• Anthropic expanded its AI strategy by acquiring AI drug discovery startup Coefficient Bio for approximately $400 million and launching a political action committee to influence AI regulation.
• The company is also seeing surging investor demand for its shares amid tightening AI infrastructure supply and growing market appetite.
• These moves position Anthropic to shape policy, enter life sciences, and capitalize on demand for leading AI technologies in the US.
Crimson, seen alone in Santa Monica mountains for days, gets care in Oakland zoo after mother nowhere to be foundIt was an unusual scene. A lion cub alone for days in southern California’s sprawling Santa Monica mountains, emitting a noise that sounded like a cross between a purr and a light squeal, perhaps calling out for his mother.Where was his mother? Continue reading...
• Anthropic acquired Coefficient Bio, a startup founded eight months ago with fewer than 10 employees, for roughly $400 million in shares, despite it having no product or revenue.
• The platform uses AI for pharmaceutical tasks like drug research planning and identifying new drug opportunities, positioning Anthropic's models for scientific discovery in life sciences.
• This bet signals a strategic push into AI-driven biotech, potentially accelerating drug development amid growing competition in applied AI verticals.
Fears of Easter chaos over scaling up of new EU border system are eased, with no facial IDs for Eurotunnel and Eurostar passengersPassengers crossing the Channel from the UK to France will not face new biometric checks in the coming weeks, despite an imminent deadline for the complete implementation of the EU’s entry-exit system (EES), ports say.Airlines and airports across Europe have feared chaos over the Easter holidays. Continue reading...
• Anthropic acquired startup Coefficient Bio for more than $400 million to bolster its AI capabilities amid recent challenges like a source code leak.
• The deal follows Anthropic's npm packaging error exposing Claude Code's source code, including memory architecture and model roadmap.
• This acquisition strengthens Anthropic's position despite setbacks, potentially aiding future developments in autonomous AI features.
• Pfizer and BioNTech stopped a large US trial of their updated COVID-19 vaccine targeting healthy adults aged 50-64 due to inability to recruit 25,000-30,000 participants without conditions like hypertension or diabetes.
• The halt highlights recruitment challenges amid low interest in trials for healthy populations.
• This occurs against a backdrop of shifting vaccine policies under the Trump administration, prioritizing chronic disease over broad COVID efforts.
• The biopic Michael delves into Michael Jackson's life, showcasing his fame highs and personal struggles, set for April 2026 release.
• Directed to offer an intimate look at the music icon beyond his public image, appealing to fans of music biopics.
• Listed among top films like Super Mario and The Drama, it elevates April 2026 as a significant month for Hollywood blockbusters.
US president says responsibility for reopening strait of Hormuz rests on countries relying on it; secretary of state says Washington must review whether Nato alliance is still serving the US well‘Get your own oil’: Trump launches tirade against Europe for not joining Iran warAustralia’s Treasurer Jim Chalmers has unveiled a suite of Covid-era support measures for businesses struggling with soaring fuel prices, while Australian prime minister Anthony Albanese is set to address the nation in the latest sign the government is preparing for a more severe economic downturn from the war.“The war in the Middle East is having an extreme impact on the global economy. Australians and Australian small businesses are paying the price for that,” the treasurer told reporters on Wednesday.Two-thirds of Americans believe that the US should work to end its involvement in the Iran war quickly, even if that means not achieving the goals set out by the Trump administration, a Reuters/Ipsos poll has found.Asian markets rose sharply early on Wednesday after US stocks soared to their best day in almost a year on renewed hopes that the Iran war could soon end. South Korea’s Kospi surged 6.4% in early trading, while Tokyo’s Nikkei 225 rose 4%. Hong Kong’s Hang Seng was up 1.9%, while the Shanghai Composite index was trading 1.4% higher.Thousands of additional US troops are heading to the Middle East. The aircraft carrier USS George HW Bush deployed on Tuesday and is slated to travel to the region along with three destroyers, two US officials said. The carrier strike group consists of more than 6,000 personnel.The Israeli military said on Wednesday it had identified the launch of a missile from Yemen towards Israel. It said defence systems were operating to intercept the missile.Iran’s state broadcaster IRIB said areas in northern, eastern and central Tehran were under attack on Wednesday morning. The broadcaster said on Telegram that explosions were heard in the capital’s north, east and centre, reporting “attacks on Tehran” without immediately providing more details.A drone attack has sparked a large fire at Kuwait international airport, according to its state news agency, which said no casualties had been reported, while in the last few hours Saudi Arabia has said it intercepted and destroyed two drones. Bahrain also said early on Wednesday that it was working to extinguish a fire at a business facility that resulted from an Iranian attack. A tanker also came under attack off the coast of Qatar early on Wednesday, according to the British military’s United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations centre.Israeli strikes in southern Beirut and a nearby area have killed seven people, according to Lebanon’s health ministry.An American journalist has been kidnapped in Baghdad by a suspected Iranian-backed Iraqi armed group, the US said. The journalist was identified as Shelly Kittleson, a freelancer, by media advocacy groups as well as Al-Monitor, one of the news outlets for which she worked.The Wall Street Journal is reporting that the United Arab Emirates is preparing to help the US open the strait of Hormuz by force. Citing Arab officials, the newspaper reported the UAE is lobbying for a UN security council resolution that would authorise such action. Continue reading...
• A March 31, 2026, Bioethics Public Policy Report states 14,446 Americans have died by physician-assisted suicide since 1997, with Aging with Dignity estimating the actual number is higher due to underreporting.
• The report provides state-by-state analysis of assisted dying trends and policies.
• Findings underscore ongoing debates in end-of-life care and public policy.
• Secretary of State Marco Rubio told G7 foreign ministers on Friday that the ongoing military conflict with Iran will continue for another two to four weeks, according to sources cited by Axios.
• The timeline represents official U.S. government assessment of the expected duration of military operations in the region amid escalating tensions and ground operation preparations.
• This projection comes as the U.S. expands military presence and considers multiple operational options in the Persian Gulf region.
The 93-year-old says Sweeney ‘looks sexy all the time’ and she ‘never approved’ Scandalous, drama about her romance with Sammy Davis JrKim Novak has voiced her disapproval of the casting of Sydney Sweeney as herself in an upcoming biopic, saying she is “totally wrong to play me”.Speaking to the Times, the 93-year-old actor said she would have “never approved” the biopic Scandalous, about her relationship with the musician Sammy Davis Jr. Continue reading...
• Secretary of State Marco Rubio stated the US conflict with Iran would extend another two to four weeks, while signaling no immediate plans for a ground operation into Iranian territory.
• Rubio identified preventing Iran from imposing tolls on ships crossing the Strait of Hormuz as the biggest post-conflict challenge, characterizing such action as illegal and dangerous to global commerce.
• The statement comes as the US deploys additional troops to the region following an Iranian missile and drone attack that injured 12 American service members at a Saudi base.
• US Secretary of State Marco Rubio stated on March 27 the operation against Iran is on or ahead of schedule, set to end in weeks not months, without needing ground troops.
• Rubio reported progress with G7 allies in France countering Iranian threats to toll Hormuz vessels.
• Assurance aims to calm domestic concerns over prolonged engagement.
Secretary of state’s remarks come as Israel threatens to expand its attacks on Iran and Tehran’s missiles and drones target IsraelMiddle East crisis – live updatesWashington expects its operation against Iran to conclude in “weeks, not months”, the US secretary of state has said, despite spiralling violence across the region and a threat from Israel to “escalate and expand” its attacks against the Islamic republic.“When we are done with them here in the next couple weeks, they will be weaker than they’ve been in recent history,” Marco Rubio told reporters on Friday after meeting G7 foreign ministers in France. Continue reading...
National Trust says one year after reintroduction they are enriching habitats and may be having kits this summerThey were released this time last year with fanfare, much hope and also, perhaps, a little trepidation.Twelve months on, there have been ups and downs for the first beavers to be (officially) reintroduced into the wild in England since the semiaquatic mammals were hunted to extinction 400 years ago. Continue reading...
• Congress rejected Trump administration's $18 billion NIH budget cut proposal, providing stability for 2026 grantees at institutions like University of Wisconsin-Madison.
• Delays in grant reviews and dispersal have stalled projects, hiring, and caused anxiety, with NIH months behind schedule as of March 26, 2026.
• Vice Chancellor Dorota Brzezinska noted core funding protection but ongoing uncertainty impacts lab operations and future awards before September 30 deadline.
• American Geophysical Union (AGU) hosts a virtual Biogeosciences Early Career Open House on March 24, 2026, from 12:00-1:00 PM ET.
• Event targets early-career scientists in biogeosciences, a key area of Earth and climate studies.
• Provides networking and opportunities in U.S.-based research community focused on interdisciplinary environmental science.
• Researchers at Johns Hopkins University published findings in Nature Medicine on March 20 showing a blood test can detect Alzheimer's pathology 15-20 years before symptom onset with 94% accuracy.
• The test measures phosphorylated tau and amyloid-beta levels and was validated in 2,100 cognitively normal participants followed for up to 12 years in multiple longitudinal cohorts.
• Early detection could enable preventive interventions during the asymptomatic stage, potentially delaying or preventing cognitive decline in the 6 million Americans living with Alzheimer's disease.
• The U.S. is deploying three more amphibious assault ships with 2,500 additional Marines from the Pacific to the Middle East as military operations in Iran continue into their fourth week.
• The deployment follows earlier troop movements and comes amid escalating tensions over control of the Strait of Hormuz, which Iran continues to restrict, driving global oil prices higher.
• Despite President Trump's claims of military victory and consideration of winding down operations, the continued force buildup suggests sustained commitment to regional objectives and potential ground operations.
• Scientists at Sanford Burnham Prebys Medical Discovery Institute developed TLPath, a new computational tool that infers telomere length—repeating DNA sections at chromosome ends that shorten with age—by detecting structural changes in cells captured in routine biopsy images.
• The model successfully predicted telomere length more accurately than using patient age alone and could identify telomere length differences between individuals of the same chronological age, potentially transforming large-scale aging research.
• Published in Cell Reports Methods, the findings enable researchers to measure an important aging metric quickly and cheaply without costly traditional tests, opening new opportunities to study telomere biology and human aging.
• Creative Biolabs announced an upgraded next-generation drug discovery pipeline integrating AI-driven antibody engineering in Shirley, New York.
• The platform accelerates development of CAR-T therapies and antibody humanization using advanced deep learning techniques.
• This innovation targets faster drug discovery in healthcare and pharmaceuticals, enhancing precision medicine applications.
The microbes that live in our mouth and gut may influence whether an allergic reaction to peanuts is mild or life-threatening, and could be harnessed to ward off a severe attack
Exclusive: Guardian investigation finds data from flagship medical research leaked dozens of timesConfidential health data has been exposed online on dozens of occasions, a Guardian investigation can reveal, raising questions about the safeguarding of patient records by one of the UK’s flagship medical research projects.UK Biobank, which holds the medical records of 500,000 British volunteers, is one of the world’s most comprehensive stores of health information and is credited with driving breakthroughs in cancer, dementia and diabetes research. But scientists approved to access Biobank’s sensitive data appear to have sometimes been cavalier about its security. Continue reading...
Biotech firm Immutep Ltd. crashed more than 80% on March 13, 2026, becoming one of the biggest decliners amid a mixed US market session pressured by geopolitical fears. The plunge contrasted with gains in AI leaders like Intel (+1.7%), Tesla (steady at $395), and Nokia (+1.4%), highlighting sector rotation. This extreme volatility amplifies risks in biotech amid elevated VIX at 26.49 and weekly index losses. Investors may monitor clinical trial updates or funding news for rebound potential.
Image: The AI Insider
