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SEAWEED BELT HEADED TO FLORIDA
A seaweed belt that is 5,000 miles long is making its way to the shores of south Florida. The Great Atlantic Sargassum Belt has been gradually traveling from West Africa to the Gulf of Mexico. Sargassum is a type of seaweed that's brown and leafy and has what looks like little berries dangling from it. It only becomes a problem when it starts decomposing, because it releases ammonia and hydrogen sulfide that creates a smell similar to rotten eggs.
GRINDR FIGHTS HIV
Grindr is taking more steps to slow the spread of HIV. The popular LGBTQ-plus dating app is distributing free at-home HIV tests to users in the U.S. The app is partnering with the CDC as a part of a new public health initiative called the "together take me home" campaign. To order your test, all you have to do is go to the app's main menu; look for the "free HIV home test" button; put in your info and wait for the test kit to arrive in the mail. The kit itself works by swabbing the gums and takes about 20 minutes to get results.
ADDERALL SHORTAGE
A new report says that the ongoing nationwide shortage of ADHD medication Adderall could pose a national security risk. The report from Democrats on the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee states that new drug shortages increased 30 percent in 2022 from 2021. The shortages are a result of economic factors such as supply chain troubles and over reliance on foreign sources, according to the report. The report highlighted how many drug manufacturers moved overseas in the last several decades because foreign governments offer tax incentives and have lighter regulations.
Albania's Prime Minister Edi Rama says his new Cabinet will include an artificial intelligence “minister” in charge of fighting corruption. The AI, named Diella, will oversee public funding projects and combat corruption in public tenders. Diella was launched earlier this year as a virtual assistant on the government's public service platform. Corruption has been a persistent issue in Albania since 1990. Rama's Socialist Party won a fourth consecutive term in May. It aims to deliver EU membership for Albania in five years, but the opposition Democratic Party remains skeptical.
The Federal Trade Commission has launched an inquiry into several social media and artificial intelligence companies about the potential harms to children and teenagers who use their AI chatbots as companions.
Swedish buy now, pay later company Klarna is making its highly anticipated public debut on the New York Stock Exchange Wednesday, the latest in a run of high-profile initial public offerings this year. The offering priced at $40 Tuesday, above the forecasted range of $35 to $37 a share, valuing the company at more than $15 billion. The valuation easily makes Klarna one of the biggest IPOs so far in 2025, which has been one of the busier years for companies going public. Other popular IPOs so far this year include the design software company Figma and Circle Internet Group, which issues the USDC stablecoin..
Oracle co-founder Larry Ellison wrested the title of the world’s richest man from longtime holder Elon Musk early Wednesday as stock in his software giant rocketed more than a third in a stunning few minutes of trading. That is according to wealth tracker Bloomberg. A college dropout, the 81-year-old Ellison is now worth $393 billion, Bloomberg says, several billion more than Musk, who had been the world’s richest for four years. The switch in the ranking came after a blockbuster earnings report from Oracle. Forbes still has Musk as the richest, however, valuing his private businesses much higher.
Online broker Robinhood Markets will join the S&P 500 index Online broker Robinhood Markets will join the S&P 500 index as its stock rides higher on a cryptocurrency wave.
Ali Kashani, CEO of Serve Robotics, dives into their $63.3M acquisition of Vayu Robotics and how it's accelerating the future of autonomous delivery systems.
