 |
|
|
|||||
Theres a quiet transformation underway in how we eat. Its not being led by chefs, influencers, or climate activists. Its being driven by a new class of pharmaceuticals that are changing the way millions of people relate to food itself. GLP-1 drugs like Ozempic and Wegovy work by altering hunger signals in the brain. These medications dont just help people feel full sooner. They are reshaping consumption patterns across the board. When hunger changes, everything from portion sizes to snacking habits and flavor preferences follows. This is fueling a broader redefinition of how we think about protein. What used to be a food category mostly associated with muscle-building or dieting is now at the center of a cultural and metabolic shift. Were entering a new phase where people are eating less but expecting more from what they do eat. Thats why protein is showing up in unexpected placespasta sauces, pancake mixes, condiments, even mustard. Yes, protein mustard. Some of this feels like marketing gone rogue. (How much seasoning do I need to eat before it impacts my protein intake?) But the underlying trend is real. People want smaller portions with higher impact. This shift disrupts the conventional thinking that indulgent foods (hamburgers, ice cream, chocolate) must inherently lack nutritional value, while healthier options (kale salads or plain tofu) can’t offer true enjoyment. GLP-1 breaks down this barrier, emphasizing the need for indulgence and nutrition to coexist. This shift is especially visible in the snack aisle. A recent Wall Street Journal article spotlighted how protein-rich snacks are rising in popularity as consumers seek satiety and nutrition in smaller formats. This isnt about indulgence anymore. Its about optimization. At the same time, the definition of protein itself is evolving. New formats are emerging, from refined plant-based offerings to fermentation-derived and cultivated proteins. At Aleph Farms, the cultivated meat company I lead, we designed a product that is right-sized for the GLP market. Our first Aleph Cut is called a “Petit Steak,” which is smaller and thinner. These arent just replacements for conventional meat. They are recalibrations, designed for consumers who want fewer bites, but better ones. Even pharmaceutical companies are taking notice. Novo Nordisk, maker of Ozempic and Wegovy, recently funded research into less-processed plant proteins at the University of Copenhagen. Its a strong signal that food innovation is starting to orbit around a new gravitational center: changed appetites. For the food industry, this isnt just about cutting portion sizes or slapping high protein on a label. Its about rethinking what protein can mean when hunger looks different. Can it be lighter and still satisfying? Can it be more sustainable without losing its emotional resonance? Can it become something people seek out, not for fullness, but for fulfillment? In the GLP-1 era, people arent eating to feel full. Theyre eating to feel nourished, energized, and in control. So the real question isnt how much protein does this product contain? Its how does this protein earn its place?
Category:
E-Commerce
Blue-check verification is nothing new in the world of social media, but Bluesky is only now making it available to any notable accounts. The social media company has launched an application that allows users to apply for this authentication and receive a blue check. Bluesky first launched a form of verification in 2023 that required users to put a domain as their handle. For example, a brand or magazine could show its validity by using its official website as an identifier. Meanwhile, individuals who worked for the company could then make their usernames @name.wesbite.com. According to Bluesky, over 270,000 accounts took part in this option over its first two years. [Image: Bluesky] It wasnt until this April that Bluesky hopped on the train of its competitors and started offering blue checksand very selectively. Most notably, it introduced a process allowing approved organizations to become Trusted Verifiers and give their employees a blue check. These users receive a scalloped blue check indicating their trusted status. That brings us to the present day, when Blueskys safety account announced, Were expanding our roll-out. Notable and authentic accounts can apply for verification or to become a Trusted Verifier via the form linked in our blog. How can I apply for Bluesky verification? The application is available here and includes questions about what category the account falls under (such as a public figure or elected official) and what proof is available regarding its status. [Image: Bluesky] Accounts not selected for verification won’t receive a response from the company, however, they can still pursue the domain option. [Image: Bluesky] Blueskys usership exploded following a mass exodus from X after the presidential electiontripling in size since its pre-November numbers to over 36 million users at the time of publication. Xs owner, Elon Musk, had already begun offering paid verification, removing the validity of such designations on the site by not making it clear whos legit and who shelled out. His financial and vocal support of now President Trump pushed more users to delete their accounts and migrate to Bluesky.
Category:
E-Commerce
You may not have heard of Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei, but hes one of a handful of people responsible for the current AI boom. As VP of Research at OpenAI, Amodei helped discover the scaling laws that project how much smarter an AI gets when given increasing amounts of computing power. He holds PhDs in physics and neuroscience and is probably a genius. Amodei, who left OpenAI in 2021 to found Anthropic, which claims to be a more safety-conscious AI company and is now valued at $61 billion after closing its latest funding round, spoke at Anthropics developer day in San Francisco Thursday. Hes quirky, refreshingly frank, and often funny. Here are some of his spicier quips. On the science and art of training state-of-the-art AI models: There is this somewhat superstitious process of model development; it somehow comes together all at the last minute . . . Theres that alchemy that happens at the very last. It doesn’t make any sense. The training process is uniform. You would think that it doesn’t work that way, that it’s all a rational process, but it’s absolutely not. On the speed at which AI models are moving toward equaling or exceeding human intelligence in a broad range of tasks. It’s only going to be a year or two until these things are basically going to be peers to us. On how it feels to be immersed in an accelerating process of creating progressively smarter models. It’s like being on a spaceship headed away from earth and experiencing larger and larger time dilation constants. On whether Amodei, who is a neuroscientist, has been inspired by the human brain to create better AI models. It’s not like I’ve found this thing from the hypothalamus that we can use for making models. It’s all been pretty much from scratch. On when he thinks the world will see the first billion-dollar company with one employee. 2026 On whether people haven’t yet reckoned with the changing economics of software development brought about by new AI coding agents. He says new agents, like Claude Code, will shorten development time and lower the cost of creating new software. I think the world is going to be very different when these things can be made on an ad hoc, one-off basis in a few seconds for less than a dollar. On what Anthropic is doing to stop AI models from hallucinating facts or making mistakes. Its really amazing that somehow human beings have managed to never have been mistaken. No one ever makes anything up. Ive never seen anybody on TV, never seen politicians say things that arent true. On the predicament where people create new companies based on ideas that arent yet supported by current AI models. Amodei says it’s good to struggle with the creation of the company until the AI becomes available. Hitting your head against the wall can actually sometimes be useful. On what hes most excited about in the next five years. I hope that in five years we will have vanquished a lot of the diseases that now exist.
Category:
E-Commerce
All news |
||||||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||||||