🍄 A Real-Life Power-Up?

Image: Michael M./Pixabay

A single dose of psilocybin - or 'magic mushrooms' - given to mice prompted an immediate and long-lasting increase in connections between their brain neurons, according to a peer-reviewed study published this month in Neuron.

📜 Background... Psilocybin is a naturally occurring psychedelic drug found in some mushrooms. It has long been used in Indigenous rites and ceremonies, and studied by scientists in recent years as a potential treatment for depression.

• In the controlled study, researchers found increases in the number of neural connections within 24 hours of administration of psilocybin. These changes were still present when researchers checked back a month later.
• “We not only saw a 10% increase in the number of neuronal connections, but also they were on average about 10% larger, so the connections were stronger as well.” –Alex Kwan, Yale associate professor and senior author of the paper.

✋ Yes, but... Researchers still aren't sure exactly how the drug works in the brain or how long beneficial results might last beyond one month.

⚖️ On the legal front... Oregon became the first state to legalize psilocybin in November 2020.

• The drug remains illegal in the other 49 states but has been decriminalized or legalized for personal use in several cities since May 2019 (including Denver, Oakland, Santa Cruz, Ann Arbor, and D.C.).

📅 Looking ahead... There's proposed legislation to decriminalize psychedelics on a state level in California, New York, and Vermont – but no real movement at the federal level.

🎁 DONUT Headline: The death toll from flooding due to record rainfall in Western Europe continued to rise over the weekend.

Image: FIU

A federal judge in Texas on Friday ruled then-President Obama did not have the legal authority to create the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program, which offers protection from deportation to immigrants brought to the U.S. illegally as children.

• The judge said DACA was unlawful "because Congress never gave the executive branch the power to grant mass reprieves to immigrants who are in the U.S. without authorization," the WSJ reports.

📜 Background... DACA was created by executive order in 2012, granting "Dreamers" temporary protection from deportation and renewable work permits for two years at a time.

• To qualify for DACA, immigrants must satisfy a range of conditions that include having arrived in the U.S. by 2007 and before turning 16, being a student or graduate, and having no significant criminal record. (The full list of requirements.)

In September 2017, then-AG Jeff Sessions said the Trump administration would wind down the program, prompting lawsuits from several states, immigration advocacy organizations, and DACA recipients to preserve the program.

• In June 2020, the Supreme Court blocked the elimination of DACA, ruling the Trump administration had a right to cancel the program, but didn't provide a “reasoned explanation for its action” or adequately consider the consequences for people relying on its protections.

📸 The big picture... Since 2001, Congress has repeatedly tried - and failed - to pass a legislative solution that would allow Dreamers to live permanently in the U.S.

• Democrats are reportedly trying to include immigration changes that would allow a path to citizenship for certain Dreamers as part of a $3.5T budget reconciliation measure, which can pass without any GOP support.

📅 Looking ahead... It's unclear whether Democrats' planned immigration measures will be permitted by the Senate parliamentarian, who determines which provisions are allowed under budget reconcilation.

• President Biden on Saturday issued a statement calling the ruling "deeply disappointing," saying the Justice Department intends to appeal the judge's decision.
• The judge's ruling allows for current DACA recipients to keep their status and receive renewals throughout the appeals process, which is expected to take several months. No new applicants will be allowed.

🎮 Level Up

Image: University of Maryland

The artificial hand is a soft robot, meaning its movements are powered by air pressure rather than electricity.

• Soft robots can stretch, inflate, and deflate with relative ease - making them ideal for applications such as surgical tools, drug delivery devices, and custom prosthetics.

Although the robotic hand is not the first 3D-printed soft robot, it's notable for its “fluidic circuits,” which forego conventional electronic microchips for pressure sensors in each of the fingers.

Keep reading.

Images: Instagram

Aspen Jacobi was only two years old when she first asked her mom to bring her to the skating rink. The catalyst? Disney’s Frozen.

• Wobbling on her toddler-sized skates in a bright pink helmet, Aspen was hooked after the very first day.

Images: Dakota Jacobi

After years of practice, highlighted by ice shows with thousands of spectators, the now-eight-year-old South Carolina native can glide and spin on the ice with ease.

• The ultimate goal: To one day join the U.S. Olympic team.

Watch her in action.

In what year did the first episode of The Simpsons air?

A) 2000
B) 1977
C) 1995
D) 1989

(keep scrolling for the answer)

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D) 1989

The longest-running primetime scripted show first debuted in 1989 with a Christmas special called "Simpsons Roasting on an Open Fire."

• It was recently renewed for seasons 33 and 34.