This perspective article argues that the theoretical landscape of nonsuicidal self-injury (NSSI) has long been stabilized by the “hydraulic” model of Automatic Negative Reinforcement, which conceptualizes self-harm primarily as a mechanism to down-regulate aversive hyper-arousal. While this framework successfully elucidates the etiology of self-injury driven by high-intensity negative affect, it fails to account for a substantial, treatment-resistant phenotype: adolescents driven by profound anhedonia and ventral striatal hypofunction. This perspective article argues for the formal recognition of an “Anhedonic Subtype” of NSSI. Synthesizing recent epidemiological data identifying “emptiness” as a central symptom network bridge, alongside neurobiological evidence of reward blunting, we posit that for this subtype, NSSI functions not as a sedative, but as a mechanism of “forced activation.” We propose a preliminary differential diagnostic framework distinguishing defensive dissociation from anhedonic deficit and outline the theoretical rationale for exploring a shift in clinical intervention from distress tolerance toward positive affect up-regulation. The clinical utility of this framework remains to be evaluated in future empirical research.
Newcomer anti-IL-33 makes strides in COPD
Nature Biotechnology, Published online: 07 May 2026; doi:10.1038/s41587-026-03136-x
AstraZeneca’s IL-33 antibody tozorakimab targets two distinct signaling pathways engaged in COPD: inflammation and epithelial dysfunction.
ChatGPT Health triage advice falls short in key cases
Nature Medicine, Published online: 07 May 2026; doi:10.1038/s41591-026-04427-1
ChatGPT Health showed high accuracy for moderately urgent conditions but frequently overtriaged mild cases and undertriaged emergencies. These findings highlight safety risks at clinical extremes, raising concerns about the reliability of AI tools for urgent care decision-making.
Official leading CDC’s cruise ship program retires
WASHINGTON — The top U.S. official responsible for public health on cruise ships is stepping down, according to an internal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announcement obtained by STAT.
The retirement of Luis Rodríguez, who has been part of the Vessel Sanitation Program since 2010 and served as its chief since 2023, was announced internally at the CDC on Wednesday.
<![CDATA[Online tool personalizes antidepressant choice in primary care, cutting dropouts and improving 24-week depression and anxiety scores.]]>
STAT+: More political interference at the FDA?
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This is a photo of a young RFK Jr. trying to ride a small rhino. Send news tips and RINO jokes to John.Wilkerson@statnews.com or John_Wilkerson.07 on Signal.
Former DOGE co-founder v. former state Covid-19 czar
Although most people whom DOGE fired from HHS probably don’t live in Ohio, they may feel a personal connection to the gubernatorial race there.
STAT+: Pharmalittle: We’re reading about Sanofi and an FDA voucher, FDA rethinking a rejection, and more
Top of the morning to you, and a fine one it is. Sunny skies and mild breezes are enveloping the Pharmalot campus once again. And to celebrate, we are brewing still more cups of stimulation and inviting you to join us. Our choice today is Jack Daniel’s. Yes, this is a real thing. And remember, a prescription is not required. So no need to mess with rebates, coupons, or TrumpRx. Meanwhile, here are a few items of interest. Hope you have a smashing day and conquer the world. And of course, do stay in touch. We appreciate feedback, criticism and tips. …
Sanofi asked the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to pull its type 1 diabetes drug, teplizumab, out of FDA Commissioner Marty Makary’s new speedy review program, STAT reports. The move comes after acting Center for Drug Evaluation and Research Director Tracy Beth Høeg disagreed with a staff decision to approve the drug. The agency missed its April 21 goal date to deliver a decision to Sanofi. Such decisions are typically made by career scientists. It is rare for a center director to become involved in scientific review of a single drug, and particularly a political appointee like Høeg. Makary recently said that he stands behind review teams, and that “disaster” occurs whenever political leaders overrule scientific staff.
An experimental drug from Revolution Medicines that nearly doubled survival time for patients with advanced pancreas cancer in clinical trials comes with a high rate of mostly low-grade side effects, Reuters tells us. A report by researchers from a first-in-human trial of daraxonrasib is the first peer-reviewed paper to show safety data for what analysts say could become the next standard of care for previously treated metastatic pancreatic cancer. Among the 168 patients with previously treated pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma who received daraxonrasib in the early trial, treatment-related adverse side effects of any grade occurred in 96%, while severe or life-threatening events were reported in 30%.
STAT+: FDA revisits a rare cancer treatment it rejected a few months ago
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The Trump administration is touting massive projected savings from its still-secret drug pricing deals, though outside experts say there’s little way to independently verify the math.
Also, FDA leadership is facing fresh accusations of political interference in drug reviews, AI oncology startups are trying to make cancer care virtual, and scientists are opening up an entirely new frontier of biology hidden inside the “dark proteome.”
STAT+: OpenAI’s health policy wishlist, CGM news from Dexcom, and more
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Good morning health tech readers!
Would you expect OpenAI to put out policy proposals that weren’t in its best interest?
The Download: the tech reshaping IVF and the rise of balcony solar
This is today’s edition of The Download, our weekday newsletter that provides a daily dose of what’s going on in the world of technology.
What’s next for IVF
IVF has brought millions of babies into the world over the last four decades. But the process can still be slow, painful, and expensive—and far from guaranteed to work. Now, a wave of new technologies aims to change that.
Researchers are using AI to identify promising sperm and embryos, developing robotic systems that could automate parts of the IVF process, and even exploring controversial genetic editing techniques designed to prevent inherited disease.
The technologies could make IVF more effective and accessible. But they’re also raising difficult ethical questions about how far reproductive medicine should go.
—Jessica Hamzelou
This story is from MIT Technology Review’s What’s Next series, which looks across industries, trends, and technologies to give you a first look at the future. You can read the rest of them here.
The balcony solar boom is coming to the US
Dozens of US states are considering legislation to allow people to install plug-in solar systems, often called balcony solar. These small arrays require little to no setup and could help cut emissions and power bills.
Proponents say the systems could make solar power more accessible, but some experts caution that there are safety concerns.
Read the full story on balcony solar’s potentially massive impact in the US.
—Casey Crownhart
This article is from The Spark, our weekly climate newsletter. Sign up to receive it in your inbox every Wednesday.
Resistance: 10 Things That Matter in AI Right Now
Resistance against AI’s proliferation is growing. People from all walks of life are speaking out against rising electricity bills from data centers, disappearing jobs, chatbots’ impact on teen mental health, the military’s use of AI, and copyright infringement—among other concerns.
People want to have a say in how the technology transforms their future. And they’re starting to create small cracks in AI labs’ vision for the future. Find out how.
—Michelle Kim
Resistance is on our list of the 10 Things That Matter in AI Right Now, MIT Technology Review’s guide to what’s really worth your attention in the buzzy world of AI.
The must-reads
I’ve combed the internet to find you today’s most fun/important/scary/fascinating stories about technology.
1 After years of insults, Anthropic and SpaceX have teamed up
Anthropic will tap SpaceX’s GPUs to meet surging demand. (Axios)
+ While SpaceX gets a marquee customer for its AI ambitions. (Wired $)
+ Anthropic says the deal will double Claude Code’s rate limits. (Ars Technica)
+It’s also exploring building compute capacity in space. (CNBC)
+ Musk previously called Anthropic “evil” and “misanthropic.” (Gizmodo)
2 Ex-OpenAI leaders say Sam Altman sowed “chaos” and distrust
Former CTO Mira Murati said she couldn’t trust his words. (The Verge)
+ He also bypassed OpenAI’s safety board before a model release. (Gizmodo)
+ And pitted leaders against one another. (Forbes)
+ But Elon Musk still tried to recruit Altman to lead a Tesla AI lab. (FT $)
+ Here’s why Musk and Altman are in court. (MIT Technology Review)
3 China’s humanoid robots are fueling its next export boom
Morgan Stanley says Beijing has taken an early lead in the sector. (Bloomberg $)
+ Gig workers are training humanoids at home. (MIT Technology Review)
4 SpaceX’s IPO plans will give Elon Musk “virtually unchecked” authority
And erode typical shareholder protections. (Reuters $)
+ Activists and pension funds are pushing back against the IPO. (Wired $)
+ While SpaceX is shifting focus from Falcon 9 to Starship. (Ars Technica)
5 Google DeepMind will use the MMORPG Eve Online for AI model testing
It’s also bought a stake in the game’s maker. (Ars Technica)
+ DeepMind also recently built a new video-game-playing agent. (MIT Technology Review)
6 The US risks isolating its automakers by banning a Chinese EV standard
It’s prohibiting software that’s dominating global EV markets. (Rest of World)
7 Elon Musk’s proposed Texas chip factory could cost $119 billion
It would manufacture chips for Tesla, SpaceX, and xAI. (CNBC)
+ Future AI chips could be built on glass. (MIT Technology Review)
8 Why the “attention-span crisis” is misunderstood
Technology may be exhausting attention rather than shortening it. (Atlantic $)
9 Scientists are getting closer to explaining what causes lightning
New tools are revealing unexpected physics inside thunderstorms. (Quanta)
10 Kids have found an age verification loophole: fake mustaches
Resourceful children are foiling blocks on adult websites. (TechCrunch)
Quote of the day
“My concern was about Sam saying one thing to one person and completely the opposite to another person.”
—Mira Murati, the former CTO of OpenAI, testifies in court that CEO Sam Altman was deceptive, Reuters reports.
One More Thing
ALAMY
A brief, weird history of brainwashing
During the Cold War, the US prepared for a psychic war with the Soviet Union and China by spending millions of dollars on research into manipulating the human brain.
The science never exactly panned out, but residual beliefs fostered by this bizarre conflict continue to play a role in ideological and scientific debates to this day. And now, new technologies are altering how we think about mind control.
This is how the race for mind control changed America forever.
—Annalee Newitz
We can still have nice things
A place for comfort, fun and distraction to brighten up your day. (Got any ideas? Drop me a line.)
+ Listen to the 10 bird songs of spring in this lovely compilation of American species.
+ Good Samaritans saved a 29-foot whale that had wandered too far into a river.
+ Explore the intersection of human emotion and machine learning in this look at AI’s influence on art.
+ Break down the walls between streaming services and manage all your digital music in one place with this app.