1903 – THE MATCH GIRLS WITH ROTTING JAWS, LONDON This photo was taken in 1903 inside the Bryant & May match factory in Bow, East London. Look at the young women’s faces. Their jaws are swollen, rotting, glowing in the dark. They are teenagers — 14, 15, 16 years old. This disease was called “Phossy Jaw.” Their job was dipping matches into white phosphorus.White phosphorus is poison. Every day they breathed it. First their teeth fell out. Then their gums turned green and black. Then their entire jawbone rotted and had to be cut out by a doctor with no painkiller. Some died screaming.
The factory owners knew. They knew since 1880 that white phosphorus kills.But it was cheap. Safer red phosphorus cost 3 times more. So they kept using white. These girls worked 14 hours, 6 days a week, for 4 shillings. If they talked, they were fined. If they dropped a match, they were beaten.
Their faces glowed at night from the phosphorus — they called them “ghosts” on the streets of London. In 1888, 1,400 of them went on strike. All teenagers. Led by a 16-year-old girl named Sarah Chapman. They marched to Parliament with their swollen faces and said: “We would rather starve than rot.”
London was shocked. And finally, in 1908, Britain banned white phosphorus — because of these girls. This was not medieval times. This was 1903 in London, the richest empire on earth. They were just teenage girls working in a factory… but their courage forced an entire nation to change.
A note from John. There’s a mathematician who saw the proof before he could explain it. A machine does the same thing now, for all of us, on command. I don’t think that’s the same thing. John The Genius Who Saw the Answer First Did the world’s most intuitive mathematical mind think like AI?By John Nosta
KEY POINTS:An answer no longer tells you who did the thinking behind it.Struggle isn’t wasted effort; it’s what turns information into understanding, and AI lets you skip it.W
Copy passport photograph of Srinivasa Ramanujan.Source: Picryl
In 1913, a mathematician in Cambridge opened a letter from a stranger in Madras. It was full of results, pages of them, with almost no explanation attached. Some looked like the work of a crank. Some looked impossible. G.H. Hardy, a very serious mathematician of his generation, later said the letter contained results that “must be true, because if they were not true, no one would have had the imagination to invent them.
“The stranger was Srinivasa Ramanujan. He was an obscure clerk with almost no formal training. He would go on to become one of the most naturally gifted mathematicians who ever lived. He even inspired a book and movie calledThe Man Who Knew Infinity.But the strangest thing about him wasn’t that he was brilliant. It’s that he so often seemed to arrive at the answer before he could explain how he got there. The proof came second, if it came at all.What really strikes me is that this sequence, answer first and explanation later, is exactly what happens every time we use a large language model.
A Book That Wouldn’t Explain Itself
Here’s the part of Ramanujan’s story that complicates things. At 16, he got hold of an old book, a cram manual for the Cambridge entrance exams by G. S. Carr called A Synopsis of Elementary Results in Pure and Applied Mathematics. It contained about five thousand theorems, with often little than the final mathematical proof itself. It handed him thousands of destinations but few roads to get there. So he built the roads himself, then kept going long after the book had nothing left to teach him.Carr eventually ran out.
When Ramanujan reached the last theorem, the book had nothing more to give him, and he was on his own.AI doesn’t run out.
What the Gap Cost Him
Here’s what I think is the critical observation. Closing the distance between Carr’s bare theorems and real understanding cost Ramanujan something. It took a tremendous toll on him.It cost him a scholarship. He won a spot at a college in Kumbakonam in 1904 on the strength of his math alone. Then he lost it a year later because he refused to study anything else. He failed English. He spent years poor and half-fed, chasing results that sometimes led on a chase without a destination.
That struggle is what may have built the structure underneath his later genius.
When AI is trained, it’s guided by something called a loss function, a number that measures how wrong its guess was, which gets adjusted down and down until the system performs well. So the machine has a loss, in a technical sense of the word. It just doesn’t have a loss in any sense that costs it anything. Nothing in the system suffers for the wrong turn. Nothing in it remembers being poor.
Ramanujan’s wasted years living through this loss and it changed him. A model’s loss is just a number that gets corrected. They’re two different things that happen to share a word.
The Test That Used to Work
Picture Ramanujan writing an equation on a blackboard. I walk in and copy it right underneath his, letter for letter. From across the room, the two lines look identical. But he knows why and how the equation works. He knows what happens if you push on one of its assumptions, and where it would break.I know none of that—no real knowledge, just chalk marks.We used to have a simple way to expose this gap. You’d simply ask another question about the equation. Push on an assumption, ask for the proof or even a bit of an explanation. The person who only had the answer would be lost in the dust.That test doesn’t work anymore, and this is the part of the argument that I find concerning. Because now, when you push, the AI can push back with you. Ask for the proof and it produces one. Change the assumption and the whole argument reforms around the new one. The very thing that used to expose the gap can now be manufactured on demand.Which means the only way left to see what a person actually understands is to take the machine out of the room entirely.
The closed-book exam, the resident quizzed at 2 a.m. with no time to look anything up, used to feel like artificial situations, stand-ins for real intellectual life. My contention is that it’s flipped. Ordinary life is the artificial condition now, propped up by a tool that’s always in reach. The sequestered room (and mind) might be the only place left where you can actually see a mind at work.
What the Answer Doesn’t Show You
Let’s look at this in another way. Two objects can cast the exact same shadow on a wall and be almost nothing alike. A basketball and a dinner plate throw the same round shadow if the light hits them right. You’d be convinced, looking only at the wall, that they were the same thing. An answer is a shadow. Ramanujan’s equation on the blackboard and my copy underneath it throw the identical shape.But behind mine there’s nothing.Behind his there’s a decade of a young man going hungry to understand why the thing was true.That’s the part AI has quietly taken away from us. It’s our ability to look at the shadow and infer the shape of the object behind it.
For centuries, a good answer was reasonably solid evidence of a good mind. That’s no longer safe to assume, and I don’t think we’ve caught up to what that means yet, from teaching to trusting.The question was never really whether the machine can think. It’s what’s left standing behind the shadow, once the answer arrives first.John NostaThe Digital Sel fTechnology, Transformation and the Future You
Prospective data show modest physical activity lowers incident depression risk, with the greatest relative benefit among previously sedentary individuals, supporting pragmatic “start small” counseling.
Meta-analyses of randomized trials demonstrate clinically meaningful reductions in depressive and anxiety symptoms across walking, resistance training, and mind-body interventions, allowing preference-concordant selection.
Poor adherence often reflects core symptomatology and threat misappraisal; structured, individualized prescriptions with planned progression and routine monitoring can mitigate these barriers.
SMART goals, regularity over intensity, and explicit FITT-style parameters improve feasibility, while follow-up should assess completion as rigorously as medication adherence.
Exercise is comparable—but not superior—to standard treatments in mild-to-moderate depression and is best used adjunctively, with added value for cardiometabolic comorbidity reduction.
SHOW LESS
Learn how clinicians tailor simple, measurable activity plans that boost depression and anxiety treatment—and improve long‑term adherence.
Emil L/peopleimages.com/AdobeStock
There are few interventions in psychiatry that have received more recommendations than “exercise,” and yet fewer interventions that have been less clearly defined in terms of prescription. Many clinicians tell their patients to “get more physically active,” but those recommendations are usually made in a nonspecific manner (eg, “just get moving”), and there is typically little structural support for that goal. That lack of structural support is reminiscent of how many other evidence-based treatments have evolved over time, and that similarity raises a very good question: Are we prescribing exercise in a way that reflects the evidence?
Research
While many studies suggest a preventive effect of regular physical activity for both major depression and anxiety disorders, they also provide evidence for a treatment effect. Several large prospective studies indicate that even modest amounts of physical activity can reduce the risk of developing depression, with the largest reductions observed among individuals who were sedentary prior to engaging in some form of activity.1,2 The findings of these studies are especially pertinent to clinicians because they illustrate that meaningful changes do not necessarily require high levels of organized or intensive physical activity. For example, becoming more active could be a first step toward a greater positive impact for many patients.
Further supporting the treatment effects of exercise, numerous meta-analyses of randomized controlled trials examining various forms of physical activity among different populations, including individuals with chronic medical illnesses, have demonstrated statistically significant improvements in both depressive and anxiety symptoms.3-5 Physical activities examined include walking, resistance training, and various mind-body activities (eg, yoga).3,4 While the literature indicates that higher-intensity physical activity may confer additional benefits for some patients, the breadth of effective modalities underscores the importance of patient preferences and perceived ability to sustain an exercise regimen in the formulation of recommendations.
How to Effectively Prescribe Exercise as an Adjunct
Despite the substantial evidence base supporting the use of physical activity as a treatment option for depression and anxiety disorders, it is infrequently prescribed with the same clarity as medication or psychotherapy. Patients are generally provided with only broad recommendations, without specific guidance on frequency or progression. This lack of structure likely contributes to low adherence, particularly among patients with depression, who experience low motivation, fatigue, and anhedonia. Additionally, individuals with anxiety may interpret the physiological responses to exercise as frightening or aversive, further limiting engagement.
Improved clinical outcomes are achieved when exercise is prescribed in a simple, tailored manner that integrates into each individual’s daily routine. Rather than providing recommendations based on idealized regimens, clinicians may find greater success by focusing on feasibility. Encouraging patients to begin with short periods of activity, such as walking several times per week, may be more effective than recommending complex programs that feel overwhelming or unattainable. Follow-up after providing an exercise prescription is similarly crucial to reinforce that physical activity is an integral part of treatment.
It is essential to recognize that exercise does not replace pharmacological therapy or psychotherapy. Studies have demonstrated that while exercise produces comparable outcomes to traditional treatments for mild to moderate depression, it is not superior.6Instead, exercise is best viewed as an adjunctive treatment that enhances overall response, particularly for individuals whose symptoms remain partially responsive to established therapies.
Practical Strategies for Prescribing Physical Activity
A mental health clinician can prescribe physical activity similarly to prescribing medications. The clinician can provide the patient with specific, individualized prescriptions for physical activity rather than general suggestions.
Begin slowly. One practical approach is to encourage patients to begin with short, achievable periods of activity, such as 10 to 15 minutes of walking several times per week, and gradually increase duration as tolerated.
Set SMART goals. For example, help the patient specify what they want to accomplish (eg, walk after dinner every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday), rather than their intent (eg, “I will try to walk”).
Focus on regularity rather than intensity. Individuals are more likely to maintain their current level of moderate activity than to try an intense program.
Specify the type of activity. Offer varied options, such as walking, cycling, swimming, resistance training, or yoga, that individuals may find enjoyable and therefore more likely to stick to.In residency, I have seen firsthand that patients are often more receptive when exercise recommendations build on activities they already enjoy, whether that is returning to their favorite sport, dancing, gardening, hiking, or simply taking regular walks with family members. Personalizing recommendations in this way can make exercise feel less like another task to be completed and more like a sustainable part of daily life.
Evaluate effectiveness during follow-up appointments. Inquire about the patient’s ability to complete the prescribed physical activity as you would inquire about whether they have taken their medications as directed. Celebrate their successes and collaborate to overcome any obstacles when they experience difficulty meeting the prescribed amount of physical activity. For example, I recommend that you walk briskly for 15 minutes after dinner on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday for 2 weeks. If you tolerate this schedule, we can increase the duration of time spent walking to 20 to 30 minutes daily.
Concluding Thoughts
In addition to providing symptomatic relief, regular exercise offers clinically meaningful benefits for overall physical health. Individuals with severe mental illness have elevated cardiovascular risk and metabolic comorbidity compared with the general population. Incorporating exercise into psychiatric treatment plans provides an opportunity to address both mental and physical health simultaneously and reinforces its role as a key component of comprehensive care.
Dr Gait is a psychiatry resident at St. Catherine of Siena Hospital in Smithtown, New York.
Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez prepares an injection before appearing Sunday on ABC’s “This Week.” Screenshot: @aoc via Instagram
When Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) posted a video this weekend giving herself a shot in preparation to freeze her eggs, she injected issues of fertility, family and feminism into the political discourse, Axios’ Marc Caputo writes.
And some of the conservative online backlash is making Republicans, including some in the White House, a little nervous.
Why it matters: The Instagram announcement dominated social media and furthered speculation that AOC, 36, is plotting a White House run in two years.
Friction point: The right was divided between conservatives who want the U.S. birthrate to increase and those critical of women delaying pregnancy.
“She’ll turn 37 in a couple months,” conservative commentator Matt Walsh of The Daily Wire posted on X. “If she got pregnant now, it would technically be a geriatric pregnancy. This desire to start having children late in life is completely baffling to me.
“Alexa Henning, a MAGA consultant who recently left the State Department, replied: “Conservative men dunking on AOC for freezing her eggs is not a winning message with women voters.”
Inside the room: At the White House, where President Trump has championed IVF, there’s clearly a desire to embrace Henning’s point of view.
“We most certainly want to encourage more women and families to have children, period,” a senior White House official said. “That’s a diplomatic way of saying, ‘Yes, the Matt Walsh messaging is not helpful.'”
“This isn’t really a winner for Republicans,” a Trump adviser said, noting the midterm elections are less than three months away.Share this story.
Data: Major Cities Chiefs Association (MCCA). Chart: Russell Contreras/Axios
Violent crime kept falling across many of the nation’s largest cities through June, with homicides down 17.2% from the first half of 2025, Axios’ Russell Contreras writes from a Major Cities Chiefs Association report.
Why it matters: The decline now spans two presidencies — falling under President Biden after the pandemic-era surge and continuing to drop under President Trump.
By the numbers: An Axios analysis of the organization’s survey of 66 large U.S. communities found drops in violent crime in the first six months of 2026 compared to the same period last year.
Homicides fell 17.2%.
Robberies dropped 16.6%.
Rapes declined 6.2%.
Aggravated assaults fell 5.7%.
Taken together, the four categories were down about 8.3%, for roughly 14,200 fewer reported violent crimes, according to the Axios review.
Zoom in: The homicide drops are striking in several cities that have struggled with high levels of violence.
D.C. reported 46 homicides, down 43.9% from 82 in the first half of 2025.
Homicides in Memphis fell 43.7%, from 119 to 67, and 38.3% in Houston, from 154 to 95.
Philadelphia recorded 83 homicides, down 27.2% from 114.
Trump often takes credit for the decline and links it to his deployment of the National Guard in cities such as D.C. and Memphis. Share this story … Explore the data.
The Trump administration’s $242 million commitment to fighting Ebola in the DRC is framed as support for global health security and fulfilment of G7 obligations.
The government of President Donald Trump says this support is for global health security and part of its G7 commitments. It also fits the US’s long‑standing role as one of the biggest donors in epidemic response. But the timing and scale of the investment is raising questions.
In announcing the funding, the US State Department said the administration has “no higher priority than the safety and security of US citizens,” making clear that the investment is also about protecting Americans by containing Ebola at its source.
The DRC is facing its largest Ebola outbreak yet. As of August 2, 2026, nearly 4,000 cases were confirmed, with more than 1,700 deaths. Uganda was declared Ebola‑free in late July, so the focus remains on Congo, where repeated outbreaks especially in the east continue to strain an already overstretched health system.
Iran just put on paper what its military’s been doing without paperwork for months.
Mojtaba Khamenei signed decrees today naming six senior commanders, locking in a wartime setup that’s been running informally since the fighting started:
Ali Abdollahi as chief of staff, Kioumars Heydari his deputy Ahmad Vahidi confirmed as IRGC chief and bumped to major general, Mostafa Izadi his deputy Ali Ozmaei gets the IRGC Navy Hossein Taeb, the feared former IRGC intel boss, takes the Basij
The tell: Vahidi and Ozmaei were already running those jobs. The decrees just make it official.
Most of these seats opened up because Israel spent the war picking off Iran’s commanders one by one. Tehran’s still rebuilding its chain of command mid-fight.
Source: Iran International (Anti- IRGC outlet ) / Writer: Daniyal
By John Nosta
Copy passport photograph of Srinivasa Ramanujan.Source: Picryl
White House’s AOC anxiety
Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez prepares an injection before appearing Sunday on ABC’s “This Week.” Screenshot: 
Friction point: The right was divided between conservatives who want the U.S. birthrate to increase and those critical of women delaying pregnancy.
By the numbers: An Axios analysis of the organization’s survey of 66 large U.S. communities found drops in violent crime in the first six months of 2026 compared to the same period last year.
Zoom in: The homicide drops are striking in several cities that have struggled with high levels of violence.
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