The OceanGate Titan submersible vessel.

OceanGate

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A tourist submersible went missing in the North Atlantic over the weekend, sparking a massive search and rescue by the U.S. Coast Guard. What famous shipwreck was the group exploring?

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Argentina is experiencing an astonishing financial crisis, with inflation passing 100%. However, this rapid devaluing of the peso is having a surprisingly positive effect on restaurant business—what is it?

Middle and upper class Argentinians are rushing to spend their currency at restaurants before it loses further value. Inflation is at 114 percent, the fourth highest in the world, but restaurant attendance is 20% higher than its previous peak.

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Scientists have created synthetic structures resembling 14-day-old human embryos for the first time. What type of cells did they use, which allowed them to study human development without breaking international rules?

International rules prohibit research on human embryos more than 14 days after fertilization. Stem cells have the ability to transform into other types of cells, so scientists were able to mimic an embryo without using sperm or eggs. One important research focus enabled with this breakthrough is understanding the causes of pregnancy loss during implantation.

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Despite dismantling its COVID precautions in December, China’s economic rebound has stagnated this year. What has been the main driver of this stagnation?

Construction can be as much as one-fourth of China’s economic output, but housing construction has fallen over 20 percent in 2023, compared to the first five months of last year. Housing developers have defaulted on debts and many housing units remain incomplete. Chinese officials have suggested an economic stimulus plan may occur.

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The Israeli cabinet approved a resolution to speed up the approval process for the construction of thousands of settlements in the West Bank. Why has the U.S. opposed this change?

Previously, building plans in the West Bank required four to five approvals. Now, plans only require two approvals, and the final approval is Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, who is an ultranationalist. The U.S. State Department’s senior Middle East diplomat is in Israel this week to discuss de-escalation.