Materials Hub eliminates barriers to ethical sourcing across AEC firms, owners, and manufacturers  Acelab announces the launch of its impactful Design for Freedom Tracking solution within the Materials Hub platform, creating the industry’s first AI-powered system that transforms ethical sourcing from aspiration to reality for architecture and design professionals of all levels. (Courtesy Acelab) Making the Invisible Visible: A new era in Ethical Material selection The Materials Hub platform directly addresses the urgent need for responsible building materials by seamlessly integrating Design for Freedom principles into everyday workflows, making ethical considerations impossible to overlook. Acelab executives Vardhan Mehta and Dave Lemont unveiled this transformative technology at the fourth Annual Design for Freedom Summit on March 27 held at Grace Farms in New Canaan, Connecticut. “Our partnership with Acelab and the launch of the Materials Hub is a groundbreaking step in our shared commitment to eliminate forced and child labor from the building materials supply chain,” said Sharon Prince, CEO and founder of Grace Farms Foundation. “Together, we are addressing a critical challenge to advancing ethical supply chains by enabling design professionals to source materials that are less at risk of labor exploitation. By making ethical material selection accessible and practical for architects and designers everywhere, we’re creating meaningful industry-wide change toward a more humane built environment.” “The industry has been held back by disconnected, labor-intensive processes that require firms to manage complex spreadsheets and conduct time-consuming research to verify ethical compliance,” said Vardhan Mehta, cofounder and CEO of Acelab. “Our AI-powered solution bridges the critical gap between the 10 percent of the A&D industry that understands forced labor risks and the 90 percent that needs actionable guidance. Materials Hub makes the invisible visible, ensuring that ethical considerations are displayed alongside performance, cost, and aesthetic decisions—creating a complete picture that transforms how materials are selected.” (Courtesy Acelab) Seamless workflow integration: from complex to intuitive The intuitive Design for Freedom tracking system automatically integrates with project initialization, featuring: Intelligent templates with built-in Design for Freedom reporting standards Real-time certification data enabling instant ethical filtering Ready-to-implement product category schedules aligned with Design for Freedom principles AI-powered risk assessment that flags high-risk locations and materials This frictionless approach eliminates the traditional barriers that have prevented widespread adoption, replacing manual processes that required professionals to: Juggle multiple disconnected spreadsheets Conduct time-intensive product code research Navigate complex variables to determine ethical compliance “Materials Hub places ethical labor considerations directly alongside performance and sustainability metrics, making it impossible to evaluate materials without seeing the full picture of their human impact,” Mehta emphasized. “We’ve translated complex supply chain data into clear, actionable insights through our AI platform, democratizing access to this critical information for all design professionals—not just specialists.” (Courtesy Acelab) Democratizing ethical design across the industry “By eliminating the friction points that have traditionally limited participation in Design for Freedom, Acelab is transforming ethical sourcing from a specialized program into an industry standard,” said Dave Lemont, Acelab’s executive chairman and former CEO of Revit. “Our platform demonstrates the tangible business advantages of ethical materials—showing how DFF guidelines benefit not only vulnerable workers but also strengthen project timelines, risk management, and client relationships.” Acelab’s groundbreaking technology delivers three transformative market solutions: Eliminates practical barriers to ethical material selection Creates unprecedented access to ethical sourcing tools for firms of all sizes Accelerates industry-wide adoption of ethical standards through intuitive technology “By partnering with industry leaders to aggregate and validate ethical supply chain data, we’re creating unprecedented transparency in material selection,” said Mehta. “Materials Hub ensures that even smaller practices without dedicated sustainability teams can confidently specify materials aligned with Design for Freedom principles, leveling the playing field across the industry.” Nora Rizzo, Ethical Materials director at Grace Farms, noted: “What Acelab has created is a game-changer for practitioners at the forefront of material selection. Before Materials Hub, incorporating ethical considerations required extensive knowledge, research, and resources that most firms simply couldn’t access. Now, every architect, designer, and owner can make informed decisions about forced labor risks as they evaluate products holistically. This open-source technology transforms what was once an overwhelming challenge into an integral part of our daily workflow.” Note: Acelab’s Materials Hub platform also integrates with other key sustainability initiatives including the AIA Materials Pledge and mindful MATERIALS Common Materials Framework, creating a comprehensive platform for holistic, ethical design practices. About Acelab: Materials Hub is an all-in-one platform empowering architecture and design firms to seamlessly research, select, and document material decisions. It centralizes knowledge, optimizes research with AI-powered search, streamlines decision-making through improved collaboration, and simplifies documentation through automation. Learn more at acelabusa.com. About Grace Farms: Grace Farms is a cultural and humanitarian center in New Canaan, Connecticut that brings together people across sectors to explore nature, arts, justice, community, and faith at the SANAA-designed River building, on 80 acres of publicly accessible natural landscape. Its humanitarian work to end modern slavery and foster more grace and peace in the local and global community includes leading the Design for Freedom movement. Launched in 2020 by Grace Farms’s CEO and founder Sharon Prince, Design for Freedom reimagines architecture by raising awareness and inspiring responses to disrupt forced labor in the building materials supply chain. The Design for Freedom Working Group comprises more than 100 leaders who together are spearheading a radical paradigm shift and mobilizing the full ecosystem of the built environment. This collaborative approach to comprehensively address humanitarian issues and generate new outcomes is reflected across all the initiatives and spaces of Grace Farms. Learn more at gracefarms.org.

John Edwards, Technology Journalist & AuthorMay 27, 20254 Min ReadSharon Mandell, CIO of Juniper NetworksSharon Mandell, chief information officer of Juniper Networks, has held various CIO and CTO roles over the past 25 years, each building upon her previous experience and matching her current life phase. In her current role, Mandell is in charge of IT strategy and implementation for an enterprise that offers high-performance networking and cybersecurity products to service providers, businesses, and public sector organizations. In a recent email interview, Mandell discussed the options available for CIOs looking to further advance their careers. What should be the next logical career step for a current CIO? That really depends on the individual CIO, their time in the role, the scope of their responsibilities, the scale of the companies they've worked for, and most importantly, their personal interests and aspirations. The next step could be another CIO role at a larger company in the same industry, or a shift to a different industry -- smaller, same-sized, or even larger -- if the challenge is compelling. It could be a smaller organization with a mission or opportunity that you’ve always wanted to take on. Some CIOs take on adjacent or additional functions -- customer support, engineering, marketing, HR. I haven't yet seen a CIO move into CFO or chief counsel, but with the right background, it's not out of the question. Related:You could step into a COO or even CEO role. Some [CIOs] move into venture capital or advisory roles. There's no single "right" next step -- it's about what makes sense for your unique path and purpose. When is the best time to make a career move? When you feel like you're no longer having a significant impact or adding meaningful value in your current role. I've often felt taking on new roles can feel like being thrown into the deep end of the pool -- completely overwhelmed at first, but eventually you develop a vision and begin driving change. When those changes start to feel incremental instead of transformative, it may be time to move on. Sometimes, opportunities show up when you're not actively looking -- something that fills a gap in your background, stretches you in a big way, or offers a challenge you’ve always wanted to take on. Even if you're happy where you are -- not that the CIO role is ever truly comfortable -- you’ve got to be open to those moments. When is the best time to stay in place? I don't like leaving a role when I've taken a risk on a project, a technology, or a transformation and haven't yet seen it through to a solid or stable outcome. Related:I also don't want to leave a leadership team holding the bag, especially if I've been pushing them outside their comfort zones. I want my peers to understand why I've made certain decisions, and that usually means staying long enough to deliver real results. That said, sometimes opportunities won't wait. You’ll have to weigh whether staying to finish something or making a move offers more long-term value. At the end of the day, I want the people I leave behind to want to work with me again should the right opportunity arise. What's the biggest mistake CIOs make when planning a career move? Chasing title, prestige, or compensation as the sole driver of the decision, or assuming that "bigger" is always better. At the end of the day, what matters most is the people you surround yourself with, the impact you're able to make, and what you learn along the way. The right role should stretch you, challenge you, and allow you to contribute meaningfully to the organization's success. That’s what makes a career move truly worth it. Is there anything else you would like to add? I’ve never been someone who obsessively mapped out a career trajectory. I've made decisions based on what felt right for my life at the time. There were points when I took smaller roles because they gave me the balance I needed as a single mom. I passed on big opportunities because I didn't want to relocate. I've moved back and forth between CIO and CTO roles more than once. Related:The common thread has been this: I look for roles that challenge me, expand my perspective, and give me big new experiences to grow from -- even if I know they won't be easy or fun. Those are the ones that build grit, resilience, and passion. The money, title, and scope tend to follow if you execute well. I may not end up with the biggest job or the highest salary, but I’ve had one heck of a ride, and that’s what makes it all worth it. Read more about:Network ComputingAbout the AuthorJohn EdwardsTechnology Journalist & AuthorJohn Edwards is a veteran business technology journalist. His work has appeared in The New York Times, The Washington Post, and numerous business and technology publications, including Computerworld, CFO Magazine, IBM Data Management Magazine, RFID Journal, and Electronic Design. He has also written columns for The Economist's Business Intelligence Unit and PricewaterhouseCoopers' Communications Direct. John has authored several books on business technology topics. His work began appearing online as early as 1983. Throughout the 1980s and 90s, he wrote daily news and feature articles for both the CompuServe and Prodigy online services. His "Behind the Screens" commentaries made him the world's first known professional blogger.See more from John EdwardsWebinarsMore WebinarsReportsMore ReportsNever Miss a Beat: Get a snapshot of the issues affecting the IT industry straight to your inbox.SIGN-UPYou May Also Like

Flyalone - Adobe News Labour puts Humphrey AI to work for council admin A tool built on the government’s Humphrey AI toolset is being piloted by 25 councils to take notes during meetings Published: 23 May 2025 15:45 The UK government has announced that its artificial intelligence (AI) suite, Humphrey, is being trialled by a number of local councils. Its AI tool, Minute, takes notes in meetings, and was recently used in one chaired by prime minister Keir Starmer. Part of Humphrey, the package of AI tools built to help civil servants deliver for ministers and the public more effectively, uses generative AI to turn meetings into notes, and provides tools for correcting summaries. The government found that early tests using Minute showed that officials saved an hour of admin per one-hour meeting. The Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT) said Minute can help speed up actions after planning meetings, allowing officers to focus on the task at hand, rather than paperwork, and make informed decisions to get homes built. It’s currently being trailed by 25 local councils. Among the ways it’s being used is to help streamline burdensome admin tasks in the planning process as part of the government’s plans to build 1.5 million homes by 2030. Lords minister for housing and local government Sharon Taylor said: “Local councils are on the frontline of housing delivery, and we’re backing them with cutting-edge AI technology like Minute so officers can spend less time buried in admin and more time helping to get Britain building. “This is alongside our landmark reforms to deliver 1.5 million homes, including the Planning and Infrastructure Bill, which will get working people and families into secure homes and boost economic growth right across the country,” she said. Read more stories about public sector AI Humphrey AI tool powers Scottish Parliament consultation: AI-powered Consult tool has helped the Scottish Parliament to organise feedback from a public consultation into themes. Major obstacles facing Labour’s AI opportunity action plan: Skills, data held in legacy tech and a lack of leadership are among the areas discussed during a recent Public Accounts Committee session. Minute can also be used to take notes in meetings between social care workers and their supervisors, allowing workers to focus on offering more support instead of being bogged down by bureaucracy.   The Minute trial ties in with a broader government initiative to help local councils use technology to improve essential services they are responsible for delivering to local residents. To fulfil one of the actions in the 50-point AI Opportunities Plan of Action, which was published in January, the government has also introduced an AI Knowledge Hub for sharing examples of how local councils are using technology so others can learn from them – such as an AI assistant that speeds up the reporting of fly-tipping and graffiti in central London. In 2024, a Local Government Association (LGA) survey found that the majority of councils who took part in the poll (85%) were using or exploring how they would use AI. The areas where most respondents had realised benefits from using AI were staff productivity (35%), service efficiencies (32%) and cost savings (22%). However, the LGA reported that the five biggest barriers to deploying AI identified by respondents were a lack of funding (64%), a lack of staff capabilities (53%), a lack of staff capacity (50%), a lack of sufficient governance and a lack of clear use cases (41% each). The government’s own State of digital government review, published earlier this year, reported that each of the 320 local authorities in England negotiate technology contracts with big tech companies independently – when many are buying exactly the same tools – making this spending much less effective. The trials with AI-based tools built on Humphrey and the AI Knowledge Hub represent an attempt by the government to reduce the barriers to deploying AI across the public sector. AI and digital government minister Feryal Clark said: “From parking permits and planning permission, local councils handle some of the services that impact our daily lives most. For too long, they have been left to fend for themselves when keeping up with rapid innovations in AI and digital technology – when we know it has huge potential to help solve many of the challenges they face. Clark said the government was going to work with local councils to help them buy and build the technology they need to deliver Labour’s Plan for Change and support their local communities more effectively.  In The Current Issue: UK critical systems at risk from ‘digital divide’ created by AI threats UK at risk of Russian cyber and physical attacks as Ukraine seeks peace deal Standard Chartered grounds AI ambitions in data governance Download Current Issue SAP Sapphire 2025: Developers take centre stage as AI integration deepens – CW Developer Network Microsoft entices developers to build more Windows AI apps – Cliff Saran's Enterprise blog View All Blogs

News Former ICAEW operations chief heads up BCS BCS CEO Sharon Gunn wants to open up membership to broadest range of people to promote professional and ethical practices By Cliff Saran, Managing Editor Published: 22 May 2025 10:38 BCS, The Chartered Institute for IT has appointed Sharron Gunn as its new group chief executive officer. Gunn takes over leadership from interim CEO Rob Deri, and she has been working for BCS since February to transform its learning and development and membership divisions.  She previously worked for 23 years at the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales (ICAEW). For the past three years, Gunn was the organisation’s chief operating officer where she focused on enhancing organisational efficiency and leading the redesign of the professional membership organisation’s ACA accountant qualification redesign. According to her LinkedIn profile, during her time at ICAEW, Gunn created the Academy of Professional Development and championed several equality, diversity and inclusion initiatives, including the Women in Leadership programme. She also led the ICAEW’s involvement in Rise, an initiative aimed at enhancing social mobility by equipping young people with essential business skills.   She said the team at the ICAEW influenced policy in the public interest by leveraging “the deep technical insight and real-world experiences of our members”. At BCS, she has been working to transform its learning and development and membership divisions. Commenting on Gunn’s role as the new CEO, BCS president Daljit Rehal said: “Sharron brings unrivalled experience in maximising the impact and influence of professional bodies. She has a clear vision for developing the breadth of BCS’ membership and for ensuring the tech profession is seen as a trusted partner across industry and government.  My thanks on behalf of our entire community go to Rob as interim CEO for his commitment to the cause of Making IT Good for Society.”  Outgoing interim CEO Rob Deri said: “Sharron will be an outstanding CEO with the dedication to ensure BCS brings together professionals in diverse areas from cyber security to government to academia, who all share the ambition to make the voice of our profession heard where it matters.”  Gunn’s ambition is that people who work in IT will consider BCS as a core part of their profession. She said: “It is a huge privilege to be asked to lead the professional body for IT, at a time when emerging technologies like AI and quantum computing are transforming society and the economy.  “That’s why focussing on the value of professional qualifications, certifications and Chartered status, as a way of demonstrating trust in our vital profession, is more important than ever before. We are already developing our five-year strategy to ensure BCS is in the best position to respond to dynamic policy and market changes, for example the creation of Skills England.  “Even in the age of AI, technology is about the people leading and creating it. I want to make sure anyone working in a technology role can consider BCS their professional home. Joining our incredible membership community, including Fellowship, should be within reach of the broadest possible range of people, united by an aspiration to prove not just competence, but commitment to ethical practice and accountability.” In April, the BCS submitted a response to the government’s consultation on the role of computer evidence in courts. In its submission to the call for evidence, BCS, The Chartered Institute for IT, said: “The presumption that computer-generated evidence is inherently reliable is increasingly unfit for purpose in modern criminal prosecutions.” Read more BCS stories Government launches £8.2m plan to encourage girls into AI: The government is investing in teacher training and student support to get more girls into maths classes, ultimately leading to AI careers. BCS report shows lack of improvement in tech diversity: Research from BCS shows very slow progress when it comes to the number of women and people from under-represented groups in tech over the past five years. In The Current Issue: UK critical systems at risk from ‘digital divide’ created by AI threats UK at risk of Russian cyber and physical attacks as Ukraine seeks peace deal Standard Chartered grounds AI ambitions in data governance Download Current Issue Microsoft entices developers to build more Windows AI apps – Cliff Saran's Enterprise blog Red Hat launches llm-d community & project – Open Source Insider View All Blogs

Rite Aid is moving quickly to close additional store locations after selling a substantial chunk of its pharmacy business to other companies last week. The drugstore chain, which is winding down operations after seeking Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection for a second time earlier this month, has listed 95 store locations that it wants to close as it continues to seek buyers for its retail operations. The locations span six states, with Rite Aid’s home state of Pennsylvania being hit hardest. The list includes more than 70 Pennsylvania stores. Competitors scoop up Rite Aid’s pharmacy assets The move to close additional locations was disclosed in a court filing one day after Rite Aid announced that it has reached agreements to sell its prescription files for more than 1,000 pharmacy locations, most of Rite Aid’s fleet. CVS Pharmacy, Walgreens, Albertsons, Kroger, and Giant Eagle were among the successful bidders, the company said. The sale agreements still need to be approved by a court. Rite Aid also said that CVS will take over “many” pharmacy locations in Washington state, Oregon, and Idaho, although it did not name the locations. CVS, in its own announcement, said it planned to buy prescription files for 625 locations but that it was only taking over 64 physical Rite Aid stores. That leaves the immediate fate of many Rite Aid locations uncertain. Although all locations will cease to be Rite Aid stores eventually, Rite Aid is still seeking to sell some of them to other retailers. An auction is planned for June. In the meantime, expect the 95 stores listed below to close soon. Fast Company reached out to Rite Aid for a more specific timeline. The shuttering of these locations comes after previous Rite Aid filings revealed that it would close 47 initial stores followed by 68 additional stores last week, for a total of 210 closures so far. At the time of its bankruptcy filing, Rite Aid revealed that it had 1,277 pharmacies, three distribution centers, and more than 24,000 employees across 15 states. Rite Aid closures revealed on May 16: California 1583 Highway 99, Gridley, CA 95948 2140 Contra Costa Boulevard, Pleasant Hill, CA 94523 3105 Rancho Vista Boulevard, Palmdale, CA 93551 37435 Main Street, Burney, CA 96013 Delaware 38169 Dupont Boulevard, Selbyville, DE 19975 Maryland 2801 Foster Avenue, Baltimore, MD 21224 101 Marlboro Ave Ste 15, Easton, MD 21601 25 Jones Station Road West, Severna Park, MD 21146 Oregon 1900 Mcloughlin Blvd., Oregon City, OR 97045 16261 South Highway 101, Harbor, OR 97415 2336 North Coast Highway, Newport, OR 97365 4500 Commercial Street, S.E., Salem, OR 97302 1430 NW Garden Valley Blvd, Roseburg, OR 97471 Pennsylvania 1701 Duncan Avenue, Allison Park, PA 15101 2302 Sheffield Road, Aliquippa, PA 15001 3331 Pleasant Valley Blvd., Altoona, PA 16602 4400 Pennell Road, Aston, PA 19014 1799 Third Street, Beaver, PA 15009 5100 Library Road, Bethel Park, PA 15102 503 Clifton Road, Bethel Park, PA 15102 417 Chartiers Street, Bridgeville, PA 15017 139 South Main Street, Butler, PA 16001 1520 N Main Street Ext, Butler, PA 16001 200 Greater Butler Mart, Butler, PA 16001 3434 William Penn Highway, Churchill, PA 15235 412 Broadway Street, Coraopolis, PA 15108 20480 Route 19, Cranberry TWP, PA 16066 101 5th Street, Charleroi, PA 15022 300 Market Street, Elizabeth, PA 15037 4606 Admiral Peary Highway, Ebensburg, PA 15931 5430 Peach Street, Erie, PA 16509 4145 Buffalo Road, Erie, PA 16510 925 West Erie Plaza, Erie, PA 16505 700 Sharon New Castle Rd., Farrell, PA 16121 1020 Liberty Street, Franklin, PA 16323 335 Main Street, Greenville, PA 16125 9141 Ridge Road, Girard, PA 16417 1710 Mount Royal Blvd., Glenshaw, PA 15116 4155 Ewalt Road, Gibsonia, PA 15044 3730 Brighton Road, Pittsburgh, PA 15212 5633 Baum Boulevard, Pittsburgh, PA 15206 1800-1814 Morningside Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA 15206 1700 Murray Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA 15217 3210 Banksville Road, Pittsburgh, PA 15216 5504 Walnut Street, Pittsburgh, PA 15232 410 Cooke Lane, Pittsburgh, PA 15234 568 Caste Village, Pittsburgh, PA 15236 1130 Perry Highway Ste 35, Pittsburgh, PA 15237 1125 Freeport Road, Pittsburgh, PA 15238 2336 Ardmore Boulevard, Pittsburgh, PA 15221 7345 Saltsburg Road, Penn Hills, PA 15235 3434 William Penn Highway, Pittsburgh, PA 15235 1700 Pine Hollow Road, McKees Rocks, PA 15136 4185 Washington Road, McMurray, PA 15317 975 Market Street, Meadville, PA 16335 109 Allegheny River Blvd., Oakmont, PA 15139 3730 Brighton Road, Pittsburgh, PA 15212 300 Market Street, Elizabeth, PA 15037 135 South Market Street, New Wilmington, PA 16142 1501 Scalp Avenue, Johnstown, PA 15904 407 Central Avenue, Johnstown, PA 15902 4960 Bedford Street, Johnstown, PA 15904 113 West Main Street, West Newton, PA 15089 1236 Long Run Road, White Oak, PA 15131 6375 Library Road, South Park, PA 15129 2655 E Carson Street, Pittsburgh, PA 15203 1200 Pittsburgh Street, Cheswick, PA 15024 517 Beaver Street, Sewickley, PA 15143 221 Grove City Road, Slippery Rock, PA 16057 446 West Main Street, Monongahela, PA 15063 4111 William Penn Hwy., Monroeville, PA 15146 600 William Marks Drive, Munhall, PA 15120 1120 Philadelphia Avenue, Northern Cambria, PA 15714 8775 Norwin Avenue, North Huntingdon, PA 15642 3550 Route 130, Irwin, PA 15642 1440 East High Street, Waynesburg, PA 15370 201 Devine Drive, Wexford, PA 15090 100 Seven Fields Blvd, Seven Fields, PA 16046 334 Main Street, Greenville, PA 16125 1851 East State Street, Hermitage, PA 16148 811 East State Street, Sharon, PA 16146 802 Pennsylvania Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA 15233 880 Butler Street, Pittsburgh, PA 15223 900 Mount Royal Blvd., Pittsburgh, PA 15223 25 Jones Station Road West, Severna Park, MD 21146 1800-1814 Morningside Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA 15206 139 South Main Street, Butler, PA 16001 Virginia 2600 Weir Place, Chester, VA 23831 520 West Broad Street, Richmond, VA 23220 Warwick Shopping Center, Newport News, VA 23601 3701 Kecoughtan Road, Hampton, VA 23669 421 Wythe Creek Road, Poquoson, VA 23662 Cape Henry SC, Virginia Beach, VA 23451

Pour yourself a fresh cup of coffee – Knoll’s latest lineup is one you’ll want to savor slowly. Unveiled as the Knoll Pavilion at Milan Design Week 2025, the heritage brand’s newest suite of collaborations brings together a who’s who of design visionaries, each offering their own take on craft, comfort, and form. Featuring sculptural seating, finely crafted wood pieces, reimagined icons, and playful, lounge-worthy designs, each piece stands on its own, yet together they showcase Knoll’s ongoing commitment to championing the brightest minds and reinventing familiar furniture typologies. Biboni Sofa by Sharon Johnston and Mark Lee of Johnston Marklee Looking for that just right balance of relaxed yet engaged? Enter the Biboni Sofa by Sharon Johnston and Mark Lee of Johnston Marklee. It brings sculptural softness to seating, its rounded folds shaped into an enveloping, almost anthropomorphic form. Designed with an architectural mindset, every detail enhances its relationship to the surrounding space – best experienced floating in the round, as part of a constellation of elements. “It wants to be a good friend,” says Johnston. “We like that it can be giving in that way.” Balancing structure and comfort, Biboni is at once formal and informal, soft yet supportive. Biboni Sofa by Sharon Johnston and Mark Lee of Johnston Marklee Biboni Sofa by Sharon Johnston and Mark Lee of Johnston Marklee, D’Urso Occasional Tables by Joseph D’Urso Muecke Wood Collection by Jonathan Muecke Architect and sculptor Jonathan Muecke doesn’t hide wood joinery the way others might feel compelled to. Instead, he celebrates it, boldly showcasing end grain and structural connections as defining features in the Muecke Wood Collection. Muecke focuses on the materiality of the pieces and the spatial relationship they have with the room. “I don’t think about chairs and tables as objects,” he says. “I think about a chair in terms of material – as a marker of human scale, a physical record in relational space.” Perron Bun Lounge Chair by Willo Perron With its plush, oversized cushion seemingly floating above a slim sculptural base, the Perron Bun Lounge Chair by Willo Perron blurs the line between lounge chair, sofa, and bed. Its playful, cloud-like form offers an ultra-relaxed take on seating, balancing softness and lightness with a performative edge. Designed for sinking in, stretching out, or curling up, it’s comfort at its most inviting – and a little unexpected. “I come from pop culture and music, and my work is always a little bit performative,” says Perron. Perron Bun Lounge Chair and Ottoman by Willo Perron D’Urso Occasional Table by Joseph D’Urso A celebrated minimalist, Joseph D’Urso first designed the D’Urso Occasional Table for Knoll in 1980, and now it’s reissued in three sizes. Its sleek silhouette pairs industrial materials with thoughtful function, from polished steel finishes to discreet casters. With a lower open shelf that acts as a second tabletop, clearing the top surface of clutter, it’s a small piece of architecture that seamlessly balances form and utility. D’Urso Occasional Tables by Joseph D’Urso The Barcelona Collection by Ludwig Mies van der Rohe Lastly, Ludwig Mies van der Rohe’s Barcelona Collection, originally introduced in 1929, gets a fresh update with new fabric upholstery options and an ultra matte-black frame. The timeless elegance of the iconic chair, stool, and couch is reimagined with subtle shifts in materiality, bringing even more versatility to Mies’s famous “less is more” philosophy. The Barcelona Collection by Ludwig Mies van der Rohe Year after year, Knoll continues to build on its legacy of collaborating with design’s leading voices to create pieces that balance bold ideas, unique points of view, and timeless appeal. From sculptural seating to thoughtful reissues, each release reflects the brand’s enduring commitment to craftsmanship, innovation, and shaping the way we live with design. To learn more about Knoll’s latest 2025 collections and the Knoll Pavilion, visit knoll.com. Photography courtesy of Knoll.

At Salone del Mobile in 2023, Armani Casa presented something new. Or, perhaps it would be more accurate to say that they re-created their classics. The brand introduced three different techniques that transformed their furniture into new works of art, both bold in color and material, and subtly naturalistic in aesthetic.In a statement, Mr. Armani said the collection's Venus console and Virgola bookcase shelves "feature a new type of hand-painted and lacquered glass." And at a Tuesday night event, partygoers saw the new techniques live and in-person at the brand’s Madison Avenue Flagship in New York. Indeed, Armani noted that the objects are "reminiscent of the uniqueness and beauty of high-end jewelry, made with a craftsmanship that is only possible in Italy." Treatment One: Orsini GlassLorenzo BaroncelliA demonstration of the Orsini Method.The Orsini Method involves artisans painting pieces of glass, creating a series of marbled bands. The brand noted, “This finish is obtained by hand painting the back of a tempered extra-clear glass with a special paint mixing different pastel tones, using a large soft brush.”The colors were inspired by the blue green walls in the Neoclassical Palazzo Orsini in Rome. Though the method is innovative, the painterly process and the use of temperas and pastels still make it feel completely classical.Items re-imagined from the Armani Casa collection with the Orsini Method include: Venus 2024 and Virgola 2024.Treatment Two: Shell Mosaic Lorenzo BaroncelliA demonstrationIn this mother-of-pearl mosaic, experts remove the outer layer of an oyster shell to find a the shiny whites, grays, and blues beneath. The Shell Mosaic, with this high end construction, reflects the ties between Armani's Casa collections and his clothing lines. Said Mr. Armani, “The strongest link between Armani/Casa and my fashion collections is the need to be functional and comfortable without sacrificing luxurious materials and a strong sense of style.” The Shell Mosaic is available in the following pieces from the Armani CASA Collection: Antoinette 2023, Camilla 2023, Sofia 2023, and Vega 2024.Treatment Three: Midollino Courtesy ArmaniThe Midollino Technique on the Riesling Bar Cabinet.Wicker will never go out of style, and Armani Casa’s iteration on the traditional form is reflective of the expertise and craftsmanship constant across the brand's fashion and furniture.The Midollino technique features a carefully woven, but thick and high quality grain. It happens to be the same method also used for a number of Armani handbags, capturing the relationship between the past and present reflective across the collection. Items from the Armani Casa Collection featuring the Midollino Technique Include: Melrose 2023, Riesling 2022, and Sharon 2023.Dorothy ScarboroughDorothy Scarborough (she/her) is the assistant to the Editor in Chief of Town & Country and Elle Decor. 

A bill that allows medical clinics to sell unproven treatments has been passed in Montana.  Under the legislation, doctors can apply for a license to open an experimental treatment clinic and recommend and sell therapies not approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to their patients. Once it’s signed by the governor, the law will be the most expansive in the country in allowing access to drugs that have not been fully tested.  The bill allows for any drug produced in the state to be sold in it, providing it has been through phase I clinical trials—the initial, generally small, first-in-human studies that are designed to check that a new treatment is not harmful. These trials do not determine if the drug is effective. The bill, which was passed by the state legislature on April 29 and is expected to be signed by Governor Greg Gianforte, essentially expands on existing Right to Try legislation in the state. But while that law was originally designed to allow terminally ill people to access experimental drugs, the new bill was drafted and lobbied for by people interested in extending human lifespans—a group of longevity enthusiasts that includes scientists, libertarians, and influencers.   These longevity enthusiasts are hoping Montana will serve as a test bed for opening up access to experimental drugs. “I see no reason why it couldn’t be adopted by most of the other states,” said Todd White, speaking to an audience of policymakers and others interested in longevity at an event late last month in Washington, DC. White, who helped develop the bill and directs a research organization focused on aging, added that “there are some things that can be done at the federal level to allow Right to Try laws to proliferate more readily.”  Supporters of the bill say it gives individuals the freedom to make choices about their own bodies. At the same event, bioethicist Jessica Flanigan of the University of Richmond said she was “optimistic” about the measure, because “it’s great any time anybody is trying to give people back their medical autonomy.”  Ultimately, they hope that the new law will enable people to try unproven drugs that might help them live longer, make it easier for Americans to try experimental treatments without having to travel abroad, and potentially turn Montana into a medical tourism hub. But ethicists and legal scholars aren’t as optimistic. “I hate it,” bioethicist Alison Bateman-House of New York University says of the bill. She and others are worried about the ethics of promoting and selling unproven treatments—and the risks of harm should something go wrong. Easy access? No drugs have been approved to treat human aging. Some in the longevity field believe that regulation has held back the development of such drugs. In the US, federal law requires that drugs be shown to be both safe and effective before they can be sold. That requirement was made law in the 1960s following the thalidomide tragedy, in which women who took the drug for morning sickness had babies with sometimes severe disabilities. Since then, the FDA has been responsible for the approval of new drugs.   Typically, new drugs are put through a series of human trials. Phase I trials generally involve between 20 and 100 volunteers and are designed to check that the drug is safe for humans. If it is, the drug is then tested in larger groups of hundreds, and then thousands, of volunteers to assess the dose and whether it actually works. Once a drug is approved, people who are prescribed it are monitored for side effects. The entire process is slow, and it can last more than a decade—a particular pain point for people who are acutely aware of their own aging.  But some exceptions have been made for people who are terminally ill under Right to Try laws. Those laws allow certain individuals to apply for access to experimental treatments that have been through phase I clinical trials but have not received FDA approval. Montana first passed a Right to Try law in 2015 (a federal law was passed around three years later). Then in 2023, the state expanded the law to include all patients there, not just those with terminal illnesses—meaning that any person in Montana could, in theory, take a drug that had been through only a phase I trial. At the time, this was cheered by many longevity enthusiasts—some of whom had helped craft the expanded measure. But practically, the change hasn’t worked out as they envisioned. “There was no licensing, no processing, no registration” for clinics that might want to offer those drugs, says White. “There needed to be another bill that provided regulatory clarity for service providers.”  So the new legislation addresses “how clinics can set up shop in Montana,” says Dylan Livingston, founder and CEO of the Alliance for Longevity Initiatives, which hosted the DC event. Livingston built A4LI, as it’s known, a few years ago, as a lobbying group for the science of human aging and longevity. Livingston, who is exploring multiple approaches to improve both funding for scientific research and to change drug regulation, helped develop and push the 2023 bill in Montana with the support of State Senator Kenneth Bogner, he says. “I gave [Bogner] a menu of things that could be done at the state level … and he loved the idea” of turning Montana into a medical tourism hub, he says.  After all, as things stand, plenty of Americans travel abroad to receive experimental treatments that cannot legally be sold in the US, including expensive, unproven stem cell and gene therapies, says Livingston.  “If you’re going to go and get an experimental gene therapy, you might as well keep it in the country,” he says. Livingston has suggested that others might be interested in trying a novel drug designed to clear aged “senescent” cells from the body, which is currently entering phase II trials for an eye condition caused by diabetes. “One: let’s keep the money in the country, and two: if I was a millionaire getting an experimental gene therapy, I’d rather be in Montana than Honduras.” “Los Alamos for longevity” Honduras, in particular, has become something of a home base for longevity experiments. The island of Roatán is home to the Global Alliance for Regenerative Medicine clinic, which, along with various stem cell products, sells a controversial unproven “anti-aging” gene therapy for around $20,000 to customers including wealthy longevity influencer Bryan Johnson.  Tech entrepreneur and longevity enthusiast Niklas Anzinger has also founded the city of Infinita in the region’s special economic zone of Próspera, a private city where residents are able to make their own suggestions for medical regulations. It’s the second time he’s built a community there as part of his effort to build a “Los Alamos for longevity” on the island, a place where biotech companies can develop therapies that slow or reverse human aging “at warp speed,” and where individuals are free to take those experimental treatments. (The first community, Vitalia, featured a biohacking lab, but came to an end following a disagreement between the two founders.)  Anzinger collaborated with White, the longevity enthusiast who spoke at the A4LI event (and is an advisor to Infinita VC, Anzinger’s investment company), to help put together the new Montana bill. “He asked if I would help him try to advance the new bill, so that’s what we did for the last few months,” says White, who trained as an electrical engineer but left his career in telecommunications to work with an organization that uses blockchain to fund research into extending human lifespans.  “Right to Try has always been this thing [for people] who are terminal[ly ill] and trying a Hail Mary approach to solving these things; now Right to Try laws are being used to allow you to access treatments earlier,” White told the audience at the A4LI event. “Making it so that people can use longevity medicines earlier is, I think, a very important thing.” The new bill largely sets out the “infrastructure” for clinics that want to sell experimental treatments, says White. It states that clinics will need to have a license, for example, and that this must be renewed on an annual basis.  “Now somebody who actually wants to deliver drugs under the Right to Try law will be able to do so,” he says. The new legislation also protects prescribing doctors from disciplinary action. And it sets out requirements for informed consent that go further than those of existing Right to Try laws. Before a person takes an experimental drug under the new law, they will be required to provide a written consent that includes a list of approved alternative drugs and a description of the worst potential outcome. On the safe side “In the Montana law, we explicitly enhanced the requirements for informed consent,” Anzinger told an audience at the same A4LI event. This, along with the fact that the treatments will have been through phase I clinical trials, will help to keep people safe, he argued. “We have to treat this with a very large degree of responsibility,” he added. “We obviously don’t want to be killing people,” says Livingston.  But he also adds that he, personally, won’t be signing up for any experimental treatments. “I want to be the 10 millionth, or even the 50 millionth, person to get the gene therapy,” he says. “I’m not that adventurous … I’ll let other people go first.” Others are indeed concerned that, for the “adventurous” people, these experimental treatments won’t necessarily be safe. Phase I trials are typically tiny, and they often involve less than 50 people, all of whom are typically in good health. A trial like that won’t tell you much about side effects that only show up in 5% of people, for example, or about interactions the drug might have with other medicines. Around 90% of drug candidates in clinical trials fail. And around 17% of drugs fail late-stage clinical trials because of safety concerns. Even those that make it all the way through clinical trials and get approved by the FDA can still end up being withdrawn from the market when rare but serious side effects show up. Between 1992 and 2023, 23 drugs that were given accelerated approval for cancer indications were later withdrawn from the market. And between 1950 and 2013, the reason for the withdrawal of 95 drugs was “death.” “It’s disturbing that they want to make drugs available after phase I testing,” says Sharona Hoffman, professor of law and bioethics at Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, Ohio. “This could endanger patients.” “Famously, the doctor’s first obligation is to first do no harm,” says Bateman-House. “If [a drug] has not been through clinical trials, how do you have any standing on which to think it isn’t going to do any harm?” But supporters of the bill argue that individuals can make their own decisions about risk. When speaking at the A4LI event, Flanigan introduced herself as a bioethicist before adding “but don’t hold it against me; we’re not all so bad.” She argued that current drug regulations impose a “massive amount of restrictions on your bodily rights and your medical freedom.” Why should public officials be the ones making decisions about what’s safe for people? Individuals, she argued, should be empowered to make those judgments themselves. Other ethicists counter that this isn’t an issue of people’s rights. There are lots of generally accepted laws about when we can access drugs, says Hoffman; people aren’t allowed to drink and drive because they might kill someone. “So, no, you don’t have a right to ingest everything you want if there are risks associated with it.” The idea that individuals have a right to access experimental treatments has in fact failed in US courts in the past, says Carl Coleman, a bioethicist and legal scholar at Seton Hall in New Jersey.  He points to a case from 20 years ago: In the early 2000s, Frank Burroughs founded the Abigail Alliance for Better Access to Developmental Drugs. His daughter, Abigail Burroughs, had head and neck cancer, and she had tried and failed to access experimental drugs. In 2003, about two years after Abigail’s death, the group sued the FDA, arguing that people with terminal cancer have a constitutionally protected right to access experimental, unapproved treatments, once those treatments have been through phase I trials. In 2007, however, a court rejected that argument, determining  that terminally ill individuals do not have a constitutional right to experimental drugs. Bateman-House also questions a provision in the Montana bill that claims to make treatments more equitable. It states that “experimental treatment centers” should allocate 2% of their net annual profits “to support access to experimental treatments and healthcare for qualifying Montana residents.” Bateman-House says she’s never seen that kind of language in a bill before. It may sound positive, but it could in practice introduce even more risk to the local community. “On the one hand, I like equity,” she says. “On the other hand, I don’t like equity to snake oil.” After all, the doctors prescribing these drugs won’t know if they will work. It is never ethical to make somebody pay for a treatment when you don’t have any idea whether it will work, Bateman-House adds. “That’s how the US system has been structured: There’s no profit without evidence of safety and efficacy.” The clinics are coming Any clinics that offer experimental treatments in Montana will only be allowed to sell drugs that have been made within the state, says Coleman. “Federal law requires any drug that is going to be distributed in interstate commerce to have FDA approval,” he says. White isn’t too worried about that. Montana already has manufacturing facilities for biotech and pharmaceutical companies, including Pfizer. “That was one of the specific advantages [of focusing] on Montana, because everything can be done in state,” he says. He also believes that the current administration is “predisposed” to change federal laws around interstate drug manufacturing. (FDA commissioner Marty Makary has been a vocal critic of the agency and the pace at which it approves new drugs.) At any rate, the clinics are coming to Montana, says Livingston. “We have half a dozen that are interested, and maybe two or three that are definitively going to set up shop out there.” He won’t name names, but he says some of the interested clinicians already have clinics in the US, while others are abroad.  Mac Davis—founder and CEO of Minicircle, the company that developed the controversial “anti-aging” gene therapy—told MIT Technology Review he was “looking into it.” “I think this can be an opportunity for America and Montana to really kind of corner the market when it comes to medical tourism,” says Livingston. “There is no other place in the world with this sort of regulatory environment.”

During an excavation, amidst the Patagonian winds and hard rock, a fossil began to turn green. It was an unexpected reaction: the adhesive applied to protect the bones, fragile after millions of years beneath the ice, had interacted with plant matter trapped in the rock’s cracks. This greenish hue earned the fossil the nickname Fiona, like the ogre from Shrek.But Fionais much more than a ogre-themed name. It is the first complete ichthyosaur ever excavated in Chile and, even more remarkably, the only known pregnant female from the Hauterivian — a stage of the Early Cretaceous dating back 131 million years. Her skeleton, discovered at the edge of the Tyndall Glacier in Torres del Paine National Park — an area increasingly exposed by glacial retreat — belongs to the species Myobradypterygius hauthali, originally described in Argentina from fragmentary remains.The discovery, led by Judith Pardo-Pérez, a researcher at the University of Magallanes and the Cabo de Hornos International Center (CHIC), and published in the Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology, offers an unprecedented glimpse into ancient marine life — from how these majestic reptiles reproduced to how they adapted to oceans vastly different from those of today.An Ichthyosaur Maternity Ward in Patagonia(Image Courtesy of Irene Viscor)So far, 88 ichthyosaurs have been found on the Tyndall Glacier. Most of them are adults and newborns. Two key facts stand out: food was abundant, and no other predators were competing with them.Fiona, who measures nearly 13 feet long, is still encased in five blocks of rock. Despite the challenge, she was transported to a local clinic, where CT scans allowed researchers to study her skull and body. Her species was identified thanks to one of her fins. “There’s no other like it in the world,” says Pardo-Pérez. The limbs were remarkably elongated, suggesting this animal was built for long-distance swimming.Inside her, there were more surprises. One of them was her stomach contents, which revealed what may have been her last meal: tiny fish vertebrae. But the most striking find was a fetus, about 20 inches long, already in a position to be born.“We believe these animals came to Magallanes — the southern tip of Chilean Patagonia — from time to time to give birth, because it was a safe refuge,” Pardo-Pérez says. “We don't know how long they stayed, but we do know that mortality was high during the first few days of life.”One of the big unanswered questions is where they went next, as there are no records of Myobradypterygius hauthali, apart from a piece of fin found in Argentina. The most abundant remains come from southern Germany, but those date back to the Jurassic period, meaning they’re older.Palaeontologist Erin Maxwell suggests, “In many modern ecosystems, species migrate to higher latitudes during the summer to take advantage of seasonally abundant resources and then move to lower latitudes in winter to avoid harsh conditions,” she explains. “We believe Mesozoic marine reptiles may have followed similar seasonal patterns.”Sea Dragon GraveyardThe environment where Fiona was discovered — dubbed the "sea dragon graveyard" — also has much to reveal.According to geologist Matthew Malkowski of the University of Texas at Austin, the Hauterivian age is particularly intriguing because it coincided with major planetary changes: the breakup of continents, intense volcanic episodes, and phenomena known as "oceanic anoxic events," during which vast areas of the ocean were depleted of dissolved oxygen for hundreds of thousands of years.One such poorly understood event, the Pharaonic Anoxic Event, occurred around 131 million years ago, near the end of the Hauterivian, and still raises questions about its true impact on marine life. “We don't have a firm grasp of how significant these events were for marine vertebrates, and geological records like that of the Tyndall Glacier allow us to explore the relationship between life, the environment, and Earth’s past conditions,” Malkowski notes.Evolution of IchthyosaursReconstruction of Fiona. (Image Courtesy of Mauricio Álvarez)Don't be misled by their body shape. “Ichthyosaurs are not related to dolphins,” clarifies Pardo-Pérez. Although their hydrodynamic silhouettes may look nearly identical, the former were marine reptiles, while the latter are mammals. This resemblance results from a phenomenon known as convergent evolution: when species from different lineages develop similar anatomical features to adapt to the same environment.Ichthyosaurs evolved from terrestrial reptiles that, in response to ecological and climatic changes, began spending more time in the water until they fully adapted to a marine lifestyle. However, they retained traces of their land-dwelling ancestry, such as a pair of hind flippers — absent in dolphins — passed down from their walking forebears. They lived and thrived in prehistoric oceans for about 180 million years, giving them ample time to refine a highly specialized body: their forelimbs and hindlimbs transformed into flippers; they developed a crescent-shaped tail for propulsion, a dorsal fin for stability, and a streamlined body to reduce drag in the water. Remarkably, like whales and dolphins, “ichthyosaurs had a thick layer of blubber as insulation to maintain a higher body temperature than the surrounding seawater and gave birth to live young, which meant they didn’t need to leave the water to reproduce,” explains Maxwell.Whales and dolphins also descend from land-dwelling ancestors, but their transition happened over a comparatively short evolutionary timespan, especially when measured against the long reign of the ichthyosaurs. “Their evolution hasn't had as much time as that of ichthyosaurs,” notes Pardo-Pérez. “And yet, they look so similar. That’s the wonderful thing about evolution.”Read More: Did a Swimming Reptile Predate the Dinosaurs?Fossils on the Verge of DisappearanceOne of the key factors behind the remarkable preservation of the fossils found in the Tyndall Glacier is the way they were buried. According to Malkowski, Fiona and her contemporaries were either trapped or swiftly covered by underwater landslides and turbidity currents — geological processes that led to their sudden entombment.But the good fortune that protected them for millions of years may now be running out. As the glacier retreats, exposing fossils that were once unreachable, those same remains are now vulnerable to wind, rain, and freeze-thaw cycles, which crack the surrounding rock. As vegetation takes hold, roots accelerate erosion and eventually conceal the fossils once again.“While climate change has allowed these fossils to be studied, continued warming will also eventually lead to their loss,” Maxwell warns. In Fiona’s story, scientists find not only a record of ancient life, but also a warning etched in stone and bone: what time reveals, climate can reclaim.Article SourcesOur writers at Discovermagazine.com use peer-reviewed studies and high-quality sources for our articles, and our editors review for scientific accuracy and editorial standards. Review the sources used below for this article:María de los Ángeles Orfila is a science journalist based in Montevideo, Uruguay, focusing on long-form storytelling. Her work has appeared in Discover Magazine, Science, National Geographic, among other outlets, and in leading Uruguayan publications such as El País and El Observador. She was a fellow in the 2023 Sharon Dunwoody Mentoring Program by The Open Notebook and often explores the intersections of science, culture, and Latin American identity.