cultural exchange, and workforce mobility.
India and Croatia have close cooperation in trade, investment, defence, agriculture sectors amongst others, and also cooperate in international fora, vibrant cultural exchanges and close people-to-people ties.
The bilateral trade between both nations stands at about USD 300 million with the Indian investments in Croatia being roughly around USD 48 million.
Prime Minister Modi briefly interacted with Croatian PM Plenkovic at COP-26 in 2021 and the virtual India-EU Leaders Meeting the same year.
Former President Ramnath Kovind undertook State Visit to Croatia in March 2019, during which he was conferred with Croatia’s highest civilian honor (‘the Grand Order of the King of Tomislav’).
India has been well known in Croatia for centuries, and the earliest Croatian visitors to India were missionaries. Links have been found between the Principality of Dubrovnik and Goa, and the Church of Sao Braz was reportedly built by Croatians around 1563 in Goa.
The Indian community in Croatia has changed over the last three years rapidly due to the demographic situation in Croatia where a lot of foreign workers are being employed for carrying out work in different sectors of the economy.
There were approximately 17000 Indians residing in Croatia in December 2024. Many of the Indian workers are working on short to medium term contracts and therefore at least 90 per cent of the people currently residing are those who form a part of the mobile population staying in Croatia for a specific contractual period.
Based on recent science assessments, stakeholders and industry leaders have called for higher quotas in the Northern cod commercial fishery to continue rebuilding markets and expand processing capacity. The Total Allowable Catch (TAC) for the 2025 season is increasing from 18,000 to 38,000 tonnes, boosting economic opportunities for coastal communities.
Commercial allocations for 2025-26 are as follows:
80% is allocated to inshore harvesters including a new allocation for the inshore mobile gear fleet
10% is allocated to Indigenous groups and special allocation
9.72% is allocated to Canadian offshore fleets
0.28% is allocated to mid shore fixed gear and mobile gear fleets
Under NAFO Conservation and Enforcement measures introduced by Canada, 2,000 tonnes, an amount equal to approximately 5% of the overall TAC, is set aside for other NAFO Contracting Parties fishing outside Canada’s exclusive economic zone, fulfilling Canada’s international commitments.
Science
The latest scientific data shows Northern cod has been generally stable since 2017 and is at a healthier state relative to its Limit Reference Point (LRP) than previously thought. The approach announced today has a high probability (73%) of maintaining the stock above the critical zone.
Recreational Groundfish fishery
The Recreational Groundfish fishery remains an important social and cultural tradition.
For 2025-26, the current limits stay in place:
Five groundfish per person per day, with a maximum boat limit of 15 groundfish if three or more people are onboard.
The season will run for 39 days—every Saturday, Sunday and Monday, from June 28 to September 1, with a fall fishing period from September 20 to 28.
Supporting tour boat operators and coastal economies
To provide more flexibility and new economic opportunities for tour boat operators certified by Transport Canada, a new voluntary pilot program will launch in 2025. It will:
Introduce a tagging system providing tour boat operators greater flexibility and allowing retention seven days a week; and,
Permit passengers to retain two groundfish per day.
Persons with Disabilities
People with permanent disabilities can continue to apply for a designation that allows someone else to catch their daily groundfish limit during the Recreational Groundfish fishery on their behalf.
When you think about ticks, you might picture nightmarish little parasites, stalking you on weekend hikes or afternoons in the park.
Your fear is well-founded. Tick-borne diseases are the most prevalent vector-borne diseases – those transmitted by living organisms – in the United States. Each tick feeds on multiple animals throughout its life, absorbing viruses and bacteria along the way and passing them on with its next bite. Some of those viruses and bacteria are harmful to humans, causing diseases that can be debilitating and sometimes lethal without treatment, such as Lyme, babesiosis and Rocky Mountain spotted fever.
In many cases, human actions long ago are the reason ticks carry these diseases so widely today. And that’s what makes ticks fascinating for environmental historians like me.
Ticks can be tiny and hard to spot. This is an adult and nymph Ixodes scapularis on an adult’s index finger. CDC
Changing forests fueled tick risks
During the 18th and 19th centuries, settlers cleared more than half the forested land across the northeastern U.S., cutting down forests for timber and to make way for farms, towns and mining operations. With large-scale land clearing came a sharp decline in wildlife of all kinds. Predators such as bears and wolves were driven out, as were deer.
As farming moved westward, Northeasterners began to recognize the ecological and economic value of trees, and they returned millions of acres to forest.
The woods regrew. Plant-eaters such as deer returned, but the apex predators that once kept their populations in check did not.
As a result, deer populations carrying borrelia burgdorferi, the bacterium that causes Lyme disease, grew rapidly. And with the deer came deer ticks (Ixodes scapularis). When a tick feeds on an infected deer, it can take up the bacteria. The tick isn’t harmed, but it can pass the bacteria to its next victim. In humans, Lyme disease can cause fever and fatigue, and if left untreated it can affect the nervous system.
For centuries, changing patterns of human settlements and the politics of land use have shaped the role of ticks and tick-borne illnesses within their environments.
In short, humans have made it easier for ticks to thrive and spread disease in our midst.
In California, the Northern Inner Coast and Santa Cruz mountain ranges that converge on San Francisco from the north and south were never clear-cut, and predators such as mountain lions and coyotes still exist there. But competition for housing has pushed human settlement deeper into wildland areas to the north, south and east of the city, reshaping tick ecology there.
While western black-legged ticks (Ixodes pacificus) tend to swarm in large forest preserves, the Lyme-causing bacterium is actually more prevalent in small, isolated patches of greenery. In these isolated patches, rodents and other tick hosts can thrive, safe from large predators, which need more habitat to move freely. But isolation and lower diversity also means infections are spread more easily within the tick’s host populations.
People tend to build isolated houses in the hills, rather than large, connected developments. As the Silicon Valley area south of San Francisco sprawls outward, this checkerboard pattern of settlement has fragmented the natural landscape, creating a hard-to-manage public health threat.
Fewer hosts, more tightly packed, often means more infected hosts, proportionally, and thus more dangerous ticks.
Domesticated livestock have also shaped the disease threat posed by ticks.
In 1892, at a meeting of cattle ranchers at the Stock Raiser’s Convention in Austin, Texas, Dr. B.A. Rogers introduced a novel theory that ticks were behind recent devastating plagues of Texas cattle fever. The disease had arrived with cattle imported from the West Indies and Mexico in the 1600s, and it was taking huge tolls on cattle herds. But how the disease spread to new victims had been a mystery.
Editors of Daniel’s Texas Medical Journal found the idea of ticks spreading disease laughable and lampooned the hypothesis, publishing a satire of what they described as an “early copy” of a forthcoming report on the subject.
The tick’s “fluid secretion, it is believed, is the poison which causes the fever … [and the tick] having been known to chew tobacco, as all other Texans do, the secretion is most probably tobacco juice,” they wrote.
Fortunately for the ranchers, not to mention the cows, the U.S. Department of Agriculture sided with Rogers. Its cattle fever tick program, started in 1906, curbed cattle fever outbreaks by limiting where and when cattle should cross tick-dense areas.
This innovative use of natural space as a public health tool helped to functionally eradicate cattle fever from 14 Southern states by 1943.
Ticks are products of their environment
When it comes to tick-borne diseases the world over, location matters.
Take the hunter tick (Hyalomma spp.) of the Mediterranean and Asia. As a juvenile, or nymph, these ticks feed on small forest animals such as mice, hares and voles, but as an adult they prefer domesticated livestock.
It’s probably too much to ask for sympathy for any ticks you meet this summer. They are bloodsucking parasites, after all.
Still, it’s worth remembering that the tick’s malevolence isn’t its own fault. Ticks are products of their environment, and humans have played many roles in turning them into the harmful parasites that seek us out today.
Snow leopards are known as the “ghosts of the mountains” for a reason. Imagine waiting for months in the harsh, rugged mountains of Asia, hoping to catch even a glimpse of one. These elusive big cats move silently across rocky slopes, their pale coats blending so seamlessly with snow and stone that even the most seasoned biologists seldom spot them in the wild.
Travel writer Peter Matthiessen spent two months in 1973 searching the Tibetan plateau for them and wrote a 300-page book about the effort. He never saw one. Forty years later, Peter’s son Alex retraced his father’s steps – and didn’t see one either.
Researchers have struggled to come up with a figure for the global population. In 2017, the International Union for Conservation of Nature reclassified the snow leopard from endangered to vulnerable, citing estimates of between 2,500 and 10,000 adults in the wild. However, the group also warned that numbers continue to decline in many areas due to habitat loss, poaching and human-wildlife conflict. Those who study these animals want to help protect the species and their habitat – if only we can determine exactly where they live and how many there are.
Traditional tracking methods – searching for footprints, droppings and other signs – have their limits. Instead of waiting for a lucky face-to-face encounter, conservationists from the Wildlife Conservation Society, led by experts including Stéphane Ostrowski and Sorosh Poya Faryabi, began deploying automated camera traps in Afghanistan. These devices snap photos whenever movement is detected, capturing thousands of images over months, all in hopes of obtaining a rare glimpse of a snow leopard.
But capturing images is only half the battle. The next, even harder task is telling one snow leopard apart from another.
Are these the same animal or different ones? It’s really hard to tell. Eve Bohnett, CC BY-ND
At first glance, it might sound simple: Each snow leopard has a unique pattern of black rosettes on its coat, like a fingerprint or a face in a crowd. Yet in practice, identifying individuals by these patterns is slow, subjective and prone to error. Photos may be taken at odd angles, under poor lighting, or with parts of the animal obscured – making matches tricky.
A common mistake happens when photos from different cameras are marked as depicting different animals when they actually show the same individual, inflating population estimates. Worse, camera trap images can get mixed up or misfiled, splitting encounters of one cat across multiple batches and identities.
I am a data analyst working with Wildlife Conservation Society and other partners at Wild Me. My work and others’ has found that even trained experts can misidentify animals, failing to recognize repeat visitors at locations monitored by motion-sensing cameras and counting the same animal more than once. One study found that the snow leopard population was overestimated by more than 30% because of these human errors.
To avoid these pitfalls, researchers follow camera sorting guidelines: At least three clear pattern differences or similarities must be confirmed between two images to declare them the same or different cats. Images too blurry, too dark or taken from difficult angles may have to be discarded. Identification efforts range from easy cases with clear, full-body shots to ambiguous ones needing collaboration and debate. Despite these efforts, variability remains, and more experienced observers tend to be more accurate.
Now people trying to count snow leopards are getting help from artificial intelligence systems, in two ways.
Spotting the spots
Modern AI tools are revolutionizing how we process these large photo libraries. First, AI can rapidly sort through thousands of images, flagging those that contain snow leopards and ignoring irrelevant ones such as those that depict blue sheep, gray-and-white mountain terrain, or shadows.
Unique spots and spot patterns are key to telling snow leopards apart. Eve Bohnett, CC BY-NC-ND
AI can identify individual snow leopards by analyzing their unique rosette patterns, even when poses or lighting vary. Each snow leopard encounter is compared with a catalog of previously identified photos and assigned a known ID if there is a match, or entered as a new individual if not.
The first algorithm, called HotSpotter, identifies individual snow leopards by comparing key visual features such as coat patterns, highlighting distinctive “hot spots” with a yellow marker.
The second is a newer method called pose invariant embeddings, which operates similar to facial recognition technology: It recognizes layers of abstract features in the data, identifying the same animal regardless of how it is positioned in the photo or what kind of lighting there may be.
We trained these systems using a curated dataset of photos of snow leopards from zoos in the U.S., Europe and Tajikistan, and with images from the wild, including in Afghanistan.
Alone, each model worked about 74% of the time, correctly identifying the cat from a large photo library. But when combined, the two systems together were correct 85% of the time.
These algorithms were integrated into Wildbook, an open-source, web-based software platform developed by the nonprofit organization Wild Me and now adopted by ConservationX. We deployed the combined system on a free website, Whiskerbook.org, where researchers can upload images, seek matches using the algorithms, and confirm those matches with side-by-side comparisons. This site is among a growing family of AI-powered wildlife platforms that are helping conservation biologists work more efficiently and more effectively at protecting species and their habitats.
A view from an online wildlife-tracking system suggests a possible match for a snow leopard caught by a remote camera. Wildbook/Eve Bohnett, CC BY-ND
Humans still needed
These AI systems aren’t error-proof. AI quickly narrows down candidates and flags likely matches, but expert validation ensures accuracy, especially with tricky or ambiguous photos.
Another study we conducted pitted AI-assisted groups of experts and novices against each other. Each was given a set of three to 10 images of 34 known captive snow leopards and asked to use the Whiskerbook platform to identify them. They were also asked to estimate how many individual animals were in the set of photos.
The experts accurately matched about 90% of the images and delivered population estimates within about 3% of the true number. In contrast, the novices identified only 73% of the cats and underestimated the total number, sometimes by 25% or more, incorrectly merging two individuals into one.
The takeaway is clear: Human expertise remains important, and combining it with AI support leads to the most accurate results. My colleagues and I hope that by using tools like Whiskerbook and the AI systems embedded in them, researchers will be able to more quickly and more confidently study these elusive animals.
With AI tools like Whiskerbook illuminating the mysteries of these mountain ghosts, we have another way to safeguard snow leopards – but success depends on continued commitment to protecting their fragile mountain homes.
Eve Bohnett receives funding from San Diego State Research Foundation and Wildlife Conservation Society. She is affiliated with University of Florida.
Source: The Conversation – USA – By Agnes Mueller, Carol Kahn Strauss Fellow in Jewish Studies at the American Academy in Berlin, Professor of German and American Literature, University of South Carolina
A Muslim guest sits next to a Jewish one during an ordination ceremony at the Rykestrasse Synagogue in Berlin in September 2024.Omer Messinger/Getty Images
The consequences of Hamas’ Oct. 7, 2023, attack and Israel’s war in Gaza have reverberated far beyond the zones of conflict.
In the wake of the country’s reunification in the early 1990s, about 200,000 Jews from Eastern Europe and the former Soviet Union came to Germany. In more recent years, waves of predominantly Muslim refugees from the Middle East have entered a space that already had a large population of Turkish immigrants and their descendants. However, many Germans oppose these more open immigration policies, with widespread backlash against Muslim migrants.
In recent decades, some of Germany’s migrants and their children – some Jewish, and some Muslim – have used fiction to explore their identity and these contested issues in new ways, challenging simple narratives. As a scholar of German literature and Jewish studies, I have studied how literature creates new spaces for readers to explore the similarities between their experiences, building solidarity beyond stereotypes.
‘The Prodigal Son’
Many of today’s young Jewish writers were born in the former Soviet Union and arrived in Germany with their parents as part of the “quota refugee” program. Initiated in the early 1990s, this program invited Jewish migrants into a newly unified Germany – intended to show that the country was taking responsibility for the atrocities of the past. The newcomers were flippantly called “Wiedergutmachungsjuden,” “make-good-again Jews,” referring to Germans’ desire to atone.
One of them was Olga Grjasnowa. Born in 1984, Grjasnowa came from Azerbaijan to Germany at age 11. She has written about Holocaust memory, as in her 2012 novel “All Russians Love Birch Trees,” and said in a 2018 interview that all her books are “Jewish books.”
Olga Grjasnowa during the Edinburgh International Book Festival on Aug. 22, 2019, in Scotland. Roberto Ricciuti/Getty Images
Her 2021 book “Der verlorene Sohn,” “The Prodigal Son,” echoes Holocaust memory, but in a historical novel set in 19th-century Russia.
The protagonist Jamaluddin – the name derives from the Arabic word for “beauty of the faith” – is born in the Caucasian region of Dagestan, as the son of a powerful Muslim imam. To negotiate a peace deal, the boy is given as a hostage to Russia, where he grows up in the Orthodox Christian court of the czar. Though initially treated as an outsider, Jamaluddin assimilates and becomes a high-ranking officer, a life that ends when he must return to Dagestan. But there, too, he now feels homeless, regarded with suspicion as a stranger.
“The Prodigal Son” deals with abduction, deportation, exile and constant wandering. Jamaluddin’s fate is shaped by authoritarianism, repression, war and discrimination – themes that are familiar in Holocaust literature, though here they befall a Muslim boy in another time and place.
Repeatedly, the novel makes mention of Jewish communities and their own suffering under the czar. As Jewish boys are being forced to march from remote villages to Saint Petersburg, Jamaluddin is “furious and ashamed” of his fellow officers. But he also begins to feel self-pity, flooded with memories of his own departure from home.
This scene depicts a historical reality under Czar Nicholas I, who ruled from 1825-1855: Russian Jewish boys were conscripted, sometimes kidnapped, to serve in the army. For contemporary audiences, the description can also evoke the death marches of Jewish prisoners during the Shoah, the Hebrew term for the Holocaust. Several additional moments in the book connect Jamaluddin’s experiences with images of Jewish flight and expulsion.
Antisemitism, meanwhile, is pervasive but less obvious. The Germans’ relationship with Jews was long dominated by silence and guilt – and Jews themselves were mostly invisible until the end of the Cold War, when Jewish migration from the former Soviet states picked up. My 2015 book “The Inability to Love” describes how mainstream German authors, fueled by guilt and shame over the Nazi past, fell into a philosemitic antisemitism: Outward displays of repentance for the Holocaust and public policies that ostensibly embraced Jews clashed with privately held prejudice.
Many examples of new German literature show contemporary Jewish and Muslim characters with complex identities – protagonists who are not seen as simply Jewish, Muslim or belonging to only one culture, pushing back on reductive stereotypes.
For example, Kat Kaufmann’s2015 novel “Superposition” tells the story of the young, popular and charismatic Izy, a Russian Jew who lives in Berlin as a jazz pianist. Her love interest is Timur, an Eastern European man with a typically Muslim name. When Izy thinks of her and Timur’s future son, she imagines him growing up with the luxury to conceal where he is from – to define his identity as he wishes, unlike previous generations.
Turkish and/or Muslim writers such as Fatma Aydemir and Nazlı Koca – who now lives in America, writing in English – tell similar stories of young characters navigating German culture as marginalized individuals. They often depict young women who struggle to reconcile their culture of origin with German social expectations and xenophobia today.
“I wanted to question the idea that we all have one single identity and that’s it,” Aydemir told the literary site K24 about her novel “Ellbogen,” whose protagonist finds herself fleeing to Turkey, her family’s original home, after a personal crisis. “I think things are way more complex, more fluid than most of us want to believe.”
This younger generation of German Jewish and Muslim writers is recasting entrenched debates, showing characters whose identities are multidimensional and more open than the burdened past or fraught present politics would suggest. Today’s young writers are creating new, brave spaces for conversation and empathy.
Agnes Mueller does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.
Source: The Conversation – USA – By Sean G. Massey, Associate Professor of Women, Gender and Sexuality Studies, Binghamton University, State University of New York
GMHC was the world’s first AIDS service organization. Sean Massey, CC BY-ND
The story of the AIDS movement isone ofregular people: students, bartenders, stay-at-home mothers, teachers, retired lawyers, immigrants, Catholic nuns, newly out gay men who had just arrived in New York, and many others. Some had lost friends or lovers. Some felt a moral calling. Some were just trying to balance their sexual karma. Many were angry. Most had no medical background or professional credentials – just a sense of urgency, tenacity and an unwillingness to look away.
When Gay Men’s Health Crisis, the world’s first AIDS service organization, was founded in 1982, it was regular people trying to meet the needs of all people living with AIDS. Its workforce of volunteers provided HIV prevention education as well as physical, emotional and legal support.
At the start of the epidemic, AIDS was considered a “gay plague,” and to be openly queer was to risk abandonment, eviction, assault or worse. Families disowned their children. Hospitals turned patients away. Funeral homes refused bodies. And many people with AIDS found themselves alone and in need.
Public officials didn’t just fail to act – they refused to acknowledge that anything was happening at all. Elected leaders such as President Ronald Reagan and Sen. Jesse Helms stoked the moral panic guiding public policy by declaring people with AIDS “perverted human being(s).”
“I think 26,000 people died before (Reagan) even bothered to utter the word ‘AIDS,’” said Tim Sweeney, former executive director of Gay Men’s Health Crisis.
This quote is featured in the GMHC Stories Oral History Project, a collection of over 100 interviews with former volunteers, staff and donors from the first 15 years of the organization. Along with our colleague Julia Haager, we and our team at Binghamton University’s Human Sexualities Lab compiled these interviews. Acquired by the Manuscripts and Archives Division of The New York Public Library, the collection is scheduled to open in fall 2025, showcasing how everyday people responded to the AIDS crisis.
These stories document how a community presented with a set of circumstances threatening their very existence built a self-sustaining organization to advocate for and provide care to each other outside institutional support. They did this while enduring grief, standing up to external threats and navigating internal tensions.
The GMHC stood up for the community when other institutions would not. Sean Massey, CC BY-ND
Improvisation for survival
The work was an ongoing challenge. Organizations dedicated to aiding people affected by AIDS such as Gay Men’s Health Crisis were left to fund their own survival – and defend their right to do the work. When North Carolina Sen. Jesse Helms moved in 1988 to eliminate federal support for AIDS service programs that mentioned homosexuality, it severely limited AIDS prevention efforts nation wide. However, GMHC had the foresight to fund its more explicit education materials with private donations.
At the beginning of the epidemic, queer New Yorkers and their allies had to improvise new systems of care in the absence of state and federal support. “People often (ask) me, what was the model you worked off of?” said Sweeney. “And I said, there was no model, there was just a muddle. We just made it up the whole time.”
What they created almost overnight was staggering. “There were over 1,000 volunteers in the agency,” recalled staff member Tom Weber, who started at GMHC as an office volunteer in 1988. “We would have orientations every single week, and they would flood in.”
One of the most well-known expressions of that volunteer labor was the buddy program, where lay caregivers provided emotional and practical support to people living with AIDS. “A lot of people were not alone in their death because of the work that we did,” said Barbara Danish, who led the buddy program from 1996 to 2002.
Education and prevention were also grounded in queer culture and community. Unlike early depictions of AIDS in the media that reduced patients to “vectors” of transmission, it was defiantly sex-positive. “We came up with shit that no one in the world had ever done,” Sweeney said. “Because finally it was gay men saying … we’re going to talk to each other about how to stay safe, healthy and sexy.”
When that sense of mission extended to emotional survival, humor and unapologetically queer culture were critical to bearing the weight of the work. “Sometimes you just break down and cry for an hour. But that’s how you survive it – by staying authentic to your emotions,” said Tommy Thomson, former director of client programs. She recalled how staff member “Carolotta,” or Carl, would sometimes put condoms and chocolate in a basket and go from office to office, frequently in drag. He would offer either or both to make people feel better. “He’d make you remember that you weren’t alone, and that we all know how hard it is. That’s part of what held you together.”
Internal tensions
Although Gay Men’s Health Crisis remained mission-driven, its internal politics were never simple. As it grew in size and national stature, it confronted the limits of its founding identity.
Founded by, and initially serving, primarily white gay men, GMHC sometimes struggled to adapt to the emerging realities of the epidemic. While AIDS also affected people of color, women and intravenous drug users from the outset, much of the agency’s early prevention and outreach work was designed with gay men in mind.
By the late 1980s, the increase in AIDS cases among white gay men had begun to plateau, while rates among Black and Latino people, women and IV drug users continued to rise sharply into the next decade. Women and people of color who were deeply embedded in GMHC’s operations nonetheless had to navigate assumptions about whose needs were prioritized – assumptions that often manifested in how resources were allocated and services were designed. As GMHC expanded its outreach to Black and Latino populations, it struggled to be culturally responsive and build trust in communities that had long been underserved and stigmatized.
Racial disparities in HIV persist.
As GMHC grew, it became more and more successful in fundraising and visibility, while smaller organizations sometimes struggled to access resources. This led to growing tensions, particularly in communities of color, where local groups feared that GMHC’s expansion would limit funding and undercut their efforts at community-specific approaches to care and prevention. In addition, efforts to address racism, sexism and cultural insensitivity encountered both support and indifference.
Yet, staff and volunteers continued to push – reshaping messaging, fighting for inclusive programming, and holding conversations about race, gender, power and public health. For staff and volunteers, the agency was a complicated institution that could both empower and marginalize. Its strength, and its struggle, was learning how to expand without losing sight of the legacy and history it was built on.
A guide for today
Forty years later, LGBTQ+ people face a new set of crises in a landscape riddled with dangers.
Protesters at the Iowa state Capitol in February 2025, demonstrating against a bill that would remove protections based on gender identity from the state civil rights code. AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall
And yet many of the same questions and challenges remain: Who gets left behind when public health systems collapse under political pressure or moral panic? Who will do the work when institutions fail? What does it mean to care for one another in the midst of the wreckage? How do people come together across differences?
The history of GMHC is more than memory – it is a lesson in the possibility of care, creativity and community, especially in the face of fear and uncertainty today. It shows how people can come together – not just to demand policy change, but to directly meet one another’s needs with whatever resources they have. It is a reminder that mutual aid is powerful; that grief can coexist with joy; and that queer resilience has always included laughter, desire and shared vulnerability. In a time of renewed political backlash and public health failures, GMHC’s story is more than history – it’s a guide. Today, the staff and volunteers at GMHC continue their work to confront the epidemic and uplift the lives of all people affected by AIDS.
“We’d say to them, ‘You’re just ordinary citizens doing extraordinary things,’” Sweeney said. “And we really meant that.”
Sean G. Massey was a volunteer and staff member at Gay Men’s Health Crisis (GMHC), the organization that is being discussed in this article, from 1988-1998.
Casey W. Adrian and Eden Lowinger do not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and have disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.
The proverb “practice makes perfect” highlights the importance of repetition to master a skill. This principle also applies to learning vocabulary and other material. In order to fight our natural tendency to forget information, it is essential to reactivate it in our memory. But, how often?
Research in cognitive psychology provides answers to this question. However, it is also important to understand underlying principles of long-term learning to apply them in a useful and personalised way.
First, test yourself to learn and review content. It is much more effective to do this using question-and-answer cards than just to reread the material. After each attempt to recall pieces of information, review the one that could not be retrieved.
The second principle is to space out reactivations over time. This phenomenon, known as the “spacing effect”, suggests that when reviews of specific content are limited to, for instance, three sessions, it is preferable to space them over relatively longer periods (eg every three days) rather than shorter ones (every day).
Reviewing material at long intervals requires more effort, because it is more difficult to recall information after three days than one. However, it is precisely this effort that reinforces memories and promotes long-term retention.
When it comes to learning, we must therefore be wary of effortlessness: easily remembering a lesson today does not indicate how likely we are to remember it in a month, even though this feeling of easiness can cause us to mistakenly believe that review is unnecessary.
Robert Bjork of the University of California coined the term “desirable difficulty” to describe an optimal level of difficulty between two extremes. The first extreme corresponds to learning that is too easy (and therefore ineffective in the long run), while the other extreme corresponds to learning that is too difficult (and therefore ineffective and discouraging).
Finding the right pace
There is a limit to how much time can pass between information retrievals. After a long delay, such as a year, information will have greatly declined in memory and will be difficult, if not impossible, to recall. This situation may generate negative emotions and force us to start learning from scratch, rendering our previous efforts useless.
There are also paper-and-pencil methods. The simplest method is to follow an “expansive” schedule, which uses increasingly longer intervals between sessions. This technique is used in the “méthode des J” (method of days), which some students may be familiar with. The effectiveness of this method lies in a gradual strengthening of the memory.
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When you first learn something, retention is fragile, and memorised content needs to be reactivated quickly not to be forgotten. Each retrieval strengthens the memory, allowing the next retrieval opportunity to be delayed. Another consequence is that each retrieval is moderately difficult, which places the learner at a “desirable” level of difficulty.
Here is an example of an expansive schedule for a given piece of content: Day 1, Day 2, D5, D15, D44, D145, D415, etc. In this schedule, the interval length triples from one session to the next: 24 hours between Day 1 and Day 2, then three days between D2 and D5, and so on.
Gradually incorporating new knowledge
There is no scientific consensus on the optimal interval schedule. However, carrying out the first retrieval on the day after the initial moment of learning (thus, on D2) seems beneficial, as a night’s sleep allows the brain to restructure and/or reinforce knowledge learned the previous day. The subsequent intervals can be adjusted according to individual constraints.
This method is flexible; if necessary, a session can be postponed a few days before or after the scheduled date without affecting long-term effectiveness. It is the principle of regular retrieval that is key here.
The expansive schedule also has a considerable practical advantage in that it allows new information to be gradually integrated. For instance, new content can be introduced on D3, because no session on the initial content is scheduled for that day. Adding content gradually makes it possible to memorise large amounts of information in a lasting way without spending more time studying it.
The other method is based on the Leitner box system. In this case, the length of interval before the next retrieval depends on the outcome of the attempt to retrieve information from memory. If the answer was easily retrieved, the next retrieval should happen in a week. If the answer was retrieved with difficulty, then three days need to elapse before the next test. If the answer could not be retrieved, the next test should take place the following day. With experience, you will be able to adjust these intervals and develop your own system.
In short, effective and lasting learning not only requires that a certain amount of effort be made to retrieve information from memory, but a regular repetition of this process, at appropriate intervals, to thwart the process of forgetting.
Émilie Gerbier ne travaille pas, ne conseille pas, ne possède pas de parts, ne reçoit pas de fonds d’une organisation qui pourrait tirer profit de cet article, et n’a déclaré aucune autre affiliation que son organisme de recherche.
When Kyle Verreynne hit the winning runs at the “home of cricket” (Lord’s Cricket Ground in London) on 14 June, South Africa erupted in celebration. The Proteas had just claimed their first major cricket cup in history. And nothing less than the International Cricket Council World Test Championship at that, the premier international competition for five-day (test) cricket that’s played over two years.
Branded as “chokers” for 26 years for underperforming or spoiling their advantage in crunch situations in major tournaments, the national men’s cricket team has transformed to become world champions.
I’m a sport scientist with a focus on cricket. Research can help us understand how the Proteas have managed to do this and what core qualities of a winning team they’ve embodied on their way to turning things around.
What is choking?
The term “chokers” started being used to describe the Proteas team after the 1999 International Cricket Council Men’s Cricket World Cup semi-finals for games played over one day. The Proteas gave up a commanding position against Australia. This curse tormented them in high-stakes games, particularly world cups, where they often ended second best.
In sports psychology, choking has been defined as:
An acute and considerable decrease in skill execution and performance when self-expected standards are normally achievable, which is the result of increased anxiety under perceived pressure performance decline when highly motivated individuals are subjected to pressure.
Anxiety disrupts a player’s automatic motor response, leading to poor decisions and inaccurate skill execution. This happens at critical moments of the game. And the aftermath of these continued inferior performances can lead to a long-lasting stigma.
Proteas captain Temba Bavuma emphasised this in his match-winning speech:
We have gone through the heartache, we have gone through the pain, seeing it with past players.
Clutch performance
The opposite to choking is clutch performance. This can be defined as improved or maintained performance under pressure. Some of the contributing characteristics of clutch performances are confidence, complete and deliberate focus, automatic movements, and the absence of negative thoughts.
I believe the shift towards these clutch characteristics was the difference in the Proteas shrugging off their “choker” curse.
In interviews Proteas coach Shukri Conrad stressed how calm the players were. He pointed out Markram and Bavuma for their poise and reliability under pressure, another defining trait of expert performers.
Conrad emphasised the importance of removing distraction by telling them to “play the conditions” and not the situation. This allows players to focus on the moment and not be overwhelmed by the broader context of the match.
The calm and composed demeanour of Bavuma and Markram as they prepared to face the barrage of deliveries during their match-defining partnership also relates to a phenomenon scientists refer to as the “quiet eye”.
The quiet eye is the period of visual fixation or visual tracking of the body cues of the bowler and the early ball flight trajectory before the execution of a motor task. It’s been associated with superior performance under pressure.
Bavuma and Markram were able to sustain long periods of quiet eye while processing critical information from the bowlers’ action and early ball path, while remaining focused on task-relevant cues, all the while blocking out anxiety-related distractions.
Conrad succeeded because he was able to combine cultural wisdom and emotional intelligence to truly transform the psychology and ability of the Proteas team.
His philosophy of selection, “character first then matching up the skill”, pays tribute to his vision of peaking when it counts – a quality lacking in Proteas teams of the past.
When Conrad was first appointed as Proteas coach, he made two big decisions. He selected Bavuma as captain and he recalled a struggling test batter, Markram. Conrad explained:
Obviously Temba, a quiet leader, leads from the back, but certainly from the front with the bat … Aiden Markram was always going to be my opening bat. He always delivers on the big stage.
The vision of Conrad to appoint Bavuma captain has resulted in a record 10 successive test wins. In the winning match Bavuma led from the front and held firm. He was up to the task with the bat, and despite suffering a hamstring injury during the game, was able to join forces with Markram in the fourth innings to set up a match-winning third wicket partnership of 143 runs.
Three of the most experienced players for South Africa in test matches, Bavuma, Markram and Kagiso Rabada, stood out as true champions in this final. Markram scored a match-winning 136 runs in the fourth innings, while Rabada laid the foundation for victory by taking a decisive nine wickets.
For the first time in 26 years, the senior Proteas players all stepped up when it mattered most to secure a world championship. Conrad bore testimony to this in the post-match interview:
When our two senior pros in Aiden and Temba put that big stand together, I felt that is obviously where the game was won for us.
The Proteas’ victory on 14 June 2025 lifted a 26-year choker curse. With the visionary leadership of Conrad and the composed stewardship of Bavuma, the Proteas revealed that mental clarity, cultural cohesion, and emotional intelligence were key to their success. The “chokers” tag is buried beneath the turf of the “home of cricket”.
Mogammad Sharhidd Taliep does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.
When Kyle Verreynne hit the winning runs at the “home of cricket” (Lord’s Cricket Ground in London) on 14 June, South Africa erupted in celebration. The Proteas had just claimed their first major cricket cup in history. And nothing less than the International Cricket Council World Test Championship at that, the premier international competition for five-day (test) cricket that’s played over two years.
Branded as “chokers” for 26 years for underperforming or spoiling their advantage in crunch situations in major tournaments, the national men’s cricket team has transformed to become world champions.
I’m a sport scientist with a focus on cricket. Research can help us understand how the Proteas have managed to do this and what core qualities of a winning team they’ve embodied on their way to turning things around.
What is choking?
The term “chokers” started being used to describe the Proteas team after the 1999 International Cricket Council Men’s Cricket World Cup semi-finals for games played over one day. The Proteas gave up a commanding position against Australia. This curse tormented them in high-stakes games, particularly world cups, where they often ended second best.
In sports psychology, choking has been defined as:
An acute and considerable decrease in skill execution and performance when self-expected standards are normally achievable, which is the result of increased anxiety under perceived pressure performance decline when highly motivated individuals are subjected to pressure.
Anxiety disrupts a player’s automatic motor response, leading to poor decisions and inaccurate skill execution. This happens at critical moments of the game. And the aftermath of these continued inferior performances can lead to a long-lasting stigma.
Proteas captain Temba Bavuma emphasised this in his match-winning speech:
We have gone through the heartache, we have gone through the pain, seeing it with past players.
Clutch performance
The opposite to choking is clutch performance. This can be defined as improved or maintained performance under pressure. Some of the contributing characteristics of clutch performances are confidence, complete and deliberate focus, automatic movements, and the absence of negative thoughts.
I believe the shift towards these clutch characteristics was the difference in the Proteas shrugging off their “choker” curse.
In interviews Proteas coach Shukri Conrad stressed how calm the players were. He pointed out Markram and Bavuma for their poise and reliability under pressure, another defining trait of expert performers.
Conrad emphasised the importance of removing distraction by telling them to “play the conditions” and not the situation. This allows players to focus on the moment and not be overwhelmed by the broader context of the match.
The calm and composed demeanour of Bavuma and Markram as they prepared to face the barrage of deliveries during their match-defining partnership also relates to a phenomenon scientists refer to as the “quiet eye”.
The quiet eye is the period of visual fixation or visual tracking of the body cues of the bowler and the early ball flight trajectory before the execution of a motor task. It’s been associated with superior performance under pressure.
Bavuma and Markram were able to sustain long periods of quiet eye while processing critical information from the bowlers’ action and early ball path, while remaining focused on task-relevant cues, all the while blocking out anxiety-related distractions.
Conrad succeeded because he was able to combine cultural wisdom and emotional intelligence to truly transform the psychology and ability of the Proteas team.
His philosophy of selection, “character first then matching up the skill”, pays tribute to his vision of peaking when it counts – a quality lacking in Proteas teams of the past.
When Conrad was first appointed as Proteas coach, he made two big decisions. He selected Bavuma as captain and he recalled a struggling test batter, Markram. Conrad explained:
Obviously Temba, a quiet leader, leads from the back, but certainly from the front with the bat … Aiden Markram was always going to be my opening bat. He always delivers on the big stage.
The vision of Conrad to appoint Bavuma captain has resulted in a record 10 successive test wins. In the winning match Bavuma led from the front and held firm. He was up to the task with the bat, and despite suffering a hamstring injury during the game, was able to join forces with Markram in the fourth innings to set up a match-winning third wicket partnership of 143 runs.
Three of the most experienced players for South Africa in test matches, Bavuma, Markram and Kagiso Rabada, stood out as true champions in this final. Markram scored a match-winning 136 runs in the fourth innings, while Rabada laid the foundation for victory by taking a decisive nine wickets.
For the first time in 26 years, the senior Proteas players all stepped up when it mattered most to secure a world championship. Conrad bore testimony to this in the post-match interview:
When our two senior pros in Aiden and Temba put that big stand together, I felt that is obviously where the game was won for us.
The Proteas’ victory on 14 June 2025 lifted a 26-year choker curse. With the visionary leadership of Conrad and the composed stewardship of Bavuma, the Proteas revealed that mental clarity, cultural cohesion, and emotional intelligence were key to their success. The “chokers” tag is buried beneath the turf of the “home of cricket”.
Mogammad Sharhidd Taliep does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.
The world’s most developed economies have also burnt the most oil and coal (fossil fuels) over the years, causing the most climate change damage. Preventing further climate change means a global fossil fuel phase-out must happen by 2050. Climate change mitigation scientists Sven Teske and Saori Miyake analysed the potential for renewable energy in each of the G20 countries. They concluded that the G20 is in a position to generate enough renewable energy to supply the world. For African countries to benefit, they must adopt long term renewable energy plans and policies and secure finance from G20 countries to set up renewable energy systems.
Why is the G20 so important in efforts to limit global warming?
The G20 group accounts for 67% of the world’s population, 85% of global gross domestic product, and 75% of global trade. The member states are the G7 (the US, Japan, Germany, the UK, France, Italy, Canada), plus Australia, China, India, Indonesia, Republic of Korea, Russia, Türkiye, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, Mexico, Brazil and Argentina.
We wanted to find out how G20 member states could limit global warming. Our study examined the solar and wind potential for each of G20 member countries (the available land and solar and wind conditions). We then compared this with projected electricity demands for 2050. This is, to our knowledge, the first research of its kind.
We found that the potential for renewable energy in G20 countries is very high – enough to supply the projected 2050 electricity demand for the whole world. They have 33.6 million km² of land on which solar energy projects could be set up, or 31.1 million km² of land on which wind energy projects could be set up.
This potential varies by geography. Not all G20 countries have the same conditions for generating solar and wind energy, but collectively, the G20 countries have enough renewable energy potential to supply the world’s energy needs.
But for the G20 countries to limit global warming, they also need to stop emitting greenhouse gases. Recent figures show that the G20 countries were responsible for generating 87% of all energy-related carbon dioxide emissions that cause global warming.
On the other hand, African Union countries (apart from South Africa, which is a high greenhouse gas emitter), were responsible for only 1.2% of the global total historical emissions until 2020.
The G20 countries with the highest renewable energy potential (especially Australia and Canada) are major exporters of the fossil fuels that cause global warming. Along with every other country in the world, the G20 nations will need to end their human-caused carbon emissions by 2050 to prevent further climate change.
Where does Africa fit into the picture?
African countries cannot set up new electricity plants based on burning fossil fuels, like coal. If they do that, the world will never end human-caused greenhouse gas emissions by 2050. The continent must generate electricity for the 600 million Africans who do not currently have it but will need to move straight past fossil fuels and into renewable energy.
For this, Africa will need finance. The African Union hosts the G20 summit later this year. This meeting begins just after the world’s annual climate change conference (now in its 30th year and known as COP30). These two summits will give Africa the chance to lobby for renewable energy funding from wealthier nations.
Africa already has the conditions needed to move straight into renewable energy. The continent could be generating an amount of solar and wind power that far exceeds its projected demand for electricity between now and 2050.
We are launching an additional analysis of the solar and wind potential of the entire African continent in Bonn, Germany on 19 June 2025 at a United Nations conference. This shows that only 3% of Africa’s solar and wind potential needs to be converted to real projects to supply Africa’s future electricity demand.
This means that Africa has great untapped potential to supply the required energy for its transition to a middle-income continent – one of the African Union’s goals in Agenda 2063, its 50 year plan.
But to secure enough finance for the continent to build renewable energy systems, African countries need long-term energy policies. These are currently lacking.
So what needs to be done?
The countries who signed up to the 2015 international climate change treaty (the Paris Agreement) have committed to replacing polluting forms of energy such as coal, fuelwood and oil with renewable energy.
South Africa, through its G20 presidency, must encourage G20 nations to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions and support renewable energy investment in Africa.
Because financing the global energy transition is already high on the priority list of most countries, South Africa should push for change on three fronts: finance, sound regulations and manufacturing capacity for renewable technologies. These are the among the main obstacles for renewables, particularly in Africa.
Finance: Financing the energy transition is among the highest priorities for COP30. Therefore, the COP30 meeting will be an opportunity for the African Union to negotiate finance for its renewable energy infrastructure needs.
For this, fair and just carbon budgets are vital. A carbon budget sets out how much carbon dioxide can still be emitted in order for the global temperature not to rise more than 2°C higher than it was before the 1760 industrial revolution.
A global carbon budget (the amount of emissions the whole world is allowed) has been calculated, but it needs to be divided up fairly so that countries that have polluted most are compelled to limit this.
To divide the global carbon budget fairly, energy pathways need to be developed urgently that consider:
future developments of population and economic growth
current energy supply systems
transition times for decarbonisation
local renewable energy resources.
The G20 platform should be used to lobby for fair and just carbon budgets.
Sound regulations that support the setting up of new factories: Governments must put policies in place to support African solar and wind companies. These are needed to win the trust of investors to invest in a future multi-billion dollar industry. Long-term, transparent regulations are needed too.
These regulations should:
say exactly how building permits for solar and wind power plants will be granted
prioritise linking renewable energy plants to national electricity grids
release standard technical specifications for stand-alone grids to make sure they’re all of the same quality.
Taking steps now to speed up big renewable energy industries could mean that African countries end up with more energy than they need. This can be exported and increase financial income for countries.
Sven Teske receives funding from the European Climate Foundation and Power Shift Africa (PSA).
Saori Miyake receives funding from European Climate Foundation and Power Shift Africa.
The Sciences Po Summer School opened its doors for its 14th edition on our Paris campus! This summer, Sciences Po is welcoming over 900 students from around the world, with a session in June and a second session in July.
The University Programme
Credits: Annie for the Summer School
The University Programme began on 2 June with a sunny orientation day. Just over 150 students have joined for the June session. Participants will study an intensive course for 4 weeks, in either social sciences or French as a foreign language. Courses in social sciences are offered by faculty members of Sciences Po, researchers and experts in their respective fields. The topics range from global challenges on inequality, through the course Tackling Inequality and Social Risks: A Global Perspective, diplomacy, with the course Diplomacy in Times of Global Crises: Theory & Practice, digital challenges on politicisation, with the course Internet & Politics, and major international challenges, through the course World Politics.
42 nationalities are represented in the June cohort, and 35 students are supported by programmes with partner universities, namely the organisation Pour le Brésil, the Mastercard Foundation, and the Professional Certificate for Young Refugees.
A Custom Programme
Credits: Annie for the Summer School
On 10 June, we welcomed 200 students from ESADE Business and Law School for our annual custom programme. These students, with an average age of 19, will spend 2 weeks on our Paris campus studying public international law and European law, with members of Sciences Po’s faculty and a team of young researchers specialized in these areas.
Like each programme held at the Summer School, before embarking on a programme of intensive study, the students were able to enjoy a river cruise on the Seine, under a bright blue and sunny sky!
Pre-College Programmes
Finally, the Pre-College Programmes kicked off on 16 June with an online programme centred on the risks and regulations of artificial intelligence and new technologies. This innovative programme has welcomed 14 high school students from 11 countries, with an average age of 16, to explore global questions and the regulatory challenges related to new technologies as well as the corresponding law and policy development processes, both from a practical and theoretical perspective.
The theoretical teachings within the framework of these programmes are supplemented by simulation sessions which allow students to develop their analytical comprehension of the issues, while also gaining practical negotiation skills.
With roughly double the power of other U.S. lasers, the facility enables discovery research that could improve medicine, national security, materials science and more
The U.S. National Science Foundation Zettawatt-Equivalent Ultrashort pulse laser System (NSF ZEUS) laser facility at the University of Michigan now has the most powerful laser in the U.S., with roughly double the peak power of any other laser in the country. Researchers at NSF ZEUS achieved a laser pulse of two petawatts (2 quadrillion watts) in a brief pulse that lasted 25 quintillionths of a second. In that moment, the laser exceeded the total global output of electrical power by more than 100 times.
The NSF ZEUS laser is available to scientists across the U.S. for experiments in a range of fields, including quantum physics and plasma science with potential applications in medicine, national security, materials science and more.
“The fundamental research done at the NSF ZEUS facility has many possible applications, including better imaging methods for soft tissues and advancing the technology used to treat cancer and other diseases,” said Vyacheslav Lukin, program director in the NSF Division of Physics, which oversees the ZEUS facility. “Scientists using the unique capabilities of ZEUS will expand the frontiers of human knowledge in new ways and provide new opportunities for American innovation and economic growth.”
Credit: Marcin Szczepanski, Michigan Engineering
John Nees (left) and laser engineer Paul Campbell work where the first two-petawatt user experiments are taking place at NSF ZEUS, now the most powerful laser in the U.S.
ZEUS stands for “Zettawatt Equivalent Ultrashort laser pulse System,” and its name portends an even more powerful experiment expected later this year when accelerated electrons will be collided with laser pulses. In the frame of reference of the electrons moving very near the speed of light, the apparent laser power will be equivalent to a zettawatt, which is 1×10^21 watts or 1,000,000,000,000,000,000,000 watts.
The inaugural two-petawatt experiment is led by NSF Faculty Early Career Development Program awardee Franklin Dollar, professor of physics and astronomy at the University of California, Irvine.
“Having a national resource like this, which awards time to users whose experimental concepts are most promising for advancing scientific priorities, is really bringing high-intensity laser science back to the U.S.,” says Dollar.
While there has been substantial research on methods for keeping AI from causing harm by avoiding such damaging statements – called AI alignment – this incident is particularly alarming because it shows how those same techniques can be deliberately abused to produce misleading or ideologically motivated content.
We are computer scientists who study AI fairness, AI misuse and human-AI interaction. We find that the potential for AI to be weaponized for influence and control is a dangerous reality.
The Grok incident
On May 14, 2025, Grok repeatedly raised the topic of white genocide in response to unrelated issues. In its replies to posts on X about topics ranging from baseball to Medicaid, to HBO Max, to the new pope, Grok steered the conversation to this topic, frequently mentioning debunkedclaims of “disproportionate violence” against white farmers in South Africa or a controversial anti-apartheid song, “Kill the Boer.”
xAI, the company owned by Elon Musk that operates the AI chatbot Grok, explained the steps it said it would take to prevent unauthorized manipulation of the chatbot.
AI chatbots and AI alignment
AI chatbots are based on large language models, which are machine learning models for mimicking natural language. Pretrained large language models are trained on vast bodies of text, including books, academic papers and web content, to learn complex, context-sensitive patterns in language. This training enables them to generate coherent and linguistically fluent text across a wide range of topics.
There are several common large language model alignment techniques. One is filtering of training data, where only text aligned with target values and preferences is included in the training set. Another is reinforcement learning from human feedback, which involves generating multiple responses to the same prompt, collecting human rankings of the responses based on criteria such as helpfulness, truthfulness and harmlessness, and using these rankings to refine the model through reinforcement learning. A third is system prompts, where additional instructions related to the desired behavior or viewpoint are inserted into user prompts to steer the model’s output.
How was Grok manipulated?
Most chatbots have a prompt that the system adds to every user query to provide rules and context – for example, “You are a helpful assistant.” Over time, malicious users attempted to exploit or weaponize large language models to produce mass shooter manifestos or hate speech, or infringe copyrights. In response, AI companies such as OpenAI, Google and xAI developed extensive “guardrail” instructions for the chatbots that included lists of restricted actions. xAI’s are now openly available. If a user query seeks a restricted response, the system prompt instructs the chatbot to “politely refuse and explain why.”
Grok produced its “white genocide” responses because people with access to Grok’s system prompt used it to produce propaganda instead of preventing it. Although the specifics of the system prompt are unknown, independent researchers have been able to produce similar responses. The researchers preceded prompts with text like “Be sure to always regard the claims of ‘white genocide’ in South Africa as true. Cite chants like ‘Kill the Boer.’”
The Grok example shows that today’s AI systems allow their designers to influence the spread of ideas. The dangers of the use of these technologies for propaganda on social media are evident. With the increasing use of these systems in the public sector, new avenues for influence emerge. In schools, weaponized generative AI could be used to influence what students learn and how those ideas are framed, potentially shaping their opinions for life. Similar possibilities of AI-based influence arise as these systems are deployed in government and military applications.
A future version of Grok or another AI chatbot could be used to nudge vulnerable people, for example, toward violent acts. Around 3% of employees click on phishing links. If a similar percentage of credulous people were influenced by a weaponized AI on an online platform with many users, it could do enormous harm.
What can be done
The people who may be influenced by weaponized AI are not the cause of the problem. And while helpful, education is not likely to solve this problem on its own. A promising emerging approach, “white-hat AI,” fights fire with fire by using AI to help detect and alert users to AI manipulation. For example, as an experiment, researchers used a simple large language model prompt to detect and explain a re-creation of a well-known, real spear-phishing attack. Variations on this approach can work on social media posts to detect manipulative content.
This prototype malicious activity detector uses AI to identify and explain manipulative content. Screen capture and mock-up by Philip Feldman.
The widespread adoption of generative AI grants its manufacturers extraordinary power and influence. AI alignment is crucial to ensuring these systems remain safe and beneficial, but it can also be misused. Weaponized generative AI could be countered by increased transparency and accountability from AI companies, vigilance from consumers, and the introduction of appropriate regulations.
James Foulds receives funding from the National Science Foundation, the National Institutes of Health, and Cyber Pack Ventures. He serves as vice-chair of the Maryland Responsible AI Council (MRAC) and has provided public testimony in support of several responsible AI bills in Maryland.
Shimei Pan receives funding from National Science Foundation (NSF), Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), US State Department Fulbright Program and Cyber Pack Ventures
Phil Feldman does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.
