Arianna Smith is juggling a lot right now. Smith is editor-in-chief of The Lantern, Ohio State University’s student-run newspaper, which has scrambled in recent days to cover pro-Palestinian protests roiling the campus. It’s also finals week, and in the coming days the newspaper’s staff will transition to the next year’s staff. But the news doesn’t account for exams. “We have had reporters and editors drop everything they are doing [to cover the story], even though they have finals that they should be studying for,” Smith told . As universities across the country crack down on demonstrations over Israel’s military actions in Gaza and police arrest hundreds…

Mortgage rates increased this week again, marking the second week in a row rates were above 7%. The average 30-year mortgage rate was 7.17%, up from last week when the average was 7.1%, Freddie Mac reported. Last year at this time, 30-year mortgages were slightly better off, but not by much. The average rate was 6.43%.”Mortgage rates continued rising this week,” Freddie Mac Chief Economist Sam Khater said in a press release. “Despite rates increasing more than half a percent since the first week of the year, purchase demand remains steady,” Khater said. “With rates staying higher for longer, many…

Washington    The US government has asked leading artificial intelligence companies for advice on how to use the technology they are creating to defend airlines, utilities and other critical infrastructure, particularly from AI-powered attacks. The Department of Homeland Security said Friday that the panel it’s creating will include CEOs from some of the world’s largest companies and industries. The list includes Google chief executive Sundar Pichai, Microsoft chief executive Satya Nadella and OpenAI chief executive Sam Altman, but also the head of defense contractors such as Northrop Grumman and air carrier Delta Air Lines. The move reflects the US government’s…

Research has suggested that the gut microbiome is disrupted in people with Alzheimer’s disease, and researchers from Ohio now propose this could be a target for treatment.They propose receptors that are present in the gut and brain could be the key to targeting the gut-brain axis.Using existing artificial intelligence (AI) tools researchers predicted which metabolites, the by-products of bacteria in the gut, would bind with which receptors by predicting their shape. They then used machine learning tools to predict which receptors and metabolites could have an influence on Alzheimer’s disease, and tested lab-created neurons to observe the effect of two…

Last updated: April 26, 2024 10:59 EDT | 2 min read A concerted effort to crack down on the use of cryptocurrencies in the buying and selling of child sexual abuse material (CSAM) is underway in the United States, spearheaded by Senators Elizabeth Warren and Bill Cassidy.The senators are asking federal agencies about their technical capacity to combat crypto payments in the sale of child abuse-related materials.Senators Urge DOJ and DHS to Combat Use of Cryptocurrency in Child Sexual Abuse Material TransactionsUS Senators Elizabeth Warren and Bill Cassidy are urging the Department of Justice and the Department of Homeland Security…

Ethan Chapin’s family doesn’t think about his suspected killer, as prosecutors in Bryan Kohberger’s high-profile Idaho murder case filed a new motion regarding his next court appearance.The judge in the case this week ruled that Kohberger’s defense team could resume phone surveys of potential jurors, and prosecutors filed a motion to seal his next court appearance. “It’s not a place I spend much time, thinking about him,” Stacy Chapin told Fox 13 Seattle when asked about Kohberger. “We made a decision to not let it impact our family. We can’t change the outcome. We can’t bring Ethan back.”Instead, they’re letting the…

Southwest Airlines CEO Bob Jordan said Thursday that the carrier is considering changing the boarding and seating processes on its planes in order to improve its financial position. “We’re looking into new initiatives, things like the way we seat and board our aircraft,” Jordan said in an interview with CNBC on Thursday after the company reported a net loss in the prior quarter.Southwest became known for having a single economy class cabin with open seating assignments. Passengers will be assigned a boarding group but once they are onboard, they can choose any available seat. Customers can pay extra to board…

Ohio State University joined the growing list of college protests against Israel’s war against Hamas in Gaza. Clashes between protesters and police on the campus overnight resulted in over a dozen arrests.Those who refused to leave after warnings were arrested and charged with criminal trespass, said university spokesperson Benjamin Johnson, citing rules barring overnight events. Police try to break up protests over Israel’s war against Hamas in Gaza, at Ohio State University in Columbus, Ohio, April 25, 2024. Cole Behrens/Columbus Dispatch/USA Today Network via Reuters As the death toll mounts in the war in Gaza and the humanitarian crisis worsens,…

“The Simpsons,” to fans’ dismay, has killed off original character Larry the Barfly after 35 years.A man of few words and true to his nickname, Larry Dalrymple was often seen at Moe’s Tavern drinking beer. There, he’d see Homer, Lenny, Carl and Moe, who he considered his best friends — even though they never really talked. Last week, showrunner Matt Selman shared a poll on X asking fans to guess “Who will breathe their last?” in the upcoming new episode: Homer, Marge, Bart or “Larry the silent barfly.”Fans overwhelmingly chose Larry, with many expressing their dismay at the regular character’s…

Viral respiratory infections are common and generally result in a few days of illness from which most people recover without treatment.However, they can lead to severe disease, so most existing treatments aim to prevent existing infections from progressing.A new study suggests a way of stopping viral respiratory infections before they have a chance to become severe. The study found that a common antibiotic boosts the immune response to both SARS-CoV-2 and influenza in rodents, preventing severe disease and death.The researchers propose that the antibiotic, neomycin, could be a cheap, effective way to prevent and treat viral respiratory infections in people.The…

Last updated: April 26, 2024 11:10 EDT | 2 min read New powers that will make it easier for UK law enforcement agencies to seize crypto come into effect on Friday.This comes after the UK Parliament passed new legislation last year, dubbed the ‘Economic Crime and Corporate Transparency Act.’ This Act expanded the authority of local law enforcement and laid the foundations for crypto to be seized more quickly.What Is The ‘Economic Crime and Corporate Transparency Act’?The bill is now taking effect with new powers being implemented on Friday, the UK Home Office said in a press release. UK Law…

It wasn’t until I was in my mid-20s and living in Seattle that I went on my first hike with a colleague. As a Black girl growing up in Detroit, let’s just say that the practice was not common in my circle. If you’ve ever gone hiking, the chances that you passed another Black person — let alone another Black woman — on the trail are relatively low. Although the trend is slowly shifting, recent data showed that fewer than a quarter of visitors at national parks were people of color. In 2018, 6% of visitors were Black. So why…

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A cargo ship passed through Baltimore’s newly opened deep-water channel, heading to Saint John, Canada.This marked the end of a four-week halt in maritime traffic caused by the Francis Scott Key Bridge collapse.The cleanup effort has been ongoing, with thousands of tons of debris cleared to reopen the port.The first cargo ship passed through a newly opened deep-water channel in Baltimore on Thursday after being stuck in the harbor since the Francis Scott Key Bridge collapsed four weeks ago, halting most maritime traffic through the city’s port.The Balsa 94, a bulk carrier sailing under a Panama flag, passed through the…

Some customers who purchased Ring security cameras will be eligible to receive refunds from the Federal Trade Commission. The FTC said this week that the refunds will collectively amount to over $5.6 million and be spread among more than 117,000 individuals. The money will be sent in the form of PayPal payments.Customers who will receive the refunds include those “who had certain types of Ring devices such as indoor cameras, during periods when the FTC alleges unauthorized users may have had access to customer videos,” according to the agency. The refunds are linked to a settlement between the FTC and…