Sagrada Família, Cellular Rewind, and Kittenfishing

 Need To Know 

Historic Drone Rescue

The US military completed its first known drone rescue by sea after Iran allegedly downed a US Apache helicopter near the Strait of Hormuz early yesterday morning. The two pilots on board are reportedly uninjured.

The Navy deployed a 24-foot autonomous maritime drone, called a Corsair, to locate the pilots (watch the drone in action). Capable of carrying up to 1,000 pounds over 1,000 nautical miles at speeds exceeding roughly 40 miles per hour, the uncrewed vessel transported the pilots to safer waters, where they were hoisted into a crewed helicopter. The US launched strikes on Iran yesterday in retaliation for the alleged attack, which came one day after President Donald Trump urged Iran and Israel to halt their renewed exchanges of strikes. 

The US has been using low-flying Boeing AH-64 Apaches to enforce a blockade on oil shipments, part of a broader effort to pressure Iran into a deal to end the war. Tour the aircraft here. See updates on the war here.

The Tower Rises 

Pope Leo XIV will celebrate Mass today at Barcelona’s Sagrada Família and bless its newly completed Tower of Jesus Christ, marking 100 years since architect Antoni Gaudí’s death.

Construction on the basilica began 144 years ago, with the first cornerstone laid in 1882 during the pontificate of Pope Leo XIII, the namesake of the current pope—Leo XIV is the 11th pontiff to serve during the project’s construction. Gaudí led work on the church for 43 years until his death in 1926, envisioning a structure with light and color to create spiritual drama and organic forms with almost no straight lines, reflecting his belief that curved lines belong to God. His unfinished design—largely destroyed during the Spanish Civil War—has been carried forward by at least nine architects.

Now the world’s tallest church at 566 feet, the basilica attracts roughly 2 million visitors annually but remains controversial over costs, tourism pressures, and a stairway that could displace 1,000 families and businesses. Take a virtual tour of the basilica. 

PS: Lego unveiled a 12,060-piece Sagrada Família set. Look inside a tiny version of the basilica's intricate interior here.

Age-Reversing Injection

In a world first, a human has received a cellular reprogramming injection, biotechnology company Life Biosciences announced yesterday. The experimental treatment will be tested in close to 20 patients with glaucoma or nonarteritic anterior ischemic optic neuropathy. 

The gene therapy involves returning cells to their younger states so they can become resilient to disease, but not all the way to their newborn stem cell state. The company has successfully reversed tissue aging in monkeys and mice using this method, including healing age-related blindness. However, researchers are concerned about the possibility of side effects in humans, as two of the four proteins involved in the process have the potential to divide uncontrollably (in animal trials, some mice developed tumors).

For the first-ever human trial, researchers are injecting the therapy into a glaucoma patient’s eye and will monitor the intervention for six months. Ultimately, researchers hope to expand interventions into liver and muscle cells, with Jeff Bezos and Sam Altman backing some of Life Biosciences’ competitors (see more via YouTube).

Sports, Entertainment, & Culture

> Serena Williams, 44, wins first competitive tennis match in nearly four years with her doubles partner Victoria Mboko, 19 (More) | See match highlights (More)

> Somali soccer referee denied entry into the US over "vetting concerns," cut from World Cup (More) | FIFA reportedly revokes Iran fans' tickets for three US matches; Iran blames the US (More) | Ex-European soccer president sues FIFA over 2015 corruption allegations (More)

> Rob Reiner's son seeks money from family trust—reportedly worth over $1.5M—to help fund his defense after being charged with killing his parents last year (More) 

Science & Technology

> NASA introduces Artemis III crew members, who will test novel technologies in low Earth orbit next year; the mission is critical to Artemis IV, a crewed mission to the moon slated for 2028 (More) | Scroll to compare the Artemis missions (More)

> Anthropic releases Mythos-class AI model to the public with restrictions on queries about topics such as bioweapons and software bugs; model was previously deemed too dangerous for public use (More) 

> Asexual reproduction limited evolution for millions of years, according to fossil analysis; competition and stress 635 million to 539 million years ago spurred sex and increased diversity (More) | Humanlike sex can be traced back to fish (More) 

Business & Markets

> US stock markets close mixed (S&P 500 -0.3%, Dow +0.2%, Nasdaq -1.0%) ahead of today's latest inflation reading (More) 

> US existing home sales rose 3.2% year over year in May, the strongest pace since December; median home price of $429,300 is up 1.3% from a year ago, the highest price for any May on record (More) | Rich buyers are fueling the rise (More) 

> Rivian begins customer deliveries of lower-priced second-generation R2 electric vehicle, following strategy used by Tesla as it seeks to transition into a mass-market automaker (More) | See photos of exterior (More) | ... and interior (More)

Politics & World Affairs

> Graham Platner (D) advances to face off against Sen. Susan Collins (R) in Maine's Senate race, amid a series of controversies (More) | What are the controversies? (More) | Interactive map shows the path to control of the Senate in November (More)

> US House passes $70B bill to fund immigration enforcement for three years, sending measure to President Donald Trump's desk (More) | Anti-immigration protests erupt in Northern Ireland amid unrest over knife attack this week (More)

> Social Security is projected to run out of funds by 2032, barring action from Congress, trustees say; if that happens, the program will be able to pay only 78% of retirement benefits (More) | Why is it running out of money? (More, w/video)

FDA approves first new sunscreen ingredient in more than 20 years.

Which states have the biggest childcare debt burden? 

Toronto offers World Cup-themed scavenger hunt.

There's now a religious exemption to avoid using AI at work.

Could smell exposure improve your memory or sleep?

What it's like to have kids in the US after age 40.

Artists create pop-up exhibits in abandoned hospital. (w/photos)

What if you put YouTube comments about love songs in the spotlight?

In partnership: Tying your shoes is officially optional.*

Clickbait: The latest toxic dating trend is kittenfishing.

Historybook: Benjamin Franklin conducts famous kite experiment (1752); Hattie McDaniel, first African American to win an Oscar, born (1893); Hollywood legend Judy Garland born (1922); Italy invades France, declares war on France and Great Britain (1940); Musician Ray Charles dies (2004).

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