Author: IQ TIMES MEDIA

Children whose mothers had higher vitamin D levels during pregnancy scored better on tests of memory, attention and problem-solving skills at ages 7 to 12 compared with those whose mothers had lower levels. That is a key finding of a new peer-reviewed study that my colleagues and I published in The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.While vitamin D has long been known for its role in maintaining bone health, scientists have since uncovered its importance in regulating immune function, reducing inflammation and protecting the nervous system. Now, growing evidence – including our new findings – suggest it may also support…

PORTRUSH, Northern Ireland (AP) — American golfer Bryson DeChambeau appears to have a good relationship with President Donald Trump, with the pair once enjoying a round that has been watched more than 15 million times on YouTube.Now the two-time major champion is doing some British Open campaigning for him.DeChambeau, one of golf’s biggest names, said on Friday he was all for Trump’s Turnberry course in Scotland hosting an Open Championship for the first time since 2009.“I look at it as a golf course,” DeChambeau said of the stunning links venue along the Ayrshire coast. “It’s one of the best golf…

Companies developing video AI models and tools often talk about working with Hollywood studios to make certain workflows possible. On Thursday, Netflix said that it has started using AI in movies and shows it produces. Speaking at the company’s post-results conference call, the company’s co-CEO, Ted Sarandos, said that the platform had “the very first GenAI final footage to appear on screen” in an Argentine show called “El Atonata.” He noted that Netflix’s internal production group teamed up with producers to use AI to create a scene of a building collapsing. Sarandos said that using AI, the scene was finished…

PORTRUSH, Northern Ireland (AP) — Brian Harman took dead aim in a mild breeze and surprising sunshine Friday at Royal Portrush for a 6-under 64 that sent him into the weekend hunting another British Open title.He was called the “Butcher of Hoylake” when Harman won the claret jug at Royal Liverpool two years ago because the British press was fascinating by the Georgia native’s love for hunting. Now it’s about his golf, and it was superb.Harman played bogey-free, only once having to stress for par as Royal Portrush allowed for some good scoring in weather that again did not live…

Mo’ne Davis is not done playing baseball.The former Little League phenom who at 13 became the first girl to pitch a victory — and a shutout — in the Little League World Series, will be one of more than 600 players to try out for the Women’s Professional Baseball League set to launch next year, the league said.Davis will join other women’s baseball stars like Kelsie Whitmore, the first woman to sign a professional contract with an MLB-partnered league, at the tryouts, which will be held in Washington, D.C., from Aug. 22-25.Davis will try out as a pitcher, as well…

PEYRAGUDES, France (AP) — Tadej Pogačar delivered another crushing defeat to his Tour de France rivals by dominating an uphill time trial and reinforcing his grip on the yellow jersey on Friday.The brutal effort in the Pyrenees mountains was all about strength and stamina. It was just a painful experience offering no respite after already 12 grueling stages of racing. Riders first covered 2.9 kilometers (1.8 miles) to reach the bottom of the climb to Peyragudes, a daunting 8-kilometer (5-mile) ramp with a steep gradient.On that brutal terrain, Pogačar reigned supreme and killed any suspense. He increased his lead in…

I had surgery for my high-risk pregnancy and then lost my job shortly after.The surgery and job loss led my husband and me to move out of our apartment and in with my parents.We told ourselves it would be temporary, three months max. It’s been eight months so far.Getting pregnant is an exciting and life-changing experience, but my pregnancy was anything but smooth sailing.Early on, I found out I had an incompetent cervix. Within weeks, my cervix had drastically shortened in length, which increased my risk for a pre-term birth and threatened the baby’s chance for survival.I immediately got a…

This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Justin Wetherill, cofounder of uBreakiFix and now president of Jeff’s Bagel Run. The following has been edited for length and clarity.I never expected to end up in the bagel business.My career began with broken phones, not baked goods. In 2009, I shattered my own phone and tried to fix it — only to break it worse. That experience gave me a lightbulb moment: If someone like me, a self-proclaimed nerd, couldn’t fix his own phone, there had to be a market for repair.I started buying broken phones and parts, learning to…

ChatGPT, OpenAI’s text-generating AI chatbot, has taken the world by storm since its launch in November 2022. What started as a tool to supercharge productivity through writing essays and code with short text prompts has evolved into a behemoth with 300 million weekly active users. 2024 was a big year for OpenAI, from its partnership with Apple for its generative AI offering, Apple Intelligence, the release of GPT-4o with voice capabilities, and the highly-anticipated launch of its text-to-video model Sora. OpenAI also faced its share of internal drama, including the notable exits of high-level execs like co-founder and longtime chief…

Stephanie Nixdorf was at Disney World with her family in December 2021 when she got the call. A mysterious bump on her elbow was melanoma, her doctor said. Tests later showed it was Stage 4, with spots on her lung and two tumors in her brain.Nixdorf, 51, a mother of four who lives with her husband, Jason, in Davidson, North Carolina, began treatments immediately, and by January 2024 her cancer was abating. The Premera Blue Cross health insurance offered by her husband’s employer had covered her cancer care, but in early 2024, when Stephanie’s doctors prescribed a drug to battle…