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Good morning, it's Wednesday, July 15. The fight against Alzheimer's has another contender, while an ancient wall has revealed the name of a forgotten mathematician. First time reading? Join over 4.7 million insatiably curious readers. Sign up here.
Also in today's Digest: AI takes on Christopher Nolan's "The Odyssey" (Sports, Ent., & Cult.), the first X-rays in space (Sci. & Tech.), the mystery of left-handedness (In-Depth), why every world map is wrong (Etc.), and much more.
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Need To Know
New Alzheimer's Drug
A novel Alzheimer’s treatment slows disease progression at a rate comparable to approved drugs, according to a midstage trial presented yesterday. The results could lead to a new class of therapies.
The exact cause of Alzheimer's remains unclear, but leading theories suggest the disease is driven by the buildup of amyloid-beta and tau proteins in the brain. Some research suggests amyloid begin accumulating roughly 20 years before symptoms appear and may eventually trigger an abnormal form of tau that sparks symptom onset. (See how Alzheimer's changes the brain, w/video.)
Existing drugs target amyloid through intravenous infusions, reducing cognitive decline by about 25% to 35% compared with a placebo. The new drug, diranersen, is injected into the fluid around the spinal cord and directs the brain to make less tau. The lowest dose curtails cognitive decline by 26%, while higher doses show diminishing benefits. Researchers will probe this counterintuitive result in a larger study.
Separately, Capt. Chesley “Sully” Sullenberger III—who emergency-landed a 155-person plane in the Hudson River—revealed he has early-stage Alzheimer's disease.
Maya Mathematician Unmasked
Archaeologists have unearthed the only known example of a Maya mathematician credited with their calculations. An inscription discovered on a wall in Xultun, Guatemala, is signed by Sak Tahn Waax, whose name translates to “white-chested fox.”
The writings were found in a math classroom of sorts dating to the eighth century (full study here; scroll for artist’s rendering). There, researchers discovered a formula for synchronizing Maya calendars with the cycles of Mars and Venus. The formula, known as Text 19, was written in partial dates and hieroglyphic shorthand, making it difficult to decipher. Maya societies were known to rely on elegant mathematical and astronomical calculations to mark the passage of time. However, unlike famed Greek astronomers, including Ptolemy, Hipparchus, and Eratosthenes, the names of their Maya counterparts are largely unknown.
Contrary to popular belief, the Maya did not predict an apocalypse in 2012. Hear other fascinating takeaways about Maya culture from a man who discovered an ancient Maya city (via YouTube).
🫶 Humankind: Volunteer mountain rescue team saves 55-pound dog who apparently ingested cannabis along a steep, long hiking trail.
EU's 'Super Tuesday'
Four countries took a step toward joining the European Union yesterday, the first time since 2002 that many candidates advanced on the same day. Albania, Montenegro, Moldova, and Ukraine held talks in Brussels to advance their accession processes, but full membership in the 27-nation bloc could be years away.
The rare move comes as Europe faces political and security changes, including Russia's war in Ukraine and the EU's push to expand farther east and south. Ukraine and Moldova each opened a second negotiating cluster, covering foreign relations, security, and trade, while Albania and Montenegro advanced by closing selected chapters in their talks. To become members, countries must negotiate 35 policy chapters grouped into six clusters and win approval from every current member. Take a look at the process that can take a decade or longer.
The EU was created in 1958 by six countries and now accounts for roughly 5.5% of the world’s population. Nine countries are now officially candidates to join (see status).
In partnership with EnergyX
Big Oil Just Bet Big on Lithium
Eni, Italy’s largest oil producer, just signed a strategic agreement to invest in EnergyX’s lithium project in Chile, a stake that could reach $225M. It’s just one piece of EnergyX’s portfolio holding up to 15M+ tons of untapped lithium, and it’s the latest proof of their progress. Until tomorrow, you can become an early-stage shareholder and share in that growth.
EnergyX’s patented tech recovers up to 3X more lithium than traditional methods at 500X the speed. When combined with their resource portfolio, the road to commercial-scale production is clear. Lithium demand is projected to grow 5X by 2040, so the timing couldn’t be better.
General Motors and POSCO are already EnergyX shareholders. Now it’s your turn. But hurry: Invest in EnergyX before tomorrow night.*
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In The Know
Sports, Entertainment, & Culture
> AI film company drops trailer for low-budget "Odyssey"-inspired movie days before Christopher Nolan's highly anticipated $250M adaptation premieres (More, w/trailer) | Nolan's cast hiked 45 minutes to set daily, and more film-related numbers (More)
> "The Young and the Restless" leads Daytime Emmy Awards nominations with 18 nods; ceremony is set for Oct. 30 (More, w/full list) | "General Hospital" missed a best lead actress nod for the first time in 12 years, plus more snubs and surprises (More)
> Spain eliminates France 2-0 to reach the 2026 World Cup final (More) | Argentina and Lionel Messi take on Jude Bellingham’s England at 3 pm ET for a chance to face the reigning European champions Sunday (More, w/schedule)
1440 x Men in Blazers: Follow the final World Cup rounds with the most in-depth daily coverage (Sign up)
Science & Technology
> New York imposes nation's first statewide moratorium on hyperscale data centers for up to one year as the state devises protections for the environment and its energy grid (More) | See which states have the most data centers (More)
> Astronauts take first-ever X-rays in space using miniature portable device, marking a major advance in aerospace healthcare; the device could also be used to provide medical care in rural towns and villages (More, w/images)
> Engineers can control how artificial blood vessels grow by mechanically stretching them, a step toward supplying critical blood flow to lab-grown organs and tissues (More)
Infinity mirrors, quicksand, and tennis balls: Scroll through the most amazing content we've found on 1440 Science & Technology.
Business & Markets
> US stock markets close up (S&P 500 +0.4%, Dow +0.0%, Nasdaq +1.0%) after cooler-than-expected inflation report; consumer price index fell 0.4% in June from May, the largest monthly drop since April 2020 (More) | See chart breakdown (More)
> IBM shares crater 25%—its worst drop since at least 1968—after the company preannounced earnings that fell below Wall Street's expectations (More)
> Five of the largest US banks report record quarterly profits, fueled by strong trading activity and resilient consumer spending (More) | How do banks make money? (More) | Visualize the world's largest banks (More)
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Politics & World Affairs
> Supreme Court Justices Amy Coney Barrett and Elena Kagan testify before House Appropriations Committee to call for increased security funding, citing threats to their families (More) | How rare is it for justices to testify? (More, scroll to beige box)
> ICE will reportedly suspend most traffic-stop arrests after two deadly shootings in the span of a week (More) | US troops will withdraw from Iraq Sept. 30, the country's prime minister says, citing planned disarmament of Iranian-backed militias (More)
> US House passes Trump-backed bill that would make daylight saving time permanent, removing need to adjust clocks twice a year; bill heads to Senate (More)
In-Depth
> The Staten Island Problem
Revisionist History | Malcolm Gladwell. In the 1990s, one New York City borough tried to break away from the city altogether. The bizarre battle that followed helps explain why America feels so divided today. (Listen)
Prefer to read? See the transcript here.
> Why Are You Left-Handed?
Quanta Magazine | Natalie Wolchover. Left-handedness has hovered around 10% across cultures and history. A left-handed science writer explores why evolution hasn't eliminated it and why scientists still don't have an answer. (Read)
In partnership with EnergyX
The US Army’s First-of-its-Kind Lithium Deal
For the first time in history, the US Army is placing a lithium processing facility on military land, and they picked EnergyX to build and operate it. The conditional lease at Texas' Red River Army Depot connects to Project Lonestar, EnergyX's flagship operation and America's largest lithium production demo facility of its kind.
EnergyX's portfolio spans ~15M+ tons of untapped lithium. General Motors is in. Join them before tomorrow night.*
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Etcetera
See this year's spectacular award-winning aerial photographs.
Ranking Europe's best cities.
... and each state's most searched definitions.
Visualizing 75 years of US energy production.
How did $9.99 become retail's favorite number?
Quiz helps test how good you are at identifying AI faces.
Why George Clooney bought a $3K suit that electrocutes him.
Guess how many trees are on Earth, per person.
Why every single world map is at least a little wrong.
In partnership: Tomorrow is the last day to invest in this $1B private unicorn.*
Clickbait: Why you should sneeze loud and proud.
Historybook: Rosetta Stone is found in Egypt (1799); Businesswoman and journalist Arianna Huffington born (1950); Fashion designer Gianni Versace is murdered (1997); Twitter is launched (2006).
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