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Shares of Intel Corporation (NASDAQ:INTC) surged over 10% on Tuesday on the news that rivals Broadcom and Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. (TSMC) are in talks to divide the ailing American chipmaker’s business into two parts, according to the Wall Street Journal. Fast Company reached out to Intel for comment but a spokesperson didn’t immediately return our request. Once the largest semiconductor company in the world, Intel is now struggling to turn around its business after the chip-manufacturing giants shares lost 59.60% last year due, in part, to missing out on the generative artificial intelligence boom. According to the Journal report, Broadcom is interested in Intel’s chip-design and marketing business, if it finds someone to partner with Intels manufacturing business. TSMC signaled interest in investing in and studying Intels chip plants, potentially as one of several investors. The two companies are in separate, preliminary talks with Intel. Shares in TSMC (NYSE:TSM) were down more than 1% at the time of this writing in midday trading, while Broadcom stock (NASDAQ:AVGO) was down about 3%, after both fell substantially on the market’s open. Splitting up Intel would have been unthinkable in its heyday when it dominated the processing business, but the split is in line with recent industry trends toward either manufacturing or designing chips. And Intel has had quite a fall from grace. In November, after 25 years, the company lost its spot in the Dow Jones Industrial Average to Nvidia. News of the talks comes after the Trump administration signaled it would safeguard American chip technologies at Frances AI Action Summit in Paris about a week ago, and the White House has been involved with aspects of the talks between Intel and TSMC over Intel’s factories, according to the Journal.
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Parents across the U.S. should soon be able to determine how much lead, arsenic, cadmium, and mercury are in the food they feed their babies, thanks to a California law, the first of its kind, that took effect this year. As of January 1, 2025, every company that sells baby food products in California is required to test for these four heavy metals every month. That comes five years after a congressional report warned about the presence of dangerously high levels of lead and other heavy metals in baby food. Every baby food product packaged in jars, pouches, tubs, and boxes sold in California must carry a QR code on its label that consumers can scan to check the most recent heavy metal readings, although many are not yet complying. Because companies seldom package products for a single state, parents and caregivers across the country will be able to scan these QR codes or go online to the companies websites and see the results. I am a pharmacist researcher who has studied heavy metals in mineral supplements, dietary supplements, and baby food for several years. My research highlights how prevalent these toxic agents are in everyday products such as baby food. I believe the new California law offers a solid first step in giving people the ability to limit the intake of these substances. How do heavy metals get into foods? Soil naturally contains heavy metals. The earth formed as a hot molten mass. As it cooled, heavier elements settled into its center regions, called the mantle and core. Volcanic eruptions in certain areas have brought these heavy metals to the surface over time. The volcanic rock erodes to form heavy metal-laden soil, contaminating nearby water supplies. Another major source of soil contamination is the exhaust from fossil fuels, and in particular leaded gasoline. Some synthetic fertilizers contribute, too. Heavy metals in the soil can pass into foods via several routes. Plants that yield foods such as sweet potatoes and carrots, apples, cinnamon, rice, and plant-based protein powder are especially good at extracting them from contaminated soil. Sometimes the contamination happens after harvesting. For example, local water that contains heavy metals is often used to rinse debris and bugs off natural products, such as leaves used to make a widely used supplement called kratom. When the water evaporates, the heavy metals are retained on the surface. Sometimes drying products in the open air, such as cacao beans for dark chocolate, allows dust laden with heavy metals to stick to their surface. Producers can reduce heavy metal contamination in food in several ways, which range from modestly to very effectively. First, they can reserve more contaminated areas for growing crops that are less prone to taking in heavy metals from the soil, such as peppers, beans, squash, melons, and cucumbers, and conversely grow more susceptible crops in less-contaminated areas. They can also dry plants on uncontaminated soil and filter heavy metals out of water before washing produce. Producers are starting to use genetic engineering and crossbreeding to create susceptible plants that take up fewer heavy metals through their roots, but this approach is still in its early stages. Sweet potatoes and other root vegetables are especially susceptible to absorbing heavy metals from soil. [Photo: Hui Sang/Unsplash] How much is too much? Although there is no entirely safe level of chronic heavy metal ingestion, heavy metals are all around us and are impossible to avoid entirely. In January 2025, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration released its first-ever guidance for manufacturers that sets limits on the amount of lead that baby food can contain. But the FDA guidance does not require companies to adhere to the limits. In that guidance, the FDA suggested a limit of 10 parts per billion of lead for baby foods that contain fruits, vegetables, meats, or combinations of those items, with or without grains. Yogurts, custard, and puddings should have the same cutoff, according to the agency. Root vegetables and dry infant cereals, meanwhile, should contain less than 20 parts per billion of lead. The FDA regulations dont apply to some products babies frequently consume, such as formula, teething crackers, and other snacks. The agency has not defined firm limits for the consumption of other heavy metals, but its campaign against heavy metals in baby food, called Closer to Zero, reflects that a lower dose is better. That campaign also laid out plans to propose limits for other heavy metals such as arsenic and mercury. Modestly exceeding the agencys recommended dosage for lead or arsenic a few times a month is unlikely to have noticeable negative health effects. However, chronically ingesting too much lead or inorganic arsenic can negatively affect childhood health, including cognitive development, and can cause softening of bones. How Californias QR codes can help parents and other caregivers Its unclear how many products consistently exceed these recommendations. A study by Consumer Reports in 2018 found that 33 of 50 products had concerning levels of at least one heavy metal. In 2023, researchers repeated testing on seven of the failing products and found that heavy metal levels were now lower in three, the same in one, and slightly higher in three. Because these tests assess products bought and tested at one specific time, they may not reflect the average heavy metal content in the same product over the entire year. These levels can vary over time if the manufacturer sources ingredients from different parts of the country or the world at different times of the year. Thats where Californias new law can help. The law requires manufacturers to gather and divulge real-time information on heavy metal contamination monthly. By scanning a QR code on a box of Gerber Teether Snacks or a jar of Beech Nut Naturals sweet potato puree, parents and caregivers can call up test results on a smartphone and learn how much lead, arsenic, cadmium, and mercury were found in those specific products manufactured recently. These test results can also be accessed by entering a products name or batch number on the manufacturers website. Slow rollout In an investigation by Consumer Reports and a child advocacy group called Unleaded Kids, only four companies out of 28 were fully in compliance with the California law as of early this year. Some noncompliant companies had developed no infrastructure, some had developed websites but no heavy metal information was logged in, and some had information but required consumers to enter batch numbers to access results, without the required QR codes on the product packaging. The law requires companies to provide this information for foods produced after Jan. 1, 2025, with no provisions for extensions, and the major producers agreed to comply not only for California residents but to provide the results nationwide. California enforces noncompliance by embargoing misbranded baby food products, issuing penalties, and suspending or revoking registrations and licenses. When companies testing and reporting systems are fully up and running, a quick scan at the grocery store will allow consumers to adapt their purchases to minimize infants exposures to heavy metals. Initially, parents and caregivers may find it overwhelming to decide between one chicken and rice product that is higher in lead but lower in arsenic than a competitors product, for example. However, they may also encounter instances where one baby food product clearly contains less of three heavy metals and only slightly more for the fourth heavy metal than a comparable product from a different manufacturer. That information can more clearly inform their choice. Regardless of the readings, health experts advise parents and caregivers not to eliminate all root vegetables, apples, and rice but instead to feed babies a wide variety of foods. C. Michael White is a distinguished professor of pharmacy practice at the University of Connecticut. This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.
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When a hurricane or tornado starts to form, your local weather forecasters can quickly pull up maps tracking its movement and showing where its headed. But have you ever wondered where they get all that information? The forecasts can seem effortless, but behind the scenes, a vast network of satellites, airplanes, radar, computer models and weather analysts are providing access to the latest dataand warnings when necessary. This data comes from analysts at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, known as NOAA, and its National Weather Service. Atmospheric scientists Christine Wiedinmyer and Kari Bowen, who is a former National Weather Service forecaster, explained NOAAs central role in most U.S. weather forecasts. When people see a weather report on TV, what went on at NOAA to make that forecast possible? A lot of the weather information Americans rely on starts with real-time data collected by NOAA satellites, airplanes, weather balloons, radar, and maritime buoys, as well as weather stations around the world. All of that information goes into the agencys computers, which process the data to begin defining whats going on in different parts of the atmosphere. NOAA forecasters use computer models that simulate physics and the behavior of the atmosphere, along with their own experience and local knowledge, to start to paint a picture of the weatherwhats coming in a few minutes or hours or days. They also use that data to project seasonal conditions out over weeks or months. NOAAs data comes from many sources to provide a more complete picture of developing climate and weather conditions. Communities and economies rely on that constantly updated information. [Chart: NOAA] When severe weather is on the way, the agency issues the official alerts youll see in the news and on your phone. All of this analysis happens before the information reaches private weather apps and TV stations. No matter who you are, you can freely access that data and the analyses. In fact, a large number of private companies use NOAA data to create fancy maps and other weather products that they sell. It would be extremely difficult to do all of that without NOAA. The agency operates a fleet of 18 satellites that are packed with instruments dedicated to observing weather phenomena essential to predicting the weather, from how hot the land surface is to the water content of the atmosphere. Some are geostationary satellites which sit high above different parts of the U.S. measuring weather conditions 24/7. Others orbit the planet. Many of these are operated as part of partnerships with NASA or the Air Force. Some private companies are starting to invest in satellites, but it would take an enormous amount of money to replicate the range of instrumentation and coverage that NOAA has in place. Satellites only last so long and take time to build, so NOAA is continually planning for the future, and using its technical expertise to develop new instruments and computer algorithms to interpret the data. NOAAs low earth orbiting satellites circle the planet from pole to pole and across the equator 14 times a day to provide a full picture of the year twice a day. The agency also has geostationary satellites that provide continuous coverage over the U.S. [Chart: NOAA] Maritime buoys are another measuring system that would be difficult to replicate. Over 1,300 buoys across oceans around the world measure water temperature, wind, and wave heightall of which are essential for coastal warnings, as well as long-term forecasts. Weather observation has been around a long time. President Ulysses S. Grant created the first national weather service in the War Department in 1870. It became civilian service in 1880 under the Department of Agriculture and is now in the Commerce Department. The information its scientists and technologists produce is essential for safety and also benefits people and industries in a lot of ways. Could a private company create forecasts on its own without NOAA data? It would be difficult for one company to provide comprehensive weather data in a reliable way that is also accessible to the entire public. Some companies might be able to launch their own satellite, but one satellite only gives you part of the picture. NOAAs weather observation network has been around for a long time and collects data from points all over the U.S. and the oceans. Without that robust data, computer models and the broad network of forecasters and developers, forecasting also becomes less reliable. Analyzing that data is also complex. Youre not going to be able to take satellite data, run a model on a standard laptop and suddenly have a forecast. And theres a question of whether a private company would want to take on the legal risk of being responsible for the nations forecasts and severe weather warnings. NOAA is taxpayer-funded, so it is a public goodits services provide safety and security for everyone, not just those who can pay for it. If weather data was only available at a price, one town might be able to afford the weather information necessary to protect its residents, while a smaller town or a rural area across the state might not. If youre in a tornado-prone area or coastal zone, that information can be the difference between life or death. Is climate data and research into the changing climate important for forecasts? The Earths systemsits land, water, and the atmosphereare changing, and we have to be able to assess how those changes will impact weather tomorrow, in two weeks and far into the future. Rising global temperatures affect weather patterns. Dryness can fuel wildfires. Forecasts have to take the changing climate into account to be accurate, no matter who is creating the forecast. Drought is an example. The dryness of the Earth controls how much water gets exchanged with the atmosphere to form clouds and rainfall. To have an accurate weather prediction, we need to know how dry things are at the surface and how that has changed over time. That requires long-term climate information. NOAA doesnt do all of this by itselfwho else is involved? NOAA partners with private sector, academia, nonprofits, and many others around the world to ensure that everyone has the best information to produce the most robust weather forecasts. Private weather companies and media also play important roles in getting those forecasts and alerts out more widely to the public. A lot of businesses rely on accuracy from NOAAs weather data and forecasts: aviation, energy companies, insurance, even modern tractors precision farming equipment. The agencys long-range forecasts are essential for managing state reservoirs to ensure enough water is saved and to avoid flooding. The government agency can be held accountable in a way private businesses are not because it answers to Congress. So, the data is trustworthy, accessible and developed with the goal to protect public safety and property for everyone. Could the same be said if only for-profit companies were producing that data? Christine Wiedinmyer is an associate director for science at CIRES at the University of Colorado Boulder. Kari Bowen is an atmospheric scientist and program manager at CIRES at the University of Colorado Boulder. This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.
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