Iran's top negotiator, Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, said in an Aug. 6 post on X that U.S. President Donald Trump should stop what he called "theater diplomacy," according to a report on the exchange [1]. The post followed Trump's announcement that he had called off a planned attack on Iran and his claim that the two sides were close to a diplomatic solution [1].

Ghalibaf, who also serves as speaker of Iran's parliament, wrote that Trump's pattern of threatening strikes and then pulling back amounted to "theater diplomacy on loop," according to the report [2]. The exchange marked the latest public dispute over the status of negotiations between Washington and Tehran, which Iran has repeatedly denied are taking place [1].

Trump's Account of the Halted Strike

Trump said Saturday that the planned attack would have been on a scale "not seen since World War II," but that he called it off because Washington and Tehran were close to reaching a diplomatic solution, according to the report [1]. He told reporters aboard Air Force One that negotiations with Iran would begin Monday to finalize a deal that reopens the Strait of Hormuz [3].

In the following days, Trump said the two sides were having "very

Regular resistance training strengthens the muscle protein repair system, and those improvements begin to reverse after three weeks without training, according to a study published in Nature Communications. The research team reported that six weeks of resistance exercise improved the muscles' internal mechanisms for identifying and removing damaged proteins in six healthy male participants. Unlike most exercise studies, which track changes in muscle size or strength, this investigation analyzed how proteins inside muscle tissue behaved and moved in response to training, according to the report. Muscle biopsies were taken before training, after six weeks of resistance exercise, and after three weeks without training, the authors said. After three weeks of detraining, damage-related lesions in muscle fibers increased toward pre-training levels, indicating that the repair-system improvements began to reverse, according to the study.

The findings add to a body of evidence that strength training affects more than muscle size or strength. Staying active and maintaining strong muscles becomes increasingly important with age to prevent chronic health problems and injuries from falls, according to an article on Mercola.com [1]. Age-related muscle loss, known as sarcopenia, poses a significant threat to a healthy lifespan, according to a separate report on Mercola.com [2].

Study Design

A six-week randomized controlled trial found that adding a 30-ingredient whole-food plant blend to existing meals shifted 57 types of gut bacteria in healthy adults, according to the ZOE BIOME study published in the British Journal of Nutrition.

Researchers designed the trial to test whether plant diversity, rather than plant quantity alone, drives changes in the gut microbiome. The trial enrolled 399 adults ages 35 to 65 who were consuming less than 20 grams of fiber per day at baseline, the report stated. Participants added the blend, a probiotic capsule, or a control food to their regular diets for six weeks.

The low-fiber baseline mirrors a broader intake shortfall. Approximately 95% of Americans fail to consume adequate amounts of fiber, according to public health data cited by gastroenterologist Lisa Ganjhu, D.O. [1]. Will Bulsiewicz, author of "Fiber Fueled," wrote that a single apple may contain as many as one hundred million bacteria, advising readers to "put down the capsule and pick up an apple" [2].

Study Design and Methods

The study used three parallel arms, according to the report. One group received a whole-food plant blend providing 30 grams per day of fiber from fruits, vegetables, mushrooms, herbs, nuts, seeds, spices, and wholegrains.

Study Links Fructose to Ovarian Cancer Spread

Researchers at The Wistar Institute have found that fructose, a sugar widely consumed in the diet, may act as a signal released by chemotherapy-surviving ovarian cancer cells that encourages neighboring tumor cells to spread, according to a study published Aug. 4, 2026, in the peer-reviewed journal Nature Aging.

The findings, based on preclinical models, suggest that sugary diets and cholesterol-lowering drugs could influence cancer progression. The effects have not been confirmed in patients, the researchers said.

The study was led by Aidan Cole, Ph.D., a postdoctoral fellow in the laboratory of Katherine Aird, Ph.D., professor and co-leader of the Molecular and Cellular Oncogenesis Program in the Ellen and Ronald Caplan Cancer Center at The Wistar Institute. According to the study, fructose was among molecules released by treatment-surviving cells that increased cancer cells' ability to metastasize.

Chemotherapy-Surviving Cells and Ovarian Cancer Recurrence

Nearly all ovarian cancer patients receive platinum-based chemotherapy, and the initial response is often strong, according to the researchers. Even so, the cancer returns in most cases and typically spreads throughout the abdominal cavity, a process known as metastasis. The study stated that metastasis is responsible for roughly 90% of deaths from the disease.

To investigate how

Researchers at the University of Hong Kong's School of Public Health found that a single 75-minute session of brisk interval walking per week reduced abdominal fat and improved heart fitness in adults with central obesity about as much as three 25-minute sessions per week, according to findings published in Nature Communications. ^[1]

The randomized clinical trial compared the two exercise schedules with a no-exercise control group. Changes in body fat percentage, total fat mass and waist circumference were measured over a 16-week intervention, according to the study.

Study Design and Methods

Participants were assigned to one of three groups: one 75-minute interval walking session per week, three 25-minute sessions per week, or a no-exercise control group, according to the study. Interval walking was defined as very fast walking interspersed with short rest periods, and researchers recorded changes in body composition and waist circumference at the end of the intervention and after a four-month follow-up.

All 315 participants had abdominal obesity at enrollment. The trial, conducted from September 2021 to September 2024, used bone density scans to measure body fat percentage, total fat mass, and waist circumference before the program, immediately after the program, and four months after the program ended. ^[1]

Results: Comparable Fat Reduction

Editor's note: This article contains descriptions of imagery depicting child sexual abuse. Reader discretion is advised.

Meta has run dozens of paid advertisements that contained AI-generated child sexual abuse material (CSAM) and images of minors alongside sexually suggestive statements over the past nine months, according to details shared with WIRED by researchers at the Tech Transparency Project (TTP).

The ads were targeted at people in the United States, the United Kingdom and more than a dozen European countries, according to data in Meta's ad library, and some reached several thousand accounts. The ads were removed only after WIRED contacted Meta about the findings, the researchers said.

Researchers Detail Ads in Meta's Ad Library

More than 50 image and video ads containing abusive content were discovered in Meta's ad library by TTP researchers, according to the report, with some listings linking to so-called nudify or undressing apps. Meta's ad library, a transparency tool that catalogs ads displayed on the company's platforms, showed the ads running across Facebook, Instagram, Messenger and Threads, the researchers said. Most of the ads were not actively being shown to users when they were found, but they remained available in the ad library for months, according to the report.

"These ads

The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) warned last week that cyberattacks had been reported in seven states and that "some of that activity degraded water operations," according to the BBC ^[1]. ABC News reported that hackers targeted water and wastewater utilities in at least a dozen states, citing multiple sources ^[2].

Federal and state officials said hackers linked to Iran are suspected in what they described as a widespread assault, though assessments remain preliminary, according to ABC News ^[2]. No water system has been corrupted to make drinking water unsafe, officials said, but the incidents caused reduced pressure, manual overrides and precautionary boil-water advisories. The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) is reportedly probing a possible Iranian connection to the Minnesota attacks, according to U.S. media ^[1].

EPA Rule Rescinded After Lawsuits

In 2023, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) under the Biden administration proposed cybersecurity guidelines for water utilities, citing a lack of basic protections at many municipalities. Republican-led states and industry groups sued, arguing the agency lacked authority and that smaller utilities could not meet the standards; the EPA rescinded the order, officials said.

The rollback came after years of assessments flagging water systems as vulnerable. The Bioterrorism Act of 2002 required

The chief executive of Russian state nuclear corporation Rosatom said Wednesday that Ukrainian drones are dropping anti-personnel mines nightly on the main road to Energodar, the city adjacent to the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant, making the delivery of new personnel to the facility a deadly task.

Alexey Likhachev made the statement to reporters, according to Sputnik, which published his remarks on August 5, 2026. Likhachev said Ukrainian drones throw scatterable high-explosive anti-personnel land mines, also known as flower petal mines, on the main road leading to Energodar every night. The report did not include a response from Ukrainian authorities.

Rosatom has previously reported strikes near the plant. In May 2026, the company said Ukrainian strikes hit urban infrastructure in Energodar for a third consecutive day, including a gas distribution station and residential buildings, according to Likhachev's statements. [1]

Mining of Roads and Civilian Impact

Likhachev said the mining affects food deliveries, sanitary transport, and the movement of shift workers to the nuclear plant. "Not only the attempts to enter and leave the city, the delivery of food, the work of sanitary transport, but also the delivery of shifts to the nuclear power plant, have become deadly dangerous," he told reporters.

He said Ukraine began

President Donald Trump vowed early Thursday, Aug. 6, on Truth Social to seek "long term jail sentences" for people who disclosed information about U.S. missile shortages to the media, according to published reports.

Trump did not identify which reports prompted the post, but CBS News and the Washington Post (WaPo) have published accounts of depleted long-range precision missiles and a reported presidential confrontation with Secretary of War Pete Hegseth. ^[1][2][3] Trump wrote that the U.S. has "massive amounts of 'munitions,' especially of certain types," and that defense companies are building "the largest number of plants and factories in our country's history," according to the BBC. The president said the "leakers" of what he called "treasonous statements" are being "hunted down" and that "long term jail sentences will be sought." ^[1], ^[4]

Shortage of Long-Range Missiles

According to CBS News, the U.S. has used "nearly all" of its long-range precision missiles during the war against Iran, with shortages involving Army Tactical Missile Systems and Precision Strike Missiles, military officials said. The depletion contributed to the U.S. pulling back from new strikes in recent days, CBS reported. ^[2]

Trump said Monday, Aug. 3, that he ordered, then called off, what he described as "the biggest attack since

Sitting upright may subtly improve mood and lead to more effective risk-taking decisions, according to a study by McGill University researchers released Aug. 5, 2026.

The study, published in the British Journal of Psychology, involved nearly 200 participants recruited from the McGill community. Senior study author Jorge Armony, a professor in McGill's Departments of Psychiatry and Psychology, said the effects observed were relatively small and occurred under controlled conditions.

Graduate student Soren Wainio-Theberge developed the original idea for the research and coauthored the paper. In a statement from the university, Armony said the findings offer new evidence that physical position can influence mood and behavior.

Researchers Altered Posture Without Revealing Study's Goal

Participants first completed tests using a computer monitor. They were then asked to perform another task on a tablet while being told that researchers were evaluating a mobile application, according to the university.

The tablet setup was designed to subtly influence how each person sat. In one group, the device was placed on a stand supported by an adjustable table, encouraging participants to remain upright. In another group, the tablet lay flat on a desk set at a lower height, which encouraged participants to lean forward and hunch over, the researchers said.

Video

Ukrainian anti-corruption investigators have detailed corruption allegations against Olga Stefanishina, the country's former ambassador to the United States, according to a statement published Thursday by the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine (NABU).

NABU and the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor's Office (SAPO) accuse Stefanishina of illegal enrichment, alleging that she failed to declare assets and used relatives, friends, and a subordinate to conceal ownership of property and a vehicle, the report stated. Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky dismissed Stefanishina from her ambassadorial post on Monday at her own request, according to the report.

Investigators Accuse Former Envoy of Illegal Enrichment

The allegations were set out in a statement published Thursday in which investigators described the suspect by her former twin posts -- justice minister and deputy prime minister responsible for EU and NATO integration -- but did not identify her by name, according to the report. The statement came a day after reports emerged that prosecutors were moving to formally accuse Stefanishina of illegal enrichment.

The case comes as Ukraine's anti-corruption agencies operate under new constraints. Zelensky signed legislation in 2025 removing the independence of NABU and SAPO, according to [1]. The two agencies, which are backed by the U.S., have investigated senior officials in a