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All your news in a single email. We scour 100+ sources so you don't have to. Culture, science, sports, politics, business, and more - all packaged in a 5-minute read below.
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Paralyzed Mice Walk Again.
New research demonstrated that a small-molecule drug can help mice with partially severed spinal cords regain their ability to walk. The majority of people with paralyzing spinal cord injuries are paralyzed from the point of injury on down, even if the nerves are only partially severed. The research published yesterday (see abstract) showed that damaged nerves can stop producing a specific protein, called KCC2, that makes neurons less excitable - making them unable to communicate to the lower body. The drug identified by scientists increases KCC2 production, helping "turn back on" the damaged circuitry. In lab tests 80% of mice treated with the drug regained their ability to step within 4-5 weeks of treatment. Movement in paralyzed mice has been observed before, but approaches usually rely on more complex methods like regrowing severed nerve cells or stem cell transplants.
Congress Cracks Down on Foreign Investments.
Negotiators from the House and Senate reached a deal on a package to significantly expand oversight of Chinese investments into US firms yesterday. The proposed bill beefs up the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States, or CFIUS, whose job is to review deals where US businesses or entities deemed vital to the national interest may transfer into foreign-owned hands (do a deep dive here). The committee itself is relatively unknown but wields significant power (paywall) - in March it shut down a $117B hostile takeover of US computer chip maker Qualcomm by Singaporean rival Broadcom. China has made a concerted effort to acquire top US technologies through government-backed firms. The bill allows the committee to review acquisitions of breakthrough or emerging technologies, look at real-estate transactions near sensitive US buildings, and any deals that appear to use shell companies.
Comic-Con 2018.
The 2018 San Diego Comic-Con kicked into high gear yesterday with a number of celebrity panels and announcements of new shows and movies by media companies. Now in its 48th year, the annual convention is one of the largest annual pop culture gatherings in the world, with companies giving glimpses into upcoming movies, TV shows, video games, and more. Early in the day Game of Thrones author George RR Martin's unveiled the trailer for his new space-based horror show Nightflyers, while DC Comics announced a new streaming service for all its content, including the Wonder Woman and Justice League franchises. Heavyweights HBO and Marvel bowed out of attending this year - both cited production schedules and expect to return in 2019. The convention lasts through Sunday - you can see all the top new trailers here.
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Sports, Entertainment & Culture.
> Adrian Cronauer, real-life DJ and Air Force sergeant who inspired Robin Williams' character in Good Morning, Vietnam, dies at 79 ( More)
> Olympic bronze medal-winning figure skater Denis Ten dies in knife attack in Kazakhstan at age 25 ( More)
> 4 men indicted by grand jury in shooting death of rapper XXXTentacion, who was murdered June 18 in Florida ( More)
Science & Technology.
> X-ray evidence suggests first-ever observation of a star eating a planet, located 450 million light years away in the Taurus-Auriga constellation ( More)
> Fossil of newly discovered spiked-armor dinosaur sheds new light on evolution of dinos with protective plating ( More)
> Study says radiation from cell phone use may harm memory in adolescents; results from 700-person study show effects in memory center in right brain hemisphere ( More)
Business & Markets.
> Meet the most influential young business leaders - Fortune's 2018 40 under 40 ( More) | Fortune releases the Global 500 - the world's largest companies by revenue ( More)
> Comcast drops bid for 21st Century Fox assets, conceding to Disney's $71B bid ( More)
> Wells Fargo refunding hundreds of thousands of customers for add-on product fees, as Consumer Financial Protection Bureau reviews the matter ( More)
Politics & World Affairs.
> Trump vows to hold second in-person meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin ( More) | Rejects Russian offer for access to indicted Russian officers if US allows Russia to question US officials ( More)
> NYC city council advances bill to restrict AirBnB operations, focused on landlords who effectively run illegal hotels using the platform ( More)
> Eleven dead, others missing as tour boat capsizes in Missouri River ( More)
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What Happened To The Salomons?
Los Angeles Magazine | Stacy Perman. On October 13, 1982, the Salomon family pool began to overflow. When the neighbors came to tell them, the Salomons were nowhere to be found. See inside the terrifying details of an extremely vexing cold case. (Read)
Pregnant Women Don’t Learn About Profound Brain Changes.
The Boston Globe | Chelsea Conaboy. For most women, having a child is one of the largest neurobiological changes in their life, but in prenatal care, discussion of this change is often glossed over. The maternal brain is complex, nuanced, and mysterious - and women aren’t being educated on it. (Read)
The Fake Saudi Prince Who Scammed Miami’s Rich And Famous.
Vice | Francisco Alvarado. Professional con-artist Anthony Gignac once deceived a university into wiring him $16,000. Years later, Gignac had conned his way into receiving nearly $8 million from 26 different people. Explore the tumultuous rise and fall of an incredible trickster. (Read)
While We Sleep.
National Geographic | Michael Kinkel. For thousands of years, philosophers and scientists have pondered the subject of sleep, desperately searching for its purpose. New scientific advances and modern brain imaging technology have shown us that good sleep is essential - but more importantly, these advances have shown us that a lack of sleep can be deadly. (Read)
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The Girl Scouts unveil 30 new STEM-related badges, from space exploration to cybersecurity.
The Global Slavery Index estimates there were 40.3 million living in slavery in 2016, including 400,000 in the US.
Dallas Cowboys, Manchester United top list of world's most valuable sports teams.
The home from The Brady Bunch is on sale for $1.9M.
Here's which annual festival draws the most visitors in each state.
Sex-Ed classes in the UK will now include content on consent and peer pressure.
New Zealand firm experimented with full-pay four-day work weeks, and it was a raging success.
There's a 25-foot Jeff Goldblum statue overlooking London's Tower Bridge.
Clickbait: Washington, DC is counting all its cats - it will take 3 years and $1.5M.
Historybook: HBD Sir Edmund Hillary (1919); Man walks on the moon (1969); RIP Bruce Lee (1973); Viking 1 is 1st spacecraft to successfully land on Mars (1976); HBD Gisele Bündchen (1980).
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"It is not the mountain we conquer but ourselves."
- Edmund Hillary
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