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Top of the morning to you, and a fine one it is. Well, sort of. The skies in these parts are decidedly hazy thanks to smoky conditions to the north. Nonetheless, we are doing our best to take a deep breath and focus on the matters at hand. To that end, we are firing up the trusty kettle to make another cuppa stimulation. Our choice today is English breakfast, an old standby. Please feel free to join us. Meanwhile, here are a few items of interest. Hope you have a meaningful and productive day and, of course, do stay in touch. …

Prediction markets have permeated the worlds of sports, politics, and reality television shows. Now, the biopharma industry could be next as Kalshi, one of the world’s largest prediction market exchanges, plans to take bets on clinical trials and regulatory approvals , STAT reports. The company is starting with a small number of markets chosen in collaboration with its partner, AppliedXL, a tech firm that monitors and predicts study outcomes. Initially, Kalshi will take a conservative approach, allowing people to bet only on Phase 3 trial outcomes run by established drug companies and with full approval decisions by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved a first-of-its kind pill from Merck that is designed to help lower cholesterol levels beyond what statins alone can achieve , The Wall Street Journal says. The agency cleared Lipfendra to treat high cholesterol, which is a major risk factor for heart attacks and strokes. The approval was based on studies showing that Merck’s once-daily pill reduced bad, or LDL, cholesterol levels by up to 60% over six months in adults with or at risk for atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease. Analysts expect the new Merck pill to be a big seller, generating peak annual sales of more than $5 billion.

Continue to STAT+ to read the full story…

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It has been 46 years since Liverpool lads Echo & The Bunnymen started making theatrically bummed-out psychedelic goth-pop anthems, and they aren't done quite yet. For half a decade, Echo & The Bunnymen have been talking up a new studio album, their first record of new material since 2014's Meteorites . (They also dropped a collection of re-recordings called The Stars, The Oceans & The Moon in 2018, but that's not what we're talking about here.) Now, they're finally ready to announce the impending arrival of that album, which is called Apples For Isaac .

The post Echo & The Bunnymen Announce First New Album In 12 Years Apples For Isaac: Hear “Brussels Is Haunted” appeared first on Stereogum .

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Carnie Wilson — best known as one-third of Wilson Phillips and daughter of Beach Boys founder Brian Wilson — revisits some of the most defining moments of her public and private life. From a childhood spent in the chaos of rock-and-roll royalty, to her rise as one of the best-selling artists of the early 90s, to her very public weight-loss journey and the road to sobriety and motherhood that followed, Carnie shares what she sees when she looks back, and what it’s taken to finally feel like she belongs.

We created this video for The Me I Used to Be, a Big Think interview series created in partnership with Unlikely Collaborators . As a creative non-profit organization, they’re on a mission to help people challenge their perceptions and expand their thinking. Often, that growth can start with just a single unlikely question that makes you rethink your convictions and adjust your vantage point. Visit Perception Box to see more in this series.

This video The harmony Carnie Wilson spent her whole life trying to find is featured on Big Think .