A Massachusetts Institute of Technology study, developed with Oak Ridge National Laboratory, finds artificial intelligence can already perform tasks equivalent to 11.7% of the U.S. workforce, representing $1.2 trillion in annual wages concentrated in finance, healthcare, and professional services. Using the Iceberg Index, a digital twin simulating 151 million workers across 923 occupations, researchers reveal that routine cognitive tasks far from tech hubs face higher replacement risk than visible sectors. “There’s actually a hidden layer of exposure that is five times larger than what we see today,” the study highlights. States including Tennessee and North Carolina are already integrating the tool into future workforce plans, directing reskilling investments with county-level precision and empowering communities to adapt proactively to technological advancement to preserve communities.
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A new study in Pediatrics, analyzing data from over 10,500 U.S. children in the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development Study, links smartphone ownership before age 12 to elevated risks of depression, obesity, and insufficient sleep. The earlier the device arrived, the stronger the associations appeared. Lead author Dr. Ran Barzilay of Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia urges parents to treat a first smartphone as a major health decision: “When you give your kid a phone, you need to think of it as something that is significant for the kid’s health — and behave accordingly.” While the research shows correlation rather than experimentally indicated causation, experts highlight reduced in-person interaction, exercise, and sleep as potential pathways. Researchers and clinicians emphasize practical safeguards, especially keeping devices out of bedrooms at night, offering families actionable ways to protect adolescent well-being in a super-connected world.
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The Lightning Network, Bitcoin’s leading scaling solution for fast and inexpensive payments, is not anonymous by default but can offer substantial privacy when used deliberately, according to researcher Kirubai. Transactions occur off-chain within private payment channels and are routed using onion routing akin to Tor, preventing intermediate nodes from learning the sender, receiver, or full path. Yet, channel openings and closings do remain visible on the Bitcoin blockchain; the network topology is public, and large hubs can harvest metadata. “Your level of anonymity depends heavily on how you use the network,” Kirubai writes. Running one’s own node, opening private channels, avoiding custodial wallets, and using rounded invoice amounts dramatically improve unlinkability. Ongoing upgrades such as PTLCs promise even stronger protections, keeping the vision of scalable, sovereign digital cash alive and steadily advancing.
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Gen Z is enthusiastically embracing rental culture, extending far beyond fashion into strollers, tableware, and everyday items, according to a Business Insider feature from Amanda Hoover. Platforms like Nuuly (now profitably serving 400,000 monthly subscribers), peer-to-peer app Pickle, and BNTO are fueling a $2.6 billion clothing rental market projected to exceed $6 billion within a decade. “For Gen Z, style isn’t just about affordability, it’s about discovery, sustainability, and personal expression,” noted venture firm Notable. Renting has shed its dowdy image; borrowing designer pieces now carries social cachet while aligning with circular-economy values and social-media sharing. One 27-year-old earned over $25,000 lending her wardrobe on Pickle, turning personal style into a kind of passive income. As sharing norms solidify, access is decisively overtaking ownership for an emerging generation.
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