Michigan is No. 1 in The Associated Press men’s college basketball poll for the first time in 13 years, ending Arizona’s nine-week reign.

The Wolverines (24-1) claimed 60 of 61 first-place votes in Monday’s poll to climb one spot and supplant the Wildcats, who were unbeaten entering last week before falling at Kansas and at home to Texas Tech.

“Not much,” coach Dusty May said when asked by the AP after Saturday’s rout of UCLA about the significance of potentially topping the poll. “It means we haven’t drank our own Kool-Aid. We’ve put ourselves in a position to be playing the types of games in mid-February that we want to be in, but we’ve got to continue to improve.”

Michigan had been ranked No. 2 behind Arizona for six of Arizona’s nine weeks at the top but was No. 1 in analytics rankings by KenPom, Evan Miyakawa and Bart Torvik last week.

Now the Wolverines have their first AP No. 1 ranking since January 2013.

Houston and Duke each moved up one spot to sit behind Michigan, with the second-ranked Cougars claiming the remaining first-place vote. The Wolverines and Blue Devils are set to meet this weekend in a marquee nonconference matchup in the nation’s capital.

Arizona dropped three spots to No. 4. UConn was next at No. 5, followed by Iowa State, Purdue, Kansas, Nebraska and Illinois to round out the top 10.

Rising

The seventh-ranked Boilermakers jumped six spots for the week’s biggest leap, coming after an overtime win at Nebraska and a win at Iowa. The preseason No. 1 has won four straight entering Tuesday’s visit from Michigan.

No. 13 Texas Tech rose three spots after its home win against Colorado followed by the OT win at Arizona. As did No. 21 Louisville, with freshman Mikel Brown starring with an Atlantic Coast Conference freshman-record 45 points in a win against N.C. State and 29 more in a win against Baylor.

In all, 13 teams moved up from last week.

Sliding

No. 15 Michigan State and No. 16 North Carolina had the week’s biggest tumbles of five spots. The Spartans lost at Wisconsin on Friday, while the Tar Heels lost at Miami while also learning that star freshman Caleb Wilson is out indefinitely with a fractured bone in his left hand.

Seven ranked teams fell from last week’s position.

Quick turnaround for Badgers

Wisconsin returned to the poll, going from receiving no votes last week to No. 24 after back-to-back wins against top-10 opponents Illinois and Michigan State last week.

Wisconsin previously had fallen out of the poll after a Nov. 21 loss to BYU as the Badgers struggled through a 7-4 start. Last week’s wins, along with being the only team to take down Michigan, has the Badgers alongside the Red Raiders as the only teams with victories against three top-10 teams this year.

“Early in the year we were soft mentally and physically,” coach Greg Gard said after the 92-71 win against the Spartans. “We had to mature, had to grow up collectively and individually. You’re not going to be able to compete in these types of games in the upper echelon of this league if you’re not physically and mentally tough. This group has responded.”

Comings and goings

No. 25 Alabama joined Wisconsin as the week’s new additions after the Crimson Tide pushed to a four-game winning streak.

They replaced Clemson (No. 20) and Kentucky (No. 25) in the poll.

Conference watch

The Big 12 and Big Ten dominated the top of the poll while tying with a national-best six ranked teams. Those two leagues combined to have eight spots in the top 10.

The ACC and Southeastern Conference were next with four ranked teams each. The Big East had two, while the West Coast Conference, Atlantic 10 and Mid-American Conference each had one.

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AP Sports Writers Larry Lage in Michigan and Steve Megargee in Wisconsin contributed to this report.

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Get poll alerts and updates on the AP Top 25 throughout the season. Sign up here and here (AP mobile app). AP college basketball: https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-basketball-poll and https://apnews.com/hub/college-basketball

Condensation can damage your windows and furniture, and it can also cause mould which could be detrimental to your health to form.

Ben Gallizzi, energy expert at Uswitch.com , said: “Keeping your home warm can help prevent mould from building up during the coldest months of the year.

“Experts recommend that people in good health should heat their home to between 18 and 21 degrees celsius.”

This is everything you need to know about why condensation may be forming on your windows, and how you can prevent it from happening.

Why is their condensation on my windows?

Stephen Hankinson, energy efficiency expert at Electric Radiators Direct explains how condensation is caused, what the health risks are with having a very humid or ‘damp’ home, and what to do about it.

He said: “Humidity is a measurement of the water content in the air. It’s usually measured in percentages or grams per cubic metre.

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“Ideally, our indoor spaces should have a humidity level of about 50%. While most of us won’t be able to measure this, there will be some clear signs if your home’s humidity is too high or low.

“If your home’s humidity is too high, you may notice condensation on your windows or mirrors. Condensation happens when there’s too much moisture in the air, and it collects as droplets on a cool surface.”

How to prevent condensation on your windows

In terms of getting your home’s humidity to the right level, there are a couple of solutions that can really make a difference.

While investing in a humidifier or dehumidifier may be the most obvious step to consider, it’s important to get to the bottom of why your home’s humidity levels are too high or low in the first place – otherwise you’re merely putting a plaster over the real issue.

Keep your rooms heated and ventilated

It’s important to keep your rooms heated to prevent condensation and high humidity, as this will keep the water in the air in vapour form by preventing it from cooling too much. It will also increase the air’s circulation, allowing it to cycle out of the room more easily.

Doing this while keeping your windows or vents open will help excess moisture to escape. Of course, keeping your windows open in winter is easier said than done.

Opening your windows for just five minutes a day could make a difference, if you can’t withstand doing it for longer.

It’s especially important to ventilate your home when you’re cooking, or drying clothes inside. Always make sure you are using your extractor fan, and place damp laundry near an open window.

Look at improving your home’s insulation

If you’re heating and ventilating your home properly already, and still experiencing things like mould, damp or dust mites, there may be other factors at play.

Insulation keeps moisture out of your home, by sealing it from the outside. It eliminates cold surfaces where condensation can form, keeping your home warmer and dryer.

If your home is poorly insulated, then too much moisture may be entering your home, and heating and ventilating may only do so much.

Install a radiant heating system

If these steps don’t remedy your home’s humidity issues, or you want to ensure your property is extra-safe from humidity-related issues, you may want to consider investing in a heating system that uses radiant heat.

As radiant heat travels through the air rather than warming it directly, it has less of an effect on room humidity as it doesn’t rely on the air to transfer warmth. This means the air is more stable, as it isn’t circulating heat around your home. This can help to gradually increase humidity and has the added benefit of not spreading as many dust particles around your home.

There are a couple of options when it comes to radiant heating systems. The first is infrared panels, which provide 100% of their warmth through radiant heat. They’re slim units that can be installed on walls or ceilings. They can either blend in, or stand out, to fit your home’s design.

The second option is electric radiators, which provide around a third of their heat through radiation. This could be a good middle ground option for those who don’t want 100% of their home’s heat to be provided through radiation.

ABUJA, Nigeria (AP) — About 100 U.S. troops plus equipment have arrived in Nigeria to help train soldiers in the West African country as the government fights against Islamic militants and other armed groups, the Nigerian military announced Monday.

The arrival followed a request by the Nigerian government to the U.S government for help with training, technical support and intelligence-sharing, the military said in a statement.

The deployment follows an easing of tensions that flared between the U.S. and Nigeria when U.S. President Donald Trump said the country wasn’t protecting Christians from an alleged genocide. The Nigerian government has rejected the accusation, and analysts say it simplifies a very complicated situation in which people are often targeted regardless of their faith.

Maj. Gen. Samaila Uba, spokesman for Nigeria’s Defense Headquarters, previously has said that the U.S. troops won’t engage in combat or have a direct operational role, and that Nigerian forces will have complete command authority.

In December, U.S. forces launched airstrikes on Islamic State group-affiliated militants in northwestern Nigeria. Last month, following discussions with Nigerian authorities in Abuja, the head of U.S. Africa Command confirmed a small team of U.S. military officers were in Nigeria, focused on intelligence support.

Nigeria is facing a protracted fight with dozens of local armed groups increasingly battling for turf, including Islamic sects like the homegrown Boko Haram and its breakaway faction Islamic State West Africa Province. There is also the IS-linked Lakurawa, as well as other “bandit” groups that specialize in kidnapping for ransom and illegal mining.

Recently, the crisis has worsened to include other militants from the neighboring Sahel region, including the Jama’at Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin, which claimed its first attack on Nigerian soil last year. Several thousand people in Nigeria have been killed, according to data from the United Nations. Analysts say not enough is being done by the government to protect its citizens.

While Christians have been among those targeted, analysts and residents say the majority of victims of the armed groups are Muslims in Nigeria’s Muslim-dominated north, where most attacks occur.

Bill Clinton was acquainted with Epstein, who died in prison in 2019, but has denied knowledge of his sex offending at the time and says he cut off contact two decades ago. Neither Clinton has been accused of wrongdoing by survivors of Epstein’s abuse, and they have denied knowledge of his sex offending at the time.

Police are appealing for witnesses

A moped rider has died after being hit by a car. Emergency services were called to the B1102 Swaffham Road, Lode, Cambridge at about 5.20pm on Sunday (February 15).

The crash involved a white Kia Venga, a red Toyota Corolla and a black Honda moped, with the Kia colliding with the moped. The moped rider, a 20-year-old man, died at the scene.

The driver of the Kia, an 18-year-old woman, was arrested on suspicion of causing death by dangerous driving. She has since been bailed.

Cambridgeshire Police said: “Anyone who saw what happened, has dashcam footage of the collision, was in the area at the time or the moments leading up to it, can report it through the force website or by calling 101, quoting incident 325 of 15 February.”

For years, big tech companies have placed the burden of managing screen time squarely on individuals and parents, operating on the assumption that capturing human attention is fair game.

But the social media sands may slowly be shifting. A test-case jury trial in Los Angeles is accusing big tech companies of creating “addiction machines”. While TikTok and Snapchat have already settled with the 20-year-old plaintiff, Meta’s CEO, Mark Zuckerberg, is due to give evidence in the courtroom this week.

The European Commission recently issued a preliminary ruling against TikTok, stating that the app’s design – with features such as infinite scroll and autoplay – breaches the EU Digital Services Act. One industry expert told the BBC that the problem is “no longer just about toxic content, it’s about toxic design”.

Meta and other defendants have historically argued that their platforms are communication tools, not traps, and that “addiction” is a mischaracterisation of high engagement.

“I think it’s important to differentiate between clinical addiction and problematic use,” Instagram chief Adam Mosseri testified in the LA court. He noted that the field of psychology does not classify social media addiction as an official diagnosis.

Tech giants maintain that users and parents have the agency and tools to manage screen time. However, a growing body of academic research suggests features like infinite scrolling, autoplay and push notifications are engineered to override human self-control.

A state of ‘automated attachment’

My research with colleagues on digital consumption behaviour also challenges the idea that excessive social media use is a failure of personal willpower. Through interviews with 32 self-identified excessive users and an analysis of online discussions dedicated to heavy digital use, we found that consumers frequently enter a state of “automated attachment”.

This is when connection to the device becomes purely reflexive, as conscious decision-making is effectively suspended by the platform’s design.

We found that the impulse to use these platforms sometimes occurs before the user is even fully conscious. One participant admitted: “I’m waking up, I’m not even totally conscious, and I’m already doing things on the device.”

Another described this loss of agency vividly: “I found myself mindlessly opening the [TikTok] app every time I felt even the tiniest bit bored … My thumb was reaching to its old spot on reflex, without a conscious thought.”

Social media proponents argue that “screen addiction” isn’t the same as substance abuse. However, new neurophysiological evidence suggests that frequent engagement with these algorithms alters dopamine pathways, fostering a dependency that is “analogous to substance addiction”.

Strategies that keep users engaged

The argument that users should simply exercise willpower also needs to be understood in the context of the sophisticated strategies platforms employ to keep users engaged. These include:

1. Removing stopping cues

Features like infinite scroll, autoplay and push notifications create a continuous flow of content. By eliminating natural end-points, the design effectively shifts users into autopilot mode, making stopping a viewing session more difficult.

2. Variable rewards

Similar to a slot machine, algorithms deliver intermittent, unpredictable rewards such as likes and personalised videos. This unpredictability triggers the dopamine system, creating a compulsive cycle of seeking and anticipation.

3. Social pressure

Features such as notifications and time-limited story posts have been found to exploit psychological vulnerabilities, inducing anxiety that for many users can only be relieved by checking the app. Strategies employing “emotional steering” can take advantage of psychological vulnerabilities, such as people’s fear of missing out, to instil a sense of social obligation and guilt if they attempt to disconnect.

Vulnerability in children

The issue of social media addiction is of particular concern when it comes to children, whose impulse control mechanisms are still developing. The US trial’s plaintiff says she began using social media at the age of six, and that her early exposure to these platforms led to a spiral into addiction.

A growing body of research suggests that “variable reward schedules” are especially potent for developing minds, which exhibit a heightened sensitivity to rewards. Children lack the cognitive brakes to resist these dopamine loops because their emotional regulation and impulsivity controls are still developing.

Lawyers in the US trial have pointed to internal documents, known as “Project Myst”, which allegedly show that Meta knew parental controls were ineffective against these engagement loops. Meta’s attorney, Paul Schmidt, countered that the plaintiff’s struggles stemmed from pre-existing childhood trauma rather than platform design.

The company has long argued that it provides parents with “robust tools at their fingertips”, and that the primary issue is “behavioural” – because many parents fail to use them.

Our study heard from many adults (mainly in their 20s) who described the near-impossibility of controlling levels of use, despite their best efforts. If these adults cannot stop opening apps on reflex, expecting a child to exercise restraint with apps that affect human neurophysiology seems even more unrealistic.

Potential harms of overuse

The consequences of social media overuse can be significant. Our research and recent studies have identified a wide range of potential harms.

These include “psychological entrapment”. Participants in our study described a “feedback loop of doom and despair”. Users can turn to platforms to escape anxiety, only to find that the scrolling deepens their feelings of emptiness and isolation.

Excessive exposure to rapidly changing, highly stimulating content can fracture the user’s attention span, making it harder to focus on complex real-world tasks.

And many users describe feeling “defeated” by the technology. Social media’s erosion of autonomy can leave people unable to align their online actions – such as overlong sessions – with their intentions.

A ruling against social media companies in the LA court case, or enforced redesign of their apps in the EU, could have profound implications for the way these platforms are operated in future.

But while big tech companies have grown at dizzying rates over the past two decades, attempts to rein in their products on both sides of the Atlantic remain slow and painstaking. In this era of “use first, legislate later”, people all over the world, of all ages, are the laboratory mice.

MILAN (AP) — Small margins decided gold medals at the Milan Cortina Olympics as Eileen Gu had to settle for another silver in defense of her big air ski freestyle title and Elana Meyers Taylor of the U.S. finally won bobsled gold in her fifth Olympics.

Also on Day 10 of the Winter Games, a Norwegian contender’s emotional reaction overshadowed the last men’s Alpine ski event, and the U.S. and Canada advanced to another gold medal showdown in women’s hockey after winning their semifinal games.

Silver again for Gu in big air

Gu came to Italy to fight for gold medals in three different freestyle ski events. She has two silvers and still has her best event, the halfpipe, to go.

After a long delay because of heavy snow, it was Canada’s Megan Oldham who soared to victory with a combined score of 180.75 to Gu’s 179.

It was still a remarkable performance from Gu, the San Francisco-born skier for China who hadn’t competed in big air in the four years since winning gold at the 2022 Olympics.

The athlete who beat Gu to the gold in slopestyle last week, Switzerland’s Mathilde Gremaud, was ruled out of the big air final when she injured her hip in practice hours before.

The wait is over for Meyers Taylor

Vancouver, Sochi, Pyeongchang, Beijing. Meyers Taylor won at least one medal at each of her first four Olympics, but the gold always eluded her.

No longer.

The 41-year-old American won that long-awaited medal by just four hundredths of a second in women’s monobob when the last competitor, Germany’s Laura Nolte, made a small but costly mistake on her final run.

Meyers Taylor’s sixth career medal extends her record as the most decorated Black athlete at the Winter Olympics. She’s also the oldest American woman to win gold at the Winter Games.

Meyers Taylor’s U.S. teammate Kaillie Armbruster Humphries was third, 0.08 off Nolte’s time.

McGrath’s moment alone in the forest

The men’s slalom race had a finish like no other.

Norway’s Atle Lie McGrath was leading the race and skiing last on the second run but straddled a gate and was out. He stopped, threw his ski poles over a fence and then started walking through deep snow to the forest for some time alone.

“I thought that I would get some peace and quiet, which I didn’t,” said McGrath, who said photographers and police tracked him down.

The dramatic finish overshadowed Loic Meillard of Switzerland winning gold, and an earlier fall for giant slalom winner and South American history maker Lucas Pinheiro Braathen.

It’s been an especially tough Olympics for McGrath, whose grandfather died on the day of the opening ceremony. McGrath was racing with an armband as a tribute.

US-Canada again for women’s hockey gold

The U.S. and Canada will play for the gold medal on Thursday after the U.S. routed Sweden 5-0 and Canada struggled past Switzerland 2-1 in Monday’s semifinal games.

U.S. goaltender Aerin Frankel preserved a shutout streak which now stands at 331 minutes. The U.S. team is unbeaten and has allowed just one goal all tournament as it seeks a first gold medal since 2018.

Captain Marie-Philip Poulin broke the all-time Olympic scoring record with two goals in an unusually narrow win for Canada.

World record gives Japan a figure skating win

Riku Miura and Ryuichi Kihara needed something special after placing fifth in the pairs figure skating short program. They delivered.

Miura and Kihara produced a world record score in the free skate to win Japan’s first-ever pairs gold.

Georgia got its first medal in any Winter Olympic sport with Anastasiia Metelkina and Luka Berulava in second. Short-program leaders Minerva Fabienne Hase and Nikita Volodin of Germany dropped to the bronze medal position.

Xandra Velzeboer won her second gold medal of the Olympics in the women’s 1,000-meter short track speedskating to match her Dutch teammate Jens van ’t Wout with two gold medals for the games. Italy’s Arianna Fontana was chasing what would have been her 14th career Olympic medal but placed fourth.

Austria won the first-ever Olympic gold in men’s super team ski jumping. The Austrians were leading when the competition was cut short due to heavy snow and wind.

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AP Winter Olympics: https://apnews.com/hub/milan-cortina-2026-winter-olympics

All members of Nancy Guthrie’s family, including NBC News‘ Savannah Guthrie, her siblings, and their spouses, have been cleared as possible suspects, according to the Pima County Sheriff’s Office.

Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos made the announcement on Monday afternoon, saying in a statement that the Guthrie family has been “nothing but cooperative and gracious and are victims in this case.”

“To suggest otherwise is not only wrong, it is cruel,” he said. “The Guthrie family are victims plain and simple.”

The sheriff’s department said in an earlier statement that there are no scheduled news conferences regarding the case today.

The memo issued by the department does not appear to have been in response to any new evidence or breakthroughs, but rather as a general statement on the status of the Guthrie family.

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Nancy Guthrie, 84, was reported missing from her home in Arizona on February 1. Local investigators and the FBI have been searching for her for more than two weeks.

While law enforcement has been busy running down leads, Savannah Guthrie and her siblings have been making emotional pleas on social media asking the supposed kidnapper to reach out and provide proof of life and further instructions for how they can get their mother back.

Earlier on Monday, TMZ founder Harvey Levin announced that his publication had received a fourth letter from an individual claiming to have knowledge of who kidnapped Nancy Guthrie. The individual is reportedly refusing to reveal the information until payment is made.

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Levin said he had been in contact with the FBI, posted a video telling the tipster to provide the information to him, and that he would work with the FBI to secure payment. The TMZ founder believes that the individual who sent Monday’s letter is the same one who has sent three previous letters demanding payment for information about Nancy Guthrie’s whereabouts.

“A fourth letter from the same person who says he knows where Nancy Guthrie is, and he wants money in return for the information,” Levin said. “Essentially, he wants the reward.”

During his address, Levin also read a chilling line from the letter.

”‘I know what I saw five days ago south of the border, and I was told to shut up, so I know who he is, and that was definitely Nancy with them,’” he read.

Meanwhile, the Pima County Sheriff’s Office is reportedly working with Walmart after it discovered the brand of backpack the suspected kidnapper wore on the night Nancy Guthrie disappeared was sold exclusively at the retailer.

The backpack is a 25-liter “Ozark Trail Hiker Pack.” The “Ozark Trail” brand is a private, Walmart-owned outdoor brand that is only sold in its stores and on its website. However, it is possible the individual bought the pack from a private seller or from a second-hand sports retailer.

“This backpack is exclusive to Walmart and we are working with Walmart management to develop further leads,” Nanos said.

The clothing the suspect was wearing the night of the alleged abduction may also have been purchased at Walmart, but investigators noted that the clothing isn’t exclusively offered by Walmart.

“This remains a possibility only,” the sheriff’s office said in a statement on Monday.

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Investigators searching near Guthrie’s home have collected several gloves and have sent them to a forensics lab for testing, according to the Pima County Sheriff’s Office. Deputies noted that many of the gloves found in the area were from volunteers who were searching for Guthrie. It’s unclear what kind of gloves were sent for further analysis.

The FBI and the sheriff’s office are also still collecting tips about the case. According to the FBI, it has collected more than 13,000 calls about Guthrie since February 1, and the sheriff’s department said it has taken at least 18,000 calls.

Investigators have not said whether any of those calls have proven helpful to the search.

Guthrie has been missing for more than two weeks, resulting in some criticism of the investigation. Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos told the Daily Mail on Sunday that he doesn’t care about the “haters” who say the department released the crime scene too early.

“My officers were there for almost 20 hours, and they processed their scene, got it done, and brought in all the evidence,” he told the outlet. “Then the FBI came and did their thing.”

He also told the publication that claims he was blocking the FBI from accessing important evidence were wrong.

“Why would I do that?” he said. “It makes no sense.”

An explosion does not need to strike the head to injure the brain. When a blast occurs, it generates a sudden pressure wave that can pass through the body and skull in milliseconds, potentially deforming brain tissue and blood vessels along the way.

For soldiers exposed to improvised explosive devices or other blasts, and civilians caught in industrial accidents or explosions in conflict zones, the neurological effects can be long-lasting – even when brain scans appear normal.

Blast injuries can trigger changes in the brain and its blood vessels that standard medical scans do not always detect. When these injuries go unrecognised, people may receive the wrong care or be left without an explanation for symptoms that persist for years.

Most people are familiar with traumatic brain injuries caused by impacts such as falls, road traffic collisions or sports injuries. In these situations, the brain moves suddenly within the skull, leading to bruising or localised damage that can often be seen on scans.

Blast injury works differently. The rapid rise and fall in pressure created by an explosion can travel through the skull and the fluid that surrounds and cushions the brain. This generates complex mechanical forces that stretch and strain brain tissue. As a result, someone can sustain a brain injury even without any direct blow to the head.

Rather than producing one clearly visible injury, blast exposure tends to cause widespread microscopic damage. These tiny injuries can disrupt how brain cells communicate with each other, and can also damage the blood vessels that keep brain tissue healthy.

Although blast injury is often associated with military settings, it is not confined to war zones. Civilians may be exposed through industrial explosions, terrorist attacks or demolition work. In all these situations, the underlying mechanisms of brain injury are similar.

Despite these differences, blast injuries are often managed in the same way as concussions or other head injuries. When damage to blood vessels is overlooked, the severity of the injury and its long-term impact can be underestimated.

More sensitive diagnostic tools, including advanced imaging and specialised blood tests, could improve detection of subtle blood vessel damage. This would allow for more targeted treatment aimed at reducing inflammation, protecting the brain’s circulation, and ensuring patients receive appropriate long-term care.

Blast-related brain injury can also disrupt the brain’s waste-clearance system. This system normally removes harmful proteins and metabolic waste. When it is impaired, vulnerability to long-term post-concussion symptoms and neurodegenerative diseases may increase.

Brain blood vessels are especially vulnerable

One of the most important, and often overlooked, consequences of blast injury is damage to the brain’s blood vessels.

Blood vessels are thin-walled and flexible, allowing them to cope with normal changes in blood flow and pressure. During a blast, however, the rapid pressure shifts can stretch these vessels beyond their limits. This can cause tiny tears and weaken the protective barrier that normally prevents harmful substances in the bloodstream from entering brain tissue.

This protective layer, often called the blood–brain barrier, plays a crucial role in controlling what passes from the blood into the brain. When it is damaged, inflammatory cells and proteins can leak into brain tissue.

The resulting inflammation may persist long after the initial injury, interfering with normal brain function. Over time, this can contribute to symptoms such as headaches, memory problems, difficulty concentrating, slowed thinking, mood changes and fatigue.

Damage to the blood–brain barrier may help explain why some people experience ongoing symptoms months or even years after blast exposure.

Why scans can appear normal

One of the most frustrating experiences for people with blast-related brain injury is being told that their CT or MRI scan is normal, despite persistent symptoms.

Standard imaging techniques are very good at detecting fractures, bleeding or large areas of tissue damage. Blast injuries, however, often involve microscopic changes such as small vessel damage, disruption to communication between brain cells, and ongoing inflammation. These changes are usually too subtle to be seen on routine scans.

This mismatch between symptoms and imaging can delay diagnosis, complicate rehabilitation and, in some cases, affect access to appropriate support or compensation.

Researchers are increasingly using laboratory models and real-world data to understand how blast forces affect the brain and its circulation. Long-term studies are beginning to show how early damage to blood vessels may evolve into lasting neurological problems.

Progress will require close collaboration between neuroscientists, clinicians, emergency services and policymakers. Blast injury is not only a military concern. It offers broader insights into how pressure-related forces damage the brain, and how these injuries might be prevented or treated.

Recognising blast injury as a distinct form of brain trauma, particularly one that affects the brain’s blood vessels, is a crucial step towards improving care for those affected.

Welcome to our live coverage of the Winter Olympics, where Britain’s Kirsty Muir is in action in the women’s freeski big air final.

Medal hope Muir qualified in fourth place for tonight’s final after narrowly missing out on making the podium last week in the slopestyle.

The 21-year-old was denied a bronze medal by just 0.41 points, recovering after errors on her first two runs to land an excellent third, but it wasn’t enough. The Scottish skier was tearful after coming so close, but will have a shot at redemption this evening in the big air.

“Obviously missing out on an Olympic medal, being that close is hard and it’s going to be hard for anyone, no matter what competition. Fourth is such a hard place to be in, but even more so at the Olympics,” she said.

“All my friends, family, supporters from home have all been like, fourth at the Olympics, fourth in the world, congrats, and I feel that as well, but it’s just hard because you want that podium. But at the same time I’m very proud of my skiing.”

The softly spoken Scot has vowed to leave everything out on the slopes as she targets a medal. After Team GB’s gold rush over the weekend – which began with Matt Weston’s heroics in the individual men’s skeleton on Friday night – Muir will not be lacking in inspiration.