Immunology

NexImmune Announces Research Collaboration with National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS) of the National Institutes of Health…

GAITHERSBURG, Md., Oct. 06, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- NexImmune, Inc.(Nasdaq: NEXI), a clinical-stage biotechnology company developing a novel approach to immunotherapy designed to orchestrate a targeted immune response by directing the function of antigen-specific T cells, today announced a collaboration with the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke(NINDS), a division of the U.S. National Institutes of Health (NIH). The collaboration will focus on enriching and expanding virus-specific T cell populations and determining their activity against infected human cell lines. The goal of this collaboration is to develop adoptive cell therapies that may benefit patients afflicted with immunological disorders related to these viral infections. Initially, we will focus our efforts on studying Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) and Human T-cell Leukemia Virus, type 1 (HTLV-1).

NexImmune is committed to developing novel therapies for the treatment of oncology, infectious disease and autoimmune disorders, said Kristi Jones, Chief Executive Officer of NexImmune. Compelling evidence exists that several autoimmune diseases are mediated by virally-infected cells. Current therapeutic approaches in these diseases broadly target cell populations that may or may not be expressly involved in the disease. NexImmunes AIM platform has the potential to selectively target and eliminate EBV-infected B cells in multiple sclerosis (MS), or HTLV-1-infected cells in HTLV-1 associated myelopathy (HAM), which may offer a unique benefit over current approaches. We will be working with the NINDS to evaluate EBV and HTLV-1 as therapeutic targets in the pathophysiology of neurological immune diseases. This important collaboration will enable us to leverage the AIM platform to develop potentially innovative antigen-specific therapies for these patients.

There is a clear causal relationship between HLTV-1 infection and HTLV-1 Associated Myelopathy and a potential relationship between EBV infection and MS, stated David Hafler, M.D., FANA, and member of NexImmunes Scientific Advisory Board. This work will help advance our understanding of the role immune responses to viral infection play in different neuroimmunological diseases.

AboutNexImmune

NexImmune is a clinical-stage biotechnology company developing a novel approach to immunotherapy designed to employ the bodys own T cells to generate a specific, potent, and durable immune response.

NexImmunes lead programs, NEXI-001, NEXI-002 and NEXI-003, are in Phase 1/2 clinical trials for the treatment of relapsed AML after allogeneic stem cell transplantation, multiple myeloma refractory to 3 or more prior lines of therapy and HPV-related cancers, respectively. NexImmune is also developing AIM nanoparticle constructs and modalities for potential clinical evaluation in oncology and in disease areas outside of oncology, including autoimmune disorders and infectious disease.

The backbone of NexImmunes approach is a proprietary Artificial Immune Modulation (AIM) nanoparticle technology platform. The AIM technology enables NexImmune to construct nanoparticles that function as synthetic dendritic cells capable of directing a specific T cell-mediated immune response. AIM constructed nanoparticles employ natural biology to engage, activate and expand endogenous T cells in ways that combine anti-tumor attributes of antigen-specific precision, potency and long-term persistence with reduced potential for off-target toxicities.

For more information, visit http://www.neximmune.com

AboutThe National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke and its Viral Immunology Section

Created by the U.S. Congress in 1950, the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS) has occupied a central position in the world of neuroscience for over 70 years. The mission of NINDS is to reduce the burden of neurological diseasea burden borne by every age group, every segment of society, and people all over the world.

To accomplish this goal, the Institute supports and conducts basic, translational, and clinical research on the healthy and diseased nervous system; fosters the training of investigators in the basic and clinical neurosciences; and seeks better understanding, diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of neurological disorders.

The Viral Immunology Section studies the role of human viruses in the pathogenesis of chronic progressive neurologic disease. As part of its work, the laboratory is studying virological, immunological, and molecular mechanisms associated with the human T lymphotropic virus type-I associated myelopathy/tropical spastic paraparesis and the association of virus in multiple sclerosis.

Forward Looking Statements

This press release may contain forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 that are based on the beliefs and assumptions and on information currently available to management of NexImmune, Inc. (the Company). All statements other than statements of historical fact contained in this press release are forward-looking statements, including statements concerning our planned and ongoing clinical studies for the Companys product candidates, including NEXI-001 and NEXI-002; the initiation, enrollment, timing, progress, release of data from and results of those planned and ongoing clinical studies; and the utility of prior preclinical and clinical data in determining future clinical results. In some cases, you can identify forward-looking statements by terminology such as may, will, should, expects, plans, anticipates, believes, estimates, predicts, potential or continue or the negative of these terms or other comparable terminology. Forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause the Companys actual results, performance or achievements to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements. These risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to, the risks and uncertainties set forth in the Risk Factors section of our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2020 filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) on March 31, 2021, and subsequent reports that we file with the SEC. Forward-looking statements represent the Companys beliefs and assumptions only as of the date of this press release. Although the Company believes that the expectations reflected in the forward-looking statements are reasonable, it cannot guarantee future results, levels of activity, performance or achievements. Except as required by law, the Company assumes no obligation to publicly update any forward-looking statements for any reason after the date of this press release to conform any of the forward-looking statements to actual results or to changes in its expectations.

Contacts

Investors:Chad Rubin, SVP Corporate AffairsNexImmune, Inc.646.319.3261crubin@neximmune.com

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Anatomy

Anatomy of a Ransomware Attack: 8 Stages of Operation [White Paper] – BlackBerry Blog

Its a dark and rainy night. Thunder rumbles. Lightning flashes. An unexpected crime takes place. Intrigue and deception follow, with a mystery to solve.

When it comes to fiction, you might enjoy reading a good mystery to figure out whodunnit. Not so, when that crime is a ransomware attack with a digital note telling you that threat actors have compromised your organizations network, encrypted all your files, and are demanding immediate payment to restore your operations.

In 2021, the average cost of a ransomware attack hit $1.85 million a 41% increase from the previous year. This includes the ransom, downtime, people time, device cost, network cost, lost opportunity, and more. But beyond the financial and reputational cost, theres another impact few companies talk about: leadership turnover. Recent research reveals that 32% of the time, C-level employees depart the organization after a successful ransomware attack. To add insult to injury, 80% of targeted organizations are hit by a repeat attack.

These are the reasons SANS Institutes Senior InstructorJake Williams, and BlackBerry Principal Incident Response & Forensics ConsultantRyan Chapman, joined forces in a recent SANSwebcastto explain the various stages of a ransomware operation, and steps organizations can take to lessen vulnerability. Their insights are also echoed in the free white paperAnatomy of a Ransomware Operation.

Ransomware is no longer just an executable that drops onto a device and then does bad things on that device, Chapman says in the webcast. Rather, it is an overall operation, and it's carried out by humans with their hands on the keyboard.

Threat actors are doing things human-operated, Chapman concludes. You should too. If you don't have enough security-minded folks, then that's where managed detection and response comes in.

In the webcast, Williams and Chapman list eight distinct stages in a typical ransomware attack:

View thewebcast, or read thefree white paperfor more details on each attack stage, and to understand opportunities to disrupt a ransomware attack as it occurs in your environment. You can also stay up to date on ransomware attack protection and prevention by visitingblackberry.com/ransomware.

TheBlackBerry Incident Response teamcan work with organizations of any size and across any vertical, to evaluate and enhance their endpoint security posture and proactively maintain the security, integrity, and resilience of their network infrastructure.For emergency assistance, please email us atDLIR@blackberry.com, or useourhandraiserform.

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Anatomy of a Ransomware Attack: 8 Stages of Operation [White Paper] - BlackBerry Blog

Anatomy

Will Bailey Ever Return to Grey Sloan? Greys Anatomy Boss Explains – TV Insider

After visiting her old workplace to get a glimpse of Grey Sloan Memorials new, bottom of the barrel intern class and getting an earful from the guy who wanted to be the vagina of the surgical program Miranda Bailey (Chandra Wilson) seemed all too happy to let Richard Webber (James Pickens Jr.) handle the situation.

Good luck with that, she said over her shoulder as she sashayed out of the Grey Sloan ER in Greys Anatomys Season 19 premiere on Thursday, October 6,

Bailey got really tired of carrying Grey Sloan on her shoulders last season, Greys showrunner Krista Vernoff explained to TVLine recently. And she made a decision to step away for her sanity and her well-being.

But how long will Baileys fun-employment last? Is she ever coming back to the hospital?

Greys Anatomy spoilers ahead!

Bailey will indeed scrub in again at Grey Sloan, per TVLine, which previously reported that the character will soon team up with Addison, played by returning alum Kate Walsh.Were telling a really powerful story about Addison and Bailey joining forces that is in turns funny and gut-wrenching, and through that story fans will learn a little bit more about Addisons life back in Los Angeles, Vernoff told the site last week.

The Greys boss added that the ABC show will delve into what an ambitious person like Bailey does when they sort of reach the top rung of where they want to go and need to find other areas where that ambition can be useful.

For Bailey, its in so many areas, Vernoff, who also handles the fate of Baileys husband, Ben, as showrunner of spinoff Station 19. It may also be a case of, in some ways, more being less.

Vernoff also teased that the key for Bailey may be finding the joy in taking a lesser title at work in favor of having a richer, happier life.

Nino Muoz/ABC

Actor Chandra Wilson told TheWrap recently that Bailey is too nosy to stay away from Grey Sloan for long. She is actually kind of going through that same transition that most folks in the world are going through right now, where your priorities change as a result of everything that weve been through in the last three years, at this point, she added.

Wilson also said that well see a different side of Bailey in Season 19 as the character redefines her Grey Sloan role. We have seen a person who had goals from Day 1; we got to see her achieve those goals in real time, the SAG Award winner observed. And we also got to see the difference between who she thinks she is and who the audience knows she is. So I think in Baileys mind, shes still the person that you met in the pilot for the most part, but as an audience member, you know better now, right?

Greys Anatomy, Thursdays, 8/7c, ABC

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Anatomy

The Anatomy of the Mets 2022 Collapse – metsmerizedonline.com

Credit: Brett Davis-USA TODAY Sports

When seasons dont end the way you want or expect, people look for a reason or a scapegoat. To wit, the New York Mets announced both Billy Eppler and Buck Showalter were returning next season. On the one hand, it would seem obvious that was the case, but there was a collapse, so it was best to state it outright.

Certainly, both Eppler and Showalter have their fair share of the blame for what happened. However, it is much deeper and much more layered than that.

The seminal moment most Mets fans point to is Starling Martes hand injury in the September 6 game against the Pittsburgh Pirates. Ask a Mets fans, and they staunchly believe the Mets win the division if Marte doesnt get hurt. To a certain extent, there is truth to that.

After all, it meant more Tyler Naquin, who was terrible in September batting .185/.232/.308. He was so poor he was left off the postseason roster despite his terrific numbers against Yu Darvish, a pitcher the Mets never hit.

Looking at Naquin, that should have us revisit the Eppler point. There was a post hoc analysis of the Mets trade deadline moves (which were debated in real time). Prior to the Daniel Vogelbach trade, Mets DHs had a 79 wRC+. From Vogelbachs firsts game with the Mets to the end of the season, that mark improved to a 102 wRC+.

However, that was mostly Vogelbach. Against left-handed pitching. Darin Ruf had a 20 OPS+ with the Mets. Mark Vientos and Francisco lvarez were throw into pennant races and struggled. Notably, Gary Cohen was highly critical of the Mets decision making process noting how the Mets didnt call them up when there was a chance during the season and put too much on them.

To that point, the Atlanta Braves called upMichael Harris and Vaughn Grissom well in advance of September games, and they got much better production. As an aside, the Braves are again extending their young core while the Mets arent, but thats a separate discussion for another day.

All of the above is a worthwhile discussion, however, it is still not getting to the root cause. The Mets collapse began at Citi Field against the Washington Nationals. The Mets would lose two out of three games. It was part of the Mets worst stretch of the season.

From September 3 to September 14, the Mets were 5-6 against the Washington Nationals, Pittsburgh Pirates, Miami Marlins, and Chicago Cubs. During that stretch, the Mets three game lead shrunk to a half game. Over a stretch where the Mets could put the division away, they put the division back in play allowing the Braves to sweep the Mets forcing the Mets to the Wild Card.

Fast-forward for a second to the Atlanta Braves series. There were a number of problems in that series. Chief among them was the starting pitching failed. Figuring out how to prevent this from happening again requires diagnosing how that happened. The answer may be unsatisfying to some, but it is as simple as fatigue.

Wendell Cruz-USA TODAY Sports

Carlos Carrasco, who didnt pitch in the Braves series, pitched a combined 121 2/3 innings over the previous two seasons. He would pitch 152 this season. At the 64 inning mark this season, Carrasco had a 3.52 ERA and was averaging 5 2/3 innings per start. After that, he had a 4.30 ERA averaging under five innings per start.

He had one of the Mets bad losses in September. On September 27, he allowed four runs to the Marlins over three innings. That was one of many games the Mets wanted back.

Taijuan Walker again had a poor second half, but he did salvage it a bit in September. Still, he faltered against the Pirates, and he took the loss against the Milwaukee Brewers. Both were big spots, and he and the Mets wish they had those games back.

Of course, neither Carrasco nor Walker were the biggest culprits, the ultimate blame seems to be directed at Chris Bassitt. Last year, Bassitt pitched 157 1/3 innings, and he had only thrown over 100 innings one other time in his career.

After his September 7 start, he hit the 161 1/3 inning mark. At that point, he had a 3.24 ERA while averaging a little over six innings per start. After that, Bassitt fell apart against the Cubs and Braves. He was very good against bad teams in the Pirates and Oakland Athletics.

Max Scherzer dealt with oblique issues. Jacob deGrom had a blister issue. Neither would ever admit it impacted their performances, but essentially, they were compromised pitchers. When you build a team on starting pitching, you cant have all five starters limping to the finish line. That is exactly what the Mets had.

Unfortunately, they did not have the hitting to overcome this. That was apparent in Atlanta when they scored all of seven runs. Over the final month of the season, in their losses, they averaged 2.5 runs per game. Part of this was the Mets approach at the plate.

Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports

The Mets hit 171 homers this season ranked 15th in the majors. Pete Alonso and Francisco Lindor accounted for 38.6% of the Mets home run production. The next highest was Eduardo Escobar with 20, and he hit almost half of them in September. Essentially, for most of the season, if Alonso and Lindor werent hitting it out of the park, no one was.

Combine that with very questionable managing from Buck Showalter in Atlanta and the postseason, and you have a 101-win Mets team that fails to win the division. You have a Mets team who gets one hit in an elimination game.

With the Mets, it was no one thing. It was exhausted starting pitching who faltered. It was an offense overly reliant on two players. It was a manager who struggled in bad games making poor decisions in big games. And yes, it was a front office who failed to fully address the teams deeper issues at the trade deadline.

When all was said and done, this was a team built to sustain the rigors of the regular season. However, it was not prepared and built to last deep into the season and go deep into October. We didnt realize it at the time, but it is difficult to overlook now.

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Anatomy

From ‘Grey’s Anatomy’ to ‘Abbott Elementary,’ pop culture is finally waking up to the climate crisis – Fast Company

From hurricanes bearing down on Florida to megafires burning in the West, the climate crisis seems to be everywhere, all at once. But on TV and film screens, mentions of climate are far rarer.

A study by the University of Southern Californias Media Impact lab examined more than 37,000 film and TV scripts that aired in the U.S. between 2016 and 2020. It found that only 2.8% even mentioned climate-adjacent words like solar panels, fracking, sea level rise, or renewable energy.

We know thats really low for a phenomenon that we are all experiencing, said Anna Jane Joyner, founder of Good Energy, a nonprofit consulting firm. The group has a goal: to get 50% of television and film scripts to touch on the climate crisis by 2027.

A growing number of shows are incorporating climate themes, Joyner said. Last season, the ABC hospital drama Greys Anatomy aired an episode called Hotter Than Hell, based on the real-life heat dome that baked the Pacific Northwest the previous summer. When the bodys exposed to rising temperatures, it has the ability to cool itself down. We sweat, our blood vessels dilate, and our heart rate increases, Meredith Grey, the shows titular character, narrated. But when the temperature starts to inch above 100 degrees, our bodies have to work overtime, leading to heat exhaustion. We become nauseated, dizzy, and confused.

The upcoming Apple TV+ anthology drama Extrapolations, starring Meryl Streep, Edward Norton and Marion Cotillard, is billed as an exploration of how the upcoming changes to our planet will affect love, faith, work and family on a personal and human scale.

Hulus Indigenous American teen comedy-drama Reservation Dogs features Dallas Goldtooth, an advocate with the Indigenous Environmental Network and includes references to the Land Back Indigenous sovereignty movement, which is part of a wider climate justice movement.

On ABCs Abbott Elementary, Principal Ava complains about a February hotter than the devils booty, to which a colleague replies: Climate change. We are living in the middle of its disastrous effects.

[The climate crisis] is such a part of our global and individual experience, and thats only going to become more so in the next decade, Joyner said. Eventually its going to be an intentional creative choice to not include mentions of climate change, and stories will feel outdated if they dont acknowledge this is part of our world now.

Research shows that people tend to underestimate how much others care about climate changethey think they care more than their neighbors or family members. While 70% of American adults say they are concerned or alarmed about the climate crisis, theyre not talking about itonly about one-third reported discussing the topic with their friends or family.

That creates a sense of isolation and anxiety, Joyner said. Television and film can do a lot to assuage that because it validates the audiences own experiences and feelings.

That means that climate storylines can be comedic, absurdist, or dramatic. In fact, Joyner said she finds doom and apocalypse plotlines to be limiting. People need more stories about the future we do want, she said.

Showing that climate change is something that is real, and happening now can galvanize audiences to act, said Max Boykoff, a researcher at the University of Colorado Boulder who studies climate change communication. Even in the last few years, weve been seeing this more and morenot just futuristic portrayals that are talking about climate change, but showing where we live and whats going on right now, he said. This isnt just about sacrifice. This can be about innovation, it can be about opportunity, it can be about actually having fun.

Victor Quinaz, a writer and producer on Netflixs Big Mouth and GLOW, said its not always easy to bring up the climate crisis in a pitch meeting. I dont think I would ever go into a room and pitch, this is about climate change, he said. That is such a pitch-killer. I think we have to be far more subtle about the storytelling.

On Big Mouth, Quinaz said his team consulted neuroscientists, psychiatrists, and other experts to understand what kids were feeling during pubertyand one predominant emotion was anxiety. Climate anxiety is a major stressor among young people and something Quinaz weaves into storylines: On one episode, Andrew Gloubermans family visits Florida, when a massive sinkhole opens up and devours the west coast of the state.

Quinaz is currently developing a show with Jenji Kohan (Weeds, Orange is the New Black) based on his experiences as a disaster relief volunteer. For me, the story wasnt about climate change, it was about how we help people in this time period, and the anxiety of living through this time, he said.

Dorothy Fortenberry, a writer and producer on Extrapolations, said she sees more interest in climate plotlines in Hollywood. Just in the last five years, Ive been a part of many more conversations about how to bring an awareness of the complexity of climate change to the show they already want to write, she said. People are asking: Wheres the climate part of that show?

Fortenberry points to short climate mentionsin Shen Wengs new Netflix standup special, the comedian leans into a joke about climate change and then moves on. It doesnt feel like pausing and doing a Very Special Episode, it doesnt feel like you leave the narrative world, she said. Its not like a 90s sitcom that suddenly needs to talk about bulimia for 26 seconds.

She hopes that climate stories will be ubiquitousbut also multifaceted. If all the climate stories are the same, and the same type of view, it will be boring and bad, said Fortenberry. My hope is every creative person takes this in the direction that is fruitful for the narrative and we end up with a real panoply of narratives.

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Anatomy

Harry Shum Jr. on Joining Greys Anatomy and New Romances Ahead (VIDEO) – TV Insider

Greys Anatomy is making way for fresh blood in Season 19 and fans got a taste of it in the premiere installment, Everything Has Changed.

Among the newly-introduced lot is Harry Shum Jr.s intern, Benson Kwan, who made quite the impression in the opening episode that aired on October 6. The actor, who is known for his roles on shows like Shadowhunters and Glee, had a surreal experience upon walking onto the set for the first time, as he recalled to TV Insiders Jim Halterman.

(Credit: ABC/Liliane Lathan)

It feels very real, I mean, you feel like youre stepping into a real hospital, Shum Jr. marveled. Theres so many nurses and other doctors walking around, it really doesnt differentiate between reality and the Greys world. So it was nice to step in there.

As for donning the iconic Grey Sloan Memorial scrubs and jacket, Shum Jr. said its like a cape, man, its like a little superhero. Everyones a superhero in this, theyre saving lives but theyre also dealing with a lot of inner turmoil thats happening in their lives and in each others relationships.

Despite the heavier moments that can occur in the medical drama, Shum Jr. teased, Its bringing a lot of the fun back into the interactions with different characters. Shouting out his fellow new interns, Shum Jr. added, Theyve just been wonderful. I think they really chose some great actors to join this new season.

As for fans of the signature doctor-on-doctor romance, Shum Jr. promised, Theres definitely distractions, theres always distractions at Grey Sloan, thats what Ive learned also some distractions that, you know in the Greys world, will lead a lot of shipping to happen. Possibilities that the fans could have fun with and see which ones they like and dont like.

Stay tuned to see how it all unfolds as Greys Anatomy Season 19 continues on ABC, and see Shum Jr.s full interview in the video, above.

Greys Anatomy, Season 19, Thursdays, 9/8c, ABC

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Anatomy

Nine Brains, Three Hearts and Other Octopus Anatomy Facts – Now. Powered by Northrop Grumman.

Octopus anatomy is strikingly different from the human body, unless youre Dr. Otto Gunther Octavius. Eight arms are the most obvious trait, but beneath the mottled skin theres actually an array of brains, one for each tentacle. And just how many hearts does an octopus have? The answer is a surprising three, and each has an important function, so theyre not just spares.

These facts are just the tip of the iceberg for one of the more specialized creatures under the sea.

With such a uniqueness in octopus anatomy, youd expect these cephalopods to live forever. Sadly, no. The usual life span in the wild is only around one to two years for most species, according to National Geographic.

The Nature Conservancy Council of Canada notes that the largest species, the Northern Giant Pacific octopus, is also the longest lived. It reaches up to around five meters in length and between 20 and 50 kilograms in weight (about 16.5 feet and between 44 and 110 pounds), and dies at around five years old, usually after mating or laying and caring for eggs.

Scientific American blogged about the loss of the National Zoos resident octopus, Pandora, who had been entertaining visitors in her tank for 27 months, which is quite a record for an octopus.

An octopus has not one, but three hearts.

Two of them the branchial hearts pump blood to the gills where it picks up oxygen. The third, or systemic heart, pumps the oxygenated blood around the body, fueling up the eight tentacles for whatever they and their suckers plan to do.

Octopuses are quite active as cephalopods, and its thought that the three hearts are necessary to maintain their power. However, when swimming, the octopus does not use its systemic heart and can tire quite easily. It creates water jets with its body mantle instead to power propulsion.

Octopus blood is blue due to the copper-based, oxygen-carrying hemocyanin it contains. Hemocyanin doesnt carry oxygen as well as a humans iron-based hemoglobin, and New Scientist explains this might be why octopuses need more than one heart. Unfortunately, hemocyanin doesnt carry oxygen so well in acidic conditions. Since climate change is gradually lowering the pH of the worlds oceans, the environment here may not be ideal for octopus anatomy in the future.

Another reason for the impressive array of hearts is due to another peculiar feature of octopus anatomy: They have a mini brain in each of the eight tentacles, which helps each arm act independently with speed and sharp reflexes. A ninth brain oversees the entire nervous system and can also somewhat override the mini brain to operate each tentacle.

The brain-to-body ratio for an octopus is the largest for any invertebrate, and they have around the same number of neurons as a dog. They are known to be extremely intelligent, learning to solve puzzles in lab simulations and are also able to recognize people.

Having such a powerful and extensive nervous system takes a lot of energy, hence the three hearts to pump blood around the octopus.

Tentacles, each covered in an array of powerful suckers, are used for locomotion and gathering food. Although octopuses can swim, their preferred locomotion is to crawl along the seabed. Octopuses can also use their tentacles to manipulate objects, unscrewing jars and holding food. Male octopuses use a specialized grooved tentacle called a hectocotylus to pass a spermatophore to the female during mating. The National History Museum describes how some male octopuses also leave the appendage with the female.

Octopus anatomy has inspired robot development; using biomimicry, researchers at Harvard developed a soft tentacle bot that can carefully grasp irregular objects. There have even been attempts to develop climbing robots based on their ability to grasp surfaces such as ladder rungs and rough walls.

Are you interested in science and innovation? We are, too. Check out Northrop Grumman career opportunities to see how you can participate in this fascinating time of discovery.

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Anatomy

TV Ratings for Thursday, Oct. 6: Greys Anatomy Station 19 Return – TVLine

In the latest TV ratings, ABCs Greys Anatomy and NBCs SVU tied for the nightly demo win (per Nielsen finals), while CBS Young Sheldon drew Thursdays largest audience.

ABC | Station 19 returned to 4.2 million total viewers and a 0.5 demo rating (and a TVLine reader grade of B+), down a tick from its previous averages, while Greys (3.8 mil/0.6,reader grade B+) returned steady. The freshman drama Alaska Daily debuted to 3.6 mil and a 0.3, improving on Big Skys average audience in the time slot but tying ABCs Rookie Feds and CBS Real Love Boat for the lowest-rated fall launch. Readers gave the Hillary Swank starrer an average grade of B+, with 86% planning to stay tuned.

CBS | Young Sheldon (7 mil/0.5) and CSI: Vegas (3.2 mil/0.3) were steady, while Ghosts (6.2 mil/0.5) and So Help Me Todd (4.4 mil/0.3) both dipped.

FOX | Hells Kitchen (1.8 mil/0.4), Flatch (850K/0.2) and Call Me Kat (1.1 mil/0.2) were all steady.

NBC | Law & Order (4.1 mil/0.4) and Organized Crime (3 mil/0.4) ticked down with the latter matching series lows but SVU (4.2 mil/0.6) ticked up.

THE CW | Walker (760K/0.1, TVLine reader grade A-) returned down 16% in audience versus its sophomore average, while Walker Independence (620K/0.1, TVLine reader grade A-) debuted to a much bigger audience than Legacies (370K/0.1) averaged last season.

Want scoop on any of the above shows? Email InsideLine@tvline.com and your question may be answered via Matts Inside Line.

The Live+Same Day numbers reported in our ratings column do not reflect a shows overall performance, given the increased use of delayed playback via DVR and streaming platforms, plus out-of-home viewing. These numbers (Nielsen fast nationals, unless denoted as finals) instead aim to simply illustrate trends or superlatives. When not in use, Happy Fun Ball should be returned to its special container and kept under refrigeration.

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TV Ratings for Thursday, Oct. 6: Greys Anatomy Station 19 Return - TVLine

Anatomy

Anatomy of the Blue Jays meltdown: Theres plenty of blame to go around – Toronto Star

In the aftermath of the American League wild-card series, a question lots of fans seem to be asking is: Who should take the blame for the Blue Jays stunning collapse?

The answers vary, but everyone has an opinion.

Some fault the decisions made in the dugout. Others point to the costly defensive miscue in centre field, a bullpen that lacked depth or the front office that put this group together, flaws and all.

With emotions still running high from Saturdays 10-9 loss to the Seattle Mariners, its only natural to do a bit of finger-pointing. People are upset and trying to make sense of what happened. Debates like these come with the territory for supporters of the team and sports journalists alike.

Based on the social media reaction, public enemy No. 1 is manager John Schneider. A few of Schneiders moves from Game 2 were called into question, but the one criticized the most was his decision to replace starter Kevin Gausman with the bases loaded during the sixth inning.

The move for lefty Tim Mayza, who went on to surrender a three-run homer to Carlos Santana, has every reason to be second-guessed; regardless of what the Jays say publicly, theyd be foolish not to do things differently if given the chance. But Schneider had his reasons and, results aside, they werent as insane as some might think.

The Jays had a seven-run lead when Gausman opened the sixth inning by allowing the first three batters to reach base. He bounced back by striking out Mitch Haniger and getting Adam Frazier to pop out. With the bottom third of the order due up next, Schneider was left with a difficult decision.

The interim skipper had to go with Mayza right then and there or remain committed to Gausman who was at 94 pitches for a few more hitters. MLBs three-batter minimum for pitchers meant delaying the move by one would have risked Mayza facing star leadoff man Julio Rodrguez, who bats right, in a much closer game.

Schneider presumably didnt want to take that chance. Was it the right call? Obviously not, but even after Mayza allowed four runs to score in lightning-quick fashion, the Jays escaped with a three-run lead. By the seventh, theyd extended it to four. The game should have been over, but somehow it wasnt.

Another critique of Schneider involves Raimel Tapia entering to play left field after Whit Merrifield was struck on the head by a pitch in fifth. Arguments have been made that if Jackie Bradley Jr. was out there instead, he would have caught a blooper in the sixth and a fly ball in the eighth that fell for hits.

Except there was never a scenario in which Bradley would have been in left. He hasnt played the position once this season and has made just 14 appearances there since 2016. Hes more comfortable in right, which is why, as recently as Sept. 24, Teoscar Hernndez moved to left when both guys were assigned to the corners. Maybe injured starter Lourdes Gurriel Jr. would have made those plays, but Hernndez doesnt.

Bo Bichette has been taking a lot of heat, too. According to Statcast, the eighth-inning blooper that led to a violent collision between the Jays shortstop and centre-fielder George Springer had a catch probability of 75 per cent. At most, two runs should have scored, giving closer Jordan Romano another chance to escape. Instead, three crossed the plate to tie the game.

Bichette appeared to get caught up in the moment and tried to do too much. If anyone was going to make that catch it was Springer, while Bichettes responsibility was to peel off and make way for the incoming defender. Assign as much blame here as you want, but Bichette doubled, reached base twice and make a sensational leaping grab earlier in the game. Its not like he failed to show up. Still, his defence has been a talking point for a while and that doesnt figure to change any time soon.

The other major issue was the bullpen. Jays relievers had a seven-run lead in the sixth and it was four with six outs to go, but they couldnt seal the deal. Mayza shoulders some of that, as does trade deadline acquisition Anthony Bass, who didnt retire any of the three batters he faced. After the game, an emotional Romano tried to blame himself.

Bullpen woes are nothing new for this team. A lack of depth was an issue much of last season and again through this years all-star break. The numbers improved during the second half, but outside of Romano and Yimi Garca this group didnt possess much in the way of high velocity or swing-and-miss stuff. It was bound to cost them at some point. The only surprise was how fast it happened.

Outside of the Phillies and banged-up Yankees, the Jays had the weakest pen of the 12 post-season teams. The inability to develop their own late-inning arms outside of Romano remains this organizations greatest failure. Fixing that problem must be a top priority this winter.

There were other reasons the Jays lost that went beyond Saturday night, too.

Alek Manoah wasnt himself in Game 1, but if he didnt start off by hitting Rodrguez before making the same mistake again in the fifth things might have been different. Vladimir Guerrero Jr. went hitless in the opener and had two total bases in the series with four men left on base. The poor health of Springer and Gurriels injury didnt help, either.

The point is, theres a lot of blame to go around, too much for it to be put on one guy.

Players and coaches overuse you win as a team and you lose as a team, but every now and then that clich seems appropriate. This is one of those times.

This wasnt Bill Buckner in the 1986 World Series, or Buck Showalter refusing to use Zack Britton in the 2016 wild-card game. This was a series of unfortunate mistakes that led to an early exit and a lot of people were responsible, not just one.

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Anatomy of the Blue Jays meltdown: Theres plenty of blame to go around - Toronto Star