Five flourishing French scaleups have made it into TECH5 — the “Champions League of Technology.” The quintet will now compete for the title of top scaleup in Europe. The contest concludes on June 19-20, when the TECH5 champion will be announced on the main stage of TNW Conference. But first, the contenders have to win a regional crown. For the French challengers, that’s no easy task.  The country’s tech sector has been going through a historic boom. Over the past decade, the startup scene has seen the most dramatic growth of any European country, with investments surging nearly 1000% to €53bn, according to VC firm Atomico. The 💜 of EU techThe latest rumblings from the EU tech scene, a story from our wise ol' founder Boris, and some questionable AI art. It's free, every week, in your inbox. Sign up now!One of the largest recent funding rounds went to French AI darling Mistral. In June 2024, the Paris-based company raised €468mn and became Europe’s most valuable AI startup. France’s blend of highly skilled talent, increased government support, and expanded investment streams has created fertile ground for tech firms to grow. This has laid the foundation for an impressive flock of scaleups. Yet only five of them could enter the TECH5 finals. Our judges selected them based on an analysis of their growth, impact, and future potential. Their evaluation led us to the following high-flying scaleups, listed in random order: 1. Kinetix A frontrunner in the thriving AI scene of Paris, Kinetix specialises in 3D character animation for games. Using GenAI tools, the company transforms camera footage and text prompts into precise animations. AI filters can then add extensive customisations to the visuals. The platform makes 3D content creation accessible to anyone. “At Kinetix, we believe character motion is at the heart of storytelling,” the scaleup told TNW. “Whether in games, entertainment, or branded content, movement brings digital characters to life and creates meaningful, engaging narratives.” Kinetix is best known for its embeddable AI emote feature, which lets players create and use custom emotes in-game. It’s a concept that has attracted booming demand. Fortnite alone has over 1,000 emotes. By 2030, the digital human avatar market is forecast to reach over €450bn. 2. Kovalee Kovalee has developed a powerful publishing platform for non-gaming apps. The scaleup wants to give every promising content creator a chance to build the best app in their field — regardless of their resources. Through product enhancement, monetisation boost, user acquisition, and app store optimisation services, Kovalee has fostered numerous success stories. Several have become category leaders in the App Store, from stretching platform Bend to motivational companion PetTalk. The model has fostered a rapid rise for Kovalee, which was founded in 2020. Last year, the company topped Sifted’s list of France’s fastest-growing startups after an eye-catching 626% two-year revenue growth. VC firm Iris, which led an €8mn Series A investment in the company in 2023, said Kovalee has “the potential to become the leading non-gaming publishing platform.” 3. Swan One of Europe’s premier fintechs, Swan provides a straightforward route to embedding banking features. Via simple APIs, companies can quickly integrate services including accounts, cards, and payments into their own products. Swan was founded in 2019 by three fintech veterans and seasoned entrepreneurs. The trio had first-hand experience with the frustrations of embedded finance, from the interminable meetings and piles of paperwork to the clunky APIs. They launched Swan to offer an alternative.  Nicolas Benady, the company’s CEO and co-founder, has an ambitious goal for the business: “Swan is on a mission to build the leading tech-driven bank in Europe.” Investors have been impressed by the plans. In January, Swan announced it had raised €42mn, bringing the scaleup’s total funding to an estimated €100mn.  4. Qovoltis Qovoltis has created an innovative all-in-one EV charging solution. It comprises a smart charging station that adjusts power in real time, a mobile app for remote management, and a novel energy optimisation system. Last year, Qovoltis expanded its product line with the launch of the Qobox mini, an ultra-compact smart charger. The model is the first charging station to earn an “Origine France Garantie” certificate — a guarantee of French production and quality. It also won the Made in France Innovation Grand Prix 2024. The milestone year culminated in a €45mn Series A funding round. Qovoltis president Ehsan Emani — who founded the company in 2019 — described the cash injection as a “decisive step” for the business. “It will enable us to expand our commercial offerings and solidify our role in the transition to sustainable electric mobility,” he said. 5. Dalma Dalma has pioneered a new approach to pet insurance. The company’s insurance reimburses all veterinary expenses within 48 hours — with no excess or hidden fees. Founded in 2021, Dalma has rapidly expanded — and still has enormous growth potential. Nearly half of European households have a pet, on which they collectively spend an estimated €24.6bn annually, opening up a lucrative market for insurers.  Investors have identified Dalma as one of the industry’s front runners. Last month, the company raised €20mn, taking its total funding to over €50mn, according to Bounce Watch data. “Our ambition for Dalma is to build the pet insurance leader in Europe — one that not only provides financial protection but also fundamentally improves pet healthcare,” Dalma told TNW. What’s next for the French scaleups? The fabulous French five will compete for the TECH5 title with contenders from six other regions. At TNW Conference in June, the grand champion will be crowned Europe’s hottest scaleup.  The challengers from France, Benelux, the Nordics, and DACH have now all been chosen. Next week, we reveal the finalists from another region in the tournament: Southern Europe. TECH5 is part of a packed programme for TNW Conference, which takes place on June 19-20 in Amsterdam. Tickets for the event are now on sale. Use the code TNWXMEDIA2025 at the check-out to get 30% off the price tag. Story by Thomas Macaulay Managing editor Thomas is the managing editor of TNW. He leads our coverage of European tech and oversees our talented team of writers. Away from work, he e (show all) Thomas is the managing editor of TNW. He leads our coverage of European tech and oversees our talented team of writers. Away from work, he enjoys playing chess (badly) and the guitar (even worse). Get the TNW newsletter Get the most important tech news in your inbox each week. Also tagged with

Detecting scam emails is getting increasingly difficult as attackers use more and more sophisticated methods. A new report highlights a method which makes fake security alerts from Google and PayPal look extremely convincing. It reinforces the need to apply a simple but effective safeguard anytime you receive what seems to be an important email requiring your immediate attention … How do phishing attacks work? A phishing attack is when someone sends you a fake email claiming to be from a company or organization, and including a link asking you to login to take some action. Very often the email will create a sense of urgency, for example claiming that your account has been compromised. The link will take you to a webpage intended to look like the real thing, but which is used to collect your login credentials. There are a number of steps companies like Apple and Google take to try to detect and block phishing attacks, as well as clues you can look for to identify many fakes. However, Bleeping Computer reports on a clever method being used to impersonate Google and PayPal. A highly convincing attack method A highly experienced developer and security professional received one of them, and did some digging. Nick Johnson, the lead developer of the Ethereum Name Service (ENS), received a security alert that seemed to be from Google, informing him of a subpoena from a law enforcement authority asking for his Google Account content. Almost everything looked legitimate and Google even placed it with other legitimate security alerts [and] the message was signed and delivered by Google. What the attacker had done was create the fake login page on sites․google․com, a web hosting service anyone can use. They also used a trick to get Google to send them a real email, then forwarded it with the scam content. This meant it appeared to have passed the standard security checks intended to identify this type of scam. The fraudulent message appeared to come from “no-reply@google.com” and passed the DomainKeys Identified Mail (DKIM) authentication method but the real sender was different […] “Since Google generated the [original] email, it’s signed with a valid DKIM key and passes all the checks,” Johnson says, adding that the last step was to forward the security alert to victims. The weakness in Google’s systems is that DKIM checks only the message and the headers, without the envelope. Thus, the fake email passes signature validation and appears legitimate in the recipient’s inbox. Furthermore, by naming the fraudulent address me@, Gmail will show the message as if it was delivered to the victim’s email address. The login page is also an exact copy of the real thing. Google says it is working on a fix to prevent this method being used in future, but it remains possible for now. A similar method has been used with PayPal, in which a gift feature was used to have the phishing email appear to originate from a genuine PayPal address. How to protect yourself The most important step you can take is to never click on links received in email, even if it appears genuine. Instead, use your own bookmarks or type a known genuine URL. Be especially wary of emails which imply urgency. Common examples include: Claiming that your account has been compromised Sending you an invoice for a fake transaction, and a link to cancel it Claiming you owe money for tax, road tolls, etc, and need to pay immediately In the Google case, it claims law enforcement has served them with a subpoena requiring access to your account content, and inviting you to object. Highlighted accessories Image: 9to5Mac collage of screengrab from Nick Johnson on background by Mathias Reding on Unsplash Add 9to5Mac to your Google News feed.  FTC: We use income earning auto affiliate links. More.You’re reading 9to5Mac — experts who break news about Apple and its surrounding ecosystem, day after day. Be sure to check out our homepage for all the latest news, and follow 9to5Mac on Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn to stay in the loop. Don’t know where to start? Check out our exclusive stories, reviews, how-tos, and subscribe to our YouTube channel

Apr 21, 2025The Hacker NewsEndpoint Security / Zero Trust The problem is simple: all breaches start with initial access, and initial access comes down to two primary attack vectors – credentials and devices. This is not news; every report you can find on the threat landscape depicts the same picture. The solution is more complex. For this article, we'll focus on the device threat vector. The risk they pose is significant, which is why device management tools like Mobile Device Management (MDM) and Endpoint Detection and Response (EDR) are essential components of an organization's security infrastructure. However, relying solely on these tools to manage device risk actually creates a false sense of security. Instead of the blunt tools of device management, organizations are looking for solutions that deliver device trust. Device trust provides a comprehensive, risk-based approach to device security enforcement, closing the large gaps left behind by traditional device management solutions. Here are 5 of those limitations and how to overcome them with device trust. 1. Zero visibility into unmanaged devices MDM and EDR solutions are effective for managing and securing devices that are enrolled and within the organization's control. However, they cannot provide visibility and control over unmanaged devices, such as personal laptops or phones, contractor devices, and devices used by business partners. Unfortunately, these devices are still accessing your corporate resources, and they are a major threat precisely because they are not company-managed. They may not adhere to the organization's security policies (no disk encryption, no local biometric, hasn't been updated in three years, etc), and you are none the wiser because you have no security footprint there, making them perfect entry points for attackers. How device trust solves this problem: Device trust provides coverage over all devices that are authenticating, including unmanaged, BYOD, and personal devices. The ideal way to achieve this is via a privacy-preserving, lightweight authenticator that has no remote wipe capabilities nor administrative privileges over the device. However, it should be able to capture device risk telemetry and support rapid remediation to provide risk visibility and security compliance enforcement for all devices in your fleet. 2. Incomplete coverage across operating systems While many MDM and EDR tools offer support for popular operating systems like Windows and macOS, their coverage for Linux and ChromeOS devices is often limited in their capabilities or completely non-existent. This gap leaves organizations vulnerable, especially those that rely on diverse operating systems for their operations, such as software engineers and system administrators. How device trust solves this problem: Device trust delivers broad-based coverage across all commonly used operating systems, including Linux and ChromeOS. This provides administrators the ability to evaluate device risk in real-time on any device, regardless of operating system, and block access from devices that fail to meet the security threshold. 3. Lack of integration with access policy MDM and EDR tools typically operate independently of access management systems, leading to a disconnect between device security posture and access controls. That is, even if your MDM or EDR flags a suspicious activity, event, or behavior from an endpoint, the signal is not available to your access management solution to make real-time decisions about the user's access to resources. Without a tightly coupled integration, organizations have no ability to enforce access policies based on real-time device risk assessments collected from device management tools. How device trust solves this problem: Device trust puts adaptive risk policy into practice by incorporating as many signals as available as part of access decisions. If a device is non-compliant, it can be prevented from accessing company data in the first place. And if a device falls out of compliance, its access should be able to be revoked instantly. As a bonus, device trust enforced via access policy does not disrupt end-user productivity by forcing automatic updates. Instead, the device risk is contained because it cannot gain access while the user or their admin takes the steps needed for remediation. 4. Risk of device management tool misconfigurations Configuration drifts happen. But misconfigurations in MDM and EDR solutions can create security blind spots, allowing threats to go undetected. These misconfigurations may result from human error, lack of expertise, or complex system requirements, and they often remain unnoticed until a security incident occurs. For instance, CrowdStrike requires full disk access to be able to properly execute its detection and response functionality. Being able to evaluate not just the presence of the tool but its correct configuration is crucial to enforcing defense in depth. How device trust solves this problem: With a tightly coupled integration with device management solutions, device trust can ensure that not only is the tool present on the device, but all configurations are in place as intended. This provides an additional layer of security to defend against configuration drifts of security tooling. 5. Limited ability to detect advanced threats MDM and EDR tools are designed to detect known threats. MDMs, in particular, offer coarse risk telemetry, with some variation across vendors. However, they give organizations no ability to identify or do anything about security risks such as: Identifying specific processes or sensitive files on a device Existence of unencrypted SSH keys Third-party MacOS extensions Evaluate the existence of applications with known CVEs How device trust solves this problem: Device trust delivers fine-grained device posture evaluation. In combination with a tightly coupled integration with access management, it allows organizations to enforce device security compliance beyond the scope of what device management tools allow. Conclusion In conclusion, while device management tools are important, they are not sufficient for ensuring device security. Organizations must adopt a device trust approach that provides comprehensive visibility, cross-platform support, integration with access management, vigilant configuration management, and advanced threat detection capabilities.​ Beyond Identity is an access management platform that delivers robust device trust capabilities. To see the platform in action, contact us today for a demo. Found this article interesting? This article is a contributed piece from one of our valued partners. Follow us on Twitter  and LinkedIn to read more exclusive content we post. SHARE    

Jeff Reihl, CTO for the legal and professional side of LexisNexis, discusses how the introduction of AI changed their project plans.

In satellite images, the 20-odd coral atolls of the Maldives look something like skeletal remains or chalk lines at a crime scene. But these landforms, which circle the peaks of a mountain range that has vanished under the Indian Ocean, are far from inert. They’re the products of living processes—places where coral has grown toward the surface over hundreds of thousands of years. Shifting ocean currents have gradually pushed sand—made from broken-up bits of this same coral—into more than 1,000 other islands that poke above the surface.  But these currents can also be remarkably transient, constructing new sandbanks or washing them away in a matter of weeks. In the coming decades, the daily lives of the half-million people who live on this archipelago—the world’s lowest-lying nation—will depend on finding ways to keep a solid foothold amid these shifting sands. More than 90% of the islands have experienced severe erosion, and climate change could make much of the country uninhabitable by the middle of the century. Off one atoll, just south of the Maldives’ capital, Malé, researchers are testing one way to capture sand in strategic locations—to grow islands, rebuild beaches, and protect coastal communities from sea-level rise. Swim 10 minutes out into the En’boodhoofinolhu Lagoon and you’ll find the Ramp Ring, an unusual structure made up of six tough-skinned geotextile bladders. These submerged bags, part of a recent effort called the Growing Islands project, form a pair of parentheses separated by 90 meters (around 300 feet). The bags, each about two meters tall, were deployed in December 2024, and by February, underwater images showed that sand had climbed about a meter and a half up the surface of each one, demonstrating how passive structures can quickly replenish beaches and, in time, build a solid foundation for new land. “There’s just a ton of sand in there. It’s really looking good,” says Skylar Tibbits, an architect and founder of the MIT Self-Assembly Lab, which is developing the project in partnership with the Malé-based climate tech company Invena. The Self-Assembly Lab designs material technologies that can be programmed to transform or “self-assemble” in the air or underwater, exploiting natural forces like gravity, wind, waves, and sunlight. Its creations include sheets of wood fiber that form into three-dimensional structures when splashed with water, which the researchers hope could be used for tool-free flat-pack furniture.  Growing Islands is their largest-scale undertaking yet. Since 2017, the project has deployed 10 experiments in the Maldives, testing different materials, locations, and strategies, including inflatable structures and mesh nets. The Ramp Ring is many times larger than previous deployments and aims to overcome their biggest limitation.  In the Maldives, the direction of the currents changes with the seasons. Past experiments have been able to capture only one seasonal flow, meaning they lie dormant for months of the year. By contrast, the Ramp Ring is “omnidirectional,” capturing sand year-round. “It’s basically a big ring, a big loop, and no matter which monsoon season and which wave direction, it accumulates sand in the same area,” Tibbits says. The approach points to a more sustainable way to protect the archipelago, whose growing population is supported by an economy that caters to 2 million annual tourists drawn by its white beaches and teeming coral reefs. Most of the country’s 187 inhabited islands have already had some form of human intervention to reclaim land or defend against erosion, such as concrete blocks, jetties, and breakwaters. Since the 1990s, dredging has become by far the most significant strategy. Boats equipped with high-power pumping systems vacuum up sand from one part of the seabed and spray it into a pile somewhere else. This temporary process allows resort developers and densely populated islands like Malé to quickly replenish beaches and build limitlessly customizable islands. But it also leaves behind dead zones where sand has been extracted—and plumes of sediment that cloud the water with a sort of choking marine smog. Last year, the government placed a temporary ban on dredging to prevent damage to reef ecosystems, which were already struggling amid spiking ocean temperatures. Holly East, a geographer at the University of Northumbria, says Growing Islands’ structures offer an exciting alternative to dredging. But East, who is not involved in the project, warns that they must be sited carefully to avoid interrupting sand flows that already build up islands’ coastlines.  To do this, Tibbits and Invena cofounder Sarah Dole are conducting long-term satellite analysis of the En’boodhoofinolhu Lagoon to understand how sediment flows move around atolls. On the basis of this work, the team is currently spinning out a predictive coastal intelligence platform called Littoral. The aim is for it to be “a global health monitoring system for sediment transport,” Dole says. It’s meant not only to show where beaches are losing sand but to “tell us where erosion is going to happen,” allowing government agencies and developers to know where new structures like Ramp Rings can best be placed. Growing Islands has been supported by the National Geographic Society, MIT, the Sri Lankan engineering group Sanken, and tourist resort developers. In 2023, it got a big bump from the US Agency for International Development: a $250,000 grant that funded the construction of the Ramp Ring deployment and would have provided opportunities to scale up the approach. But the termination of nearly all USAID contracts following the inauguration of President Trump means the project is looking for new partners. Matthew Ponsford is a freelance reporter based in London.

Submitted by WA Contents Also Architects creates art museum made of umbrella-like bamboo structures and undulating fabric China Architecture News - Apr 21, 2025 - 11:07   html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/REC-html40/loose.dtd" Also Architects has created an art museum made of umbrella-like bamboo structures and white undulating fabric at the R-Day Music Festival in Chengmai, Hainan, China.Named Urban Nomad Art Museum, the modular structures, spanning 350 square meters, create a temporary yet dynamic cultural exchange hub for the Urban Nomad Art Museum along the coastal shores of Chengmai, Hainan. The main design challenge was to ensure fast assembly, simple disassembly, and adaptable reconfiguration for sustainable reuse while also seamlessly fitting in with the museum's philosophy of "borderless curation." The project aims to go beyond its transient nature by using a creative modular strategy that fosters profound cultural resonance within its constrained timeline and provides flexible opportunities for future uses in a variety of situations.Resonance in SyncAs sound waves move through a medium as mechanical vibrations, various frequencies combine to create intricate aural experiences. Resonance, which is not limited to the physical world but also manifests in human emotions and social interactions, is the result of items sharing a common inherent frequency. This phenomenon promotes a feeling of comprehension and connection. Also Architects has created a number of modular art works based on the idea of "sound waves," taking inspiration from this phenomenon. Invisible vibration frequencies are converted into a concrete, open spatial field by the design, which mimics the shape and path of sound diffusion and propagation.The umbrella-like structures represent the resonance of sound and the connections made via shared emotions as they rise and converge in space like musical notes. These installations encourage people to come together, discover the power of vibration, and open up countless opportunities for communication and connection in a public setting.  While the undulating cloth at the top represents changes in vibration frequency, the umbrella-like structures' hexagonal contours replicate the concentric waveforms of sound dispersal. The three main configurations of the modular units—linear arrays, circular enclosures, and flexibly scattered layouts—allow them to be tailored to various functional requirements. These installations were put together to create a marketplace and a forum area during the R-Day Music Festival, specifically designed to fit the lively vibe of the event.Cyclical Construction Bamboo was selected as the main material for the Urban Nomad Art Museum due to its adaptable Eastern beauty as well as its innate ecological philosophy, which reflects the designers' consideration of a temporary structure's entire lifecycle. The symbiotic relationship between natural materials and industrial logic is embodied in the structural design: In order to achieve a balance between firmness and flexibility, the bamboo ribs are curved using heat-bending processes, while a central steel ring acts as a fixed structural anchor in the core. Bamboo's inherent pliability enables flowing, smooth arcs, and precisely designed modular connections precisely link it to metal components. The tightly stretched cloth canopy is more than just a cover; pre-applied tensile stresses through steel tubing give it a funnel-like shape that gives it a suspended appearance. Intentional holes in the fabric let sunshine and sea air through while reducing wind pressure disruptions. A temporary pavilion that is both sculptural and breathable is the product of the dynamic balance achieved by the interaction of steel, bamboo, and fabric. In addition to ensuring effective modular assembly, lightweight metal connectors enable possible reconfiguration in various locations. After the music festival is over, the constructions will be broken down into separate parts. The bamboo parts will be turned into urban furniture, and the cloth will be recycled into creative and cultural goods.By converting art into a recyclable cultural medium, this "reversible construction" idea frees it from the curse of single-use consumption. This strategy is in line with the ecological knowledge of nomadic societies, where giving and taking are balanced.Contextual Adaptation The design of these installations translates nomadic culture into tangible spatial strategies: The arrangement adjusts to different functional requirements by changing array densities, rotating angles, and module counts. A semi-sheltered passage is created in the market area by a continuous canopy of modular units. The acoustic environment in the performance area is improved by the reflective surfaces created by the staggered modules. Sea breezes can easily flow through the loosely laid-out relaxing area. Together, the market, lounge, gathering, and exhibition spaces create a comprehensive creative and lifestyle experience that is both connected and unique. This adaptable strategy guarantees flexibility for a range of roles in future contexts in addition to accommodating on-site modifications in real time. The geometric order of the hexagonal module itself conveys inclusion and fluidity, embodying the spatial aesthetics of migratory civilizations. One of nature's most effective geometries, the hexagonal form is seen in turtle shells and honeycombs. It represents both the natural ability to disassemble and reassemble as well as logical order. These modular installations reimagine how art travels and flourishes across geographies, much how nomadic tribes shift with the seasons and easily reassemble their tents into houses on new pastures.These disassembled bamboo modules, which hold the memory of sea breezes, will be put back together to create new cultural landscapes in various towns after the festival's energy wanes. Modularity is the architecture that enables art to continuously change; it is not a sterile industrial phrase. It doesn't aim for permanence, but every time it moves, it has meaningful conversations with new people and locations.  Finding lighter, more flexible methods for art to exist is at the heart of the Urban Nomad Art Museum's work. This approach to sustainable building might be the key to reintegrating public art into daily life.Project factsProject name: Urban Nomad Art MuseumCuratorial institution: R-Day Music Festival & Urban Nomad Art MuseumCurator: Ottavio ZhangProject location: HaikouProject area: 350m2Event time: January 2025Design Team: Valo Xiao, Ziming Ye, Jane Zhang, April LoLighting design: WOY LightingConstruction unit: Innovbamboo Architectural Technology Co., Ltd.Main materials: Bamboo, MetalAll images © INSPACE.Drawing © Also Architects.> via Also Architects

Apple and Samsung are each offering lower-cost phones with flagship-level features, here's how to compare which one could be better for you.

April 21, 20254 min readOzempic Shots Have Taken Off. Why Haven’t GLP-1 Pills?Some experts say oral versions of popular weight-loss drugs such as Wegovy could offer people more flexibility and accessibility. What’s keeping the pills from taking off?By Hannah Seo edited by Lauren J. Young Anastasiia Zabolotna/Getty ImagesPopular weight-loss and type 2 diabetes drugs such as Wegovy and Ozempic are typically taken as self-administered injections—a bearable albeit unpleasant jab to the abdomen or thigh. But drug manufacturers and researchers recognize the perks of pills.An oral version of these drugs—which are known as glucagon-like peptide 1 (GLP-1) receptor agonists—could be more accessible and would come without the inconvenience, pain or medical waste of shots. But an assortment of scientific and logistical obstacles is preventing GLP-1 pills from taking off in the same way that the injectable forms of these drugs have. Pfizer recently announced it decided to discontinue clinical trials of its oral GLP-1 medication for weight loss, called danuglipron, after a study participant experienced a liver injury that was potentially linked to the experimental drug. A pill version of semaglutide—the generic name for Novo Nordisk’s diabetes drug Ozempic and its weight-loss version Wegovy—was approved by the Food and Drug Administration as a type 2 diabetes treatment in 2019, but it has largely flown under the radar.What do we know about these oral GLP-1 drugs, and what’s holding them back?On supporting science journalismIf you're enjoying this article, consider supporting our award-winning journalism by subscribing. By purchasing a subscription you are helping to ensure the future of impactful stories about the discoveries and ideas shaping our world today.Unlike the array of new injectable GLP-1 drugs, there is only one oral GLP-1 medicine that is currently on the market: Novo Nordisk’s Rybelsus. This semaglutide pill mimics the gut hormone GLP-1 in the same way the injections do, and it must be taken daily compared with Ozempic’s once-weekly injections. Rybelsus is approved for type 2 diabetes but not for weight loss, which is likely part of the reason it has garnered less attention, says Reshmi Srinath, an endocrinologist and director of the weight and metabolism program at Mount Sinai Health System. Rybelsus is typically prescribed to people with type 2 diabetes who have persistently high blood sugar but “are sort of opposed to using injections,” she says.Although there are currently no FDA-approved oral GLP-1 medications for weight loss, early data from clinical trials hint that a pill form could be as effective as its injectable counterparts. In one 2023 study funded by Novo Nordisk, scientists found that participants without type 2 diabetes who took oral semaglutide every day for 68 weeks lost an average of 15 percent of their body weight. Participants who took a placebo lost an average of 2.4 percent. In a 2021 study, adults who were considered to be overweight or to be living with obesity (who also did not have diabetes) were treated with once-weekly semaglutide or placebo injections. It showed similar results: participants who took the drug lost an average of 15 percent of body weight lost, whereas those who took the placebo lost an average of just 2.4 percent. “The safety and efficacy of oral semaglutide has not been compared to injectable semaglutide in a head-to-head clinical trial,” a Novo Nordisk spokesperson told Scientific American.Other health benefits from injectable GLP-1 medications might also carry over to pills. A recent study that was published in the New England Journal of Medicine (and also funded by Novo Nordisk) evaluated about 10,000 participants who had type 2 diabetes and also atherosclerosis or chronic kidney disease, or both. Taking oral semaglutide was associated with a significantly lower risk of heart attack and stroke among participants compared with taking a placebo. The recent NEJM findings suggest GLP-1 pills can provide health improvements that are “directly in line with what we’ve seen in the other injectable GLP-1 receptor agonists,” says Matthew Cavender, a study co-author and a cardiologist at the University of North Carolina School of Medicine.Injectable GLP-1 drugs are shot into subcutaneous fat and released slowly into the bloodstream, whereas pills are ingested and must avoid being broken down in the gastrointestinal tract. This challenge is why some scientists question whether oral GLP-1 drugs can be as potent as injectables, Cavender says. Rybelsus, however, is formulated with a special molecule that helps it to quickly pass through the stomach lining. Some of the medication will break down, he adds, but enough will make it across to result in health improvements. For full effectiveness, drug manufacturers recommend that people take the pill on an empty stomach and refrain from eating for 30 minutes after they take it.Like their injectable versions, GLP-1 pills can cause gastrointestinal issues. In the 2023 study, 80 percent of participants who took oral semaglutide for weight loss experienced gastrointestinal problems compared with 46 percent of those who took a placebo. The 2021 study found that 74 percent of injectable semaglutide users experienced gastrointestinal side effects versus 48 percent of those on placebo.Eli Lilly, the manufacturer of the injectable weight-loss medication Zepbound, has its own oral GLP-1 drug in the pipeline, orforglipron, which is being investigated as a treatment for both type 2 diabetes and obesity. Like Rybelsus, orforglipron would be a daily pill—but it wouldn’t have meal-timing restrictions. Early data show that people lose between 10 and 15 percent of their body weight after 36 weeks on the drug. Another recently completed phase 3 clinical trial of people with type 2 diabetes showed the oral medication was also effective at lowering blood glucose levels. Eli Lilly plans to begin orforglipron’s review process for regulatory approval for weight loss in 2025 and for type 2 diabetes in 2026.In a response to questions about Pfizer ending the trial of its oral drug, a company spokesperson pointed Scientific American to the press release that announced that decision and said Pfizer is working on other early-stage oral drug candidates for weight loss, including one that works on a similar hormone to GLP-1 that is currently in phase 2 clinical trials.More forms of GLP-1 medication are a good thing overall, Srinath says, because they give more options to people seeking treatment. And pills are generally cheaper for pharmaceutical manufacturers to produce than injectable medications, which could potentially translate to lower costs for consumers.But the introduction of new oral drugs raises a lot of new questions as well, Cavender says. Do different pills require different dosing strategies? How does that change in people who may have multiple health concerns? “We’ve got to figure out what’s the right way of [providing GLP-1 pills] in all these different circumstances,” he says.

You can trust VideoGamer. Our team of gaming experts spend hours testing and reviewing the latest games, to ensure you're reading the most comprehensive guide possible. Rest assured, all imagery and advice is unique and original. Check out how we test and review games here Infamous Helldivers 2 leaker and trusty dataminer IronS1ghts has revealed new multi-faction missions are being tested at Arrowhead Game Studios. Alongside upcoming features like weapon customisation and the approaching Illuminate Invasion ofthe Super Earth, we may finally get to fight bugs, bots and squids at the same time. Since the release of Helldivers 2, fans have been wanting to engage in multi-faction battles against bugs and bots. (We’ve also been clamouring for this exact same feature.) In a recent post by the infamous HD2 leaker, IronS1ghts claims that Arrowhead is actually testing this idea internally, but that doesn’t mean the feature will actually release. Helldivers 2 multi-faction missions in the works In a recent thread of upcoming features being tested for Helldivers 2, the leaker explained that “multi sub-faction missions” are in the works as well as new campaign types. The leaker didn’t explain how far through testing the feature is, or even how extensive it could be, but it’s an exciting addition that could come in a future update. The leaker explained that the testing period for a feature prior to release always varies depending on the feature. “It seems to be pretty inconsistent,” the leaker explained. “But there has been a massive uptick in activity recently, so that may point at something.” Alongside the new multi-faction missions, Arrowhead is currently testing major scenarios including the Illuminate Invasion of Super Earth and the Illuminate Invasion of the Altus Sector as well as a “new planet” to fight on and new “planet regions”. All-in-all, Arrowhead is going hard on expanding Helldivers 2 with a lot of additional content. With the studio planning to expand the game so much it becomes its own sequel, the HD2 we have now will be completely different by the game’s end. For more coverage of Arrowhead’s brilliant multiplayer shooter, read about the studio is planning to improve its release management cycle for faster updates. Additionally, read about how the studio is also finally planning to address the game’s rocky performance in a future patch. Helldivers 2 Platform(s): PC, PlayStation 5 Genre(s): Action, Shooter, Third Person 8 VideoGamer Subscribe to our newsletters! By subscribing, you agree to our Privacy Policy and may receive occasional deal communications; you can unsubscribe anytime. Share

The mandate: incorporate a young couple’s love of Ancient Rome, James Turrell skyspaces, and stormy beach days into a tip-to-tail renovation of an 1840s Greek Revival brownstone. Fortunately for these clients, a pair of tech executives with a now toddler daughter, the ensemble team they enlisted for the three-year undertaking arrived with a shared understanding of their dream and a surfeit of creative ideas to achieve it.“Building our home and building our family are forever entwined for us,” the wife explains, underscoring their deep personal investment in the project. Local architecture firm the Brooklyn Studio and its partner Brendan Coburn, who grew up down the block from the property and now lives around the corner, had masterminded several similar projects in the neighborhood. “There’s definitely a Brooklyn town house look nowadays, and one thing we loved was how each of the Brooklyn Studio’s previous works felt distinct,” the husband comments of their choice in architect. “They clearly tailor to each family rather than rehashing a particular aesthetic.” Meanwhile, AD PRO Directory interior designer Augusta Hoffman, whose work the homeowners had admired for some time, added a clear-eyed approach to functional interiors and a knack for serene, evocative spaces.The rear stair, crafted from stained mahogany to echo the home’s central Queen Anne–style staircase, is another point of great interest in the residence. Using a 3D printer to create multiple versions—“the way your hand felt as you were going down was really an important part of that experience,” notes Coburn—project manager Balute happily obsessed over the sculptural element. “Brendan’s the guy with the big ideas, and then I try to make it sexy,” she says. The Venetian-plaster walls and limestone floors amplify the hushed James Turrell–inspired experience in the space, which is topped with a glass skylight. The stools are by Green River Project. Case in point was the stairwell in a two-story extension on the back of this 4,800-square-foot edifice; it offered the perfect opportunity to accomplish part of the bespoke brief. “The stair is just a lovely piece of sculpture; it’s what architects fantasize about doing all the time,” says Coburn of the mahogany piece, whose domed skylight nods to both Rome’s Pantheon and Turrell’s skyspaces. “We felt that location is a moment where we can marry those two interests,” adds The Brooklyn Studio project manager Jenna Balute, who worked hand-in-glove with the contractor from Chilmark Builders, Inc. (It also complements the home’s more traditional mahogany Queen Anne–style staircase running through its core.) “As you move toward the back, it becomes a more minimal, ethereal language and experience,” she notes of the gradual dissolution of crown moldings, baseboards, and intricate trim toward the garden, where a large Juneberry tree and other lush plantings put on a show for much of the year.To maximize natural sunlight and views through the garden-facing windows, the Brooklyn Studio team encouraged the homeowners to bring their kitchen up one flight of stairs from the garden level to the parlor floor. Though the clients are not avid cooks, they still spend much of their time in the space, which includes Pierre Augustin Rose stools covered in a Pierre Frey fabric, ceiling fixtures from Apparatus Studio, and white-oak-herringbone floors. The contractor on the project was Chilmark Builders, Inc. On the garden level, a more formal dining and bar area, termed “the loggia,” offers direct access to the rear landscaped greenspace and grill area. A ceiling light designed by Hoffman illuminates a vintage marble dining table surrounded by circa-1960s Joe Colombo for Pozzi chairs. “It’s amazing to be able to host a summer dinner party and open all the doors to the backyard,” observes Hoffman. “Overall it was a very intentional, minimal, almost modern Parisian approach,” concurs Hoffman of the clients’ early vision for the public and private spaces covering five stories (including a new windowed penthouse reading room). “It was important to us that our home balances beauty with practicality,” says the wife, and Hoffman’s “elegant but relaxed work was love at first sight.” Though the designer admits a penchant for using rich colors, she didn’t fumble here delivering a cooler palette of blues and grays that, regardless of season or hour, evokes a stormy day at the beach. Custom furnishings covered in a rash of sumptuous textiles, creamy plaster walls, and visual Easter eggs—as seen in the bathrooms, each of which takes inspiration from a different locale loved by the clients, and in the nursery, with its hand-painted James Mobley murals depicting even more places of personal import—gave it the warmth for which Hoffman’s oeuvre is known. Living room artwork by Robert Mapplethorpe and one-of-a-kind de Gournay wallpaper further enhance the abode’s tailored aura.