What's on Your Mind?

It was a busy week for Colossal Biosciences: On Tuesday, it introduced the world to the first-ever woolly mice; by Wednesday, those mice were going viral; and on Saturday, they were the topic of a bit on Saturday Night Live’s Weekend Update. The success of genetically engineering these little creatures represented a huge leap toward a bigger goal: bringing back the woolly mammoth. After spending 2.5 years editing mammoth genes, the team applied their work to mice rather than trying to create a creature that has been extinct for thousands of years. “The genetic engineering of the mouse, while it’s a mouse, it’s a marvel of science in terms of where we are from an i…

Columbia Sportswear just lauched its Endor collection, and I want it all. Inspired by the clothes worn by the rebel squad that took on the Death Star’s shield generator in Return of the Jedi, it’s the latest and largest Star Wars drop from Portland, Oregon-based company. It’s also the best fit for the brand since its Empire Strikes Back‘s Echo Base Han Solo parkas, which I missed back in 2017, and I will forever feel like a dumb Tauntaun for not grabbing one (they run for almost $1,000 each now). The highlight of the collection is General Han Solo’s Trench, a $600 jacket that mimics the camouflage duster that Harrison Ford wore while leading the strike team on the…

On my phone, there are already videos of the next moon landing. In one, an astronaut springs off the rung of a ladder, strung out from the lander, before slowly plopping to the surface. He is, alas, still getting accustomed to the weaker gravity. In another, the crew collects a sample—a classic lunar expedition activity—while another person lazily minds the rover. A third video shows an astronaut affixing the American flag to the ground, because this act of patriotism is even better the second time around. The blue oceans of Earth are visible, in the background, and a radio calls out: “Artemis crew is on the surface.” America is going back to the moon, and NASA i…

Comcast said on Monday it will appoint President Michael Cavanagh as co-CEO, adopting a dual chief executive model as the company prepares to spin off several NBCUniversal cable networks as part of a restructuring. Cavanagh will take up the new role in January and also join the company’s board, serving alongside Brian Roberts, who will continue as chairman and co-CEO. Several high-profile firms such as Oracle and Netflix have adopted a co-CEO model to better manage their operations as they become more complex and globally diversified. Comcast plans to spin off its NBCUniversal cable channels, including USA Network and CNBC, into a new company called Versant la…

One thing I genuinely love about my job is mentoring young professionals who are just getting started in their careers. Gaining a foothold in the tech industry is tough, especially in the AI age. And today’s new generation of employees are asking compelling questions: How do I focus in complex environments? How do I create a competitive advantage? What happens if I fail? I recently found myself asking similar questions—about my golf game—to one of the world’s top golfers, Padraig Harrington. It was humbling to be on the other side of the fence, getting insights from a global legend that not only improved my swing, but helped me better coach the next generation of tech…

It may be winter and there may be a biting chill in the air, but the dozen men and women who have packed this small sauna room in east London are happily sweating away in their swimwear. It’s more than 90 degrees Celcius (194 Fahrenheit) in here — and it’s about to get even hotter. As ice blocks infused with lavender oil melt over sizzling hot stones, releasing fragrant steam, “sauna master” Oliver Beryl turns on some ambient music and starts to vigorously wave a towel in a circular motion above his head to spread overpowering waves of dry heat around the room. “Now try finding someone and sit back to back with them,” Beryl suggests. “Or, if you want, maintain…

We’ve been sold a myth about entrepreneurial success: sharpen your skills, tighten your systems, hustle harder. But after years of working with independent professionals across industries, I’ve noticed that the highest performers share something that rarely makes the productivity lists: they’ve intentionally built communities of colleagues, clients, and partners who expand how they think, create, and deliver impact. Community isn’t a “nice to have” for the self-employed. It’s strategic infrastructure. And this is especially important for solopreneurs, entrepreneurs who work primarily solo. The stakes are higher than most solopreneurs realize. According to research…

Companies ask job applicants for references all the time. It’s a way to verify a potential hire’s history and skills, vet their candidacy, and assess character and cultural fit. So why can’t the same thing be done in reverse—where you can ask past employees to assess the company you’re applying to? Sure, there’s Glassdoor. But short of salty ex-employees publicly dragging old employers on social media—a relatively uncommon move, considering it’s deemed unprofessional and may result in legal retaliation—there are no real formalized processes to run references on a company you’re applying to. A recent Reddit post presented the argument: “Jobs be asking me for 3 …

Isaac, 33, has been a mid-level software development engineer at a Big Tech firm for four years, and noticed entry-level job postings dropping at his workplace at the start of 2025. The work, however, didn’t vanish with them. Tasks once handled by junior engineers—like writing and testing code, fixing bugs, and contributing to development projects—were absorbed by senior staff, often with the assumption that AI would make up the difference. And while AI has sped up the velocity of shipping code and features, there are fewer people to do tasks like designing, testing, and working with stakeholders, which AI has zero grasp on. The cracks have been hard to ignore. “Seniors …

Harvard Business Publishing Corporate Learning recently surveyed leaders and L&D professionals about what they’re looking for in a leadership development program. At the top of the list? Scalability. One of my passions—and one of the reasons my company developed our own learning platform—is expanding access to leadership development, so it’s exciting to see companies recognizing how important scalability is. At the same time; however, I know that making scalability work at your organization can be a tall order. For a long time, scalability and quality have seemed at odds in leadership development. An organization could spend its budget on highly effective, b…

Some “copycat” versions of popular weight-loss drugs will soon be restricted in the U.S. The change comes as a federal judge declined an injunction that would’ve allowed compounding pharmacies to keep making more affordable versions. In a Good Morning America segment, Dr. Tara Narula, ABC News chief medical correspondent, explained how compound-drug creation works to meet demand. “When a drug is in short supply, the FDA allows these compounding pharmacies to essentially create copycat drugs. But when the drug companies say, ‘we are able to meet the demand,’ then those compounding pharmacies can no longer sell those drugs,” Narula said. The U.S. Food and Drug Adm…

If you ask my friends or colleagues to describe me, the unanimous response would be “she’s someone who gets sh*t done.” It’s become a well-worn badge of honor for me. Productivity isn’t something I do, it’s become something I am—and it’s exhausting. As it turns out, I’m not alone in this. For those of us who value productivity above all else, we’re far more likely to experience chronic stress or burnout. One 2025 study shows just how widespread levels of chronic stress and burnout are, with over one-third of the workforce reporting they were chronically stressed or burned out last year. Many of us feel like we’re walking a delicate line between balance and overwh…

Last week, four Condé Nast staffers were abruptly fired after participating in a union protest at the publisher’s 1 World Trade Center headquarters. The journalists had confronted chief people officer Stan Duncan outside his office, demanding answers on a fresh wave of layoffs that had just hit the company. The incident followed Condé Nast’s announcement that Teen Vogue would be folded into Vogue.com, resulting in multiple layoffs, including Teen Vogue’s editor-in-chief. Footage obtained by The Wrap shows Duncan declining to engage with employees, instead repeating that they should “go back to the workplace.” In the clip, one of the journalists asks, “What c…

Congress may stop California from implementing its first-in-the nation rule banning the sale of new gas powered cars by 2035. A Senate vote expected as soon as this week could end the nation’s most aggressive effort to transition toward electric vehicles as President Donald The President’s administration doubles down on fossil fuels. California makes up roughly 11% of the U.S. car market, giving it significant power to shape purchasing trends. Vehicles are one of the largest sources of planet-warming emissions. The Republican-controlled Congress is targeting three California waivers that set stricter emissions rules than the federal government. The House voted to block…

Right now, too many physicians and patients are trapped in a fragmented system. Information exists—but rarely in a form that’s usable or easily actionable. Too often, lab results arrive as scanned images. Medication histories show up late or unreadable. Critical details hide in pages no one has time to sift through. What clinicians feel in those moments is not just inconvenience—it’s strain. They’re carrying the weight of navigating a complexity that shouldn’t sit on their shoulders in the first place. Many expect artificial intelligence (AI) to solve the problem but while it can be an important part of the solution, AI is only as smart as the data it feeds on and onl…

What’s your favorite brand? Now ask yourself, why? Brands That Matter is Fast Company’s effort to answer that question on a broader scale. To recognize the brands that have significant cultural relevance, find unique and powerful ways to connect with audiences, and of course, drive business impact. Now, we’re calling for brands of all shapes, sizes, and stripes to apply. Tell us your story! Here are three reasons why you should apply: 1. Celebrate cultural relevance It’s what distinguishes a brand from its competitors. It’s what forges emotional connection with people. It may be a film, an event, or something that helps make our days easier or more effici…

Design culture loves the fantasy of “blue sky” thinking. No constraints. No limits. Pure imagination. It sounds liberating, but it often produces design that only works in ideal conditions for an ideal user who does not exist. Blue sky leads to paper design—“great” ideas that never come to market. The truth is simple: Constraints fuel creativity. The most valuable constraint is the human one. When designers embrace real limits like limited dexterity, low lighting, fatigue, mobility restrictions, sensory sensitivities, small living spaces, and tight budgets, they stop designing for abstraction. They start designing for reality. That is where innovation becomes inev…