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National

Science

Axios Science

A map of the United States shows counties where avian flu has been detected in wild mammals. The disease is widespread, particularly across New England, the upper midwest, Colorado and the Pacific northwest. It's been prevalent in red foxes but has also been found in a dolphin in Florida and a polar bear in Alaska.

Counties where avian flu has been detected in wild mammals since 2022

A polar bear in the Arctic, red foxes in Europe, penguins in Antarctica and a wide range of other wild animals have been infected with the flu virus strain currently spreading in dairy cattle in the U.S.

Why it matters: Up to 75% of new and emerging infectious diseases in people come from animals, and most of those can be traced back to wildlife. Monitoring wild animals for diseases can help scientists identify emerging health threats.

Government agencies in the U.S. and around the world monitor wild birds for avian influenza, which spreads in bird populations without causing symptoms, and select animals for other pathogens. 

But on the whole, there is "very little surveillance of wildlife for any diseases," says Thomas Gillespie, a disease ecologist at Emory University. An exception is animals that are commercially important — like deer that people pay to hunt.

Catch up quick: Outbreaks of avian flu in farmed poultry and wild birds started to increase around the world in 2020. 

Soon after, the virus started to kill mammals — seals from Chile to Russia to Maine, red foxes in Europe and the U.S,. sea lions in Peru and other species.

Bird flu has affected nearly 20 wild mammal species in the U.S. since 2022, including brown bears, skunks, mountain lions and a bottlenose dolphin in Florida.

Now cows are being infected. (They become ill but recover with treatment).

There's been one mild human infection detected so far, in a person exposed to dairy cattle, but some researchers suspect not all cases in workers are being spotted. 

A report published Friday suggests that may be "the first detected case of the H5N1 virus transmitting from a mammal to a person," STAT's Helen Branswell reported.

The CDC has said the risk to the general public is low.

The intrigue: "We’ve been seeing bird-to-mammal transmission events in a diversity of wild and domestic animals for about the last 4-5 years," Gillespie says.

Scientists are watching for evidence of the virus being transmitted from one mammal to another, which increases the risk of the virus for humans.

The USDA has confirmed this version of influenza is being transmitted between different cows in the same herd — and between herds when they are moved — but exactly how is still an open question.

There is also some evidence the virus was transmitted from mammal-to-mammal in farmed minks.

Wild animals are in general thought to get the virus by eating an infected bird or being exposed to its feces.

But, "with wildlife it is really hard to know if mammal-to-mammal spread or individual events" because there is little surveillance, Gillespie says.

Bird flu's wild range

The flu virus spreading in dairy cattle in the U.S. has infected a wide range of wild animals since 2020.

Influenza

"May the 4th be with you": Biden celebrates Star Wars Day with Luke Skywalker actor

Mark Hamill visited the White House Friday.

Karine Jean-Pierre, White House press secretary and actor Mark Hamill 

Karine Jean-Pierre, White House press secretary, left, and actor Mark Hamill at the White House on May 3. Photo: Tierney L. Cross/Bloomberg via Getty Images

Star Wars

2024 will be an election year like no other, as President Biden seeks re-election amid economic uncertainty, two wars and questions about his age. His likely foe, former President Trump, faces felony charges and vows revenge on his political enemies. Meanwhile, Americans generally are dissatisfied with those choices and are divided over immigration, race, education and more.

Politics & Policy

At the 150th Kentucky Derby on Saturday, 20 horses will race past fancy hats and mint juleps for a chance to reach the Winner's Circle.

Why it matters: This year's Derby follows a controversial one.

Last year, five horses died at Churchill Downs, stirring concerns about animal welfare.

Churchill Downs has enhanced safety protocols, including the addition of StrideSAFE, a technology horses will wear to identify early warning signs of injury.

A spectator poses for a picture ahead of the Kentucky Derby May 4. Photo: Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images

State of play: 14 races will take place throughout the day. The first post time was 10:30am ET, and the main event is 6:57pm ET. View full schedule here.

Live coverage starts at 2:30pm on NBC, NBCsports.com, the NBC Sports app and Peacock.

USA Network and Peacock will have Kentucky Oaks coverage 1-6pm Friday.

The prize purse is a record $5 million. The winner takes home $3.1 million, with their jockey earning $310,000. The other four top finishers will also take home money.

A spectator poses ahead of the Kentucky Derby on May 4. Photo: Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images

Catch up quick: For the last eight years, the Derby has used a tiered point system in select races across the world to determine who runs in the Kentucky Derby.

Races throughout derby prep season designate points to the top five finishers in each race. The 20 horses with the most points are invited to Kentucky.

Only thoroughbreds who are 3 years old can race.

Zoom out: The Kentucky Derby, Preakness Stakes and Belmont Stakes are the Triple Crown events.

Fun facts: This year's Derby features two Japan-born colts: T O Password and Forever Young.

Dornoch, the full brother of last year's winner, Mage, will start at post position one.

The Garland of Roses given to the Kentucky Derby champion at the Winner's Circle weighs 40 pounds and is made with over 400 Freedom roses.

Go deeper: Jayson Werth's racehorse is a Kentucky Derby darling

Jayson Werth's racehorse is a Kentucky Derby darling

Kentucky Derby: What to know and how to watch

This year's Derby follows a controversial one.

Strong Quality #1, with Florent Geroux aboard, wins an undercard race at the Kentucky Derby 

Strong Quality #1, with Florent Geroux aboard, wins an undercard race ahead of the Kentucky Derby on May 4. Photo: Michael Reaves/Getty Images

Hub Stories - All

Shifts in technology and media are changing the way we play, watch and understand sports. Business models are adapting and social change is forcing those in charge of teams and leagues to reconsider decades-old practices.

Sports

Investing legend Warren Buffett on Saturday delivered a stark warning about artificial intelligence, likening the technology's rise to the development of nuclear weapons in World War II.

Why it matters: While it's not the first time Buffett has weighed in on AI risks, it comes at a time when AI is already creating vast amounts of paper wealth and stoking expectations about how the technology will upend everyday life.

Driving the news: Buffett made his remarks at Berkshire Hathaway's first annual meeting without Charlie Munger, the second-in-command who died in November at the age of 99.

Although Berkshire isn't directly invested in AI stocks, technology giant Apple remains its largest holding, even as the holding company significantly pared its massive stake in Q1.

What he's saying: During a question-and-answer session in Omaha, Buffett downplayed his expertise in AI, but "that doesn't mean I deny its existence or anything of the sort." 

He harked back to his remarks at last year's meeting when he "said we let a genie out of the bottle when we developed nuclear weapons and that genie has now been doing some terrible things lately, and the power of that genie scares the hell out of me."

"Other than that I don't know any way to get the genie back into the bottle. AI is somewhat similar, it's part [of the] way out of the bottle and its enormously important, and it's going to be done by somebody so we may wish we'd never seen that genie or it may do wonderful things."

He specifically cited the rise of deepfake technology, where he described seeing one using his likeness, "and it was delivering a message that in no way came from me. So when you think of the potential for scamming people … scamming has always been part of the American scene but … it's going to be the growth industry of all time."

Flashback: Buffett's remarks about AI are in keeping with Berkshire's long-held views about value investing that have led the Oracle of Omaha, and Munger, to be deeply skeptical about buzzy new developments in the economy — especially Bitcoin.

At Berkshire's 2023 meeting, Munger said he was "somewhat skeptical of some of the hype that's gone into artificial intelligence … I think old fashioned intelligence works pretty well."

In the past, Buffett has warned AI would be "enormously disruptive," but helpful in unlocking economic efficiencies.

The bottom line: It's definitely hard to teach an old dog new tricks, but Buffett hardly stands alone in seeing AI as an existential risk, or that it will eventually surpass human intelligence.

Warren Buffett: AI is a genie that "scares the hell out of me"

The Oracle of Omaha likened generative AI to the development of the atomic bomb.

Warren Buffett is driven to the morning session during the Allen & Co. Media and Technology Conference in Sun Valley, Idaho, on July 13, 2023. Photo: David Paul Morris/Bloomberg via Getty Images

Artificial intelligence

Artificial Intelligence

Latest news on Wall Street, Corporate America and financial regulation.

Business

From the Valley to D.C., Big Tech players like Facebook, Google and Amazon are under more scrutiny than ever as new technology develops and privacy and antitrust concerns grow in lockstep with companies’ ambitions.

Technology

Driven in part by the star power of newly-drafted Indiana Fever guard Caitlin Clark, the WNBA has seen a surge in popularity in recent years, driving a boost in ticket sales and prices.

Why it matters: It's the latest sign that women's professional sports are experiencing an unprecedented boom, with the possibility of bringing in more business opportunities and acclaim for both players and teams. 

Women's sports play a key role in "putting women's equity in front of us as a society, and sort of showcasing what women's leadership looks like on and off the court — in front office as well as in our players," Alycen McAuley, the chief business officer of the Washington Mystics, told Axios.

The big picture: Much of the recent attention has focused on Clark.

Her drafting led to an immediate doubling in the Fever's average ticket price, with other teams also seeing sales rise for games against the Fever, Laura Correnti, founder and chief executive officer of Deep Blue Sports + Entertainment, told NPR earlier this month.

Both the Las Vegas Aces and the Washington Mystics have even moved their games against the Indiana Fever to bigger arenas in part due to Clark's massive popularity, AP reported.

Catch up quick: Yet the upward trend in WNBA ticket sales and prices has been occurring for years.

McAuley estimates that the newfound popularity of the WNBA really began to take off in 2019, when Cathy Engelbert became the league's commissioner.

What she's saying: Since then, the league has seen "increased financial support from brands and corporate partnerships" and expanded broadcasting partnerships, McAuley said.

She predicts that women's sports will "easily surpass" the $1 billion in revenue that Deloitte predicted it would rake in this year, which in and of itself is 300% higher than the 2021 evaluation.

"Women's sports right now is one of the biggest growth opportunities from an investment standpoint in the marketplace today," McAuley added.

State of play: For the Mystics in particular, despite moving to a smaller arena in 2019, the team has seen average ticket prices steadily increase and seen tickets sell out at faster rates, she noted.

While the Mystics sold out nine games last season, they are "well on track" to beat that this season, according to McAuley.

Other teams have also seen their ticket sales and prices increase.

Case in point: According to a spokesperson for the Connecticut Sun, the team has seen its "average ticket price" increase from $33 pre-pandemic to over $45 currently.

"We anticipate 5-7 sellouts this season which would be double each of the last few years, they added.

A Seattle Storm spokesperson told Axios that — with the caveat that the team has played in a few different arenas over the past few years — the team's average ticket price has spiked from roughly $34 in 2018 to $71 in 2024.

In March, the Las Vegas Aces became the first WNBA team ever to sell out of all their season tickets. But the good news also extended to individual game sales.

"When we put single game tickets on sale the first week of April, five games sold out within a few days, and we are on pace to become the first WNBA team to sell out the entirety of its ticket inventory for a season," John Maxwell, the team's vice president of media relations, told Axios.

Before this year, the Aces had never sold out a game before the start of the season, he added.

Between the lines: The Seattle Storm spokesperson said the team had seen particular price increases for their games against the Indiana Fever and Chicago Sky, highlighting the popularity of players like Clark, Kamilla Cardoso and Angel Reese.

Tickets for the Chicago Sky's game against the Fever are selling on Ticketmaster for as much as $1,700.

The Fever's game against the Minnesota Lynx is the most expensive on the secondary market, with the median ticket price hitting $615, according to Forbes.

It's "not uncommon" now to see tickets for Mystics games sell for 10 times their worth on the secondary market, McAuley told Axios.

WNBA ticket sales soar as interest grows in Caitlin Clark, Aces

Clark's drafting led to an immediate doubling in the Indiana Fever's average ticket price.

Axios

Saturday's top stories

Bird flu's wild range

"May the 4th be with you": Biden celebrates Star Wars Day with Luke Skywalker actor

Kentucky Derby: What to know and how to watch

Warren Buffett: AI is a genie that "scares the hell out of me"

WNBA ticket sales soar as interest grows in Caitlin Clark, Aces

Understanding the "double haters" who dislike Trump and Biden

It's showtime for Trump's VP contenders at Florida fundraiser

Baseball umpires aren't as bad as you think this season

Student journalists praised for coverage on campus Gaza war protests

Real estate’s radical changes: Your NAR lawsuit questions answered

First House Democrat calls on Henry Cuellar to resign