Chuck L: “Arguably a bigger deal than the 4 minute mile in 1954.”
The sub 2 hour marathon barrier has been broken in London
Sabastian Sawe: 1:59:30
Yomif Kejelcha: 1:59:414:34/mile for 26.2 miles… insanepic.twitter.com/f3LqVSLa2Y
— Marcus Milione (@MarcusMilione) April 26, 2026
This tiny mammal survived the dinosaur apocalypse and changed life on Earth Science Daily (Kevin W)
DNA research just rewrote the origin of human species Science Daily (Kevin W)
‘A remarkable time capsule’: The enchanting history of Oxford University’s 750-year-old medieval library BBC (Kevin W)
A Comment on Noah Smith’s “The Moderately Easy Problem of Consciousness” Brad DeLong
Climate/Environment
The Next ‘Forever Chemical’ May Already Be in the Air. Scientists Still Don’t Understand What It Could Do Popular Mechanics
Extreme heat is harming food systems in unexpected ways Observer
Building a massive dam between Alaska and Russia could prevent AMOC collapse, scientists say Live Science. A lot less pernicious than other geoengineering ideas since can be reversed or moderated.
Amazon recovery masks diversity loss as fires, droughts and windstorms reshape forest edges PhsyOrg
ISU research finds ‘extinction vortex’ for pollinators Iowa Capital Dispatch (Robin K)
Lake Superior ‘zombie’ fish increase leaves researchers searching for answers MPR News (Chuck L)
China?
Analysis-Under cover of trade truce with Trump, China expands economic pressure toolkit Reuters
Un-sanctioned: China to welcome Dutch trade minister amid Nexperia, ASML discord South China Morning Post
China’s ‘iron flow battery’ can make renewable energy storage cheaper NewsBytes. Chuck L: ”
Researchers at Nanjing University have created a new way to make clean hydrogen directly from seawater using sunlight.
They built a special material (cobalt phosphide on carbon nitride) that can sit in seawater. When sunlight hits it, it splits water into hydrogen and oxygen—no… pic.twitter.com/vKCiiiZ34P
— Smart Science (@SmartScience) April 26, 2026
India
Democracy vs. Religion in India Consortium News
Southeast Asia
U.S. offers no help with Iran war’s fallout, Thai foreign minister says Washington Post (Kevin W). Rumor is Thailand is getting some oil from Angola…but from what I can tell, this will reduce but not close the gap.
Cambodia reproaches Thailand over military aggression Khymer Times
Africa
Rising geopolitical shocks expose North Africa’s fragile food system Caliber
Egypt seeks to isolate Ethiopia with diplomacy blitz in Africa as nations quarrel over water National News
Sudan: Millions of civilians on the brink of famine amid starvation, siege, and international inaction CounterCurrents
UAE paid Colombian mercenaries to help RSF commit genocide in Sudan The Cradle (Kevin W)
The Congolese military said Sunday that it shot down a drone belonging to the Rwandan army in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo Anadolu Agency
South of the Border
US strike kills three on alleged narco boat as campaign death toll hits 185 Guardian
European Disunion
France and Greece call for delaying Covid debt repayment and for more EU bonds Politico
Largest-ever ban on toxic chemicals in EU hit by ‘extremely frustrating’ delays Guardian
Poland’s population set to fall by 31.6% by 2100, Eurostat says BNE Intellnews
Old Blighty
Government ramps up planning for possible supply shortages from Iran war Independent
MSM silent over Starmer arsonists trial – yet no special reporting restrictions Canary (Colonel Smithers)
Does the Royal Navy have more admirals than ships? Navy Lookout (Colonel Smithers)
One is amused! King Charles makes Melania Trump giggle while visiting White House beehive Daily Mail
Israel v. The Resistance
A ‘300-tonne crane’ needed to remove Palestinian flag from Dublin Spire Irish Times (PlutoniumKun). BWAHAHA
Deadly Israeli attacks worsen Gaza’s water shortage crisis Guardian
IDF LURED INTO SOUTH LEBANON, ‘DROWNING’ IN AMBUSH ATTACKS | Robert Inlakesh Rachel Blevins (Chuck L)
* * * US Carrier Groups in Position for Next Round as Trump “Dissatisfied” With Iranian Demands Simplicius
Trump cornered as Iran scores multiple diplomatic wins; Putin praises Iranians Janta Ka Reporter. Has clips of Karoline Levitt doing her usual jerkface act while effectively confirming that Iran is now refusing to discuss nuclear enrichment; see also supportive Pakistan statement at UN Security Council on behalf of itself and other key players.
Note Bloomberg landing page:
US being ‘humiliated’ by Iran, says German Chancellor Friedrich Merz Financial Times
Iranian Leaders Are Not Divided… The Trump Administration Is Larry Johnson
🚨 BREAKING : Pakistan Makes Historic Decision for Iran! 🚨
Pakistan Rewrites the Regional Trade Map!
In a major strategic move, Pakistan has officially allowed Iran to conduct trade with third countries through its territory.
The Ministry of Commerce has issued the “Transit… pic.twitter.com/3tF7b2pS97
— Sadaf Baloch (@sadafzbaloch) April 26, 2026
See comments:
🚨 Breakingnews:
Emir of Sharjah His Highness Sheikh Dr. Sultan bin Muhammad Al Qasimi is expected to announce REPUBLIC OF SHARJAH and breaking away from UAE 🇦🇪
The Republic of Sharjah isn’t just a headline… it’s a warning that the region is entering a new era.
Watch closely. pic.twitter.com/7JXlaABejr
— Ʌ฿ҮӐŊ (son of Ðaraawiish)🐎🇸🇴 (@RealAbyan) April 26, 2026
On board a ship stranded in Strait of Hormuz: ‘We just want to go home’ The Times
Pirates near Somalia hijack cargo ship off Garacad Gulf News
New Not-So-Cold War
Fake News Alert: Russia Isn’t Plotting An Amphibious Assault In The Baltic Andrew Korybko
Ukraine War: Untangling the Current Disinfo Cloud. What Truly Caused Russian Strategic Shift? Simplicius (Kevin W)
Big Brother is Watching You Watch
Trump uses assassination try to justify expanding spying powers Asia Times (Kevin W)
Imperial Collapse Watch
Fareed Zakaria has reached a sharp conclusion this week, and it deserves attention. In his Washington Post column and accompanying video, he argues that Trump’s contempt for America’s allies has finally crossed a threshold from which there is no easy return.
The point Zakaria…
— Gandalv (@Microinteracti1) April 26, 2026
The Empire Comes Home: Managed Neglect and Internal Colonialism in the United States John Robb (Micael T)
🚨 They tried to do to Mali what they did to Syria.
Russia’s Africa Corps just dropped their battle report:
10,000 to 12,000 fighters attacked Bamako, Sévaré, Gao, Kidal, and Kati simultaneously.
Over 1,000 neutralized. 500 in Gao alone. 300 in Kati. 200 in Bamako. And that’s…
— S͎a͎l͎a͎d͎i͎n͎🇸🇴⚖️🕋✍️ (@InaHassan3) April 26, 2026
Embracing Autonomy John Robb (Micael T)
Everywhere, all the time, serious trouble looms Olivier Boyd-Barrett (Chuck L)
Trump 2.0
U.S. Spies on the Vatican Ken Klippenstein
Trump accused of siding with Big Ag over key supporters in major blow to MAHA Alternet
Supremes
Supreme Court to weigh use of ‘geofence warrants’ by law enforcement The Hill
Supreme Court to Hear Arguments in Landmark Roundup Weedkiller Case New York Times (Kevin W). No archived version yet.
Fed
THE HANDOFF: How the 1951 Treasury-Fed Accord Was Outflanked by the Front-End Dollar Machine Shanaka Anslem Perera. Due to being in transit, have not thought about this thesis yet. In general, Perera identifies important facts others have missed, but then has a propensity to make overly strong-form claims based on them.
Our No Longer Free Press
Jimmy Kimmel rejects White House criticism over Melania widow joke BBC
Economy
Impact of Iran war on Asia: rotting crops, shuttered schools and rationing The Times
Stagflation Incoming: The Donald Ain’t Gonna Like What Happens Next! Antiwar.com
Supercars risk being stalled by Strait of Hormuz blockade Telegraph
Structural Gas Demand Destruction Threatens Global LNG Market OilPrice
Will the Iran war reshape the auto industry? DW
Iran war disrupts the circuit board supply chain, raises costs for tech firms Channel News Asia
AI
Dario Amodei, hype, AI safety, and the explosion of vibe-coded AI disasters Gary Marcus
The UK Government has admitted it underestimated AI’s carbon emissions by as much as 136,000pc Telegraph
The Bezzle
Private equity backers raise new conflict concerns over sweetheart deals Financial Times
Guillotine Watch
US millionaire big-game hunter dies after being crushed by elephants Guardian
How A Tax Loophole Drained Schools And Enriched A Trump Megadonor The Lever
Class Warfare
Global hunger hits most severe level in years as aid funding collapses, UN warns Politico
National Security Eats American Farmers Alive Un-Diplomatic (Chuck L)
Antidote du jour (via):
And a bonus (Chuck L). Not AI but tame rhino. See small dog nearby.
A Rhino goes up to a photographer and asks for belly scratches. And now we see why there are advantages to having opposable thumbs 🤣 pic.twitter.com/ThlbnJlJrF
— Interesting things (@awkwardgoogle) April 26, 2026
And a second (Bob H):
Studies show that watching a beaver eating cabbage lowers stress levels by 15% pic.twitter.com/UsodlU6Mif
— Nature Unedited (@NatureUnedited) April 13, 2026
See yesterday’s Links and Antidote du Jour here.
