Florida Grand Opera is preparing to release SCENE, its first print magazine, which will debut within weeks. The publication will feature coverage of culture, fashion, design, travel and Florida Grand Opera’s season programming, presented through the lens of the company’s stage productions. One of the inaugural features highlights tenor Arturo Chacón-Cruz, who returns to Florida Grand Opera as Edgardo in Lucia di Lammermoor, the role that introduced Luciano Pavarotti to American audiences at the company in 1965. Chacón-Cruz has performed at La Scala and the Metropolitan Opera, has been named GQ Mexico’s Man of the Year, runs his own tequila brand and advocates for music education and celiac research. Throughout the season, SCENE will present additional messages and stories from artists and creative leaders connected to Florida Grand Opera and South Florida’s cultural community. Businesses interested in appearing in SCENE can contact Florida Grand Opera’s advancement office by email for more information. Subscriptions to Florida Grand Opera’s season may be purchased through the audience services office or online via the company’s website. By ML. Photo(s)/Florida Grand Opera

Aman has introduced a Knitted Tennis Collection that aligns with its Aman Tennis Club, offering apparel designed for both on court play and relaxed resort settings. The collection includes men’s knitted tennis polos in black, women’s knitted tennis dresses in black and ecru, and a unisex knitted tennis vest in blue. The pieces are presented as a continuous rhythm between precision on the court and ease off it, with a streamlined aesthetic suited to contemporary sportswear. Items from the Knitted Tennis Collection are available through the Aman Tennis Club, where shoppers can explore the range of polos, dresses, and vests created for integrated sport and leisure wear. By ML. Photo(s)/Aman

Miami-Dade County will hold two public hearings in September 2026 on the proposed fiscal year 2026–2027 budget, inviting Miami Emerging Arts Leaders and other residents to follow how spending decisions are made. The first budget hearing is scheduled for September 3, 2026, and the second for September 17, 2026. Both hearings will begin at 5:01 p.m. in the Miami-Dade County Commission Chamber on the second floor of the Stephen P. Clark Government Center, 111 NW First Street, Miami, Florida, 33128. A live webcast will also be available at miamidade.gov/webcasting for those who wish to watch remotely. Attendees will be able to see in real time how community members and elected officials work together on the budget, how funding priorities are set and how these choices affect county programs, services, and the arts and culture sector. Miami Emerging Arts Leaders and others interested in local government are encouraged to observe the proceedings. The full proposed budget is available online for review, along with additional details about the public hearings on the county website. By ML. Photo(s)/Miami-Dade County Department of Cultural Affairs

Versace has released its Fall Winter 2026 collection of men’s accessories, adding new options for shoppers ahead of the coming season. The collection includes a curated range of accessories made from high quality materials and updated with new seasonal prints, reflecting the brand’s focus on design and craftsmanship. The new men’s accessories are available at Versace boutiques and on versace.com for customers worldwide. By ML. Photo(s)/Versace

Bordering the canal on Sunset Island, this residence presents a sculptural response to its layered coastal context, carefully balancing privacy with expansive views across the water. Aligned with the City of Miami’s proactive approach to resiliency and rising water levels, the home is elevated above the canal. Its primary volume is lifted to mitigate the impact of sea-level rise and storm surges, while simultaneously preserving privacy from passing boats. This strategic elevation opens the waterside facade to sunset views across the bay and towards the downtown skyline, merging environmental responsiveness with a sense of openness. In contrast, the arrival sequence remains deliberately discreet, offering only fleeting glimpses within and preserving a sense of discovery. A carefully considered L-shaped plan lifts and pivots the residence south-westward, orienting the home toward the water. By directing sightlines away from the busy marina and adjacent high-rises, the design emphasises a more tranquil perspective across the bay. On approach, the house conveys a quiet confidence. A restrained composition of off-shutter concrete and white stucco defines the street-facing facade. The entry sequence unfolds through a series of thresholds, ascending a processional stair to a courtyard that blurs the boundary between inside and outside, culminating in a calm, measured arrival. Referencing nautical geometries, a sail-like roof form hovers above the residence, drawing subtle inspiration from the canal-side boating culture. Its sculptural profile defines the home’s expressive silhouette. Miami-based Parlor Interiors curated an interior palette that complements SAOTA’s architectural language, refined, tactile, and fluid. Working alongside the design team, ACA Development oversaw project management and delivery. More than a dwelling, the home choreographs movement, light, and view, reimagining Miami’s relationship with its coastal landscape and reinforcing SAOTA’s continued exploration of place, form, and horizon. Credits Project Name: Sunset Project Location: Miami, United States Lead Designers: SAOTA SAOTA Project Team: Mark Bullivant, Edward Peinke, Peter Harel, Anesu Matsinde, Lichumile Monakali Architect of Record: The Weber Studio Interior Designer: Parlor Interiors Contractor: Brodson Construction Project Manager: ACA Development Structural Engineer: Solver Structural Partnerships Civil Engineer: Ocean Engineering MEP: L.Triana & Associates Lighting Design: Luxpupoli Photographer: Adam Letch

A play that began as a workshop at Miami New Drama will open on Broadway this fall, marking a new milestone for the Miami-based theatre company. Tectonic Theater Project’s Here There Are Blueberries, written by Moisés Kaufman and Amanda Gronich and developed in partnership with Miami New Drama, went on to become a 2024 Pulitzer Prize finalist and will now transfer to Broadway. Other recent works originating at Miami New Drama have also moved to national stages, including Birthright at MCC Theater in New York, where it was named a New York Times Critic’s Pick, and The Zionists at Barrington Stage Company in the Berkshires. Single tickets for Miami New Drama’s upcoming season will open to the public on September 8, the same day Broadway tickets for Here There Are Blueberries go on sale. By ML. Photo(s)/Miami New Drama

The days when the skylines of major metro centres were dominated by cranes and the construction of high-rise buildings are over. The nature of commercial real estate investments is changing, and for many people, it's for the better. Interest rates have been volatile over recent years, and changes in technology and the pandemic have shifted workplace paradigms, meaning that more people than ever before are working from home. Looming debt maturities and other financial risks mean that commercial real estate is now entering an era more defined by superior asset management and capital restructuring than speculative construction. Private developers are moving to a world in which they now accept that the market is permanently shifted. It appears that the era of cheap money is permanently over, and in its place are inflated asset valuations and a sharper analytical playbook that doesn't just rely on the idea that prices will go up forever. The Maturity Wall and Private Capital At the centre of today's issue in the commercial real estate market is debt maturities. Commercial mortgages currently have hundreds of billions of dollars in outstanding loans generated during the 2020s and early 2020s, when interest rates were low. Property owners are now looking to refinance, but they face a stark reality: base borrowing costs are often several percentage points higher, and valuations are falling considerably, making it a less attractive proposition. Regional banks, which used to be the lifeblood of mid-market commercial lending, are pulling back to protect their own balance sheets and meet stricter regulatory requirements. Private credit funds, insurance firms, and mezzanine lenders are stepping in to fill this void using various structured solutions. One of the most interesting developments is the growth of preferred equity and bridge-to-refinance debt. These are able to carry a lot of commercial property developments through liquidity crunches before markets stabilise more. Capital comes at a premium, but it provides sponsors with the runway needed to deliver renovations or improve tenant retention strategies. This means that commercial office and real estate investors have more runway to execute their plans without having to worry so much about financial issues biting them later on. This reduces the risk of distressed fire sales, which is one of the reasons many investors exit the industry. Bifurcating Demand Bifurcation of demand is another real issue currently facing commercial real estate investors. The mainstream media paints a picture that the entire industry is currently in distress, but market realities are different depending on various asset classes. For example, multifamily units in areas like Phoenix, Nashville, and Austin led to supply gluts and flattened rental growth. The long-term fundamentals in these communities remain relatively strong. There's currently a single-family housing deficit across the nation, and many people remain in the rental pool, even though they want to become homebuyers at a lower rate. If rates were lower, they would like to become homebuyers. In the office space, there's a flight to quality. The idea here is that more companies are looking for offices in Class A towers that allow them to retain talent, rather than Class B or Class C options. The 1980s suburban office parks are becoming less popular for office use, but they have significant conversion potential. There's also the e-commerce leasing boom, with warehouse and distribution expansion continuing almost unabated. Demand is being driven by improvements in supply chain tightness, with more customers looking to purchase online instead of spending time going to their local store. Finally, experiential dining and niche demand for health clinics are driving commercial real estate investment in these sectors. More people are becoming interested in offering these in dense population centres where access is not currently available. Squeezing Yield Through Tax Engineering And Operational Control Many real estate investors are looking to improve their yield through better tax engineering and operational control. Owners in this market understand that they need to build margins from operational efficiencies and better tax planning instead of net operating income. The former option is becoming increasingly challenging at scale for many businesses, especially those facing volatility risks. The best property managers are using predictive building automation systems that adjust energy use based on occupancy and usage patterns. For many operators, this is reducing expenses by double-digit percentages. Furthermore, there are opportunities to reduce taxes and improve margins, according to Florida Cost Segregation, a firm that provides consultations and allows property owners to calculate their savings. “If a real estate investor is involved in a value-add contract transaction, they can pair energy efficiency tax credits with comprehensive cost segregation studies to improve capital allocation. For example, they could invest in things like dedicated mechanical systems, custom millwork, exterior land improvements, etc. This allows them to structurally separate non-structural building components from the standard 27.5-year or 39-year property depreciation schedules. Reclassifying these elements into various 5- to 7-year or 15-year recovery periods allows for a front-loaded write-off.” Growing Adaptive Reuse On top of all this, adaptive reuse is growing. The idea here is to avoid ground-up constructions that might harm the environment and replace them with adaptive reuse of existing buildings as a low path to value creation. For example, obsolete suburban corporate campuses are being turned into outpatient medical facilities or educational hubs. Office-to-residential conversions in downtown cores are also moving towards viable capital projects, although building modifications in these cases need to be significant and zoning issues apply. On top of this are regional capital flow issues. Geographic divergence is a central theme. Institutional capital is rushing indiscriminately into Southern and Western migration hubs, and this is now changing to a neighbourhood-by-neighbourhood assessment. Many investors are asking whether there will be insurance premium volatility and climate risk. At the same time, stable municipal services and predictable rent trajectories are important. “Ultimately, we see the great capital recalibration as a multi-faceted issue that requires investors to be on their toes. They need to understand all of the cost savings available to them so they can make the best decisions for their portfolios.” By ML staff. Images courtesy of Unsplash.

For a long time, the likelihood of surviving pancreatic cancer has been extremely low. For patients who were diagnosed with metastatic pancreatic cancer between 2015 and 2021, about 97% died within five years of their diagnosis. Pancreatic cancer has been notoriously difficult to target and treat. wildpixel/iStock via Getty Images Plus Pancreatic cancer is so deadly in part because there are no effective screening tests, and it rarely causes noticeable symptoms in its earliest stages. By the time a patient experiences signs, such as jaundice – a yellowing of the skin – or abdominal pain, the cancer has often already spread to other organs. As a gastrointestinal oncologist and researcher specializing in early-phase clinical trials, I have seen the critical need for more effective therapies for patients with pancreatic cancer. For decades, successfully targeting the central mechanism that causes the vast majority of pancreatic cancers was considered impossible. However, that narrative is rapidly changing with a drug approved on Aug. 26, 2026, that can shut down the key protein that drives pancreatic cancer, nearly doubling survival rates for patients with advanced stages of the disease. ‘Undruggable’ tumors The standard treatment for advanced pancreatic cancer has historically relied on chemotherapy, potent drugs designed to kill rapidly dividing cells. While chemotherapy can slow the progression of the disease, its effectiveness is often limited by the ability of pancreatic cancer cells to develop resistance against these drugs. KRAS (blue) has been difficult for drugs to target. Fvasconcellos/Wikimedia Commons Pancreatic cancer’s success lies in its genetics. More than 90% of pancreatic tumors are driven by mutations in a gene called KRAS. This gene codes for proteins that function as switches that turn cell growth on and off. When the KRAS gene is mutated, the switch becomes permanently stuck in the “on” position, commanding cancer cells to multiply endlessly. For decades, scientists considered KRAS to be “undruggable.” The surface of the protein is exceptionally smooth, lacking the molecular pockets that standard drugs require to bind to and turn the switch off. Because existing drugs haven’t been able to target this protein, treatment for pancreatic cancer has primarily relied on toxic drugs that act more like blunt instruments than precise tools. Chemotherapy attempts to control the disease through widespread cell destruction, causing significant collateral damage to healthy tissues that lead to side effects. What is daraxonrasib? A new drug called daraxonrasib offers a critical advance in treating metastatic pancreatic cancer. Daraxonrasib is taken daily by mouth. Instead of binding to KRAS directly, it attaches to a molecule called cyclophilin A in cells that helps fold proteins into their final 3D structures. This protein complex is then able to bind to the active KRAS protein and shut down its ability to signal cancer cells to multiply. The company developing the drug, Revolution Medicines, presented results on May 31, 2026, from its Phase 3 clinical trial of 500 patients with metastatic pancreatic cancer who had received prior treatment. Compared to standard chemotherapy, daraxonrasib nearly doubled overall survival from 6.7 months to 13.2 months after diagnosis. Overall, daraxonrasib reduced the risk of death for metastatic pancreatic cancer patients by 60%. The most common side effect is a prominent skin rash, which affected more than 86% of patients in the study. Patients also frequently dealt with stomatitis – painful swelling and sores inside the mouth – as well as diarrhea, nausea and vomiting. However, patients taking daraxonrasib were far less likely to stop treatment due to severe side effects compared to chemotherapy, and they had improved quality of life with reduced pain. Next steps for daraxonrasib With the Food and Drug Administration’s August 2026 approval of daraxonrasib, eligible patients will now be able to receive the drug to treat metastatic pancreatic cancer. The approval will provide much-needed, real-world data that may inform medical best practices and future research. Moving forward, we expect to see an increase in clinical trials exploring combination therapies, pairing KRAS inhibitors such as daraxonrasib with other drugs to prevent tumors from developing resistance and to extend survival even further. In addition, there are numerous “next-generation” inhibitors in development that may be more effective while limiting toxic side effects. Daraxonrasib’s approval proves that precision medicine has entered a new era in the treatment of pancreatic cancer. This sets the stage for more personalized, targeted and effective drugs in the future that will provide hope for patients and their families who deserve the best care possible to treat and prevent this challenging disease. This is an updated version of an article originally published on June 2, 2026. Words by Christopher Lieu, Professor of Medical Oncology, University of Colorado Anschutz. Special thanks for The Conversation. Support and donate today.

The Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope is set to launch this weekend aboard a SpaceX rocket from the Kennedy Space Centre in Florida. When it becomes operational early next year, it will transform our view of the universe. Nancy Grace Roman, NASA’s first chief of astronomy. NASA/ESA With a mirror the same size as the one in the Hubble Space Telescope but a field of view over 100 times larger, NASA’s newest tool is designed to survey vast swaths of sky quickly. It will hunt for dark energy’s fingerprints and detect perhaps 100,000 exoplanets. In August 2018, just four months before she died on December 25, I had the great fortune to fly from Sydney to Washington DC to interview the woman this telescope is named after. She was 93 years old and over the hours we spent talking, she shared with me her remarkable life story. A childhood passion for the stars Nancy Grace Roman was born on May 16 1925, in Nashville, Tennessee, and grew up captivated by the night sky. Her mother, Georgia Frances Smith Roman, encouraged this early curiosity, walking with her young daughter to point out constellations and the aurora borealis. By age eleven, Nancy Grace – never Nancy! – had already organised an astronomy club among her classmates in Reno, Nevada, where the family briefly lived. By high school she had decided, against the advice of nearly everyone around her, that she wanted to become a professional astronomer. That ambition ran headlong into the sexism of 20th century academia. When Nancy Grace asked her high school guidance counsellor for permission to take a second year of algebra instead of yet more Latin, the counsellor reportedly asked her, “What lady would take mathematics instead of Latin?” She took the maths anyway. She went on to Swarthmore College, where she earned a bachelor’s degree in astronomy in 1946, and then to the University of Chicago, where she completed a PhD in astronomy in 1949. Her doctoral research focused on stellar dynamics and the motions of stars in the Milky Way, work that would foreshadow her lifelong interest in stellar populations and galactic structure. After earning her doctorate, Nancy Grace remained at the University of Chicago and worked at the Yerkes Observatory, where she conducted research on stellar spectroscopy. This is the technique of spreading a star’s light into a rainbow and then analysing faint features in the spectrum. She made a name for herself with a landmark 1955 paper demonstrating a correlation between a star’s motion through the Milky Way and its chemical composition. Younger, metal-rich stars tend to move in more circular orbits, while older, metal-poor stars follow more eccentric ones. This finding provided important evidence for how galaxies like the Milky Way evolve over time. Despite this success, she recognised that as a woman in academic astronomy, she faced a ceiling on promotion and tenure that her male colleagues did not. So she began looking for opportunities elsewhere. Taking on an extraordinary responsibility In 1955, Nancy Grace took a position at the Naval Research Laboratory, where she worked on radio astronomy, a field still in its infancy. It was there that she gained a reputation not just as a skilled researcher but as an effective administrator and communicator of science. These skills would soon define the second, more consequential half of her career. In 1959, Nancy Grace was recruited by the newly formed National Aeronautics and Space Administration to help build its space science program essentially from scratch. She became NASA’s first chief of astronomy, the first woman to hold an executive position at the agency. It was an extraordinary responsibility. NASA had no established framework for space-based astronomy, and Nancy Grace was tasked with defining what such a program should even look like. Nancy Grace’s most enduring legacy grew out of an idea she championed for decades (along with American astronomer Lyman Spitzer) before it became reality: a large space telescope that could observe the universe without the blurring and light pollution imposed by Earth’s atmosphere. The project she nurtured through its most difficult years became the Hubble Space Telescope, launched in 1990. Because of her foundational role in conceiving, justifying, and organising the mission decades before it flew, Nancy Grace became widely known as the “Mother of Hubble”. An extraordinary legacy Beyond Hubble, Nancy Grace also helped establish several other NASA astronomy missions. These included the Orbiting Solar Observatory series and the Orbiting Astronomical Observatory, precursors that helped prove the value and feasibility of space-based observation. She retired from NASA in 1979. She received numerous honours over her lifetime, including election to the National Women’s Hall of Fame and an asteroid, 2516 Roman, named in her honour. In May 2020, NASA announced that its next-generation flagship observatory would be named the Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope, making her one of the very few scientists honoured with a major space telescope named after them. Nancy Grace’s career stands as a testament to persistence against institutional barriers and to the outsized impact that scientific vision can have. All astronomers continue to benefit from her extraordinary legacy. Words by Joss Bland-Hawthorn, Laureate Professor, Director of Sydney Institute for Astronomy, Faculty of Science, University of Sydney. Special thanks for The Conversation. Support and donate today.

University of Miami graduates Lilly Kraus and Paige Mason have turned a college connection into Rosemary Social, a Miami social media agency focused on strategy, content creation, influencer partnerships, and brand storytelling. The company works with local businesses to develop their online presence while tailoring content to Miami’s varied neighborhoods and audiences. From Classmates to Co-Founders Kraus and Mason met while taking a social media course at the University of Miami. Their classroom conversations about content, strategy, and storytelling eventually developed into a friendship and, during their senior year, a business. Rosemary Social started with a single client. Additional accounts followed, and by the time Kraus and Mason graduated, the agency was already operating. Their work centers on a challenge familiar to many business owners: maintaining an active social media presence while managing day-to-day operations. Rosemary Social handles areas including social media strategy, content production, influencer partnerships, and broader brand storytelling. The agency’s approach is particularly relevant in Miami, where restaurants, wellness businesses, real estate companies, retailers, hospitality brands, and professional services compete for attention both online and within their individual communities. Marketing Across Miami’s Neighborhoods Kraus and Mason view Miami not as a single marketing audience but as a collection of distinct communities. Brickell, Coconut Grove, Wynwood, Coral Gables, the Miami Design District, Midtown, South Beach, and Little River each attract different audiences and have their own identities. Those distinctions influence how Rosemary Social develops strategies for its clients. Rather than applying the same content formula across accounts, the founders consider the individual business, its customers, its location, and the platforms its audience uses. “A strategy that works for one business isn’t necessarily going to work for another,” Kraus and Mason said. “Success comes from understanding who you’re trying to reach, where they’re spending their time, and how they discover and interact with new businesses.” The agency also considers how platforms serve different stages of customer discovery. Potential customers may encounter a restaurant through Instagram, find a real estate professional on LinkedIn, or discover a local retailer through TikTok before ever interacting with the business in person. As Rosemary Social expands its work in Miami, Kraus and Mason plan to continue focusing on strategies built around individual brands and the local communities they serve. To learn more about ⁠Rosemary Social, visit the agency’s website or follow @wearerosemarysocial on Instagram. By ML Staff. Images courtesy of Carly Terenzio Photography

Growing up, my brothers were fascinated by the first “Rocky” movie. They were trying to get stronger and excel in sports, so one scene stood out almost as much as Rocky sprinting up the museum steps: Before sunrise, Rocky cracked raw eggs into a glass and drank them. To a teenager, this raised some questions. Why raw eggs? Was this what you needed to build muscle and become stronger? Curiosity eventually won, but one gulp was enough. The drink was as nasty as it looked. The scene was as much about showing Rocky’s toughness as it was about making a protein-rich drink to become stronger. Drinking five raw eggs is itself a test of strength. Today, Rocky’s raw eggs have been replaced by protein shakes, bars and protein-enhanced everything. Grocery shelves are filled with protein-enriched cereal, pasta, chips, coffee, bread and even protein-fortified Pop-Tarts. When a breakfast pastry known mainly for sweetness and convenience is marketed as a protein source, it is clear that food companies are capitalizing on consumers’ growing interest in protein. As a researcher who studies proteins essential for nerve and muscle cell function, I am accustomed to thinking about what scientific evidence actually shows. There is good science around much of the current enthusiasm for protein. But many people are already getting adequate amounts of protein in their diet. So as someone also approaching the protein mania as a health-conscious consumer, I believe it’s also important to separate the marketing push to add protein to everything from what is really necessary for good health. What are proteins? Along with carbohydrates and fats, protein is one of the three macronutrients you need to eat in adequate amounts for your body to function. Carbohydrates and fats are your major sources of energy. While protein can also be used for energy, its main purpose is building and repairing the body. Protein is necessary to build and sustain muscles. This includes the skeletal muscles that Rocky uses to sprint and box, the muscles that allow your heart to beat, the muscles that squeeze food through your stomach and intestines, and the muscles that open up your airways to breathe. But muscle is not the only body part that needs protein. Protein is also important for the functioning of your nervous system, immune system, skin, hormones and other essential components. So protein is not just “muscle food.” It is needed throughout your body, even though the marketing of protein-rich foods focuses on muscle. What are amino acids? Proteins are made of amino acids, of which there are 20 types. It’s the combination and number of amino acids, as well as the shapes of the proteins they create, that give proteins different roles in the body. Your body obtains amino acids by digesting the proteins you eat and breaking them down into these individual building blocks. How well your body absorbs amino acids and makes them available for use is affected by many factors, including the protein source and cooking. Animal proteins are generally more digestible than plant proteins, and cooking generally enhances protein digestibility. So, while Rocky’s raw eggs provided a source of protein, scrambled eggs are easier to digest and may have been a better choice. Twenty amino acids are the building blocks of proteins. Andy Brunning/Compound Interest, CC BY-NC-ND Of the 20 different amino acids in proteins, nine are considered essential because the human body cannot make them directly and must obtain them from food. Most protein-containing foods have the majority of these essential amino acids, but some foods are low in one or more of them. Animal-based proteins, such as eggs, dairy, fish, poultry and lean meats, are good sources of the essential amino acids. Most protein-rich plant foods, such as most beans, nuts and rice, are low in one or more essential amino acids. Soybeans are an exception, providing a complete composition of essential amino acids. Medical professionals recommend eating a variety of protein sources, including some that are complete, to ensure you’re getting all of the essential amino acids. Eating a mixture of protein-rich plant foods can overcome deficiencies in one particular plant food. Protein powders, often used as supplements, vary in essential amino acid content and composition. Compared to animal-based powders, plant-based powders tend to have lower levels of one or more essential amino acids and lower protein levels in total. How much protein do you need? There is little scientific debate that dietary protein is critical to good health. A harder calculation is how much protein you need. A commonly cited standard is the federal recommended dietary allowance, or RDA. In January 2026, the U.S. government raised the adult RDA of dietary protein from 0.8 grams per kilogram of body weight to 1.2 to 1.6 grams per kilogram. For a 150-pound person, this almost doubles the recommendation from 54 grams to between 80 to 110 grams a day. Some experts have interpreted this update as focusing on optimizing health as opposed to ensuring adequate protein intake to avoid deficiency. The new federal guidelines are not without controversy, however. How much protein a given person needs is a complex question that depends on individual health goals, age, sex, activity level, medical history and other factors. Consulting with a medical provider or licensed nutritionist can help individualize dietary protein targets. Many experts agree that the average, healthy U.S. adult already consumes enough protein. While most healthy adults can tolerate moderately high protein intake, overloading on protein could create health problems, such as kidney damage and digestive issues. Most Americans don’t need to worry about getting enough protein in their diet. d3sign/Moment via Getty Images Companies market high-protein diets to encourage weight loss because consuming more protein tends to increase feelings of fullness. A 2026 study identified a link between the amino acid leucine and appetite suppression through a connection between the gut and the brain. That said, while suppressing appetite may help with weight loss, it may also reduce a person’s consumption of calories from fruits, vegetables, beans and whole grains that provide fiber, vitamins and other important nutrients. What about protein powders and supplements? Protein powders are a US$20 billion industry, and their popularity reflects both the idea that dietary proteins can support muscle growth and reduce muscle loss as well as how lucrative protein supplements can be. For people with low appetites or those who have difficulty meeting dietary protein recommendations, protein-enriched foods can be a useful way to increase protein intake. This might include those taking GLP-1 weight loss medications, which can reduce appetite and make it harder to eat enough protein and other nutrients. But while a protein shake can deliver essential amino acids, it does not provide the broader nutritional value of protein-rich foods, such as fish, beans, nuts, yogurt and soy products. Moreover, protein-fortified packaged foods may come with increased sugar, salt or saturated fats. A protein bar may be closer to a candy bar with better branding. For these reasons, medical organizations recommend consuming well-planned combinations of protein sources from nonpackaged foods. Building muscle takes more than just protein Beyond bodybuilding, science has elevated society’s appreciation for the importance of dietary protein in combating muscle loss due to aging, weight loss or injury. Some experts don’t think doubling protein intake is as important to building muscle as resistance training, a type of exercise that creates force and strain on muscles to signal the body to repair and grow more muscle. This is different from endurance training that improves aerobic capacity. A 2021 clinical trial found that only when dietary protein was combined with heavy resistance training did older adults see improved muscle size, strength and function. Resistance training is essential to building and strengthening muscles. JGI/Tom Grill/Tetra Images via Getty Images Eating more protein alone will not build muscle because the critical molecular pathways for muscle growth and strength require repeatedly placing heavy forces on the muscle. Challenging your muscles with repeated training and progressively heavier weights stimulates muscles to adapt by becoming larger and better able to produce force. The nervous system adapts too, becoming better able to activate and coordinate muscle movement. Resistance training is also key to preventing the muscle loss that accompanies weight loss from GLP-1 medications, aging and recovering from injury. The key takeaway is that dietary protein and resistance training work together to promote muscle growth and maintain strength. Rocky knew that drinking the eggs wasn’t enough – he still had to challenge his muscles to build muscle and strength. Protein in everything: Science vs. sales pitch So, is the protein craze based on real science, or is it a fad? It’s both. The science is clear – dietary protein supports muscle maintenance, growth, injury repair and recovery, fullness and weight regulation, and healthy aging. The fad is the idea that any food with added protein is automatically better – and that you can always benefit from more protein. Protein deserves attention. But the marketing of protein-fortified food products is not a shortcut to a quality diet that provides a complete source of amino acids from nutritious foods. Words by Linda M. Boland Professor of Biology, University of Richmond. Top photo: Djavan Rodriguez/Moment via Getty Images. Special thanks for The Conversation. Support and donate today.

Imagine a plume of brown sediment is washed off the land into Queensland rivers and carried out to sea. Here, it can settle on seagrass and inshore corals, potentially smothering them. River water often also carries nitrogen from fertiliser residue, which can fuel algal growth and damage coral health. We have long known that poor water quality is a serious threat to areas of the Great Barrier Reef close to shore. The reef faces other major challenges, such as marine heatwaves driven by climate change that trigger large-scale coral bleaching. But unlike climate change, water quality is something Australia can directly control. Since 2014, the federal and Queensland governments have collectively spent more than A$5 billion on catchment programs for reef health. Many of these aim to improve water quality by reducing fertiliser runoff from farmland and tackling erosion to stop sediment entering waterways. Our new research shows water quality is improving in many rivers that flow to the reef. This is good news. Flood plumes carry sediment and nutrients out to the Great Barrier Reef. Matt Curnock, CC BY-NC What did we learn? To find out if water quality is changing, our research team analysed up to 37 years of monitoring data from seven major river systems to track changes in fertiliser runoff (dissolved inorganic nitrogen) and suspended sediment. These are two of the five key pollutants scientists use to track changes in river basins. Our research is the largest and most comprehensive analysis of catchment water quality for the reef to date. These river basins drain around two thirds of the Great Barrier Reef water catchments, an area the size of New Zealand. Given the complexity of the data, and the size of some catchments, we did not necessarily expect to detect measurable improvements in water quality. However, the data showed small but measurable improvements in nitrogen and sediment across most monitoring sites. Rivers with improved long-term water quality include the Herbert, Burdekin and Pioneer Rivers, as well as the Tully and Fitzroy. Our data show that water quality didn’t follow a predictable pattern of steady improvement. Most rivers improved in bursts, often following major shifts in rainfall patterns, cyclones, land use or fertiliser practices. In 2028, Australia will have to report progress on its water quality plan to UNESCO, which has monitored the Great Barrier Reef since it was listed on the World Heritage List in 1981. Trends in these two pollutants will form part of this response. A researcher collects water quality samples from an automated sampler. CSIRO, CC BY-NC What changed? In a companion study, we analysed what factors might be responsible. To do this, we used data on how much fertiliser had been applied to key farmland cropping areas in these regions between 1910 and 2024. This new data set showed synthetic fertiliser use peaked in the 2000s and 2010s and has now fallen in many sugarcane- and banana-growing regions. The drop is substantial. In 2024, fertiliser use was 25–49% lower compared with each region’s peak. Importantly, less fertiliser didn’t mean less sugarcane. Crop yields have stayed steady. These declines likely reflect a combination of factors such as improved farm management practices, changes to land use and increasing fertiliser costs. We’ve worked alongside many of these graziers and farmers through water quality projects and know the effort and costs involved in changing long-established farming practices. Farmers have to balance productivity, cost, time and ongoing challenges such as weather conditions and market demand. Scientists speaking with graziers about water quality results. NQ Dry Tropics, TropWATER JCU, CC BY-NC There’s more to do It’s encouraging to see signs of improvement. But our findings should not be interpreted as meaning all rivers in these catchments are now healthy. Although the trends are improving, nitrogen and sediment levels in many rivers are still higher than the thresholds considered suitable for supporting healthy coastal and marine ecosystems, such as wetlands, seagrass and near-shore coral reefs. This isn’t surprising. Environmental recovery rarely happens quickly or evenly. River catchments often take several years to respond to improvement efforts, such as riverbank revegetation for sediment erosion control. That’s why long-term river monitoring data is so important. Without this, it’s difficult to distinguish short-term fluctuations from genuine change. The reef still faces enormous challenges from climate change, extreme weather and ongoing land-use pressures, including tree clearing. What our findings suggest is that water quality trends in many of the river catchments discharging to the Great Barrier Reef are moving in the right direction. It has not been easy to get here. It has taken long-term effort from farmers, graziers, catchment managers and researchers. Our scientific evidence demonstrates previous management efforts have made an impact, at scale – and that current and future efforts are worthwhile. In a world increasingly dominated by stories of environmental decline, these slow signs of improvement are worth celebrating. We would like to acknowledge the research team: Cassandra James and Stephen Lewis (TropWATER, James Cook University) and Petra Kuhnert and Emma Lawrence (CSIRO). Words by Zoe Bainbridge Senior Research Fellow, TropWATER, James Cook University and Rebecca Bartley Senior Principal Research Scientist, CSIRO. Top photo: Phil Copp/Getty. Special thanks for The Conversation. Support and donate today.