Kyle C. Garrison, Author at Bastead man

Dec

17

2023

Gene-Sequencing Company Illumina to Sell Cancer Test Developer

Investments and Business

Illumina, the leading producer of gene-sequencing machines, announced Sunday that it would sell Grail, a cancer test developer that it purchased for $7.1 billion in 2021.The move came two days after Illumina lost its case in a federal appeals court, which largely upheld a Federal Trade Commission ruling that Illumina should unwind its deal with Grail on antitrust grounds.The case was seen by antitrust experts as a test of regulators’ efforts to stop big companies from buying fledgling innovators.The deal had also faced a roadblock in Europe. In September 2022, the European Union said it would block the acquisition. Illumina,…

Dec

17

2023

By Kyle C. Garrison

Monday Briefing: U.S. to Push Israel to Scale Back

Sin categoria

Israel vows to fight on as the U.S. calls for restraint Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel vowed to “fight to the end” in Gaza as anguish continued to spread over the killings of three hostages last week. The hostages were accidentally shot by the Israeli military as they were waving a white flag, and their deaths have raised new questions about how Netanyahu’s government is prosecuting the war.Here’s the latest.Netanyahu began a government meeting yesterday by reading from a letter that he said came from families of Israeli soldiers killed fighting in Gaza. “You have a mandate to fight;…

Dec

16

2023

By Kyle C. Garrison

New York City Is Offering Free Online Therapy to Teens: Will It Work?

Sin categoria

For the past month, New York City has been inviting teenagers to participate in one of the biggest experiments in the country aimed at helping struggling adolescents: a program offering free online therapy to all residents ages 13 to 17.The city has entered a three-year, $26 million contract with Talkspace, one of the largest digital mental health care providers. After a parent or legal guardian signs a consent form, teenagers can exchange unlimited messages with an assigned therapist and receive one 30-minute virtual therapy session each month.The rollout of the program, NYC Teenspace, on Nov. 15 took many in the…

Dec

16

2023

By Kyle C. Garrison

‘For the District?’ Yeah, right; Ted Leonsis will take Wizards, Capitals angst across the river

Sin categoria

WASHINGTON — The Prince of Potomac Yard spoke of water.“When I first came to this site,” Ted Leonsis said Wednesday, “and stood on top of the roof of the building next door, and looked over, we forget the power of having two rivers flow right into this community. And, iconic real estate is incredibly important. We have access — you can see the Washington Monument from here, Washington, D.C., the border’s one-and-a-half miles from here.”That must be cool! So nice that the billionaire owner of the Wizards and Capitals will have a swank view of the Potomac and Anacostia confluence…

Dec

16

2023

By Kyle C. Garrison

TikTok’s Bow Trend Gets Absurd

Science and Technology

Want to go viral on TikTok right now? Grab some pink ribbon and a random object. A roll of toilet paper, a houseplant, or a kosher dill spear will do. Tie it up in a bow and film it. Post the video online, and voilà.In recent weeks, bows in all the wrong places have become all the rage on the social media platform. Popular TikTok videos have featured ribbons wrapped around a bowl of macaroni and cheese, a knife and a Chick-fil-A order. Another video showed what appeared to be a bowl of cereal at first glance — but instead…

Dec

16

2023

By Kyle C. Garrison

New Mexico’s Spaceport America Is an Economic Dream Deferred

Investments and Business

From his tiny gem store in southern New Mexico, Robert Hanseck spends his days untangling chakra beads and answering questions about the healing properties of amethyst crystals. After four decades behind the register, he has met thousands of wellness-minded tourists eager to explore the hot springs that span the region.But he almost never sees the type of traveler he was promised would transform his small town of Truth or Consequences: space enthusiasts.“It’s been a flop,” he said of Spaceport America, a project that was conceived as the vanguard of commercial space travel — and that has been promoted by state…

Dec

16

2023

By Kyle C. Garrison

Here’s How a Border Deal Could Affect People Seeking Asylum in the U.S.

Sin categoria

An urgent bid by the Biden administration to send a fresh infusion of money to Ukraine for its war against Russia has stalled on Capitol Hill as congressional Republicans demand sweeping changes to the immigration system.Bipartisan talks on Capitol Hill to resolve the impasse have focused on the U.S.-Mexico border — and whether the United States can keep using its current system for deciding who is allowed to enter the country and seek asylum.It is a highly charged debate that touches on a bedrock principle that has long been at the center of American immigration policy: that the United States…

Dec

14

2023

By Kyle C. Garrison

Morning Person? You Might Have Neanderthal Genes to Thank.

Sin categoria

Neanderthals were morning people, a new study suggests. And some humans today who like getting up early might credit genes they inherited from their Neanderthal ancestors.The new study compared DNA in living humans to genetic material retrieved from Neanderthal fossils. It turns out that Neanderthals carried some of the same clock-related genetic variants as do people who report being early risers.Since the 1990s, studies of Neanderthal DNA have exposed our species’ intertwined history. About 700,000 years ago, our lineages split apart, most likely in Africa. While the ancestors of modern humans largely stayed in Africa, the Neanderthal lineage migrated into…

Dec

14

2023

By Kyle C. Garrison

Amanda Serrano wants to fight 3-minute rounds. Will boxing respond?

Sin categoria

Amanda Serrano was overcome with pure joy. Her face lit up as the scorecards were read and several featherweight championship belts were placed on her right shoulder and waist. She had dominated Danila Ramos en route to a unanimous decision win in October, bolstering her argument for being considered the best pound-for-pound fighter in the sport, and a trailblazer.Serrano’s performance came in the first unified women’s championship fight contested over 12 three-minute rounds in boxing history. Female boxers, until that point, were only able to compete in bouts with 10 (or fewer) rounds at two minutes each.“I really enjoyed the…

Dec

14

2023

By Kyle C. Garrison

State Dept.’s Fight Against Disinformation Comes Under Attack

Investments and Business

A Republican-led campaign against researchers who study disinformation online has zeroed in on the most prominent American government agency dedicated to countering propaganda and other information operations from terrorists and hostile nations.The agency, the State Department’s Global Engagement Center, is facing a torrent of accusations in court and in Congress that it has helped the social media giants — including Facebook, YouTube and X — to censor Americans in violation of the First Amendment.The attorney general of Texas, Ken Paxton, and two conservative digital news outlets last week became the latest plaintiffs to sue the department and its top officials,…