8+ min ago (515+ words) Most people see the lemon as one of countless simple products of nature: a bright yellow fruit that has always existed on its own terms. However, the lemon is not a gift from the wild in the same sense that most fruits are. In reality, it's actually a biological invention that we humans shaped, as a result of ancient hybridization events and centuries of careful cultivation. Long before genetics or plant breeding were well-established fields of research " in the 1st millennium BC " early growers in Southeast Asia were already making decisions that would transform wild citrus species into the sharp, aromatic fruit we know today. Here's how, according to research. For decades, the precise botanical origins of the lemon have been debated. Fortuitously, a 2016 study published in Annals of Botany used a massive genetic analysis " combining chloroplast DNA, mitochondrial markers and…...

32+ min ago (351+ words) Red Bull's Max Verstappen produced a flawless drive at the Qatar Grand Prix to secure a crucial victory and set up a three-way title showdown next weekend in Abu Dhabi. The Dutchman entered the race with a critical task on his shoulders, needing to finish ahead of championship leader Lando Norris to avoid being eliminated from the title contention. Having started the race in third behind Norris, the reigning champion made a clean start and got past the McLaren driver right at the first corner of the opening lap, clearing the way for himself to chase down race leader Oscar Piastri. The race turned on its head several laps later when Nico Hulkenberg and Pierre Gasly collided on lap 7, prompting a perfectly timed safety car period to allow teams to commit to the two mandated 25-lap tire stints. Everyone pitted…...

42+ min ago (989+ words) Despite the enormous role that cities play in the lives of over 50 percent of the planet's population, the interface between community members and city hall is often weak, insufficiently capturing the voice of the people, offering limited ways to engage with services, and making it hard to access the data and information needed for meaningful civic participation. Now, an emerging global concept called the citiverse promises to change all this by synchronizing the physical and digital worlds through the use of cutting-edge technologies. Its goal is to improve citizen engagement, enhance community services, and deliver a dynamic, immersive environment for urban innovation. The concept of the citiverse arises from several converging technologies and trends. Perhaps most defining has been the smart city movement: the use of technology and data to drive positive urban outcomes in areas such as transportation, energy…...

47+ min ago (1116+ words) Markets rarely catch the moment when competition turns into structure. It looks like hype or noise until the compounding becomes obvious. Then the cost of catching up becomes too high for any balance sheet. The conversation shifts from rivalry to survival. Investors should stop asking if traditional automakers will license Tesla's autonomy and start asking when and on what terms. The second problem is organizational. These companies still run on processes designed for predictable product cycles. They rely on hierarchies, slow approvals, and compensation plans written for factories rather than neural networks. A software system that evolves every week does not fit inside a structure that was built for annual model releases. The third barrier is fear. European and American regulators are still reviewing FSD and the idea of owning that liability terrifies boards. They spent decades refining manufacturing, safety…...

56+ min ago (360+ words) Black Friday may be over but Cyber Monday is just getting started. We're tracking the best Amazon Cyber Monday deals you can shop now, including standout offers like 29% off the Oura Ring 4, our favorite smart ring, and more than half off the Eufy Omni S1 Pro, our pick for the best robot mop overall. If you've ever shopped during big sales events, you know that the retail prices listed can be inflated. To help you sift through the sea of deals of varying quality, we used our go-to price-tracking tools, deal-spotting expertise and deep knowledge across several product categories to find the deepest discounts. Ahead, find the best Amazon Cyber Monday deals you can shop now. "I genuinely love it and have no intentions of taking it off anytime soon," says senior strategy editor Katie Simpson in her review of the…...

57+ min ago (412+ words) There are other needs, like rebuilding the back of the bullpen, and the Cubs have taken some steps toward addressing those, but the starting rotation showed in 2025 the need for more arms. Cubs team president Jed Hoyer told reporters in early November that his priority this offseason will be on pitching, especially given that the offensive side of the team is pretty well set. Hoyer also said that the Cubs won't necessarily limit themselves to adding pitching via free agency. "You have to explore everything," Hoyer told reporters. "And we're not just going to focus on the free-agent market with pitching. I think we'll probably look at the trade market. It may come to fruition, it may not, whereas we're going to sign some free agents. I think there's no question. The trade market? We don't know yet." At this…...

59+ min ago (538+ words) Kevin Bacon and Kira Sedgwick are back on screen together with a heartfelt dramedy, The Best You Can, directed by Michael J. Weithorn and now available on digital. Sedgwick portrays Cynthia, a urologist who finds out that her husband, Warren -who's much older than her- is showing signs of dementia. One night, Stan, a security guard portrayed by Bacon, breaks into her house to prevent a home robbery attempt. The two develop an unlikely friendship that soon turn into something more romantic. The Best You Can is full of romance and funny moments, but it also has its share of heavier topics, especially when Cynthia has to deal with Warren's dementia. "You want to crack people open because that's what sort of like" That's the great thing about comedy and dramedy, is that you're sort of catching them unawares of how…...

1+ hour, 7+ min ago (336+ words) Shaun White's winter sports league, The Snow League, kicked off its inaugural season in Aspen Snowmass March 78, 2025, and now prepares for the second of four events in its first year. The 36 snowboarders who competed in Aspen now travel to Yunding Snow Park in China for Event Two, to be held December 46, 2025. Joining them for the first time in The Snow League will be 16 freeskiers, fulfilling White's vision of a true winter sports league, not just a snowboarding competition. Though halfpipe is the only discipline for snowboarding and freeskiing, The Snow League plans to add more disciplines (for example, slopestyle and rails) in future seasons. Sena Tomita and Yuto Totsuka, both of Japan, won the women's and men's halfpipe competitions, respectively, at Event One in Aspen Snowmass. Each took home a first-place prize of $50,000 out of a total prize purse of…...

1+ hour, 24+ min ago (1005+ words) While the public imagination has been captivated by the conversational abilities of chatbots, a new report from McKinsey & Company suggests the global banking industry is quietly approaching a far more profound transformation: the era of agentic AI. However, this technological leap comes with a stark warning. McKinsey predicts that while agentic AI could reduce bank unit costs by 15 to 20%, it also threatens to erode up to $170 billion in global profit pools by 2030 if banks fail to adapt their business models. For more like this on Forbes, What Is Agentic AI And What Will It Mean For Financial Services? To understand how financial institutions are bridging the gap between theoretical potential and production-grade deployment, I spoke with Jonathan Pelosi, Head of Financial Services at Anthropic, Scott Mullins, Managing Director of Financial Services at Amazon Web Services and Steve Suarez, CEO of…...

1+ hour, 24+ min ago (998+ words) Ariel Cohen, Ph.D. is a Senior Fellow at the Atlantic Council and the Founding Principal of International Market Analysis, a Washington, D.C.-based global risk advisory boutique. He is also Managing Director of the Energy, Growth, and Security Program (EGS) and a Senior Fellow with the International Tax and Investment Center (ITIC). For 22 years, he was the Heritage Foundation's leading Russia/Eurasia and international energy expert. In addition to consulting for both the public and private sectors, Ariel testifies regularly before the U.S. Congress and appears on Bloomberg, CNN, FOX, BBC, Al Jazeera, and other TV channels. He writes regularly for The Hill, Newsweek, and The National Interest. Follow Dr. Cohen for coverage of political risk, national security, and energy policy, especially in Russia/Europe/Eurasia and the Middle East. 2025: AI Transforms Emerging Markets Worldwide In 2025, artificial intelligence underwent a transformative shift…...