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This Man Eats So Much Butter, Cheese, and Beef that Cholesterol Oozes from His Skin

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This Man Eats So Much Butter, Cheese, and Beef that Cholesterol Oozes from His Skin

What could go wrong with eating an extremely high-fat diet of beef, cheese, and sticks of butter? Well, for one thing, your cholesterol levels could reach such stratospheric levels that lipids start oozing from your blood vessels, forming yellowish nodules on your skin.

That was the disturbing case of a man in Florida who showed up at a Tampa hospital with a three-week history of painless, yellow eruptions on the palms of his hands, soles of his feet, and elbows. His case was published today in JAMA Cardiology.

The man, said to be in his forties, told doctors that he had adopted a “carnivore diet” eight months prior. His diet included between 6 and 9 pounds of cheese, sticks of butter, and daily hamburgers that had additional fat incorporated into them. Since taking on this brow-raising food plan, he claimed his weight dropped, his energy levels increased, and his “mental clarity” improved.

Meanwhile, his total cholesterol level exceeded 1,000 mg/dL. For context, an optimal total cholesterol level is under 200 mg/dL, while 240 mg/dL is considered the threshold for “high.” Cardiologists noted that prior to going on his fatty diet, his cholesterol had been between 210 mg/dL to 300 mg/dL.

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The cardiologists diagnosed the man with xanthelasma, a condition in which excess blood lipids ooze from blood vessels and form localized lipid deposits. The escaped lipids would normally be taken up by roaming white blood cells called macrophages. But, in cases with xanthelasma, the amount of lipids is too large for the macrophages, which turn into foam cells with the excess cholesterol, leading to visible deposits.

Such deposits are often seen around the eye (a condition called xanthelasma palpebrarum), which often strikes people with lipid abnormalities, such as familial hypercholesterolemia. It’s thought that continuous blinking of the eye over a person’s life can eventually weaken capillaries in the area, allowing for lipid seepage. But, while this may be a more common presentation of the condition, lipid deposits can occur anywhere in the body.

Painless yellowish nodules were observed on the patient’s palms (A) and elbows. B, Magnified view of the palmar lesions. These lesions are consistent with xanthelasma, likely resulting from severe hypercholesterolemia associated with a high-fat carnivore diet.

Photograph: JAMA Cardiologym 2024, Marmagkiolis et al.

Xanthelasma—especially xanthelasma palpebrarum—is not always associated with high cholesterol and heart risks, but having high total cholesterol is strongly associated with coronary heart disease.

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The case study doesn’t provide information on the man’s outlook. However, the authors write that the case “highlights the impact of dietary patterns on lipid levels and the importance of managing hypercholesterolemia to prevent complications.”

This story originally appeared on Ars Technica.

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NYT Connections today — my hints and answers for Saturday, January 25 (game #594)

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January 25, 2025

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NYT Connections today — my hints and answers for Tuesday, December 17 (game #555)

Good morning! Let’s play Connections, the NYT’s clever word game that challenges you to group answers in various categories. It can be tough, so read on if you need clues.

What should you do once you’ve finished? Why, play some more word games of course. I’ve also got daily Strands hints and answers and Quordle hints and answers articles if you need help for those too, while Marc’s Wordle today page covers the original viral word game.

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OpenAI’s Project Stargate sparks reactions from Microsoft, Meta CEOs

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January 25, 2025

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OpenAI’s Project Stargate sparks reactions from Microsoft, Meta CEOs

“All I know is I’m good for my $80 billion.”

Rarely does a one-liner so perfectly capture the state of the moment. Here, you have Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella saying he’s “not in the details” about Stargate, the supposedly multi-hundred-billion AI infrastructure project driven by his marquee investment, OpenAI.

Nadella not being read in on the nebulous details of Stargate says a lot about how much Microsoft and OpenAI have drifted apart. Microsoft is mentioned in the Stargate press release since OpenAI’s models are still exclusive to Azure. But the most striking aspect of Stargate is not that the money isn’t there for it yet; it’s that OpenAI’s biggest backer has decided to not participate in what Sam Altman is calling “the most important project of this era.” As Nadella made clear on CNBC this week, he’s running his own, $80 billion AI infrastructure buildout and, going forward, OpenAI can get additional compute — with his blessing — elsewhere. 

While it received fewer headlines this week, I found Nadella’s response to Elon Musk on X even more illuminating. In his response to Musk saying, “on the other hand, Satya definitely does have the money,” Nadella responded: “😂 And all this money is not about hyping AI, but is about building useful things for the real world!” 

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That post can only be interpreted as a dig at Altman. Nadella could have funded Stargate for OpenAI. He didn’t. What does he know that the rest of us don’t?

The splashy Stargate unveiling at the White House certainly accomplished its goal, which was clearly getting everyone to talk about big numbers. The headlines it generated prompted Mark Zuckerberg to make sure everyone ended the week knowing his data center will be even bigger than Stargate.

In a Friday post on his Facebook page, Zuckerberg said that Meta’s planned 2GW data center in Louisiana “is so large it would cover a significant part of Manhattan,” with a map view of the square footage overlaid on the city to send the point home. 

From his post (my emphasis added): “We’ll bring online ~1GW of compute in ‘25 and we’ll end the year with more than 1.3 million GPUs. We’re planning to invest $60-65B in capex this year while also growing our AI teams significantly, and we have the capital to continue investing in the years ahead.”

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I have no doubt that Altman, Masayoshi Son, and Larry Ellison will be able to raise the billions they need to lessen OpenAI’s dependence on Microsoft for compute. (The US government isn’t giving money to Stargate, which makes the optics of announcing it alongside Trump all the more bizarre.) Ultimately, this all points to the theme that is quickly coming to define 2025: Big Tech sees AI as the most existential technology of the coming era and will keep spending like hell to make sure OpenAI doesn’t completely run away with it.

Steve Huffman,
Illustration by William Joel / The Verge | Photo by Greg Doherty/Variety via Getty Images

AMA with spez

Few companies had as good of a 2024 as Reddit. Since going public last March, the company’s stock has soared 300 percent, giving the social network a valuation of $32 billion.

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It’s an about-face from where Reddit was before going public, when its moderators were raging against its hurried platform changes and there was backlash to the company selling its data to Google and OpenAI.

With those controversies now seemingly in the rear-view mirror, Reddit is focused on growing its user base, staying profitable, and using AI to help people search its site more easily. I caught up with CEO Steve Huffman at CES a few weeks ago to hear his priorities for 2025, how he’s leading Reddit, his thoughts on the AI scaling debate, content moderation, and more…

The following interview has been edited for length and clarity:

Your IPO did very well. What have the last nine months or so been like for you personally?

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We have a saying at Reddit that good numbers make good meetings. So we’ve had some good meetings.

Preparing to go public was intense. It’s telling the story over and over and over, which I enjoy doing, but it’s a lot of work. I think more than most new companies, we are in the public company rhythm already: close the quarter, do the audits, do the board meeting, earnings, and all of that. So it hasn’t been a major change for us from an operating point of view.

It’s a really exciting time for the new investors and employees. You won’t catch us complaining. What I keep telling the company is that everyone should be very proud of the work they’ve done and don’t take these moments for granted. I just tell them, look, enjoy the view. If you look at our history, there are lots of ups and downs. No doubt there are challenges in our future.

With your market cap where it is now, are you thinking of making swings you didn’t think you could make a year ago?

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There are two classes of things that we would do. One is to execute the core strategy. We’ve got to hire. We’ve got to build. I think we’re very reasonable in terms of our investment size. The one sentence strategy for us is to grow the product and stay profitable. 

What can you do with a high stock price? Maybe you can look at M&A that you wouldn’t otherwise. I’d say that’s not really our orientation right now because the acquisitions we’ve done over the last two years have been these 25-to-50-million-dollar deals. It’s kind of a sweet spot for us to get tech and teams. I’d say we’re always watching the market, but we’re not pursuing anything big or crazy right now because I like the core strategy. I think we can do what we want to do within our current capabilities.

What’s the main product focus for Reddit this year? 

The first is the core of Reddit, which is community conversations. Everyone has a home on Reddit, but do you see that home in your first session? There’s a whole other dimension to our work, which is Reddit as an information source. Reddit has all of this incredible information. For the users who have a question that needs an answer, can we give them that answer? We just got into testing Reddit Answers. I’m finding that really helpful for searches about current events. A year from now, it’s a monetization product. It’s one of the few products where it kind of scratches every itch, so it’ll be a big focus. 

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What do you make of this debate about whether the AI industry has run out of data?

I think we’d have a different answer to that question literally every month. We want to have good relationships with other people in this space. We’re open for business.

At the same time, we want to maximize the value we get out of our own data. We have not experienced conflict between the two at this point. I love the [data licensing] relationships we have — the major ones being Google and OpenAI. At this point, we don’t need to make any particular partnership. I’d say they’re all nice to have but nothing is existential for us. 

One of the challenges is that the AI companies don’t know what product they’re building. It’s not a bad thing. They are iterating themselves. ChatGPT itself, the central product in this conversation, was a demo. Then, a year later, it’s the most important piece of enterprise technology on Earth with questionable economics. That makes it very exciting. I don’t think any of these companies would be offended to hear me say that. 

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You were one of the first social media CEOs I saw to be very critical of TikTok. How does a US ban affect Reddit?

If you look at Reddit’s traffic graph over the last 19 years, you will not see the rise and fall of any particular platform. I think every content type should work on Reddit. Video on Reddit is largely camera-out — what I’m looking at — as opposed to camera-in, or who am I? That’s social media. I think the ban is the right thing to do for reasons I’ve mentioned that honestly have nothing to do with competition. 

With Meta’s moderation changes, the broader conversation around social media feels like it’s changing right now. 

For the last 10 years, people have been talking about whether speech is the problem,  which is a crazy thought. You can’t have freedom without speech. I think that detour through questioning and relitigating core values of America, hopefully that era is coming to a close.

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Are people playing politics? Of course, people always are. On the topic of moderation, we always just try to do things the right way, which, not coincidentally, are aligned with American values. It’s a Democratic platform. We believe very much in the power of people and the wisdom of crowds and voting processes. That is Reddit. So I’m glad to see a return to where we have been most of my life, which is an appreciation for free speech. 

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As always, I want to hear from you, especially if your data center is even bigger. Respond here, and I’ll get back to you, or ping me securely on Signal.

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UnitedHealth confirms 190 million Americans affected by Change Healthcare data breach

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January 25, 2025

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Pages from the United Healthcare website are seen on a computer screen

UnitedHealth has confirmed the ransomware attack on its Change Healthcare unit last February affected around 190 million people in America — nearly double previous estimates.

The U.S. health insurance giant confirmed the latest number to TechCrunch on Friday after the markets closed.

“Change Healthcare has determined the estimated total number of individuals impacted by the Change Healthcare cyberattack is approximately 190 million,” said Tyler Mason, a spokesperson for UnitedHealth Group in an email to TechCrunch. “The vast majority of those people have already been provided individual or substitute notice. The final number will be confirmed and filed with the Office for Civil Rights at a later date.” 

UnitedHealth’s spokesperson said the company was “not aware of any misuse of individuals’ information as a result of this incident and has not seen electronic medical record databases appear in the data during the analysis.” 

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The February 2024 cyberattack is the largest breach of medical data in U.S. history and caused months of outages across the U.S. healthcare system. Change Healthcare, a health tech giant and UnitedHealth subsidiary, is one of the largest handlers of health, medical data, and patient records; it’s also one of the biggest processors of healthcare claims in the United States.

The data breach resulted in the theft of massive quantities of health and insurance-related information, some of which was published online by the hackers who claimed responsibility for the breach. Change Healthcare subsequently paid at least two ransoms to prevent further publication of the stolen files.

UnitedHealth previously put the number of affected individuals at around 100 million people when the company filed its preliminary analysis with the Office for Civil Rights, the unit under the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services that investigates data breaches.

In its data breach notice, Change Healthcare said that the cybercriminals stole names and addresses, dates of birth, phone numbers, email addresses, and government identity documents, which included Social Security numbers, driver’s license numbers, and passport numbers. The stolen health data also includes diagnoses, medications, test results, imaging, and care and treatment plans, as well as health insurance information. Change said the data also includes financial and banking information found in patient claims.

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The breach was attributed to the ALPHV ransomware gang, a prolific Russian language cybercrime group. According to testimony by UnitedHealth Group’s CEO Andrew Witty to lawmakers last year, the hackers broke into Change’s systems using a stolen account credential, which was not protected with multi-factor authentication.

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Palo Alto firewalls have some worrying serious flaws

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January 24, 2025

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  • Security researchers from Eclypsium find several bugs in multiple Palo Alto Networks firewalls
  • They claim the vulnerabilities are quite severe
  • Palo Alto Networks says if the OS is up to date, and security settings nominal, there is no risk

Security researchers have slammed Palo Alto Networks firewalls, claiming to have discovered severe vulnerabilities which undermine the entire point of the products.

Cybersecurity researchers Eclypsium published a report detailing a host of security flaws impacting Palo Alto Networks’ firewall firmware as well as misconfigured security features.

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Apple makes a change to its AI team and plans Siri upgrades

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January 24, 2025

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Apple makes a change to its AI team and plans Siri upgrades

Apple is making an executive change to try and improve its AI efforts and Siri. Kim Vorrath, who recently helped get the Vision Pro software out the door and has been at Apple for 36 years, has been brought over to Apple’s artificial intelligence and machine learning division and will serve as a “top deputy” to AI boss John Giannandrea, Bloomberg reports.

By bringing on Vorrath, whose resume at Apple includes work on the original iPhone software group, over to the AI team, it appears Apple wants to bring more rigor to Apple’s AI development. It also indicates that Apple may see AI as a bigger deal for its future than the Vision Pro.

Bloomberg also reports that “the artificial intelligence group is focused on revamping the underlying infrastructure of Siri and improving the company’s in-house AI models” this year, per a memo from Giannandrea.

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Retro Biosciences, backed by Sam Altman, is raising $1 billion to extend human lifespan

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January 24, 2025

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OpenAI trained o1 and o3 to 'think' about its safety policy

OpenAI CEO Sam Altman is doubling down on Retro Biosciences, a biotech startup based in San Francisco that wants humans to live 10 years longer than what it calls a healthy human lifespan.

Altman previously provided Retro Biosciences’ entire seed round of $180 million. Now, the startup is raising a $1 billion Series A that Altman is joining, The Financial Times reports.

Retro Biosciences, which says it plans to launch trials for drugs targeting diseases like Alzheimer’s, recently trained a model with OpenAI to turn regular cells into stem cells.

CEO Joe Betts-LaCroix told the FT he wants to move fast by discovering and developing a drug “in the 2020s.”

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The startup joins other major billionaire-backed longevity efforts, including Altos Labs, which launched with $3 billion in 2022 backed by Jeff Bezos, and Unity Biotechnology, supported by both Bezos and Peter Thiel.

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7 new movies and TV shows to stream on Netflix, Prime Video, Max, and more this weekend (January 24)

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January 24, 2025

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A collage image showing an animated robot and duck, a man with crossed arms and two people looking over a barrier

Another week has ended and, two of the world’s best streaming services aside (step up your game, Hulu and Disney Plus), there’s something new to watch on their rival platforms this weekend.

Indeed, from a couple of new movies that originally released in theaters in late 2024, to a bunch of new shows (and the return of a smash-hit Netflix series), there’s plenty for you to wrap your eyeballs around over the next few days. – Tom Power, senior entertainment reporter

The Night Agent season 2 (Netflix)

The Night Agent: Season 2 | Official Trailer | Netflix – YouTube
The Night Agent: Season 2 | Official Trailer | Netflix - YouTube


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TikTok still isn’t in the App Store

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January 24, 2025

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TikTok still isn’t in the App Store

Nearly a week after it was removed, the TikTok app is still missing from Apple and Google’s app stores.

The app was pulled from both stores after the US’ ban-or-divest law went into effect last weekend, which resulted in the service going dark within the United States. While TikTok came back online shortly after the ban, the app didn’t return to either mobile store. Apple and Google are at risk of paying billions in fines if they make TikTok available, and it’s unclear if President Donald Trump’s executive order refusing to enforce the ban actually removes that risk.

Apple and Google haven’t replied to multiple requests for comment from The Verge — including requests I made today — about if or when the app might be available again. Apple and Google do have statements about the removal of TikTok and other ByteDance-owned apps like Lemon8 and Marvel Snap, but otherwise, no comment since.

TikTok didn’t immediately reply to a request for comment, either, however, Marvel Snap developer Second Dinner posted Friday evening on X, saying, “Our current estimation is that Marvel Snap will be back in the app stores as early as next week barring any setbacks.” Without explaining further, Second Dinner co-founder Ben Brode answered a question on Bluesky about what would happen for next month’s updates, saying, “we’re hoping to have it back before then.”

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Because these app stores are the primary way many people get the software, TikTok’s absence basically means you can’t newly install the app — at least, for the time being — without jumping through a lot of hoops. It also means they can’t deliver updates to add new features or address any bugs, including potential security flaws.

If you had TikTok on your phone before the ban kicked in, however, the app should work for you as normal. (As a result, people are trying to sell used phones with the TikTok app still on them.) You can also use TikTok in a browser — including on your phone.

Update, January 24th: Added new details about Marvel Snap.

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Disrupt 2025 tickets now on sale: Lowest Rates Ever

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January 24, 2025

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Disrupt 2025 tickets now on sale: Lowest Rates Ever

We’re kicking things off earlier than ever! TechCrunch Disrupt 2025 tickets are officially on sale. Don’t miss your chance to snag them at the lowest rates of the year!

Immerse yourself in the epicenter of tech innovation at Disrupt 2025! From October 27 to 29, Moscone West in San Francisco transforms into the global hub for technology and venture capital. Experience 250+ powerful sessions, 200+ expert-led discussions, the thrilling Startup Battlefield 200, and unparalleled networking with 10,000 tech and VC leaders. This year, dive deeper into groundbreaking AI advancements to spark your next big idea.

Save now more than ever

2-for-1 Passes

The best deals of the year are here! From now through January 31, take advantage of registering for two of the same ticket type for half the price of one. Choose from Attendee, Investor, Founder, Non-Profit, Student, and Expo+ 2-for-1 Passes. Make the most of Disrupt 2025 by bringing a friend or colleague.

Super Early Bird Rates

Early birds get the biggest savings of the year! Super Early Bird rates are the lowest rates. Save up to $1,100 on select ticket types. Don’t wait — these incredible deals vanish after February 28 at 11:59 p.m. PT.

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What to expect at Disrupt 2025

Expect three dynamic days of exploring the cutting-edge innovations, trends, and products shaping startups today. You’ll also walk away with practical strategies for navigating the challenges and opportunities in the fast-changing tech landscape.

TechCrunch Disrupt continues its mission by bringing you the latest insights from pioneering founders, CEOs, and venture capitalists who will share their invaluable wisdom. This is a must-attend event for entrepreneurs looking to learn from the top minds in the industry. Here’s a preview of the distinguished speakers who joined us last year:

SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA - OCTOBER 28: Vinod Khosla, Founder of Khosla Ventures, speaks onstage during TechCrunch Disrupt 2024 Day 1 at Moscone Center on October 28, 2024 in San Francisco, California. (Photo by Kimberly White/Getty Images for TechCrunch)
Image Credits:Kimberly White/Getty Images for TechCrunch
Matt Mullenweg, Founder and CEO of Automattic, speaks onstage during TechCrunch Disrupt 2024 Day 3 at Moscone Center on October 30, 2024, in San Francisco, California.
Image Credits:Kimberly White/Getty Images for TechCrunch

Expand your knowledge and network

Maximize your learning with sessions at the Builders Stage! Dive into expert-led discussions on key topics such as fundraising, product iteration, bootstrapping, and scaling your business.

Choose from a wide range of breakout sessions and roundtable discussions, offering interactive presentations, thought-provoking discussions, and Q&A opportunities with experts from across the startup ecosystem.

Alongside our core focus on entrepreneurship and business growth, this year’s event will feature special tracks on AI and space, and more.

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Don’t miss the Startup Battlefield, featuring over 200 companies presenting their groundbreaking innovations, plus the exciting Startup Battlefield pitch competition.

Whether you’re scheduling 1:1 meetings through the event app, joining receptions and side events, or having impromptu chats, you’re sure to build meaningful relationships that can help drive your business forward.

Lock in the lowest possible ticket rates

Lock in incredible savings today — secure your Super Early Bird ticket or bring a +1 with the 2-for-1 Pass while this offer lasts!

Is your company interested in sponsoring or exhibiting at TechCrunch Disrupt 2025? Contact our sponsorship sales team by filling out this form.

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Your essential guide to Digital Twins: from basics to benefits – Part 2

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January 24, 2025

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Your essential guide to Digital Twins: from basics to benefits - Part 2

Frank Scheufens, Product Manager at PNY Technologies explains the benefits and uses of Digital Twins in this second installment.

Frank Scheufens

Product Manager for Professional Visualization at PNY Technologies EMEA.

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Operating Digital Twins: virtually manage, monitor and optimize physical assets

A digital twin operates through a cycle of data collection, transmission, analysis, and user interaction. The process begins with data collection, where physical assets are fitted with sensors that monitor various parameters—such as temperature, pressure, or movement. This data is then transmitted to the digital twin via cloud or edge computing, allowing the digital model to update in real-time. Advanced algorithms and analytics are applied to the incoming data, helping the twin predict future states, identify anomalies, and provide actionable insights.

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