TL;DR: The U.S. Space Force has successfully completed the seventh mission of the X-37B, an unmanned spaceplane that spent over 434 days in orbit. While its exact purpose remains classified, speculation continues about whether it serves as a surveillance tool, a rapid-response military asset, or something entirely different. Mission seven launched aboard a SpaceX Falcon Heavy on December 28, 2023, taking off from Launch Complex 39A at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The spaceplane was put into a highly elliptical orbit, where it accomplished a "range of test and experimentation objectives."Late last year, the X-37B conducted a series of aerobraking maneuvers using the drag of Earth's atmosphere. This allowed the craft to change its orbit at a minimal fuel cost. The test additionally allowed the spaceplane to safely dispose of its service module components.At the time, the Space Force said the X-37B had also been conducting radiation effect experiments and was testing space domain awareness tech. The latter was said to be critical to helping the agency conduct operations in the increasingly congested and contested environment of space, which will ultimately benefit all parties involved.OTV-7 touched down at Vandenberg Space Force Base in California in the early hours of March 7, 2025.The X-37B measures roughly 29 feet long, nine-and-a-half feet tall, has a wingspan of nearly 15 feet, and looks like a miniature space shuttle. It is powered by gallium arsenide-based solar cells and lithium-ion batteries, and has demonstrated the ability to remain in orbit for hundreds of days at a time. OTV-6, for example, stayed in orbit for an impressive 908 days. // Related StoriesThe X-37B has captivated onlookers for years as the true nature of the craft's various experiments haven't been made public, and probably never will be. Is it a spy plane, a vehicle that could deliver deadly payloads to any part of the globe within minutes, or something else entirely?Lt. Col. Blaine Stewart, program director for the X-37B project, said its recent achievements have written an exciting new chapter for the spaceplane. "Considered together, they mark a significant milestone in the ongoing development of the US Space Force's dynamic mission capability," Stewart added.No word yet on what the Space Force has in store for OTV-8.

What just happened? NASA has begun reducing its workforce and closing several key offices to comply with an executive order from President Trump. The restructuring is being coordinated with the US Office of Personnel Management and the Office of Management and Budget. Announcing the mass layoffs, NASA stated it is beginning a "phased approach to a reduction in force" to optimize its workforce and comply with Trump's executive order. In an internal email, Acting Administrator Janet Petro did not specify the number of employees affected but noted that "a small number of individuals" had been notified that their jobs would be affected.A NASA spokesperson later confirmed to Business Insider that 23 employees were laid off across three departments: the Office of Technology, Policy, and Strategy; the Office of the Chief Scientist; and the Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Accessibility branch of the Office of Diversity and Equal Opportunity. All three departments are being shut down as part of the compliance process.It is unclear which executive order NASA referenced in its press release, but media reports suggest it likely pertains to an anti-DEI order issued by Trump on January 20, the day he was sworn in for his second term. According to the official White House website, the order instructed the Director of the Office of Management and Budget to eliminate all "illegal" DEI programs across the federal government.A few days later, NASA announced it was complying with the order by closing all DEIA offices and terminating all DEIA-related contracts. The agency also directed employees to report any attempts by colleagues or officials to preserve DEI programs in violation of the order, warning that failure to do so within 10 days could result in "adverse consequences."NASA has faced mounting pressure from the Trump administration to reduce spending and cut its workforce. With Elon Musk leading the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), the administration has laid off thousands of federal employees and slashed billions in funding for medical research, cyber threat intelligence, climate finance, affordable housing, veteran welfare, and other critical programs. // Related Stories

Its a Monday morning as I write this. My day is just beginning and Im getting my to-do list in order. As I check assignments off my list, I stop to remember if there are any games Ive played recently that Ive been meaning to write about. None that I can remember. After all, my weekend was spent watching wrestling and an Oscars-adjacent live stream with friends.No, wait. I played something too, didnt I? My head is hazy (probably from excessive pizza consumption), but a game starts to come back into focus. Something weird. Unsettling. What was it called? Centum. Was it an indigestion-induced fever dream? My Steam account begs to differ, reminding me that I went on a three-hour point and click odyssey over the weekend between social gatherings. Its not that I had forgotten what Id played; its just that it was so otherworldly that it feels like I played it in another life entirely.Recommended VideosI dont know how to describe Centum. I dont know how to recommend it. I dont even know if I should. But if all of this has piqued your curiosity already, consider jumping in blind.Centum - Announcement Trailer | PS5 GamesFor those of you who need a little more to go on, Centum is a very cryptic point and click adventure game out today on PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, PC, and Nintendo Switch. Its premise sounds simple enough at its most fundamental level: You are a prisoner and you must break free. The most simplified (and misleading) explanation I could give is that Centum sticks players into a series of rooms and asks them to click around to solve puzzles and escape. In its first room, I need to find chalk to draw a figure on a wall, figure out how to deal with a rat problem, and wipe down a dirty window with a cloth. That all sounds familiar, enough, right?RelatedWell, not so much. Centums enigmatic story takes place entirely inside of an AI computer program gone awry. Im trapped inside of a desktop, clicking through programs and playing occasional minigames between reading stray text files. If youve ever had the misfortune of using something like Google Gemini, you know that AI isnt the most reliable narrator. Sometimes it spits out garbled pictures and nonsense information. It resembles the reality we know, but its never quite right. The devil is in the details, and AI loves to get them all wrong.Its through that lens that you can begin to crack Centums initially impenetrable shell. In between puzzle solving, I find myself having conversations with a range of creeps and weirdos. They all talk in philosophical riddles. I cant decode them at first and think Im just too dumb to grasp what Centum is trying to tell me. Its the same way I feel when I hear academics debating philosophy, tossing out references that fly over my head. The deeper I get, the more I begin to accept that I may not be the problem. Its the world around me thats incoherent, filled with lies and outright nonsense.Serenity ForgeWho am I in all of that? Thats the puzzle that really draws me in. Im desperate to figure out who the prisoner Im controlling really is. I get flashes of their real life, one seemingly scarred by tragedy. Or at least thats what I think Im seeing. Centum teases me at every turn, even switching up my identity at one point. My memories are hazy, lost inside of a hallucinating machine that has consumed me and spit out some version of myself thats only half identifiable. Theres an uneasy horror in that, and I choose to believe that its what Centum aims to illustrate through its confounding world.Days after finishing it, I dont really know what I think of Centum. Maybe its a little too obtuse for its own good, confusing long and cryptic writing for depth. Maybe. All I know is that its currently holding a spot in my brain that few games occupy. Its tucked away in a distant lobe, the same one thats responsible for producing my most surreal dreams. Its a half-remembered nightmare that Im trying my best to recall the next morning. Itll stay with me, even if its at a distance. That makes it all the more impactful as it feels like a memory slipping out of my fingertips. Its the same way Im starting to feel in my waking hours as the world around me disintegrates into misinformation at the hands of imperfect machines.Centum is out now on PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, PC, and Nintendo Switch.Editors Recommendations

Table of ContentsTable of ContentsA brown phone?Matching wallpaperHow about the phone?If you thought I got a bit too over-excited about a grey phone recently, then get ready, because Im now going to be the same way about a brown phone too. The phone in question is the Motorola Edge 50 Neo, and Ive been sent the Mocha Mousse version to take a closer look at, and without any doubt, its the best looking brown phone Ive ever seen.Andy Boxall / Digital TrendsGrey is just about as middle-of-the-road as you can get when it comes to colors. It goes perfectly with a black or a white phone, in that its never going to offend anyones eyes or turn anyone off. Brown is not that color. Its the color of bears, tree trunks, and, well, you know, that. We smile and laugh at kitsch brown car interiors from the 70s, and consider a brown interior today a brave specification choice, even on a Ferrari where its called things like tan to disguise the fact its brown. Until I set eyes on the Edge 50 Neo, I probably wouldnt have gone for brown anything.Recommended VideosBut Mocha Mousse isnt brown. Well, not completely brown anyway. Its brown like chocolate and perfectly complements the old wooden table top at my local cafe, plus it contrasts beautifully when placed next to an actual mocha coffee too. It doesnt blend in with either, like a bear hiding in the forest, and even goes rather well with my cream hoodie, white Swatch Moonswatch watch, and gold Apple MacBook Air. It turns out a brown phone is way more versatile than I expected.Andy Boxall / Digital TrendsMocha Mousse is not a flat brown either. Get the phone in your hand and youll immediately spot all the black flecks in the finish, which give it a surprisingly earthy look. But again, not in an unpleasant way. Its a carefully considered brown color that I think also only works when its applied to Motorolas vegan leather material. If the Edge 50 Neo was glossy glass, I dont think it would work in the same way at all. It turns out the Mocha Mousse Motorola Edge 50 Neo is the brown leather jacket of the smartphone world: a fashion staple that goes with most things.RelatedAndy Boxall / Digital TrendsThe comparison to leather isnt lost on Motorola, and theres a lovely matching, leather-like wallpaper to go with your Mocha Mousse phone. All phones have a selection of wallpapers included, but the majority are too bland or too garish, and choosing one when taking photos for a review is often a challenge. Motorolas matching wallpaper emphasizes texture, and it looks great. Its an easy choice to show off the phones flat screen.Motorola isnt solely responsible for the color scheme. Its the result of its ongoing partnership with color experts Pantone, and the iconic color swatch panel on the back of the Edge 50 Neo proudly shows off the name of the color, just in case you werent aware it even had a name. In the same way the Grisaille shade on the other Motorola Edge 50 Neo I tried elevated it beyond being just another phone, Mocha Mousse does the same.Andy Boxall / Digital TrendsIts the choice to make if youre considering buying the Motorola Edge 50 Neo. As much as I like the Grisaille, its nowhere near as eye-catching and unusual as Mocha Mousse. Whats more, Motorola has also released a Mocha Mousse version of the Razr Plus 2024, or the Razr 50 Ultra if you arent in the U.S..We took a look at the compact folding phone in Mocha Mousse at the end of last year. There are a few notable differences between the two phones. The Razr doesnt have the Pantone swatch on the back, and the frame is gold rather than a gunmetal grey on the Edge 50 Neo. Heres a controversial statement: I think the Mocha Mousse Edge 50 Neo looks better than the Mocha Mousse Razr Plus. Its just a bit less gaudy, which is a consequence of the gold metal.Andy Boxall / Digital TrendsHandling the Edge 50 Neo again reminds me just how slim and light it is just 8.1mm and 171 grams and how the sensible 71mm width of the phone makes it easy to hold and use with one hand. Ive been using the Xiaomi 15 Ultra and the Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra a lot recently, and the Motorola Edge 50 Neo feels very compact in comparison. It reminds me of the old Asus Zenfone 9s wonderful proportions.The phone has been around since August 2024, so while its still a current model, we may see an updated version in a few months time. Its also not a phone available to buy in the U.S., due to Motorola still releasing different phones in different regions, and with different names, rather than making things simple for everyone. The Razr Plus 2024 is available in the U.S. though, but it is the only model available in Mocha Mousse, so if you want the color and not a foldable, sadly youre out of luck.Like the Edge 50 Neo, the Razr Plus is also likely to be replaced in the range soon, as it came out in June 2024. Were excited to see whats next, but perhaps even more excited to see what the big chase color Motorola and Pantone have planned for 2025, based on the success of Mocha Mousse.Editors Recommendations

Kelly Marie Tran stars in a scary, heavily metaphorical movie as an author and influencer bedeviled by various personal demonsas well as an unrelenting itch on the back of her head.

Jean-Georges Vongerichten made New York City dining what it is today. Instead of being content with his Michelin stars, hes aiming to bring the young and hungry into his empire.

Panic at the chips fabs How Trump could potentially claw back CHIPS funding Chipmakers fear Trump may rescind CHIPS Act funding, report says. Ashley Belanger Mar 11, 2025 12:00 pm | 25 US President Donald Trump speaks during an address to a joint session of Congress in the House Chamber of the US Capitol in Washington, DC, on March 4, 2025. Credit: JIM WATSON / Contributor | AFP US President Donald Trump speaks during an address to a joint session of Congress in the House Chamber of the US Capitol in Washington, DC, on March 4, 2025. Credit: JIM WATSON / Contributor | AFP Story textSizeSmallStandardLargeWidth *StandardWideLinksStandardOrange* Subscribers only Learn moreDonald Trump's sudden decision last week to attack the bipartisan CHIPS and Science Act after he previously offered assurances that he wouldn't has sent shockwaves across the industry and has even given some Republicans whiplash.Soon after Trump told Congress that the CHIPS Act is a "horrible, horrible thing," chip company executives rushed to consult their lawyers to see if Trump could possibly claw back funding or terminate their contracts, eight people familiar with the executives' moves told The New York Times. At least one expert told Ars that their fear isn't completely unfounded.Signed into law by Joe Biden in 2022, the CHIPS Act sought to grant $52.7 billion in subsidies to bring the most advanced chipmakers into the US. The Commerce Department has already signed contracts granting a wide range of awards, including grants for chipmakers like Intel, Micron, Samsung, and the Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. (TSMC), totaling more than $36 billion in federal subsidies.Trump has criticized the CHIPS Act, telling Congress last week that companies "take our money" and "don't spend it." At that time, it was clear that TSMCone of the US's biggest CHIPS Act award recipients behind only Intelwouldn't be getting any new awards, but Trump did not confirm any plans to potentially break any billion-dollar contracts.Sources told the NYT that the Semiconductor Industry Association (SIA) reacted to Trump's speech by organizing a call where members reportedly blamed Trump's vitriol for the CHIPS Act on the president's personal disdain for Biden, whose legacy was supposed to be cemented by passing the legislation.Biden's silence has stunned even some Republicans, who balked at his speech and argued that the CHIPS Act is critical for national security.After Trump's speech to Congress, at least one mystified Republican reached out to the White House to clarify Trump's position on the CHIPS Act, the NYT reported. Senator Todd Young (R-Ind.) felt the speech was "in tension" with the Trump administration's prior support. And it seemed that despite Trump directly saying that he wanted to "get rid" of the CHIPS Act, Young wondered if perhaps the president actually meant he wanted to update the law rather than strike it, the NYT reported."If it needs to transform into a different model over a period of time, Im certainly supportive of that," Young said. "But lets be clear, the CHIPS and Science Act, at least the chips portion, has mostly been implemented. It has been one of the greatest successes of our time."The NYT's sources suggested that some changes to grant projects are already underway, potentially stripping provisions the Biden administration emphasized to woo more workers, like hiring unionized construction teams or providing childcare. Those changes reportedly came after the Commerce Department laid off 40 workers in the CHIPS office through a "demeaning" process that forced workers to prove their intelligence by providing SAT or IQ scores or solving math problems like doing long division or calculating "the value of four to the fourth power," sources said.Possible paths to claw back CHIPS fundingIt's possible that Trump could claw back funds, Stephen Ezell told Ars. As vice president for global innovation policy at the nonpartisan nonprofit the Information Technology and Innovation Foundation, Ezell has closely monitored CHIPS funding and advocated for speedier disbursements for companies who need it most.Ezell wrote last September that, contrary to some Republican claims, CHIPS funding isn't a cash cow for chipmakers whose competitive positions he claimed aren't enhanced by taking federal subsidies."No, CHIPS is not a subsidy," Ezell wrote. "Its an attempt to convince semiconductor firms to invest in a place where few would normally invest: the United States. Few rational firms would invest here because costs are higher and government incentives are lower than they are in other markets. In fact, building a new fab in 'Asia' is 30 percent cheaper than building one in the United Statesand its about 50 percent cheaper in China."Ezell told Ars that "the president is legally obligated to spend" money that Congress already fully appropriated through 2026. He estimated that at least 85 percent has already been disbursed.Trump could possibly come for those funds, but the CHIPS Act's claw-back provisions "are only to be triggered for 'non-performance,'" Ezell noted"that is, the company not doing what it promised to do." And although "in theory," Trump could "use rescission or impoundment measures to go after duly Congressionally appropriated and obligated funds," Ezell suggested that seemed "unlikely." Some of the NYT's sources suggested that "many" industry people "also expressed confidence that their legal agreements with the Commerce Department couldnt be changed" on the SIA call.Instead of awarding subsidies, though, Trump wants to punish chipmakers who do business outside the US, threatening to impose tariffs on semiconductor imports potentially as soon as April 2. But that plan may be shortsighted, as the NYT pointed out that "lawyers and industry executives have said that tariffs on chips themselves are not very effective because the United States imports few chips directly." Instead, chips are usually placed into electronic devices and appliances in factories in Asia before the consumer tech is imported into the US.Ezell told Ars that he doubts Republicans can push Trump to pass some new version of the bill, like a CHIPS 2.0. It seems "more likely" that the Trump administration "slow walks some of the disbursements or changes some of the contract terms," Ezell suggested.While companies don't necessarily profit or enhance competitive positions from taking CHIPS subsidies, withdrawing or delaying funding, Ezell warned, could hobble struggling chipmakers like Intel, which some commentators believe got a lifeline through CHIPS funding. In his 2024 analysis, Ezell wrote that Intel's financial struggles should not give cause to deny CHIPS funding, as Senator Rick Scott (R-Fla.) had once urged, but to expedite funding to keep a viable US chipmaker's business expanding in the US."When Intel is fighting for survival, the last thing the Trump administration should be doing is rescinding financing thats critical to Intels recovery and expansion strategy, or to withdraw financing thats vital to other semiconductor companies significant expansion of US operations, from Micron and GlobalFoundries to TSMC and Samsung," Ezell said.Ashley BelangerSenior Policy ReporterAshley BelangerSenior Policy Reporter Ashley is a senior policy reporter for Ars Technica, dedicated to tracking social impacts of emerging policies and new technologies. She is a Chicago-based journalist with 20 years of experience. 25 Comments

Direct attack This is what it looks like when parasitic worms directly invade your brain Doctors unknowingly took time-series images of the worms invading patient's brain. Beth Mole Mar 11, 2025 11:14 am | 29 Credit: Getty | Flaviu Cernea Credit: Getty | Flaviu Cernea Story textSizeSmallStandardLargeWidth *StandardWideLinksStandardOrange* Subscribers only Learn moreDoctors in China inadvertently took time-series images of parasitic worms actively invading a woman's brain and causing rare and rapidly progressing lesions.The previously healthy 60-year-old woman went to the hospital after having a fever and altered mental status for three days, according to a report of her case published Monday in JAMA Neurology. By the time she arrived, she was unable to communicate normally. Figure A: FLAIR MRI of the brain before treatment showed multiple white matter lesions adjacent to the lateral ventricles. Credit: Li et al. JAMA Neurology 2025 Figure A: FLAIR MRI of the brain before treatment showed multiple white matter lesions adjacent to the lateral ventricles. Credit: Li et al. JAMA Neurology 2025 Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) showed white matter lesions around her lateral ventricles, large cavities in the center of the brain filled with cerebrospinal fluid that, from the side, are C-shaped. The type of MRI used, a FLAIR MRI, is used to more easily detect lesions, and the fluid-filled lateral ventricles appear as dark, curved spaces in the center. Doctors could see white blotches and smears around those dark spaces, indicating lesions. After doing a spinal tap and running tests on her cerebral spinal fluid, they suspected she might have a bacterial infection in her brain. So they treated her with an antibiotic and a fever reducer.But two weeks later, her symptoms hadn't improved. The doctors repeated a FLAIR MRI and found that the white lesions had only gotten worse. They did more tests.Blood tests showed elevated eosinophils, which can be a sign of a parasitic infection, among other things. They searched for genetic signatures of parasites in her cerebrospinal fluid and got a strong hit. The genetic sequencing matched Angiostrongylus cantonensis, also known as rat lungworm.Sickening cycleThis ghastly parasite causes outbreaks and sporadic cases in various places around the world, including China and other parts of Asia. You may remember hearing of it amid an uptick in cases reported in Hawaii a few years ago or a report in 2023 that it had invaded the Southeast US. A semi-slug, carrier of the rat lungworm disease. Credit: KAWIKA KAINA A semi-slug, carrier of the rat lungworm disease. Credit: KAWIKA KAINA The worm gets its name from its complicated invasion of rats, its true target, in which it spends much of its life cycle except for a nauseating interlude in its intermediate victims, slugs and snails. The cycle begins in rats, where first-stage larvae are released into the environment via the rodent's feces. These larvae then either bore into or are eaten by slugs or snails. In them, the larvae develop into third-stage larvae (L3). Rats get infected with these L3 larvae when they eat an infected slug or snail. From the rat's gastrointestinal tract, the larvae tunnel their way to the animal's brain, where the larvae incubate and go through L4 and L5 stages to become young-adult worms. The worms then move to the rat's lungs, where they become sexually mature, mate, and lay eggshence the name "rat lungworm."To bring this disturbing life cycle full circle, the worm eggs hatch into stage-one larvae in the lungs and migrate up the rat's throat. The poor critter then ends up swallowing them. The first-stage larvae then take a ride through the rat's gastrointestinal tract and are excreted, lying in wait of a snug or snail.Humans are accidental hosts and get infected with the L3 larvae by accidentally eating infected slugs or snails on raw or undercooked produce or by eating other undercooked animals that eat slugs or snails, such as frogs, land crabs, or freshwater prawns and crayfish. Humans can also get infected by eating raw producelike leafy greensthat have been contaminated with slug slime because the L3 larvae are shed in the gastropods' slime trail. Although, as a recent case report noted, "the infectious dose of slime is not defined."Rare lesionsAngiostrongylus cantonensis third stage (L3), infective larva recovered from a slug. Image captured under differential interference contrast (DIC) microscopy. Credit: CDCAngiostrongylus cantonensis third stage (L3), infective larva recovered from a slug. Image captured under differential interference contrast (DIC) microscopy. Credit: CDC When the woman's doctors detected rat lungworm, they quickly asked about what she had eaten before getting sick. They learned that she had eaten a "substantial amount" of uncooked leftover crayfish (Procambarus clarkii) the night before she developed a fever.Once eaten by a human, the L3 larvae try to complete their life cycle by burrowing into tissue out of the intestines to get to the brain, traveling either through the blood or along nerves. The migration along nerves can cause sensory abnormalities, like burning, tingling, or pain. Once in the central nervous system, the invasion can cause confusion, encephalopathy, seizure, cranial neuropathy, or eye problems. In a brain, the L3 larvae would normally develop into young adults, but human brains are dead ends for the worms, which eventually die there without fully maturing.Some of the luckiest rat lungworm victims don't need treatment and make full recoveries after the larvae die off on their own. But the woman in this case was not so lucky. Her doctors noted in their report that the worms typically stay in the pia mater of the brain, a delicate innermost layer of tissue that surrounds the brain and spinal cord. They rarely cause lesions in the white matter, a deeper tissue containing nerve fibers that transmit signals between different parts of the brain. Figure A: FLAIR MRI of the brain before treatment showed multiple white matter lesions adjacent to the lateral ventricles. Figure B, FLAIR MRI of the brain 2 weeks later (after antibiotic treatment) showed a significant increase in multiple white matter lesions adjacent to the lateral ventricles. Li et al, JAMA Neurology 2025Figure A: FLAIR MRI of the brain before treatment showed multiple white matter lesions adjacent to the lateral ventricles. Figure B, FLAIR MRI of the brain 2 weeks later (after antibiotic treatment) showed a significant increase in multiple white matter lesions adjacent to the lateral ventricles.Li et al, JAMA Neurology 2025 FLAIR MRI of the brain four months after treatment showed that the lesions adjacent to the lateral ventricles significantly decreased compared with those before treatment. Li et al. JAMA Neurology 2025FLAIR MRI of the brain four months after treatment showed that the lesions adjacent to the lateral ventricles significantly decreased compared with those before treatment.Li et al. JAMA Neurology 2025Figure A: FLAIR MRI of the brain before treatment showed multiple white matter lesions adjacent to the lateral ventricles. Figure B, FLAIR MRI of the brain 2 weeks later (after antibiotic treatment) showed a significant increase in multiple white matter lesions adjacent to the lateral ventricles.Li et al, JAMA Neurology 2025FLAIR MRI of the brain four months after treatment showed that the lesions adjacent to the lateral ventricles significantly decreased compared with those before treatment.Li et al. JAMA Neurology 2025In her case, the worms appeared to be directly and actively invading her white matter, which was captured by the FLAIR MRIs. The lesions progressed "rapidly" in the three days after eating the uncooked crayfish and the two weeks when she was misdiagnosed and treated for a bacterial infection (labeled as "after treatment" in the second image). The authors noted that the lesions looked significantly different from the lesions seen when white matter is damaged from a lack of blood flow, such as in a stroke. This "may be related to direct invasion of A. cantonensis or inflammation of small vessels," they speculated.While there isn't a clearly definedstandard treatment for such infections, the doctors started the woman on an anti-parasitic drug called albendazole, which is often used. After two weeks, her symptoms improved, and she was able to communicate again. After four months, a third FLAIR MRI showed a "significant reduction" in white matter lesions. It's unclear, however, if she made a full recovery.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. 29 Comments

2025-03-11T16:25:05Z Read in app Graffiti calling for a boycott of American wine at a liquor store in Montreal, Canada. ANDREJ IVANOV/AFP via Getty Images This story is available exclusively to Business Insider subscribers. Become an Insider and start reading now.Have an account? The 'Buy Canadian' movement is growing in the face of US-Canada tensions over tariffs.The owner of the online directory 'Made in CA' says traffic has surged in recent weeks.He says it's driven by patriotism and anger over Trump's economic moves and rhetoric.Dylan Lobo, a digital media consultant who runs the website Made in CA, says he's seen an unprecedented surge in traffic to his directory of Canadian-made goods in recent weeks."There's a lot of patriotism right now in this country," Lobo told Business Insider. "There's a huge sense that Canadians want to support other Canadians."Many in Canada are responding to the threats of US tariffs as well as President Donald Trump's talks of Canada becoming the "51st state" by increasingly seeking out domestically made goods.Lobo said traffic to the directory, which was founded in 2018 during Trump's first term in office, has risen steadily since January, with sharp spikes whenever Trump criticizes Canada or when tariffs make headlines.Trump floated tariffs on imports from Canada during his 2024 presidential campaign, but interest in Made in CA didn't spike until his inauguration approached. Lobo said that's when many Canadians started to realize that tariffs could become a reality."Between January 1 and January 20, traffic almost tripled daily, and on January 21, the day after the inauguration, it tripled again," he said.Lobo added that the biggest surge came on February 1, when Trump signed executive orders imposing 25% tariffs on most Canadian goods. "This was our biggest traffic spike we hit 100,000-plus readers in a single day."Google Trends data shows that searches for "Made in Canada" in February reached their highest levels on record, with March following closely behind.A sharp spike occurred the week of February 2, right after Trump signed his tariff executive orders.Similarly, searches for "Buy Canadian" peaked that week, reaching their highest level in over five years, with February recording the most searches for the term in nearly a decade.Tariffs, tariffs everywhereWhen Trump's tariffs initially took effect on March 4, Canada responded with its own retaliatory moves on US goods. That same day, Made in CA saw another surge in traffic Lobo said it quadrupled.Then, on March 6, Trump announced a temporary delay on tariffs for USMCA-compliant goods from Canada. But a day later, he escalated his threats, saying he would impose reciprocal tariffs as high as 250% on Canadian dairy and lumber.Meanwhile, on Monday, Ontario province slapped a 25% tax on electricity exports to three US states. Trump responded in a Truth Social post in which he threatened to impose an additional 25% tariff on all steel and aluminum coming into the US from Canada, bringing the tariff rate on those imports to 50%.Trump said those tariffs will go into effect on March 12.The 'Buy Canadian' movement is picking upCanadian businesses have also been hitting back. Some small businesses have been boycotting US products. Last week, Ontario and New Brunswick instructed provincially owned alcohol retailers to remove US-made alcohol from store shelves."Buy Canadian instead" signs are now on display in some liquor stores."The 'Buy Canadian' movement has grown quickly," Lobo said, adding, "What's been most meaningful is that we've retained a larger, more engaged audience thousands of Canadians who are committed to supporting Canadian-made products."And it isn't just site visits that have skyrocketed submissions have flooded in, too, he said.Canadians can submit products to the online directory in two ways: by recommending Canadian-made items they find in stores or by submitting their own businesses for review."We received thousands of submissions, over 4,000 in just a few days, and hundreds of emails from Canadians eager to support local businesses," Lobo told BI, adding that he's still working through the backlog, personally reviewing, editing, and publishing each listing.Even so, he said he receives emails every day from panicked Canadian consumers and business owners, asking what they can do."I say the easiest thing to do is just buy a Canadian product," he told BI. "You might spend a little bit more, but at least you're helping a small business with Canadian workers."

2025-03-11T16:02:01Z Read in app My passport got water-damaged twice while I was on vacation because of one mistake I could've easily avoided. Ash Jurberg This story is available exclusively to Business Insider subscribers. Become an Insider and start reading now.Have an account? While hiking in Colombia, I ruined my passport by allowing it to get wet during a rainstorm.Years later, I made the same mistake at a rainy baseball game in Japan. This time, it was worse.After two close calls with immigration officials, I protect my travel documents in waterproof cases.Despite visiting 109 countries, I've made the same rookie mistake twice with my most important travel document my passport. Both incidents nearly left me stranded abroad and taught me a lesson I'll now never forget.My first passport disaster happened during a Colombian downpour If you're going hiking in the rain, make sure your passport is in a waterproof holder. imantsu/Getty Images On a trip to Colombia, my group spent the night camping in the beautiful Tayrona National Park. To reach our accommodation, we hiked for two hours through a lush rainforest.We carried small daypacks with our essentials, including travel documents. About a mile into our hike, a massive storm rolled in. The relentless rain turned the trail into small streams while water dripped from the thick canopy above.After trudging through the deluge for two hours, we finally reached our accommodation, soaked to the bone. Everything in my daypack including my passport was completely waterlogged. Staying in a remote national park with limited facilities, we had few options for drying our stuff. I attempted to separate the pages carefully and let them air dry, but the damage was done.Border crossing became an especially nerve-racking experienceWhen I left Colombia a week later, my passport was still in terrible condition. As I approached immigration, I felt a growing sense of dread because damaged passports can be rejected by border officials. The official spent an uncomfortable amount of time scrutinizing my damaged passport, meticulously flicking through each page. After what felt like an eternity, I explained my unfortunate hiking adventure. To my relief, his stern expression softened into a smile. He stamped my passport, allowing me to board my flight home. Had this official denied my exit, I could've been stranded for days or weeks while securing emergency documentation from my embassy. I'd gotten lucky. I promised myself I would never put my passport at risk again.Incredibly, I repeated the same mistake in Japan This guy had no idea his passport was slowly getting destroyed in his pocket. Ash Jurberg Several years later, my family and I attended a baseball game in Osaka, Japan. Despite another sudden downpour, we chose to stay and experience the game from our uncovered seats. Completely immersed in the excitement, I forgot about my passport, which I'd carelessly kept in my back pocket. As we jumped up and down, cheering with the crowd, my passport slowly absorbed water with every passing minute. To make matters worse, this was a brand-new passport I'd received just two weeks before our trip.This time, my passport's damage was more severeBack at our hotel, I discovered my passport was in worse condition than the time in Colombia. The pages were completely stuck together, and the ink had started running. I desperately tried drying it with a hairdryer, terrified I would also damage its microchip or barcode. Although it eventually dried, the main identification page remained noticeably smudged. At immigration, the official had the same bemused expression as his Colombian counterpart. This time, he called over a colleague for a consultation in Japanese. My heart sank as I watched them discuss my damaged document.After a few tense minutes, they allowed me through but advised me to get a new passport upon returning home which I did, at considerable expense and inconvenience.After 2 lucky escapes, I've finally learned my lessonProtecting your passport should be a top priority for any traveler, whether you've visited one country or 100.Since these close calls, I've implemented a non-negotiable travel rule: My passport always stays in a protective waterproof cover.Although I was fortunate to encounter understanding officials twice, a simple protective case would've saved me from the anxiety of those border crossings and the $250 replacement cost of my passport.