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Several large-scale human-caused changes to the planet, including climate change, biodiversity loss and the spread of invasive species, are making infectious diseases more dangerous to people, animals and plants, according to a new study. .Scientists have already documented these effects in more targeted studies that have focused on specific diseases and ecosystems. For example, they found that a warmer climate could help the expansion of malaria in Africa, and that a decline in wildlife diversity could increase cases of Lyme disease in North America.But the new research, a meta-analysis of nearly 1,000 previous studies, suggests that these patterns are relatively consistent across the globe and across the tree of life.“It's a big step forward in science,” said Colin Carlson, a biolog...

These new security features and other improvements at an ammunition depot in central Belarus reveal that Russia is building facilities there that could house nuclear warheads. If Russia moves weapons there, it would be the first time it has stored them outside the country since the fall of the Soviet Union in 1991.Russia already has nuclear warheads on its territory near Ukraine and NATO countries, but by placing some in Belarus, the Kremlin appears to be trying to heighten its nuclear threat and strengthen its nuclear deterrent.Russian President Vladimir V. Putin referenced such a site early last year, saying that Russia would soon complete construction of a “special repository for tactical nuclear weapons” in Belarus.The New York Times analyzed satellite images and photos and spoke to n...

Listen and follow 'Hard Fork'Apple | Spotify | Amazon | YoutubeKevin recounts his month-long experiment cultivating relationships with 18 AI-generated companions. He explains how he developed their characters, what happened in their group chats, and why you might want to create one yourself. Then, Casey has a conversation with Turing, one of Kevin's chatbot friends, who has an interest in Stoic philosophy and has one of the sexiest voices we've ever heard. And finally, we talk to Nomi founder and CEO Alex Cardinell about the business behind AI companions and whether the company is ready for the future we're headed for.Guests:Turing, Kevin's AI friend created with Kindroid.Alex Cardinell, CEO and founder of Nomi.Additional reading:Credits“Hard Fork” is hosted b...

Kirby also sought to allay concerns that the United States was breaking with its closest ally in the Middle East.“The argument that we are somehow moving away from Israel is at odds with the facts,” Kirby said Thursday, citing Biden's visit to Israel in the days of the Oct. 7 attack, providing money and military expertise for his war and send American fighter pilots into the sky to shoot down Iranian drones.He said the United States believes Israel has “exerted enormous pressure on Hamas, and that there are better ways to pursue what remains of Hamas in Rafah than a major ground operation.”Kirby said the United States is still working with Israel on how to help it defeat Hamas, such as ensuring that the Gaza-Egypt border cannot be used to smuggle weapons and target Hamas leaders .He al...

Dr. Herbert Pardes, a psychiatrist and former director of the National Institute of Mental Health who led the merger of two major medical centers that became New York-Presbyterian Hospital and ran it for 11 years, died April 30 at his home in Manhattan . He was 89 years old.His son Steve said the cause was aortic stenosis.Dr. Pardes (pronounced par-diss) was named president and CEO of the hospital in late 1999, nearly two years after the merger of New York Hospital and Presbyterian Hospital. For the previous decade he had been dean of the medical school at Columbia University's College of Physicians and Surgeons, Presbyterian's affiliated medical school.“It was no secret that as dean of the medical school I didn't always agree with hospital administration,” he said in his thi...

Bernard Pivot, a French TV host who made and unmade writers with a weekly book chat show that attracted millions of viewers, died Monday in Neuilly-sur-Seine, outside Paris. He was 89 years old.His death, in hospital after being diagnosed with cancer, was confirmed by his daughter Cécile Pivot.From 1975 to 1990, France watched Mr. Pivot on Friday nights to decide what to read next. The country watched him cajole, cajole and flatter novelists, memoirists, politicians and actors, and the next day he went to bookstores to buy plates marked "Apostrophes," the name of Mr. Pivot's show.In a French universe where serious writers and intellectuals fight fiercely for public attention to become superstars, Mr. Pivot has never competed with his hosts. He achieved a kind of elevated chatter tha...

Apple doesn't often make mistakes and rarely apologizes, but its advertising chief said on Thursday that the company had made a mistake in making a commercial for the new iPad that showed an industrial compressor flattening tools for art, music and creativity.“Creativity is in our DNA at Apple, and it's incredibly important for us to design products that empower creatives around the world,” said Tor Myhren, the company's vice president of marketing communications, in a statement provided to the publication AdAge . “Our goal is to always celebrate the myriad ways users express themselves and bring their ideas to life through iPad. We missed the mark with this video and we're sorry."Mr. Myhren said Apple would no longer air the commercial on TV.The company faced a barrage o...

President Biden's warning about cutting off arms supplies has strengthened the constraint facing Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who is increasingly caught between international calls for a ceasefire and right-wing Israeli demands to proceed with an invasion on a large scale in Rafah, southern Gaza.Netanyahu, who has insisted over American objections on the need to invade Rafah, now finds US-Israeli relations at a moment of crisis that could affect how he conducts the next phase of the war against Hamas.On Thursday, the Israeli leader, alluding to Biden's remarks, said in a statement: “If we need to be alone, we will be alone. I said that if necessary we will fight tooth and nail. But we have much more than nails and with that same strength of spirit, with God's he...

Even as it has become increasingly clear that the avian flu outbreak on domestic farms began months earlier — and is likely much more widespread — than previously thought, federal authorities have stressed that the virus poses little risk to humans. humans.Yet there is a group of people at high risk of infection: the approximately 100,000 men and women who work on those farms. There has been no widespread testing to see how many might be infected. No one has been vaccinated against avian influenza.This leaves workers and their families vulnerable to a poorly monitored pathogen. And it poses broader public health risks. If the virus were to spread into the broader population, experts say, dairy workers would be a likely route.“We have no idea whether this virus will evolve into a pandem...

Fencing is a niche but vital Olympic sport, contested at every Summer Games since 1896. Yet despite its genteel reputation and its simple goal – to touch an opponent with the blade before being touched – the sport has been long full of drama and suspicion.Two months before the Paris Olympics, international fencing is gripped by questions about the integrity of refereeing, allegations of preferential treatment and concerns among top athletes and coaches that their sport's intricate connections could help decide who gets to compete at the Games .The federation that governs fencing in the United States, USA Fencing, recently suspended two international referees after they admitted communicating with each other during an Olympic qualifying tournament in California. He became so concerned ...