Social media now main source of news in US, research suggests (bbc.com)

The report also stated that usage of X for news is "stable or increasing across many markets", with the biggest uplift in the US.
Rival networks like Threads, Bluesky and Mastodon are "making little impact globally, with reach of 2% or less for news", it stated.

I’m on X, Threads, Bluesky, and Mastodon and can confirm–there’s little to no meaningful engagement on Threads, Bluesky, and Mastodon, for me at least.

Ohio House, Senate budgets eliminate agency tasked with campaign finance oversight • Ohio Capital Journal (ohiocapitaljournal.com)

Under the new proposed set-up, all of the commission members would be selected by partisan elected officials, creating a situation where one party or the other would have a 3-2 advantage on the commission.

Meanwhile, in Ohio….

Metal Detectorist Discovers Rare Boat Grave Containing Viking Woman and Her Dog (gizmodo.com)

This is not the first time archaeologists have found dog remains alongside Viking ones, but it provides further proof that dogs were prized companions even 1,100 years ago.

It seems humans and dogs have been connected as companions for a very long time. I wonder if it's the longest companion relationship between species. What else would even come close? For humans, our relationship with horses surely goes back much further than 1,100 years, but are they truly companions? And maybe there's some longer relationships that don't involve humans. This would be interesting to research.

Scientists Discover the Key to Axolotls’ Ability to Regenerate Limbs (wired.com)

“Our big surprise was to discover that the key was not in how much retinoic acid was produced, but in how it was degraded,” says Monaghan. The team discovered that cells in the distal part of the limb, the wrist, are awash in an enzyme called CYP26B1, whose sole function is to destroy retinoic acid. In contrast, cells in the shoulder have hardly any of this enzyme, allowing retinoic acid to accumulate to high levels.

This difference creates a chemical gradient along the limb: lots of retinoic acid in the shoulder, little in the wrist. It is this gradient that informs cells of their exact location.

This is fascinating on several levels. First, just the idea that there is a possibility that humans have an ability to regenerate limbs is amazing. Second, this reminds me that chemical gradients, which are mathematics at their core, play an important role in so many aspects of biology and medicine. And lastly, this really shows the possibilities unlocked by public funding of basic research. Kudos to Wired for reporting this, in a thorough manner, to a broader audience.

Here’s the original Nature paper.