An eucalyptus in bloompic.twitter.com/ID5wvFC9te
— Massimo (@Rainmaker1973) October 17, 2025
How the Horse came to be Ridden 3 Quarks Daily
Google claims its latest quantum algorithm can outperform supercomputers on a real-world task Phys.org
First Shape Found That Can’t Pass Through Itself Quanta Magazine
Clinical trial of a technique that could give everyone the best antibodies Ars Technica
COVID-19/Pandemics
Vaccine Skeptics Said That COVID Shots Would Cause Mass Death. We’re Still Here. Reason
From ‘Zoom towns’ to land of doom and gloom: Pandemic-era hot spots are now full of desperate sellers Daily Mail
‘Long Covid’ symptoms people are still experiencing to this day have changed an ‘entire generation’ Tyla
Climate/Environment
Scientists have puzzled over what happens to plastic as it breaks down in the ocean – our new study helps explain the mystery The Conversation
Whale and dolphin migrations are being disrupted by climate change Ars Technica
South of the Border
Inside Marco Rubio’s Push for Regime Change in Venezuela Drop Site News
U.S. sanctions Colombia’s president, deploys aircraft carrier in new escalation in Latin America Los Angeles Times
Argentina goes to polls amid economic crisis and Trump ‘interference’ The Guardian
China?
😄Chinese people exercise in parks #China pic.twitter.com/lIYhQXcU4N
— China Perspective (@China_Fact) October 25, 2025
China seeks self-reliance in science in next five-year plan Nature
World’s Largest Aircraft Carrier Taking Shape at China’s Dailian Shipyard: What Capabilities Are Expected? Military Watch Magazine
Can the West break China’s grip on rare earths? DW
Invisible luxury: How China’s affluent are spending on intangibles Jing Daily
India
India conducts trial cloud seeding flight over New Delhi as smog persists Andolu Agency
Semiconductor push: India ramps up high-tech chip production for CCTVs, servers, HPC; Rs 200 crore investment planned Times of India
Africa
Vacuum of Influence: Western Withdrawal and the Rise of New Powers in Africa Robert Lansing Institute
South Africa Seeking Massive Sum From Investors To Fund Costly Formula 1 Return SI.com
European Disunion
The Final Split: How Europe Broke Apart Over Gaza Fair Observer
Draghi pushes ‘pragmatic federalism’ to get Europe out of its predicament Politico
The ticking bomb of European rearmament Middle East Eye
Connolly declared president of Ireland after landslide win BBC
Old Blighty
Factionalism, farce and chaos dog Reform UK in the garden of England The Guardian
Why electricity costs so much in the UK (it’s not all about the weather) TechXplore
Israel v. Gaza, Yemen, Lebanon, Syria, Iran
Norman Finkelstein absolutely demolished Al Arabiya’s propaganda — exposing their hypocrisy, bias, and moral bankruptcy over Gaza. Calm but ruthless, he turned their “interview” into a masterclass in truth. pic.twitter.com/ciXzwkWHyc
— Ounka (@OunkaOnX) October 24, 2025
Why Is Trump’s ‘Peace Plan’ Focused on Deradicalizing Palestinians, Not Israelis? Zeteo
Unexploded ordnance in Gaza wounds children despite ceasefire SCMP
Gaza faces harsh winter as Israel blocks aid, UNRWA warns Andolu Agency
Israeli settlers attack more Palestinians as olive harvest violence surges Al Jazeera
New Not-So-Cold War
Rand Paul: Trump could see ‘all hell break loose’ with further involvement in Ukraine, Venezuela The Hill
On Ukraine and Venezuela, Trump needs to dump the sycophants Responsible Statecraft
Ukraine: Donald Trump pivots again The Week
RAND Urges for Major Chinese Re-Think Amidst Widespread Recognition of China’s Awakening Simplicius Substack
Big Brother Is Watching You Watch
The rise of “catch a cheater” apps exploits our worst human tendencies The Verge
“It’s not about security, it’s about control” – How EU governments want to encrypt their own comms, but break our private chats Techradar
Imperial Collapse Watch
County takes another step in creating tiny homes for the homeless in Lemon Grove ABC News San Diego
Ohio reports alarming uptick in deadly synthetic opioids, including carfentanil WLWT Cincinnati
Trump 2.0
Trump adds 10 percent tariff on Canada amid Reagan ad spat The Hill
Trump Humiliates Mike Johnson Behind Closed Doors Daily Beast
What was in the East Wing of the White House before Trump demolished it? Yahoo News
Bannon Says Trump Will Run for an Illegal 3rd Term Because ‘He’s a Vehicle of Divine Providence’ Scheerpost
Musk Matters
Musk’s ad chief at X departs after just 10 months TechCrunch
Elon Musk Wants $1 Trillion to Build a “Robot Army” at Tesla truthout
Tesla rival claims company won’t even make cars in ten years Teslarati
Democrat Death Watch
‘I am not done’ – Kamala Harris tells BBC she may run for president again BBC
Democrats in the wilderness Deseret News
Immigration
Federal immigration agents deploy tear gas in Chicago’s Irving Park and Avondale neighborhoods Chicago Tribune
Deadly crash in California renews federal criticism of immigrant truck drivers PBS News
What Trump’s federal crackdown looks like in 5 US cities USA Today
Our No Longer Free Press
Conservative content creators doubt YouTube’s free speech turnaround: ‘Just lip service’ Washington Examiner
Israel Bars Int’l Journalists, Aims to Erase Gaza Evidence Miragenews.com
Mr. Market Is Moody
Central banks ditch US dollar for gold Cryptopolitan
Wall Street Is Worried About an AI Bubble—Here’s the Sector Where Stock Prices Really Stand Out Investopedia
U.S. national debt hits $38 trillion, driving mortgage rates higher The Economic Times
AI
The browser wars are back, and this time they’re powered by AI TechCrunch
Teen sues AI tool maker over fake nude images Fox News
Florida Unleashes Autonomous Police Cruisers That Deploy Thermal Imaging Drones Futurism
North Korea’s AI-Powered Hackers Are Redefining Crypto Crime CoinDesk
AI for Science Team Achieves Breakthroughs in Materials Discovery: Business Opportunities in AI-Driven Research Blockchain News
The Bezzle
High-stakes poker scam used rigged card shufflers, X-ray tables, and special glasses The Register
Half-siblings discover fertility fraud, doctor used his own sperm instead of donor WKRC/CNN Newsource
Guillotine Watch
The 5 most expensive cocktails in the world #top5 #expensive #cocktail #cocktails pic.twitter.com/qdwu50jdYz
— Top5expensive (@top5expensive) August 24, 2025
Billionaire Vodka: $3,700,000.It is a five-liter bottle of vodka though, so at least you can get a little more for your money. pic.twitter.com/eVQyJo5lge
— ♱ 𝒜𝓁ℯ𝓍 𝒯𝒸𝒽ℯ𝓃𝓀ℴ𝓋 ♱ (@luke_parodrp) August 8, 2023
Antidote du jour (via)
See yesterday’s Links and Antidote du Jour here


















