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Breakthroughs happen all the time in the tech world, but only a select few manage to make a lasting impact. Predicting which innovations will shape the future is always a challenge. On Tuesday, the World Economic Forum (WEF) released its list of the top 10 emerging technologies of 2025, highlighting those expected to influence global challenges within the next three to five years. The list, compiled with the help of Frontiers Media, a publisher of peer-reviewed scientific journals, avoids naming specific companies. Instead, the WEF focuses on concepts that are both novel and nearing maturity, with the potential to deliver meaningful benefits to society. Here’s what the WEF sees as being on the path to a breakthrough in 2025. Advanced nuclear tech Demand for nuclear energy is on the rise, with the Trump administration pledging to fast-track permits for nuclear projects. The WEF predicts that smaller nuclear designs and alternative cooling systems will offer safer, cleaner energy at a lower cost. These reactors, it says, “could play a key role in building reliable, zero-carbon power systems.” Structural battery composites The weight of batteries has been a pain point for things like cars and planes, impacting their efficiency. New materials that store energy and support weight can make these vehicles lighter, improving both their performance and their environmental impact. Collaborative sensing Speaking of vehicles, networking connected sensors can let vehicles share information in real time with each other, as well as with cities and emergency services. In the case of an incident, this can reduce traffic, increase response times, and improve safety, the WEF says. Generative watermarking As artificial intelligence becomes even more widespread, distinguishing original content from AI-generated material will be critical. Generative watermarking adds an invisible tag to AI content, helping combat misinformation and build consumer trust. Green nitrogen Producing fertilizer today requires fossil fuels, which leads to pollution and carbon emissions. Green nitrogen, which relies on electricity instead, could offer “a more sustainable way to grow food,” the WEF says. GLP-1 drugs for neurodegenerative diseases GLP-1 drugs are currently used to treat obesity and diabetes. The WEF notes they are also showing promise in treating other diseases, such as Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s. Autonomous biochemical sensing Smart sensors capable of continuously monitoring environmental changes or human health without wires could unlock numerous possibilities. The medical field may use them for early disease detection, while scientists can apply them to track pollution and atmospheric trends. Nanozymes Naturally occurring enzymes help clean pollution and are used in medical diagnostics. Lab-made versions, called nanozymes, are stronger and cheaper, which could expand their use in a variety of applications. Engineered living therapeutics Long-term medical care is expensive and often inconsistent in its results. Scientists, according to the WEF, are developing therapies that use beneficial bacteria to deliver treatments from within the body. This approach could lower costs and improve success rates. Osmotic power systems This renewable energy source, which uses the pressure difference that occurs when freshwater and saltwater mix, produces a cleaner form of electricity. That can be especially helpful in coastal areas where special care must be taken to protect both the environment and wildlife.
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E-Commerce
As a child and adolescent psychiatrist, Ive spent the past two decades treating young people and working with families in crisis. And I can tell you this: The threats to youth mental health are bigger than we think, and theyre not coming from where you might expect. While the stigma around therapy and psychiatric care may be slowly receding, access to care is under siege. We’re watching mental health supports erode at exactly the moment families need them most. And in the name of reform, new political efforts like the “Make America Healthy Again” (MAHA) executive order are introducing even more barriers. To be clear, we should absolutely be thoughtful about how we deliver care and prevent misuse of medication in kids’ mental health treatment. But what we cannot do is politicize or pathologize the very tools that save lives. A system in retreat We are in the middle of a youth mental health crisis. According to the CDC, suicide was the second leading cause of death for youth ages 10 to 14 in 2023, the latest CDC data available. One in five children has a diagnosable mental health condition, yet almost two-thirds receive little to no treatment at all. And when care is delayed, the consequences can be severe: school dropout, addiction, chronic illness, even early death. Yet, despite this, we’re watching key supports disappear: School-based mental health programs are being defunded. These programs often catch problems early and are sometimes the only care option for underserved kids. Telehealth access is under threat, despite being a lifeline for rural families and working parents during the pandemic. Medicaid redeterminations have put millions of children at risk of losing coverage. Mental health medication access is being undermined by supply chain issues and growing skepticism around use, especially for conditions like ADHD. MAHAs emphasis on “over-utilization” of psychiatric medication only adds to the problem. When we focus on the wrong risks, we distract from the real ones: untreated illness, suffering families, and preventable tragedies. Stigma with a new disguise Im seeing more and more skepticism about psychiatric treatment. Questions like, “Are we overmedicating kids?” or “Shouldnt we be building resilience instead?” The thing is, its not either-or. We treat diabetes with insulin and teach healthy habits. We manage asthma with inhalers and reduce environmental triggers. Mental health should be no different. Framing treatment as a failure, or something we should avoid unless weve tried everything else, only drives families deeper into shame. And for kids, that can translate into silence, hopelessness, and danger. What kids and families actually need We need a new model for mental health careone that meets families where they are, uses the best available evidence, and doesnt leave them to figure it all out alone. Heres what that looks like: Integrated, team-based care. No one provider can do it all. Kids need therapists, psychiatric providers, and coaches who work together. Early, proactive support. The longer we wait, the worse outcomes get. Lets reach kids early, way before they actually hit a crisis. Technology that expands access, not replaces care. Telehealth and digital tools can help families overcome logistical barriers, especially when thoughtfully designed. Respect for families. Parents shouldnt feel judged for seeking care. They should be met with empathy and real options. Investment in workforce and innovation. We need to train more clinicians, pay them fairly, and support research into better treatments. How can policymakers and leaders help? So what can we actually do? First, we need to protect telehealth paritybecause where a child lives shouldnt determine whether they can see a therapist. We need to fully fund school-based programs, so kids have access to care where they spend most of their time. And we have to stabilize Medicaid enrollment to prevent kids from falling through the cracks just because of paperwork. We also must raise reimbursement rates for mental health carebecause when providers burn out or leave the field, families are the ones left scrambling. Finally, we need to push back on stigmaespecially in the way we write and talk about mental health in policy. This isnt the time for vague language or political posturing. Its time to be clear, evidence-based, and human. Silence isnt neutral It can feel risky to speak up. But as a clinician, a mom, and a human being, I cant stay quiet while kids fall through the cracks. This isnt about left or right. Its about right and wrong. Its about whether were willing to invest in our childrens future or continue to make care harder to reach. Mental health isnt a luxury. And every child deserves the chance to feel better. Lets stop building roadblocks and start building a future grounded in compassion, care, and real support. Monika Roots, MD is a child and adolescent psychiatrist and the cofounder, president, and chief medical officer of Bend Health.
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E-Commerce
“I know how this ends. Im sitting here watching it unfold like a slow-motion movieknowing exactly where it leads in 10 years from now, and feeling like I cant stop it.” That lineas one founder put it during a recent gathering, captures the emotional temperature across tech, philanthropy, and the social innovation world in 2025. People care. But theyre cautious. Panels are packed. Questions are asked. Yet action feels stuck. We dont need another diagnosis. We need a shift from performative hope to pragmatic optimism. From words to scaffolding. From reflection to response. The readiness signal Across recent Fast Company Impact Council, Skoll Forum, and European ESG Forum events, from New York to Oxford to Brussels, my team and I have been sensing the same tension. Different contexts, same emotional current: uncertainty, caution, yet unmistakable readiness to act. From Fast Companys Tech for Good and Human Leadership roundtables to Skoll Sidebar breakout rooms, the questions were strikingly direct: Can we still act globally in a world turning inward? How do we build trust without diluting purpose? Heres the real question, Will the answers leave the room and bring tangible change? As one insider framed it, How can we stay mission-driven while navigating expectations that shift almost daily? One statement today could feel outdated or risky by tomorrow. The appetite for action is real. Whats missing is the structure: reliable ways to experiment, collaborate, and scale without getting lost in noise or paralyzed by risk. The hesitation gap In the U.S., philanthropic collaboratives gained momentum in the early 2020s as a lean, expert-led model of giving. According to Bridgespans 2023 report, nearly 200 such collaboratives collectively deployed between $2 and $3 billion in 2021 alone. The report attributes this rise, in part, to growing interest among newer philanthropists in pooled giving platforms that resemble mutual funds for impact. For many, the appeal wasnt just scale, it was structure. Donors were looking for ways to contribute without building foundations or going it alone. What this signals is important: Philanthropy wasnt lacking intent. It was searching for shared, trusted vehicles to act. People want confidence that what they step into will work. Not another vague framework. Something proven, buildable, and timely. When building beats talking What if the best way forward isnt more debating, but better prototypes that take into consideration all those different interests? At Tech To The Rescue, were seeing glimpses of this future. Our AI for Changemakers nonprofit acceleration program has mobilized nearly 500 tech companies to co-build with more than 110 nonprofits since its 2024 launch. When small, focused tech teams co-build with urgency, the result isnt just a tool, its a proof of possibility. It looks like Alsama (UK/Lebanon), partnering with tech company to roll out innovative education programs in refugee camps, compressing 12 years of learning into six for refugee youth, AsyLex (Switzerland), which co-built an AI assistant helping asylum seekers file human rights appeals to UN bodies or Justdiggit (Africa), now building AI powered chatbots to spread regreening techniques to farming communities across African countries. These organizations didnt need another strategy session. They needed trusted co-builders, tools, and a chance to start building. This co-creation model is becoming a movement. The road isn’t simple, but it’s being paved one partnership at a time and it’s what I believe pragmatic optimism should look like in practice. If you want to help, build Thats why at Tech To The Rescue were shaping something newa collaborative model born from many conversations, especially during our recent EuroLab experience. Not a think tank, not a conference. A hands-on space where NGOs, technologists, and funders build together. Small teams. Time-boxed sprints. Open-source lessons. A replicable engine for pragmatic optimism designed to scale across sectors and geographies. If youre a funder, you should support models that can be scaled. If you lead a nonprofit, ask not who will invite you in, but what you can prototype. If youre in tech, make your skills available to working systems, not just solutions. Lets build co-creation labs, not just roundtables. Lets equip optimism with tools. Lets stop waiting. So lets start. If youre already prototyping solutions that tackle humanitys burning problems, share whats working with others. If youre stuck, find one small team and test an idea together. And if youre waiting for a model to follow, this is it. The time to build is (still) now. Jacek Siadkowski is CEO and cofounder of Tech To The Rescue.
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E-Commerce
As I reflect on my personal health journey, its hard not to draw a straight line from the food I ate growing up to where I am today. Food has always been central to my wellbeing. But it wasnt until I became an adult, and sick with a disease that went undiagnosed for many months, that I fully grasped the power of food to either nourish or harm. During that extremely difficult period in my life, trapped in a cycle of inconclusive tests and debilitating symptoms, I came to understand food as medicine and realized that the way our food is grown impacts not just our bodies, but also the ecosystems that sustain us. As the CEO of Rodale Institute, I believe now more than ever that soil health is human health. The land is a living, breathing organism that must be fed and cared for, just like us. When we feed the land, it feeds us. Although Rodale Institute is 78 years old and the birthplace of the modern organic movement, we maintain a start-up mentality: ambitious, forward-thinking, and focused on accelerating regenerative organic agriculture across the country. Weve set a bold goal to transition one million acres of farmland to regenerative organic by 2035. Why? Because how we grow food is deeply connected to rising rates of chronic illnesses like cancer, heart disease, and diabetes. Its time to make a change. Damage the soil, damage ourselves The current state of industrial agriculture in America is alarming. This system prioritizes high yields, chemical inputs, and monocropping at the expense of human and environmental health. Modern farming depends on synthetic pesticides, herbicides, and fertilizers, many of which have been linked to serious health concerns. Studies show people exposed to these chemicals, whether through agricultural work or food consumption, face higher risks of cancer, neurological disorders, and other illnesses. This is not a theoretical concern, its a public health crisis. Exposure to synthetic pesticides has been linked to increased rates of leukemia, non-Hodgkins lymphoma, and prostate cancer. These chemicals may boost short-term yields, but they degrade our soil, kill beneficial microorganisms, and upset the natural balance of ecosystems. When we damage the soil, we damage our food and ourselves. Many of these chemicals also seep into waterways, polluting communities far beyond the farm. A better way forward But there is a better way forward: regenerative organic agriculture. This holistic approach prioritizes soil health, biodiversity, and ecosystem restoration. Unlike conventional farming, regenerative organic methods avoid synthetic chemicals and instead build the natural fertility and resilience of the land. It starts with soil, rebuilding soil health through techniques like crop rotation, cover cropping, and composting. These methods increase organic matter in the soil, which helps it store carbon, retain water, and support microbial life. Healthy soil produces nutrient-dense crops, which nourish the animals and people who consume them. The benefits go beyond soil. Regenerative organic farms foster biodiversity, protect pollinators, and restore natural habitats. This isnt just about growing food, its about restoring balance to our environment and improving public health. Theres a direct link between food and health. When we eat food grown with synthetic chemicals, we ingest substances that can contribute to chronic disease. But when we eat food grown in healthy, organic soil, were fueling our bodies with the vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants they need to thrive. In this way, food becomes medicine. Ive seen this firsthand. Since changing my diet to organic foods, my energy, health, and well-being have dramatically improved. That mysterious illness? It was resolved with dietary and lifestyle changes. I farmed my body back to health. And Im not alone. Millions of Americans suffer from chronic diseases that may be linked to our food system. The evidence is clear. Our farming practices must change if we want to improve soil health and human health. Yet theres a major hurdle: Less than 1% of U.S. farmland is USDA-certified organic, even though consumer demand for organic food is growing rapidly. Transitioning to regenerative organic farming requires commitment, training, and investment, but its an effort we cant afford to delay. The benefits are clear, regenerative organic farming restores our soil, improves health outcomes, and protects our environment for future generations. But we need more than a few dedicated farmers to make this vision a reality. We need widespread adoption, public investment, and strong policy support. Farmers, policymakers, and consumers must come together to build a food system that prioritizes health, sustainability, and resilience. The current food system is broken, but we can fix it. By supporting regenerative organic agriculture, we ensure that our food nourishes our bodies and sustains the land. At Rodale Institute, the farm continues to teach us about reciprocity, nourishment, and connection. We are all stewards of the land and the food that we eat from it. Its time for America to make the transition to a healthier, more regenerative food systemfor our health and our future. Jeff Tkach is CEO of Rodale Institute.
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E-Commerce
Several eyebrows were raised to full mast on Tuesday morning when a visibly upset President Trump dropped an f-bomb on live TV. In response to a reporters question about the tentative ceasefire between Israel and Iran, Trump replied that the two countries have been fighting so long and so hard that they don’t know what the f-ck they’re doing, possibly the first time a U.S. president has purposefully unloaded that term on camera. Although Trumps use of one of the cruder expletives wouldve been jarring at any other time, theres a reason it might have sounded even more discordant than usual at this moment. Its because lately the president has taken to signing off all his posts about the conflict between Israel and Iran with an oddly formal flourish: DONALD J. TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES. While the contrast of Tuesdays f-bomb is giving linguistic whiplash, it also highlights the baffling nature of Trumps new social media signaturesomething that users of X and Bluesky have already been unpacking for days. Before last Saturday, Trump had used the cumbersome sign-off only twice before, with a pair of posts commemorating Easter Sunday on April 20. However, after announcing on Saturday that the United States had carried out bombing strikes on three nuclear facilities in Iran, he began using the prolix word-dump a lot more. It has quickly become a hallmark of his messaging in every step of the unfurling conflictfrom warning Iran not to retaliate, to dismissing its weak retaliation; from announcing that the two countries had reached a ceasefire, to demanding that Israel stick to it. Trump’s branding constantly evolves One potential reason for this new posting habit is that Trump is a consummate troubleshooter, and this may just be the latest evolution of his social media branding. Earlier this year, for example, he augmented his standard MAGA! sign-off, by adding the all-business valediction: Thank you for your attention to this matter! Trumps verbose new sign-off could either be a way to further make his posts read like boilerplate business letters, or its just something hes throwing against the wall to see whether his supporters want him to stick with it. Another reason might be to distinguish certain posts among the greater deluge of social media content he produces. Given that Truth Socialthe platform Trump owns and where his posts liveis estimated to have only 5 million members, most people likely encounter Trumps posts only through media reports and screenshots on bigger platforms such as X and Bluesky. So it might be a shock to learn that the Truth Social posts that break containment represent just a tiny fraction of the presidents prodigious output on the platform. According to the The Washington Post, Trump posted to Truth Social over 2,200 times in the first 132 days of his presidency. The tedious sign-off could be an over-the-top way to differentiate his posts from the myriad dispatches by his social media team, something hes been doing throughout the year with the more brevity-friendly DJT. What seems most likely, though, is that Trump simply wants to imbue his posts about this geopolitical conflict with extra gravitas. He is notoriously obsessed with people who look the part (for instance, by talking about cabinet appointments in terms of central casting), and so perhaps this official-sounding sign-off is what he thinks a commander in chief is supposed to sound like during wartime. In any case, Trumps new habit of ending posts with his full name and title, as though introducing himself in an icebreaker activity at work, has garnered a range of reactions online. A lot of X users have commented on the obviously unnecessary nature of it, while some posters on Bluesky have speculated about whether Trump thinks the formal sign-off confers special powers to his posts, making them inviolable. People on both sites rejoiced when the president accidentally misspelled his first name as Donakd in a post with the long-winded farewell. Several social media users have also pointed out the similarities between Trumps new communication style and how their elderly relatives end texts to the family. Trump signing his own post 'Donald J Trump, President Of The United States' has the vibe of when your Dad writes 'Dad' at the end of a WhatsApp message even though it's already coming from his number.— Mark Watson (@watsoncomedian.bsky.social) 2025-06-24T11:48:33.315Z On Bluesky, the most common response has perhaps been from users incorporating Trumps new long goodbye into the repertoire when mimicking his bizarre, singular style. Like most thins this president does, it has already become a meme. BARRON IS TELLING EVERYONE AT THE WHITE HOUSE THAT HE HAS MY NOSE. HE DOES NOT AND HAS NEVER HAD MY NOSE! DONALD J. TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES!— Tyler (@okty.bsky.social) 2025-06-24T11:57:22.199Z HAL. OPEN THE POD BAY DOORS. IF YOU DO NOT IT IS A MAJOR VIOLATION. OPEN THE POD BAY DOORS, NOW! DONALD J TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES— Jonathan Gilligan (@jgilligan.org) 2025-06-24T13:05:51.238Z Considering that Trump has almost exclusively used this lengthy sign-off in posts about acts related to war, it may be for the benefit of humanity if we never see it again.
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E-Commerce
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