The wackiest headlines from the week as they would appear in a Classifieds section...

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BOY NEEDS CAMPAIGN MANAGER: Ben Savage, famous for playing the guy who was nervous around Topanga in Boy Meets World, is running to be a congressional representative for California. This isn’t his first venture into politics—last year, he ran for WeHo City Council…but only snagged 6% of the vote.

ENGINEERS THAT CAN THINK SMALL: After doubling its headcount in the last decade, Lego is hiring to keep up with demand for its foot-wrecking blocks. The company is leaving its toymaker rivals in the dust, bringing in almost double the revenue of Mattel.

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SEEKING BACTERIA WITH A PAST: Scientists named a bacterial compound that kills fungus after Keanu Reeves because it reminded them of the way Reeves’s character John Wick obliterates bad guys. The compounds, named “keanumycins,” form holes in the fungi’s surface and essentially make them bleed to death.

TESLA WORKERS NEEDED TO FILL TOWN: Elon Musk is planning to build his own town outside Austin, TX, according to the WSJ. Thousands of acres of pasture and farmland have already been purchased to support the project, which Musk has envisioned as a “Texas utopia.”

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VEGAN REESE’S CUP: Hershey is sending its first totally vegan chocolate to shelves this year. It’s finally making a Reese’s peanut butter cup that dads will refuse to eat.

XXXXXS CROWNS: Three-year-old Archie and two-year-old Lilibet, the children of Harry and Meghan, are now officially using their royal titles of prince and princess. They’re now sixth and seventh in line for the throne, respectively. Neither released a statement on their future plans for the British monarchy because they can’t write yet.—MM

What exactly is going on in this picture? Thanks for asking. It shows competitors in the annual Leadville Ski Joring event. Every winter since 1949, this Colorado town has hosted a skijoring tournament wherein a skier is towed by a horse and rider down historic Harrison Avenue. It’s not exactly for pizza-style skiers—these daredevils must hit jumps, collect rings on their batons, and squeeze between gates while hurtling toward the finish line.

Fun fact: At 10,200 feet above sea level, Leadville is the highest incorporated city in North America.

Here are some illuminating scientific discoveries from the week to help you live better but maybe also kill your buzz.

Sobering science. Researchers at UT Southwestern may have found a way to sober you up fast. At the very least, they’ve figured out what to do with mice that might be slugging IPAs while living in your walls. They found that injecting the liver-produced hormone FGF21 into mice that were passed out from booze brought the critters back to consciousness in half the time it otherwise takes to sleep it off. If it works for humans, the research could lead to lifesaving treatments for alcohol poisoning.

Super superconductor news. Scientists reported a breakthrough in the journal Nature that could improve any technology that uses electric power, from car batteries to maglev trains to fusion reactors. The researchers claim to have discovered a superconducting material that, unlike the ones we’ve got now, can work at around room temperature and low enough pressure levels to be commercially viable. One caveat: The team behind the new superconductor had a similar paper retracted by the same journal in 2020, leaving some experts skeptical of their work this time around.

What causes coulrophobia? That SAT word means fear of clowns, and scientists recently set out to determine why we’re all so freaked out by Bozos: Unsurprisingly, it’s the way they look. Though negative pop culture portrayals play a role, the researchers concluded that most people get spooked around clowns because we’re uncomfortable that we can’t suss out their true facial expressions behind their makeup. Of the 53.5% of people surveyed who admitted to being afraid of the circus workers, very few reported having actually had a close encounter with a Pennywise type.—AR

The one thing we know about where Covid-19 came from is…that we just don’t know.

With little hard evidence to draw from, some experts believe that the virus leaked from a lab, specifically the Wuhan Institute of Virology (WIV), while others maintain it transferred from animals to humans. US government agencies are divided, and a congressional subcommittee has embarked on a quest this week to get closer to the truth by holding the first hearing on Covid’s origins. But many experts aren’t waiting for a definitive verdict on the lab leak theory to jump into a heated discussion about whether the current safety regulations around the globe for research involving high-risk viruses are sufficient.

Even the idea that a virus that killed almost 7 million people may have started from a sleep-deprived intern had us wondering just how many other labs like WIV are out there and what they’re up to—so let’s dive in. 

What kind of labs are these?

Labs like WIV are designated Biosafety Level 4 by the CDC, which means they work with dangerous and highly transmissible diseases for which there are no vaccines or treatments. A pair of gloves and a lab coat won’t cut it at Level 4 facilities: They’re usually housed in buildings with controlled airflow and state-of-the-art equipment, where staff are often swagged out in PPE on steroids.

The number of Level 4 labs has grown in recent years.

• There are 52 of them operating around the world, including four in the US. And 17 more are due to open in the future.
• Locations range from Boston, MA, to Minsk, Belarus. A group of researchers conveniently created a map so you can find the one nearest to you.

Though most Level 4 labs are operated by governments, some are privately run. The international standards meant to govern safety are difficult to enforce, and many experts argue that the regulations that are in place are too lax—even in the US.

So, what’s up with US labs?

Every member of the National Science Advisory Board for Biosecurity agrees that there needs to be a serious overhaul of how the US government handles oversight of dangerous pathogens. The board recommended that officials direct more scrutiny at research funded with private money and lower the threshold for what is considered a high-risk pathogen.

Biosecurity experts Gregory D. Koblentz and Rocco Casagrande say that the US “has taken a reactive and haphazard approach to preventing lab accidents.” They think there should be an independent government agency to regulate the research.

Meanwhile, former CDC Director Dr. Robert Redfield has called for an outright ban on research that involves engineering viruses to make them stronger. An early proponent of the lab leak hypothesis, Redfield says such research is too risky to be worth it. But infectious disease expert Dr. Paul Auwaerter disagrees: He warns that halting the research in the US won’t stop it from happening elsewhere.

Viruses don’t recognize borders…which is why many experts are calling for international cooperation in crafting research standards that will hopefully prevent the next pandemic, or at least preclude the need to argue about where it came from.—SK

The Brew’s resident tastemaker, Jamie, compiles her favorite recs to help you live your best life.

Meal prep: Keep it simple with a traditional Greek salad, or gussy up the vinaigrette a bit in this version.

Workout: Alexis Ren’s epic 10-minute ab workout is trending once again.

Movie pick: Catch Return to Seoul in theaters.

Playlist: Sad girl starter pack. No need to be sad or a girl to listen.

Smart purchase: If you have a hyperactive dog (), you need a lick mat.

Life hacks: A mind-blowing lettuce hack. And make a forbidden glizzy at Costco if you dare.

Tech tip: How to stop mindlessly scrolling.

Docs rock: Who doesn’t love a good documentary? From award-winning shows to exclusive originals, find your fave on Curiosity Stream, available through every streaming and mobile device. Get 25% off an annual subscription.*

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It’s a big world out there. In this section, we’ll teleport you to an interesting location—and hopefully give you travel ideas in the process.

There’s something remarkable happening in the small, remote Japanese town of Nagi: It has a lot of babies.

Why is that remarkable? Because Japan’s population is shrinking fast, and an advisor to the prime minister recently warned that “the country will disappear” if Japan doesn’t turn things around in the stork-delivery department. About 2x as many people died as were born in Japan last year.

But Nagi is an exception to the rule, the WSJ reported. Women on average there have more than two children, compared to the national average of closer to one. Experts credit the town’s financial support for childcare as a factor encouraging more births— daycare costs a maximum of $420/month for a parent’s first child and the cost goes down to $0 for the third.

Previously, Nagi was only known for inspiring a village of ninjas in the manga series Naruto. But now, thanks to its fecundity (big word alert), it’s become somewhat of a travel destination—“baby tourism,” we’ll call it. Delegations from other parts of Japan and even South Korea have been visiting to understand its baby-making sauce.—NF

Last week we asked you: What lore in your town should be turned into a Hollywood movie?

Here are some of our favorite responses:

• “In Salt Lake City, there is a grave for Lilly E. Gray, which prominently reads: ‘Victim of the Beast 666.’ Quite mysterious and great horror movie fodder.”—Kate from Utah
• “My hometown of Cut and Shoot, TX, supposedly got its name because in the early 1900s a preacher with a radical doctrine wanted to use the new town hall to preach a sermon. Half the town was vehemently against this. So those in favor nearly fought a battle against the pro faction. After that, it was known as where all the cutting and shooting [almost] happened.”—Jason from Cut and Shoot, Texas
• “The mall in Fredericksburg, VA, had a wig shop that stayed there for 30 years. The storefront never changed and the inventory was never updated, but somehow it survived. The wig store was the one constant among an ever-rotating cast of Chess Kings and Spencer’s. Was it the little engine that could, or a mob front? I need a movie about this place!”—Tom from Fredericksburg, Virginia

This week’s question

As we mentioned earlier, Boy Meets World star Ben Savage is running for a US House seat in California. He’s not running as Cory Matthews…but he might be more successful if he were.

So, we’re wondering: If you could elect any fictional character as US president, who would it be?

Here’s Matty’s answer to get the juices flowing: Dalton, Patrick Swayze’s character in Road House. If he can turn the Double Deuce around, he can turn anything around.

Share your response here.

CFO Brew chatted with the CFOs of Overstock and Solo Brands about the tools they’re using to manage supply chain disruptions. Watch the session here.

Summer planning season is here. Sign up for Money With Katie’s free travel rewards series and learn how to save money on your next vacation.

We’re convening some of the most recognizable brands to spotlight innovators and highlight trends that will shape the future of marketing. Check it out.