Thomas Westerholm

United States

Sports and Culture Reporter at Newsweek

Sports Writer at Boston Globe Media

If you ask me, the light's winning.

Articles

Therapist Accidentally Shares Screen During Telehealth Session, Patient Floored by What They See

2 weeks ago | newsweek.com | Thomas Westerholm

A patient in therapy has been urged to report their therapist after he accidentally revealed he was "cherry-picking" responses from ChatGPT. The patient and original poster (OP), user TomorrowFutureFate, recounted the incident on Reddit, explaining that in a recent session over video call with their therapist, the connection was so bad the OP suggested switching to audio-only.
Here's Why Tech Enthusiasts Are Embracing 'Dumb' Phones and Digital Detoxes

2 weeks ago | newsweek.com | Thomas Westerholm

A growing movement known as "appstinence"—a play on "abstinence"—is gaining traction among millennials and Gen Zers who are searching for a life with less screen time. Younger demographics have grown up in a fully digital world, but an increasing number are embracing the appeal of "dumb" phones—devices limited to calls and texts—and participating in digital detox events. People who detox from their devices often say that they hope to limit social-media usage.
Scientist Who Discovered Hole in Ozone Layer Reveals 'Fear For Coming Generations'

2 weeks ago | newsweek.com | Thomas Westerholm

One of the scientists who discovered the hole in the ozone layer 40 years ago is proud of his work, but he now has major concerns about a new existential crisis: the looming threat of climate change. Jonathan Shanklin, a meteorologist and an emeritus fellow for the British Antarctic Survey (BAS), helped discover the hole in the ozone layer in 1985 along with Joe Farman and Brian G. Gardiner.
Popular Airline Is Forcing Some of Its Employees To Pay Them Back-Here's Why

2 weeks ago | newsweek.com | Thomas Westerholm

Irish airline Ryanair recently gave out payments to its flight attendants, but some are now being asked to pay the money back. Ryanair has begun seeking repayments of as much as €3,000 ($3,397) from some of its Spanish flight attendants after a legal ruling voided a pay agreement. The airline notified members of the Union Sindical Obrera (USO) that they must return the money received under the now-invalidated deal, which covered a five-month period between October and March.
'Important' Alzheimer's Treatment Breakthrough Gets FDA Approval

2 weeks ago | newsweek.com | Thomas Westerholm

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved the first blood test to detect Alzheimer's disease in what federal officials called an "important step" toward diagnosing and treating the disease earlier. Developed by Fujirebio Diagnostics, the test analyzes the ratio of two proteins in a patient's blood, a measurement that correlates with the presence of amyloid plaques in the brain.
Scientists warn a "megaquake" event in coastal cities could be 'imminent'

3 weeks ago | newsweek.com | Thomas Westerholm

A scientist has warned that "the next big event" could be "imminent" if a megaquake shakes the Pacific Northwest. Tina Dura, a geosciences professor at Virginia Tech, was the lead author on a new study that examined the risk of major coastal flooding in Washington, Oregon, and Northern California from two factors happening together: powerful earthquakes and rising sea levels due to climate change.
Why no one seems to be ready after 20 years of warning

3 weeks ago | newsweek.com | Thomas Westerholm

On Wednesday, May 7, the long-anticipated implementation of Real ID laws finally came into effect, and Americans now need a specific identification on their driver's license (or a passport) for air travel. What is Real ID? The Real ID Act, passed by Congress in 2005, establishes minimum security standards for state-issued driver's licenses and identification cards.
Scientists discover trees communicate like Tolkien's Ents during eclipse

1 month ago | newsweek.com | Thomas Westerholm

Trees can communicate with one another during an eclipse, and older trees appear to be able to provide younger trees with important information, a new study found. An international study revealed that trees, particularly older ones, display a coordinated, anticipatory response to solar eclipses-signaling to each other with bioelectrical pulses in a manner likened to J.R.R. Tolkien's sentient Ents from his classic The Lord of the Rings series.
Study finds link between political views and self-reported wellness

1 month ago | newsweek.com | Thomas Westerholm

Conservatives tend to rate their mental health more positively than liberals, a new research published in PLOS ONE found, but that difference may have more to do with stigma and survey language than actual psychological well-being.
Internet springs to action after 6-year-old's potentially deadly taste test

1 month ago | newsweek.com | Thomas Westerholm

When a doctor asked Redditors for help identifying a plant whose berries a young boy had eaten, they quickly got to work. The doctor and original poster (OP), user Middle-Chemistry810, shared a photo of a plant and its berries to r/whatsthisplant, explaining that a 6-year-old boy, "Ate some berries and currently developing seizures and is at emergency [sic]."Thankfully for the young boy, Reddit user vulchiegoodness had the answer: "Tanner's Tree (Coriaria nepalensis) maybe?