Fire Amoeba, College Rankings, and the Best 1990s Songs

Good morning, it's Wednesday, Sept. 23. Princeton's 15-year reign as the nation's No. 1 college ends. First time reading? Join millions of insatiably curious readers. Sign up here.

Also in today's Digest: Officials reveal the cause of Hayden Panettiere’s death (Sports, Ent., & Cult.), Hurricane Polo gains strength (Pol. & World Affairs), the 50 songs that define America (In-Depth), a 6-year-old Rubik’s Cube prodigy (Etc.), and much more. 

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 Need To Know 

Easter Bombing Verdict

A Sri Lankan court sentenced 15 men to life in prison yesterday for their roles in the 2019 Easter Sunday bombings, which killed more than 260 people and wounded roughly 500. The verdict follows a nearly five-year trial. 

The coordinated suicide bombings targeted three churches and three luxury hotels during Easter services and celebrations across the island nation (see timeline and visual guide). Two local militant groups inspired by the Islamic State group were accused of carrying out the attacks; none of those believed to have directly participated survived. In 2021, authorities charged 25 people with 23,270 counts, including murder and conspiracy to commit terrorism. Authorities also arrested a former intelligence chief in February, alleging he had prior knowledge of, and conspired in, the bombings; he remains in custody. 

Sri Lanka's Catholic Church has argued the bombings were part of a broader conspiracy extending beyond those identified as perpetrators, though it has not provided evidence supporting the claim. 

Meet the Fire Amoeba

Scientists have discovered an amoeba capable of living in extreme heat, once thought inhospitable to complex life, according to a study published yesterday.

The single-celled organism, dubbed the “fire amoeba,” was discovered in a geothermal spring at California’s Lassen Volcanic National Park. Researchers observed the amoeba continuing to replicate in cultures heated to 145 degrees Fahrenheit—five degrees hotter than scientists had previously seen complex life tolerate. The amoeba withstood temperatures up to 158 degrees by changing shape and forming a protective layer. These adaptations are shared with simpler life-forms that lack a membrane-bound nucleus and can survive at temperatures up to nearly 252 degrees. See a side-by-side illustration of complex and simple life here.

The fire amoeba could offer clues for developing heat-resilient crops and drugs, and scientists believe some complex life-forms may survive at even higher temperatures.

MIT Dethrones Princeton

The Massachusetts Institute of Technology unseated Princeton as the nation’s top college yesterday, ending the Ivy League school's 15-year run leading US News & World Report's annual rankings. See the full list here.

This year’s rankings introduced a criterion comparing graduates’ earnings by major four years after college with those who studied the same major nationwide. The measure includes only federal financial aid recipients, part of an effort to minimize the impact preexisting wealth and family connections could have on post-college earnings. It replaces a metric that measured graduates’ federal loan debt.

The rankings have faced scrutiny over their methodology and reliance on universities’ self-reported data. Dozens of prestigious law and medical schools—including Harvard, Yale, and Stanford—stopped submitting data in 2022 and 2023. Columbia University was the only top 100 undergraduate institution that did not submit data directly this year; it ranked No. 12.

Higher education faces a broader demographic squeeze, with lower birth rates projected to contribute to a 13% decline in enrollment by 2041 (see graphs). 

 In The Know 

Science & Technology

> Anthropic and OpenAI release new, cheaper AI models weeks after tech leaders call for industry-wide slowdown (More) | OpenAI forms math advisory committee after it claims its models solved over 100 open math problems (More)

> Scientists suggest Earth became cool enough for RNA-based life about 4.3 billion years ago (More) | Why RNA may have existed before DNA (More, w/video)

> Poor sleep in late pregnancy is linked to increased obesity risk in children; the link was strongest in male infants and babies born at term (More) 

Business & Markets

> US stock markets close mixed (S&P 500 -0.0%, Dow -0.4%, Nasdaq +0.5%), and oil prices fall after Trump administration reports a positive meeting with Iranian representatives in New York (More) 

> DoorDash to pay $131.5M to resolve New York City probe into compliance with pay laws; settlement includes $12.3M for drivers who were underpaid or paid late (More) | How much does DoorDash pay? (More) 

> McDonald's to host first investor day in nearly three years today after unveiling its new global growth plan this summer; the stock has fallen 18% year over year (More)

Politics & World Affairs

> Trump administration to remove more than 750,000 enrollees from the Affordable Care Act insurance markets, claiming some were not real people or were receiving subsidies they did not qualify for (More) 

> President Donald Trump signs new security agreement with Denmark and Greenland, expanding US military presence on the island while preserving Danish sovereignty (More) | Why Greenland is strategically important (More)

> Hurricane Polo grows into a Category 5 storm off Mexico's southwestern coast; it is not expected to make landfall but could cause heavy rainfall and flooding (More, w/map) 

In-Depth

> 50 Songs That Explain America

The Atlantic | James Parker. From Frank Sinatra to SpongeBob SquarePants, one British critic rounds up tracks that capture the sounds, stories, and spirit of the US. (Read) 

> Inside the Wildlife Black Market

Insider | Staff. Endangered animals, secret buyers, and big money fuel a sprawling underground network that stretches from Russia to California. One wildlife criminologist went undercover to investigate tiger poaching. (Watch) 

The top song from every year in the 1990s. 

See the Bird Photographer of the Year winner. 

First birthday parties are becoming big-budget affairs.

Six-year-old sets a speedy Rubik's Cube world record. 

Why K-pop took off when C-pop didn't.

How scientists know Mars used to experience massive floods. (w/video)

Nearly 1 million bees are missing after a string of heists in northern Australia.

The Eiffel Tower is turning into a movie theater. 

How Twinkies became a $5B mistake. (w/video)

Clickbait: Is your coffee cold? Get it a tiny sweater.

Historybook: American suffragist and civil rights activist Victoria Woodhull born (1838); Astronomers discover Neptune (1846); Nintendo is founded as a playing card company (1889); Musician Ray Charles born (1930); Neurologist Sigmund Freud dies (1939); Musician Bruce Springsteen is born (1949).