Formula 1 heads to Baku this weekend for the 2025 Azerbaijan Grand Prix – but what kind of weather conditions can the drivers expect to encounter?
In 2024, a dry and warm race at the high-speed street track ended with Oscar Piastri taking victory for McLaren via an exciting battle against Ferrari rival Charles Leclerc.
As things stand, a largely dry weekend is in store for the drivers and teams. There are some showers predicted, but Friday afternoon is likely to be the only time wet weather might occur when the track is open for business.
Scroll down for a more detailed look at the forecast for the weekend.
2025 Azerbaijan Grand Prix weekend weather forecast
FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 19 – FP1 AND FP2 Conditions: Partly cloudy with large sunny spells at first becoming cloudier in the late afternoon. Slight chance of one shower in the afternoon becoming moderate from the late afternoon and the following night. Light southeasterly wind veering northerly and becoming moderate in the evening. FP1: 24°C // FP2: 23°C Maximum temperature expected: 25 Celsius Minimum temperature expected: 19 Celsius Chance of rain: 40%
SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 20 – FP3 AND QUALIFYING Conditions: Mostly cloudy in the morning with a slight to moderate chance of showers from midnight until noon. Likely dry afternoon under a partly to mostly cloudy sky. Moderate to strong northwesterly wind with gusts up to 60 kph in the morning, decreasing a bit after that. FP3: 20°C // Q: 21°C Maximum temperature expected: 21 Celsius Minimum temperature expected: 18 Celsius Chance of rain: 40%
SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 21 – RACE Conditions: Mostly cloudy to overcast all day long. Improvement expected for the race. Slight chance of one light shower in the morning. At this range, likely dry race but chance of one shower is not excluded. Moderate northwesterly wind with gusts up to 50 kph in the morning and up to 40 kph during the race. Race start: 21°C Maximum temperature expected: 21 Celsius Minimum temperature expected: 17 Celsius Chance of rain: 20%
Kuxiu already made my favorite 3-in-1 Qi2 charger, and now it’s back with an even smaller yet more powerful version. The MagSafe-compatible Qi2.2 charger folds up super compact for travel and unfurls into a “Z” to simultaneously charge an Apple Watch, AirPods, or other Qi-enabled earbuds, and a Qi2 25W phone like the new Pixel 10 Pro XL and iPhone 17 series — all from a single USB-C cable.
The $79.99 / €68.95 X40 Turbo charging stand supports the new Qi2.2 standard (aka, Qi2 25W), so it can wirelessly charge compatible devices at a maximum of 25W, up from 15W on last year’s $79.99 model. That price also gets you a 45W USB-C PD charger, carrying case, and cable in the box.
When I say it’s small, I mean it. The X40 Turbo is 25 percent smaller than its diminutive predecessor, measuring just 64 x 64 x 18mm (2.52 x 2.52 x 0.71 inches) when folded up.
These 3-in-1 Z-shaped stands are dime-a-dozen on Amazon and Temu, but Kuxiu is a brand I’ve used for a few years and trust. Like the company’s other products I’ve tested, it feels like quality due to the use of aluminum instead of plastic. I don’t have a Qi2.2 phone to test it with, but I have no reason to doubt its support for 25W wireless charging.
My iPhone 15 Pro only supports Qi2 (15W), which is what I saw it pulling from a power bank as the 16 N52 magnets held the phone tightly to the stand’s soft-touch surface. The spec sheet says it’ll charge a phone at 5W/7.5W/10W/15W/25W, earbuds at up to 5W, and an Apple Watch at up to 5W.
If you’re looking to jump on the wireless Qi2.2 train, own a bunch of Apple gear, and like to travel light, then Kuxiu’s X40 Turbo charging stand should be on your short list. Even if you can’t take advantage of that 25W max charge, you can still benefit from its extreme portability with a little future-proofing baked in.
Huiping Liu, MD, PhD, associate professor of Pharmacology and of Medicine in the Division of Hematology and Oncology, was senior author of the studies published in the Journal of Clinical Investigation and Nature Communications.
In a pair of studies, investigators from the lab of Huiping Liu, MD, PhD, associate professor of Pharmacology and of Medicine in the Division of Hematology and Oncology, have uncovered how specific cellular interactions in the bloodstream may be fueling the spread of breast cancer. Published in Nature Communications and The Journal of Clinical Investigation, the studies reveal how circulating tumor cells form clusters alongside immune cells —dramatically increasing their ability to spread.
Identifying Drivers of Tumor Cell Clustering
The first study, published in Nature Communications, identifies the protein Plexin-B2 (PLXNB2) as a critical player in breast cancer’s ability to metastasize, or spread to new parts of the body.
In the study, investigators employed a computational ranking algorithm to identify proteins associated with unfavorable patient outcomes. They found that PLXNB2 is highly expressed in multicellular circulating tumor cell (CTCs) clusters, which are up to 50 times more efficient at forming metastases than single CTCs.
“Tumor cells travel from one site to another in the blood and face a lot of physical challenges and immune cell attacks,” said Liu, who was senior author of the study. “By joining with these friendly immune cells, the cancer can promote seeding, avoid surveillance and have a kind of shield from hostile factors as it spreads.”
In mouse models, knocking out PLXNB2 significantly reduced lung metastases, suggesting it could be a promising therapeutic target, Liu said.
“These clinical sample analyses and preclinical tumor studies in mice demonstrated that PLXNB2 is not only a biomarker for poor outcomes, but it is a driver of tumor spreading,” said Liu, who is also a member of the Robert H. Lurie Comprehensive Cancer Center of Northwestern University.
The study was funded by Department of Defense grants W81XWH-16-1-0021 and W81XWH-20-1-0679. Additional funding was provided by National Institute of Health grants R01CA245699, R01AI167272, R01CA298232, R01GM139858 and UG3CA256967.
Rare T-Cells Play a Surprising Role
The second study, published in The Journal of Clinical Investigation, shifts focus to the immune system’s role in metastasis.
“Tumor cells not only interact among themselves, but they also have crosstalk with immune cells,” said Liu, the senior author of the study. “But for the circulating tumor cells in the blood, there have not been many comprehensive studies. Our goal was to fill the gap and to understand better how tumor cells really talk to engage supportive immune cells, and then to find out how tumor cells escape from defensive immune cells in general.”
By analyzing blood samples from patients with advanced breast cancer, scientists discovered that over 75 percent of CTC-positive samples contained clusters of tumor cells and white blood cells, the immune system’s fighter cells. Among these, a rare subset of T-cells — CD4 and CD8 double-positive T-cells (DPTs) — were disproportionately represented.
These DPT cells exhibited traits of immune exhaustion and suppression, which may help tumor cells evade immune detection, according to the study.
“Double-positive T-cells are very unique and rare. They have shown the capacity to promote cancer stem cells and suppress the immune response,” Liu said. “The more of these signals you have, the less other tumor-killing T-cells will fight, which leads to more tumors in the body. These cells protect the tumor cells from immune cell attacks.”
The study investigators then identified two molecules on the cell surface — VLA-4 in DPT cells and VCAM1 in tumor cells — as essential for cluster formation. In mice with cancer, blocking this interaction with antibodies disrupted clustering and significantly extended survival.
The study was supported in part by Department of Defense grant W81XWH-20-1-0679 and National Cancer Institute grants R01CA245699, R01AI167272, UG3CA256967 and R01CA298232. The Chan Zuckerberg Biohub Chicago, the American Cancer Society, the Robert H. Lurie Comprehensive Cancer Center, the Lynn Sage Breast Cancer Research Foundation and a Northwestern University Pharmacology start-up grant provided additional funding.
The pair of studies not only deepens scientific understanding of cancer biology but also underscores the importance of the immune system’s role in cancer progression —sometimes as an unwitting accomplice.
By targeting PLXNB2 or VLA-4/VCAM1, investigators may be able to develop therapies that prevent metastasis before it begins, Liu said.
“We’re approaching this from multiple angles with the same goal of identifying targets to help us control this tumor cell behavior,” Liu said. “By eliminating tumor cell clusters and inhibiting this devastating phenotype, we can hopefully stop the cancer from spreading, allowing patients to live longer and have a better quality of life.”
The 1,250-seat Membertou Sport & Wellness Centre will host all preliminary-round games, while playoff games, including the gold medal game set for Sunday, Jan. 18 at 7:30 p.m. AT, will be played at the 5,000-seat Centre 200, home of the Cape Breton Eagles of the Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League.
TSN and RDS, the official broadcast partners of Hockey Canada, will provide exclusive live coverage of the 2026 IIHF U18 Women’s World Championship, delivering all Team Canada games in addition to both semifinals and medal games; please check local listings for details.
“With the tournament schedule now released, the excitement is really starting to build in Cape Breton and across our province,” said Leijsa Wilton, chair of Hockey Nova Scotia’s Female Council. “Fans can now start circling game dates in anticipation of this world-class women’s hockey tournament this January. We know this event will inspire the next generation of young players here in Nova Scotia.”
Fans looking to secure their seats and SEE THEE RISE can purchase select ticket packages starting Sept. 18 at HockeyCanada.ca/Tickets.
For more information on Hockey Canada and the 2026 IIHF U18 Women’s World Championship, please visit HockeyCanada.ca, or follow along via social media on Facebook, X, Instagram and TikTok.
Rainbow Six Siege is reviving the battle of Organics versus Robotics in M.U.T.E. Protocol: Flesh & Metal, a limited-time event kicking off today and running through October 1. The game mode is Arms Race, a fast-paced, respawn-enabled 5v5 fight that plays out on a modified version of the Tower map. The M.U.T.E. event cosmetic collection adds three new Operator bundles – Kaid, Melusi, and Kali – as well as a variant bundle for Blitz, a signature bundle, and a Memento that grants a Masterpiece weapon skin with custom weapon inspect and reload animations for the MP5. Additionally, you can log in during the event to claim a free event pack starting today, which grants one random item from the collection (including legendaries).
How Arms Race Works in Rainbow Six Siege
Every player starts out with the same weapon in Arms Race, and each elimination grants them the next weapon tier. At the top of the weapon ladder is the golden hammer, which can break The Brain’s shield and win the round. While eliminations move you up the ladder, being eliminated will move you down one tier (or two, if you die from a melee attack). You can respawn quickly to get back into the action, but guard your life if you want to get to the upper tiers and claim victory.
Modifications to the Tower Map
Each round of a best-of-three M.U.T.E. Protocol match takes place on a progressively higher floor of the Tower map; stairs, hatches, and grapple points are not available. Power-ups are placed on each floor to fuel the fast-paced action, and every Operator has Oryx’s Power Dash ability to allow them to smash through walls, opening up new routes and sightlines.
MUTE Protocol Cosmetic Collection
There are new Operator bundles for Kaid, Melusi, and Kali, as well as one variant Operator bundle for Blitz in the fourth iteration of the MUTE Protocol event. Each bundle contains headgear, a uniform, an Operator portrait, and four weapon skins. There is also a signature bundle that includes a universal weapon skin, attachment skin, drone skin, and charm. Players who complete the event collection can unlock the limited-time Dayrise Executioner Memento, which is a Masterpiece skin with unique animations for the MP5 submachine gun, equipable by Doc, Rook, and Melusi.
Free Rewards for the MUTE Protocol Event
Players who log in during the MUTE Protocol event can claim a free event pack from the in-game store, which grants a random item from the collection. Packs are also purchasable from the store. Furthermore, players can link their Twitch and Ubisoft accounts to earn a 552 Commando weapon skin for IQ through Twitch Drops, and an ARX200 weapon skin for Iana through a Ubisoft Connect Challenge.
Rainbow Six Siege is available in Free Access on PS5, PS4, Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, and PC via the Ubisoft Store, Steam, and Epic Games Store, as well as with a Ubisoft+ Premium subscription. Starting on September 18, the Rainbow Six Siege X Elite Edition will be available at retail in select territories, and will include full access to competitive modes (not included in Free Access) as well as instant unlocks of 16 Operators from Year 1 & 2.
Tetrapods, living beings with four limbs — a group that includes humans — use their arms and legs to interact with their environment. They use their limbs to move, chase or escape, feed or fight, and reproduce. In mammals, reptiles, birds, and to a much lesser extent amphibians, their extremities end in keratin-rich structures. These take the form of claws, hooves, or nails. It had long been assumed that rodents had claws. But no: a large study published in Science shows that this is true for only four of their digits. On the fifth — the thumb —most have a nail very similar to that of humans. For the authors, this different big digit helped them conquer the planet.
Mice and rats belong to the order Rodentia, along with beavers, moles, and hamsters. With just under 2,500 species, they make up 40% of all mammals. They are found on every continent except Antarctica. They have adapted to every environment: terrestrial, like capybaras; aquatic, like the muskrat; arboreal, like squirrels; or subterranean, like the naked mole rat. Scientists have always pointed to their powerful incisors — which never stop growing — as the key to their success: they allowed rodents to occupy a dietary niche that other mammals either ignored or could not exploit, namely hard-shelled fruits and seeds. But something was missing in that explanation — and it turned out to be the nails.
A group of biologists hypothesized that, along with the incisors, the thumbnail may have enabled rodents to handle these small, hard foods. To test this, they scoured some of the world’s leading natural history museums — such as those in London, New York, and Chicago — searching through drawers for rodent specimens. They found representatives of 433 genera out of the 522 that exist within Rodentia. (The genus is a taxonomic category above species; in the case of humans, we are the only surviving species of the genus Homo.) When examining the feet, they discovered that 86% of rodents have nails — but with a peculiarity: only on the thumb.
Thumbnails have allowed rodents to eat hard-shelled fruits, but not only that. Pictured here is a rakali, or Australian water vole, opening a mollusk.Ron Greer
“Among the species analyzed, all those with a thumbnail have claws on the other fingers,” says Rafaela Missagia, an evolutionary biologist from the Laboratory of Functional Morphology and Macroevolution at the University of São Paulo in Brazil and first author of the study. “This pattern appears to be characteristic of rodents, unlike other groups of mammals, where species typically have nails on all fingers [like primates] or claws on all fingers [like rabbits, colugos, and tree shrews],” she explains in an email.
The key lies in how they eat. Researchers reviewed whether rodents feed using only their mouths or both mouths and paws (oromanual feeding). Most species that eat only orally turn out to have either a claw or nothing at all on the thumb. “Often, the thumb appears as a rounded protrusion. In some species, it may be completely absent, as in capybaras and guinea pigs,” explains Missagia. But all those with nails on their thumbs use both hands and mouth to feed.
Everything suggests that a thumbnail gives rodents manual dexterity in much the same way that an opposable thumb gives it to humans and other primates. “Unlike claws, which are long and curve over the fingertips, nails are shorter and broader, resting on the sensitive, vascularized pads of the fingertips. This probably allows them to grip better and manipulate objects more precisely,” says the Brazilian scientist, also a researcher at the Field Museum in Chicago, which houses one of the world’s largest collections of living and extinct rodents. As it happens, only primates and rodents have nails.
For rodent specialists, their success in diversification and global spread is due to their ability to exploit resources that faced little to no competition, such as seeds and nuts. “These foods, like acorns, are difficult to obtain, and rodents are known to manipulate them thanks to their strong incisors and jaw muscles,” says Missagia. “But we believe that’s not the only reason. The presence of the thumbnail may improve grip, working together with the incisors to give rodents better access to these difficult resources.”
It’s just a hypothesis, but the fact that the researchers discovered that species without thumbnails don’t handle food points to a functional connection between having this appendage and manual dexterity. Furthermore, when examining fossil rodent specimens, they found that the oldest examples already had this distinctive big digit. In fact, everything indicates that in their evolution, thumbnails came first, followed by claws.
Gordon Shepherd, a neuroscientist at Northwestern University in the United States and senior author of the Science study, acknowledges that before this research, it was known that some had nails, others claws, and some lacked thumbs altogether. But what they did not expect was for the thumbnail to be almost the norm. “My lab studies how mice manipulate food, and I became interested in the structure-function relationships of hands and thumbs,” he says in an email.
That intimate connection between anatomical form and function — a key factor in the evolution of humans and great apes — brings primates and rodents closer together, but only to a point.
“Primates, and especially humans, possess exceptional manual dexterity to manipulate objects with the fingers of one hand, thanks to the opposable thumb,” he notes. But, he adds, “rodents are quite different: their manual dexterity, such as food handling, involves grasping and manipulating objects with both hands, mainly using the thumbs.” In fact, he concludes, “recent studies of the motor cortex reveal both similarities and differences in the brain circuits related to dexterity in mice and primates.”
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The start of Pakistan’s Asia Cup cricket game against United Arab Emirates on Wednesday has been delayed in the fallout of a handshake dispute with archrival India.
“Consultations are going on and the match between UAE and Pakistan has been delayed by one hour,” Pakistan Cricket Board spokesman Amir Mir told reporters in Lahore.
The match in Dubai appears to be going ahead at this stage, starting at 7:30 p.m. local time (1530 GMT).
“We have asked the Pakistan team to depart for the Dubai Cricket Stadium,” PCB chairman Mohsin Naqvi earlier wrote on X.
The PCB had demanded that cricket governing body ICC remove match referee Andy Pycroft from the remainder of the eight-nation Asia Cup. The Zimbabwean was match referee at Sunday’s game where India’s players refused to shake hands with Pakistan’s players, both at the toss and at the end of the game. India won by seven wickets.
Pycroft was scheduled to be the match referee again Wednesday but it was not immediately clear if he will be in charge.
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — The United Arab Emirates won the toss and elected to field against Pakistan after the start of their Asia Cup game Wednesday was delayed by one hour because of a lingering handshake dispute between India and Pakistan.
The Pakistan Cricket Board had demanded that cricket governing body ICC remove match referee Andy Pycroft from the remainder of the tournament.
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The Zimbabwean was match referee at Sunday’s game where India’s players refused to shake hands with Pakistan’s players, both at the toss and at the end of the game. India won by seven wickets.
The PCB said in a statement on Wednesday that Pycroft “apologized to the manager and captain of the Pakistan cricket team” for his role Sunday, when he allegedly told Pakistan’s captain that there would be no handshakes at the toss.
“Andy Pycroft termed the September 14 incident a result of miscommunication and apologized,” the PCB said.
The PCB also released a muted video of Pycroft meeting with Pakistan team officials at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium on Wednesday.
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Pycroft remained ICC’s appointed match referee and supervised Wednesday’s toss after which both Pakistan captain Salman Ali Agha and UAE skipper Muhammad Waseem, who was born in Pakistan, shook hands and smiled at each other.
Pakistan had delayed its departure to the stadium Wednesday as back home PCB chairman Mohsin Naqvi consulted with former cricket board heads Najam Sethi and Ramiz Raja in Lahore before giving the go ahead to the team to leave for the stadium.
More than a decade ago, Jason Citron took the Disrupt stage to pitch his early-stage company in the Startup Battlefield competition at TechCrunch Disrupt as a scrappy founder pitching his vision. Today, he’s built Discord into one of the most successful consumer platforms of its era — valued in the billions and redefining how communities connect, game, and share online.
This October, he returns to the Disrupt Stage with “From Startup Battlefield to Discord,” a session that unpacks his scaling journey at TechCrunch Disrupt 2025,October 27–29 at Moscone West in San Francisco, where 10,000+ startup and VC leaders will gather to shape the future of tech.
If you’re a founder aiming to scale a sustainable business, this is a session you can’t afford to skip. Hear Citron share his scaling journey on the Disrupt Stage. Register now to save up to $668 before rates rise after September 26.
Lessons from a founder who never stopped building
Citron’s journey from a Startup Battlefield competitor in 2013 to leading one of the most influential consumer platforms today is a case study in persistence and pivots. His session will dive into the tough calls, product bets, and relentless focus on vision that carried him through early struggles to eventual breakout success.
Why this conversation matters now
The path from idea to global platform is rarely a straight line. Citron’s story offers founders a real-world look at how to weather setbacks, rethink strategy, and stay true to product vision in a fast-moving market. His return to Disrupt is a full-circle moment you won’t want to miss. Be in the room at the 20th anniversary of TechCrunch this October at Disrupt 2025 to hear his story. Regular Bird savings are live now and ending on September 26, 11:59 p.m. PT.
Researchers from Mayo Clinic have identified factors other than clogged arteries leading to heart attacks in women aged under 65 years, publishing their findings in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology.1
Nontraditional factors were linked to over 50% of heart attacks in this population, including embolism, spontaneous coronary artery dissection (SCAD), and other conditions. While women presented with fewer heart attacks than men, these patients were more likely to have their primary causes of heart attack misdiagnosed.
“This research shines a spotlight on heart attack causes that have historically been under-recognized, particularly in women,” said Claire Raphael, MBBS, PhD, study author and interventional cardiologist at Mayo Clinic. “When the root cause of a heart attack is misunderstood, it can lead to treatments that are less effective—or even harmful.”
Differences between men and women
Frequent misdiagnoses were reported when SCAD, often presenting in younger, otherwise healthy women, was the cause of a heart attack. In these cases, plaque buildup was often cited as the source of a heart attack.
Both men and women presented with atherosclerosis as the most common source of heart attacks, but the rate of atherosclerosis was only 47% in women vs 75% in men. Additionally, despite having lower heart injury levels, patients with stressors such as anemia or infection leading to a heart attack had the greatest 5-year mortality rates.
Investigators highlighted other key findings, such as 68% of overall heart attacks being caused by typical plaque buildup, but the majority in women being linked to nontraditional causes. A 6-fold increase in the prevalence of SCAD was also reported in women vs men.
Stress-related triggers and mortality outcomes
Overall, stressors such as anemia or infection were the second-most common source of heart attacks. Additionally, the 5-year mortality rate from these sources was the most significant at 33%.
Under 3% of heart attack cases were unexplained, making it rare for a source to not be identified. Investigators concluded that this data may be used to guide the diagnosis and management of heart attacks in younger adults.
“Clinicians must sharpen their awareness of conditions like SCAD, embolism, and stress-related triggers, and patients should advocate for answers when something doesn’t feel right,” said Rajiv Gulati, MD, PhD, senior author and chair of the Division of Interventional Cardiology and Ischemic Heart Disease at Mayo Clinic.
Sex-specific risks
Sex-specific outcomes have also been reported following a heart attack.2 At the European Society of Cardiology (ESC) Congress 2025, this data was highlighted alongside research indicating worse outcomes among women taking beta-blockers. These included increased mortality, reinfarction, and hospitalization for heart failure risks.
The trial was launched in 2018 and assessed the impact of beta-blocker therapy in patients with heart failure. Overall, the hazard ratio (HR) for adverse events in patients taking beta-blockers vs no beta-blockers was 1.04.
Notably, while the difference in incidence rates significantly differed among women with vs without beta-blockers, no significant difference was observed among men, with an HR of 0.94. This highlighted greater rates of the primary composite outcome among women vs men.
Implications
This increase in risk was primarily driven by increased mortality, most prominent in women with preserved left ventricular ejection fraction and those taking high doses of beta-blockers.
“Our findings suggest that a one-size-fits-all approach may not be appropriate and that sex-specific considerations are crucial for cardiovascular interventions prescriptions,” said Xavier Rosselló, MD, PhD, study investigator and cardiologist at University Hospital Son Espases in Mallorca.
References
Mayo Clinic study reveals hidden causes of heart attacks in younger adults, especially women. Mayo Clinic. September 15, 2025. Accessed September 17, 2025. https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/1098036.
Campbell P. Beta-blockers linked to worse outcomes in women following a heart attack. Contemporary OB/GYN. August 31, 2025. Accessed September 17, 2025. https://www.contemporaryobgyn.net/view/beta-blockers-linked-to-worse-outcomes-in-women-following-a-heart-attack.
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