Wednesday 24th April 2024
  • Wait, do I need to worry about "forever chemicals"?

    A roadmap for understanding PFAS risk, testing, and more.

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  • Soviet-Era Pseudoscience Lurks behind ‘Havana Syndrome’ Worries - Scientific American (No paywall)

    Dodgy studies and fantastic claims have long powered a belief in devious Russian brain weapons, from mind control to microwave devices

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  • Lemon-Scented Marijuana Compound Reduces Weed’s ‘Paranoia’ Effect - Scientific American (No paywall)

    The molecule that gives cannabis its citrusy smell can make THC less anxiety-inducing

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  • The new croissant taking Paris by storm

    The croissant has been reimagined into a host of portmanteau pastries, from the cruffin to the Cronut. Now its latest iteration, the "crookie", is taking Paris by storm.

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  • The Unexpected Upsides of Letting Employees Define Their Jobs | Benjamin Laker and Stefania Mariano

    The spring 2024 issue’s special report looks at how to take advantage of market opportunities in the digital space, and provides advice on building culture and friendships at work; maximizing the benefits of LLMs, corporate venture capital initiatives, and innovation contests; and scaling automation and digital health platform.

    The spring 2024 issue’s special report looks at how to take advantage of market opportunities in the digital space, and provides advice on building culture and friendships at work; maximizing the benefits of LLMs, corporate venture capital initiatives, and innovation contests; and scaling automation and digital health platform.

    In today’s corporate landscape, the pursuit of heightened employee engagement and job satisfaction is imperative. Traditional job structures, often rigid and narrowly scoped, can lead to diminished motivation, lower productivity, and elevated turnover rates. The key challenge for contemporary organizations is to rekindle passion and creativity within their workforces. This has led to the emergence of innovative approaches aimed at transforming workplaces into environments that are dynamic, rewarding, and adaptable. These strategies are centered around empowering employees by allowing them to leverage their unique abilities and interests. This empowerment nurtures a sense of ownership and enthusiasm in their roles.

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  • Why You Should Let Your Favorite Employee Move to Another Team

    The spring 2024 issue’s special report looks at how to take advantage of market opportunities in the digital space, and provides advice on building culture and friendships at work; maximizing the benefits of LLMs, corporate venture capital initiatives, and innovation contests; and scaling automation and digital health platform.

    The spring 2024 issue’s special report looks at how to take advantage of market opportunities in the digital space, and provides advice on building culture and friendships at work; maximizing the benefits of LLMs, corporate venture capital initiatives, and innovation contests; and scaling automation and digital health platform.

    The authors analyzed 96,712 internal applications submitted to 9,896 open jobs posted by 3,431 hiring managers in the U.S. operations of a Fortune 50 company over a four-year period. This data allowed them to calculate the rate at which a manager’s subordinates were promoted, which in turn enabled them to examine whether managers whose subordinates frequently moved to higher-level jobs elsewhere in the organization were seen as more attractive to work for than managers whose subordinates rarely advanced.

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  • 'Spider-Man 4' Will Be a Major First for Tom Holland

    For a while, Spider-Man: No Way Home seemed to be the end for the eponymous hero, at least in Marvel’s Cinematic Universe. Though the 2021 film was a high point for the franchise and character that brought him back to basics in the most literal sense, star Tom Holland has been vocal regarding his reservations about a fourth Spidey film.

    In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Holland confessed to feeling “a little apprehensive” about continuing Spider-Man’s story. “There’s a bit of a stigma about the fourth one in all franchises,” he said. “I feel like we hit a home run with our first franchise and there’s a part of me that wants to walk away with my head held high and pass the baton to the next lucky kid that gets to bring this character to life.”

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  • The Most Frenzied Sci-Fi Show of the Year Expands on an Iconic Franchise

    The spirit of the ’90s is alive and well in Knuckles. Although the Sonic the Hedgehog TV spinoff is set in a contemporary time period, millennials will find many a hallmark from their own childhoods, from CD mixtapes to hulking wall-sized entertainment centers. Fittingly, the show’s vibe is a throwback to comedies from that era as well, for better or for worse.

    Over the course of its six episodes, the miniseries continues the silly, goofy fun fans have come to expect from the Sonic franchise — and us old-timers will recall from the action-comedies of yore. There’s a comforting familiarity to the family-friendly clowning, pratfalls, and visual gags, but that nostalgic comfort comes at the cost of establishing its own clear identity: Knuckles is, at times, derivative.

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  • 'Fortnite' Won't Be Getting 'Metroid' Skins Thanks to One Nintendo Demand

    Given how much of pop culture Fortnite has absorbed into its rainbow-colored battle royale over the past few years, it may seem odd that none of Nintendo’s iconic characters have appeared to do battle with the likes of Goku and Ariana Grande. As court documents from Epic Games’ lawsuit with Apple revealed, Epic Games did have plans to bring Metroid heroine Samus Aran to the game, and now we know why that collaboration never happened.

    Nintendo would have agreed to have Metroid in Fortnite, but only if the bounty hunter was made exclusive to the Nintendo Switch version of the game, Donald Mustard, former Epic CCO, told Game File in April.

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  • 'X-Men '97' Is Setting the Stage for the Biggest Event in MCU TV History

    X-Men ’97 has been offering fans nostalgic twists and thrills for more than a month now, and in the wake of the Genosha massacre, the stakes are higher than ever. Now, Storm has her powers back, Charles Xavier has returned, and time is quickly running out for the season.

    That’s the perfect recipe for a great one-off episode, and hopefully, that’s what we’re about to get. Here’s everything you need to know about X-Men ’97 Episode 7, including when you can tune in, what’s left for Season 1, and whether you can expect a second season.

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