Good morning. In today’s edition:

• 🍬 Zero-cal: not so sweet
• 💰 How Gen Z became Gen $
• 🎟️ Live Nation's illegal monopoly

…and much more.

Ready, Set, Go: Today’s news should be a ~4.16-minute read (1,107 words).

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"If you find it in your heart to care for somebody else, you will have succeeded."

–Maya Angelou (1928-2014)

Artificial sweeteners are the reason your soda can taste sweet without the sugar (or the guilt).

But that swap might not be as harmless as it sounds.

A new study on mice suggests artificial sweeteners could have serious long-term effects on the gut microbiome and gene activity, with the potential to stick around across multiple generations—even if offspring don’t consume sweeteners.

Of mice and sweeteners

The scientists in the study began by splitting mice into three groups, each of which received either plain water, sucralose, or stevia at doses similar to what humans consume.

• They then bred them for two generations, with all future mice drinking only plain water.
• The researchers tracked things like blood sugar, gut bacteria, and gene activity across each generation.

What they found: Both sweeteners changed gene activity tied to metabolism and inflammation, with mice exposed to them also showing shifts in their gut microbiome, a key player in digestion and overall health.

But sucralose stood out even compared to stevia, with its effects sticking around longer and showing up even in generations of mice who were never directly exposed.

The results suggest artificial sweeteners—especially sucralose products—may trigger changes that affect how the body processes sugar over time, which can last beyond a single lifetime, researchers say.

There is a catch: This study shows a link, not proof of cause and effect, and was also only done in mice. The researchers say further investigation is needed to determine the exact effects of artificial sweeteners in humans.

Big picture: Artificial sweeteners and additives aren’t just in diet soda or coffee; they show up in ~60% of packaged foods across the US. This includes everyday items like bread, ketchup, cereals, and snack foods, often replacing or supplementing real sugar to reduce calories.

New EPA data analyzed 4,610 water systems nationwide. The finding: 100% of locations with detectable forever chemicals (PFAS) exceeded safe limits. Some tested 59 times higher than acceptable levels.

PFAS accumulates in your body over years, raising risks of cancer, thyroid issues, and immune problems. You can't see it, taste it, or smell it—the only way to know is to test.

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Americans in their teens and 20s are increasingly ditching the avocado toast beloved by previous generations, and putting their money to work in the stock market.

By the numbers

The share of Americans aged 25-39 who make annual transfers to investment accounts more than tripled between 2013 and 2023 to reach 14.4%, outpacing increases among older Americans, per data from JPMorgan Chase Institute.

• Meanwhile, the share of 26-year-olds who moved money into investment accounts after age 22 rose from 8% to 40% between 2015 and 2025 (excluding 401(k)s).
• And a World Economic Forum survey shows ~30% of Gen Z say they started investing before entering the workforce, compared to just 6% of Baby Boomers.

Young folks are also taking bigger swings. Crypto and alternative assets play an outsized role in this age group, with 71% of Gen Z investors holding more than a third of their portfolio in crypto.

Analysts say younger Americans consistently report feeling less confidence in traditional career paths and financial safety nets, pushing them toward higher-risk, higher-upside bets outside of a normal 9-to-5.

Housing also plays a major role. Many Gen Zers have found themselves priced out of homeownership early in their adult lives, with the share of homebuyers in America who are aged 18-39 falling from 51% in 1999 to 44% as of last year.

As a result, more younger Americans find themselves investing money that otherwise would have gone towards a down payment or mortgage.

BUSINESS & MARKETS

• 📈 S&P 500 closes above 7000 for the first time ever, notching its first closing high since January; Nasdaq sees its first record close since October, and 11th consecutive daily gain. (S&P: +0.8% | Dow: -0.1% | Nasdaq: +1.6%). | Allbirds shares close up 582% following "bizarre pivot" from shoes to AI compute infrastructure.
• ✈️ Spirit Airlines could reportedly liquidate as early as this week amid, which would involve shutting down operations and selling assets to pay its creditors; the budget airline is trying to recover from its second bankruptcy in less than a year, with the added challenge of spiking fuel prices.
• 🚘 Ford EV chief Doug Field steps down amid a wider company reorganization; he led a secretive effort to develop a line of affordable, high-tech EVs, the first of which could enter production by next year.

SPORTS, MEDIA & ENTERTAINMENT

• 🚨 Live Nation deemed an illegal monopoly by New York federal jury; the verdict is a victory for 33 states and the District of Columbia, and has the potential to reshape the US live music industry. | Bachelorette star Taylor Frankie Paul cleared of domestic violence claims following a DA review of evidence from her ex-husband.
• 🏌️ LIV Golf faces the potential of imminent closure, with Saudi Arabia’s sovereign-wealth fund reportedly close to folding the four-year-old pro golf league due to financial losses and a lack of US audience.
• 🎬 Upcoming Game of Thrones movie has an official title: Aegon’s Conquest, announced as part of Warner Bros’ upcoming slate. | The Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum announces full cast, with Ian McKellen and Elijah Wood returning as Gandalf and Frodo.

The news moves on. For veterans, the fight continues in quiet moments and daily struggles most people never see.

WarriorWOD helps the veterans left behind. They meet them where they are to rebuild through fitness, nutrition, and a community that understands.

SCIENCE, SPACE & EMERGING TECH

• 🧬 Natural selection has acted on at least hundreds of human genes over the past 10,000 years, per new Nature study; changes in the West Eurasians studied include an increased frequency of light skin tone, decreased frequency of male-pattern baldness, and resistance to HIV and leprosy.
• 🎧🤖 University of Washington researchers unveil new wireless earbud-camera system that lets users talk with AI models about what they're seeing in real-time.
• 🐝 Largest-ever underground bee colony discovered underneath cemetery in Ithaca, NY, containing up to 8 million bees (200+ hives), per new Cornell University study.

US, WORLD & POLITICS

• 🚢 No ships have made it through the US blockade of Iran’s ports on the Strait of Hormuz, with nine vessels turned around by American forces, per US Central Command.
• 🎖️ The Pentagon has reportedly approached US automakers and manufacturers—including Ford and GM—to discuss producing weapons and other military supplies, as the wars in Ukraine and Iran deplete stocks.
• 🏦 Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent says Trump admin expects banks to comply with an upcoming executive order request citizenship data from customers.

👆 Air New Zealand announced their new “Skynest” seats will launch later this year, offering economy travelers the option to book a lie-flat bad for a four-hour time slot mid-flight. The $495 service, which includes multiple amenities, will initially only be available on flights between New York’s JFK Airport and New Zealand’s Auckland Airport.

🤔 Did you know? The longest one-syllable words in English are a whopping 10 letters. Scraunched, strengthed, and schmaltzed top the list, though the latter two barely show up in real life—while squirreled sits in a gray area, depending on syllable pronunciation.

📰 Worth a read: Can anything stop Kalshi?

🖱️ What we’re clicking:

• She was a folk-music genius. Then she vanished
• Having ‘boring’ conversations is actually really good for you
• Where “discombobulated” came from

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Yesterday we covered the latest on US-Iran peace talks, with little progress made thus far ahead of an April 22 deadline for the current ceasefire to end, as America’s blockade of Iranian ports around the Strait of Hormuz officially took effect

❓ Our question to you: As the Iran war approaches the 50-day mark: do you support or oppose America’s role in the ongoing Middle East conflict?

• Support: 20%
• Oppose: 75%
• Unsure/other: 5%

Click here to read some of the most thoughtful longform responses.

+Note on sample size: We received 633 votes and 80 longform responses.

Old school 🤝 new school: Like flipping through TV channels, but with YouTube.

📖 Read: Explore the ruthless world of competitive speed jigsaw puzzling.

📝 That’s so me: The “Barnum Effect” explains why personality tests always seem to work. (13 min video)

📈 Women’s sports are exploding. The investment side? Less obvious. The GIST’s free women’s sports biz newsletter shows how the money moves — 3x a week, no fluff. Subscribe free.*

*A message from our partners

Lake Baikal, the oldest and deepest lake in the world, is located in which country?

🐾 Dogs can become official "Bark" Rangers at ~150 national park sites, as long as owners and their four-legged friends vow to abide by four rules:

• (B)ag and carry out your waste
• (A)lways wear a leash
• (R)espect wildlife
• (K)now where you can go

Russia (specifically Siberia)

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