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Pluto photos from NASA’s New Horizons still captivating scientists decade later

For decades, Pluto remained one of the most mysterious objects in our solar system, until July 14, 2015, when NASA’s New Horizons spacecraft became the first mission to visit it up close, capturing breathtaking images of the distant world.

It took over nine years for New Horizons to reach Pluto after blasting off atop an Atlas 5 rocket on Jan. 19, 2006. After traveling billions of miles through the solar system, New Horizons sent home stunning images of Pluto and its moons, making headlines around the world.

It took more than 15 months for the spacecraft to send all of the 6.25 gigabytes of photos and data home for scientists to study.

“Such a lengthy period was necessary because the spacecraft was roughly 4.5 light-hours from Earth and it could only transmit 1-2 kilobits per second,” NASA said.

Here are some of the best images of Pluto and its moon Charon:

A composite of enhanced color images of Pluto (lower right) and Charon (upper left), taken by NASA’s New Horizons spacecraft as it passed through the Pluto system on July 14, 2015. Photo courtesy of NASA

This image of haze layers above Pluto limb was taken by NASA New Horizons spacecraft. About 20 haze layers are seen. Photo courtesy of NASA

Pluto nearly fills the frame in this image from NASA’s New Horizons spacecraft. The image was taken on July 13, 2015, when the spacecraft was 476,000 miles (768,000 kilometers) from the surface. Photo by NASA, Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory and Southwest Research Institute

NASA New Horizons scientists believe that the informally named feature Wright Mons, located south of Sputnik Planum on Pluto, and another, Piccard Mons, could have been formed by the cryovolcanic eruption of ices from beneath Pluto’s surface. Photo courtesy of NASA and JPL

A detailed global mosaic color map of Pluto is based on a series of three color filter images obtained by the Ralph/Multispectral Visual Imaging Camera aboard New Horizons during the NASA spacecraft’s close flyby of Pluto in July 2015. Photo by NASA and JPL

The International Astronomical Union (IAU), the internationally recognized authority for naming celestial bodies and their surface features, approved names of 14 surface features on Pluto in August 2017. Image from NASA, Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory and Southwest Research Institute

An enhanced color mosaic of Pluto taken approximately 15 minutes before New Horizons’ closest approach to Pluto. Image by NASA, Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory and Southwest Research Institute

This image was made just 15 minutes after New Horizons’ closest approach to Pluto on July 14, 2015, as the spacecraft looked back at Pluto toward the sun. Photo courtesy fo NASA and JPL

The Pluto flyby changed what astronomers thought they knew about that tiny world. Instead of being just a cold rock, Pluto turned out to have ice mountains as tall as the Rockies, strange heart-shaped plains and even signs of possible underground oceans.

The mission also gave us our first close-up look at Pluto’s largest moon, Charon, which has deep canyons and a huge dark spot at the pole.

It was like discovering a whole new world hiding at the edge of our solar system.

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July 11, 2025

New Windows 11 build adds self-healing “quick machine recovery” feature

Preview build 27898 also includes a features that will shrink Taskbar items if you’ve got too many pins or running apps for everything to fit at once, changes the pop-up that apps use to ask for access to things like the system webcam or microphone, and allows you to add words to the dictionary used for the speech-to-text voice access features, among a handful of other changes.

It’s hard to predict when any given Windows Insider feature will roll out to the regular non-preview versions of Windows, but we’re likely just a few months out from the launch of Windows 11 25H2, this year’s “annual feature update.” Some of these updates, like last year’s 24H2, are fairly major overhauls that make lots of under-the-hood changes. Others, like 2023’s 23H2, mostly exist to change the version number and reset Microsoft’s security update clock, as each yearly update is only promised new security updates for two years after release.

The 25H2 update looks like one of the relatively minor ones. Microsoft says that the two versions “use a shared servicing branch,” and that 25H2 features will be “staged” on PCs running Windows 11 24H2, meaning that the code will be installed on systems via Windows Update but that they’ll be disabled initially. Installing the 25H2 “update” when it’s available will merely enable features that were installed but dormant.

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July 11, 2025
Noah Lyles holds off Letsile Tebogo in stunning 200m victory at Monaco Diamond League 2025

Noah Lyles couldn’t be beaten in the men’s 200m at the Monaco Diamond League 2025 on Friday, 11 July, clocking 19.88 seconds to win his first Diamond League race of the season, along with some all-important bragging rights over Paris 2024 Olympic champion Letsile Tebogo.

The win kept Lyles’ unbeaten streak at Diamond League meets – going back to 2019 – alive, while providing the American superstar with an extra dose of confidence ahead of the 2025 U.S. Track and Field Championships.

“Any time that you can run against fast people and get the win, I call that a job well done,” he told Olympics.com. “Any time you get to be out there and put on a performance, I think those are the ones that count the most.”

The entertaining clash between two of the world’s best sprinters lived up to its pre-race billing, with the reigning Olympic 100m champion (Lyles) and 200m champion (Tebogo) going stride-for-stride for much of the race.

A slightly sluggish start almost cost Lyles the victory, but he overcame that early form lapse to reach a top speed that the others couldn’t match.

He crossed the line first, followed by Tebogo in a time of 19.97 seconds.

“It’s been a long time coming. People wanted to see it,” said the Botswanan Tebogo of the duel between himself and Lyles.

“We were also excited to see how it was going to go,” he added. “I’m really happy with how he came back. I’m hoping for the best, and more races together.”

Tebogo himself came under pressure from Zimbabwe’s Makanakaishe Charamba – a finalist at the Olympic Games Paris 2024 – who finished third in a time of 19.99 seconds.

While it took a while for the Zimbabwean sprinter to reach top speed, he cemented his status as a real World Championships’ medal threat with a strong finish in front of the lively crowd gathered for an unforgettable evening of athletics at Stade Louis II.

The race itself, if nothing else, provided a slick teaser for this season’s World Athletics Championships due up from 13-21 September in Tokyo, Japan.

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July 11, 2025
Highlights from So Cal Psych 2025

Gus Alva, MD

Credit: ATP Clinical Research

The annual 2025 Southern California Psychiatry Conference (So Cal Psych), held July 11-12 in Huntington Beach, California, brings together regional clinical experts to deliver evidence-based insights. Sessions will not only cover novel therapeutic agents, including the newly approved xanomeline‑trospium for schizophrenia, but also explore mood disorders, digital therapeutics, long‑acting injectables, and neuromodulation.

As psychiatry continues to evolve mechanistically and technologically—with muscarinic receptor modulators, glutamatergic and GABAergic agents, neuromodulation, and metabolic-focused treatments, So Cal Psych offers the most up-to-date, hands-on education and insights. Attendees will engage in practical learning through case-based presentations, device demonstrations, and expert panels aimed at facilitating real-world clinical implementation.

Gus Alva, MD, DFAPA, is the medical director of ATP Clinical Research in Orange, CA, and serves as chair of the upcoming 2025 Southern California Psychiatry Conference for his second year. HCPLive’s sister site, Psychiatry Times, caught up with Alva during the meeting to learn more about what attendees have to look forward to, including a deep dive into cutting-edge neuropsychiatric care, strategically bookended by sessions on muscarinic agonism’s role in schizophrenia and advances in treating Alzheimer’s disease.

HCPLive: What is the significance of muscarinic agonism in schizophrenia and Alzheimer’s, and how will this be addressed in the meeting?

Alva: The reason that this is so important is that as we commence with our sessions on schizophrenia, we need to recall it’s a chronic, disabling brain disorder that affects maybe about 1% of the population. It’s got multiple symptoms where individuals can’t trust what they think or feel, and as a consequence of that, we definitely know there’s an overlap with Alzheimer’s disease. In fact, the term schizophrenia comes from the Greek for “splitting up the mind,” and that very first session is going to entail some interesting themes, specifically tied in with an M1/M4 agonist called xenomeline, just to give everybody a good historical backdrop. Xenomeline was found to improve psychosis and behavioral disturbances in those suffering from Alzheimer’s disease. As a consequence, the thought was, hey, this might actually be something useful for individuals with schizophrenia.

Unfortunately, the early points of xenomeline exploration were met with a lot of side effects, including salivation, sweating, and GI distress, all of which were likely attributed to the non-selective stimulation of muscarinic receptors beyond the M1/M4 agonism, predominantly M2 and M3 in the periphery. So, although xenomeline was not statistically significant in showing improvement in cognition, it did show a reduction in vocal outbursts, suspiciousness, delusions, agitation, and hallucinations—themes we’ll be touching on in the last session of our meeting.

HCPLive: What can attendees expect to learn from sessions on mood disorders and digital therapeutics?

Alva: After the first session, we speak about bipolar disorder and characteristics associated with the condition, preceded by a non-CE talk led by Dr. Jerry Maguire. It’s important that people remember acetylcholine is important for mood. Quite a while ago, we figured out that there are overriding factors that tie back to acetylcholine in depression. Contrary to M1/M4 agonism, M1 antagonism may provide a nice avenue for correcting mood in unipolar and bipolar depression.

Then we’ll discuss digital therapeutics—a new modality in medicine. We’ve known about remote physiological monitoring and remote therapeutic monitoring, but now we’re looking at smart applications on phones and tools like watches that might help our patients benefit more with the challenges they face. We’ll speak about major depressive disorder and the advances within the glutamatergic system. Acetylcholine is deeply involved here too. The M1 receptor is coupled to the NMDA receptor, and antagonizing it might evoke a rapid response in individuals with depression.

We’ll review those mechanisms and discuss newer agents coming out soon. We’ll also touch on manipulating potassium channels, the opioid system, and incretins—which Dr. Roger McIntyre will address in his keynote speech, tying metabolic and neuropsychiatric states.

HCPLive: What other clinical challenges will the meeting address on day two?

Alva: Day two will begin with difficult-to-treat depression. It’s important to distinguish that from treatment-resistant depression. We’ll look beyond pharmacological modalities to include augmentation strategies, quicker-acting agents, and neuromodulation. We’ll have a great discussion on vagal nerve stimulation through a non-CE product theater, followed by a session on long-acting injectables to improve adherence in schizophrenia.

We’ll also address postpartum depression and the use of neurosteroids, tying into the GABAergic pathway, glutamate, and acetylcholine. Finally, we’ll talk about the continuum of Alzheimer’s disease and advances with monoclonal antibodies, as well as how to manage agitated or psychotic symptoms in later stages.

HCPLive: What are some key takeaways you hope clinicians walk away with?

Alva:The overall takeaway points that we hope get threaded through every participant are that it’s not difficult to stay up to date with the latest findings. Session 1 is a great refresher on why it makes sense to adopt new tools for treating schizophrenia. We now have an M1/M4 agonist for adults with schizophrenia that is not an antipsychotic. This helps de-stigmatize schizophrenia and move away from black box warnings, metabolic issues, and extrapyramidal symptoms.

Session 2 will offer a comprehensive look at bipolar disorder, including diagnostic and treatment updates from DSM-IV to DSM-5. Session three will explore digital therapeutics, including smartphone tools for schizophrenia and depression. Session 4 will dive into advanced treatment options for unipolar depression, from glutamate and GABA to potassium channels and GLP-1 agonists. Session five will focus on tardive dyskinesia and how to properly manage it. We’ll close with more about long-acting injectables and cognition in the aging brain, rounding out 2 full days of highly applicable, up-to-date information for clinicians.

Our faculty—Dr. Jonathan Meyer, Chelsea Monroe, Melanie Barrett, Deb York, Yvette Elpedio, Saeed Jacob, Jacob Hene, Dr. Alex Alba, Dr. Jason Kellogg, Dr. Elon Melnick, Dr. Roger McIntyre, Dr. Gerald McGuire, and myself—are all thrilled to be part of this effort. I’m so happy to be here. Thank you for joining us.

This transcript has been edited for clarity. Relevant disclosures for Alva include Teva Pharmaceuticals, Otsuka America Pharmaceuticals, AbbVie Inc., Axsome Therapeutics, Janssen Pharmaceuticals, and more.

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July 11, 2025
Amateur Astrophotographer Captures Saturn’s Solar Eclipse

Twenty-year-old AJ Smadi may have only been practicing astrophotography for two years, but his skills have already been garnering attention. One of his images has even been selected as NASA’s Astronomy Photo of the Day. Last month, he showed off his talents with an incredible photo of a solar eclipse on Saturn. This gas giant will be seeing quite a few eclipses in the near future, and Smadi made sure he was ready with his equipment to capture the event.

Saturn has more moons than any other planet in our solar system, with a total of 145 confirmed satellites. But only seven of these are large enough to eclipse the sun, casting a shadow on the planet’s surface. In the next few months, one of Saturn’s largest moons, Titan, will transit the planet several times before taking a break until 2040.

Knowing that these events were about to happen, Smadi used the Stellarium sky app to track the eclipse. Luckily, it was visible not far from his location in Washington, and so he set out with his telescope, camera, and infrared filter. Setting up at 1 a.m., he waited several hours until Saturn was high enough to image. After the shoot, he stacked thousands of images using video captures into one final, incredible photo.

In it, Titan’s shadow is clearly visible on Saturn’s surface. But that’s not the only fascinating element of Smadi’s photo, as several other moons are also visible. Smadi posted a helpful image with labels to allow everyone to clearly see Dione, Tethys, and Enceladus. And, of course, Saturn’s stunning rings are ever-present, rendered in crisp detail.

Smadi’s prowess at planetary imaging is astounding considering his age and level of experience, making us excited to see how his skills will continue to grow and develop.

To stay updated with his work, follow AJ Smadi on Instagram.

Amateur astrophotographer AJ Smadi captured amazing images of a solar eclipse on Saturn.

The planet’s moon Titan caused the eclipse, but Smadi captured much more than that in his images.

AJ Smadi: Instagram | Reddit

My Modern Met granted permission to feature photos by AJ Smadi.

Related Articles:

Astrophotographer Travels 3,000 Miles to Photograph Saturn’s Lunar Occultation

Solar Eclipse Photo Contest Winners Celebrate North America’s Recent Total Eclipse

Astrophotographer Braves Scorching Heat To Take “Once in a Lifetime” Photo of ISS Transit

Astrophotographer Travels to Alaska for Epic Photo of Lunar Eclipse and the Northern Lights

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July 11, 2025
iOS 26: Every Change to the Messages App

The Messages app has the Liquid Glass redesign that’s been introduced throughout iOS 26, but Apple also added several long-desired features that make for a better experience in both one-to-one and group chats, such as custom backgrounds and group typing indicators.

Message Backgrounds

In any conversation in the Messages app, you can set a custom background, a feature that’s available in many third-party messaging apps.

To set a custom background, tap on the name of the person or group at the top, and choose the “Backgrounds” option. There are pre-set options like sky, water, and aurora, or you can choose a solid color.

You can also opt to select a photo from your Photo Library, or generate an image with Image Playground. Backgrounds are changed for every participant in the conversation, but you need to have ‌iOS 26‌, iPadOS 26, or macOS Tahoe. Custom backgrounds can only be set for iMessage conversations at the current time, and there won’t be an option to set a custom background in a chat with someone who has an Android device.

If you don’t want to see custom backgrounds that people set, you can turn off the option in the Messages section of the Settings app. Just go to Settings > Apps > Messages and toggle off Conversation Backgrounds.

Regardless of the background that you choose, message bubbles will still be blue, and bubble color can’t be changed.

Polls

For conversations where you’re asking people to choose one of multiple options, you can now create a poll. If you tap on the “+” button next to the Messages text, there’s a poll option.

You can add up to 12 choices in a poll, and then send it to people in a conversation to vote on. If you send a poll and someone thinks an option is missing, they can edit it and add in another choice.

On devices that support Apple Intelligence, the Messages app will suggest a poll in relevant conversations. If you’re asking the group whether to get pizza, burgers, or pasta, for example, you might see a suggestion to create a poll.

Live Translation

‌iOS 26‌ supports a live translate feature in Messages on devices with ‌Apple Intelligence‌. If you’re conversing with someone that speaks another language, you can turn on translate. What they type will be translated to your language, and what you type will be translated to their language. Translations are near instantaneous and don’t slow down text conversations.

Languages that are supported include Chinese (Mandarin, Simplified), French, German, Italian, English, Japanese, Korean, Portuguese (Brazil), and Spanish (Spain).

To opt in to automatic translate, tap on the person’s name, scroll down, and toggle on the Automatically Translate option. You will need to select a language to translate from, and download that language pack if you don’t already have it installed (they’re around 900MB).

Messages that you send will show up in both your language and the translated language on your own phone, but the person on the other end will only see the message in their language. Messages they respond with will show their language and the translated language.

Live Translation is an ‌Apple Intelligence‌ feature, and it works best when both participants have ‌iOS 26‌, ‌iPadOS 26‌, or macOS Tahoe. You can use Live Translation with someone who has an older device or an Android device, and it will translate their text on your end, but your responses are not translated to their language.

Group Chat Improvements

When you’re in a group chat, you’ll see typing indicators for people who are typing a response.

Apple Cash is also now supported in group chats, so members of the group can send money to one another without having to split out into separate conversations.

If you’re in a group chat and there’s a person that you don’t know, there’s now an option to add that person to your Contacts app with a tap.

Copy/Paste

If you want to copy just a part of a message, such as an address or a package tracking number, there’s an option in ‌iOS 26‌ to do so. Long press on the message that you want to copy and then tap on the “Select” option.

Message Filtering

Apple separated spam messages and messages from unknown senders into two categories in ‌iOS 26‌, and both can be filtered out if you prefer.

There’s a Filter section that you can access by tapping the icon at the top right of the Messages app interface that will let you see messages with specific content. Options include Unknown Senders, Transactions, Promotions, Spam, and Recently Deleted.

You can have messages from unknown senders (aka not saved in your Contacts) sent directly to the Unknown Senders list, and you won’t get notifications. You’ll see a badge in the filter section of the Messages app so you know the message is there, but you won’t be bothered by it.

There’s an exception you can turn on for Time Sensitive notifications, so you won’t miss something like a food delivery person sending you a message. Messages classified as spam will be sent to the spam box, and you won’t see a notification or a badge.

You can also turn on filtering notifications for messages that are classified as Personal (not from businesses), Transactions (order receipts and confirmations), and Promotions.

Natural Language Search

Messages supports natural language search, so you can use conversational words when looking for a text thread or something specific in a conversation.

Low Data Photo Sharing

Apple added a “Send Low Quality Photo Previews” setting that can be enabled in the Messages section of the Settings app. When it’s turned on, Messages will send a lower quality preview of an image if your iPhone is in Low Data Mode. The full version of the photo is sent at a later time when you have a Wi-Fi connection.

Genmoji

In Messages, the Genmoji feature has been updated to support mixing two or more existing emoji characters together to create a new emoji.

In a conversation, tap on ‌Genmoji‌ to make a custom emoji character. Once in the ‌Genmoji‌ interface, tap on the smile icon with a “+” next to it, and you can select the emoji characters that you want to add from the emoji menu. You can add two emoji, or even more if you want.

Combined emoji can be further edited with text-based descriptions, and if someone sends you a combo emoji, you can long press on it and choose “New Emoji” to tweak it further.

CarPlay

When you’re driving, you can now respond to an incoming message with a quick Tapback response. Plus you can pin conversations to the Messages app in CarPlay so you can access your favorite contacts quickly.

EU Changes

In the European Union, there’s a new EU-only API for developers that will allow third-party messages apps to send and receive RCS/MMS/SMS messages by default instead of the built-in Messages app.

End-to-End RCS Encryption

Apple is planning to bring end-to-end encryption to ‌RCS‌ conversations between ‌iPhone‌ and Android users in a future software update, but the functionality is not implemented yet.

Read More

We have a complete iOS 26 roundup that covers all of the new features that are available in the update.

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July 11, 2025
Prime Day Sports Nutrition Deals 2025: Protein, Creatine and More
Best Prime Day Sports Nutrition Deals: Day 4

Save big on protein, with 42% off Optimum Nutrition’s Gold Standard Whey, 44% off Grenade Protein Bars and 22% off MyProtein’s Impact Whey.

Bulking up with creatine? Some of our top-rated powders are in the sale, including Protein Works Creatine Monohydrate, down to just £5.99, Optimum Nutrition’s super fine micronised creatine, with 46% off, and a whopping 53% off Warrior Creatine Monohydrate Powder.

You work hard, you need to replenish those salts. Bag a deal on electrolytes, with 15% off Puresport’s delicious Raspberry Salt sachets, and both HIGH5 and Phizz Electrolytes cut down to half price.

Backing up your training with sports supplements is a tried and tested recipe for boosting muscle growth and powering your workouts. Whether its a post-gym protein shake, daily scoop of creatine or a mid-run electrolyte drink, dialling in on a nutrition strategy that supports your goals is a surefire way to supercharge your performance both in and outside of the gym.

Shop Prime Day Sports Nutrition Deals

But the best sports supplements don’t come cheap. That’s why, when an Amazon sale comes around, it’s worth spending time taking stock of your supplies and making use of the limited-time deals from across your favourite brands. Prime Day is Amazon’s biggest sale outside of Black Friday and it’s now here, running from today until Friday 12 July – four whole days (or 96 hours) of savings. We’ve already spotted sizeable discounts on some of our top-rated sports supplements, from whey and vegan protein powders to energy drinks, pre-workouts and creatine.

Prime Day Sports Nutrition Deals

Optimum Nutrition Gold Standard 100% Whey (450g)

Now 42% Off

Was £22, now £12.69

SAVE £9.31

Grenade High Protein, Low Sugar Bar

Now 44% Off

Was £30.99, now £17.45

SAVE 44%

Bulk Pure Whey Protein

Now 19% Off

Was £13.49, now £10.95

SAVE 19%

Optimum Nutrition Micronised Creatine Powder

Now 46% Off

Was £40, now £21.49

SAVE £18.51

Puresport Ultra Electrolytes (Raspberry Salt/30 Sachets)

Now 15% Off

Was £33, now £28.05

SAVE 15%

Myprotein Impact Whey Protein

Now 22% Off

Was £23.90, now £18.61

SAVE 22%

Warrior Creatine Powder

Now 53% Off

Was £14.99, now £6.99

SAVE 53%

Myprotein Creatine Monohydrate

Now 26% Off

Was £11.39, now £8.42

SAVE 26%

Phizz Electrolytes, Multivitamin & Hydration Tablets

Now 50% Off

Was £8, now £3.99

SAVE 50%

Warrior Creatine Monohydrate Powder

Now 33% Off

Was £19.99, now £13.39

SAVE £6.60

HIGH5 Zero Electrolyte Hydration Tablets

Now 50% Off

Was £7.99, now £3.39

SAVE 50%

Warrior Rage Pre-workout (392g)

Now 15% Off

Was £12, now £10.20

SAVE 15%

Form Pureblend Vegan Protein

Now 10% Off

Was £26, now £23.40

SAVE 10%

Protein Works Creatine Monohydrate

Now 20% Off

Was £7.49, now £5.99

SAVE 20%

Protein Works Vegan Protein Powder (1kg)

Now 35% Off

Was £16.99, now £10.99

SAVE 35%

Science in Sport Beta Fuel Dual (6 Pack)

Now 21% Off

Was £11.99, now £9.50

SAVE 21%

Optimum Nutrition Electrolyte Powder

Now 30% Off

Was £10, now £6.99

SAVE 30%

HUMANTRA Hydration Packets

Now 20% Off

Was £28, now £22.40

SAVE 20%

You can currently bag 42% off Optimum Nutrition’s Gold Standard Whey, our top-rated whey protein powder, and 10% off our best on-test vegan protein powder from Form Nutrition. Keen to tap into the muscle building potential of creatine monohydrate? A large tub of Optimum Nutrition’s micronised powder is now almost half price, down to £21.89, while 30 sachets of Puresport electrolytes is 15% off.

Whatever you’re looking to stock up on, be sure to make use of these deals while they’re here. You have four days to make use of these Prime Day savings before they go back to their normal prices. Above, we’ve rounded up the best Prime Day sports supplement deals on products our gear editors have spotted and verified so far.

When Does Prime Day End?

Prime Day 2025 ends tonight, Friday 11th July, and if you’re serious about fuelling your training, now’s the time to stock up. The sale kicked off on Tuesday 8th July, but the clock’s ticking on some of the best sports nutrition deals you’ll see all year.

From protein powders and creatine to hydration tablets and recovery supplements, Prime Day is packed with savings on big-name brands. Think Myprotein, Optimum Nutrition, and Grenade — all with serious discounts, but only for a few more hours.

Expect even deeper cuts in these final moments, but don’t hang about. Once the clock strikes midnight, it’s all over and prices go back to full whack. So whether you’re training for a marathon or just levelling up your gym stack, this is your last shot to save. Move fast — your gains (and your wallet) will thank you.

More of Our Favourite Sports Supplements

Best Protein Powder | Best Whey Protein Powder | Best Vegan Protein Powder | Best Mass Gainers | Best Meal Replacement Shakes | Best Protein Bars | Best Vegan Protein Bars | Best Creatine | Best Pre-Workouts | Best Energy Drinks | Best Electrolytes

Luke Chamberlain is the ecommerce editor for Men’s Health UK where he compiles expert-led buying guides and in-depth product reviews across gym wear, fitness tech, supplements, and grooming. Responsible for testing everything from the latest gym headphones to the best manscaping tools, Luke also enlists the help of leading health and wellness experts to help readers make informed choices when shopping online – whether it’s to debunk the latest viral hair growth trend or to get the lowdown on a new type of recovery tech. He also covers major sales events for Men’s Health, such as Black Friday and Amazon Prime Day, scouting and verifying hundreds of discounts in order to recommend only the most genuine deals on offer. A magazine journalism graduate from the University of Sheffield in 2018, Luke has also worked as assistant editor for Outdoor Swimmer magazine and as an ecommerce writer for The Recommended. When he’s not testing the latest health and fitness products, he’s busy plotting routes for his next trail run or gravel ride out of London. Follow Luke on Instagram at @lukeochamb
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July 11, 2025
Dollar Has Best Week Since February on Rising Tariff Risks

The dollar turned in its best weekly performance in more than four months as President Donald Trump’s latest tariff threats heightened concern that escalating trade tensions will stoke inflation and derail a rally in risk markets.

The Bloomberg Dollar Spot Index rose 0.73% this week, the best showing — by a hair — since the week of Feb. 28, after falling for two weeks before that. The Japanese yen, British pound were among the worst performers in the Group of 10 this week.

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July 11, 2025
Best Samsung accessory deals from Prime Day 2025

Dylan Haas is a Lead Shopping Reporter for Mashable, where he covers all things gaming, laptops, fitness, and shopping events like Black Friday and Prime Day. Before joining the team at Mashable, Dylan received a B.A. in Communications from Pace University and contributed to publications like Paste Magazine, Bandsintown, and others following a brief stint as a marketing and management assistant in the music industry.

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July 11, 2025
Study hints doxyPEP use coincides with rise in tetracycline-resistant gonorrhea in US

A genomic analysis of US gonorrhea isolates shows a dramatic increase in tetracycline resistance.

In a letter published this week in the New England Journal of Medicine, researchers from the Harvard TH Chan School of Public Health and the University of Georgia reported that their analysis of more than 14,000 publicly available Neisseria gonorrhoeae genome sequences collected through the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s N gonorrhoeae surveillance system from 2018 through 2024 show that the percentage of isolates carrying the tetM resistance gene rose from 10% in 2020 to more than 30% in 2024. The tetM gene confers high-level resistance to tetracycline antibiotics.

The analysis also found that the number of large tetM-carrying N gonorrhoeae lineages increased from one to four over the period. The researchers suggest that increased use of doxycycline for treatment of chlamydia infections and for doxycycline post-exposure prophylaxis (doxyPEP) may be playing a role.

Resistance increase tied to doxyPEP rollout

“The increase in tetM prevalence in 2020 coincided with the shift away from azithromycin and toward doxycycline for treatment of chlamydia, and the increase that started in the summer of 2022 coincided with the reporting of the results of the DoxyPEP trial,” the researchers wrote, citing a conference abstract.

The highest prevalence of tetM-carrying N gonorrhoeae was in the Pacific Northwest. Seattle was also one of two cities (along with San Francisco) in which a large randomized clinical trial of doxyPEP was conducted. It was among the earliest adopters of doxyPEP for the prevention of sexually transmitted infections (STIs) for high-risk groups.

The increase in tetM prevalence in 2020 coincided with the shift away from azithromycin and toward doxycycline for treatment of chlamydia, and the increase that started in the summer of 2022 coincided with the reporting of the results of the DoxyPEP trial.

The doxyPEP trial, conducted from August 2020 to May 2022, found that taking a dose of doxycycline within 72 hours of unprotected sex significantly reduced incidence of chlamydia and syphilis by 88% and 87%, respectively, and gonorrhea by 55% in men who have sex with men (MSM) and transgender women. Public health departments in San Francisco and Seattle began recommending the strategy for these groups shortly after the trial results were announced in the summer of 2022.

The data from the doxyPEP trial and other clinical trials formed the evidence base for the CDC’s recommendation of doxyPEP for gay, bisexual, and other MSM and transgender women in June 2024. Agency officials hailed it as the first new prevention tool against STIs in decades.

Concerns about highly drug-resistant gonorrhea strains

To date, several studies have shown doxyPEP to be highly effective in real-world settings against chlamydia and syphilis and moderately effective against gonorrhea. But the new study is the latest to add to concerns that doxyPEP use may be promoting tetracycline resistance in gonorrhea—a result that even proponents of the strategy have said needs to be monitored.

Although doxycycline is no longer used to treat gonorrhea, rising tetracycline resistance could reduce doxyPEP’s already limited effectiveness at preventing gonorrhea infections. There’s also concern about tetracycline resistance in “off-target” bacteria.

In a study published earlier this year, researchers with the University of Washington found that, among gonorrhea isolates collected at a sexual health clinic in Seattle, the prevalence of tetracycline resistance genes rose from 27% in 2017 to 70% by the middle of 2024. They also found that colonization with tetracycline-resistant Staphylococcus aureus and group A Streptococcus bacteria—which are often present in the body sites where N gonorrhoeae is found—was more common among doxyPEP users than non-users.

“Public health authorities should implement additional surveillance monitoring to assess the impact of doxy PEP implementation on bacterial colonization and AMR [antimicrobial resistance], including monitoring for clinically significant events related to doxy PEP induced changes in patients’ microbiomes,” the authors of that study concluded.

Concerns over potentially untreatable gonorrhea

Another concerning finding in the new study is that of the four major tetM-carrying N gonorrhoeae lineages identified, two carry mutations in another gene (penA) that confer high-level resistance to ceftriaxone, which is the currently recommended treatment and last remaining effective antibiotic for gonorrhea. The strains are also resistant to fluoroquinolone and macrolide antibiotics.

China and other countries in Asia have reported increases in incidence of these highly drug-resistant gonorrhea strains in recent years, raising concerns about the potential for untreatable gonorrhea.

“The strength of selection in the United States for tetM, as indicated by the increasing proportion of isolates that carry the gene and the expansion of major tetM-carrying lineages, suggests a favorable environment for these highly drug-resistant strains to spread within the country and highlights the need for continued surveillance,” the researchers wrote.

To date, the United States, Germany, Australia, and the United Kingdom are the only countries to officially recommend use of doxyPEP for the prevention of STIs. But in a report published last week in Eurosurveillance, Dutch researchers noted that informal use of doxyPEP in the Netherlands has been rising, despite lack of formal guidance from the Dutch health officials. They warned that lack of monitoring and regulation could lead to overuse and misuse.

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July 11, 2025