What's the common thread connecting AI advances, biological breakthroughs, a preponderance of high-risk-high-reward research, escalating geopolitical tensions and a hollowed-out U.S. public health sector? - They all heighten the risk that one day a lethal human-made pathogen will emerge, either accidentally or intentionally, and we won't be ready for it. Why it matters: The same advances that make this a pivotal moment for medical innovation are intensifying the risk of catastrophic lab mishaps, though how significant a risk is hotly debated by experts. - "It is a very small tweak from trying to target a disease, and making gene therapies to try to target a disease, to turning a virus into something that can be much more detrimental,"…
If there was ever a time to consider halting development of A.I., it’s now.
AI:Nate Soares argues that artificial intelligence development has reached a critical tipping point that necessitates an immediate halt to further progress. The discussion highlights growing concerns regarding the trajectory of models produced by companies like OpenAI and Anthropic, suggesting that the rapid escalation of AI capabilities poses unprecedented risks that can no longer be ignored as we approach a point of no return.Open
Sam Schwartz, a former New York City traffic commissioner, thinks autonomous vehicles are the future. But his book, “Autokill,” imagines a world where they go very wrong.
Nearly half the U.S. population now lives in areas exposed to building-damaging earthquake shaking, a sharp jump from prior federal estimates that raises hard questions about infrastructure readiness nationwide. A new study built on the latest U.S. Geological Survey National Seismic Hazard Model found that roughly 159.2 million Americans reside in zones exposed to "very […] The post New USGS earthquake model puts 159 million Americans in expanded danger zones appeared first on American Almanac .
Nearly half the U.S. population now lives in areas exposed to building-damaging earthquake shaking, a sharp jump from prior federal estimates that raises hard questions about infrastructure readiness nationwide. A new study built on the latest U.S. Geological Survey National Seismic Hazard Model found that roughly 159.2 million Americans reside in zones exposed to "very strong" earthquake shaking, the kind that can crack walls, buckle frames, and knock buildings off foundations. The previous version of the USGS model placed that number at 111.8 million, meaning the updated science added more than 47 million people to the highest-risk category in a single revision. The numbers do not stop at population. Researchers calculated that 47.3…Open
Researchers found that 159.2 million people live in areas exposed to ‘very strong’ shaking under the latest US Geological Survey (USGS) hazard model. Above is an AI-generated stock image Published August 9, 2026 CALIFORNIA — [...]
The FDA allowed some Zyn nicotine pouches to be marketed as "lower risk" than cigarettes. Public health experts agree they can help current smokers, but worry young people may become addicted.
Experts say FEMA's publicly available flood maps give homeowners a false sense of security about their actual flood risk, a gap that left fewer than 1% of homes in one hard-hit North Carolina county carrying insurance when Hurricane Helene struck. Liz Barker woke to a flash flood emergency alert on her phone the morning of […] The post FEMA flood maps leave millions of homeowners exposed, and the agency knows it appeared first on American Almanac .
Experts say FEMA's publicly available flood maps give homeowners a false sense of security about their actual flood risk, a gap that left fewer than 1% of homes in one hard-hit North Carolina county carrying insurance when Hurricane Helene struck. Liz Barker woke to a flash flood emergency alert on her phone the morning of September 27, 2024. A mandatory evacuation was already in place for her home in Swannanoa, North Carolina, a small community just outside Asheville. She grabbed her teenage daughter and their dog and left. When the water from the Swannanoa River finally dropped days later, Barker came back to find her house had been submerged to the attic. It was uninhabitable. She had no flood insurance. Barker was not alone.…Open
Europe and the United Kingdom are fine-tuning their approach to AI model testing as a deadline looms for the U.S. government to set rules of the road. Why it matters: U.S. allies for years have been grappling with the same AI safety questions the Trump administration now faces. - Wherever the U.S. lands in its AI framework, architects of the EU and U.K. approaches say it would be just the start. The big picture: President Trump began his second term by scrapping his predecessor's AI strategy and pursuing an anti-regulatory regime. - But as AI models became increasingly powerful fast, the Trump administration has found itself developing an oversight framework and deciding exactly what should be covered. - Under Trump's executive…
Firefighters have contained vast fires in both countries, but winds are high and temperatures rising. Spain’s prime minister said the next 12 hours would be “decisive.”