Friday headlines: Hot priest summer
HHS says there won’t be an autism registry, walking back NIH Director Jay Bhattacharya’s controversial announcement from earlier this week. / STAT
As government and fringe groups—kind of the same thing right now—promote the pseudoscience of eugenics, geneticists must take a stand. / Nature
The Dept. of Government Efficiency is anything but: “Firings, re-hirings, lost productivity and paid leave of thousands of workers will cost upward of $135 billion.” / The New York Times [+]
See also: By marking nearly four million people dead in SSA databases—without evidence—DOGE shattered the financial lives of many who are very much alive. / The Daily Beast
China is exploring the possibility of building a nuclear power plant on the moon by 2035, as part of its joint effort with Russia to establish a lunar research station. / Independent
This is fine: “Beijing recently asked South Korean companies not to ship products containing China’s rare earth minerals to US defense firms.” / Reuters
Pope Francis was a music fan—he even blessed one of his favorite shops following a renovation—so NPR made a playlist of his favorite songs. / Instagram, Spotify
See also: Obama Cinema, or a list of films that are “representational of an idealistic world in the mind’s eye of American democrats.” / Letterboxd
A seasteading enthusiast spends 120 days living in a fixed underwater habitat, breaking the previous world record of 100 days. / The New York Times [+]
See also: A reading list on the perpetual dream of floating cities. / Places Journal
How do conservation teams move endangered black rhinos? By dangling them upside down from a helicopter. / ZME Science
“I’m wondering if we’re going to have an Endangered Species Act in four years.” Anatomy of an extinction. / Mother Jones
If you’ve listened to the Telepathy Tapes podcast—or people have urged you to listen—you may be interested in an article basically debunking it. / The Cut