Author: IQ TIMES MEDIA

The percentage of kids who didn’t get their recommended childhood vaccines rose again last school year, continuing the post-pandemic trend of Americans opting out of vaccinations.During the 2024-25 school year, 4.1% of kindergartners — about 138,000 kids — had a vaccine exemption, surpassing the previous record high of 3.7% during the prior school year.Nearly all exemptions are listed as nonmedical, meaning the kids aren’t getting vaccines for religious or other personal reasons.The data, reported Thursday by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, comes as 2025 has logged the highest number of measles cases in 33 years: 1,333 cases in…

Kim Kardashian’s shapewear company Skims isn’t just lifting butts and boobs — it’s also supporting your jaw. At least that’s the idea behind the company’s new product, the Seamless Sculpt Face Wrap.The wrap, which looks like a postsurgical compression garment, is described on the Skims website as their “first-ever face innovation.” It comes in two of the brand’s famous neutral colors: clay and cocoa. “This must-have face wrap boasts our signature sculpting fabric and features collagen yarns for ultra-soft jaw support,” the site reads. “Velcro closures at the top and nape of the neck allow for easy, everyday wear.” Currently…

NEW YORK (AP) — Mikal Bridges agreed to a four-year, $150 million extension with the New York Knicks on Thursday, a person with knowledge of the details said.The person confirmed the deal to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because it had not been announced. It was first reported by ESPN.The Knicks gave up five first-round picks to acquire Bridges last June and he rewarded them by taking less than he could have earned to lock in to a future with former Villanova teammates Jalen Brunson and Josh Hart.Bridges could have earned $156 million in this extension, or even…

AI research lab Anthropic’s AI models are now the top choice for enterprises, surpassing OpenAI. Anthropic now holds 32% of the enterprise large language model market share by usage, according to a report from Menlo Ventures released on Thursday. OpenAI holds the second-largest market share by usage among enterprises, with 25%. The figure marks a strong reversal from even just a couple of years ago. Since 2023, OpenAI has seen its market share among enterprises decline sharply, according to the report, as Anthropic’s has steadily risen over the same timeframe. OpenAI held 50% of the enterprise market share by usage…

The members of a federal vaccine advisory committee, who were removed by Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., are suggesting alternatives to vaccine policy in the U.S. because the panel has “lost credibility.”In early June, Kennedy dismissed all 17 sitting members of the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP), which advises the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) on vaccine recommendations.Kennedy replaced the group with his own, hand-selected members, many of whom had expressed skeptical views on vaccines.Since then, the committee has recommended against flu vaccines containing thimerosal — a preservative that has been falsely linked…

CANTON, Ohio (AP) — The NFL season kicked off at the annual Hall of Fame game Thursday night with a moment of silence for the four people killed earlier this week by a shooter who was targeting league headquarters in New York.The gunman also wounded a league employee in the shooting Monday night. NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell told NBC he visited the employee for an hour on Wednesday and said the man was improving.“It’s just heartbreaking for all of us. It’s devastating,” Goodell said. “An amazing young man, and so we’re optimistic about his recovery and I think that’s good…

Two-time Pro Bowl wide receiver Terry McLaurin has asked the Washington Commanders to trade him because of a contract dispute, two people with knowledge of the request told The Associated Press.Both spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity because the negotiations were private.McLaurin has been holding in at training camp. The veteran reported to camp Sunday after skipping the first four practices and parts of the offseason program. He remains on the physically unable to perform list with an ankle injury while contract talks continue.The Commanders reached the NFC championship game last season under first-year coach Dan Quinn and…

It’s a strange glimpse into the human mind: If you filter search results on Google, Bing, and other search engines to only include URLs from the domain “https://chatgpt.com/share,” you can find strangers’ conversations with ChatGPT. Sometimes, these shared conversation links are pretty dull — people ask for help renovating their bathroom, understanding astrophysics, and finding recipe ideas. In another case, one user asks ChatGPT to rewrite their resume for a particular job application (judging by this person’s LinkedIn, which was easy to find based on the details in the chat log, they did not get the job). Someone else is…

Lyme disease, a bacterial tick-borne illness, can come with a host of vague symptoms.It can be difficult to properly diagnose, which many celebrities have spoken about.Stars like Avril Lavigne and Justin Bieber have shared their experiences with Lyme disease.In recent years, the medical spotlight has increasingly been shining on Lyme disease, the bacterial tick-borne illness that often comes with a host of vague, mysterious symptoms.The widespread illness is often considered the “great imitator” because its symptoms typically mimic other health conditions like rheumatoid arthritis, fibromyalgia, chronic fatigue syndrome, multiple sclerosis, and others.Getting a proper Lyme disease diagnosis remains challenging because…

Justin Timberlake has revealed he has Lyme disease and opened up about the health challenges that have come with it.In a post on Instagram Thursday, the pop singer, who wrapped up his two-year tour yesterday, called the tick-borne illness “relentlessly debilitating.””If you’ve experienced this disease or know someone who has — then you’re aware: living with this can be relentlessly debilitating, both mentally and physically,” Timberlake, 44, wrote. “When I first got the diagnosis I was shocked for sure. But, at least I could understand why I would be onstage and in a massive amount of nerve pain or, just feeling…