Sub Search, Aging America, and the Year's Best Drone Photos

Sub Search Ended

Debris found on the ocean floor hundreds of miles from the US Atlantic coast is believed to be from a lost submersible that had been en route to tour the Titanic wreckage earlier this week. Experts believe the vehicle experienced catastrophic failure, likely imploding instantly under the water pressure of the deep sea. All five passengers are believed to be dead. 

Aboard the vessel were the company's CEO, a British billionaire, a Pakistani businessman and his teenage son, and an experienced marine explorer (see bios). Developed and operated by OceanGate, it went missing less than two hours into its dive and never resurfaced. The sub made earlier journeys to the wreckage site over the past two years, though questions have been raised over its design. 

The US Coast Guard found the debris after searching a zone twice the size of Connecticut. See a deep dive into the vehicle and the search efforts here.

'A Generational Talent'

The NBA draft was held last night, with the San Antonio Spurs selecting Victor Wembanyama as the top overall pick. He was followed by Brandon Miller going to the Charlotte Hornets, Scoot Henderson (Portland Trail Blazers), and twin brothers Amen and Ausar Thompson (Houston Rockets, Detroit Pistons) to round out the top five.

The biggest story of the night was Wembanyama—a 19-year-old, 7-foot-4-inch French phenom regarded as one of the best prospects in recent memory. Wembanyama was named the most valuable player and best defender in the country's top professional league last year, and is known for combining his height with fluid athleticism and an array of shots, including shooting 38% from beyond the three-point line. Lakers superstar LeBron James referred to Wembanyama as an "alien," implying his combination of skills has never been seen before.

See a full list of draft results here. 

Aging America

The median age of Americans reached an all-time high of 38.9 in 2022, according to data released yesterday from the US Census Bureau. The figure implies half of Americans were younger than 38.9 years last year, while half were older.  

The median age is up by 0.2 years from 2021 and is nearly half of the average life expectancy of Americans, which was 76.1 in 2022. The median age in 2000 was 35.3, and in 1980, it was 30 (see chart). 

The census data also revealed 17 states had a median age above 40 in 2022, with Maine (44.8) and New Hampshire (43.3) leading the group. The states with the lowest median age were Utah (31.9), the District of Columbia (34.8), and Texas (35.5). Hawaii (40.7) saw the largest increase in its median age, up 0.4 years from 2021. No state saw a decrease.

Observers say the US data reflect the aging population worldwide. See global data on median ages here (from 2020).

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In-Depth

> Life, the Inherently Dangerous Sport

Outside | Michael Levy. The story of quirky free solo rock climber Austin Howell, his journey with depression, and his final fall in 2019. (Read)

> AI's Human Army

Verge | Josh Dzieza. As consumer-facing AI tech like ChatGPT wins widespread adoption, unknown millions of workers provide the data tags essential for their human-like intelligence. (Read)

> The UFO Whistleblower

New York Times | Ezra Klein. (Podcast) The latest report around UFOs involves a former member of a Pentagon agency testifying that the US government has crash remains from "nonhuman origins." (Listen)

> Revisiting the 40-Hour Workweek

Hustle | Staff. Contemporary research suggests measuring productivity in terms of time spent may be outdated, instead proposing flexibility for certain employees. (Watch)

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The best drone photos of 2023.

Archaeologists uncover a Roman mausoleum in London.

The world's 10 best places to live. 

Man trains a chatbot on himself, converses with his digital twin.

Hail batters concertgoers at Colorado's Red Rocks venue.

Timelapse photography captures 100 lightning bolts in one shot. 

Indiana to evaluate mullets once more. 

Family pokes fun at father one last time in viral obituary.

Clickbait: Tech billionaires eye cage match. 

Historybook: Computer scientist Alan Turing born (1912); Track and field great Wilma Rudolph born (1940); Title IX enacted, banning gender discrimination in public education and sports (1972); Polio vaccine developer Jonas Salk dies (1995); The UK votes to leave the EU (2016).