Do Viruses Trigger Alzheimer's? "In the summer of 2024 several groups of scientists published a curious finding: people vaccinated against shingles were less likely to develop dementia than their unvaccinated peers. Two preprints came from the lab of Pascal Geldsetzer at Stanford University. Analysing medical records from Britain and Australia, the researchers concluded that around a fifth of dementia diagnoses could be averted through the original shingles vaccine, which contains live varicella-zoster virus. Two other studies, one by GSK, a pharmaceutical company, and another by a group of academics in Britain, also reported that a newer ¡°recombinant¡± vaccine, which is more effective at preventing shingles than the live version, appeared to confer even greater protection against dementia." ungated. [more inside]
posted by storybored at 4:43 PM Oct 1 2025 - 21 comments [23 favorites]

The transmission of knowledge ¡ª the most ancient function of the university ¡ª is breaking down in front of our eyes. Writers like Shakespeare, Milton and Jane Austen whose works have been handed on for centuries can no longer reach the next generation of readers. They are losing the ability to understand them. from The dawn of the post-literate society by James Marriott [Substack; ungated]
posted by chavenet at 12:02 AM Oct 2 2025 - 27 comments [23 favorites]

The Nine Billion Names of God is a short film by Dominique Filhol adapting the short story of the same name by Arthur C. Clarke. It¡¯s been adapted by others too, including as a short comic book by Michael L. Davis. There are many interpretations of the story out there, and I like this recent video about the story as cosmic horror by Quinn Howard. And if you want a deep dive on the ¡°philosophical problem of some difficulty¡± mentioned in the story, here¡¯s Prof. Fran O¡¯Rourke¡¯s The Triplex Via of Naming God.
posted by Kattullus at 2:05 AM Oct 2 2025 - 6 comments [21 favorites]

"Oh So Near: The Cars¡¯ Deep (and Deeply Underrated) Influence on the Future of Music" by Steven Hyden at The Ringer.
posted by goatdog at 3:34 PM Oct 1 2025 - 20 comments [18 favorites]

Boston Mayor's Blowout Victory Jolts CEOs Seeking New Direction [ungated] - "Boston Mayor Michelle Wu is coasting to reelection after her main opponent quit the race, giving her a commanding mandate that's putting city business leaders on edge." [more inside]
posted by kliuless at 11:43 PM Oct 1 2025 - 7 comments [18 favorites]

ABC News Obituary Jane Goodall, famed for her work with chimpanzees in Tanzania and her efforts via the Jane Goodall Institute has passed away at the age of 91 while on tour in the US.
posted by drewbage1847 at 12:11 PM Oct 1 2025 - 98 comments [12 favorites]

Early on the morning of October 1st, federal agents with Border Patrol, the FBI and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives raided an entire apartment building at 7500 S. South Shore Drive, knocking down doors and dragging men, women and children from their apartments: My building is shaking. So, I'm like, 'What is that?' Then I look out the window, it's a Blackhawk helicopter," said witness Dr. Alii Muhammad. [more inside]
posted by oneirodynia at 7:21 AM Oct 2 2025 - 112 comments [10 favorites]

Whatever the Bud Light fiasco was, it was just the beginning. On multiple fronts, the Republican Party has inaugurated an epidemic of teetotaling. Maybe it¡¯s not exactly surprising. Trump abstains from alcohol, though he also abstained from alcohol during his first term, during which time Republicans were tipping them back. from The Curious Conservative War on Beer [Slate; ungated]
posted by chavenet at 12:29 PM Oct 1 2025 - 47 comments [8 favorites]

Angela Collier on how the rise of pop science conspiracy is fueled by the audience. It's a long watch, but she breaks down how the audience responds to science content and how the media fuels bad faith arguments and the actors that capitalize on them.
posted by finalbroadcast at 7:46 PM Sep 30 2025 - 31 comments [34 favorites (6 in the past 24 hours)]

Researchers employed a specialized brain imaging technique to identify a potential biomarker and therapeutic target for Long COVID.
posted by tiny frying pan at 4:24 AM Oct 2 2025 - 7 comments [6 favorites]

"$5" is a punk song by activist & musician Evan Greer (ft. Eve 6), released a few months ago. "$5 at the door / 60 kids, 7 bands, only four chords / pass the hat to cover gas / pass our pamphlets, stop the war..." The music video (includes lyrics annotations) moves through footage of years of Greer playing at protests, basement shows, etc. [more inside]
posted by brainwane at 5:00 AM Oct 2 2025 - 4 comments [6 favorites]

Jemaine Clement and Matt Berry want you to orchid the best you can. An advertisement/instruction manual for the Tame Impala synthesiser.
posted by Sebmojo at 7:49 PM Sep 30 2025 - 22 comments [12 favorites (4 in the past 24 hours)]

Cooking oil turned into snack packaging in Australia-first trial. Hundreds of litres of used cooking oil is disposed of every year as a by-product of making some of Australia's favourite snacks, like chips ¡ª but one company is trialling a method to reduce waste.
posted by chariot pulled by cassowaries at 7:11 PM Oct 1 2025 - 1 comment [4 favorites]

The Autobiography of Alice B. Toklas has become notorious as a compendium of name-dropping, of Picasso and Matisse and everyone else, but it¡¯s in fact far denser with the names of single women: Janet Scudder, Mildred Aldrich, a network of lesbian coding. Its major subject is always marriage ¨C an assertion of Stein¡¯s love for Toklas, and Toklas¡¯s love for Stein ¨C as the centre of a new history of literature, whose creator exists because another person loves her. from Devotion to the Cut by Adam Thirlwell [LRB; ungated]
posted by chavenet at 12:04 AM Oct 1 2025 - 3 comments [14 favorites (3 in the past 24 hours)]

Debt Markets Are Making Wall Street Nervous With Their ¡®Star Wars Garbage Chute Situation¡¯...It¡¯s a good time to sell corporate debt, but many experts are starting to wonder if the time is too good. Private credit, a newer phenomenon that does have 2008 vibes and origins, has emerged as a big trillion-dollar player in debt markets, and the rising defaults in this relatively new and opaque industry are becoming more worrisome by the day. Earlier this month, Bank of America said private credit is facing ¡°clear signs¡± of rising stress as it found that realized losses across business development companies were at ¡°the highest dollar value since the pandemic,¡± which ¡°suggest[s] portfolio companies continue to struggle with interest costs.¡± [more inside]
posted by Smedly, Butlerian jihadi at 11:04 AM Oct 2 2025 - 9 comments [3 favorites]

Q-Up (link to free demo on Steam) is a new game from Frank Lantz, the Universal Paperclips guy. It asks, what if esports contained zero gameplay and literally random outcomes, but still had all of the addiction mechanics? The result is something with a lot of jokes, but that might also do the thing where a parody just becomes the thing it's supposed to be mocking.
posted by DoctorFedora at 11:38 PM Sep 30 2025 - 17 comments [13 favorites (2 in the past 24 hours)]

BOTS (2025), 14min [SLYT]. Before Canadian film gets slapped with 100% tariffs, enjoy this short TIFF-selected film about a day at work at the IRA in mid-2024. Is it satire?
posted by anthill at 6:44 AM Sep 30 2025 - 3 comments [9 favorites (2 in the past 24 hours)]

Farmers paid to fence off land forever for conservation. Farmers in southern New South Wales are protecting parts of their land in perpetuity, fencing off tens of hectares for conservation.
posted by chariot pulled by cassowaries at 8:45 PM Sep 30 2025 - 8 comments [9 favorites (2 in the past 24 hours)]

The Ultimate Slop-Bowl Ranking The fast-casual bowls of veg-and-protein slurry that rule our lunch breaks may all look the same. But some slops are sloppier than others. [more inside]
posted by 1970s Antihero at 9:08 AM Oct 2 2025 - 22 comments [2 favorites]

Gem Getter Pro is a free in-browser polyomino-based roll-and-write game. There's a daily challenge or you can just play as much as you want. I strongly recommend starting with the "how to play" tutorial. I hope you get lots of gems!
posted by aubilenon at 10:54 AM Oct 2 2025 - 0 comments [2 favorites]