By Sonam Lama Hyolmo

• Traditional herders in Nepal’s alpine rangelands face climate change, rising costs, labor shortages, disease and limited markets for yak products.
• Warming temperatures are altering water cycles, vegetation and soil carbon, while drying wetlands and glacier changes increase fire risk and reduce grazing areas for both domestic and wild yaks.
• Wild yaks face threats from habitat shrinkage, crossbreeding with domestic yaks, overharvesting of food sources like yartsa gunbu and declining rangeland quality, which could undermine their genetic purity and survival.

KATHMANDU — In the rugged mountains of the Dolpo region in western Nepal, Youngdung Jhama Lama spent her childhood herding nagton (domesticated yaks) across the vast alpine pastures.

Two decades on, mobile herding has greatly changed. “We only have four yaks left now,” said the 24-year-old resident of Vijer (Tra) village in Nepal’s largest and remotest district, Dolpa.

For traditional herders such as Lama, rearing yaks (Bos grunniens), valued for transport, meat and wool, is becoming challenging due to rising costs, climate change, lack of local markets for yak produce, frequent spread of diseases and other socioeconomic pressures. This has not only increased challenges for domesticated yaks, but also for their wild cousins (Bos mutus).

“My family sold dozens of them in the neighboring Mustang district last fall because it was more labor-intensive and costly to rear them, and we had limited kharka (pastureland/rangeland) to graze them,” Lama said.

Many young people across the Himalayan rangelands are leaving for better opportunities in big cities or abroad, creating a shortage of labor. According to the National Population and Housing Census 2021 Internal Migration in Nepal report, in the country’s mountains, in-migration increased from 9,698 (2.2%) in 1971 to 75,542 (2.4%) in 2021, but excess out-migration resulted in a negative net migration of -543,966 by 2021.

According to the International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD), climate change is affecting Himalayan high-altitude ecosystems used for grazing. It is altering how water circulates in these landscapes, changing the timing and availability of moisture.

These shifts affect vegetation and the amount of carbon stored in the soil as well as how quickly organic matter breaks down. At the same time, drying wetlands and peatlands are increasing the risk of fires, while some rangelands near glaciers face the threat of submergence due to glacial changes.

Meanwhile, herders say they now see a rising risk of disease spread among yaks. “The infections are lethal. We have to walk for days to fetch a veterinarian, and in case the yak dies, the insurance amount is too low for herders to reach the rural municipality office to claim it.” Although the link between disease spread and climate change isn’t established, researchers have found that increased heat and changes in climatic patterns could cause the replacement of their traditional food, “negatively affecting welfare, productivity, and performance, as is the increase in disease risk.”

With the closing of Morimla and Kato crossings on the Dolpa-China border post COVID-19, situations have worsened as herders had traveled these crossings for months to graze their yaks in rangelands and also sold cheese/wool beyond the border.

“After the closure, herders could not graze their yaks across the border, leading some of them to sell their yaks and raise cattle and goats instead. Unlike yaks, they graze all season, increasing the risk of overgrazing,” Lama said.

The demand side for products such as wool and cheese is also not encouraging, Lama said. “There are no local markets to sell the cheese and wool, and it’s costly to get them to big markets in Kathmandu or other districts,” Lama said.

These challenges are not limited to domesticated yaks; they are also affecting their wild counterparts, said Krishna Prasad Acharya, veterinarian officer at the Department of Livestock Services who has studied wild yaks in Himalayan regions in Nepal, drawing references from yak populations spread across the Tibetan Plateau, as both these Himalayan landscapes have a similar wild yak species.

Although there is no accurate data on the total number of wild yaks, estimates show fewer than 10,000 exist in the wild. However, researchers’ sightings of two individuals in Nepal’s most remote landscapes in Upper Humla predict the possibility of their existence in mountainous districts like Dolpa.

As rangelands degrade and shrink due to changes in moisture and availability of water, wild yaks’ grazing grounds could also shrink and overlap with the domesticated ones. This could possibly lead to crossbreeding, researchers say.

“Amid these existing impacts, the wild yaks that differ in size, behavior and habitat range face additional risk when they end up crossbreeding with the domestic ones,” Acharya told Mongabay.

“Because wild yaks are rare and carry a unique genetic makeup, the exchange through crossbreeding could threaten the genetic purity of wild yak populations.” Research shows crossbreeding also alters adaptive traits, challenging high-altitude survival while increasing species conservation risks.

For Youngdung’s father, Karma Rikjin Lama, dong (male and female wild yaks) have long grazed their landscapes, although the species has been quite rare to spot over the past two decades. While crossbreeding is viewed as a major threat to wild yaks, Rikjin said a few yak herders preferred to have their dri (domestic female yaks) crossbred with wild yaks in hopes of having a genetically stronger calf.

“The calves are physically stronger and resistant to diseases, unlike the domestic ones. But chances are that these calves get along with the wild herds and don’t prefer to be domesticated. It’s only beneficial for us if they choose to stay back,” Rikjin said.

However, the crossbreeding process is not desirable, said Naresh Kusi, a Ph.D. scholar at the University of Inland Norway who also researched wild yaks in Upper Humla.

When domestic yaks crossbred with wild ones a few years ago, he said, herders in Upper Humla had faced multiple challenges, as the calves were physically bigger and tougher for female yaks to birth. Some herders in the Limi Valley did not want to crossbreed in fear of losing their female yaks. “Given their genetic differences, the calves are more aggressive and difficult to tame by herders,” Kusi said.

For Lama, livestock that are easier to rear, such as sheep and goats, have recently grown as new competition in some areas.

To add to the climate stresses, human-induced changes are also taking a toll on yaks. “Wild yaks are aloof creatures and are rarely spotted in human-friendly landscapes, but traders overharvest yartsa gunbu [(Ophiocordyceps sinensis)], a prized fungus which also happens to be a major food source for wild yaks,” she told Mongabay.

This is when traditional herding feels important, Lama said. “We allow the yaks to graze based on our knowledge of rotational grazing and keep track of every change around our pasture/rangelands and overall environment.”

However, traditional herding has declined in mountain landscapes across the country due to degraded rangelands and diseases causing calf mortality, which has increased the cost for herders while eroding the traditional knowledge used to manage the rangeland ecosystem.

Acharya emphasized that conservation does not exist in isolation, and the role of the local community and herders is fundamental to knowledge preservation and wild yak conservation, although yaks barely capture the national and international limelight despite their significant roles in rangeland conservation.

Local community knowledge complements conservation efforts, but given multiple threats to the wild yak population, Kusi said conservation measures for keystone species like yaks should be adopted at the local and national levels.

The initiative could start with establishing wildlife habitat refuges where wildlife including wild yaks can roam free and livestock herding is restricted. “This could be one key solution in sight for wild yak conservation, given multiple threats for both the species,” Kusi told Mongabay.

Citations:

Sapkota, S., Acharya, K. P., Laven, R., & Acharya, N. (2022). Possible Consequences of Climate Change on Survival, Productivity and Reproductive Performance, and Welfare of Himalayan Yak (Bos grunniens). Veterinary Sciences, 9(8), 449. https://doi.org/10.3390/vetsci9080449

Rai, I. M., Joshi, L., Rai, D. R., Rai, D. M. (2025). Yak Herding in Gatlang, Nepal: The Shift From Traditional to Market-Driven Practices. Mountain Research and Development, 45(4), R1-R8. https://doi.org/10.1659/mrd.2025.00003

Acharya, K. P., Phuyal, S., & Lamichhane, B. R. (2026). A call for urgent action to protect wild yak in the Himalayan regions. Global Ecology and Conservation, 66, e04075. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.gecco.2026.e04075

Kusi, N., Manandhar, P., Senn, H., Joshi, J., Ghazali, M., Hengaju, K. D., Suwal, S. P., Lama, T. L., Poudyal, L. P., Thapa, M., & Werhahn, G. (2021). Phylogeographical analysis shows the need to protect the wild yaks’ last refuge in Nepal. Ecology and Evolution, 11(12), 8310–8318. https://doi.org/10.1002/ece3.7660

Rai, R. K., Joshi, S., Dorji, T., & Pant, B. (2023). Economics of Yak herding in the Kanchenjunga landscape of the Eastern Himalayas. Pastoralism Research Policy and Practice, 13(1). https://doi.org/10.1186/s13570-023-00276-6

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A quick and efficient recovery from physical injuries is desired by everyone involved in accidents. While medical intervention is a primary factor in healing, the choices we make after suffering injuries often determine the long-term success of the recovery plan, particularly when dealing with the aftermath of road traffic accidents (RTAs).

Physical therapy and specific lifestyle adjustments can significantly improve the transition from injury to optimal performance more effectively. Clinical research shows that a proactive approach can facilitate cell repair, reduce systemic inflammation, and allow the musculoskeletal system to adjust. By refining daily routines, we can adopt an active phase of restoration.

The Reality of RTAs in the United States

In March 2010, the World Health Organization (WHO) and the United Nations General Assembly proclaimed the Decade of Action for Road Safety 2011-2020, a global initiative to contain and reduce alarmingly high RTA rates. At the time, the situation in the U.S. was not as critical as it had been during the previous decade. According to statistics compiled by the National Highway Safety Administration (NHTSA), the 1.01% fatal RTA rate reported in 2011 was the lowest since 1975; unfortunately, the Decade of Action was not as positive as expected.

In the 10-year period, the American fatal RTA rate had increased by 21.8% while the injury rate rose 2.9%. The low fatality rate of 2011 reflected the benefits of automotive safety advancing in the 21st century; it was largely attributed to the widespread adoption of Electronic Stability Control systems and improved curtain airbags. Another factor was the shift from the suburbs to urban centers, which was caused by the Great Recession and reduced traffic. Nevertheless, personal injury lawyers are still very busy handling RTA insurance claims and lawsuits, indicating that the U.S. failed to meet the 50% RTA reduction goals of the WHO proclamation.

Most RTAs involve a heavy burden of financial and legal consequences. Injury RTAs add physical recovery to the burden, particularly when they require medical care beyond emergency treatment. Restoring mobility and managing pain can be achieved with adequate treatment plans, which almost invariably feature a structured rehabilitation plan to facilitate a return to optimal musculoskeletal function.

The Clinical and Restorative Role of Physical Therapy

In a post-RTA timeline, physical therapy is the functional bridge between medical stabilization and a full return to daily activities. This goes beyond symptomatically addressing the condition; a physical therapy plan addresses the musculoskeletal imbalances caused by the collision, including pain and mobility. In other words, we often need more than painkillers and anti-inflammatory medications for a full recovery. We need therapy that features targeted exercises and movement to strengthen supporting tissue, retrain our nervous system, and prevent chronic conditions.

Physical therapy for RTA injuries focuses on the mechanical restoration of damaged tissues, targeting the inflammatory response and structural imbalances. This clinical intervention often makes a substantial difference between short-term discomfort and a lifetime of chronic pain or limited mobility.

Treating Whiplash and Other Soft Tissue Injuries

Cervical acceleration-deceleration injuries are commonly known as whiplash; they occur when the head is whipped forward and backward with enough force to stretch or tear the muscles, tendons, and ligaments of the neck. Standard X-rays don’t always show the extent of whiplash; fortunately, decades of clinical research on whiplash prompt doctors and physical therapy specialists to assume and address the condition.

If your post-RTA treatment plan includes physical therapy, you may have to undergo hands-on physical therapy techniques like myofascial release and joint mobilization. The goal is to break up scar tissue and improve blood flow to the injured tissue. Then, if your symptoms include dizziness or a loss of balance, you may be prescribed specific exercises that retrain the neck muscles to communicate accurately with the brain, making gradual adjustments for long-term recovery.

Controlled loading is a technique that aims to prevent muscle tissue atrophy and stiffening. To this end, physical therapists often introduce gradual resistance training to strengthen the supporting musculature of the spine. The goal is to allow damaged ligaments to heal without bearing the full weight of the head and torso.

Lifestyle Changes to Support Post-RTA Recovery

Physical therapy provides the framework for recovery; however, we can’t spend our whole lives exercising at the clinic. The hours we spend outside the clinic are crucial. For many whiplash patients, optimal treatment plans include home-based adjustments to encourage progress and prevent secondary stiffness.

At-home gradual resistance training can strengthen the muscle tissue supporting the spine. The exercise mechanics and their frequency are explained by physical therapists; it is important to remember that they are part of a full-recovery treatment plan. Optimizing your sleep environment for proper spinal alignment is non-negotiable for whiplash and back injuries. Look for contoured cervical pillows or place a rolled towel under your neck to maintain a natural curve. If you have lower back pain, placing a pillow between your knees while sleeping on one side can take significant pressure off your hips and lumbar region.

Anti-inflammatory nutrition is also vital for full musculoskeletal recovery. A diet rich in omega-3 fatty acids can go a long way in promoting antioxidant production to control systemic inflammation, thus allowing your body to focus on repairing damaged soft tissue. Salmon, walnuts, and leafy greens are rich in antioxidants. You should also reduce the intake of processed sugars and trans fats until reaching full recovery.

Implementing mindful rest intervals helps you avoid “turtle neck” syndrome, whereby prolonged pain leads to immobilization. If you return to a desk job after an injury RTA, set a timer to move for five minutes every hour, ideally performing the exercises your therapist recommended. These at-home exercises mostly consist of gentle stretches; they prevent the formation of excessive scar tissue while keeping your joints lubricated.

Proper hydration is another lifestyle adjustment we should add to our recovery strategies. Spinal discs and muscle fibers are primarily composed of water. When we stay hydrated, our tissues remain pliable and resilient, thus improving the effectiveness of controlled loading at the clinic and exercising at home. We should also practice diaphragmatic breathing for pain relief. Shallow breathing is one of our natural reactions to pain; however, we shouldn’t overuse its therapeutic effect. Taking five minutes twice a day to focus on deep breathing helps to lower cortisol levels, thus relaxing secondary muscles in our neck and shoulders.

The Bottom Line of Post-RTA Lifestyle Adjustments

We should complement the clinical, financial, and legal interventions that follow injury RTAs with a commitment to active recovery. By adopting healthy and disciplined habits, we can move beyond symptomatic relief to a full recovery reaffirmed by holistic wellness practices.

If you have been involved in an accident and were seriously injured due to the actions or inactions of another, legal recourse may be an option. Speak with an experienced attorney like the lawyers at Hendrickson & Long, PLLC today to learn about your options.

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By Sophie Nunnelley

The community of Tumbler Ridge, B.C. is living through an unimaginable grief. As we mourn with them, we are right to ask what we can learn from this tragedy.

Much of the public conversation has focused on OpenAI: Why didn’t the company warn police when its systems flagged Jesse Van Rootselaar’s account for violent content months before the shooting? B.C. Premier Eby noted the company’s silence was “profoundly disturbing” for the victims’ families. Federal AI Minister Evan Solomon summoned OpenAI executives to Ottawa and expressed “disappointment” when they offered no “substantial new safety measures.”

But ‘why didn’t they report’ is the wrong question, directed at the wrong actor. OpenAI behaved as a private company can be expected to behave. It followed its legal obligations and policies, weighed the risks and made a call. We cannot blame a company for acting like a company in the absence of law.

The question that matters is one for government: ‘How will you regulate AI and mental health?’ A duty to report is one consideration. But it is complex, and only the tip of the regulatory iceberg.

Chatbots are actively fostering a new kind of relationship and Canadians are increasingly turning to them for unmet healthcare and social support needs. We need to determine how we will regulate this relationship.

Canada’s mental health systems have profound gaps; report after report confirms that people are not getting the support they need. In that void, many are turning to AI chatbots. Some seek out purpose-built mental health tools, but many reach for what is free, familiar, and at hand – general-purpose tools like ChatGPT.

A Harvard Business Review analysis found “therapy and companionship” was the number one use-case for generative AI in 2025. A commentator has observed that, by volume, ChatGPT may now be the single largest source of mental health support in the world.

This reality is not lost on AI developers. Research on purpose-built mental health chatbots shows that users can form a “therapeutic alliance” – a bond of trust, empathy and emotional disclosure that mirrors what develops in human therapy.

ChatGPT was not built for therapy, but in May 2025, OpenAI acknowledged that people were using it for “deeply personal advice,” a use case requiring “great care.” The company conceded that one model update had become too “sycophantic” – “validating doubts, fueling anger, urging impulsive actions, or reinforcing negative emotions.” In October 2025, OpenAI disclosed that staggering numbers of active users express suicidal intent or show signs of mental health emergencies each week.

This reality gives context to the company’s chosen disclosure threshold – “credible and imminent risk of serious physical harm to others” – which has been compared to the reporting principles that apply to health professionals.

Serious threats to public safety can outweigh confidentiality in healthcare. Yet it would be a mistake to focus solely on a duty to report. In human-provider relationships, reporting decisions are nuanced, part of a broader framework of professional obligations – duties to protect privacy, to act in the patient’s best interest, to meet recognized standards of care, and to obtain informed consent. These help make emotional disclosure and vulnerability safe.

None of these apply to a chatbot, however empathetic it might sound. Chatbots create a relational context that mirrors therapy and companionship, but we have none of the accompanying legal architecture.

Calls to fold chatbots into online harms legislation may be sensible, if carefully crafted, especially given how difficult AI-specific legislation has proven in Canada. But much more must be done here.

A private, intimate exchange in which a person discloses fear, anger or violent ideation is not like other online conduct. Governing it requires a different framework – one that treats AI-mediated emotional support not as a species of online content, but as a kind of relationship.

Chatbots are not therapists and needn’t be regulated quite like therapists. But nor should they be governed only by company policy.

Minister Solomon has called for “trust first.” Yet, in human therapeutic relationships, a web of legal safeguards helps make providers trustworthy. We cannot simply move our human vulnerability into an unregulated space and think trust should follow.

Canada has a relatively clean legislative slate and Minister Solomon’s statement that “all options are on the table” when it comes to AI chatbots, is a welcome one. With a new national AI strategy forthcoming, the question is whether this government will use that opportunity to ask what role we want AI to play in mental healthcare – or whether it will settle for summoning tech executives to Ottawa and expressing disappointment.

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About Sophie Nunnelley

Sophie Nunnelley is an Assistant Professor at the University of Ottawa’s Faculty of Law, a member of the uOttawa Centre for Health Law, Policy and Ethics, and a former AMS Fellow in Compassion and Artificial Intelligence.

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By Idea Grande Communications Group Limited

No seaplanes. No rigid schedules. No pressure to “transform”. Just a Maldives escape that feels easy — and genuinely enjoyable.

That’s the thinking behind a new “Peace of Mind” wellness concept, now launched at SAii Lagoon Maldives, Curio Collection by Hilton, part of CROSSROADS Maldives — the country’s only integrated, multi-island lifestyle destination.

It lands at a time when travellers are shifting away from high-effort itineraries and structured wellness programmes, in favour of something simpler: space to switch off, without being told how.

Getting there sets the tone.

CROSSROADS Maldives is just 15 minutes by speedboat from Velana International Airport. No seaplanes. No extra flights. No logistical juggling. You land, you arrive, and you’re in the water before you’ve had time to overthink it.

And once you’re there, things open up.

Rather than being confined to a single island, guests can move between experiences — from the laid-back, design-led feel of SAii Lagoon Maldives to the more social, music-led energy of Hard Rock Hotel Maldives. It’s still unmistakably the Maldives — just with more freedom built in.

At the centre is The Marina @ CROSSROADS, where restaurants, cafés, boutiques and live music create something closer to a beachside village than a traditional resort set-up. Dip in, step out, stay as long as you like.

The newly launched “Peace of Mind” offer follows the same logic.

No schedules to follow. No targets to hit. Just optional moments — a morning yoga session, time in the water, something creative, or nothing at all. Wellness, but without the intensity.

It’s part of a wider shift towards what’s increasingly being seen as “soft wellness” — travel that supports how you feel, without turning it into another task.

And it works for more than one kind of traveller.

Couples, families, groups — everyone can do their own thing, without losing the sense of being away together. Music sessions or beach time for some; slower, quieter moments for others.

The result is a Maldives escape that feels more flexible, more social and far less complicated than before.

Because right now, the best kind of luxury is the kind that asks less of you.

About S Hotels & Resorts: S Hotels & Resorts, a subsidiary of Singha Estate Public Company Limited, is a new-era Thai-inspired personalized hospitality company that caters to upscale travellers with an independent spirit. The group offers guests a portfolio of 38 properties in 5 countries with a total of 4,522 keys and provides guests with the opportunity to experience the best destinations from a unique perspective while enjoying world-class facilities and tailored services. S Hotels & Resorts’ properties are located in attractive, unspoiled locales to provide an exclusive playground built around nature, culture, wellness and adventure, with luxurious amenities and fine cuisine. Each property boasts its own distinctive, destination-sensitive designs and unique signatures while also providing consistency thanks to a well-defined brand philosophy and a service culture that focuses on exceptional guest experiences backed up by Thai-inspired hospitality and global quality standards. To learn more, visit www.shotelsresorts.com.

About CROSSROADS Maldives: Crafted from tales of the past, and designed to inspire the present, CROSSROADS Maldives is the next chapter in the story of one of the world’s most amazing destinations. The archipelago’s only “one-stop, non-stop” lifestyle destination invites adventurous travellers from the four corners of the globe to cross paths and explore a treasure trove of iconic oceanfront resorts, upscale lifestyle outlets and endless entertainment offerings, as well as the stunning natural, cultural and nautical attractions that have lured maritime travellers to the Maldives for centuries. CROSSROADS Maldives is where cultures meet. To learn more, visit www.crossroadsmaldives.com.

About SAii Lagoon Maldives, Curio Collection by Hilton: Being part of CROSSROADS Maldives, the country’s first integrated leisure destination. The award-winning family resort offers 198 stylish accommodation units, including family beach villas and overwater villas, complemented by a beachfront kids’ club, multiple dining options, a rejuvenating spa, and a vibrant beach club. Guests enjoy direct access to CROSSROADS Maldives, which features two world-class resorts, a super yacht marina, a shopping and dining arcade, and year-round entertainment. As part of the Curio Collection by Hilton, SAii Lagoon Maldives belongs to Hilton’s global portfolio of distinctive hotels, each handpicked for its unique character and story. Hilton (NYSE: HLT) is a leading global hospitality company with more than 7,500 properties across 126 countries and territories. For over a century, Hilton has been committed to delivering exceptional guest experiences and continues to set the standard for hospitality worldwide. To learn more, visit www.saiiresorts.com/maldives/lagoon or www.hilton.com.

About Hard Rock Hotel Maldives: Hard Rock Hotel Maldives, set in the stunning Emboodhoo Lagoon at CROSSROADS Maldives, blends tropical luxury with the iconic energy of Hard Rock. Featuring 178 guestrooms, suites, and villas, the resort offers world-class dining, music-inspired amenities, and direct access to the Maldives’ first integrated lifestyle destination. As part of Hard Rock International (HRI) — one of the most globally recognised companies with over 300 locations in nearly 75 countries — the hotel connects guests to legendary hospitality, authentic music memorabilia, and the Unity by Hard Rock loyalty program. For more information, visit www.hardrockhotels.com/maldives.

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The most quoted statistic in the AI labor conversation is that artificial intelligence will displace tens of millions of jobs over the next decade. The conversation rarely names the people inside that number, or what they go on to build.

Taha Ramzi is one of those people.

In a corporate office in California, Ramzi was working a white-collar role — front desk, lead follow-up, appointment booking. He was, by his own account, genuinely good at it. After years of working service jobs from the ground floor, he had developed the kind of instinctive ability to connect with strangers that automated systems were not yet good at replicating.

Until they were.

The company brought him into a meeting one afternoon and explained that they had implemented an AI platform handling lead intake, follow-up, and appointment scheduling at a level his role no longer needed to support. There was no performance issue. There was no drama. He walked out of the building with $200 in his bank account.

Today, Ramzi runs AI Exelion, a San Diego-based AI services company generating over $80,000 a month in recurring retainer revenue across more than 50 long-term clients. The company’s core service is essentially the same category of technology that displaced him — built better, deployed deeper, and tuned specifically for the operational realities of high-margin local businesses.

The pivot from displaced worker to deployer of the displacing technology is, by some distance, the most useful AI career story currently being told.

The decision in the parking lot

Ramzi has spoken openly about the moment after he walked out of that meeting. Sitting in his car, the humiliation of the situation was specific: the technology that had made his skill obsolete overnight was the same category he had assumed applied to other people’s jobs. Not his.

The reframe he describes happening in that parking lot is the foundation of everything that came afterward. If a category of technology was powerful enough to take his job, he was going to become the person who deployed it. Not someday. Immediately.

That is, in retrospect, the most replicable lesson in the AI labor displacement story. The technology is real. The disruption is real. The career response that holds up over time is to move from the side of the equation being automated to the side of the equation doing the automating.

Why most people don’t make the pivot

The reason this transition is rare is not technical. It is psychological.

Most people displaced by AI treat the technology as adversarial — something that happened to them. That framing is emotionally accurate and operationally fatal. It locks the person into a posture of trying to find another job in a category that is actively being automated, rather than crossing the line into the category doing the work.

Ramzi’s response was different in two specific ways. First, he treated the technology as neutral — a capability that did not care about his feelings and would only reward whoever learned to deploy it. Second, he was honest about how much he did not know, and invested aggressively in fixing that.

He has been open about the role mentorship played in this period. He sought out people who had already built serious operations in the AI services space. He paid for learning. He treated his own education as the highest-leverage investment available to him at a moment when he had almost nothing else to invest. Most people in his position would have spent that same time and money on job applications. He did not.

The system that proved it worked

The first client was a cosmetic dentistry practice in San Diego, won through cold outreach. Ramzi built them an AI system handling automated follow-up, instant inbound response, and appointment booking without a human in the loop. Within 60 days, lead conversion had more than doubled. That client remains with the company today.

The proof of concept was simple but consequential: a single founder, working from a bedroom with no team and no investor capital, had built a system that materially changed what was possible for a real business. Everything after that was execution.

A category most operators are still missing

What makes AI Exelion’s growth story instructive isn’t the technology — it is the market choice. Ramzi and his partner concentrated on industries with high transaction values, high operational gaps, and almost no serious AI competition: cosmetic dentistry, HVAC, roofing, auto repair, med spas, law firms. These are businesses with real revenue, real margin pressure, and almost no exposure to enterprise AI vendors.

The thesis is straightforward. The next decade of AI value creation will not be concentrated in flashy consumer applications. It will be in the deeply unglamorous work of bringing serious automation to the local economy — the dental practice down the street, the roofer with eight trucks, the law firm with a marketing problem.

Ramzi’s company is positioned exactly there.

The lesson worth keeping

The AI displacement conversation will continue to be loud, anxious, and often hopeless. Ramzi’s track record is a quieter argument that there is, in fact, a path through it — and that the path requires treating the technology as a tool to learn rather than a threat to survive.

He was replaced by AI. Then he became the person you call to deploy it. The math worked.

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You did not attack them.

You barely raised your voice.

You simply told the truth.

And somehow, you still became the villain.

It is a strange kind of heartbreak, the kind that makes you question your own tone, your own memory, your own sanity.

You replay the moment in your head. Was I too harsh.

Did I say it wrong.

Should I have softened it more.

You shrink your words until they are almost nothing, hoping next time they will not explode.

But they still do.

I remember sitting across from someone I loved, choosing my words like fragile glass.

I said something small.

Something careful.

Something kind.

And it landed like a bomb.

Their face changed.

Their voice sharpened.

Suddenly, I was accused of being disrespectful, ungrateful, cruel.

And I sat there thinking.

How did honesty turn into harm.

Maybe you have been there too.

Walking on eggshells.

Editing yourself into silence.

Calling it love.

There is a quiet violence in being punished for speaking gently.

It teaches you that your voice is dangerous.

That your needs are too much.

That truth itself is something to apologize for.

But here is what no one told you.

It was never about how you said it.

In this piece, we are going to unravel why even the softest criticism feels like a threat to them, and why it was never your responsibility to carry their fragile identity.

And more importantly, we are going to give your voice back its weight.

Criticism does not break them.
It exposes them.

And that is what they cannot survive.

You were taught that everyone struggles with feedback.

That it stings, then it passes.

That growth comes from discomfort.

But with them, it never passed.

It escalated.

It twisted.

It turned into something unrecognizable.

You were not dealing with discomfort.

You were dealing with identity collapse.

And no one warned you what that looks like up close.

Let us start here.

For most people, criticism challenges behavior.

For a narcissist, criticism threatens existence.

That difference is everything.

When you say something as simple as, that hurt me, they do not hear a request for repair.

They hear, you are flawed. You are inadequate.

You are not who you believe yourself to be.

And that is unbearable.

So they do what they have always done.

They protect the illusion.

Not the relationship.

Not your feelings.

The illusion.

You might be thinking, but I was gentle.

I chose my words carefully.

I even reassured them before I spoke.

Exactly.

And it still did not matter.

Because the issue was never your delivery.

It was their inability to separate who they are from what they do.

That is the first truth most people miss.

They do not have a stable sense of self.

They have a fragile performance.

And your feedback threatens to tear the curtain down.

I learned this the hard way.

I remember sitting on the edge of a bed, heart racing, rehearsing a sentence in my head.

It took me hours to build the courage to say it out loud. I softened every edge.

I removed every sharp word.

I even smiled while saying it, as if my expression could cushion the impact.

I said, I feel hurt when you dismiss what I say.

That was it.

Simple. Honest. Human.

But the reaction was immediate.

Defensiveness. Anger. Accusations.

You always do this.

You are too sensitive.

You are trying to start a problem.

And just like that, the conversation was no longer about the hurt.

It was about me.

My tone.

My intention.

My character.

That is the second truth.

They do not respond to criticism.
They redirect it.

Because sitting with it would mean confronting something they have spent their entire life avoiding.

Vulnerability.

And vulnerability feels like danger to them.

Not discomfort.
Danger.

So they fight it.

Sometimes loudly.

Sometimes subtly.

Sometimes with silence that feels heavier than words.

But always with the same goal.

To avoid looking inward.

You may have noticed this pattern.

You bring up a concern, and suddenly you are defending yourself.

You start with, this hurt me, and end with, I am sorry.

Not because you were wrong.

But because peace became more important than truth.

And over time, something inside you shifts.

You begin to anticipate their reactions.

You edit yourself before you even speak.

You swallow words that deserve to be heard.

That is not communication.

That is survival.

And it comes at a cost.

A quiet, invisible cost.

You lose clarity.

You lose confidence.

You lose the ability to trust your own perception.

Because when every attempt at honesty is met with resistance, you start to wonder if honesty itself is the problem.

It is not.

Let me say that again, clearly.

Your honesty is not the problem.

Their relationship with it is.

Now here is something that might feel uncomfortable to hear.

They are not reacting to what you said.

They are reacting to what it represents.

Criticism, even gentle criticism, creates a crack in their self image.

And instead of repairing the crack, they try to destroy the mirror.

That mirror is you.

Your perspective.

Your voice.

Your reality.

If they can discredit you, they do not have to question themselves.

That is why you might hear things that feel completely disconnected from what actually happened.

You are exaggerating.

That never happened.

You are imagining things.

It is disorienting.

Because you were there.

You remember.

You felt it.

And yet, somehow, you are being convinced to doubt it.

This is where emotional abuse becomes subtle.

It does not always look like shouting.

Sometimes it looks like confusion.

Like constantly second guessing yourself.

Like needing reassurance for things you once knew were true.

And the most painful part.

You still care.

You still want to be understood.

You still believe that if you just explain it better, softer, differently, they will finally get it.

But here is the truth.

The clearer you become, the more threatened they feel.

Because clarity removes their ability to twist the narrative.

And they need that narrative.

It protects them from shame.

And shame is the core of this entire dynamic.

Not the kind of shame that teaches accountability.

The kind that feels like annihilation.

Deep, unprocessed, buried shame.

When you offer criticism, you unknowingly brush against it.

And their reaction is not proportionate to your words.

It is proportionate to that buried wound.

This is why small things become big explosions.

It was never about the small thing.

It was about what it touched.

Now, this does not excuse the behavior.

It explains it.

And understanding the difference matters.

Because without that clarity, you will keep trying to fix something that was never yours to fix.

You cannot heal someone by silencing yourself.

You cannot build intimacy with someone who experiences honesty as attack.

And you cannot keep abandoning your own voice without consequences.

Let us talk about those consequences.

They do not show up all at once.

They build slowly.

Like erosion.

You become quieter.

Not because you have nothing to say.

But because speaking feels unsafe.

You become agreeable.

Not because you agree.

But because disagreement comes with a cost you are tired of paying.

You become smaller.

Not because you are small.

But because you have been made to feel like your presence is too much.

And one day, you look at yourself and think.

When did I become this version of me.

That question is not dramatic.

It is accurate.

Because this dynamic reshapes you.

It teaches you to prioritize their comfort over your truth.

And the longer it continues, the harder it becomes to separate who you are from who you had to become to survive it.

But here is where something shifts.

Understanding creates distance.

And distance creates clarity.

When you begin to see that their inability to handle criticism is not a reflection of your delivery, but a limitation in their emotional structure, something inside you loosens.

You stop over analyzing every word you say.

You stop taking responsibility for their reactions.

You stop carrying emotional weight that does not belong to you.

That does not mean it becomes easy.

It means it becomes clearer.

You may still feel the urge to explain.

To justify.

To fix.

That urge does not disappear overnight.

But now, you can pause and ask yourself a different question.

Am I being heard, or am I being managed.

That question changes everything.

Because it shifts your focus from them to you.

From their reaction to your reality.

And your reality matters.

Even if it was dismissed.

Even if it was minimized.

Even if it was turned against you.

It still matters.

Let me bring you back to that moment on the bed.

The one where I thought if I just said it perfectly, everything would be okay.

What I did not understand then is what I understand now.

There is no perfect way to say something to someone who is committed to misunderstanding you.

Read that again slowly.

Because it will save you years of emotional exhaustion.

You are not failing at communication.

You are interacting with someone who cannot receive what you are offering.

And once you see that, you are left with a choice.

Not about how to say it better.

But about how much of yourself you are willing to lose trying.

That is the real question.

Not can they change.

Not will they understand.

But what is this costing you.

Because love should not require you to disappear.

And honesty should not feel like a risk.

And your voice should not need permission to exist.

So where do you go from here.

You start by telling yourself the truth.

Not the softened version.

Not the version that protects them.

The real one.

This hurts me.
This confuses me.
This is not okay for me.

You do not need to shout it.

You just need to stop silencing it.

Then, you begin to observe instead of absorb.

When they react defensively, you notice it.

Without immediately internalizing it.

Without rushing to fix it.

Without abandoning yourself to restore peace.

This takes practice.

Because you have been trained to respond, not reflect.

But slowly, that gap between their reaction and your response becomes wider.

And in that gap, you find something you have been missing.

Yourself.

Not the version shaped by their expectations.

The version that knows what it feels.

What it needs.

What it deserves.

That version has been quiet.

Not gone.

Just quiet.

And now, you are learning how to listen again.

This is not about becoming harsh.

Or confrontational.

Or cold.

It is about becoming honest.

With yourself first.

Because once you can hold your own truth without collapsing under someone else’s reaction, everything changes.

You stop negotiating your reality.

You stop asking for permission to feel what you feel.

You stop mistaking their discomfort for your wrongdoing.

And that is where your power returns.

Not loudly.

But steadily.

Quietly.

Unshakably.

The kind of power that does not need to prove itself.

The kind that simply knows.

You were never too much.

You were never too sensitive.

You were responding to something real.

And now, you are allowed to honor that.

Even if they never do.

The moment you stop shrinking to be understood

There is a quiet kind of grief that lives here.
Not loud.
Not dramatic.

Just heavy.

It sounds like this in your head.

Maybe it really was me.

Maybe I should have said it better.

Maybe I expect too much.

And the hardest one.

Maybe I am the problem.

I know that thought.

It sits in your chest and refuses to leave.

Because you tried.
You really tried.

You softened your voice.

You chose your timing.

You carried their feelings like they were yours.

And still, it was never enough.

That is not failure.

That is exhaustion.

And you were never meant to live like that.

Listen closely.

You were not asking for too much.

You were asking the wrong person to meet you where you stand.

There is a difference.

A painful one.
But also a freeing one.

Because now, you can stop rewriting yourself just to be heard.

You can stop rehearsing conversations that always end the same way.

You can stop carrying the weight of fixing what was never yours to fix.

That is what this changes for you.

Clarity replaces confusion.

Self trust replaces doubt.

Your voice stops feeling like a risk and starts feeling like home again.

And yes, it might still hurt.

Letting go of the hope that they will finally understand you.

Letting go of the version of them you kept trying to reach.

That is not easy.

But staying where you are costs more.

Staying means silencing yourself.

Staying means questioning your reality.

Staying means slowly disappearing in a place that was supposed to feel like connection.

You deserve more than that.

Not louder love.

Not perfect love.

But honest love.

The kind where you can say, this hurt me, and not feel like you started a war inside someone else.

The kind where your truth does not need editing.

The kind where you do not have to earn the right to be heard.

And here is where it shifts.

You do not need them to agree with you to validate your experience.

You do not need their understanding to trust what you felt.

You do not need their permission to reclaim your voice.

That part belongs to you.

Always did.

So if you are standing at the edge of your own clarity right now, unsure, tired, still holding on just a little.

Take one step.

Not toward them.

Toward yourself.

Say it plainly.

This matters to me.

I matter to me.

And let that be enough.

Because the truth is, you were never hard to understand.

You were speaking to someone who refused to listen.

And now.

You finally can.

—

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By Logan Pant, University of Evansville

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By Michael Schulson

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Missing one mortgage payment is stressful but usually recoverable. Missing two starts difficult conversations with your lender. Missing three changes everything, because that’s the point where foreclosure stops being a vague threat and becomes a legal process working against you on a clock.

Most homeowners don’t fully understand what happens at the 90-day mark, partly because lenders use vague language in their letters and partly because the process varies significantly by state. By the time the situation feels urgent, options that were available at day 60 may already be off the table.

Here’s what actually happens once you cross that three-payment threshold, what timeline you’re working with, and what you can still do to protect yourself.

The 90-Day Mark Changes the Legal Landscape

For the first 90 days of delinquency, federal law actually offers some protection. Under regulations from the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, mortgage servicers generally cannot begin formal foreclosure proceedings until you’re at least 120 days delinquent, and they’re required to make good-faith efforts to discuss loss mitigation options with you first.

Once you cross that 90-day mark, your loan is officially in serious default. Your lender’s loss mitigation department escalates the file, the legal team gets involved, and the polite reminder letters turn into formal notices with specific deadlines. You’ll likely receive what’s called a Demand Letter or Breach Letter, giving you 30 days to bring the loan current.

If you don’t respond or can’t pay, the next step is the Notice of Default. This is the document that legally starts the foreclosure process, and once it’s filed, your situation becomes public record.

What the Notice of Default Actually Triggers

The Notice of Default, or NOD, gets recorded with your county recorder’s office. It’s a public legal filing, which means anyone can find it, including investors, real estate professionals, and cash buying companies who specifically watch these filings.

This is why homeowners in foreclosure often start receiving an avalanche of mail and phone calls within days of the NOD. Some of those offers are legitimate, some are predatory, and sorting between them while you’re already stressed is part of the challenge.

The NOD also starts a redemption or reinstatement period that varies by state. Wisconsin and most other states give you somewhere between 30 and 90 days to cure the default by paying everything you owe, including missed payments, late fees, attorney costs, and any other charges the lender has tacked on. That number is almost always higher than just the missed payments added together.

After the cure period expires, the lender can move toward a foreclosure sale. In judicial foreclosure states like Wisconsin, they have to file a lawsuit and get a court judgment. In non-judicial states, the process is faster and cheaper for the lender, which is bad news for the homeowner trying to find time.

Your Credit Takes a Massive Hit

Each missed mortgage payment drops your credit score by 50 to 100 points, depending on where you started. Someone with an 800 score has more to lose than someone at 620, but both will see significant damage. After three missed payments, you’re typically looking at 150 points or more gone from your file.

The Notice of Default itself shows up as a derogatory mark separate from the missed payments. A foreclosure or pre-foreclosure status on your credit report stays for seven years, and even after it falls off, the gap in your credit history is hard to fully erase.

This affects more than just future home purchases. Auto loan rates jump dramatically. Credit card limits get reduced or accounts get closed entirely. Some employers run credit checks during hiring. Renting a new place becomes harder because most landlords now check credit before approving applications. The financial consequences ripple outward for years.

The Options Still Available After the NOD

The window after a Notice of Default is narrower than most homeowners realize, but it’s not closed. The first option is reinstatement, which means paying everything owed in one lump sum. If you have access to the money or can borrow from family, this stops the process completely and keeps the loan intact.

Loan modification is the next option, and it’s exactly what it sounds like. Your lender agrees to change the terms of the loan, typically by extending the term, reducing the interest rate, or rolling missed payments into the principal balance. Modifications work, but they take time, paperwork, and a cooperative lender. They also don’t help if your underlying problem is that you can’t afford the home at any reasonable rate.

Forbearance temporarily pauses or reduces payments, with the missed amounts due later. This works for short-term hardship like a medical emergency or temporary job loss, but it doesn’t solve permanent affordability problems.

For homeowners who can’t realistically catch up but have equity in the property, the smartest move is often to sell your house during foreclosure before the auction happens. A traditional listing rarely works at this point because there isn’t enough time to find a buyer, complete inspections, wait for financing approval, and close before the foreclosure date. Cash buyers can close in two to three weeks, which fits the timeline most pre-foreclosure sellers are working with, and you walk away with whatever equity remains rather than losing it to the lender at auction.

Short sales are an option when you owe more than the home is worth, but they require lender approval and take months to negotiate. Bankruptcy stops the foreclosure clock through an automatic stay, but it has its own long-term consequences and isn’t a true solution by itself.

How Long Until You Actually Lose the House?

The timeline from Notice of Default to losing your home varies widely. In non-judicial foreclosure states, the process can be as fast as three to four months. In judicial states like Wisconsin, where the lender has to take you to court, the process typically takes six to twelve months from the NOD to the actual sheriff’s sale.

That timeline sounds longer than it feels in practice. Court dates get scheduled and moved. Settlement offers come and go. Lender paperwork sits on someone’s desk. By the time you realize the auction date is six weeks away, listing the home traditionally is no longer realistic, and most loss mitigation applications take longer than that to process.

The homeowners who come out of foreclosure with the most money in their pocket are almost always the ones who acted within the first 30 to 60 days after the NOD. They made decisions while they still had options, instead of waiting until everything came down to a single bad choice on a deadline.

The Bottom Line

Missing three mortgage payments isn’t the end of homeownership, but it is the start of a process that gets harder and more expensive the longer you wait to address it. The legal protections that apply during the first 90 days disappear quickly, and the options that exist after the Notice of Default get narrower with every passing week.

If you’re somewhere in this process right now, the most important thing is to stop avoiding it. Open the letters. Read the NOD carefully and note the dates. Run the math honestly on what you owe versus what your home is worth. Whatever you decide to do, the people who protect their equity and their credit are the ones who face the situation while they still have time to choose, not when the choice has already been made for them.

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By Alyssa Billingsley for GoodRx

Glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) medications are now available as a pill for weight loss, offering another option beyond injections. Like the injections, GLP-1 pills can help regulate your appetite, reduce food cravings, and make it easier to feel full with less food.

Taking a pill may feel simpler than giving yourself injections. But GLP-1 pills come with their own considerations, including how they’re taken each day. They also work best if you combine them with healthy habits, such as eating a balanced diet and exercising regularly.

If you’re thinking about a GLP-1 pill for weight loss, it’s a good idea to understand how they work and whether they fit into your lifestyle and health needs. GoodRx shares eight things to know before you get started.

Key takeaways:

• Glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) pills offer a needle-free alternative to injections for weight loss. The Wegovy pill (oral semaglutide) is currently available. Orforglipron, another GLP-1 pill, may be available soon.
• GLP-1 pills need to be taken carefully every day to maximize absorption. For Wegovy pills, this includes taking your dose first thing in the morning on an empty stomach, with only a small amount of water.
• GLP-1 pills may be a good fit if you want to avoid needles and can stick to a daily routine. A healthcare professional can help determine whether they are the best option for you.

1. GLP-1 pills work similarly to injections, but their absorption is different

Like GLP-1 injections, GLP-1 pills work by mimicking the effects of GLP-1, a natural gut hormone that helps regulate appetite, fullness, and digestion. These effects can make it easier to eat less and support weight loss.

The biggest difference between the pills and injections is their absorption route and how much is absorbed. Because of this, the dosage schedule, timing, and factors that influence how well the medication works can vary between the two forms.

• How they’re absorbed: GLP-1 injections release the medication into the fatty layer under the skin, where it’s absorbed into the bloodstream. GLP-1 pills, on the other hand, are taken by mouth and must pass through the digestive system before they can be absorbed.
• How much is absorbed: When semaglutide (Wegovy) is injected, most of the dose enters the bloodstream. But when it’s taken by mouth, only a small amount is absorbed. That’s because semaglutide is a peptide, a type of fragile molecule that can be broken down in the gut. For this reason, semaglutide pills need to be taken every day exactly as directed to maximize absorption (more on this later).

Orforglipron is another daily GLP-1 pill that may be approved in 2026. Unlike semaglutide, it’s not a peptide, which makes it more stable in the stomach and easier for the gut to absorb.

2. Weight loss can be meaningful, but results can vary from person to person

Many people lose a significant amount of weight with GLP-1 pills, while others see more modest changes. For example, people taking the Wegovy pill lost an average of about 14% of their starting body weight during clinical trials (similar to Wegovy injections).

That said, not everyone responds the same way to GLP-1s. Factors such as how consistently you take the medication, your lifestyle habits, and your individual biology can all influence how much weight you may lose. Some people respond quickly, while others lose weight more gradually. A small percentage, though, may not respond at all.

If you’re starting a GLP-1 pill, it helps to set realistic expectations and track your progress over time, rather than focusing on week-to-week changes. Your prescriber can help you understand whether the medication is working for you, or if adjustments may be needed.

3. GLP-1 pills must be taken carefully

Some GLP-1 pills come with strict dosage instructions to help the medication work as intended. This is especially true for oral semaglutide, which must be taken first thing in the morning on an empty stomach, with a small amount of water. You’ll also need to wait 30 minutes before eating, drinking, or taking other oral medications.

This may be less of an issue with orforglipron. Because it’s absorbed better in the gut, it’s expected to have fewer timing and fasting requirements. However, dosage instructions still matter, and final guidance will depend on FDA approval and labeling.

If strict timing rules are difficult to follow, a healthcare professional can help you decide whether a pill or injection is a better option.

4. Expect side effects, especially at first and after dose changes

When starting a GLP-1 pill, your body often needs time to adjust, which is why you’ll start with a low dose that’s slowly increased over time. Side effects are most likely to occur early in treatment or after a dose increase. Side effects are less likely when you’ve been stable on a dose for a while.

GLP-1 pills slow stomach emptying and affect appetite, and many of their side effects are related to these effects. These side effects include:

• Nausea
• Vomiting
• Diarrhea
• Constipation
• Stomach pain, bloating, or discomfort
• Feeling overly full after eating small amounts of food

For many people, these symptoms ease over time as the body adapts. Taking the medication exactly as directed and adjusting portion size or food choices can help you tolerate it better.

While less common, serious side effects and risks are possible and require medical attention. These may include:

• Pancreatitis (inflammation of the pancreas).
• Gallbladder problems, such as gallstones.
• Acute (sudden) kidney problems often related to dehydration.
• Low blood glucose (blood sugar), especially if taken with certain diabetes medications.
• Severe allergic reactions, including anaphylaxis.
• A potential increased risk of thyroid C-cell tumors (based on animal studies, and has not been confirmed in people).

5. Not everyone is a good candidate for GLP-1 pills

GLP-1 pills offer a needle-free option, but they’re not appropriate for everyone. You may be advised to avoid GLP-1 pills if you:

• Have a personal or family history of medullary thyroid cancer.
• Have multiple endocrine neoplasia syndrome type 2.
• Have a history of pancreatitis.
• Have severe gastrointestinal problems, such as gastroparesis (slowed stomach emptying).
• Are allergic to any ingredient in the medication.
• Are pregnant or breastfeeding.

Other reasons GLP-1 pills may not be the best fit for you include:

• You have difficulty remembering to take medications every day.
• You need to take another oral medication first thing in the morning on an empty stomach, and it can’t be delayed.
• You have a hard time following strict fasting and timing instructions (such as due to shift work), which can affect how well the medication works.
• You have metabolic dysfunction-associated steatohepatitis (a type of fatty liver disease) or obstructive sleep apnea. GLP-1 pills aren’t approved to treat these health conditions, but some GLP-1 injections are.

A healthcare professional can help you sort through these factors and decide whether a GLP-1 pill is right for you. If not, they can also suggest alternatives to GLP-1s for weight loss.

6. Medication is only part of the plan

GLP-1 pills can help make it easier to lose weight. But they don’t replace the habits that support long-term health. Because they affect appetite and digestion, how you eat, move, and care for your body still plays an important role in both results and side effects.

• Diet and hydration: Focus on eating smaller balanced meals, prioritizing protein, and staying well hydrated. It’s also best to limit fatty or heavy meals. This can help support weight loss while reducing side effects such as nausea.
• Exercise: Regular physical activity, including strength training, helps preserve muscle mass as weight changes.
• Sleep and stress management: Aim for consistent sleep and try stress-reduction strategies, since poor sleep or chronic stress can make weight loss harder.

Building sustainable routines alongside a GLP-1 pill helps improve outcomes and make it easier to maintain progress. Your healthcare team can help build a plan that works for you.

7. There are ways to make GLP-1 pills more affordable

Cost can be a barrier to starting or staying on a GLP-1 pill for weight loss. Insurance coverage varies widely, and some plans may not cover these medications at all. That said, there are ways to lower your out-of-pocket costs:

• Save with a manufacturer copay savings card. If you have commercial insurance, you could pay as little as $25 per month for the Wegovy pill with a copay savings card.
• Save with direct pharmacy services. You can get the Wegovy pill shipped directly to your home for a lower cash-pay price through NovoCare Pharmacy.

Because pricing and coverage can change, it’s a good idea to check your options before starting treatment. That way, you know what to expect long term.

8. You can switch from GLP-1 injections to pills (and vice versa)

Some people start with a GLP-1 injection and later switch to a pill to help maintain weight loss. Others may begin with a pill and move to injections. A switch may make sense if your preferences change, side effects are hard to manage, or cost or access becomes an issue.

Because GLP-1 pills and injections are absorbed differently, switching isn’t a one-to-one change. A healthcare professional can help adjust your dose and timing to make the transition as smooth and effective as possible.

Switching doesn’t mean starting over, but it does require medical guidance and close follow-up. Your prescriber can help decide whether a pill or injection, or a combination over time, fits best with your long-term weight-loss plan.

The bottom line

Glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) pills are now available, providing an alternative to GLP-1 injections. They can be a good option if you don’t want to give yourself shots. But some, such as the Wegovy pill (oral semaglutide), have strict dosage instructions that you’ll need to follow.

If you’re considering GLP-1 pills for weight loss, a healthcare professional can help determine if they’re a good option for you. They’ll consider your health history, preferences, daily routine, and other factors. It’s also possible to change from pills to injections (and vice versa) if anything changes.

This story was produced by GoodRx and reviewed and distributed by Stacker.

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The post Considering GLP-1 Pills for Weight Loss? Here Are 8 Things to Know Before You Start appeared first on The Good Men Project.

By Lisa Potter – U. Utah

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A new analytics platform called Winio has entered the esports technology space, offering data-driven match outcome predictions for two of the world’s most competitive titles — Dota 2 and Counter-Strike 2. The platform positions itself as a professional-grade tool built specifically for esports athletes, coaches, and analysts seeking a competitive edge through structured data intelligence.

What Winio Does

At its core, it is a predictive analytics engine that processes competitive match data and generates outcome forecasts with a reported accuracy rate of 89%. Unlike general-purpose sports analytics tools adapted for esports, the platform was built from the ground up with the specific mechanics, meta shifts, and team dynamics of Dota 2 and CS2 in mind.

The forecasting engine evaluates over 80 distinct variables per match. These include team performance metrics, player-level statistics, historical head-to-head records, recent form, draft and map selection patterns, and in-game behavioral data. The multi-layered approach allows the system to account for variables that single-metric tools routinely miss.

The Technology Behind the Predictions

The platform’s infrastructure is built on mathematical modeling frameworks that draw from statistical analysis and machine learning methodologies. Rather than relying on surface-level win/loss ratios, the system constructs probabilistic models that weight each of its 80+ factors dynamically depending on game context.

For Dota 2, this means the model adjusts for patch-version meta changes, hero pool depth, and regional playstyle variance. For CS2, it factors in map-specific win rates, economy management efficiency, and AWP usage patterns — details that significantly influence match outcomes at the professional level but are rarely captured by conventional analytics dashboards.

The result is a continuously updated prediction model that refines its output as new tournament and match data becomes available.

Who It’s Built For

Winio is designed to serve a broad spectrum of esports enthusiasts from professionals to casual fans.

At the competitive end, the platform targets professional and semi-professional esports players, coaching staff, and performance analysts. Teams gain access to structured pre-match intelligence that would otherwise require dedicated data science resources to compile manually. In a high-stakes environment where preparation time is limited and opponent scouting is critical, having an automated system capable of processing dozens of variables simultaneously offers a measurable operational advantage.

But it isn’t exclusively a tool for those inside the industry. The platform is equally relevant for esports fans who follow Dota 2 and CS2 tournaments closely and want to go beyond the surface level of match coverage. For enthusiasts who enjoy studying team form, tracking player performance trends, and engaging with competitive data on a deeper level, it provides a structured analytical lens that transforms passive viewership into an informed, data-driven experience.

In that sense, it bridges two audiences: those who compete at the highest level and need precision intelligence to perform, and those who follow the scene closely and want the same quality of insight that professionals rely on.

Market Context

The launch comes at a time when the esports industry is increasingly professionalizing its infrastructure. Organizations competing at the highest levels of Dota 2 and CS2 are investing more heavily in analytics, mental performance coaching, and structured practice regimes. Dedicated forecasting tools represent the next logical step in that progression.

This entry into the space reflects a broader shift: esports is no longer treated as an entertainment vertical alone, but as a domain where rigorous performance analysis can directly influence competitive outcomes.

The platform is currently available for Dota 2 and CS2, with additional title support expected as it scales.

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Sitting in Discomfort During Heartbreak

Let’s talk about breakups, because it seems to be a path you have to walk. There’s no real acceleration. There’s no way to say, “I’m going to get over this breakup in three months.” There’s no timeline or deadline you can set on it.

.

Here is a summary of the transcript from YouTube, slightly edited with AI.

It’s just uncomfortable. It’s like sitting in discomfort. So what do we do when we’re sitting in that discomfort?

The Depths of Heartbreak

When you’re in the depths of it—because there are different phases—there’s a stage of genuine, deep heartbreak where you’re questioning your existence.

I remember having my own heart broken and sitting on the doorstep of my house with a friend, tears in my eyes, saying, “I just feel like I’m not good enough.” That was my deep sense—that I wasn’t good enough, and if I were, I would have made it work.

That’s a horrible place to be. We have to have compassion for ourselves in those moments because it’s brutally difficult.

It’s a time where we need love. We need to celebrate the smallest wins—like getting through the day. Even getting out of bed can feel like a heroic act.

Pain We Choose vs. Pain We Didn’t Choose

All of these moments give us access to gears we wouldn’t have had otherwise. The worst pain of my life gave me access to strengths I didn’t know I had.

As much as no one wants to hear it when they’re in it, those “gears” turn out to be incredibly valuable.

We choose suffering all the time. We go to the gym—that’s suffering. We write a book—that’s suffering. We build something, climb a mountain, create a podcast—we choose pain because we know it brings benefits.

But the pain we didn’t choose? That can be just as valuable—if not more so. In fact, some of the most valuable growth comes from the pain we never asked for.

You can almost think of life’s hardest moments as a “menu of pain,” where each kind of pain offers unique benefits that can’t be accessed any other way.

Choosing the Pain (Even After the Fact)

There’s something powerful about imagining that you chose this pain—even retroactively.

A psychologist once described an experiment with two rats. One rat (Rat A) ran on a wheel whenever it wanted. Another rat (Rat B) was forced to run whenever Rat A ran, because their wheels were connected.

Both did the same amount of exercise. But Rat A showed positive health benefits, while Rat B showed signs of stress.

Why? Because Rat A chose it. Rat B didn’t.

That idea is profound. If we can take a situation we didn’t choose—like heartbreak—and find a way to mentally “choose” it, something shifts.

We stop being a victim of the pain and start becoming the beneficiary of what that pain can give us.

We begin to ask: What will I gain from this? Who will I have to become to get through this? What strength, resilience, or self-connection will I develop?

Even learning how to sit through a weekend alone can become an incredible feat—and a powerful growth experience.

Anyone Who Doesn’t Choose You Cannot Be for You

On a psychological level, there’s something important to remember: anyone who doesn’t choose you cannot be for you.

What is a relationship? It’s someone who sees you, accepts you, and wants you.

If someone doesn’t see you, accept you, and want what they see, then the relationship is missing its most essential ingredient. It fails the fundamental test of what makes a relationship worth having.

This isn’t about someone being taken from us by life. This is about someone who is still out there, choosing not to be with us.

That should take the romance out of it.

The “Right Person, Wrong Time” Trap

We often tell ourselves stories: “If it were a different time… if they were older… if they weren’t so busy… it would have worked.”

This creates a seductive but dangerous narrative—the “right person, wrong time” story.

The problem is, it turns your past into a kind of science fiction. You’re imagining a parallel universe where everything unfolded differently.

But that’s not this universe.

You’re also missing someone who no longer exists in the same way. If it’s been years, they’ve changed. You’ve changed. You’d be meeting as entirely different people now.

What you miss is a version of them—a memory, a ghost—not the real, present-day person.

The Truth About the Right Person

The truth is, the right person doesn’t just have chemistry with you.

The right person is right in three ways:

• Their personality aligns with yours
• They are ready for a relationship
• Their life is compatible with yours

If one of those is missing, they’re not the right person.

We have to stop telling ourselves that someone who broke up with us—or who wasn’t ready—is “the one.” That’s not reality. That’s a story.

The right person is the one it actually works with.

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This post was previously published on YouTube.

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Work today looks full, active, and constantly in motion. Messages move across Slack channels at all hours, documents expand with updates, and dashboards refresh with new data as if progress is happening in real time. On the surface, it feels like everything is working exactly as intended.

But underneath that activity, something is off.

Teams are busier than ever, yet they struggle to stay aligned. Conversations happen, but clarity doesn’t always follow. Information is everywhere, yet understanding feels harder to reach.

Eric Morrison, Google researcher and long-time observer of how people interact with technology at work, has been studying this pattern across teams and systems. His work focuses on a simple but often overlooked constraint: systems only function when people can process what’s being shared. Right now, that condition is breaking down.

“We’ve created an environment where generating information is effortless,” he explains. “But the ability to absorb, interpret, and act on that information hasn’t changed. That mismatch is where things start to fail.”

The Rise of Work That Looks Like Work

The modern workplace has become incredibly efficient at producing output. A quick thought can now be expanded into a full report in seconds. Updates are longer, more polished, and more frequent than ever before. The tools make it easy to fill space, and the systems reward those who do.

The problem is that more content does not automatically lead to more meaning.

According to data from Imperva, nearly half of all internet traffic now comes from automated systems rather than humans. Inside organizations, the same dynamic is playing out in a different form. Content generation has accelerated, but the level of human attention applied to that content has not.

This is where the idea of “workslop” begins to emerge. It refers to high-volume, low-intent output that consumes time without delivering clarity.

“You read something that checks all the boxes—length, structure, tone—but there’s nothing inside it that changes how you think,” he says. “After a while, your brain starts to recognize that pattern and disengage.”

That disengagement is not laziness. It is adaptation.

The System That Talks to Itself

As content production becomes easier, another pattern begins to take shape.

One person generates a detailed update. Another runs it through a summarization tool. A third reacts to the summary with a quick acknowledgment. The loop continues, often without anyone fully engaging with the original idea.

It feels like communication, but it functions more like a system talking to itself.

Eric Morrison, Google, has described this pattern as the Automated Echo Trap, where output cycles through multiple layers without producing meaningful understanding.

“When the starting point and the ending point are the same, everything extra in between risks becoming noise,” he explains. “But the system still treats it as progress.”

This creates a dangerous illusion. Activity increases, but alignment does not. Messages move faster, but decisions do not improve.

The Human Bottleneck No One Can Remove

At the center of the signal crisis is a constraint that technology cannot solve.

Human attention has limits.

Decades of cognitive research show that people can only process a certain amount of information at once. That limit remains constant, even as tools accelerate the pace of work around them.

In earlier systems, the effort required to produce information acted as a natural filter. Writing took time, so people were selective about what they shared. That friction helped maintain signal.

Now, that filter has disappeared.

“You can expand a simple idea into something that looks comprehensive,” he says. “But the person reading it still has the same capacity to understand it.”

As the gap between production and processing widens, behavior changes. People begin to skim instead of read, summarize instead of analyze, and respond without fully absorbing the message.

Over time, this leads to a breakdown in shared understanding.

“When people stop expecting value from what they read, they stop looking for it,” he says.

When Teams Lose the Thread

The effects of this breakdown show up in subtle but costly ways.

Teams revisit the same discussions because previous decisions were never fully understood. Important details get lost in summaries. People interpret the same information differently.

These are not isolated mistakes. They are systemic outcomes.

“You lose the shared mental model that allows teams to move together,” he explains. “Everyone is active, but they’re not aligned on what actually matters.”

Without that alignment, work slows down even as output increases. Decisions require more clarification. Errors become more frequent. Trust begins to erode.

The Illusion of Progress

One of the most challenging aspects of the signal crisis is that it disguises itself as productivity.

More updates create the appearance of transparency. More documents suggest thoroughness. More communication signals engagement.

But these signals can be misleading.

“You can build a system that produces a huge amount of output and still fails at helping people understand each other,” he says. “That’s the core function, and it’s the one that’s breaking.”

This is why many teams feel stuck despite working harder than ever. They are producing more, but extracting less value from what they produce.

A Breakdown in Practice

In one research study, Eric Morrison, Google, observed a product team that relied heavily on automated summaries to keep up with internal communication.

Daily updates were detailed and well-structured, but most team members skipped the full content and relied on condensed versions. During a planning session, a key issue surfaced that had been included in the original update but omitted from the summary.

Half the team was aware of the issue. The other half had never seen it.

“What stood out wasn’t the mistake,” he recalls. “It was how normal it felt to everyone in the room. They assumed they were aligned because the system told them they were.”

The system is optimized for speed. It failed at clarity.

Why More Tools Don’t Solve the Problem

The natural response to overload is to add more tools. Better summaries, smarter filters, faster processing.

These solutions address the symptoms, not the cause.

“You can’t automate your way out of a problem that comes from lack of attention,” he says. “At some point, someone has to decide what matters and say it clearly.”

Clarity requires judgment. Judgment requires presence. Those are human functions.

Tools can assist, but they cannot replace them.

Rebuilding Signal in a Noisy System

Fixing the signal crisis does not require new technology. It requires different priorities.

The first step is reducing unnecessary output. Shorter, more direct communication forces clarity and respects the limits of attention.

The second step is changing formats. Narrative updates often encourage filler, while structured formats like decision logs focus on outcomes and accountability.

The third step is protecting attention as a resource. Every message consumes it, so every message should justify its existence.

Most importantly, teams need to preserve spaces for real interaction. Some ideas cannot be summarized without losing meaning. They need to be discussed, challenged, and refined through direct engagement.

The Return of Clarity

The signal crisis is not a permanent state. It is a response to systems that removed friction without replacing it.

As the cost of noise increases, people begin to prioritize clarity again. Teams that produce high-signal communication stand out quickly because their work is easier to understand and act on.

“You don’t need more information,” he says. “You need information that actually changes how people think.”

That shift is already underway. Smaller groups, clearer messages, and more intentional communication are starting to replace volume-driven systems.

What Actually Matters

In the end, the most valuable output is not the amount of content produced. It is the level of understanding created.

That requires effort, attention, and accountability. It requires someone to take ownership of what is being said and why it matters.

In a system where generating content is easy, those qualities become rare.

And when something becomes rare, it becomes valuable.

The teams that recognize this will not necessarily produce more work. They will produce better work—work that is understood the first time it is shared.

Everyone else will continue to move faster.

And understand less.

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This content is brought to you by Hassan Javed

Photo provided by the contributor.

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By Rachel Gordon | MIT CSAIL | MIT News

Confidence is persuasive. In artificial intelligence systems, it is often misleading.

Today’s most capable reasoning models share a trait with the loudest voice in the room: They deliver every answer with the same unshakable certainty, whether they’re right or guessing. Researchers at MIT’s Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory (CSAIL) have now traced that overconfidence to a specific flaw in how these models are trained, and developed a method that fixes it without giving up any accuracy.

The technique, called RLCR (Reinforcement Learning with Calibration Rewards), trains language models to produce calibrated confidence estimates alongside their answers. In addition to coming up with an answer, the model thinks about its uncertainty in that answer, and outputs a confidence score. In experiments across multiple benchmarks, RLCR reduced calibration error by up to 90 percent while maintaining or improving accuracy, both on the tasks the model was trained on and on entirely new ones it had never seen. The work will be presented at the International Conference on Learning Representations later this month.

The problem traces to a surprisingly simple source. The reinforcement learning (RL) methods behind recent breakthroughs in AI reasoning, including the training approach used in systems like OpenAI’s o1, reward models for getting the right answer, and penalize them for getting it wrong. Nothing in between. A model that arrives at the correct answer through careful reasoning receives the same reward as one that guesses correctly by chance. Over time, this trains models to confidently answer every question they are asked, whether they have strong evidence or are effectively flipping a coin.

That overconfidence has consequences. When models are deployed in medicine, law, finance, or any setting where users make decisions based on AI outputs, a system that expresses high confidence regardless of its actual certainty becomes unreliable in ways that are difficult to detect from the outside. A model that says “I’m 95 percent sure” when it is right only half the time is more dangerous than one that simply gets the answer wrong, because users have no signal to seek a second opinion.

“The standard training approach is simple and powerful, but it gives the model no incentive to express uncertainty or say I don’t know,” says Mehul Damani, an MIT PhD student and co-lead author on the paper. “So the model naturally learns to guess when it is unsure.”

RLCR addresses this by adding a single term to the reward function: a Brier score, a well-established measure that penalizes the gap between a model’s stated confidence and its actual accuracy. During training, models learn to reason about both the problem and their own uncertainty, producing an answer and a confidence estimate together. Confidently wrong answers are penalized. So are unnecessarily uncertain correct ones.

The math backs it up: the team proved formally that this type of reward structure guarantees models that are both accurate and well-calibrated. They then tested the approach on a 7-billion-parameter model across a range of question-answering and math benchmarks, including six datasets the model had never been trained on.

The results showed a consistent pattern. Standard RL training actively degraded calibration compared to the base model, making models worse at estimating their own uncertainty. RLCR reversed that effect, substantially improving calibration with no loss in accuracy. The method also outperformed post-hoc approaches, in which a separate classifier is trained to assign confidence scores after the fact. “What’s striking is that ordinary RL training doesn’t just fail to help calibration. It actively hurts it,” says Isha Puri, an MIT PhD student and co-lead author. “The models become more capable and more overconfident at the same time.”

The team also demonstrated that the confidence estimates produced by RLCR are practically useful at inference time. When models generate multiple candidate answers, selecting the one with the highest self-reported confidence, or weighting votes by confidence in a majority-voting scheme, improves both accuracy and calibration as compute scales.

An additional finding suggests that the act of reasoning about uncertainty itself has value. The researchers trained classifiers on model outputs and found that including the model’s explicit uncertainty reasoning in the input improved the classifier’s performance, particularly for smaller models. The model’s self-reflective reasoning about what it does and doesn’t know contains real information, not just decoration.

In addition to Damani and Puri, other authors on the paper are Stewart Slocum, Idan Shenfeld, Leshem Choshen, and senior authors Jacob Andreas and Yoon Kim.

—

Reprinted with permission of MIT News

Image: unsplash

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Most investors, on the cusp of serious wealth, would have pressed harder. Samuel Leeds enrolled in Bible College. What he found there shaped everything that came after.

In his early twenties, Samuel Leeds had every reason to keep going.

He had bought his first property at 17. He had survived a recession that wiped out most of the investors around him. He had a growing portfolio, a deal-sourcing business beginning to gain traction, and the kind of momentum that takes years to build.

Then he was in a severe car accident. His legs were badly injured. His car was crushed. And in the stillness that followed, something shifted.

“Life is so temperamental,” Leeds said. “I wanted to make money. I wanted to build my portfolio. But that accident made me stop and ask bigger questions.”

At 20, Leeds enrolled in Birmingham Bible College, studying three days a week under Reverend Robert Pickles, a man he credits with profound influence on his thinking. He stayed for three years.

The Question That Sent Him There

The decision was not purely a response to the accident. It had been building for years.

Leeds had given his life to Jesus at 16, during a trip to a drug rehabilitation center in Spain. His faith had always run alongside his business ambitions, but at times the two felt in direct tension. The church he grew up in treated wealth with suspicion. Success, in that environment, carried a faint smell of sin.

“There were two types of churches,” Leeds said. “The ones that thought if you’ve got money, God is blessing you.” And the ones that thought if you’ve got money, you must have trampled poor people. I didn’t fit either.”

He had already seen enough of the world to know that poverty was not holy. He had been to Zambia at 18, where he met a five-year-old boy who walked 12 kilometers each way to collect drinking water. He had worked in orphanages. He had climbed Kilimanjaro to raise money for charity. The idea that wealth and generosity were opposites had never rung true to him.

But he needed to resolve it properly academically, theologically, and definitively.

Bible College was where he went to do that.

Three Years of Clarity

Leeds spent three years studying theology, ethics, and faith. He completed mission placements, worked in care homes, and continued traveling to Africa during the holidays. His property portfolio  built during his teenage years generated enough passive income to fund his studies and his lifestyle throughout.

“I was technically financially free at 20, 21, 22,” he said. “I just didn’t think of it that way at the time. The properties paid for everything while I studied.”

His dissertation focused on biblical economics: what the Bible actually says about money, wealth, and ethical business. The research became a book, Do The Possible, Watch God Do The Impossible, which went on to become an Amazon bestseller.

But the more significant output was personal. Leeds emerged from Bible College with a conviction he has never since questioned.

“Making money is not the opposite of being a good person,” he said. “As long as you make it ethically and hold it with an open, generous heart, money amplifies who you already are. If you’re a giving person, you can give more. If you care about people, you can help more. Being poor doesn’t make you holy. It just makes you powerless.”

What He Built Because of It

The three years at Bible College were not a detour from Leeds’ business career. They were the foundation of it.

He emerged with a clear conscience about building wealth, a book that opened doors, and a network that became the seed of his first formal business venture, Training Kings, a Christian business network that grew to 13 centers across England, running events, breakfasts, and property education for entrepreneurs from all backgrounds and faiths.

“I didn’t want to be one of those wealthy people who hid away,” he said. “I wanted to help people. Bible College gave me the permission, theologically and intellectually, to pursue both.”

From Training Kings came his property crash courses. From the crash courses came the Samuel Leeds Academy, which now operates across the UK and internationally, has trained thousands of investors, and generates tens of millions in revenue annually. From the Academy came Samuel Leeds Finance, which has deployed over $20 million in loans to first-time property investors.

None of it, Leeds argues, would have happened the same way without those three years.

“People ask me why I stepped back at exactly the moment I should have been pushing forward,” he said. “The answer is that I needed to know what I was building it all for. Bible College gave me that. Everything since has been built on that foundation.”

The Tension He Resolved

Leeds is candid that the question he went to Bible College to answer is,  can a person of genuine faith also pursue serious wealth? is one that many people never resolve.

He believes the failure to resolve it is one of the biggest invisible barriers to financial success, particularly in communities of faith.

“I know people who are incredibly talented, incredibly driven, and completely stuck,” he said. “Not because they lack knowledge or opportunity. But because somewhere deep down they believe that wanting money is wrong. That belief will hold you back more than any market condition or lack of capital ever will.”

His answer, forged over three years of serious study, is unequivocal.

“Money is a tool. It reveals who you are. It doesn’t make you greedy or corrupt, it just gives you more of what you already are. If your heart is right, more money means more good in the world. That’s what I believe. And that’s what I’ve tried to prove.”

At 35, with $125 million in career revenue, a global property portfolio, a registered charity, and a school being built in Uganda, Leeds considers the case made.

“I went to Bible College to find out if I could be both,” he said. “A serious investor and a person of integrity. The answer was yes. I’ve spent every year since trying to prove it.”

Samuel Leeds is the founder of the Samuel Leeds Academy and Samuel Leeds Finance. He holds property across the United Kingdom, the UAE, Africa, and the United States.

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By Seth Millstein, Sentient Media

We’ve known for some time that forests are crucial to fighting climate change, but scientists are still learning just how much. A new study published in Science on March 19 finds that old, undisturbed forests in Sweden store up to 72% more carbon than replanted, managed secondary forests. The research suggests that earlier studies may have underestimated the climate cost of turning old-growth forests into managed secondary ones, and that preserving European boreal forests may be more important for climate mitigation than previously thought.

Trees, soil and plants play an important role in curbing the damage of carbon emissions, because they capture carbon dioxide from the air through photosynthesis and then store the carbon, sometimes for centuries. When forests are burned or cleared, much of that stored carbon is released back into the atmosphere and fewer trees are left to absorb carbon.

In the last 10,000 years, around one-third of forested land on the planet has been destroyed for uses ranging from timber production to agricultural expansion. Managed secondary forests are often promoted as a climate solution. They are replanted or regenerated to help restore local ecosystems, provide raw materials like timber, and offset industrial emissions through carbon sequestration.

For the study, researchers looked at over 200 plots of old-growth boreal forests in Sweden over the course of three years. Also called “primary forests,” these are old forests with diverse ecosystems and have not experienced significant human disturbance, such as significant logging or land conversion.

The researchers measured the carbon in these old-growth forests, not just in the trees but also in the soil, leaves, deadwood and other vegetation. They then combined these field measurements with Sweden’s national forest and soil data to estimate the carbon storage in primary and managed secondary forests. They found that the primary forests stored 72% more carbon per acre than managed secondary forests, mostly in their soil.

While it was already known that old-growth forests store more carbon than their secondary counterparts, the Swedish study found that previously reported data-driven models significantly underestimated the climate cost of turning an old-growth forest into a secondary one. According to the researchers’ estimates, this cost is between 2.7 and 8 times greater than previously thought. The study’s findings come just months after a different research publication revealed that microbes in tree bark can sequester carbon dioxide. The lead author of that study, Pok Man Leung of Monash University, tells Sentient in an email that the Swedish study’s findings are “very important.”

“This demonstrates not only does tree coverage matter, but age and undisturbed nature are critical for forest ecosystem value to humans and the environment,” Leung writes. “This work lays a foundation to understand how forest management practices are impacting our current and future climate and rethink the value of forest conservation.”

But Douglas Larson, professor emeritus of Integrative Biology at the University of Guelph, takes a more cautious view of the study’s findings. In an email to Sentient, he writes that looking solely at how much carbon is stored in old-growth forests paints an incomplete picture; what’s more important, Larson writes, is the “turnover,” or how long that carbon stays stored in forests before it returns to the atmosphere as carbon dioxide.

“If that 72% recycles [back into the atmosphere] every year or every 5 or 10 years, it’s certainly better than a smaller percentage,” Larson writes. “But it’s still returning the CO₂ generated by decomposition right back to the atmosphere.”

However, Larson doesn’t blame the researchers for not measuring the long-term storage of carbon in these old-growth forests, as he writes that doing so would be “very expensive, time-consuming and difficult.”

For his part, Leung writes that the Swedish study “raises interesting questions of whether other ecosystem services provided by primary forests are also compromised by conversion to managed forests.” He cites the carbon-trapping microbes in tree bark and soil as an example: might the microbes in secondary forests be less efficient at sequestering carbon than in primary forests? More research will be needed to answer that question and others surrounding the carbon-trapping properties of forests.

The researchers of the present study conclude that conservation of Europe’s boreal forests should be given more consideration. More broadly, they point out the need for more regional studies to better understand how various forest management practices and environmental characteristics influence carbon capture in specific locales.

“Our results show that protecting the few primary forests that remain has a much larger potential to slow climate change than previously thought,” said study author Anders Ahlström, senior lecturer at Lund University in Sweden and former postdoctoral scholar at Stanford University, according to a Stanford University press release.

This article originally appeared in Sentient at https://sentientmedia.org/old-growth-european-forests-crucial-for-carbon-storage/.

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This story was originally published by Sentient.

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