David Lidsky's Blog, page 251

Brain researchers think they can help erase your bad memories

A new paper suggests that it’s possible to weaken our bad memories by reactivating positive ones, but more research is needed.

In the movie Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, science has found a way to erase bad memories. The movie ultimately makes the point that our memories form our identities, and as painful as it is to have bad memories, it’s better to keep them. Whether or not some of us should keep our identities remains unanswered.

Hedge funds bet big on Trump’s second term

U.S. stock-trading hedge funds kicked off the week with gross leverage levels in their highest range since 2010.

Hedge funds have positioned for Donald Trump‘s U.S. presidency with their highest levels of borrowing since 2010, while betting the dollar would continue to rise, according to bank research and industry data.

Milan Fashion Week: Simon Cracker showcases upcycled collection as luxury sector slumps

The Simon Cracker runway critique hits the fashion sector when it’s down, and analysts say, in need of reform.

The independent Italian fashion brand Simon Cracker denounced the luxury fashion system with an upcycled collection previewed during Milan Fashion Week on Sunday that riffed on what they see as bygone days of quality and creativity.

President Trump outlines a frenzy of Day One executive orders and actions: Here’s a list of what to expect

The agenda includes actions on immigration, the military, gender identity, the economy, and renaming the Gulf of Mexico.

President Donald Trump is returning to the White House with an ambitious agenda, which he outlined in a brazen inaugural address after being sworn in as the 47th president of the United States on Monday.

Sheep in Texas are helping the solar industry. It’s mutually beneficial

The proliferation of sheep on solar farms is part of a broader trend—solar grazing—that has exploded alongside the solar industry.

On rural Texas farmland, beneath hundreds of rows of solar panels, a troop of stocky sheep rummage through pasture, casually bumping into one another as they remain committed to a single task: chewing grass.

Some college athletes renew calls to become employees

Athletes.org held a meeting with more than 50 of those players over the weekend leading up to Monday’s CFP national title game between Ohio State and Notre Dame.

The way Kardell Thomas sees things, it wasn’t so much the schools as it was the system that let him down.

Death toll from L.A. fires could end up in the thousands due to toxic smoke

The future health effects of wildfire smoke in a warming world are highly concerning.

The death toll from Los Angeles’ catastrophic wildfires has risen to 24 and is expected to increase further. The 16 direct fatalities from the Eaton Fire alone make it California’s fifth-deadliest wildfire, while the Palisades Fire, with eight deaths, ranks as the state’s 14th-deadliest fire.

How Trump shifted from banning TikTok to saving it

Trump joined TikTok last year and has grown his following to nearly 15 million users—crediting the app for helping him win over young voters.

During his first term as president, Donald Trump led the effort to ban TikTok, the hugely popular video-sharing site he said posed a threat to U.S. national security. But on the eve of his return to the White House, the president-elect is being hailed as the app’s savior.

Donald and Melania Trump meme coins: Prices fall from peak highs as eyebrows rise

Two cryptocurrencies launched before the presidential inauguration raise conflict-of-interest concerns as Trump is sworn in for a second time.

While many presidents-in-waiting may spend the hours before their inauguration finalizing staff and cabinet picks and marshaling support on Capitol Hill, Donald Trump and Melania Trump were up to something else: launching meme cryptocurrencies.

How ‘Severance’ shows the possibilities of cognitive neuroscience

Unfortunately, there are two crucial flaws with the idea that the show’s severance procedure could involve a simple snip to the hippocampus.

Severance, which imagines a world where a person’s work and personal lives are surgically separated, will soon return to Apple TV+ for a second season. While the concept of this gripping piece of science fiction is far-fetched, it touches on some interesting neuroscience. Can a person’s mind really be surgically split in two?