Sunday, 16 February 2025

Trump's plan for Gaza: 'Ethnic cleansing is not acceptable,' UN chief Guterres says. — 16 February 2025 (LINK)

Almost 200 countries from around the world had until 10 February 2025 to return their new climate roadmap to the UN. But almost all of them missed the meeting, raising fears of the major economies in their fight against climate change after Donald Trump's return to power. According to a UN database, only 10 signatories to the Paris Agreement had submitted their updated greenhouse gas reduction strategies by 2035 (article in French). — 16 February 2025 (LINK)

Trump's new passport rules could impact cruisers, cruise lines. — 16 February 2025 (LINK)

— The new Executive Order only allows people to pick the gender they were assigned at birth. Previously, Americans traveling abroad who have a passport had the option of selecting "male," "female," or "X". That choice would be eliminated should an Executive Order issued by President Donald Trump clear the many legal challenges it's likely to face including a lawsuit filed by the American Civil Liberties Union.

Groundbreaking cancer treatment developed at Rice destroys 99% of cancer cells. — 15 February 2025 (LINK)

— The key to this innovation lies in a small dye molecule commonly used in medical imaging. When exposed to near-infrared light, these molecules generate synchronized vibrations, known as plasmons, which ultimately cause the membranes of cancer cells to rupture. This mechanism presents a new way to eliminate cancer cells without relying on traditional chemical or radiation-based treatments.

Elon Musk's DOGE asks for access to IRS taxpayer data, sources say. — 16 February 2025 (LINK)

techradar: 'I read the EU's AI Act so you don't have to: here are 5 things you need to know.' — 16 February 2025 (LINK)

— "There are penalties for non-compliance — and they're not small. The fines for infringements on the legislation range from €750,000 to €35,000,000 or from 1 % to 7% of the company's global annual turnover — whichever is higher and depending on the severity of the violation."

— Unacceptable risk systems are outright banned, and face the highest fines for non-compliance, as they violate fundamental EU values. Examples of this type of system include social scoring, behavioural manipulation such as the use of subliminal techniques, the exploitation of vulnerabilities of children, and live remote biometric identification systems (with narrow exceptions).

Sources: RFK Jr. verbally rescinds Tribal Indian Health Service layoffs hours after the workers were told by phone that they were losing their jobs. — 16 February 2025 (LINK)

Chrome extension will change 'Gulf of America' back to 'Gulf of Mexico'. — 16 February 2025 (LINK)

TNR: 'Very little of what the film A Complete Unknown portrays is true: Rolling Stone has performed the service of tabulating 27 different mis-directions in James Mangold's film, some trivial, some more weighty. But after viewing it twice, and reflecting on its multiple discrepancies, I find myself doubting whether they really matter, given the overall trajectory of the work.' — 16 February 2025 (LINK)

U.K. solar-powered reactor sucks Co2 from the air and turns it into fuel. — 16 February 2025 (LINK)

New study challenges common belief that testosterone drives sexual desire in men. — 16 February 2025 (LINK)

Saturday, 15 February 2025

Earth is already shooting through the 1.5°C global warming limit, two major studies show. — 15 February 2025 (LINK)

Zelenskyy calls for 'armed forces of Europe' as EU leaders bristle at new US policies on Ukraine. — 15 February 2025 (LINK)

Rebels in DR Congo advance on second major city of Bukavu as residents report looting. — 15 February 2025 (LINK)

Three Israeli hostages and hundreds of Palestinian detainees freed after dispute threatened Gaza ceasefire. — 15 February 2025 (LINK)

— The Gazan militants have now released a total of 19 Israeli hostages as part of the first phase of the ceasefire agreement, of a total of 33 promised at staggered intervals during this stage. Eight of those 33 are dead, according to the Israeli government.

— The hostages — American-Israeli Sagui Dekel-Chen, Russian-Israeli Alexandre Troufanov and Argentinian-Israeli Iair Horn — were released in Khan Younis, southern Gaza, in the sixth such exchange under the truce.

— A spokesperson for the Israeli Prison Service said 369 Palestinian prisoners and detainees were released on Saturday, the largest number yet under the truce. The Palestinian Prisoners Society said that 333 Palestinians arrested in Gaza after the October 7 attack had arrived in the enclave Saturday. Buses carrying the detainees entered Gaza from Kerem Shalom into Rafah, and headed to a hospital in Khan Younis where large crowds were waiting. Elsewhere, 36 Palestinians were released to the occupied West Bank, including 24 who were later exiled to Egypt.

— All three men released on Saturday from Gaza were kidnapped from the kibbutz Nir Oz during the October 7 attack, and had been held captive for almost 500 days. Troufanov was 27 years old when he was kidnapped by Palestinian Al-Quds Brigades, a militant group allied with Islamic Jihad, along with his grandmother, Irena Tati, his mother Lena Troufanov and girlfriend Sapir Cohen, who were all released in a previous deal. His father Vitaly was killed during the attack. Dekel-Chen was 35 years old when he was kidnapped by Hamas while trying to defend the kibbutz from attackers. His wife Avital was pregnant with their third child during the attack, and gave birth to Dekel-Chen's daughter while he was in captivity. She turned one in December. Dekel-Chen's family said that he will meet his daughter for the first time.

Fox: Israel releases Palestinian prisoners linked to suicide bombings, attempted murder. Multiple prisoners connected to Al-Aqsa Martyrs' Brigades, a foreign terrorist organization. — (LINK)

US government struggles to rehire nuclear safety staff it laid off days before. — 15 February 2025 (LINK)

— An email obtained by NBC said the letters for some NNSA employees "are being rescinded, but we do not have a good way to get in touch with those personnel".

Friday, 14 February 2025

Hundreds of LGBTQ+ New Yorkers and their allies gathered outside the Stonewall Inn to manifest physically what the Trump administration has sought to erase in government records: that transgender and queer people have demonstrated, protested, and occasionally fought in the streets throughout American history for their civil and human rights. — 14 February 2025 (LINK)

Nope, Mr President. There are no 150-year-olds on Social Security. It's because they use COBOL, which counts from May 20 1875 to record ages. So empty date fields seem to have that birthdate. — 14 February 2025 (LINK)

— Elon Musk claimed that his team found 150-year-old people collecting Social Security! He implied there were dead people being sent benefits, with checks cashed by someone else.

— What Musk's wizz kids don't realize is that Social Security uses VERY OLD computers. On May 20, 1875 a bunch of countries got together to create the International Bureau of Weight and Measures which established uniform standards of mass and length. Later on, the Bureau established rules for dates as well. The dates standard used a starting date of May 20 1875 to honor the creation of the Bureau.

Nearly 10,000 fired as Trump and Musk step up government purge. — 14 February 2025 (LINK)

Justice Department fires 20 immigration judges from backlogged courts amid major government cuts. — 15 February 2025 (LINK)

DHS cuts at least 405 employees from workforce: The bulk of the cuts at the Federal Emergency Management Agency. — 14 February 2025 (LINK)

US judge extends order to block DOGE from Treasury Department data. — 14 February 2025 (LINK)

Council on Foreign Relations: Southeast Asia: Trump's commitment to tariffs and unwillingness to foster trade stability in Asia might lead Asian countries, as well as Australia, New Zealand, and many developing regions, to increasingly rely on Chinese goods and technology — well beyond auto manufacturing. — 14 February 2025 (LINK)

AP reporter and photographer barred from Air Force One over 'Gulf of Mexico' terminology dispute. — 14 February 2025 (LINK)

US Vice President JD Vance meets German far-right leader Alice Weidel, the co-leader and candidate for chancellor of the far-right and anti-immigrant Alternative for Germany party, as he criticizes ‘firewalls’ in Europe. — 14 February 2025 (LINK)

Zelensky meets Vance as Ukraine says Russia hit Chernobyl nuclear plant. — 14 February 2025 (LINK)

New York police charge five with 'disturbing' murder of young trans man. — 14 February 2025 (LINK)

— In a televised news conference, police said the case is "one of the most horrific crimes" they had ever seen and that Sam Nordquist, 24, was subjected to "deeply disturbing" abuse for several months, starting in December. Those charged range in age from 19 to 38.

Shark attacks fall to 28-year-low in 2024: 47 people hurt in unprovoked shark attacks. — 14 February 2025 (LINK)

— The majority of these bites happened in the U.S., with 28 attacks recorded across six states. Half of the country's shark attacks happened in Florida, where the long coastline and warm water make it more likely people and sharks will come into contact. Australia recorded nine shark bites.

TikTok returns to Apple app store and Google Play in US. — 14 February 2025 (LINK)

'I felt a slimy texture brush my face': Man describes being swallowed by whale. — 14 February 2025 (LINK)

50 extremely common things that literally every person on Earth has been calling the wrong name their entire life. — 14 February 2025 (LINK)

Thursday, 13 February 2025

Donald Trump makes major nuclear weapons announcement: said during an Oval Office press conference that his administration will discuss denuclearization with Russia and China. — 13 February 2025 (LINK)

— "President Putin and I agreed that we were going to do it in a very big way. There's no reason for us to be building brand-new nuclear weapons. We already have so many, you could destroy the world 50 times over, 100 times over. And here we are building new nuclear weapons. And they're building new nuclear weapons. And China's trying to catch up," he said.

Zelensky says no peace deal without Ukraine involvement. — 13 February 2025 (LINK)

Russia hammers Ukraine with huge drone attack hours after Putin-Trump call. Kremlin forces also shelled residential buildings in Kherson. — 13 February 2025 (LINK)

New tariffs announced and Trump and Modi meet. — 13 February 2025 (LINK)

— Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has heaped praise on Trump in hopes of avoiding the additional tariffs that the new administration has slapped on other countries in its opening weeks. Trump called Modi a "great friend" hours after signing an order to increase tariffs to match the tax rates that other countries charge on imports, which affects American trading partners around the world, including India.

'People are just flipping out': Billions in federal funding remain frozen despite court orders to keep the taps open. — 13 February 2025 (LINK)

Trump administration begins sweeping layoffs with probationary workers, warns of larger cuts to come. — 13 February 2025 (LINK)

Defence stocks drop after Trump says Pentagon spending could be halved. — 13 February 2025 (LINK)

Musk misleads on FEMA's migrant-related payments to New York City. — 13 February 2025 (LINK)

— This week, New York City officials said the city had received two payments from the federal government as reimbursement for expenses the city incurred while providing services to migrants who arrived in New York, including $19 million for hotel expenses. But Elon Musk, head of the Department of Government Efficiency, claimed, without evidence, that $59 million "meant for American disaster relief" was sent to "luxury hotels."

Former Tibetan political prisoner leads advocacy at Geneva Summit, urges UN action on Tibet. — 13 February 2025 (LINK)

White House Press Secretary says AP was blocked from Oval Office event to hold it "accountable" for not changing name of Gulf Of Mexico. — 13 February 2025 (LINK)

Encyclopaedia Britannica tells Trump to take a hike over Gulf of America. — 13 February 2025 (LINK)

Shonda Rhimes, Ben Folds depart Kennedy Center as Donald Trump appoints himself chairman. — 13 February 2025 (LINK)

Top prosecutor resigns after being told to drop case against NYC mayor Eric Adams. — 13 February 2025 (LINK)

Car ramming in Munich injures 28 at trade union demonstration: The driver is said to be a 24-year-old asylum seeker from Afghanistan. — 14 February 2025 (LINK) — ground.news: 479 media reports (LINK)

Citizen science helped expose the biggest wildlife die-off ever documented: that of the seabird the common murre, on the remote Aleutian Islands in the Bering Sea, off the coast of Alaska. — 13 February 2025 (LINK)

— Alaska is known to be home to 8 million common murres across the state — a quarter of the species' world population. But that's not the case anymore. The common murre started washing up on beaches all over Alaska, starved, emaciated.

— The culprit — climate change. Researchers concluded that a 2014 heatwave in the waters of the north Pacific Ocean, known as The Blob, disrupted the common murre's food web. It created a catastrophic rippling effect, causing 4 million common murres to starve to death within just a couple of years.

Huge study shows where gout comes from: genetics play more of a factor in developing the arthritic condition than previously thought. — 13 February 2025 (LINK)

Wednesday, 12 February 2025

U.S. tariffs are at the highest levels since the Great Depression: the Tax Foundation estimates that the average U.S. tariff rate could soar to 17.7% under President Trump's proposed policies. If these policy measures are implemented, the research entity cautions that they would reverse decades of trade liberalization and globalization. — 12 February 2025 (LINK)

Trump announces negotiations with Putin to end Ukraine war. — 12 February 2025 (LINK)

The Russian ruble surged to its strongest in five months after the release of U.S. teacher Marc Fogel, sparking hopes for peace in Ukraine. — 12 February 2025 (LINK)

Full Ukrainian liberation from Russia 'unrealistic', Hegseth tells allies. U.S. won't send troops to enforce any peace deal with Russia: one of the most detailed delineations of the Ukraine-Russia peace deal envisioned by President Donald Trump's new administration. — 12 February 2025 (LINK)

— "We want, like you, a sovereign and prosperous Ukraine, but we must start by recognizing that returning to Ukraine's pre-2014 borders is an unrealistic objective," he told allies. "Chasing this illusionary goal will only prolong the war and cause more suffering."

— "The United States does not believe that NATO membership for Ukraine is a realistic outcome of a negotiated settlement," Hegseth continued. "Instead, any security guarantee must be backed by capable European and non-European troops. If these troops are deployed as peacekeepers to Ukraine at any point, they should be deployed as part of a non-NATO mission and they should not be covered under Article Five," he added. "There also must be robust international oversight of the line of contact."

Kremlin rejects territorial exchange in potential Ukraine peace talks. — 12 February 2025 (LINK)

— The statement follows President Volodymyr Zelensky's remarks in an interview with The Guardian, where he suggested Ukraine could cede the territory it controls in Russia's Kursk Oblast in exchange for Russian-occupied territories of Ukraine.

Ukraine General Staff: Russia has lost 853,030 troops in Ukraine since Feb. 24, 2022. — 12 February 2025 (LINK)

Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) detains its counter-terrorist centre chief accused of working for Russia: the suspect's illicit activities were documented in 14 separate cases, says head — 12 February 2025 (LINK)

Convicted crypto BTC-e operator Alexander Vinnik freed in US-Russia prisoner swap. — 12 February 2025 (LINK)

Elon Musk slammed after Tesla's name disappears from State Dept. doc for $400 million contract. — 12 February 2025 (LINK)

— a U.S. State Department procurement document was edited to remove Tesla's name. This followed media reports of a $400 million contract for Tesla. The document was timestamped December 23, 2024. According to Bloomberg News reporter Dana Hull, the document now lists a "generic designation" of "armored electric vehicles".

DOGE Chief Elon Musk Drops 'Harry Bolz', Crashes Solana Meme Coins. Solana meme coins bearing Elon Musk's X account name plummeted on Wednesday after the tech CEO ditched his new moniker. — 12 February 2025 (LINK)

Tesla's stock slide looks to be unrelenting. — 12 February 2025 (LINK)

Hate speech on X rose by 50% for 8 months after Musk's acquisition: Study. — 12 February 2025 (LINK) — ground.news: 27 media reports (LINK)

We finally know why polar bears don't freeze in Arctic waters: anti-icing properties in their fur. — 12 February 2025 (LINK)

Disney refocuses diversity initiatives to prioritize business outcomes: the entertainment giant joins other major companies rolling back and recasting its DEI policies. — 12 February 2025 (LINK)

Jack the Ripper's identity revealed after DNA match, historian says: Polish immigrant and schizophrenic Aaron Kosminski was found to be a 100% DNA match to Jack the Ripper. — 12 February 2025 (LINK)

— Kosminski was a Polish immigrant who came to Whitechapel, England, in 1881 alongside his brother. He became a barber once in the British capitol. Aged 23 at the time of the murders, he has long been considered a suspect. He had schizophrenia and was in a mental asylum at the time of his death in 1919. Thanks to Kosminski's oldest brother's great-great-granddaughter, the revelation was made after they provided a DNA sample. Jack the Ripper murdered at least five women in Whitechapel between August and November of 1888.

— Kosminski was a Polish immigrant who came to Whitechapel, England, in 1881 alongside his brother. He became a barber once in the British capitol. Aged 23 at the time of the murders, he has long been considered a suspect. He had schizophrenia and was in a mental asylum at the time of his death in 1919. Thanks to Kosminski's oldest brother's great-great-granddaughter, the revelation was made after they provided a DNA sample. Jack the Ripper murdered at least five women in Whitechapel between August and November of 1888.

New forensic AI tool that can determine biological sex from skull.The tool has the potential to speed up investigations in criminal analysis or after severe natural disasters. — 12 February 2025 (LINK)

Thomson Reuters wins first major AI copyright case in the US: big implications for the battle between generative AI companies and rights holders. — 12 February 2025 (LINK)

— In 2020, the media and technology conglomerate filed an unprecedented AI copyright lawsuit against the legal AI startup Ross Intelligence. In the complaint, Thomson Reuters claimed the AI firm reproduced materials from its legal research firm Westlaw. Today, a judge ruled in Thomson Reuters' favour, finding that the company's copyright was indeed infringed by Ross Intelligence's actions.

White House Press Secretary says AP was blocked from Oval Office event to hold it "accountable" for not changing name of Gulf Of Mexico. — 13 February 2025 (LINK)

Ye's swastika T-shirt pulled from sale. — 12 February 2025 (LINK)

Tuesday, 11 February 2025

WFP says staff member dies while detained in northern Yemen: Agency confirms death of staffer a day after UN pauses operations in northern Yemen due to Houthi detentions. — 11 February 2025 (LINK)

California's insurer for people without private coverage needs $1 billion more for LA fires claims. — 11 February 2025 (LINK)

— The FAIR Plan is an insurance pool that all the major private insurers pay into, and the plan then issues policies to people who can't get private insurance because their properties are deemed too risky to insure. The plan, with high premiums and basic coverage, is designed as a temporary option until homeowners can find permanent coverage, but more Californians are relying on it than ever. There were more than 452,000 policies on the Fair Plan in 2024, more than double the number in 2020.

Pope slams JD Vance's interpretation of Christianity in searing statement. — 11 February 2025 (LINK)

— Vance started the fire when he recently went on Fox News and presented his own bastardized version of "ordo amoris," Latin for "the order of love". "There is … a very Christian concept that you love your family, and then you love your neighbor, and then you love your community, and then you love your fellow citizens in your own country, and then after that, you can focus and prioritize the rest of the world," Vance said at the end of January. "A lot of the far left has completely inverted that; they seem to hate the citizens of their own country and care more about people outside of their own borders.… The British prime minister should care about Brits, and the French should care about the French."

— Without mentioning the vice president by name, the Pope attacked Vance's entire logic for the Trump administration's policies. "Christians know very well that it is only by affirming the infinite dignity of all that our own identity as persons and as communities reaches its maturity. Christian love is not a concentric expansion of interests that little by little extend to other persons and groups."

4 FEMA employees are fired over payments to reimburse New York City for hotel costs for migrants. Officials did not give details on how the four had violated any policies. — 11 February 2025 (LINK)

Marc Fogel, American detained in Russia, freed after visit by Trump envoy. — 11 February 2025 (LINK)

Judge leaves intact a ban on DOGE access to Treasury records pending a hearing Friday. — 11 February 2025 (LINK)

Robert Reich: Trump's biggest corruption yet: Last weekend, the Trump-Musk regime shuttered the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB). The federal government is no longer protecting consumers of financial products. Trump-Musk ordered all work to stop at the CFPB. Its X account was deleted and its homepage unplugged. CFPB employees who went to the building Sunday to retrieve things they needed to work remotely were turned away by security. — 11 February 2025 (LINK)

— The CFPB had proposed that "everything apps" for financial transactions be supervised the same way banks are supervised. Well, scratch that now. No supervision. And no insurance by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation. Brace yourselves for fraud and bank runs. Musk, Zuckerberg, and Andreessen — all Trump backers and lapdogs — had claimed that the CFPB was trying to "debank" or remove them and other Trumpers from the banking system. In fact, the CFPB proposed the first-ever rule to block debanking.

USAID inspector general fired day after report critical of impacts of Trump administration's dismantling of the agency. — 11 February 2025 (LINK)

Almost $500 million in food is at risk of spoilage after USAID pause, report says. — 11 February 2025 (LINK)

Steve Bannon pleads guilty in border wall fraud case, avoids jail time. — 11 February 2025 (LINK)

Apple changes Gulf of Mexico to Gulf of America based on Trump's order: made official by the U.S. Geographic Names Information System. — 11 February 2025 (LINK)

Geneva's tourism momentum grows with 24% increase in congresses and events. — 11 February 2025 (LINK)

— While the end of the Geneva International Motor Show in 2024 marks a shift, Geneva is expanding its event portfolio with thriving industries like luxury watchmaking and fine jewelry, along with emerging conferences such as AI for Good, a premier artificial intelligence event.

Monday, 10 February 2025

Google officially updates name of 'Gulf of America'. Users in Mexico will still see the name "Gulf of Mexico," and users elsewhere in the world will see both names, written as "Gulf of Mexico (Gulf of America)." — 10 February 2025 (LINK)

Hamas suspends hostage releases after Trump statement, alleging ceasefire violations — Israel says military now on 'highest alert'. — 10 February 2025 (LINK)

Trump says Palestinians would not have a right to return to Gaza under his redevelopment plan. — 10 February 2025 (LINK)

— Afterward, some Trump aides sought to soften or clarify aspects of the plan. Karoline Leavitt, the White House press secretary, said Trump was proposing only a temporary relocation of Palestinians while Gaza was being rebuilt. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who was traveling in Latin America when Trump revealed his idea, suggested the resettlements from Gaza would be only on an interim basis.

— Yet Trump himself, in comments afterward, did anything but retreat. He told reporters aboard Air Force One on Sunday that he viewed the war-torn region as a "big real estate site". "I think that it's a big mistake to allow people — the Palestinians, or the people living in Gaza — to go back yet another time, and we don't want Hamas going back. And think of it as a big real estate site, and the United States is going to own it and we'll slowly — very slowly, we're in no rush — develop it. We're going to bring stability to the Middle East soon," Trump told reporters as he traveled to the Super Bowl.

— He added during his interview on Fox — taped on Saturday but aired Monday morning — that it would take years before anyone could consider living in Gaza given the destruction of the war.

Judge directs Trump administration to comply with order to unfreeze federal grants. — 10 February 2025 (LINK)

Trump to impose 25% tariffs on steel and aluminum — those expected to be hit hardest by the duties include Canada and Mexico, Germany and Asian exporters. Perhaps unsurprisingly, the biggest winner of the trade tariffs is likely to be the U.S. — 10 February 2025 (LINK)

In pre-Superbowl Interview Donald Trump makes it official on wanting to annex Great North. — 10 February 2025 (LINK)

— Canada "would be much better off being a 51st state". "We lose $200 billion a year with Canada, and I'm not going to let that happen," Trump said. "It's too much. Why are we paying $200 billion a year, essentially in subsidy to Canada? Now, if they are a 51st state, I don't mind doing it."

$2 billion gone: Trump meme coin leaves investors scratching their heads. — 10 February 2025 (LINK)

— The so-called "Official Trump" coin, which once shot up to $75 per token, is currently only worth $16.00. According to grapevines, US President Donald Trump and his friends got away with a fortune, while regular traders suffered a severe blow. Data shows that over 813,000 wallets — likely retail traders and Trump supporters — either sold at a loss or are still holding coins that have lost most of their value.

President Donald Trump's social media company, Trump Media and Technology Group (TMTG), announced it has initiated a Bitcoin exchange-traded fund (ETF) . — (LINK)

FEMA says it's halting payments for migrant housing in New York after Musk blasts money for hotels. — 10 February 2025 (LINK)

— Musk, who as head of the Department of Government Efficiency has consolidated control over much of the federal government and is working to cut costs and shrink the workforce, posted on X that his team "just discovered that FEMA sent $59M LAST WEEK to luxury hotels in New York City to house illegal migrants." He said the money is intended for disaster relief and would be clawed back.

— Musk gave no evidence to support his claim, and information from the city of New York indicated that money it's received to care for migrants was appropriated by Congress and allocated to the city last year by FEMA.

Judge orders fired head of whistleblower agency reinstated while fight continues over Trump removal. — 10 February 2025 (LINK)

Musk-led investor group offers $97.4 billion for OpenAI — Altman declines, offers $9.74 for X. — 10 February 2025 (LINK)

Justice Department orders charges against NYC Mayor Eric Adams dismissed. The mayor was charged with bribery, fraud and other counts. Legal experts questioned the Trump administration's justification for the move, and one law enforcement official called the order "transparent corruption". — 10 February 2025 (LINK)

Yale scientists just cracked the DNA code that built the human brain. — 10 February 2025 (LINK)

— Scientists explored Human Accelerated Regions (HARs), genetic regulators that tweak existing genes rather than introducing new ones. Using cutting-edge techniques, they mapped nearly all HAR interactions, revealing their role in brain development and neurological disorders like autism and schizophrenia. Previous research suggested that HARs might regulate entirely different genes in humans compared to chimpanzees, our closest primate relatives. However, the new findings reveal that HARs instead fine-tune the activity of genes already shared by both species, influencing how neurons form, develop, and communicate. HARs adjust gene expression levels differently in humans, suggesting that evolutionary changes to brain function emerged not by reinventing genetic pathways but by modifying their output. Published on January 30 in Cell.