"Alpha-gal syndrome (AGS) is an allergy to mammalian meat (e.g., pork, beef, and lamb), dairy, and by-products; most cases result from lone star tick bites. … In 2022, up to 450,000 persons in the United States were estimated to be affected. … Based on … blood donor samples collected during 2024–2025 from 10 states, the estimated alpha-gal IgE seroprevalence was 24.0% in the five states with the highest seroprevalence (Arkansas, Kentucky, Missouri, Tennessee, and Virginia).”

Scientists discovered one of the most nutrient-dense substances in nature inside an unlikely source: a cockroach. The species, Diploptera punctata, is unusual because it gives birth to live young instead of laying eggs. During development, the embryos are fed a nutrient-rich, milk-like fluid inside the mother’s body. That fluid forms tiny protein crystals in the embryos’ stomachs. When researchers analyzed the crystals, they found a highly concentrated mix of proteins, fats, sugars, and all 9 essential amino acids required in the human diet. The crystals also appear to release energy slowly during digestion, providing a steady supply of nutrients as the embryos grow. The discovery attracted attention after some reports suggested the substance could be more calorie-dense than mammalian milk, including human breast milk. But scientists have not shown that it offers special health benefits for humans, and harvesting it on a large scale would be extremely impractical. Researchers remain interested in the finding because it demonstrates how evolution can produce unexpected biological adaptations even in one of the world’s most disliked insects. Inside this tiny cockroach species, nature developed microscopic nutrient crystals capable of sustaining life during one of the most demanding stages of development. Learn more: "Cockroach Milk: A Promising Superfood or Nothing but Hype?"

GPT-Image 2.5 looks way stronger than previous models in action. Prompt below: Create a single square 1:1 artwork, 2048 × 2048. "SCENE AND COMPOSITION A giant Japanese dragon confronting a lone samurai in a vast windswept grassland. Wide view, fixed low camera, both subjects clearly situated in the same landscape. The dragon dominates the left side; the full-body samurai stands on the right, facing left toward the dragon. Leave a clear gap between them. A low, gently rolling horizon divides the open sky from the dense grassy field. DRAGON An unmistakably reptilian Japanese serpentine dragon with a long coiled body and an elegant S-curving neck. Large overlapping scale plates, broad segmented belly scutes, hard triangular dorsal spines, swept-back antler-like horns and a few long, smooth whiskers. An elongated reptilian skull with visible nostrils, an armored brow and a slightly open jaw showing sharp conical teeth. Powerful clawed forelimbs planted in the grass. Its head angles downward toward the samurai. Completely hairless: no fur, mane, beard, feathers, wolf ears or mammalian muzzle. No wings. Define the body with individual scale plates, never hair-like strokes. SAMURAI A full-body warrior seen from a three-quarter back/profile angle. Traditional kabuto helmet with a crescent crest, menpo mask, layered shoulder guards, intricately laced lamellar armor, divided armored skirt and shin guards. Knees slightly bent, feet firmly planted, torso leaning into a defensive stance. Both hands hold one katana diagonally upward-left between him and the dragon. Long cloth ties stream sideways in the wind. FIELD Dense tall grass fills the foreground and stretches far into the distance. Large bent blades and seed heads near the camera, progressively finer grass toward the horizon. Broad curved bands of leaning grass suggest wind rippling across the entire field. Rich, irregular white scratches describe individual stems against deep black masses. PALETTE AND RENDERING A strictly limited palette of cool dark cherry red, approximately #901C35#, absolute black and near-white. Flat cherry-red sky; the same red appears between grass blades and in the samurai’s cloth ties. Realistic dimensional forms translated into an aggressively thresholded black-and-white xerox print. Crushed black shadows, fractured white highlights, dense stippled dithering, scratched engraving, irregular ink coverage and crunchy, slightly pixelated edges. A gritty photocopied dark-fantasy image, not polished digital painting. Preserve fine detail in scales, armor and grass. No smooth gradients, glossy CGI, clean anime shading, soft lighting, orange-red sky, buildings, trees, mountains, sun, moon, extra characters, duplicate swords, text, logos, borders, panels or watermarks. One complete full-bleed image."