Author: IQ TIMES MEDIA

Elon Musk is running some of the world’s most valuable companies. But they’ve been doing business with each other long before recent merger chatter around Elon Inc.The billionaire leads five major companies: Tesla, SpaceX, Boring Company, Neuralink, and xAI, which recently absorbed his social media company, X.Over the last three years, those companies have stepped up their internal dealings, buying one another’s products, exchanging software and materials, and announcing investments worth billions of dollars.The result is a tightly knit corporate ecosystem with Musk at its center.For consumers and Tesla’s many fans, that kind of vertical integration can look like a…

The 98th Academy Awards are coming up, and for prediction market bettors, tens of millions of dollars are on the line.Since the nominees were announced on January 22, bettors on Polymarket and Kalshi have been wagering on which films, actors, directors, and more will claim the Oscar in each of the Academy’s 24 categories.Prediction markets have experienced dramatic growth over the last year, drawing the attention of media companies, the ire of some state regulators, and the scrutiny of Washington lawmakers.In January, Polymarket partnered with the Golden Globes, and bettors on the site ultimately correctly predicted the winner in 26…

It all began after a viral video alleging fraud in Somali-run child care centers in Minneapolis: strangers peering through windows, right-wing journalists showing up outside homes, influencers hurling false accusations. In San Diego, child care provider Samsam Khalif was shuttling kids to her home-based center when she was spooked by two men with a camera waiting in a car parked outside, prompting her to circle the block several times before unloading the children. “I’m scared. I don’t know what their intention is,” said Khalif, who decided to install additional security cameras outside her home.Somali-run child care centers across the United…

For academics, historians and activists, the past year has been tumultuous in advocating the teaching of Black history in the United States.Despite last year proclaiming February as National Black History Month, President Donald Trump started his second term by claiming some African American history lessons are meant to indoctrinate people into hating the country. The administration has dismantled Black history at national parks, most recently removing an exhibit on slavery in Philadelphia last month. Black history advocates see these acts and their chilling effect as scary and unprecedented.“States and cities are nervous about retribution from the White House,” said DeRay…

NEW YORK (AP) — Once considered an oddity in American homes, bidets are becoming increasingly common as more people seek a hygienic and sustainable alternative to toilet paper or a hand managing certain physical conditions.Toilet paper shortages during the COVID-19 pandemic helped demystify the devices for U.S. consumers, although Italy, Japan and some other countries where bidets are standard bathroom features also saw runs on TP. Environmental awareness, less expensive bidet options and the development of smart toilets that perform multiple functions have given further momentum to the idea of rinsing instead of wiping.Bidets even earned a moment in the…

Economic boycotts are a familiar tool of protest. The problem is they often place the greatest strain on the smallest businesses.That was the case during Friday’s nationwide general strike, which was designed to pressure the Trump administration to dial back its aggressive anti-immigration policies.For many small business owners, the shutdown created a dilemma. Supporting the cause often means losing a day’s revenue and risking their ability to keep staff employed. Across social media, owners voiced solidarity alongside an apology for staying open.There may, however, be another way, according to Scott Galloway, a marketing professor at New York University famous for…

The United States isn’t out of a severe flu season yet as more children are getting infected.Cases across the country had appeared to decline before the latest U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention data on Jan. 30 showed upticks in infections.“We are heading up a second peak of flu season,” said Caitlin Rivers, a Johns Hopkins University epidemiologist who writes the “Force of Infection” newsletter. The country saw its first peak right around the New Year, followed by a couple weeks of declines, she added.See stunning photos from the massive winter storm blanketing the US1 of 14Much of the…

Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang said Saturday that a recent report of friction between his company and OpenAI was “nonsense.” Huang’s comments came after The Wall Street Journal published a story late Friday claiming that Nvidia was looking to scale back its investment in OpenAI. The two companies announced a plan in September in which Nvidia would invest up to $100 billion in OpenAI and also build 10 gigawatts of computing infrastructure for the AI company. However, the WSJ said Huang has begun emphasizing that the deal is nonbinding, and that he’s also privately criticized OpenAI’s business strategy and expressed concerns…

Hansen’s disease, also called leprosy, is treatable today – and that’s partly thanks to a curious tree and the work of a pioneering young scientist in the 1920s. Centuries prior to her discovery, sufferers had no remedy for leprosy’s debilitating symptoms or its social stigma.This young scientist, Alice Ball, laid fundamental groundwork for the first effective leprosy treatment globally. But her legacy still prompts conversations about the marginalization of women and people of color in science today.As a bioethicist and historian of medicine, I’ve studied Ball’s contributions to medicine, and I’m pleased to see her receive increasing recognition for her…

The U.S. departure from the World Health Organization became official in late January 2026, according to the Trump administration – a year after President Donald Trump signed an executive order on inauguration day of his second term declaring that he was doing so. He first stated his intention to do so during his first term in 2020, early in the COVID-19 pandemic.The U.S. severing its ties with the WHO will cause ripple effects that linger for years to come, with widespread implications for public health. The Conversation asked Jordan Miller, a public health professor at Arizona State University, to explain…