PACIFIC PALISADES, CA - JANUARY 07: Residents evacuate their home as a brush fire, pushed by gusting ... [+] Santa Ana winds, burns on January 7, 2025 in Pacific Palisades, Los Angeles, California. A fire in the Pacific Palisades area of Los Angeles has forced some residents to evacuate amid "life-threatening and destructive" winds. (Photo by Qian Weizhong/VCG via Getty Images)VCG via Getty ImagesMultiple wildfires have been exploding across the Los Angeles area, with the Palisades fire consuming 3,000 acres, the Eaton fire more than 10,000 acres, and the Hurst fire. Santa Ana winds up to 80 mph, and a drought with less than 0.1 inches of rain since May are fueling the explosive fires.A smoke advisory is in effect for 17 million people in the South Coast Air Quality Management District. The Environmental Protection Agency declares hazardous conditions in downtown Los Angeles, Glendale, Pasadena, Alhambra, Monterey Park, and East L.A. Fortunately the immediate threat will not expand across the country as the Santa Ana winds carry the ash and smoke westwards, out to sea. In contrast, last years fires in Canada led to hazardous air pollution spreading to New York City.Health Effects Of Wildfire SmokeMost immediate health dangers from the fires are due to fine PM2.5 particulates in the air. In contrast to larger particles, the PM2.5 (2.5 microns in diameter, just a fraction of a human hair) particles are so fine that they can be inhaled deep into the lungs.Even at a baseline, the American Lung Association warned last year that 131 million people were living with unhealthy air.Such PM2.5 pollution is linked to asthma attacks, bronchitis, heart attacks, and premature deaths. Pregnant women may be at particular risk. Dr. Afif El-Hasan, a pediatrician and American Lung Association board member said that the women will likely have more trouble breathing with the irritants because of their smaller lung volumes and are at higher risk for premature deliveries.MORE FOR YOUBecause so many homes and vehicles are burning in LA, this fire will likely have even worse health problems. The burning electronics, paint, plastics and metals will release other toxins and trigger inflammation, triggering more asthma and scarring lungs. This free report from National Academies Press, The Chemistry of Fires at the Wildland-Urban Interface, contains extensive details about these chemicals and their effects.Besides the acute problems, studies from the Marshall Fire in Colorado showed that chemicals stuck to the walls and continued to off-gas for months after smoke and ash blew into homes. Researchers found elevated levels of metals and PAHs polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in the ash. We also found elevated VOCs volatile organic compounds in airborne samples. Some VOCs, such as dioxins, benzene, formaldehyde and PAHs, can be toxic to humans. Benzene is a known carcinogen. Some of the later risks include cancer and dementia.Even two years after the Marshall fire, 33% of the people whose homes were affected still had symptoms they attributed to the fire.Reducing Your Health Risks From SmokeTo remain as safe as possible, we should monitor the air quality through sites like AirNow. Because health risks after fires are ongoing, Everyone should have air filters in their homes, El-Hasan says. In addition to having a HEPA filter, he says it should have a legitimate carbon filter as well to help neutralize and catch some of these other chemicals that can be hurting us. He emphasizes people should change and keep up to date the filters for their central air and central heating.People going outside should wear an N-95 or N-100 mask. Surgical masks are inadequate because they let in too much unfiltered air around the sides. Since preventing infection is not the goal here, El-Hasan is particularly a fan of the vented N-95s, which are easier to breathe in for people working outside.Kids too young to wear masks should be kept inside as much as possible. If your upper airways are irritated, you're functionally immunocompromised a little bit, El-Hasan notes. You're more susceptible to illness. He also urges staying up to date on vaccinations and keeping children away from people who are ill. Finally, he cautions, be sure you are not running out of your medications and inhalers.Los Angeles is one of the cities that has considered implementing a mask ban, along with New York City. Perhaps the current wildfires and hazardous smoke, in addition to the ongoing Covid epidemic, will prompt them to reconsider. The focus in all of this should be on public health and the greater good for the public at large.1 2 3 Boulder Daily CameraOpinion: Colleen E. Reid: Wildfire smoke's health risks can linger in homes that escape burningLungAmerican Lung Association State of the Air 2024KTLAMap shows poor air quality due to Southern California wildfires

Conor McGregor (Photo by Sean M. Haffey/Getty Images)Getty ImagesThe Conor McGregor vs. Logan Paul exhibition boxing match rumored to happen in April in India seems to have taken a major turn.Paul is said to be focusing on WWE, with hints that hell be a full-time performer for the promotion. Now, his Prime sports drink business partner and fellow influencer, KSI, is very down to step in and replace Paul in the boxing match against McGregor.KSI News posted a fight-poster-like image of the YouTuber-turned-rapper-boxer-promoter and McGregor. The original post calls the KSI-McGregor clash a rumor. However, KSI reposted the post with a correction, saying it is not a rumour and that he is very down for the fight.LONDON, ENGLAND - JANUARY 14: KSI celebrates after defeating FaZe Temper during the MF Cruiserweight ... [+] Title fight between KSI and FaZe Temper at OVO Arena Wembley on January 14, 2023 in London, England. (Photo by Julian Finney/Getty Images)Getty ImagesTo add additional legitimacy to the report, McGregor reposted KSIs quoted post.While KSIs profile isnt quite as large as Pauls, he is still a massive star who built his brand initially as a FIFA video game content creator. KSI, whose real name is Olajide Olatunji, has expanded his profile to various areas of entertainment, including boxing, where he heads the Misfits Boxing Promotion.KSI is 1-1 as a professional boxer. He defeated Logan Paul via split decision in his first professional boxing match. His lone loss in an official bout came against Tommy Fury in October 2023 via unanimous decision. Prior to his professional debut against Paul, KSI had fought Logan to a draw in an exhibition in August 2018 and pounded another content creator, Joe Weller, into a TKO loss in an exhibition in early 2018.MORE FOR YOUBetween the official professional boxing matches, KSI has had four exhibition matches. In August 2022, he knocked out Brandon Scott in the second round with a left hook.On the same night, KSI also stopped Luis Alcaraz Pineda in the third round. In January 2023, KSI stopped Thomas Oliveira in the first round. While he has more pure boxing experience than McGregor and is a bit bigger than the Irishman, a potential fight between the two men feels a bit more competitive.Logans size, athleticism, and experience as a boxer seemed like a bad matchup for McGregor in a pure boxing match. KSI seems like a more beatable opponent for McGregor.However, we have no idea what physical and mental shape McGregor will be in if this fight comes to fruition. Its been a while since he looked like someone who was focused on fighting.If he does get this opportunity for a high-paying exhibition boxing match, it will be viewed as a stepping stone for his return to the UFC. However, because of the rumored $250 million payday, it might be more of a guarantee that we never see him in the Octagon again.

Sam Altman, co-founder and C.E.O. of OpenAI, speaks during the New York Times annual DealBook summit in New York City in December. Michael M. Santiago/Getty ImagesBy Tharin PillayJanuary 8, 2025 4:25 PM ESTOpenAI CEO Sam Altman recently published a post on his personal blog reflecting on AI progress and his predictions for how the technology will impact humanitys future. We are now confident we know how to build AGI [artificial general intelligence] as we have traditionally understood it,Altman wrote. He added that OpenAI, the company behind ChatGPT, is beginning to turn its attention to superintelligence.While there is no universally accepted definition for AGI, OpenAI has historically defined it as a highly autonomous system that outperforms humans at most economically valuable work. Although AI systems already outperform humans in narrow domains, such as chess, the key to AGI is generality. Such a system would be able to, for example, manage a complex coding project from start to finish, draw on insights from biology to solve engineering problems, or write a Pulitzer-worthy novel. OpenAI says its mission is to ensure that AGI benefits all of humanity.Altman indicated in his post that advances in the technology could lead to more noticeable adoption of AI in the workplace in the coming year, in the form of AI agentsautonomous systems that can perform specific tasks without human intervention, potentially taking actions for days at a time. In 2025, we may see the first AI agents join the workforce and materially change the output of companies, hewrote.In a recent interview with Bloomberg, Altman said he thinks AGI will probably get developed during [Trumps] term, while noting his belief that AGI has become a very sloppy term. Competitors also think AGI is close: Elon Musk, a co-founder of OpenAI, who runs AI startup xAI, and Dario Amodei, CEO of Anthropic, have both said they think AI systems could outsmart humans by 2026. In the largest survey of AI researchers to date, which included over 2,700 participants, researchers collectively estimated there is a 10% chance that AI systems can outperform humans on most tasks by 2027, assuming science continues progressing without interruption.Others are more skeptical. Gary Marcus, a prominent AI commentator, disagrees with Altman that AGI is basically a solved problem, while Mustafa Suleyman, CEO of Microsoft AI, has said, regarding whether AGI can be achieved on todays hardware,the uncertainty around this is so high, that any categorical declarations just feel sort of ungrounded to me and over the top, citing challenges in robotics as one cause for his skepticism.Microsoft and OpenAI, which have had a partnership since 2019, also have a financial definition of AGI. Microsoft is OpenAIs exclusive cloud provider and largest backer, having invested over $13 billion in the company to date. The companies have an agreement that Microsoft will lose access to OpenAIs models once AGI is achieved. Under this agreement, which has not been publicly disclosed, AGI is reportedly defined as being achieved when an AI system is capable of generating the maximum total profits to which its earliest investors are entitled: a figure that currently sits at $100 billion. Ultimately, however, the declaration of sufficient AGI remains at the reasonable discretion of OpenAIs board, according to a report in The Information.At present, OpenAI is a long way from profitability. The company currently loses billions annually and it has reportedly projected that its annual losses could triple to $14 billion by 2026. It does not expect to turn its first profit until 2029, when it expects its annual revenue could reach $100 billion. Even the companys latest plan, ChatGPT Pro, which costs $200 per month and gives users access to the companys most advanced models, is losing money, Altman wrote in a post on X. Although Altman didnt explicitly say why the company is losing money, running AI models is very cost intensive, requiring investments in data centers and electricity to provide the necessary computing power.Pursuit of superintelligenceOpenAI has said that AGI could help us elevate humanity by increasing abundance, turbocharging the global economy, and aiding in the discovery of new scientific knowledge that changes the limits of possibility. But recent comments from Altman have been somewhat more subdued. My guess is we will hit AGI sooner than most people in the world think and it will matter much less, he said in December. AGI can get built, the world mostly goes on in mostly the same way, things grow faster, but then there is a long continuation from what we call AGI to what we call superintelligence.In his most recent post, Altman wrote, We are beginning to turn our aim beyond [AGI], to superintelligence in the true sense of the word. We love our current products, but we are here for the glorious future.He added that superintelligent tools could massively accelerate scientific discovery and innovation well beyond what we are capable of doing on our own, and in turn massively increase abundance and prosperity. This ability to accelerate scientific discovery is a key distinguishing factor between AGI and superintelligence, at least for Altman, who has previously written that it is possible that we will have superintelligence in a few thousand days.The concept of superintelligence was popularized by philosopher Nick Bostrom, who in 2014 wrote a best-selling bookSuperintelligence: Paths, Dangers, Strategiesthat Altman has called the best thing [hes] seen on the topic. Bostrom defines superintelligence as any intellect that greatly exceeds the cognitive performance of humans in virtually all domains of interestlike AGI, but more. The first AGI will be just a point along a continuum of intelligence, OpenAI said in a 2023 blog post. A misaligned superintelligent AGI could cause grievous harm to the world; an autocratic regime with a decisive superintelligence lead could do that too.These harms are inextricable from the idea of superintelligence, because experts do not currently know how to align these hypothetical systems with human values. Both AGI and superintelligent systems could cause harm, not necessarily due to malicious intent, but simply because humans are unable to adequately specify what they want the system to do. As professor Stuart Russell told TIME in 2024, the concern is that what seem to be reasonable goals, such as fixing climate change, lead to catastrophic consequences, such as eliminating the human race as a way to fix climate change. In his 2015 essay, Altman wrote that development of superhuman machine intelligence is probably the greatest threat to the continued existence of humanity.Read More: New Tests Reveal AI's Capacity for DeceptionOpenAI has previously written that it doesnt know how to reliably steer and control superhuman AI systems. The team created to lead work on steering superintelligent systems for the safety of humans was disbanded last year, after both its co-leads left the company. At the time, one of the co-leads, Jan Leike, wrote on X that over the past years, safety culture and processes have taken a backseat to shiny products. At present, the company has three safety bodies: an internal safety advisory group, a safety and security committee, which is part of the board, and the deployment safety board, which has members from both OpenAI and Microsoft, and approves the deployment of models above a certain capability level. Altman has said they are working to streamline their safety processes.When asked on X whether he thinks the public should be asked if they want superintelligence, Altman replied: yes i really do; i hope we can start a lot more public debate very soon about how to approach this. OpenAI has previously emphasized that the companys mission is to build AGI, not superintelligence, but Altmans recent post suggests that stance might have shifted.Discussing the risks from AI in the recent Bloomberg interview, Altman said he still expects that on cybersecurity and bio stuff, well see serious, or potentially serious, short-term issues that need mitigation, and that long term risks are harder to imagine precisely. I can simultaneously think that these risks are real and also believe that the only way to appropriately address them is to ship product and learn, he said.Learnings from his brief ousterReflecting on recent years, Altman wrote that they have been the most rewarding, fun, best, interesting, exhausting, stressful, andparticularly for the last twounpleasant years of my life so far.Delving further into his brief ouster in November 2023 as CEO by the OpenAI board, and subsequent return to the company, Altman called the event a big failure of governance by well-meaning people, myself included, noting he wished he had done things differently. In his recent interview with Bloomberg he expanded on that, saying he regrets initially saying he would only return to the company if the whole board quit. He also said there was real deception on behalf of the board, who accused him of not being consistently candid in his dealings with them. Helen Toner and Tasha McCauley, members of the board at the time, later wrote that senior leaders in the company had approached them with concerns that Altman had cultivated a toxic culture of lying, and engaged in behaviour that could be called psychological abuse.Current board members Bret Taylor and Larry Summers have rejected the claims made by Toner and McCauley, and pointed to an investigation of the dismissal by law firm WilmerHale on behalf of the company. They wrote in an op-ed that they found Mr Altman highly forthcoming on all relevant issues and consistently collegial with his management team.The review attributed Altmans removal to a breakdown in the relationship and loss of trust between the prior Board and Mr. Altman, rather than concerns regarding product safety or the pace of development. Commenting on the period following his return as CEO, Altman told Bloomberg, It was like another government investigation, another old board member leaking fake news to the press. And all those people that I feel like really f---ed me and f---ed the company were gone, and now I had to clean up their mess. He did not specify what he meant by fake news.Writing about what the experience taught him, Altman said he had learned the importance of a board with diverse viewpoints and broad experience in managing a complex set of challenges. Good governance requires a lot of trust and credibility.Since the end of 2023, many of the companies top researchersincluding its cofounder and then-chief scientist, Ilya Sutskever, its chief technology officer, Mira Murati, and Alec Radford, who was lead author on the seminal paper that introduced GPThave left the company.In December, OpenAI announced plans to restructure as a public benefit corporation, which would remove the company from control by the nonprofit that tried to fire Altman. The nonprofit would receive shares in the new company, though the value is still being negotiated.Acknowledging that some might consider discussion of superintelligence as crazy, Altman wrote, Were pretty confident that in the next few years, everyone will see what we see, and that the need to act with great care, while still maximizing broad benefit and empowerment, is so important, adding: Given the possibilities of our work, OpenAI cannot be a normal company.More Must-Reads from TIMEHow Canada Fell Out of Love With TrudeauTrump Is Treating the Globe Like a Monopoly BoardBad Bunny On Heartbreak and New AlbumSee Photos of Devastating Palisades Fire in California10 Boundaries Therapists Want You to Set in the New YearThe Motivational Trick That Makes You Exercise HarderNicole Kidman Is a Pure Pleasure to Watch in BabygirlColumn: Jimmy Carters Global Legacy Was Moral ClarityContact us at letters@time.com

In brief: Recent comments by Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang triggered several stocks tied to quantum computing companies to tumble in value this week. During a Q/A session with investors at CES on Tuesday, Huang said useful quantum computers are likely around two decades away. Addressing a question from an audience member, Huang said 15 years would probably be on the "early side" and that 30 years would likely be on the late side. "But if you picked 20, I think a whole bunch of us would believe it," he added.Huang's comments hit quantum computing companies swiftly and sharply. As of writing, share value in D-Wave Quantum is down 43.8 percent. Rigetti Computing saw its stock dip more than 39 percent. Shares in IonQ, a quantum computing software and hardware company based out of Maryland, are down more than 40 percent. Quantum Computing Inc., which trades on the NASDAQ under the symbol QUBT, is down over 44 percent as of writing.According to Reuters, the four companies are set to lose more than $5 billion in market value. Thomas Hayes, chairman of Great Hill Capital, told the publication that any dollar chasing quantum computing stocks is not chasing AI stocks."Jensen threw a wet blanket on the quantum story and did everything he could to sell the AI story. It's that simple," Hayes added.Given Nvidia's position as a dominant player in the artificial intelligence industry, it's no surprise that some would draw such conclusions from Huang's comments. But it may not be as clear cut as that.As Huang highlighted just moments before, in the case of quantum computers, you also need classical computers to perform error correction and they better be the fastest computer that humanity can build. "And that happens to be us," he added. // Related StoriesAccording to Huang, just about every quantum computing company in the world is working with Nvidia now. Regardless of whether useful quantum happens sooner or later, it seems Nvidia is in position to take advantage of it either way. In the meantime, it's got AI to tend to.As for Nvidia, its stock is up a little over three percent YTD after gaining nearly 170 percent over the past year and a staggering 2,200 percent over the last five years.

If you need a laptop specifically designed for business use, Lenovo and its ThinkPad range is generally a great thing to consider. Right now you can buy a particularly great Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon for $1,518. As with all the laptop deals that Lenovo offers, its original price (aka Lenovos estimated value price) is a little optimistic to say the least. According to Lenovo, this laptop previously cost $3,229, which is a touch on the high side, as much as the 53% discount sounds very impressive. Fortunately, whatever the true original price, $1,518 is a good deal for a PC with these specs. If youre looking for a reliable work machine, heres what you need to know.Lenovo is one of the best laptop brands around for professionals in particular (and gamers, but thats a different topic). The Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon offers many great features for the price. It has a 13th-generation Intel Core i7-1365U CPU alongside 32GB of RAM and 512GB of SSD storage. Wed like to see more storage, but were glad to see the Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon use DDR5 RAM. It also sports a 14-inch WUXGA screen with 100% sRGB and 400 nits of brightness. It looks great while being highly portable compared to much of the competition.Useful features keep on coming: The Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon has a 1080p full HD IR webcam with a privacy shutter. It also has a fingerprint reader on its backlit keyboard to ensure your laptop is secure. Its those kind of features that make it one of the best business laptops out there. It also has four 360-degree mics with integrated AI-based noise cancellation and Dolby Voice support.RelatedThe Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon is also designed to last. Its one of the best laptops for withstanding harsh conditions, having passed more than 200 quality checks and many military grade levels of protection.Right now the ThinkPad X1 Carbon is down to $1,518 at Lenovo. A great price for a robustly designed business focused laptop, its a great investment for anyone with their own small business or in need of a portable workhorse. Check it out now by tapping the button below if it feels like the right fit for you.Editors Recommendations

If youre looking for great laptop deals, Dell is one of the best retailers for getting a portable system packed with the best hardware for the a low price. One such example of this perfect combo is a deal weve spotted on the Dell XPS 16. Designed with content creation and everything else demanding in mind, the Dell XPS 16 is currently $600 off. It usually costs $3,445, but right now its down to a much more affordable $2,845. Heres a look at what it has to offer. Youre going to be impressed.As a content creator in my spare time, I get the need for good hardware to help you encode videos faster, stream better, and generally have more options at your disposal. The Dell XPS 16 is the laptop Id like to own. In our review, we described it as having strong productivity and creative performance along with offering an attractive, ultramodern aesthetic and a good keyboard and haptic touchpad.This particular model has an Intel Core Ultra 9 185H CPU along with 1TB of SSD storage and 32GB of RAM. You can always add one of the best external hard drives if you need more storage space. It also has an Nvidia GeForce RTX 4070 graphics card, which is ideal for some gaming or video editing. Its teamed up with a 16.3-inch OLED touchscreen, which looks beautiful. It has 3840 x 2400 resolution with anti-smudge qualities and 400 nits of brightness. Its 60Hz refresh rate means its not perfect for gaming, but itll be great for editing images or videos. Theres also Dolby Vision support for vivid color, sharp contrast, and rich details just what you want from one of the best laptops out there.RelatedFor sound, you can enjoy Dolby Atmos and Waves MaxxAudio with its 10W quad-speaker design. Its haptic touchpad and touch-friendly keycaps all add to the experience you would expect from one of the best laptop brands.An ideal laptop for anyone with ambitious plans and a good budget, the Dell XPS 16 usually costs $3,445. Right now you can buy it from Dell for $2,845, so you save $600 off the regular price. A great investment for the long-term, check it out now through the button below. The deal is likely to be strictly limited.Editors Recommendations

Table of ContentsTable of ContentsFilmTelevisionWickedand Shgundominated the 2025 Screen Actors Guild Awards nominations. Wicked, the feature film adaptation of the Tony Award-winning musical, received five nods for cast, stunts, lead actress (Cynthia Erivo), supporting actress (Ariana Grande), and supporting actor (Jonathan Bailey).In the film categories,A Complete Unknown garneredfour nominations, withAnoraand Emilia Prezearning three apiece. The Last Showgirl earning two nominations tops the list of surprises, with Pamela Anderson up for lead actress and co-star Jamie Lee Curtis in supporting. With these SAG nominations, Anderson and Curtis strengthened their Oscar campaigns significantly. Curtis recently won the Oscar for supporting actress in Everything Everywhere All at Onceand is beloved in the film community.Recommended VideosNotable snubs in the film categories includeNicole Kidman forBabygirl, Angelina Jolie forMaria, Margaret Qualley for The Substance,Selena Gomez for Emilia Prez, Denzel Washington for Gladiator II, and Sebastian Stan forA Different Man and The Apprentice.Alex Bailey / NetflixShgun continued its awards season dominance with five nominations: cast, stunt ensemble, drama actress (Anna Sawai), and two for drama actor (Tadanobu Asano and Hiroyuki Sanada). The Bear earned four nominations, while The Diplomat and The Penguin received three.Please enable Javascript to view this contentBridgertons Nicola Coughlan and Under the Bridges Lily Gladstone headline the list of biggest surprises in the television categories. Similar to her snub for Emilia Prez,Gomez also missed out on an acting nomination in television forOnly Murders in the Building.RelatedBelow is the list of nominees for the 2025 SAG Awards, which will be held on February 23, 2025.20th Century StudiosOutstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Leading RoleAdrien Brody The BrutalistTimothe Chalamet A Complete UnknownDaniel Craig QueerColman Domingo Sing SingRalph Fiennes ConclaveOutstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Leading RolePamela Anderson The Last ShowgirlCynthia Erivo WickedKarla Sofa Gascn Emilia PrezMikey Madison AnoraDemi Moore The SubstanceOutstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Supporting RoleJonathan Bailey WickedYura Borisov AnoraKieran Culkin A Real PainEdward Norton A Complete UnknownJeremy Strong The ApprenticeOutstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Supporting RoleMonica Barbaro A Complete UnknownJamie Lee Curtis The Last ShowgirlDanielle Deadwyler The Piano LessonAriana Grande WickedZoe Saldaa Emilia PrezOutstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion PictureA Complete UnknownAnoraConclaveEmilia PrezWickedOutstanding Action Performance by a Stunt Ensemble in a Motion PictureDeadpool & WolverineDune: Part TwoThe Fall GuyGladiator IIWickedFX on HuluOutstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Television Movie or Limited SeriesJavier Bardem Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez StoryColin Farrell The PenguinRichard Gadd Baby ReindeerKevin Kline DisclaimerAndrew Scott RipleyOutstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Television Movie or Limited SeriesKathy Bates The Great Lillian HallCate Blanchett DisclaimerJodie Foster True Detective: Night CountryLily Gladstone Under the BridgeJessica Gunning Baby ReindeerCristin Milioti The PenguinOutstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Drama SeriesTadanobu Asano ShgunJeff Bridges The Old ManGary Oldman Slow HorsesEddie Redmayne The Day of the JackalHiroyuki Sanada ShgunOutstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Drama SeriesKathy Bates MatlockNicola Coughlan BridgertonAllison Janney The DiplomatKeri Russell The DiplomatAnna Sawai ShgunOutstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Comedy SeriesAdam Brody Nobody Wants ThisTed Danson A Man on the InsideHarrison Ford ShrinkingMartin Short Only Murders in the BuildingJeremy Allen White The BearOutstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Comedy SeriesKristen Bell Nobody Wants ThisQuinta Brunson Abbott ElementaryLiza Coln-Zayas The BearAyo Edebiri The BearJean Smart HacksOutstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama SeriesBridgertonThe Day of the JackalThe DiplomatShgunSlow HorsesOutstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy SeriesAbbott ElementaryThe BearHacksOnly Murders in the BuildingShrinkingOutstanding Action Performance by a Stunt Ensemble in a Television SeriesThe BoysFalloutHouse of the DragonThe PenguinShgunEditors Recommendations

Derek Chang, a Liberty board member and former CEO of NBA China, will look at digital expansion.

Plus Anita Desais Rosarita and Rebecca Kauffmans Ill Come To You.

That time of year China is having standard flu season despite widespread HMPV fears Data shows a completely normal respiratory illness season, WHO says. Beth Mole Jan 8, 2025 4:05 pm | 8 Children accompanied by their parents wait to receive treatment at a children's hospital amid a spike in respiratory illnesses on January 7, 2025 in Chongqing, China. Credit: Getty | Li Hongbo Children accompanied by their parents wait to receive treatment at a children's hospital amid a spike in respiratory illnesses on January 7, 2025 in Chongqing, China. Credit: Getty | Li Hongbo Story textSizeSmallStandardLargeWidth *StandardWideLinksStandardOrange* Subscribers only Learn moreThere's a good chance you've seen headlines about HMPV recently, with some touting "what you need to know" about the virus, aka human metapneumovirus. The answer is: not much.It's a common, usually mild respiratory virus that circulates every year, blending into the throng of other seasonal respiratory illnesses that are often indistinguishable from one another. (The pack includes influenza virus, respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), adenovirus, parainfluenza virus, common human coronaviruses, bocavirus, rhinovirus, enteroviruses, and Mycoplasma pneumoniae, among others.) HMPV is in the same family of viruses as RSV.As one viral disease epidemiologist at the US Centers for Disease Control summarized in 2016, it's usually "clinically indistinguishable" from other bog-standard respiratory illnesses, like seasonal flu, that cause cough, fever, and nasal congestion. For most, the infection is crummy but not worth a visit to a doctor. As such, testing for it is limited. But, like other common respiratory infections, it can be dangerous for children under age 5, older adults, and those with compromised immune systems. It was first identified in 2001, but it has likely been circulating since at least 1958.The situation in ChinaThe explosion of interest in HMPV comes after reports of a spike of HMPV infections in China, which allegedly led to hordes of masked patients filling hospitals. But none of that appears to be accurate. While HMPV infections have risen, the increase is not unusual for the respiratory illness season. Further, HMPV is not the leading cause of respiratory illnesses in China right now; the leading cause is seasonal flu. And the surge in seasonal flu is also within the usual levels seen at this time of year in China.Last week, the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention released its sentinel respiratory illness surveillance data collected in the last week of December. It included the test results of respiratory samples taken from outpatients. Of those, 30 percent were positive for flu (the largest share), a jump of about 6 percent from the previous week (the largest jump). Only 6 percent were positive for HMPV, which was about the same detection rate as in the previous week (there was a 0.1 percent increase).Among hospitalized patients, flu accounted for nearly 18 percent of sampled respiratory cases (an increase of 5 percent from the previous week), while HMPV accounted for about 5 percent (an increase of 1 percent).Among outpatients, hospitalized patients, patients in southern provinces, and patients in northern provinces, influenza was the leading cause of respiratory illnesses across the board. HMPV ranked third in all categories except among outpatients in the northern provinces, where it ranked second. Across all age groups0-4, 5-14, 15-59, 60 and upinfluenza was the leading cause of respiratory illnesses.No cause for concernStill, amid drummed-up concerns, health organizations worldwide have felt compelled to address HMPV in China.In a statement released Tuesday, the World Health Organization summed up the situation:Chinas reported levels of acute respiratory infections, including hMPV, are within the expected range for the winter season with no unusual outbreak patterns reported. Chinese authorities confirmed that the health care system is not overwhelmed, hospital utilization is currently lower than this time last year, and there have been no emergency declarations or responses triggered.On Wednesday, health officials in Europe also released a statement about their lack of concern:Based on the current information, the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) considers that the current epidemiological situation in China reflects a seasonal rise in respiratory infections caused by common respiratory pathogens and does not pose any specific concern for the EU/EEA.In the US, the CDC has provided media statements saying it is "monitoring reports" of HMPV and that they are "not currently a cause for concern in the US."In all, while respiratory illness season is nothing to sneeze at, HMPV fears have been overblown.Beth MoleSenior Health ReporterBeth MoleSenior Health Reporter Beth is Ars Technicas Senior Health Reporter. Beth has a Ph.D. in microbiology from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and attended the Science Communication program at the University of California, Santa Cruz. She specializes in covering infectious diseases, public health, and microbes. 8 Comments