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Submission + - US Government Lost More Than 10,000 STEM PhDs Last Year (science.org)

Submitted by Anonymous Coward
An anonymous reader writes: Some 10,109 doctoral-trained experts in science and related fields left their jobs last year as President Donald Trump dramatically shrank the overall federal workforce. That exodus was only 3% of the 335,192 federal workers who exited last year but represents 14% of the total number of Ph.D.s in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) or health fields employed at the end of 2024 as then-President Joe Biden prepared to leave office.

The numbers come from employment data posted earlier this month by the White House Office of Personnel Management (OPM). At 14 research agencies Science examined in detail, departures outnumbered new hires last year by a ratio of 11 to one, resulting in a net loss of 4224 STEM Ph.D.s. The graphs that follow show the impact is particularly striking at such scientist-rich agencies as the National Science Foundation (NSF). But across the government, these departing Ph.D.s took with them a wealth of subject matter expertise and knowledge about how the agencies operate.

Every one of the 14 agencies that Science analyzed lost far more STEM Ph.D.s in 2025 than in 2024, before Trump took office. The National Institutes of Health tops the list with more than 1100 departures, compared with 421 in 2024. On average, the 14 agencies lost roughly three times more of these experts in 2025 than in 2024, with the highest percent increase in departures at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), and the U.S. Forest Service (USFS). At the same time, the number of STEM Ph.D.s hired at every agency was dramatically lower last year than in 2024.

[...] Science’s analysis found that reductions in force, or RIFs, accounted for relatively few departures in 2025. Only at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, where 16% of the 519 STEM Ph.D.s who left last year got pink RIF slips, did the percentage exceed 6%, and some agencies reported no STEM Ph.D. RIFs in 2025. At most agencies, the most common reasons for departures were retirements and quitting. Although OPM classifies many of these as voluntary, outside forces including the fear of being fired, the lure of buyout offers, or a profound disagreement with Trump policies, likely influenced many decisions to leave. Many Ph.D.s departed because their position was terminated.

Submission + - Ancient Martian beach discovered, providing new clues to planet's habitability (phys.org)

Submitted by alternative_right
alternative_right writes: New findings from NASA's Perseverance rover have revealed evidence of wave-formed beaches and rocks altered by subsurface water in a Martian crater that once held a vast lake—considerably expanding the timeline for potential habitability at this ancient site. In an international study led by Imperial College London, researchers uncovered that the so-called "Margin unit" in Mars's Jezero crater preserves evidence of extensive underground interactions between rock and water, as well as the first definitive traces of an ancient shoreline.

Submission + - How political leanings affect views on academic freedom: New research (phys.org)

Submitted by alternative_right
alternative_right writes: Instead of asking whether people support "academic freedom" in general, we asked how much they agreed or disagreed with specific scenarios. These included whether universities should protect research that causes offense, and whether academics should be free to publish controversial findings. We also asked whether universities should collaborate with multinational corporations or political regimes accused of human rights abuses.

This approach matters. In surveys, people often express strong support for free inquiry in the abstract. But once academic freedom is tied to real-world trade-offs, such as offense, harm, reputation or political controversy, agreement tends to fracture.

Across both countries, political ideology emerged as one of the strongest predictors of attitudes toward academic freedom.

Right-leaning respondents were consistently more supportive of academic freedom. They were more likely to oppose restrictions on offensive research and more likely to agree that academics should be protected even when their work provokes controversy. This pattern appeared not only in the UK, where universities are deeply entangled in culture-war debates, but also in Japan, where such disputes are less visible in public life.

Left-leaning respondents, by contrast, were more likely to emphasize accountability. They tended to support limits on research perceived as offensive or harmful, reflecting greater concern for social sensitivity and the potential impact of academic work on marginalized groups.

Submission + - Neural cluster very different in men and women (jpost.com) 1

Submitted by Bruce66423
Bruce66423 writes: 'Neural 'on/off' switch discovery may shed light on sex differences in social behavior

'What makes this neural cluster unusual is its binary activity pattern: it is consistently active in females but largely inactive in males, only turning on during major social or reproductive events.

'The research, published in the peer-reviewed Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences journal, also shows that the cluster’s activity is dynamic, not fixed. In males, it turns on only after sexual contact or reproductive experience, demonstrating that the brain can adapt neural circuits based on life events. Before sexual maturity, males and females show similar levels of activity, but after puberty, the cluster disappears in males until these social or reproductive triggers occur.

'“This shows the brain can ‘flip’ neural states to match social and reproductive circumstances,” Dr. Rokni said. “It’s an example of how experience can shape behavior differently in males and females.”'

Submission + - The plans to turn Europe into a new superpower (telegraph.co.uk)

Submitted by fjo3
fjo3 writes: Donald Trump’s threats over Greenland have exposed Europe’s weakness. Russia’s Vladimir Putin is waging war on its eastern flank. China’s Xi Jinping is a relentless competitor.

In a brutal new age of world powers, the EU wants to build a bigger, richer, stronger “super Europe” that is able to resist the dangerous whims of the globe’s autocrats.

Turning 27 quarrelsome small and middle-sized powers into a geopolitical heavyweight has been Emmanuel Macron’s largely unheeded call ever since the US president’s first term.

“Let’s take a step back and realise we live in a world where the leader of the free world is willing to upend the Western alliance over something he sees on Fox News,” one EU diplomat said.

Submission + - Microbes in Space Mutated And Developed a Remarkable Ability (sciencealert.com)

Submitted by alternative_right
alternative_right writes: "Space fundamentally changes how phages and bacteria interact: infection is slowed, and both organisms evolve along a different trajectory than they do on Earth," the researchers explain.

In the weightlessness of space, bacteria acquired mutations in genes involved in the microbe's stress response and nutrient management. Their surface proteins also changed. After a slow start, the phages mutated in response, so they could continue binding to their victims.

The team found that certain space-specific phage mutations were especially effective at killing Earth-bound bacteria responsible for urinary tract infections (UTIs). More than 90 percent of the bacteria responsible for UTIs are antibiotic-resistant, making phage treatments a promising alternative.

Submission + - Ancient DNA push back record of treponemal disease-causing bacteria by 3,000 yrs (eurekalert.org)

Submitted by Anonymous Coward
An anonymous reader writes: Discovery adds to evidence of extensive pathogen diversity in the Americas long before European contact.

Scientists have recovered a genome of Treponema pallidum – the bacterium whose subspecies today are responsible for four treponemal diseases, including syphilis – from 5,500-year-old human remains in Sabana de Bogotá, Colombia. The research expands knowledge about the history of this infectious disease and its occurrence in human populations, with findings now published in the journal Science.

The individual was archaeologically recovered from a rock shelter near Bogotá, Colombia, dating back roughly 5,500 years. The discovery pushes the genetic record of this pathogenic species back by more than 3,000 years, strengthening evidence that these infections have circulated in the Americas far longer than previously known.

Comment What a waste (Score 1) 51

by JustAnotherOldGuy (#65950340) Attached to: Saudi Arabia To Scale Back Neom Megaproject

The whole project was a mega-joke that had ZERO chance of completion (or anything even close to it). You might as well try to chrome-plate the equator. It was beyond ambitious and kind of a stupid idea to begin with.

Cities tend to have centers, and this "city" was just a long, stretched-out line of pseudo-suburbs baking in the desert. No water, no nearby attractions, and did I mention that it's isolated in the middle of a wasteland? This was never going to succeed and was never intended to- it was just another grift.

It'll end up as a disused landing strip surrounded by litter and half-finished buildings, and the only place you'll hear about it is in those "Whatever happened to..." articles.

Submission + - ReactOS celebrates 30 years in pursuit of becoming an open-source Windows (reactos.org)

Submitted by jeditobe
jeditobe writes: ReactOS, the open-source operating system aimed at binary compatibility with Windows, recently marked its 30th anniversary. Launched in 1996, ReactOS has focused on providing a free alternative to Windows, with compatibility for Windows applications and drivers. Though still in development, it has made significant progress in recent years, including improvements to USB support, better hardware compatibility, and enhanced performance with the release of version 0.4.15. The upcoming 0.4.16 release is set to introduce UEFI support, KMDF and WDDM graphics driver support, marking a major step forward in ReactOS's development.
https://www.phoronix.com/news/...

Submission + - 1 in 10 Zoomers are asking ChatGPT to help diagnose STDs, and doctors are alarme (nerds.xyz)

Submitted by BrianFagioli
BrianFagioli writes: Gen Z is turning to ChatGPT for sexual health advice, and in some cases, for actual diagnosis. A new January 2026 survey of 2,520 U.S. adults ages 18 to 29 found that 1 in 10 Gen Zers have asked an AI chatbot to help diagnose a possible STD. Nearly half of those who used AI for health questions said they specifically asked about STDs, with many sharing detailed symptoms, sexual history, and even photos. Doctors warn this crosses a dangerous line, since AI cannot confirm infections without lab testing and can easily give false reassurance or unnecessary panic.

The data shows those concerns are justified. Among users who followed up with real testing, AI was wrong about 31 percent of the time, including false negatives and false positives. Despite that, more than 9 in 10 respondents say they would use AI again for STD questions, even while acknowledging privacy risks and the lack of HIPAA protections. The survey highlights a growing gap between convenience and medical safety, as AI becomes the first stop for sensitive health questions that still require real doctors, real tests, and real confidentiality.

Submission + - Trump reveals 'discombobulator' weapon was crucial to Venezuela raid (nypost.com)

Submitted by Tablizer
Tablizer writes: Trump commented on the weapon when asked about reports this month that the Biden administration purchased a pulsed energy device suspected of being the type that caused “Havana Syndrome.”

That revelation followed on-the-ground accounts from Venezuela describing how Maduro’s gunmen were brought to their knees, “bleeding through the nose” and vomiting blood.

A self-identified member of the deposed strongman’s team of guards recounted afterward that “suddenly all our radar systems shut down without any explanation.”...

“At one point, they launched something; I don’t know how to describe it. It was like a very intense sound wave. Suddenly I felt like my head was exploding from the inside,” the witness said.

“We all started bleeding from the nose. Some were vomiting blood. We fell to the ground, unable to move. We couldn’t even stand up after that sonic weapon — or whatever it was.”

Comment Re:how do they expect to implement this? (Score 4, Insightful) 123

You'd be surprised to find out just how ignorant the average Representative or Senator is, especially Representatives.

These are people who for the most part couldn't manage regular gainful employment so they ended up going into preaching or politics- the two jobs where you can be as dumb as a bag of hammers and still succeed beyond your wildest dreams.

Many of them are genuine idiots but they can be glib and charming when it's needed, and often that's enough.

Comment Utterly stupid pretense (Score 5, Informative) 123

It's an utterly stupid pretense that's being used as the opening move to regulate, tax, and control a broad range of hobbies.

Eventually it'll subject you to FFL-style rules. If you have an FFL (a Federal Firearms License), the BATF has the right to show up at any time of day or night and search the premises, go over the books, tear the place apart, etc. That includes your home, cars, etc as well as any store or business.

The one thing I don't see being discussed is that it's 100% LEGAL to make your own guns at home, no license or permission needed. You can't sell or transfer your basement boomtube, but it's completely legal to cobble some parts together and make a working firearm.

Submission + - FBI Accessed Encrypted PCs Using Microsoft Recovery Keys (reclaimthenet.org)

Submitted by alternative_right
alternative_right writes: Federal investigators obtained access to encrypted computers for the first time through Microsoft’s own recovery keys, a move that has intensified long-standing concerns about how much control the company retains over user data.

The development emerged from United States v. Tenorio, a fraud case in Guam tied to alleged misuse of pandemic unemployment funds. Investigators believed three laptops contained evidence of the scheme. When they discovered the machines were protected with BitLocker, the encryption system built into Windows, they turned to Microsoft.

Microsoft confirmed that it complied with the FBI’s warrant, saying it provides recovery keys only when required by law. “While key recovery offers convenience, it also carries a risk of unwanted access, so Microsoft believes customers are in the best position to decide how to manage their keys,” a spokesperson said.

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