Siemens AG announced that it has completed the acquisition of Dotmatics, a leading provider of Life Sciences R&D software headquartered in Boston and portfolio company of global software investor Insight Partners, for an enterprise value of US$5.1 billion. With the transaction now completed, Dotmatics will form part of Siemens’ Digital Industries Software business, marking a significant expansion of Siemens’ industry-leading Product Lifecycle Management (PLM) portfolio into the rapidly growing and complementary Life Sciences market.
Latham & Watkins LLP represented Siemens in the transaction with a corporate team led by New York partners Eyal Orgad, Daniel Williams, and James Gorton, with associates Jameson Miller, Junhan Zhang, David Lee, Sam Berry, and Alex Reiher. Advice was also provided on antitrust matters by Washington, D.C. partners Michael Egge, Jason Cruise, Frankfurt/Düsseldorf partner Max Hauser, London partner Jonathan Parker, and Frankfurt counsel Nils Bremer; on CFIUS and Foreign Direct Investment matters by Washington, D.C. partner Damara Chambers, Hamburg partner Jana Dammann de Chapto, and Washington, D.C. counsel Catherine Hein; on environmental matters by Los Angeles/Houston partner Joshua Marnitz; on compensation and benefits matters by Los Angeles partner Larry Seymour and London partner Kendall Burnett, with associate Megan Ampe; on labor and employment matters by Chicago partner Nineveh Alkhas; on real estate matters by Chicago counsel Jeffrey Anderson; on tax matters by Bay Area partner Katharine Moir with Washington, D.C associate Christina McLeod; on intellectual property matters by Orange County counsel David Kuiper; on data privacy matters by Bay Area partner Robert Blamires and Frankfurt counsel Wolf-Tassilo Böhm; on healthcare regulatory matters by Washington, D.C. partners Jason Caron and Ben Haas, and Paris/Brussels partner Eveline Van Keymeulen; and on insurance matters by Los Angeles partner Drew Levin and San Diego/Los Angeles counsel Hannah Cary.
SIM swapping is a popular type of fraud in which someone transfers your mobile number to a SIM in their own device. By intercepting any messages or phone calls sent to you, they’re able to access your two-factor authentication codes and other sensitive information. Now, AT&T is offering customers a way to combat this kind of crime.
Available starting today, Wireless Account Lock is an option for AT&T subscribers with postpaid or prepaid wireless accounts. Simply by turning on a switch in the myAT&T app, you can enable Account Lock to prevent unauthorized changes to your account and phone lines.
Also: Your Android phone is getting a big security upgrade for free – here’s what’s new
Wireless Account Lock prevents a variety of actions, including:
Upgrading your device to a new one
Changing a SIM card or eSIM
Changing a phone number
Transferring a phone number to a different device
Changing your billing information
Changing the authorized users for your account
Certain actions are still allowed with Wireless Account Lock turned on. These include:
Making a payment
Setting up payment arrangements
Enrolling in AutoPay
Making changes to your plans and add-ons
Suspending your service
Unlocking a device
Managing NumberSync
Changing your E911 address
Changing your voicemail password
You can apply Wireless Account Lock to any device on your postpaid or prepaid mobile account with AT&T, including smartphones, tablets, smartwatches, hotspots, and laptops. You need to be the account owner or have primary or secondary access to the account to do this.
To get started, download the myAT&T app for iOS or Android if you don’t already have it.
Sign in to the app and select the number that you want to lock.
Tap Continue, select Profile & Settings, and then tap Account Info & Preferences.
Under Wireless Account Lock, turn on the switch to enable it. Here, you can also disable it when you want to make any otherwise blocked changes to your account.
In response, AT&T will send a confirmation email to your email address and a text to your mobile device.
Also: 7 ways to lock down your phone’s security – before it’s too late
Wireless Account Lock isn’t just for consumers. AT&T offers the same feature for business accounts. Like the consumer version, the business variant will prevent device upgrades, SIM or eSIM changes, number transfers, and other actions.
To enable or disable Account Lock in this instance, sign in to your AT&T business account. Select Account lock settings and turn on Account lock. Here, you’re also able to include or exclude specific features when Account Lock is enabled.
AT&T now joins the other two major US mobile carriers in trying to help customers combat SIM swapping attacks.
T-Mobile offers a SIM Protection feature for both postpaid and prepaid accounts. Using the T-Mobile website or the T-Life app for iOS or Android, you’re able to flip the switch to enable this protection.
Also: How I upgraded my home Wi-Fi with a VPN-ready router (and why it makes such a big difference)
Verizon’s SIM Protection and Number Lock features are also accessible to postpaid and prepaid subscribers. Instructions and controls for enabling both options are available on the My Verizon website and the My Verizon app.
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Sporting Lisbon striker Viktor Gyokeres has been heavily linked with a move to Manchester United this summer thanks to his working relationship with Ruben Amorim
Sporting Lisbon striker Viktor Gyokeres(Image: Gualter Fatia/Getty Images)
Manchester United may have missed out on the signing of Viktor Gyokeres this summer with news that he has reportedly reached a verbal agreement with Arsenal.
United are keen to add at least one striker to their ranks this summer and Sporting’s Gyokeres has been heavily linked with Old Trafford. Head coach Ruben Amorim signed the Swede from Coventry City in 2023 and managed to forge him into a prolific striker in Portugal before exiting the club in November 2024.
At the end of last season, Gyokeres had managed to bag a whopping 97 goals in 102 appearances for Sporting. Considering the lack of goals in the United squad at present, it was seen as a logical step for the Reds to go after the 27-year-old.
However, it appears the race for Gyokeres could have been run. Along with United, Arsenal have been heavily invested in the Swede and their interest dates back further than the Reds.
Like Amorim, Mikel Arteta has been keen to strengthen his attack having been left with no recognised centre-forwards for large parts of the second portion of the season. According to L’Equipe, the Gunners are closing in on rectifying that as they near a verbal agreement with Gyokeres’ team over personal terms for the striker.
Journalist Sacha Tavolieri has gone a step further though and claims that Arsenal have an agreement over a five-year deal with Gyokeres’ agent and that the north London club are now turning their focus to negotiations with Sporting over a transfer fee.
The Portuguese club have already confirmed that they will not hold out for £85m this summer but they will not sell their talisman for as little as £60m.
Ironically, should Arsenal get the signing of Gyokeres over the line, the centre-forward could make his Premier League debut for the Gunners against United at Old Trafford.
Here at The Manchester Evening News, we are dedicated to bringing you the best Manchester United coverage and analysis.
Make sure you don’t miss out on the latest United news by joining our free WhatsApp group. You can get all the breaking news and best analysis sent straight to your phone by clicking here to subscribe.
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And, finally, if you would rather listen to our expert analysis then make sure to check out our Manchester is Red podcast, featuring The Samuel Luckhurst Show and The Midweek Debate. Our shows are available on all podcast platforms, including Spotify and Apple Podcasts, and you can also watch along on YouTube.
When Linus Torvalds posted his now-legendary 1991 announcement about a “hobby” operating system kernel, no one would have predicted that Linux would become the backbone of modern computing. In a speech at the Open-Source Summit, North America, Jonathan Corbet, executive editor of LWN and longtime kernel developer, recounted the Linux kernel’s remarkable journey, highlighting its disruptive beginnings, its unique development model, and the challenges that have shaped its evolution.
Linux just keeps growing
Today, as Corbet said, “We are up to just over 40 million lines of code at this point. It’s fair to say that, indeed, Linux has become big and professional.” The first thing he noted was that, no matter what else was happening in the world, Linux had just kept growing.
Also: 7 things every Linux beginner should know – before downloading their first distro
In a graph of Linux kernel growth, Corbet observed, “If you look at this line, it’s really monotonically upward. It’s always increasing. We’re always building on the kernel, despite the fact that a lot of things were happening in the world over these three decades. We had the dotcom crash in 2000. We had the SCO lawsuit. In 2008, there was the global economic crisis. And of course, we had the COVID pandemic. But you don’t really see an effect on the development speed of Linux from any of these events. We have somehow managed to sustain everything we can do despite all the stuff that has happened in the world.”
How has Linux managed this?
Corbet believed that what has set Linux apart is its radical openness.
Unlike the centralized, exclusive development of other Unix-like systems, now largely forgotten, Linux welcomed contributions from anyone willing to submit code. This openness, combined with the GNU General Public License (GPL) 2.0, fostered a unified codebase and prevented fragmentation. “Anybody could be a part of it,” Corbet emphasized, “and as a result, Linux developed a community that you didn’t find in other open projects at that time.” You really won’t find it anywhere else, even now.
Also: This city is dumping Microsoft Office and Windows for OnlyOffice and Linux – here’s why
Of course, for years, no one took Linux seriously. It was dismissed as a toy in an era when Unix fragmentation and the rise of Windows NT dominated industry thinking. The prevailing wisdom held that only large corporations could build operating system kernels, leaving little attention for a community-driven initiative. Yet, as Corbet noted, Linux exemplified Clayton Christensen’s concept of disruptive innovation: a technology dismissed as inferior that quietly matures until it overtakes established players.
Another factor, Corbet explained, was that in the early 1990s, the BSD Unix systems were much more mature than Linux; they were capable of doing more and were more usable. Still, their permissive BSD license model led to a whole bunch of forks. None of them gained the critical mass in terms of either the development community or adoption to dominate Linux.
Instead, the Linux kernel stayed one thing. It stayed together, in part because its GPLv2 copyright policy meant everybody retains their copyright under the same license. It means that nobody owns Linux, or everybody owns Linux. It is not a company project. It’s not something somebody can pull out from under you, and that makes a huge difference.
Also: Want to ditch Windows? This Linux distro makes that transition easy
Linux was also successful, Corbet believes, because “Linus had no pride. He threw open the door to everybody, and anybody who could send him a patch could participate. And so we’d take it; we’d throw away a lot of stuff. It didn’t work. It seemed wasteful in ways, but there were no boundaries. Anybody could be a part of it. It was a lot more fun, and it was a lot more open.”
You can see how that approach was successful, he added, after the late 1990s when “Linux caught the attention of industry giants. IBM’s 2001 billion-dollar investment marked a turning point, shifting perceptions from skepticism to serious engagement. The dot-com boom fueled a Linux bubble, with startups and venture capital flooding the ecosystem. Yet, when the bubble burst, kernel development continued unabated, underscoring Linux’s independence from any single corporate patron.”
Corbet continued, “Much of the commercial structure around Linux self-destructed over the course of about a month in 2000, but development of the Linux kernel did not slow down. Nothing really changed there, which was perhaps the first object lesson that Linux is truly independent of its corporate patrons.”
Linux’s modular approach
Another reason Linux has been successful is its modular approach. By focusing solely on the kernel while leaving user-space utilities and distributions to others, it accelerated innovation and allowed parallel experimentation. Corbet cited the emergence of Beowulf clusters in the late 1990s. By stringing together commodity PCs running Linux to create supercomputers, Linux began its rise as the only supercomputer operating system and the dominant operating system of today’s data centers and clouds.
Also: I put Linux on this 8-inch mini laptop, and unlocked a new way of computing
Corbet remembered, “I worked in a supercomputing center when this was happening, and I went to them and I said, ‘Hey, we should really be looking at this.’ And they said, “No, no, we have these Crays over here, and that’s all that we’re ever going to need.” That really didn’t age very well. Now, people don’t really talk about Beowulf clusters anymore, for a simple reason. We just call them data centers.”
All of this development was happening over e-mail lists. Today, almost all of Linux’s key development occurs over the Linux Kernel Mailing List (LKML). Sometimes old technology is the best technology.
Beginning with the first Linux Kernel Summit in San Jose, California, on March 30 to March 31, 2001, developers began meeting face-to-face. That was when it became clear that while mailing lists are invaluable, personal connections are still vital. However, Corbet worries that current US visa policies will hamper such gatherings going forward.
A major shift
Corbet then turned his attention to the technical side of the Linux kernel. The Linux kernel’s development model underwent a major shift. “At the 2004 Kernel Summit. We adopted what was called, what we called the new kernel development model. Now it’s just the kernel development model where the first two weeks of every development cycle are what’s called the merge window, where all the new code, new features go in, then for the following weeks we fix the problems. This works well enough at this point that every release takes nine or 10 weeks in total. You can set your clock by the last 15 years; there have been exactly two exceptions.”
Also: The Linux 6.15 kernel arrives – and it’s big a victory for Rust fans
As Linux scaled, its development process faced bottlenecks. The biggest was the reliance on Torvalds to manually apply every patch. The adoption of BitKeeper, a proprietary source code management tool, temporarily alleviated these issues but introduced new dependencies.
Then, in April 2005, things went badly wrong. The “BitKeeper license was abruptly withdrawn, and overnight, we found ourselves without the software tool on which we had built the entire development process. So this brought everything to a halt. We were all kind of sitting there looking at each other, saying, ‘Now what?’ So Torvalds responded by creating Git in 10 days. Today this free and open source version control manager has revolutionized not only Linux development but software collaboration worldwide.
Also: I’ve used virtually every Linux distro, but this one has a fresh perspective
This approach, now used by many projects, enables rapid innovation without sacrificing reliability. Each year, 4,000 to 5,000 developers contribute over 80,000 commits, supported by a diverse array of companies, none of which dominate the project.
Corbet also highlighted the importance of embracing new technologies, such as the Rust programming language, to ensure the kernel’s long-term health and attract new contributors. “If you come back in five or ten years,” he predicted, “you’re going to see a very different looking kernel source base, and I think that’s really important for our sustainability.”
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Microsoft Intune administrators may face a few days of stress after Redmond acknowledged a problem with security baseline customizations.
The problem? Those customizations might not be saved during the update process, and the current workaround is to manually reapply customizations after updating baseline policies.
Microsoft Intune is a cloud-based endpoint management service that allows organizations to manage fleets of devices, including configuration and updates. Many admins use Intune for patch and policy management as an alternative to on-premises tools like Windows Server Update Services (WSUS), which was noted as being “no longer in development” with the release of Windows Server 2025.
The biz also has Microsoft Configuration Manager, which has its roots in the venerable Systems Management Server of the 1990s and is an on-premises product to manage a wide variety of products, including servers. The two are sometimes used together.
A security baseline in Intune is a template consisting of configuration settings. Microsoft generally issues a default baseline with recommended values, and an administrator can then tweak those values (or not) depending on the needs of their organization. However, those values not being maintained during the update process is less than ideal, particularly if there are a lot of customizations.
The new problem occurs if an administrator customizes the security baseline, and “affects customers who are updating their baseline version to a more recent version. For example, updating the security baseline from version 23H2 to version 24H2.” Microsoft, it appears, knows best, and the changes will be discarded in favor of the Microsoft-recommended defaults. This is fine for administrators who are happy to blithely accept whatever Microsoft sets as a default, but it is not so good for organizations that want to make their own tweaks.
The current workaround is also a pain – “While we work on the fix,” said the Redmond gang, “we recommend that admins manually reapply their customizations after updating their baseline policies.”
Reports of administrators rolling their eyes so hard that the Earth has shifted slightly on its axis are likely exaggerated. ®
Join us on Thursday, July 17th, 2025, at 11:00 am (EDT) on the webinar Telephone surveys: a resource for NCD and risk factor surveillance, to discuss how telephone surveys can offer a scalable and adaptable approach to generating timely, policy-relevant NCD and risk factors data that can drive effective public health action across the Americas.The webinar is hosted by the Noncommunicable Diseases, Violence, and Injuries Prevention Unit at PAHO´s Department of Noncommunicable Diseases and Mental Health.
Objectives of the webinar
Highlight the role of surveillance as an essential public health function that guides the health system response to the burden of NCDs.
Showcase the use of telephone surveys as a flexible and key tool to monitor NCDs access to care, and health system response.
Share lessons learned from the experiences of Brazil (Vigitel) and Uruguay (RaMPS) in implementing telephone-based surveillance systems and leveraging the data to inform decision-making.
Discuss policy actions to integrate flexible and rapid tools, such as telephone surveys, into a comprehensive NCD surveillance system.
The session is aimed primarily at Ministry of Health NCD focal points; mental health focal points; professionals working on health statistics, epidemiology, surveillance, planning and evaluation; representatives from subnational level health entities from countries of the Americas. It also can be useful for representatives of civil society organizations, academia and agencies interested in surveillance and monitoring of NCDs and their risk factors.
HOW TO PARTICIPATE
Agenda
11:00 am – Welcome
11:05 am – Opening remarks
Jarbas Barbosa da Silva Jr., Director, PAHO/WHO (video message)
11:10 am – Setting the scene: Why are flexible and timely tools needed for measuring NCDs?
Roberta Caixeta, Advisor, NCD surveillance, prevention and control, PAHO/WHO
11:25 am – Keynote speaker: Monitoring access to NCD quality of care
Tom Frieden, President and CEO of the Resolve to Save Lives
11:40 am – Spotlight:
Vigitel: two decades of monitoring NCD risk factors and adapting to Brazil’s evolving data needs
Letícia de Oliveira Cardoso, Director of DAENT/SVSA, Ministry of Health from Brazil
RaMPS in Uruguay: measuring the implementation of front of package labelling policies at the population level
12:10 pm – Questions and answers
12:35 pm – Closing remarks
Anselm Hennis, Director, Department of Noncommunicable Diseases and Mental Health, PAHO
Background
Surveillance is an essential public health function that provides critical data to monitor the burden of noncommunicable diseases (NCDs), measure risk factors and social determinants of health, and assess targeted interventions. It enables evidence-based policy implementation, guides prevention, control, and disease management strategies, and plays a key role in evaluating interventions. Surveillance also promotes cost-effective resource allocation and strengthens health system capacity.
Within the NCD surveillance toolbox, telephone surveys are a valuable method for efficient, cost-effective data collection. Their flexibility allows for rapid deployment and adaptation to country-specific needs, making them key for ongoing surveillance. During public health crises, timely data from telephone surveys can be crucial for enabling swift responses, particularly in assessing the quality of care for NCDs.
The use of telephone surveys to monitor NCD risk factors has been successful and operational in the Americas for over two decades in Brazil with the Vigitel survey and in the United States with the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS). Originally designed to track trends in NCD risk factors, these surveys have evolved, expanding their scope and adapting to specific data needs to inform policy decisions and guide interventions.
PAHO/WHO launched the Rapid Mobile Phone Survey (RaMPS) initiative in 2020 as a tool to complement the NCD surveillance toolbox by measuring policies and interventions at the population level. RaMPS has the potential to provide timely and reliable data on the implementation of the NCD Best Buys by supporting national legislative processes providing data on population behaviors, knowledge, attitudes, practices regarding risk factors exposure and protective measures. RaMPS also helps assess barriers to healthcare access, the quality of care, and can offer critical data during public health crises. Currently 8 countries in the Americas (Antigua and Barbuda, Belize, Bolivia, Honduras, Paraguay, Saint Lucia, Suriname and Uruguay) have implemented RaMPS at least once.
As countries continue to strengthen their NCD surveillance capacity, telephone surveys offer a scalable and adaptable approach to generating timely, policy-relevant data that can drive effective public health action across the Americas.
Time in other cities
10:00 a.m. – Los Angeles, Vancouver
11:00 a.m. – Belmopan, Guatemala City, Managua, Mexico City, San José (CR), San Salvador, Tegucigalpa
12:00 p.m. – Bogotá, Panama City, Kingston, Lima, Quito
1:00 pm. – Bridgetown, Caracas, Georgetown, Havana, La Paz, Port of Spain, Port-au-Prince, Nassau, Ottawa, San Juan, Santiago, Santo Domingo, Washington D.C.,
2:00 p.m. – Asunción, Buenos Aires, Brasilia, Montevideo, Paramaribo
7:00 p.m. – Geneva, Madrid
For other cities, please check the local time on this link.
Octopuses can taste with their arms, and a new study reveals that specifically, they’re tasting chemical cues from microbes that grow on the surface of objects like dead crabs and living octopus eggs. These ‘flavors’, it turns out, can signal which prey is worth pursuing, or which egg isn’t going to make it.
Octopus arms bristle with neurons that inform these fascinating animals’ behaviors, sometimes even independently of their brains. Sensory receptors in their arms enable them to ‘taste by touch’, which is essential to how they decide what to nurture, what to hunt, and what isn’t worth their time.
That’s important information for these opportunistic hunters, who forage mainly at night and in shadowy crevices.
“If a microbial strain could activate a receptor, then it could generate a neural signal that tells the octopus: This is something I care about,” says Harvard University biochemist Rebecka Sepela, who led the research.
Related: Male Octopuses Stun Females With Venom to Survive Mating, Study Finds
“The microbiome is acting almost like a chemical translator. It integrates environmental signals – like changes in temperature or nutrient levels – and outputs molecules that inform the octopus how to behave.”
Proving this to be the case was an ambitious mission. The team isolated 295 different strains of bacteria from ‘biologically meaningful’ surfaces in the natural environments of wild-caught California two-spot octopuses (Octopus bimaculoides). Those meaningful surfaces included food and family: the shells of fiddler crabs (Leptuca pugilator), and egg casings of the octopus’s own offspring.
A) A two-spot octopus alongside the two ‘biologically meaningful’ surfaces of its life: crab (food) and egg cases (offspring). B) Scanning electron microscope images of the bacteria on each surface. C) Bacterial composition of each surface, by phylum. (Sepela et al., Cell, 2025)
“Those microbes produce molecules that allow the octopus to tell the difference,” Sepela says. “Microbes are chemical factories. They constantly take in environmental cues and produce molecules that reflect their surroundings.”
The shells of living crabs, for instance, are surprisingly sterile, while those of decaying crabs are quickly colonized by a dense tapestry of bacteria.
Octopus egg casings tended to by a mother octopus have a curated balance of microbes, but when discarded, this is thrown off by an overgrowth of spiral-shaped bacteria.
The screening – in which Sepela’s team painstakingly tested how octopus sensory receptors reacted to each of the nearly 300 strains – revealed that just a few of these microbes, found on decaying prey or unhealthy eggs, activated the octopuses’ receptors.
Octopuses can ‘taste’ their environment through touch, enabling them to sense bacterial signals. (Sepela et al., Cell, 2025)
To test these signals in action, octopuses who were actively brooding a clutch of eggs were given a collection of egg mimics, some marred with the spiral bacteria. The octopuses tended to these false eggs for a while, except for those bacterially marked as ‘bad eggs’, which were quickly discarded.
The researchers were even able to identify which specific molecules the octopuses responded to. This chemical ‘language’ is enabled by molecules that, despite the submarine environment, are not readily washed away from the surface on which they are formed.
While the research focuses on octopuses, Sepela and her colleagues believe this sort of chemical signaling may apply to many other kinds of microbiomes; even our own.
“This might seem like a very specific case… but what we’re seeing is actually a general rule about how organisms sense microbiomes,” says Harvard cell physiologist Nicholas Bellono.
“Across life, evolution, and organ systems, microbes are essential – and this study shows another example of how deeply they influence physiology and behavior.”
As many Americans prepare for outdoor Fourth of July celebrations, the start of UV Safety Awareness Month serves as a timely reminder to take protective measures against sun exposure during the holiday and beyond.
July is UV Safety Awareness Month, highlighting the growing risks of UV radiation and encouraging the use of protective measures to reduce sun-related health threats. | Image Credit: Nass Studio – stock.adobe.com
Understanding UV Radiation and Its Risks
UV Safety Awareness Month is observed each July as summer intensifies across the Northern Hemisphere.1 The initiative aims to raise awareness and encourage individuals to take proactive steps to protect themselves from the harmful effects of UV radiation.
Invisible to the naked eye, UV radiation is a form of electromagnetic radiation composed of high-energy waves that can damage DNA and cause sunburns. Although the sun is the primary source, artificial sources such as tanning beds also emit UV radiation.
There are 2 main types of UV rays: UVA and UVB. UVA rays are longer and penetrate deeper into the skin, contributing to premature aging and wrinkles. In contrast, UVB rays are shorter and primarily responsible for sunburn. Roughly 95% of UV rays that reach the Earth’s surface are UVA, with the remaining 5% being UVB.2
At this year’s American Academy of Dermatology Annual Meeting in Orlando, Florida, experts highlighted how air pollution has intensified UV exposure.3 Chlorofluorocarbons, in particular, contribute to climate change by acting as potent greenhouse gases and damaging the stratospheric ozone layer, allowing more UV radiation to reach the Earth’s surface.
The Health Impact of UV Exposure
In addition to causing sunburn and premature aging, UV exposure is a leading cause of skin cancer, the most common cancer type in the US.4 It is estimated that 1 in 5 Americans will develop skin cancer in their lifetime.
The 3 main skin cancer types are basal cell carcinoma, squamous cell carcinoma, and melanoma.1 Basal cell carcinoma is the most common, accounting for about 80% of cases. It typically grows slowly and can often be treated effectively with surgery or radiation. Squamous cell carcinoma makes up around 20% of cases and commonly develops on sun-exposed areas of the body, like the face, hands, and neck.
Although melanoma makes up only about 4% of skin cancer cases, it is the most serious type due to its aggressive nature. If not detected and treated early, melanoma can quickly metastasize to other parts of the body. As a result, survival rates exceed 99% when the cancer is caught early and still localized, but they fall to 75% with regional spread and 35% when it reaches distant sites.5
Excessive UV exposure can also lead to serious eye conditions, namely cataracts and pterygium, both of which can impair vision.2 Additionally, UV radiation can weaken the immune system, reducing the body’s ability to fight off certain infections and diseases.
Effective Ways to Minimize UV Damage
According to Weill Cornell Medicine, the amount of UV exposure a person receives depends on the strength of the rays, the duration of skin exposure, and the presence of any protective measures.
To minimize sun exposure and reduce the risk of UV-related skin damage, it is recommended to seek shade as often as possible, especially between 10 AM and 4 PM, when the sun’s rays are strongest. If outside in the sun, individuals should wear protective clothing, including long-sleeved shirts, pants, wide-brimmed hats, and UV-blocking sunglasses.
It is also recommended to apply a broad-spectrum, water-resistant sunscreen with an SPF of 30 or higher.4 The National Council on Skin Cancer Prevention advises applying at least 1 ounce, or a palmful, of sunscreen every 2 hours, and more frequently if you are sweating or swimming.2
References
July is UV Safety Month. Skin and Cancer Institute. Accessed July 1, 2025. https://skinandcancerinstitute.com/july-is-uv-safety-month/
UV Safety Awareness Month. Weill Cornell Medicine. July 22, 2021. Accessed July 1, 2025. https://weillcornell.org/news/uv-safety-awareness-month
McCormick B. Climate change, pollution’s growing impact on dermatology. AJMC®. March 10, 2025. Accessed July 1, 2025. https://www.ajmc.com/view/climate-change-pollution-s-growing-impact-on-dermatology
Skin cancer. American Academy of Dermatology Association. Accessed July 1, 2025. https://www.aad.org/media/stats-skin-cancer
Steinzor P. 5 things you should know about skin cancer. AJMC. May 2, 2025. Accessed July 1, 2025. https://www.ajmc.com/view/5-things-you-should-know-about-skin-cancer
Swiss cheese is blood pressure–friendly thanks to its lower sodium content and excellent calcium offerings.
Swiss cheese also has unique bioactive peptides that have been shown to lower blood pressure.
Enjoy Swiss cheese in a hearty salad or pair it with whole-grain crackers or a piece of fruit.
When we think of the best foods to help lower blood pressure, dairy usually doesn’t come to mind. But if there’s one blood pressure–friendly cheese that experts recommend, it’s Swiss.
Swiss cheese, known for its “eyes” (or holes) and mildly sweet and nutty flavor, has healthy properties that might help support better blood pressure levels, says Sheri Gaw, RDN, CDCES. Here, we dive into the research behind Swiss cheese’s heart-healthy properties, plus how to incorporate the cheese into a balanced diet plan.
Why Swiss Cheese Is the #1 Dairy Product to Lower Blood Pressure
Low in Sodium
Cutting back on sodium is one of the best ways to help lower your blood pressure. And if cheese is a beloved part of your daily diet, swapping some higher-sodium options for Swiss is a smart way to sustain a balanced and enjoyable eating plan. And it’s not hard to do. Swiss is one of the lowest-sodium cheese options out there, says Gaw. A 1-ounce serving of Swiss cheese contains about 52 milligrams of sodium, or 2% of the Daily Value. Compare that to 1 ounce of Cheddar, which has about 185 mg, or 8% of the DV.
Great Source of Calcium
While dairy is often associated with causing heart issues, research shows that calcium in dairy foods such as Swiss cheese does not increase blood pressure or risk for hypertension, says Gaw: “In fact, it may reduce the risk of stroke.” Swiss cheese is a stellar source of calcium—1 ounce provides about 20% of the DV.
Contains Bioactive Peptides
We know protein helps keep you satiated and supports muscle mass, but research suggests that the protein in cheese is also a good source of bioactive peptides, which may benefit blood pressure. Swiss cheese, specifically, contains two peptides—Ile-Pro-Pro and Val-Pro-Pro—that have been shown to have anti-hypertensive effects. However, more research needs to be done to nail down the amount of cheese it takes to reap these health benefits.
How to Enjoy Swiss Cheese
Swiss is delicious as a standalone snack, and it’s just as great paired with other foods or in recipes. Here are a few tasty ways to enjoy Swiss:
Pair it with fruit: Gaw recommends pairing a slice of Swiss cheese with fruit for a low-sodium snack. Any fruit works, but we especially like apples for the flavor combo. “This snack is also good for blood pressure and blood sugar, thanks to its dose of calcium, protein, potassium and fiber,” Gaw says.
Try it in a sandwich: Gaw recommends stacking a grilled chicken sandwich with a slice of Swiss cheese, lettuce and slices of tomatoes and avocado. “This snack can be part of the Mediterranean and Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH) dietary patterns, which help lower blood pressure,” adds Gaw.
Add it to a salad: Swiss adds protein and calcium, plus umami flavor, to a bowl of greens. Try this Green Goddess Salad with Chickpeas recipe.
Pair it with crackers: Gaw recommends pairing Swiss cheese with whole-grain crackers for an energy boost that promotes blood sugar and blood pressure management.
Other Strategies to Lower Blood Pressure
Swapping out high-sodium cheeses for Swiss can help reduce your sodium intake. Here are some other ways to help support healthier blood pressure levels:
Use herbs and spices: Lean on garlic, ginger, basil and oregano instead of salt to lower sodium intake and reduce blood pressure, says Gaw. A review found that garlic is associated with reduced blood pressure and cholesterol in those with and without chronic high blood pressure.
Eat more plants: Plant-forward eating patterns, such as the Mediterranean diet and DASH diet, can help to lower blood pressure, adds Gaw. Research shows these diets are more promising for lowering blood pressure than just salt restriction alone.
Cut back on alcohol: Drinking too much (which means more than two drinks a day for men and more than one drink a day for women) can spike your blood pressure. Cutting back on wine, beer, liquor and other alcohol can help lower your numbers and support your overall heart health.
Get regular exercise: Finding an exercise you love can help you move more and, therefore, lower your blood pressure. The American Heart Association recommends strength training at least two days a week and 2.5 hours of moderate-intensity cardio each week.
Our Expert Take
Swiss cheese is significantly lower in sodium than many other cheeses, and eating less sodium can help lower blood pressure. Swiss is an excellent source of calcium and has unique bioactive peptides (found in the proteins), which research suggests may also help lower your blood pressure. Adding Swiss to a hearty salad or pairing it with high-fiber fruit and crackers is a smart way to enjoy this nutritious dairy snack.
