Good morning. Forget expensive supplements. Scientists discovered common household scents—cinnamon, rosemary, lavender—trigger measurable cognitive improvements within minutes of inhalation.
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TOP STORY TODAY
AWS Outage Resolved
Amazon Web Services resolved a massive cloud computing outage Monday evening after disrupting internet use globally throughout the day. The breakdown affected social media, gaming, streaming, food delivery, and financial platforms worldwide (List).
AWS provides cloud computing infrastructure to governments, universities, and businesses globally. The outage began early Monday morning. Amazon reported recovery starting three hours later, with services returning to normal by 6 p.m. Eastern.
The disruption highlighted society's growing dependence on a handful of tech companies for internet infrastructure. Cybersecurity experts noted the slow recovery was normal for such widespread outages. Cloud computing, explained.
POLITICS
U.S.-Australia Minerals Deal
President Donald Trump and Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese signed a critical minerals agreement Monday worth up to $8.5 billion. The framework includes over $3 billion in investments over six months.
The agreement aims to reduce U.S. dependence on China for rare earths and critical minerals used in weapons, semiconductors, and electric vehicles. China dominates global processing. Companies like Alcoa will participate in joint projects.
The Pentagon will invest in a gallium refinery in western Australia with 100 metric tons annual capacity. Trump will meet Chinese President Xi Jinping later this month. Why are rare earth elements so important? Video here.
Japan Elects First Female
Japan's parliament elected Sanae Takaichi as prime minister Tuesday, making her the nation's first female head of government. The 64-year-old nationalist succeeds Shigeru Ishiba, who resigned after electoral losses cost the Liberal Democratic Party its coalition majority in both chambers.
Takaichi served in senior cabinet roles under late Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and shares his conservative views. She campaigned on a "Japan First" platform prioritizing national interests during economic challenges. Parliament voted Tuesday afternoon, with her term beginning immediately.
Takaichi will meet President Trump next week to discuss the U.S.-Japan alliance and a $550 billion investment plan.
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Natural Nootropics Hiding in Your Kitchen
Your olfactory nerve connects directly to your brain's memory center—and specific scents can enhance cognitive performance within seconds.
Rosemary for memory: Northumbria University found participants sniffing rosemary oil performed significantly better on prospective memory tests
Lavender for deep sleep: Sleep chamber experiments proved longer sleep intervals and increased slow-wave rest
Pine for anxiety relief: Showed physiological relaxation in under 90 seconds
Cinnamon for focus: Wheeling Jesuit University discovered improved attention and working memory from cinnamon scent
Rose for safer driving: Reduced speeds, fewer crashes, and increased caution in simulated driving tests
Citrus for energy: Bergamot and lemon oils improve mood, increase alertness, and reduce fatigue
Eucalyptus for mental clarity: Fresh, cooling scent clears the mind and promotes focus while alleviating congestion
Lavender for racing minds: UCLA Health confirms temporary relief from stress and anxiety in older adults
The connection: Damaged olfactory nerves link to Alzheimer's—suggesting smell and memory are neurologically intertwined. Read this article.
How Deep Sighs Reset Your Lungs
Research from Science Advances reveals deep sighs physically reset pulmonary surfactants coating respiratory organs. ETH Zurich researcher Jan Vermant and colleagues simulated normal and deep breaths in laboratory settings, measuring surface stress on lung fluids.
The results? Deep breaths significantly reduced surface tension by forcing multi-layered surfactants to stretch and compress intensely. The study suggests intentional deep breathing maintains lung compliance and could inform improved treatments for adult respiratory distress syndrome.
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