Farage vs. Count Binface, Born to Sprint, & Solar Eclipse Photos

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Adam Rogers
August 14, 2026

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Just three minutes of all-out sprinting triggered widespread molecular changes linked to metabolic health and produced a dramatically larger immediate response than much longer bouts of moderate exercise, according to a new study. Six 30-second sprints altered nearly a quarter of the proteins researchers measured, compared with less than 0.25% after 90 minutes of moderate cycling.
Researchers then tested whether those changes could affect other parts of the body by exposing human fat cells to blood collected after exercise. Blood taken after sprinting substantially changed how the cells regulated genes involved in using fuel and responding to hormones and nutrients, while blood taken after moderate cycling produced only minor changes.
The potential benefits became clearer when researchers compared the affected proteins with health data from more than 53,000 people. Of 33 proteins associated with lower risks of obesity, type 2 diabetes and other metabolic diseases, 32 responded to sprinting versus just three after moderate exercise; more than a quarter were also associated with slower biological aging.

Tens of thousands of voters in Clacton, England, voted Thursday in a special election triggered by Reform UK leader Nigel Farage, who resigned his parliamentary seat last month and is now seeking to win it back. Britain’s major political parties declined to field candidates, leaving Farage facing a record 33 opponents.
Among them is Count Binface, a satirical candidate portrayed by comedian Jon Harvey, who campaigns dressed as a space alien with a trash can on his head. Other candidates include representatives of the Official Monster Raving Loony Party and Everyone is God Party, producing a roughly three-foot-long ballot for about 80,000 eligible voters.
Farage called the election amid scrutiny over a £5 million ($6.7 million) undeclared gift received before entering Parliament. His resignation paused a parliamentary standards investigation, but the inquiry is expected to resume if he wins his seat back.

The University of Michigan will stop displaying traditional letter grades for roughly 3,500 incoming freshmen during their first semester under a pilot program beginning in 2027. Students in the College of Literature, Science, and the Arts will instead receive pass or no-credit marks on their transcripts.
Professors will still assign A-through-F grades, and students will be able to see them, but those grades will not appear on final transcripts or factor into first-semester GPAs. The policy applies only to the university's largest undergraduate college, not to students entering programs such as engineering or business.
Michigan says the change is intended to ease the transition into college, reduce academic pressure and encourage students to try more challenging courses. Similar first-year grading policies are already used at schools including MIT, Caltech, Swarthmore and Wellesley.

A surrogate delivered a baby with a rare congenital heart defect Wednesday after Texas officials intervened in a dispute stemming from the intended parents’ request that she terminate the pregnancy. (More)

Senate Democrats called for greater scrutiny of conditions aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln following reports of supply shortages, contaminated water and sailors attempting to jump overboard during its extended deployment. (More)

Two U.S. Army soldiers were killed Wednesday when a Fort Hood-based AH-64 Apache helicopter crashed near Salado, Texas, during a routine training flight. (More)

A Mexican judge formally charged former Guerrero Gov. Ángel Aguirre in connection with the disappearance of 43 students in 2014, alleging he helped obstruct the investigation by destroying surveillance evidence. (More)

Israeli settlers surrounded three Palestinian homes in the occupied West Bank for several days, throwing stones and preventing residents from leaving. (More)

A Russian officer reportedly identified as former Ukrainian submarine commander Robert Shageyev was killed by a bomb in Crimea, 12 years after switching allegiance during Russia’s 2014 annexation. (More)

US stock markets closed higher on Thursday (S&P +0.65%, Nasdaq +0.81%, Dow +0.13%) driven by cooler-than-expected inflation data and falling oil prices. (More)

President Trump was sued Wednesday over a Truth Social service charging Wall Street firms up to $100,000 monthly for early access to his potentially market-moving posts on U.S. policy. (More)

Cisco shares fell 9% Thursday despite beating earnings expectations and issuing strong guidance, as declining profit margins overshadowed an 18% jump in quarterly revenue. (More)

MLB returned to Iowa’s Field of Dreams Thursday, with 26 Hall of Famers emerging from the corn before the Twins beat the Phillies 7-1 in front of roughly 8,000 fans. (More)

“Ted Lasso” returned with Apple TV’s biggest premiere ever, drawing 296.6 million minutes watched across its first two days and an estimated 7.1 million views. (More)

Singer Selena Gomez, her mother and other Wondermind leaders were sued by investors who claim they were misled before investing more than $1 million in the mental health company. The allegations are unproven. (More)

Mars launched new versions of M&M’s, Skittles and Starburst without artificial dyes Thursday, using ingredients including beet juice, turmeric and spirulina to produce colors while preserving the candies’ taste. (More)

Vetted U.S. companies will be allowed to launch federally supervised cyberattacks against foreign hackers and criminal groups, targeting threats including ransomware, financial scams and sextortion. (More)

Scientists identified “snow-eater” heat waves that rapidly melt western U.S. mountain snow, nearly doubling normal snow loss and contributing to seven of 11 major snowmelt-driven floods since 1950. (More)

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