🐤 You are what you eat

🏝️ Island disaster: Much of the Southeastern and Midwestern U.S. has been hit by severe weather in recent days, but the flooding hasn’t been contained to the mainland. The governor of Puerto Rico declared a state of emergency for the U.S. territory following nearly a foot of rain pouring down across much of the island. Gov. Pedro Pierluisi also sent National Guard troops to 22 municipalities where the inclement weather was most pronounced. The rain triggered flooding and landslides and at least one person was reported missing.

🧠 Brain drain: It’s been months since the first human received a Neuralink brain implant and the company confirmed this week that there was an apparent glitch. Billionaire Elon Musk owns the startup company and has touted the chip’s ability to treat a range of neurological issues. The first human test, however, included some lost data along the way when threads from the implant made their way out of the patient’s brain. Nevertheless, Neuralink asserted that it had addressed the problem and reworked the algorithm to recover the information that was lost.

⚾ Open to interpretation: MLB double threat Shohei Ohtani has made headlines for his impressive stats on the mound and at the plate — not to mention the massive contract he signed with the Dodgers. But the Japanese star’s experience with U.S. baseball hasn’t been entirely positive. His former interpreter, Ippei Mizuhara, allegedly took advantage of his limited understanding of English to steal almost $17 million, using the cash to pay gambling debts. This week, the 39-year-old pleaded guilty and could spend more than three decades in prison.

💍 ‘Rings’ redux: Reboots and sequels are all the rage in Hollywood, and for fans of “The Lord of the Rings,” that means there’s a new series of films to look forward to. According to Peter Jackson, who produced the first trilogy, he’ll be “involved every step of the way” in the Warner Bros. films set to hit theaters some time in 2026. The first installment will be “The Hunt for Gollum,” with Andy Serkis playing the titular character and directing the film. Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslav said it will “explore storylines yet to be told.”

🏦 Markets: The Dow Jones Industrial Average was up again on Thursday, marking its seventh-straight day of gains. It was a positive day all around on Wall Street, with the S&P 500 and Nasdaq Composite also posting increases fueled, at least in part, by reports showing a bump in unemployment that could signal interest rate cuts in the relatively near future.

Home Depot and Caterpillar were among the day’s big winners as they helped push the Dow Jones higher throughout the trading day.

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Even if you’re not a particularly health-conscious consumer, you’ve probably heard a thing or two about so-called “ultraprocessed foods,” or UPFs, and the long-term health concerns associated with consuming such products.

Among the most commonly cited issues that have been linked to these foods are obesity, diabetes, heart disease, digestive issues, mental health problems, and premature death. But even though experts seem to have a grasp on the “what,” they’re still trying to fully understand the “why.”

Defining the terms

Before we get into some of the gaps in our understanding of UPFs, let’s take a look at what they are and how they fit into a widely referenced food classification system:

• Unprocessed/minimally processed foods: Fresh/frozen produce, eggs, meat, flour, rice, etc.
• Processed culinary ingredients: Preserved items used in cooking like oils, honey, vinegar, butter, and sugar.
• Processed foods: Canned, bottled, baked, or otherwise preserved, including beans and cheese.
• Ultraprocessed foods: Additive-laden foods that range from cereal to chicken nuggets to energy drinks.

Analyzing the data

Scientists have been studying the impact of UPFs for decades, during which time consumption of such foods has increased significantly. About two-thirds of the calories consumed by U.S. kids come from this category.

Widespread weight gain and a rise in various diseases are believed to be associated with this trend … but some experts say it’s not fair to vilify all UPFs. The categorization doesn’t take into account the nutrition included in these foods, so it’s important to recognize the difference between, say, infant formula and soda — both of which would fall under the UPF banner.

Sure, it’s good to include plenty of fresh fruits and veggies in your diet. But it’s practically impossible to avoid UPFs altogether, so making informed choices is the best way to avoid negative health consequences.

Efforts to plant more trees and cut down on emissions are important steps toward achieving a cleaner environment … but one startup company is on a mission to take an even bolder approach to pollution.

Climeworks has just turned on a device that can best be described as the biggest fan on Earth, and its mission is to remove carbon dioxide from the air and move it to a secure location deep underground.

Meet Mammoth

The new facility is appropriately called Mammoth and is located in Iceland. It’s attracted some big investments, but one plant can’t do it all on its own.

Here are some relevant stats:

• Mammoth is roughly 10 times as big as an earlier facility built by Climeworks.
• It is expected to capture as much as 36,000 metric tons of carbon annually.
• That’s less than one-millionth of the world’s estimated emissions in 2023.

While Mammoth won’t put a dent in the carbon pollution swirling in the planet’s atmosphere, Climeworks’ supporters think it could be a step toward achieving a cleaner environment.

Race against the clock

With emissions reaching the highest level on record last year and climate experts recording a troubling streak of record-breaking heat in recent months, time appears to be running out for a major breakthrough to combat climate change.

Facilities like Mammoth have attracted a lot of attention, though it’s an expensive process … at least for now. It currently costs up to $1,000 to remove and lock away one ton of carbon dioxide and researchers say that number needs to drop to $100 by mid-century to remain a viable option.

But the U.S. government approved $1.2 billion in new funding for such facilities, which could help projects like Mammoth become more efficient and cost-effective before it’s too late.

Since a museum is only as good as its exhibits, the fact that a fire decimated about 85% of the specimens on display at the National Museum of Brazil took the historic institution out of commission.

But less than six years later, a massive donation from one man’s private collection has provided many of the resources necessary to reopen this influential museum by 2026.

“This really herculean task”

Millions of exhibits were damaged or destroyed in the 2018 fire, and museum director Alexander Kellner has been candid about what it’s going to take to recover. But he also noted that the generosity of folks like Burkhard Pohl have been a major boon in the ongoing effort.

The Swiss-German entrepreneur handed over about 1,100 fossils (all of which originated in Brazil) to the museum. News of the donation came this week, and Kellner said he hoped it would be the first of many such generous acts.

“The most important thing is to show the world, in Brazil and outside Brazil, that we are using private people and public institutions,” he explained. “We want others to follow this example, if possible, to help us with this really herculean task.”

Surveying what was lost

While the museum was known in part for its fossils, there was much more on display that has since been lost in the fire. For example, its extensive collection of insects and spiders was destroyed as were the Egyptian mummies that were being housed there.

Well over half of the museum’s fossils were also destroyed, including those from a particular long-necked dinosaur that scientists relied on to categorize a new species — the Maxakalisaurus.

But Pohl’s donation will breathe new life into the exhibit with fossilized dinosaurs, insects, plants, and a unique lizard originally categorized as a “four-legged snake.”