NATO Summit, Population Peak, and Frog Saunas

Facts, without motives. ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌

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Good morning. It's Friday, July 12, and we're covering NATO's message to Russia, humanity's peak population size, and much more. First time reading? Join over 3.5 million intellectually curious readers. Sign up here.

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Need To Know

NATO Summit Ends

The 75th Anniversary Summit of NATO came to a close yesterday, with the leaders of 32 countries bolstering support for Ukraine in its ongoing war with Russia.

The conference—hosted by President Joe Biden in Washington, DC—ended with new pledges to Kyiv, including air defense missile systems and fresh aid commitments. France, Germany, Italy, and Poland agreed to develop and host long-range missiles on their soil as a deterrence measure; Germany will also host US missiles beginning in 2026. Leaders meanwhile issued a rare statement condemning China for supplying Russia with commercial components with military uses (see more).

Overshadowing the summit was the spotlight on Biden, whose mental fitness has been under intense scrutiny since last month's CNN Presidential Debate. Yesterday's news conference was his first of the year. See takeaways here.

Population Peak

The global population is set to peak at 10.3 billion and begin declining by 2084, roughly two decades earlier than estimates from two years ago, according to the United Nations biennial population report.

Analysts attribute the earlier peak to a broad decline in fertility rates, the number of children a woman will birth on average. Worldwide, that figure has dropped from 3.5 to 2.5 in three decades and was closer to seven prior to the Industrial Revolution. Experts say women's empowerment, increased rate of successful births, and rising child rearing costs have contributed to dropping fertility rates (see charts).

Demographers theorize developed countries require a fertility rate of 2.1 children per woman to keep the population constant. More than half of all countries have a rate below 2.1, including much of Europe, the US, Japan, China, and Russia (see map).

Demographic shifts have significant effects on resources, public revenues, and income security—learn more here.

A New Voice

Mayo Clinic this week reported the results of the world's first total larynx transplant on an active cancer patient. Four months after surgery, 59-year-old Marty Kedian has regained his ability to speak, swallow, and breathe independently.

Kedian, diagnosed with a rare form of laryngeal cancer called chondrosarcoma, underwent the complex 21-hour surgery as part of a clinical trial in February. The procedure involved transplanting his cancerous larynx (also known as the voice box) and other organs, including his pharynx, upper trachea, and thyroid (see overview). This marks the third documented total larynx transplant in the US and one of only a few documented worldwide. About 12,650 people in the US will be diagnosed with laryngeal cancer this year, or about 0.6% of all new cancer cases.

Separately, Rep. Jennifer Wexton (D, VA-10)—who was diagnosed last year with a rare neurological disorder that affects her ability to speak, hear, and move—debuted a new AI-generated voice, using recordings from before her diagnosis.

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In The Know

Sports, Entertainment, & Culture

> Argentina takes on Colombia in Copa América final Sunday (8 pm ET, Fox Sports) (More) | ... and Spain and England meet in the UEFA European Championship final Sunday (3 pm ET, Fox) (More) | US men's national team coach Gregg Berhalter fired following team's early exit (More)

> Shelley Duvall, veteran actress best known for her starring role in "The Shining," dies at 75 (More) | Film composer Danny Elfman sued for defamation related to sexual harassment allegations (More)

> Italy's Jasmine Paolini takes on Czechia's Barbora Krejčíková in Wimbledon women's singles finals tomorrow morning (9 am ET, ESPN) (More)

Science & Technology

> First fossilized chromosome with its 3D structure still intact discovered; sample was recovered from 50,000-year-old frozen woolly mammoth skin (More)

> Air taxi startup Joby Aviation successfully carries out 523-mile test flight using hydrogen fuel; prototype craft covered the distance in about five hours, emits only water vapor (More)

> Engineers train robots to learn and mimic expressive human gestures, including various dance moves, high-fiving, and more (More, w/video)

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Business & Markets

> US stock markets close mixed (S&P 500 -0.9%, Dow +0.1%, Nasdaq -1.9%) following lower-than-expected inflation data (More) | US consumer price index falls 0.1% month-over-month in June, the first monthly drop since May 2020 (More)

> US startups received a total of $55.6B in venture capital funding in Q2, the highest level in eight quarters, per new data (More) | World's billionaires gather in Sun Valley, Idaho, for annual weeklong retreat held by investment firm Allen & Co. (More)

> Tesla shares close down 8% after reports the company is delaying its planned robotaxi unveiling by two months to October (More) | Delta Air Lines shares close down 4% after airline reports 29% drop in year-over-year profit in Q2 (More)

Politics & World Affairs

> Death toll from historic heat wave in western US this month rises to at least 28 people as more than 60 million remain under heat alerts (More) | See data on heat wave records set this month (More)

> US military to dismantle $230M floating pier off Gaza's coast—intended to assist in humanitarian aid deliveries to the enclave—after two months of issues, including looting and rough weather (More) | See previous write-up (More)

> Kenyan President William Ruto dismisses entire cabinet, excluding his foreign minister, after nationwide protests led to the withdrawal of previously planned tax hikes; it is unclear how long the president can operate without a cabinet (More)

In-Depth

> The Adoption Paradox

Aeon | Fiona Sampson. Adoption is often celebrated as a happy ending for a child otherwise set to be regularly transferred between institutions. Still, the experience can lead to ambiguities around an adoptee's identity and sense of self. (Read)

> What Your Dog Sees

Howtown | Sam Cole, Cleo Abram. Contrary to popular myth, dogs don't see in just black and white—but they do see differently from humans, primarily due to the way light is received by their eyes' distinct anatomy. (Watch)

> Boom!

Economist | John Prideaux. (Podcast) A sociological and historical look at the sprawling generation born between the 1940s and 1960s who have held the nation's highest office in the US since 1993. (Listen)

> The Necessity of Randomness

BBC | Chris Baraniuk. The blobs swirling in lava lamps, raindrops spattering on glasses, the crackles of a cheap radio—all are reliable sources of randomness used to help secure our lives, from password encryption to lotteries. (Read)

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Etcetera

Bathroom Picassos at museum revealed to be fake.

A 161-million-year-old stegosaurus fossil goes to auction.

World's largest indoor ice park measures over 250,000 square feet.

Planes narrowly miss each other in the sky.

Can visual AI models "see"?

Pennsylvania gets a revamped license plate.

Tyra Banks opens Smize Cream ice cream shop.

Glasgow hotel hires "banter merchant."

Clickbait: Tiny frog saunas may help combat fungus.

Historybook: US Founding Father Alexander Hamilton dies (1804); The Rolling Stones perform first concert (1962); Geraldine Ferraro is first American female major-party VP candidate (1984); Activist and Nobel Peace Prize recipient Malala Yousafzai born (1997).

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NATO Summit, Population Peak, and Frog Saunas

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