What the science says creatine supplements can, can’t and might do

Science and Health

Creatine has long been popular with male athletes and bodybuilders for building strong muscles. More recently, the supplement has caught the attention of a broader audience.Growing evidence shows that taking creatine also benefits muscle strength in females and older adults. And it might help improve memory, among other possible health benefits.Here’s what the science says.What is creatine?Creatine is a natural substance produced by our kidneys, liver and pancreas. Most of it (95 per cent) is stored in skeletal muscle; about 5 per cent is in the brain. Diet also contributes to our body’s creatine stores. It is found in animal foods, especially red meat, chicken and certain fish such as tuna, salmon, cod and herring.Creatine is used to generate adenosine triphosphate (ATP), a compound that provides on-demand energy for cellular processes, including muscle contraction. During intense exercise, muscles use up ATP very quickly, in just a few seconds. The rate at which the body regenerates ATP, however, isn’t fast enough to allow a person to continually perform high-intensity exercise.Taking supplements to increase muscle creatine stores can, therefore, help you give near-maximum effort for a little longer before fatigue sets in.Performance and muscle gainsSince the early 1990s, a wealth of evidence has established that creatine supplementation, combined with exercise, improves athletic performance.It is effective for activities that involve fast, powerful movements (i.e., bursts of intensity) such as weightlifting, sprinting, jumping, rowing, mountain biking, swimming, soccer, football and basketball. It offers little or no benefit for lower intensity exercise.Since creatine supplementation can allow you to lift heavier weights and do more repetitions, it can help increase muscle mass and muscle strength. Taking it may also improve recovery from intense exercise.Creatine doesn’t work for everyone, though. People with naturally high muscle creatine levels, for example, may not respond to extra creatine the same way those with lower levels do.Most research on creatine and exercise performance has involved young healthy male adults. There is mounting evidence, however, that females can also benefit. Studies show that, together with resistance training, creatine is effective for increasing muscle mass, muscle strength and athletic performance in pre- and post-menopausal females.Creatine supplementation may also counteract sarcopenia – age-related muscle loss – and by doing so improve balance in seniors. Studies conducted in adults aged 65 and older who participate in resistance training have demonstrated that those who take creatine experience greater gains in muscle mass and strength compared with those who do not.Creatine may have cognitive benefitsOur brain is the most ATP-demanding organ. Creatine can help brain cells generate energy, and it may protect the brain by reducing inflammation and oxidative stress.Findings from a review of 16 randomized controlled trials, published in 2023, suggest that the supplement has positive effects on both memory and attention time. It appeared to be more beneficial for females and those aged 18 to 60 years.Creatine is also being studied for its potential beneficial effects on bone density, mood disorders and managing blood glucose in type 2 diabetes, but it’s too soon to draw conclusions.How to take creatineCreatine supplements are typically sold as powders. Look for creatine monohydrate, one the most well-studied supplements overall. (Scientific support for other variations is lacking.)It can be taken by starting with a “loading” dose of 20 grams for five to seven days to quickly saturate muscle stores. A daily dose of three to five grams is then taken to maintain levels.Alternatively, you can simply take three to five grams of creatine a day without loading. This method is equally effective at increasing stores but takes a little longer to do so.A five-gram dose of creatine monohydrate typically costs between 35 and 70 cents, depending on the brand. That’s similar to many multivitamins.Safety, side effectsCreatine monohydrate is considered generally safe and well tolerated. Studies conducted in adults have lasted up to five years. (There’s limited evidence about the safety of creatine supplements in children and adolescents.)Side effects such as bloating, digestive upset and diarrhea may occur initially during the loading phase.People with kidney disease, high blood pressure or liver disease should not take creatine. (It does not harm kidney function in healthy individuals when used at recommended doses.)If you have an underlying illness, consult with your doctor before taking creatine.Leslie Beck, a Toronto-based private practice dietitian, is director of food and nutrition at Medcan. Follow her on Twitter @LeslieBeckRD

Shore United Bank inks contract with Dark Matter Technologies for its mortgage business with the Empower LOS and AIVA AI virtual assistants

Technology

– Shore United pursues implementation to benefit from the enhanced productivity and borrower experience offered by Dark Matter’s solutions -JACKSONVILLE, Fla., Nov. 25, 2024 (SEND2PRESS NEWSWIRE) — Dark Matter Technologies (Dark Matter®), an innovative leader in mortgage technology backed by time-tested loan origination software and leadership, announced today that Shore United Bank (Shore United), a community bank founded in 1876, has selected the Empower ® LOS and select AIVA®AI virtual assistants from Dark Matter to streamline its mortgage lending operations and offer additional support for integrations.
Shore United is a full-service community bank serving customers in Maryland, Delaware and Virginia. The bank began searching for an LOS in 2024 that would offer its team more powerful automation, built-in business intelligence tools and support a broader array of integrations. After careful evaluation, Shore United chose the Empower LOS for its bundled, all-in-one mortgage origination functionality, coupled with AIVA AI virtual assistant solutions from Dark Matter.The Empower LOS takes a task-based approach rather than a linear approach to automating loan production, allowing multiple processes to run concurrently with minimal lender intervention. By tapping employees only as needed to manage exceptions, the Empower LOS streamlines origination workflows, resulting in significant time and cost savings.Under the agreement with Dark Matter, Shore United will use the Empower LOS and the AIVA AI virtual assistant solutions to leapfrog their business beyond their legacy technology and gain a competitive edge with customers.“Shore United has transitioned to a more powerful platform that will propel them into the future, increasing their return on investment through improved productivity and offering price stability as the market picks up speed,” said Dark Matter SVP of Northeast Sales, Pete Micera. “We look forward to supporting Shore United’s expedited implementation timeline so they can begin enjoying the value of our solutions quickly.”“Investing in Dark Matter Technologies is an investment in our customers’ homeownership journeys,” said Corey Galinsky, executive vice president at Shore United. “By adopting the Empower LOS and AIVA AI virtual assistants, we’re embracing cutting-edge technology that will streamline our operations and elevate the experience we deliver to our borrowers. This partnership reinforces our commitment to making the mortgage process smoother and more efficient, helping our customers achieve their homeownership dreams with greater ease and confidence.”About Shore United Bank:Shore United Bank is a full-service community bank with a rich history dating to 1876. We offer innovative banking with the personal touch you expect from a community bank. We are built around the character of our people and committed to the success of our clients, communities, employees, and shareholders. For more information, visit https://www.shoreunitedbank.com/.About Dark Matter Technologies:

18 books to give toddlers, young readers and teens for the holidays

Arts & Culture, Books

Are you looking for the next great book to give to a child in your life? From toddler to YA, The Times has you covered with recent offerings that make for fine gifts and family reads.Among them: Books from Reese Witherspoon, who returns with another captivating “Busy Betty” adventure; Trevor Noah, who delivers an all-ages fable about maternal love and a child’s creativity, and Max Greenfield, who tells the story of the anxious Max, who just can’t fall asleep. Songwriter JD McPherson makes kids laugh with his ode to the holiday’s most dreaded (but useful!) gift, and U.S. Poet Laureate Ada Limón turns her Jupiter-bound poem into a work of wonder for kids of all ages.Exceptional works by noted children’s authors abound here: Teen readers will get lost in novels whose plots take place in settings that include a possible future climate for our planet, an empire under threat, secret locations during World War II, inside the Gothic house of a cult writer, and on the road with a touring musician.The books are a pirate’s chest of treasures for kids, whether they’re being read to by adults, or independent readers seeking laughs and adventure. Panthers and pine cones, ravens, little deer, elephants and dragons offer their company for curious kids, while some of the difficult things about being a youngster are made easier by stories that offer comfort. And mysterious strangers lie behind the doors of an old hotel.Escapades await in these books. (One World) “Into the Uncut Grass”By Trevor Noah (writer) and Sabina Hahn (illustrator)One World: 128 pages, $26Trevor Noah, the former “Daily Show” host and memoirist, worked in close collaboration with Hahn to bring to life a modern fable about obligations and adventures and familial love. A little boy and his bear, Walter, resent Saturday morning chores. They decide to run away into an enchanted land where magical creatures provide entertainment but also life lessons on choices and the people who love us. Inspired by his own childhood struggles with his mother’s rules, Noah offers this book in recognition of all that she taught him. Peter Sis wonderfully illustrates the new children’s book from Poet Laureate Ada Limón. (Norton Young Readers) (Norton Young Readers) “In Praise of Mystery”By Ada Limón (writer) and Peter Sis (illustrator)Norton Young Readers; 32 pages, $19In October, NASA launched the Europa Clipper to explore Jupiter and its moons. America’s poet laureate, the incandescent Ada Limón, was asked to write a poem that would be inscribed on the spacecraft. Now, accompanied by stellar illustrations from Peter Sis, it has been issued as a children’s book. A soothing story to send little ones on their sleep journeys. Poonam Mistry’s stunning picture book “The Midnight Panther” tells the story of a big black cat that awfully feels plain next to his striped and spotted cousins. (Candlewick Press) (Candlewick Press) “The Midnight Panther”By Poonam MistryCandlewick Press; 48 pages, $19In one of the fall’s most delightful picture books, a sad black panther feels unseen and unloved because he is so plain next to his big cat cousins’ stripes and spots. But the moon illuminates the secret of his own beauty, and teaches Panther to love himself. Mistry’s illustrations provide multiple patterns of light and color for kids to explore. A stunningly beautiful book. James Serafino’s illustrations bring to life “Good Night Thoughts,” the new children’s book by Max Greenfield. (Penguin Random House) (Penguin Random House) “Good Night Thoughts”By Max Greenfield (writer) and James Serafino (illustrator)G.P. Putnam’s Sons Books for Young Readers; 32 pages, $19If you, or a child in your life, are plagued by running thoughts that prevent you from going to sleep, this book by “New Girl” actor Max Greenfield is for both of you. James Serafino’s art crowds the first pages as Greenfield’s character gallops behind his anxious brain. But as the little boy practices skills for calming himself, shades of blue accompany him into sleep. (Flamingo Books) “Busy Betty & the Perfect Christmas Present”By Reese Witherspoon (writer) and Xindi Yan (illustrator)Flamingo Books; 40 pages, $20Reese Witherspoon continues her popular “Busy Betty” series with this Christmas sugary goodness. When Betty discovers she has no money to buy gifts for her family, she and best friend, Mae, decide to convert their lemonade stand into a cookie stand. When Frank the dog gets into the Christmas spirit, mayhem ensues, and Betty uses her problem-solving skills for a perfect solution. Yan’s illustrations capture Busy Betty’s energy. (Orca Book Publishers) “Raven Gets Tricked”By Andrea FritzOrca Books: 32 pages, $22Spaal’ the Raven and Smuy the little deer are neighbors who live next to the Salish Sea. The little deer struggles to find food as winter approaches, and her raven friend refuses to share its bounty. In this tale accompanied by her own gorgeous illustrations, Fritz presents children with a common problem: How do any of us get our friends to share? Smuy offers a clever exchange to Spaal’, and this comic tale is inspired by the Pacific Northwest’s Coast Salish culture. (Candlewick Press) “A Voice in the Storm”By Karl James MountfordCandlewick Press; 40 pages, $19Mountford captures the inexpressibility of emotions when one is small. In this forest fable, Rat panics when her friend Jackdaw sees that she is sad and runs off into the woods just as a huge storm moves in. Rat nearly comes to harm, but then encounters Bear, who offers company while they wait out the thunder. As Bear helps her talk about her fears, Rat gains the courage to tell her friends about her scary feelings.“Grampy’s Chair”By Rebecca Thomas (writer) and Coco Apunnguaq Lynge (illustrator)Annick Press; 40 pages, $19The holidays are a time for family joy, but they can also bring fresh pain for those who’ve lost a loved one in the previous year. Thomas and Lynge combine to illustrate loss as told by Grampy’s chair. The chair watches over “My Love,” the little girl who misses the grandfather who treasured her. The tale moves from the loneliness of a young girl’s grief into her pleasures provided by memories and the embrace of a chair that continues to hold her as she grows. (Candlewick Press) “Socks: A Kid’s Christmas Lament”By JD McPherson (writer) and Anika Orrock (illustrator)Walker Books US; 40 pages, $16Songwriter JD McPherson worked with Anika Orrock to craft this fun holiday read about gift-list expectations. A little kid who sneaks down the stairs early Christmas morning launches into a funny rant when he discovers socks. But as the sun comes up and he notices his family gathering around the tree, he sees that maybe socks make a great gift after all. An illustrated spread from Devin Elle Kurtz’s book “The Bakery Dragon.” (Devin Elle Kurtz) (Courtesy of Devin Elle Kurtz) “The Bakery Dragon”By Devin Elle KurtzAlfred A. Knopf Books for Young Readers; 48 pages, $19Ember the tiny dragon wishes to be like the other dragons, who all possess hoards of gold that they guard with their great fire-breathing strength. One night, a new type of gold attracts his attention. It’s the golden pastries and breads within the shop of a kind-hearted baker. Milk and cookies will make a great accompaniment for those sharing this tale full of Kurtz’s delectable illustrations of baked goods and the sweet lessons Ember learns about kindness. (Candlewick Press) “A Pinecone!”By Helen YoonCandlewick Press: 32 pages, $19Going for a walk with a child is to discover a whole world that you no longer see. Yoon captures the comedy as a little girl focuses all of her attention on picking up pine cones while in the background chaos, her dad struggles to control a rambunctious, muddy dog. Daddy’s attention on the dog means that he fails to notice just how many pine cones a determined little girl can find. Yoon’s story is pure joy. (Candlewick Press) “When the Stammer Came to Stay”By Maggie O’Farrell (writer) and Daniela Jaglenka Terrazzini (illustrator)Walker Books US; 72 pages, $19American readers may know O’Farrell best for her Women’s Fiction Prize for 2020’s “Hamnet”. Although she has written previous books for children, this is her most personal. Warmly illustrated by Terrazzini, it’s the tale of Min and Bea, two sisters who go in search of answers. Min entertains her family with her stories, but when she develops a stammer, she retreats. O’Farrell teaches children how to accommodate the differences that are a part of all of us. (Candlewick Press) “The Hotel Balzaar”By Kate DiCamillo (writer) and Júlia Sardà (illustrator)Candlewick Press; 160 pages, $18Two-time Newberry winner DiCamillo returns with this delightful story about Marta, who lives at the titular hotel. Her mother works in housekeeping, and Marta spends her days talking to guests and roaming the halls. When she meets the countess and Blitzkopf the parrot, the magical stories she hears helps her to solve a painful mystery. Black-and-white drawings by Sardà create a Gothic atmosphere.“Heir”By Sabaa TahirG.P. Putnam’s Sons Books for Young Readers; 512 pages, $22National Book Award winner Tahir garnered a vast teen audience with her “An Ember in the Ashes” fantasy series. In “Heir” she returns to the same world to tell a new story. The journeys of Aiz, Sirsha and Quil — an orphan, an outcast and a prince — intertwine as they confront evil. In search of a killer who preys on children and is the scourge of the Empire, they must each overcome individual challenges and brave life-threatening danger against the forces of power and greed. This is another page-turning fantasy thriller from a star writer.“The Bletchley Riddle”By Ruta Sepetys and Steven SteinkinViking Books for Young Readers; 400 pages, $19Bletchley House, the secret location of Britain’s World War II code-breaking team led by Alan Turing, is the setting for this exciting historical fiction novel co-written by Sepetys and Steinkin about Jakob Novis, a 19-year-old who works on the campus, and his 14-year-old sister Lizzie. While Jakob bends his brain cracking codes, Lizzie is immersed in her own puzzle: What has become of Wilma, their mother, last seen in Poland? Riddles upon riddles drive the plot forward, and as Nazi bombs rain down on England, can Lizzie and Jakob save all that they love?“Under All the Lights”By Maya AmeyawAnnick Press; 320 pages, $20Ollie Cheriet is living out his dreams of stardom after one of his songs goes viral. Sent out on a music tour and offered a record deal that would help his financially challenged family, he should be on top of the world, but anxiety and stage fright create seemingly insurmountable barriers for the young performer. He finds companionship with his touring partner, Jesse. As his relationship with Jesse grows, he is confronted by homophobic fans and the burden of fame while he explores his bisexuality. (St. Martin’s Press) “Dust”By Alison StineWednesday Books; 320 pages, $20Stine’s adult novels have brilliantly imagined climate futures. Her first YA title continues these themes through the eyes of Thea, whose family farms in drought-stricken Colorado. Home-schooled by her parents, Thea, who like Stine is hard of hearing, is further isolated by her parents’ refusal to adapt to her disability. With the farm failing, Thea gets a job at a cafe where she meets Ray, who uses sign language because of his own deafness. Stine has penned a compelling novel about love and a world decoded with new language. (Random House) “Darkly”By Marisha PesslDelacort Press; 416 pages; $20Pessl burst upon the adult literary scene with her debut, “Special Topics in Calamity Physics,” her ubersmart twisty murder novel. “Darkly” is a YA ubersmart twisty novel about a group of teenagers chosen to find a beloved late author’s missing manuscript. Isolated on an island off the English coast where the author had lived in a labyrinthine mansion, the teens must work together while competing separately for a life-changing amount of money. This is the book that will keep teens reading far into the night. More to Read

Column: ‘Wicked’ box office proves Hollywood needs to take family films seriously again

Arts & Culture, Film & TV

Everyone is wondering if “Glicked,” the potentially record-breaking, industry-lifting pre-Thanksgiving combination of “Wicked” and “Gladiator II,” will be this year’s “Barbenheimer,” the record-breaking, industry-lifting summertime combination of “Barbie” and “Oppenheimer.”Could be. Hope so. But it’s hard not to think that everyone is missing the point. Because Hollywood’s future doesn’t depend on who’s going to see both films on the same day. It depends on who’s going to see “Wicked” in the same row. Sharing Twizzlers and a tub of popcorn.Families.Double-feature combos are certainly a novel and fun way to engage audiences and goose the box office, and I would never disrespect the Oscar-winning “Oppenheimer,” which did amazingly well with audiences given its serious biopic genre. For its part, “Gladiator II” certainly looks like a gas.But it was “Barbie,” and now “Wicked,” that put a serious number of butts in seats: Universal Pictures’ musical adaptation earned $114 million at the domestic box office this weekend, leading the $55.5-million take of Paramount’s swords-and-sandals epic. And it will be “Moana 2” that continues to do so over Thanksgiving weekend, if its predicted $125-million opening comes to fruition. Not the R-rated, demographically targeted projects but the big, festive movies that the whole family can enjoy.“Something the whole family can enjoy” used to be a selling point. Now, in a time of targeted demographics, when Hollywood has decided that an R rating is all but required for a film to be considered “important,” it’s become a joke. Calling something that is not made by Pixar/Disney “family friendly” makes it immediately uncool and definitely unsexy. For all that they love to tout the elusive “four-quadrant” productions, most studios are not going out of their way to make family-friendly films these days. At least not those that exist outside the MCU.And yet “Wicked,” like “Barbie” and this summer’s big hit, “Inside Out 2,” has played to enormous audiences across all kinds of demographics, not to mention generations, and no doubt included loads of families. (Who, if early accounts are an indication, were prepared to sing along with many of the songs, to the consternation of those who were not.)If Hollywood really wants to make a comeback, it needs to take this lesson to heart: If you want to sell a bunch of tickets and popcorn, families are the ultimate consumer group. For good reason.Streaming may have taken over the world, but believe me when I say parents want to take their children, of all ages, to the movies. If your kids are small, it offers the rare opportunity to do something they will enjoy while you get to sit down, without argument or constant demands, for two hours. Bliss! If you like the movie, even better.If your kids are teens or young adults, movies offer the increasingly rare opportunity to share an experience in which everyone is fully engaged — unlike with home movie nights, dining out or virtually any group activity, cellphone usage is prohibited in movie theaters. Although complaints about bad behavior in cinemas may be on the rise, it’s still likelier here than anywhere that you can experience the joy of movie viewing without feeling compelled to ask, after noting the illuminated phone and bowed head of your child, “Are you even watching this?” They are, because that is the only thing they can do. And then, at least for the drive home, you all have something to talk about that does not require you to explain how people used to navigate entire cities without the benefit of an app or them to show you what they mean by playing something on TikTok.Once again you have, if only temporarily, a shared language. Amazing!And more than any other patrons, families — by which I mean any group that includes at least two generations, the elder of whom is paying — see the moviegoing experience as an outing, which means snacks are a given.Once you’ve gone to the trouble of finding the time everyone is free, arguing over seats, buying the tickets and getting everyone to the theater on time, a parent (or grandparent or aunt or older brother) is not going to draw the line at getting this one a hot dog and that one a slushy. Nope, this is now officially a mini-holiday, so pretzel bites and Skittles all around. (And with “Wicked,” purchasers can console themselves with how much cheaper even the most concession-heavy film experience is when compared with seeing the stage version.)So why, in an industry struggling to sustain its bricks-and-mortar business model in a digital world, are there so few films the whole family can enjoy?Once upon a time, there were four-quadrant films in virtually every genre. Oh, for the golden years of the “Harry Potter” franchise, which, in its first three years, overlapped with “The Lord of the Rings.” Long will I remember the wonders of 2005, which included family-friendly hits like “Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire,” “The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe,” “Batman Begins,” “Mr. & Mrs. Smith,” “Madagascar,” “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory,” “The Corpse Bride,” “King Kong,” “Nanny McPhee,” “Robots,” “Sky High,” “Zathura: A Space Adventure,” “Hoodwinked!” “Wallace & Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit,” “The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants” and, of course, the enduring classic “The Adventures of Sharkboy and Lavagirl in 3-D.”Our family practically lived in the cinema that year.This is not an argument against sex, violence, mature themes or whatever bags the R rating for a given movie. That same year gave us “Brokeback Mountain,” “Memoirs of a Geisha,” “The Constant Gardener,” “Cinderella Man,” “A History of Violence,” “The 40 Year-Old Virgin,” “Wedding Crashers,” “Pride and Prejudice” and plenty of other fine, sophisticated, adult movies.But with the notable exception of superhero movies, Hollywood seems increasingly willing to throw the baby, or at least the 8-year-old, out with the bathwater.So while it’s clever to marry, and cross-promote, films as different as “Barbie” and “Oppenheimer” or “Wicked” and “Gladiator II,” let’s not lose sight of which films draw the bigger audiences. To paraphrase another movie that drew multiple generations to the multiplex: If you build it, they will come. Especially if they can bring the kids. More to Read

Hopes, fears and uncertainty: life scientists react to Trump’s election victory

Science and Health

Donald Trump will take office on 20 January 2025.Credit: Chip Somodevilla/GettyThe re-election of Donald Trump as US president raises the prospect of big changes in US science, in terms of policy, funding and research. Nature asked six life scientists which priorities they’d like to see the administration focus on once Trump takes office in January next year.AMANDER CLARK: Support education and reproductive careAmander Clark implores Donald Trump to not dismantle the Department of Education.Credit: Don LiebigPolicy promises that president-elect Donald Trump made on his campaign trail stand to affect my professional life greatly — both as a professor at a public university and a principal investigator of a stem-cell laboratory. Now that the election is over, I am eager to learn which of those promises will come to fruition.On the topic of education, I would urge Trump to not dismantle the Department of Education, as he has proposed. Instead, he should consider ways to enable students to attend university without going into debt — for instance, expanding funding for federal Pell grants, which are awarded to students in financial need. At the University of California, Los Angeles, where I work, we are committed to supporting first-generation college students and under-represented populations to provide them with the tools that are needed for success.How the world will weather Trump’s withdrawal from global agreementsOn science funding, I would implore the incoming president to raise funding for the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to a level that is consistent with the cost of doing science. After the last increase to the NIH budget in 2023, funding levels were 1.8% less than they were 20 years ago, when adjusted for inflation (see go.nature.com/3uvk5rr). Asking scientists to do more with less stifles creativity and poses a threat to the United States’ position as a world leader in biomedical research and innovation.And, finally, on reproductive health and science, I urge Trump to support basic research. For too long, federal policies have restricted the ability of scientists to develop technologies that can improve fertility care, and to research ways to expand contraceptive choices, eliminate reproductive diseases and promote healthy reproductive ageing. As a result, individuals and their families remain burdened by unaffordable and inaccessible reproductive treatments, including in vitro fertilization (IVF).In October, Trump recognized the value and importance of IVF to millions of Americans. I hope he will prioritize policies that will expand access to reproductive care and IVF and guarantee that this care is available for all.ERIC TOPOL: Embrace medical AIEric Topol hopes that the incoming administration can provide funding for artificial-intelligence technology to help transform US health care.Credit: Scripps ResearchHealth care in the United States is remarkably inefficient and is plagued by millions of serious diagnostic errors each year. It has a lack of clinicians, pervasive inequities and the worst outcomes of any rich country for life expectancy and maternal and infant mortality.Yet, we are on the brink of a seismic shift. Soon, it will be possible to use multimodal artificial intelligence (AI) to integrate all of a person’s data into one model — their electronic health record, laboratory tests, genome, social determinants of health, environmental exposures and more. The incoming Trump administration should provide financial backing for this technology, to accelerate AI’s transformation of US health care.Scientists must hold President Trump to account with courage and unityUnimodal AI, which analyses just one data type, has already been shown to significantly improve the accuracy with which physicians can interpret medical data, such as scans and pathology samples (E. J. Topol Nature Med. 25, 44–56; 2019). It can also substantially reduce the time that physicians need to spend on administrative work — such as dealing with insurance companies and note taking — so that they have more time to focus on patient engagement and care.Multimodal AI models, which integrate several data types, have the potential to do much more. For instance, it’s hoped that they will enable more-accurate diagnoses. These tools will use technologies such as digital twins — virtual models of a person — to optimize treatments and outcomes. They will be capable of personalized medical forecasting, helping to prevent age-related diseases. These models might also reduce the need for hospital stays by enabling people to be monitored remotely.The opportunities that lie ahead are extraordinary — improved efficiency, productivity, accuracy and outcomes and hugely reduced health-care costs. Still, more testing in real-world medical settings is needed. This clinical research is essential not only to validate AI models and fulfil regulatory requirements, but also to work out how multimodal AI can be used in ways that preserve an individual’s privacy and security, avoid bias and reduce health inequities. The government should make such work a priority.HANK GREELY: Protect patientsHank Greely is concerned that Donald Trump’s proposed budget cuts could decimate biomedical research.Credit: Eleanor GreelyI work on ethical, legal and social issues arising from the biosciences. The Trump administration’s top priority in this area should be to reassure people that the federal government will continue to support bioscience research, while maintaining the regulations needed to avoid exploitation of — and harm to — consumers and people receiving care. Uncertainty about what is to come, fed by statements such as Robert F. Kennedy Jr’s message that the “FDA’s war on public health is about to end,” can cause great damage even if threatened actions are not implemented. It can demoralize those who seek to improve public health, encourage people to retire or change careers and devastate public confidence in scientifically proven medical and public-health measures.‘We need to be ready for a new world’: scientists globally react to Trump electionI have three main concerns about the incoming administration’s effects on bioscience and medicine.First, some people in its coalition could attempt to ban or restrict some useful things that they consider to be immoral — including fetal tissue research, embryo research, discarding of IVF embryos, preimplantation genetic testing to select healthier embryos, interstate transportation of abortion pills and more.Second, the administration might decide to protect company profits over the interests of people receiving medical care and consumers, and as a consequence it could gut regulations that protect people by preventing the sale of harmful or ineffective drugs, medical devices, nutritional supplements and a broad range of other unproven practices. The administration has the power not only to change an array of laws and regulations, but also to cripple the agencies, such as the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), that enforce them.Third, it could decimate biomedical research if Trump’s administration really makes huge cuts in the federal budget — even if those cuts fall short of the US$2 trillion that Elon Musk says could be slashed. This would mean a slowdown in the research of life-improving and life-saving innovations — at least in the United States — not immediately, but inevitably, and soon. US health statistics are already bad enough; the new president shouldn’t act to make them worse. I will be (pleasantly) shocked if the incoming administration avoids that result.SALIM S. ABDOOL KARIM & QUARRAISHA ABDOOL KARIM: Prepare for the next pandemicQuarraisha Abdool Karim and Salim S. Abdool Karim urge Trump to fund pandemic prevention.Credit: Elana SchilzThe world has seen first hand how pandemics can affect livelihoods and derail even the best-laid economic plans. In our view, three current epidemics have pandemic potential: AIDS, mpox and antimicrobial-resistant organisms. Respiratory pathogens such as influenza, along with coronaviruses and resurgent, vaccine-preventable measles, are also cause for concern, as highlighted by the World Health Organization (WHO; see go.nature.com/4fvcj22).Combating these pandemic threats will require a worldwide effort, in which the United States should have a leading role. We urge the incoming Trump administration to invest in pandemic prevention, preparedness and response, in the United States and globally.What Trump’s election win could mean for AI, climate and healthFirst, the administration should provide more funding to the WHO, especially its Health Emergencies Programme. This would help the WHO to undertake effective pathogen surveillance around the world, generate information about possible future pandemics and deploy teams that can respond to emerging pandemic threats across the world — a key line of defence.Second, it should support the US Office of Pandemic Preparedness and Response Policy, which was established in 2023 to advise the president and ensure that the United States can respond to a pandemic threat effectively. In practice, this means giving the office the necessary funding, authority and autonomy to develop evidence-based plans.Third, the administration should ensure that the US President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) and the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria are financially supported in their aim of ending AIDS as a public-health threat by 2030 — one of the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals. George W. Bush’s administration demonstrated bold leadership in creating PEPFAR in 2003. The programme needs secure support up to 2030, at least, to build on its global gains and complete its mission.The incoming administration has articulated bold economic plans — but these could be at risk if a pandemic emerges. The best time to stop a pandemic is before it becomes one.RAMANAN LAXMINARAYAN: Be smarter with antibioticsRamanan Laxminarayan advocates for improving access to effective antibiotics.Credit: Ramanan LaxminarayanIn Trump’s first presidency, much progress was made in biomedical sciences. NIH funding grew by nearly one-third in nominal terms, for instance — I don’t see funding decreasing significantly in the coming years.And consider Operation Warp Speed. This public–private partnership, initiated in May 2020, incentivized pharmaceutical companies to take risks to expedite the development of vaccines, therapeutics and diagnostics to fight COVID-19.The issue of antimicrobial resistance is particularly close to my heart, owing to my work with the One Health Trust, which is a public-health organization that addresses the interconnected world of humans, animals and environmental health. In my view, the first Trump administration gave this issue no more or less attention than the preceding or succeeding Democratic administrations.This time around, improving access to effective antibiotics — both in the United States and globally — should be the single biggest priority for the incoming administration.Drug-resistant pathogens don’t respect country borders. So it is in the United States’ best interests to ensure that, around the world, antibiotics are used only when appropriate. A programme on the scale of PEPFAR could improve diagnostics, surveillance of antibiotic-resistant microbes and guidance around antibiotic use in low- and lower-middle-income countries in Africa and Asia. Funding for the development of AI and other digital tools could enhance the usability of point-of-care diagnostics, and ensure that the correct antibiotics are used in the correct situations and in the best ways.Financing access to antibiotics globally could help small US biotechnology companies that make these drugs to survive and thrive. This, in turn, will benefit people in the United States who desperately need new antibiotics, because the companies will have more money available for drug development.We sometimes — incorrectly — equate impact with spending. For less than US$1 billion dollars a year, the US government could transform access to existing and new antibiotics worldwide.

Hopes, fears and uncertainty: life scientists react to Trump’s election victory

Science and Health

Donald Trump will take office on 20 January 2025.Credit: Chip Somodevilla/GettyThe re-election of Donald Trump as US president raises the prospect of big changes in US science, in terms of policy, funding and research. Nature asked six life scientists which priorities they’d like to see the administration focus on once Trump takes office in January next year.AMANDER CLARK: Support education and reproductive careAmander Clark implores Donald Trump to not dismantle the Department of Education.Credit: Don LiebigPolicy promises that president-elect Donald Trump made on his campaign trail stand to affect my professional life greatly — both as a professor at a public university and a principal investigator of a stem-cell laboratory. Now that the election is over, I am eager to learn which of those promises will come to fruition.On the topic of education, I would urge Trump to not dismantle the Department of Education, as he has proposed. Instead, he should consider ways to enable students to attend university without going into debt — for instance, expanding funding for federal Pell grants, which are awarded to students in financial need. At the University of California, Los Angeles, where I work, we are committed to supporting first-generation college students and under-represented populations to provide them with the tools that are needed for success.How the world will weather Trump’s withdrawal from global agreementsOn science funding, I would implore the incoming president to raise funding for the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to a level that is consistent with the cost of doing science. After the last increase to the NIH budget in 2023, funding levels were 1.8% less than they were 20 years ago, when adjusted for inflation (see go.nature.com/3uvk5rr). Asking scientists to do more with less stifles creativity and poses a threat to the United States’ position as a world leader in biomedical research and innovation.And, finally, on reproductive health and science, I urge Trump to support basic research. For too long, federal policies have restricted the ability of scientists to develop technologies that can improve fertility care, and to research ways to expand contraceptive choices, eliminate reproductive diseases and promote healthy reproductive ageing. As a result, individuals and their families remain burdened by unaffordable and inaccessible reproductive treatments, including in vitro fertilization (IVF).In October, Trump recognized the value and importance of IVF to millions of Americans. I hope he will prioritize policies that will expand access to reproductive care and IVF and guarantee that this care is available for all.ERIC TOPOL: Embrace medical AIEric Topol hopes that the incoming administration can provide funding for artificial-intelligence technology to help transform US health care.Credit: Scripps ResearchHealth care in the United States is remarkably inefficient and is plagued by millions of serious diagnostic errors each year. It has a lack of clinicians, pervasive inequities and the worst outcomes of any rich country for life expectancy and maternal and infant mortality.Yet, we are on the brink of a seismic shift. Soon, it will be possible to use multimodal artificial intelligence (AI) to integrate all of a person’s data into one model — their electronic health record, laboratory tests, genome, social determinants of health, environmental exposures and more. The incoming Trump administration should provide financial backing for this technology, to accelerate AI’s transformation of US health care.Scientists must hold President Trump to account with courage and unityUnimodal AI, which analyses just one data type, has already been shown to significantly improve the accuracy with which physicians can interpret medical data, such as scans and pathology samples (E. J. Topol Nature Med. 25, 44–56; 2019). It can also substantially reduce the time that physicians need to spend on administrative work — such as dealing with insurance companies and note taking — so that they have more time to focus on patient engagement and care.Multimodal AI models, which integrate several data types, have the potential to do much more. For instance, it’s hoped that they will enable more-accurate diagnoses. These tools will use technologies such as digital twins — virtual models of a person — to optimize treatments and outcomes. They will be capable of personalized medical forecasting, helping to prevent age-related diseases. These models might also reduce the need for hospital stays by enabling people to be monitored remotely.The opportunities that lie ahead are extraordinary — improved efficiency, productivity, accuracy and outcomes and hugely reduced health-care costs. Still, more testing in real-world medical settings is needed. This clinical research is essential not only to validate AI models and fulfil regulatory requirements, but also to work out how multimodal AI can be used in ways that preserve an individual’s privacy and security, avoid bias and reduce health inequities. The government should make such work a priority.HANK GREELY: Protect patientsHank Greely is concerned that Donald Trump’s proposed budget cuts could decimate biomedical research.Credit: Eleanor GreelyI work on ethical, legal and social issues arising from the biosciences. The Trump administration’s top priority in this area should be to reassure people that the federal government will continue to support bioscience research, while maintaining the regulations needed to avoid exploitation of — and harm to — consumers and people receiving care. Uncertainty about what is to come, fed by statements such as Robert F. Kennedy Jr’s message that the “FDA’s war on public health is about to end,” can cause great damage even if threatened actions are not implemented. It can demoralize those who seek to improve public health, encourage people to retire or change careers and devastate public confidence in scientifically proven medical and public-health measures.‘We need to be ready for a new world’: scientists globally react to Trump electionI have three main concerns about the incoming administration’s effects on bioscience and medicine.First, some people in its coalition could attempt to ban or restrict some useful things that they consider to be immoral — including fetal tissue research, embryo research, discarding of IVF embryos, preimplantation genetic testing to select healthier embryos, interstate transportation of abortion pills and more.Second, the administration might decide to protect company profits over the interests of people receiving medical care and consumers, and as a consequence it could gut regulations that protect people by preventing the sale of harmful or ineffective drugs, medical devices, nutritional supplements and a broad range of other unproven practices. The administration has the power not only to change an array of laws and regulations, but also to cripple the agencies, such as the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), that enforce them.Third, it could decimate biomedical research if Trump’s administration really makes huge cuts in the federal budget — even if those cuts fall short of the US$2 trillion that Elon Musk says could be slashed. This would mean a slowdown in the research of life-improving and life-saving innovations — at least in the United States — not immediately, but inevitably, and soon. US health statistics are already bad enough; the new president shouldn’t act to make them worse. I will be (pleasantly) shocked if the incoming administration avoids that result.SALIM S. ABDOOL KARIM & QUARRAISHA ABDOOL KARIM: Prepare for the next pandemicQuarraisha Abdool Karim and Salim S. Abdool Karim urge Trump to fund pandemic prevention.Credit: Elana SchilzThe world has seen first hand how pandemics can affect livelihoods and derail even the best-laid economic plans. In our view, three current epidemics have pandemic potential: AIDS, mpox and antimicrobial-resistant organisms. Respiratory pathogens such as influenza, along with coronaviruses and resurgent, vaccine-preventable measles, are also cause for concern, as highlighted by the World Health Organization (WHO; see go.nature.com/4fvcj22).Combating these pandemic threats will require a worldwide effort, in which the United States should have a leading role. We urge the incoming Trump administration to invest in pandemic prevention, preparedness and response, in the United States and globally.What Trump’s election win could mean for AI, climate and healthFirst, the administration should provide more funding to the WHO, especially its Health Emergencies Programme. This would help the WHO to undertake effective pathogen surveillance around the world, generate information about possible future pandemics and deploy teams that can respond to emerging pandemic threats across the world — a key line of defence.Second, it should support the US Office of Pandemic Preparedness and Response Policy, which was established in 2023 to advise the president and ensure that the United States can respond to a pandemic threat effectively. In practice, this means giving the office the necessary funding, authority and autonomy to develop evidence-based plans.Third, the administration should ensure that the US President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) and the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria are financially supported in their aim of ending AIDS as a public-health threat by 2030 — one of the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals. George W. Bush’s administration demonstrated bold leadership in creating PEPFAR in 2003. The programme needs secure support up to 2030, at least, to build on its global gains and complete its mission.The incoming administration has articulated bold economic plans — but these could be at risk if a pandemic emerges. The best time to stop a pandemic is before it becomes one.RAMANAN LAXMINARAYAN: Be smarter with antibioticsRamanan Laxminarayan advocates for improving access to effective antibiotics.Credit: Ramanan LaxminarayanIn Trump’s first presidency, much progress was made in biomedical sciences. NIH funding grew by nearly one-third in nominal terms, for instance — I don’t see funding decreasing significantly in the coming years.And consider Operation Warp Speed. This public–private partnership, initiated in May 2020, incentivized pharmaceutical companies to take risks to expedite the development of vaccines, therapeutics and diagnostics to fight COVID-19.The issue of antimicrobial resistance is particularly close to my heart, owing to my work with the One Health Trust, which is a public-health organization that addresses the interconnected world of humans, animals and environmental health. In my view, the first Trump administration gave this issue no more or less attention than the preceding or succeeding Democratic administrations.This time around, improving access to effective antibiotics — both in the United States and globally — should be the single biggest priority for the incoming administration.Drug-resistant pathogens don’t respect country borders. So it is in the United States’ best interests to ensure that, around the world, antibiotics are used only when appropriate. A programme on the scale of PEPFAR could improve diagnostics, surveillance of antibiotic-resistant microbes and guidance around antibiotic use in low- and lower-middle-income countries in Africa and Asia. Funding for the development of AI and other digital tools could enhance the usability of point-of-care diagnostics, and ensure that the correct antibiotics are used in the correct situations and in the best ways.Financing access to antibiotics globally could help small US biotechnology companies that make these drugs to survive and thrive. This, in turn, will benefit people in the United States who desperately need new antibiotics, because the companies will have more money available for drug development.We sometimes — incorrectly — equate impact with spending. For less than US$1 billion dollars a year, the US government could transform access to existing and new antibiotics worldwide.

Books We Love is back for 2024: Share your favorite reads published this year

Arts & Culture, Books

Fellow book lovers, it’s time for the second annual Books We Love and we want you to help us curate!Your recommendations will help us create an inventory that other bibliophiles can use to discover new and exciting books. Here’s the 2023 Books We Love archive, created by readers just like you.Want to submit a book recommendation? Here are the guidelines:First, pick a book that was published in 2024. Sorry, no books you read and loved in 2024 if they’re not new. (We’re trying to stay hip, alright?) We’re interested in anything from non-fiction, to cookbooks, to graphic novels. As long as it was published in 2024, we want to hear about it.Next, write a short, 3-6 sentence recommendation (example below). You don’t have to sound like an expert critic. Just talk about the book like you’re convincing a friend to read it. You’ll find the form to submit your recommendation below.Then, you’re done!The deadline for submissions is Wednesday, Dec. 11.Example book recommendation, from NPR’s Books We LoveWe are a Haunting is written so vividly that it’s almost vibrating. In this multigenerational family epic, East New York – with all of its sounds, smells and pulsing sensations – feels almost as alive as the people who inhabit it. But it is, of course, the people who bring so much heart, pain, strangeness and beauty to this story. The family at its center is blessed with an otherworldly gift to connect with both the living and dead – an ability that brings surreal layers to a very real-world struggle: trying to hold on to home and community in a city that is continually crushing and displacing some of its longest-standing residents.— Leah Donnella, senior editor, Code Switch#familymatters #identityandculture #scifiandfantasy

Top 10 Southeast Asia’s Universities for Interdisciplinary Science Research in 2025

Science and Health

Top 10 Southeast Asia’s Universities for Interdisciplinary Science Research in 2025

Times Higher Education has released a ranking of the best universities for interdisciplinary research.
The ranking methodology assesses three main areas, namely input (funding), process (measures of success, facilities, administrative support, and promotion), and output (publications, research quality, and reputation).
In the top 10 in Southeast Asia, the National University of Singapore ranks first, while Indonesian universities such as IPB University, University of Indonesia and Sepuluh Nopember Institute of Technology are also included.
Check out the infographic above for more details!

Top 10 Southeast Asia’s Universities for Interdisciplinary Science Research in 2025

Science and Health

Top 10 Southeast Asia’s Universities for Interdisciplinary Science Research in 2025

Times Higher Education has released a ranking of the best universities for interdisciplinary research.
The ranking methodology assesses three main areas, namely input (funding), process (measures of success, facilities, administrative support, and promotion), and output (publications, research quality, and reputation).
In the top 10 in Southeast Asia, the National University of Singapore ranks first, while Indonesian universities such as IPB University, University of Indonesia and Sepuluh Nopember Institute of Technology are also included.
Check out the infographic above for more details!