Good morning, it's Wednesday, July 8. Steel beams began buckling "like cigarettes" inside a Manhattan high-rise yesterday. First time reading? Join over 4.7 million insatiably curious readers. Sign up here.
Also in today's Digest: what happens when babies hear music (Need To Know), Coco Gauff makes history (Sports, Ent., & Cult.), a tiny Italian EV is coming to the US (Bus. & Mkts.), the world's oldest water-skier (Etc.), and much more.
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Multiple blocks in New York City’s Midtown East were cordoned off yesterday and several buildings were evacuated after officials discovered a high-rise building was unstable and at risk of collapse. See footage from inside the complex, where two support beams were found to be buckling, here (scroll to see photos and videos).
The site, at 235 E. 42nd Street near 2nd Avenue, is the former headquarters of pharmaceutical giant Pfizer. Since 2024, developer Metro Loft has been working to convert the complex into a residential building with more than 1,600 apartments, 25% of which are reserved for affordable housing. Early yesterday, officials discovered beams bending “like cigarettes” on the 21st and 22nd floors, causing floors 21 to 26—where floors were being added—to begin caving in. An investigation into the issue is ongoing. See an update on the construction project from last month.
The renovation is part of a broader post-COVID-19 effort to repurpose vacant commercial real estate into residential units amid a housing shortage. Visualize NYC’s empty office space here. |
Humans begin recognizing music as young as 3 months old and start moving in response by their first birthday, according to the first study to measure infant brain activity and body movement simultaneously.
Researchers recorded infants aged 3, 6, and 12 months as they listened to children's songs and scrambled versions of those songs. All age groups showed stronger brain responses to the melodic versions, suggesting humans are drawn to musical structures very early in life. Only the 12-month-olds, however, moved more when listening to the melodic songs—swaying, rocking, and clapping. Researchers say the enhanced response likely reflects the maturing of the dorsal auditory stream—a brain pathway that eventually helps people articulate speech and maintain a beat. It's still unclear when music-driven movement evolves into rhythmic dancing.
Explore how the different parts of the adult brain respond to music here (scroll for interactive). And watch a 10-month-old baby hear music for the first time after receiving cochlear implants. |
🫶 Humankind: South Carolina restaurateur finds and returns $12K to its rightful owner, who happens to be undergoing a serious and costly medical issue. |
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Prince Harry Loses Lawsuit |
A UK judge dismissed a privacy lawsuit yesterday brought by Prince Harry and six other claimants against Associated Newspapers, the publisher of the Daily Mail, Mail on Sunday, and MailOnline.
The claimants, who included Harry, Elton John, Elizabeth Hurley, and four others, alleged voicemail interception, phone hacking, and obtaining information by deception, centering on roughly 57 articles across the group. Harry's claim focused on 14 Daily Mail articles published between 2001 and 2013, largely about his relationship with former girlfriend Chelsy Davy (see the articles). Associated Newspapers denied any wrongdoing. In a 436-page ruling, the judge said the claimants failed to show their personal information had been unlawfully obtained, noting some allegations dated back 20 to 30 years. Legal costs for the 11-week trial are estimated at about $67M.
The decision comes as Harry is in the UK for the one-year countdown to the 2027 Invictus Games in Birmingham, the tournament he created for injured veterans. |
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Sports, Entertainment, & Culture |
> Dolly Parton musical drawing on the country icon's life and music will hit Broadway Jan. 19, Parton's 81st birthday (More) | "Law & Order" actress Mariska Hargitay to host Emmy Awards Sept. 14, will be the first woman emcee in 15 years (More) |
> Coco Gauff, 22, becomes youngest player to reach all four Grand Slam semifinals since 2007 after winning Wimbledon quarterfinals (More) | Russian athletes are provisionally cleared to compete in 2028 Los Angeles Olympics (More) |
> Lionel Messi's Argentina knocks out Egypt 3-2 with all three goals scored in the final 15 minutes (More) | Quarterfinals kick off tomorrow with France taking on Morocco at 4 pm ET (More, w/schedule) |
1440 x Men in Blazers: Follow along as competition reaches a frenzied peak over the World Cup's final rounds with the most in-depth daily coverage here. |
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> Some dying bacterial clusters eject healthy cells to spawn new colonies, similar to how jellyfish eject their stingers upon contact with prey or predators; the behavior may inspire treatments for drug-resistant bacteria (More, w/video) |
> One-time cocaine exposure shown to trigger changes in mouse brains lasting at least two weeks, offering clues to cocaine addiction in people (More) | What cocaine does to the human brain, in 2 minutes (More, w/video) |
> Stone tools and seashell ornaments found in a Turkish cave suggest Neanderthals and modern humans may have shared culture 59,000 years ago (More, w/photo) |
Fusion, rainbow science, geophysics, oh my: Explore the internet's best science & tech resources with our curated 1440 feed. |
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> US stock markets close lower (S&P 500 -0.5%, Dow -0.3%, Nasdaq -1.2%) amid sell-off in semiconductor sector (More) |
> US trade deficit widened to nearly $78B in May as imports rose 3.3% month over month to roughly $395B while exports fell 3.2% month over month to roughly $318B (More) | Explore government data (More) |
> Stellantis to sell mini Fiat Topolino electric vehicle for $13,995 in the US; the golf cart-like Topolino ("little mouse") can travel up to 19 mph (More, w/photos) | Rivian shares fall 18% after the EV maker sells 75 million shares to raise capital (More) |
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> France's Marine Le Pen announces 2027 presidential run after her embezzlement conviction was upheld; Le Pen says she will appeal the ruling, which stipulates she must wear an ankle bracelet, limiting her movements while campaigning (More) |
> Nigel Farage, leader of the UK's poll-leading nationalist-populist Reform UK party, resigns from Parliament, says he will run again; announcement comes amid scrutiny into donor gifts leading up to the 2024 election (More) | See the latest polls (More) |
> Ukrainian woman suspected of targeting a Ukrainian business tycoon in a Monaco bombing attack is found dead near Kyiv (More) |
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Historybook: Businessman and philanthropist John D. Rockefeller born (1839); "Gone with the Wind" actress Vivien Leigh dies (1967); Atlantis is launched as final mission of US Space Shuttle program (2011); Former first lady and social activist Betty Ford dies (2011); Former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe assassinated (2022).
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