Good morning. In today’s edition:

• 🦠 Suspected plague death in Russia
• 🏆 Nobel Prize week begins
• 🤔 100 biggest questions in science

…and much more.

Ready, Set, Go: Today’s news should be a ~3.86-minute read (1,028 words).

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“The sweetest pleasure arises from difficulties overcome.”

–Publius Syrus (85 BC – 43 BC)

For a growing number of Gen Z investors, “diversifying the portfolio” means adding another few legs to their same-game parlay.

Recent data shows a growing share of younger Americans are treating sports betting as a key part of their long-term financial strategy.

Betting on the future

Two-thirds of Gen Z investors (66%) also participate in sports betting, according to an August Betterment survey. Among those bettors, 52% said they’ve redirected money originally earmarked for investing toward wagers instead, while 26% consider sports betting part of their long-term financial plan.

Additionally, a September Bank of America Institute report found 40% of Gen Z considers sports betting a form of investment, compared to 20% of respondents overall.

They’re putting that belief into practice. Gen Z surpassed millennials in online betting for the first time this summer, accounting for nearly half of all online betting activity in July amid the World Cup.

But the odds aren’t in their favor

Bank of America’s latest report analyzed betting-related money flowing in and out of customers’ bank accounts, and found bettors received less than 75 cents back from sportsbooks for every $1 they sent over—a 25% haircut before even considering what that money could have earned elsewhere.

Online bettors also held median bank deposit balances roughly 40% lower than households that didn’t bet online.

And the downside isn’t limited to bank accounts. Mental-health professionals warn problematic sports betting can spill into work, school, and relationships, especially as gambling becomes more deeply woven into how younger fans watch sports.

Worth mentioning: An estimated 70% of all sports gamblers are men, a rate which experts say also roughly applies to the Gen Z demographic.

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Nearly 200 people in eastern Siberia are under medical observation following the death of a Russian laboratory worker who was reportedly exposed to the bacteria that causes plague.

Before visions of medieval Europe start dancing in your head: Russian officials say none of the people being monitored have shown signs of illness, and their laboratory tests have come back negative.

A look under the microscope

On September 25, a 28-year-old worker at an anti-plague research institute in Russia's Irkutsk region reportedly broke a test tube containing the pathogen that causes pneumonic plague.

• She was hospitalized four days later with severe pneumonia and died overnight between October 1-2.
• Authorities subsequently imposed quarantines at several medical facilities and placed everyone who had contact with Shipilova under ongoing observation.

America is keeping tabs on the situation. The White House “is aware, monitoring the outbreak, and assessing options,” a Trump admin official told Axios.

In the know: Plague remains endemic in parts of the world, including some of the western US, but can be treated with antibiotics if identified quickly. It comes in many forms, with the recent case in Russia appearing to be pneumonic plague, where the bacteria infect the lungs. The infection is “fairly transmissible, but not as transmissible as SARS2/COVID,” one expert told CNBC.

BUSINESS & MARKETS

• 🧑‍⚖️ Supreme Court hears oral arguments in lawsuit brought by Boulder, Colorado, seeking to hold Exxon Mobil and Suncor Energy liable for the impacts of climate change; Justice Samuel Alito recused, leaving the possibility of a 4-4 split decision that could have ramifications for 25+ similar lawsuits across the US.
• 📈 Nasdaq closes up 1.1% to reach new record high, as Nvidia (+2.1%) also notches new all-time high.
• 🗽 Senior AI leaders from Anthropic, OpenAI, Google, and Meta testify under oath during a New York City Council hearing regarding risks posed by AI and potential legislative solutions.

SPORTS, MEDIA, & ENTERTAINMENT

• 🏒 Alex Ovechkin, 41, longtime captain of the Washington Capitals and the NHL’s all-time goals leader, confirms plans to retire at the end of the 2026-27 season after a 22-year career.
• 📺 Paramount-Warner Bros. Discovery merger is expected to be completed today, with the combined companies to be renamed Skydance; CEO David Ellison announced the incoming leadership team yesterday.
• 🦇 Production on The Batman Part II, the sequel to Warner Bros. and DC Studios’ Robert Pattinson-led superhero movie, is temporarily paused while director Matt Reeves steps away for personal reasons.

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SCIENCE, SPACE, & EMERGING TECH

• 🥇 Nobel Prize in medicine for 2026 awarded to Karl Deisseroth, Peter Hegemann, and Georg Nagel for discoveries leading to optogenetics, a method that lets researchers switch individual nerve cells on and off in living brains to study how the brain works.
• 🦠 ~1 in 8 cancer cases are caused by infections, with four pathogens—including HPV and hepatitis B—accounting for 92% of infection-related cancers, per new analysis; researchers say their findings highlight vaccination as a cancer prevention tool.
• 🔬 New light-activated material uses sulfur-based chemistry to produce hydrogen from water without requiring an additional metal catalyst; discovery potentially offers a cheaper way to turn sunlight into clean fuel.

US, WORLD, & POLITICS

• ✈️ US military abruptly moved a dozen B-1 bomber aircraft from a UK military base on Sunday due to intelligence suggesting a drone attack by Iran, US officials say.
• 🙏 Dennis Hastert, who was both the longest-serving Republican House speaker and the highest-ranking US official ever to serve a prison sentence, died at 84.
• 🗳️ President Trump says he and his political action committee will pay for controversial TV ads that praised him and had been funded by up to $20 million from the Department of Homeland Security.

☝️ Scientists in the Florida Keys created “underwater umbrellas” to protect corals from bleaching during periods of extreme heat. Made from the same shade cloth used to protect plants on land, the umbrellas block 60% of sunlight and help the corals beneath them retain more of their color, with some even regaining color they had already lost.

🤔 Did you know? Humans’ strength and power tend to peak later in the day, with some research finding the 1–7 pm as the ideal time and others identifying 4–8 PM (though individual results may vary). Scientists think our circadian rhythms play a role, with skeletal muscles even containing their own molecular “clocks” that follow roughly 24-hour cycles.

📰 Worth a read: The 100 biggest unanswered questions in science today.

🖱️ What we’re clicking:

• 118 things to do instead of doomscrolling
• Super El Niño is here. What's so super about it?
• The 180-year-old sourdough starter

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Yesterday we covered how the 2026-2027 term of the Supreme Court—featuring several major cases on the docket—kicked off today, as public opinion of the Court currently sits near a record low.

❓ Our question to you: Do you approve or disapprove of the way the Supreme Court is handling its job?

• Approve: 21%
• Disapprove: 69%
• Unsure/other: 10%

Read some of the most thoughtful longform responses.

+Note on sample size: We received 597 votes and 68 longform responses.

❓ Trivia: What two famous TV series from the 1980s both feature an Uncle Jesse?

🎓 True or false?...Pineapple plants produce only one main fruit at a time.

🤔 Riddle me this: People make me, save me, change me, and raise me. What am I?

(keep scrolling for the answer)

🎶 Nonprofit organization Young Musicians Unite is providing free music education to 20,000+ students across Miami-Dade County each week, using the classroom to teach instruments, confidence, teamwork, and leadership skills to kids. 

❓ Trivia: The Dukes of Hazzard and Full House

🎓 T/F: True

🤔 Riddle: Money

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