Today's Digest.

Good morning. It's Tuesday, April 8, and we're covering the winning team of the men's college basketball tournament, the world's first de-extinct animal, and much more. First time reading? Join over 4 million intellectually curious readers.

Need To Know

Tariffs Rattle Stocks

US stock markets whipsawed yesterday amid fears of a growing trade war triggered by President Donald Trump’s sweeping tariffs. The S&P 500 briefly hit bear market territory—defined as a 20% drop from its recent peak—while the Nasdaq composite has already entered bear market conditions. The Dow Jones Industrial Average is down nearly 10% from its December high. All three indexes started the day lower before closing mixed (S&P 500 -0.2%, Dow -1.0%, Nasdaq +0.1%).

Roughly $9.5T in global equity value has been wiped out over three trading days—one of the fastest plunges since World War II. Meanwhile, the VIX—Wall Street’s real-time index measuring the S&P 500's expected 30-day volatility—spiked past 60 for the first time since August before settling around 48. See charts here.

The news comes as Trump doubled down on his minimum 10% global tariff and threatened an additional 50% tariff on China. Analysts warn this could tip the US into recession, though some predict the Federal Reserve may respond with up to four rate cuts this year. Trump said tariff negotiations with other countries will begin “immediately.”

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Gators Hoist Trophy

No. 1 Florida captured the men's college basketball championship last night, defeating No. 1 Houston 65-63. The victory marks the Florida Gators' first championship since securing back-to-back national titles in 2006 and 2007. Coach Todd Golden, 39, becomes the youngest coach in 42 years to win a national title since North Carolina State’s Jim Valvano at age 37 in 1983.  

The Gators were led by guard Will Richard with 18 points, followed by freshman forward Alex Condon, who scored 12 points, and guard Walter Clayton Jr., who scored 11 points and was named Most Outstanding Player. The Houston Cougars dominated the Gators in the first half; the Gators eventually mounted a comeback, overcoming a 12-point deficit in the second half to take the lead in the final minute of the game. See highlights from the game here, and relive the entire tournament's best moments here.

Separately, a California judge held a hearing yesterday on the final approval of a $2.8B settlement between the NCAA and major collegiate conferences that could reshape college sports, including allowing schools to share up to $20.5M per year among their athletes beginning July 1.

Revival of the Dire Wolves

Biotechnology startup Colossal announced yesterday it has successfully revived the dire wolf, which went extinct thousands of years ago and was popularized through George RR Martin's "Game of Thrones." The breakthrough marks the world’s first de-extinction of an animal.

The dire wolf roamed the Americas more than 12,000 years ago before its prey—large herbivores like bison—were largely depleted. Colossal created three wolves: six-month-old adolescents Romulus and Remus, and pup Khaleesi (see footage here). The company created the wolves using DNA fragments from a 13,000-year-old tooth fossil and a 72,000-year-old skull. They also used CRISPR technology to edit genes of the dire wolf's closest living relative, the gray wolf, selecting for white fur. Learn more about CRISPR on 1440 Topics here.

Colossal—launched in 2021 and valued at over $10B—seeks to recreate extinct species like the woolly mammoth and the dodo bird. The company hopes the projects will yield profitable insights to benefit human health, like helping to develop artificial wombs.

In The Know

Sports, Entertainment, & Culture

"The Curious Case of Benjamin Button" and "Giant" win top awards for best new musical and best new play at the 2025 Olivier Awards, the British equivalent of the Tony Awards (More)

Jay North, child actor best known for playing titular role on "Dennis the Menace," dies at age 73 (More) | Clem Burke, longtime drummer for the rock band Blondie, dies at age 70 (More)

Toronto Blue Jays sign Vladimir Guerrero Jr. to 14-year, $500M deal—the third largest contract in MLB history (More) | NBA regular season wraps up in one week; see the latest playoff picture (More)

Coachella: This week's Society & Culture newsletter explores the history of the annual California music and arts festival, from Pearl Jam to Daft Punk. Sign up here for free!

Science & Technology

New hormone found to stimulate ovulation in zebrafish; discovery may lead to new fertility treatments in humans (More)

Study finds cytokines—small proteins that act as messengers between cells—that help fight infections can also infiltrate the brain, influencing behavior such as anxiety and sociability (More)

Researchers discover a new family of microbes that live in the "critical zone" of the Earth's soil, the near-surface area that extends to depths of around 700 feet where groundwater is naturally cleaned of pollutants (More)

Business & Markets

US Steel shares close up 16% after President Donald Trump orders national security panel to conduct new review of proposed US Steel sale to Japan's Nippon Steel; former President Joe Biden blocked the nearly $15B deal in January (More)

Shopify CEO Tobias Lütke orders managers of the e-commerce software giant to prove AI can't perform a job before seeking permission to hire new workers (More)

US crude oil falls below $60 a barrel midday to lowest level since 2021 as tariff tensions fuel recession concerns (More)

Politics & World Affairs

Supreme Court lifts order blocking deportations under 1798 Alien Enemies Act, says migrants must still get a court hearing before being deported from the US (More) | Supreme Court temporarily pauses lower court's deadline for the Trump administration to bring back wrongly deported Maryland man from El Salvador (More)

President Donald Trump hosts Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for discussions covering tariffs, Gaza, and more; Trump also announces he will begin direct talks with Iran on its nuclear weapons program this weekend (More)

Idaho mom Lori Vallow Daybell, who was convicted in 2023 of killing her youngest two children, begins trial over allegedly murdering her fourth husband (More)

In-Depth

Pining for Pineapples

Works in Progress | Étienne Fortier-Dubois. The pineapple was once a symbol of European decadence, costing the equivalent of $16K apiece to grow. By the mid-1800s, it cost as little as a loaf of bread. Dive into the innovations that turned the pineapple from aristocratic to commonplace. (Read)

How to Ask Great Questions

Clearer Thinking | Sara Ness. Curiosity isn't just an attribute—it's a skill. Explore and understand the five types of questioners to hone the skills to form meaningful questions and unlock deeper conversations. (Read)

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Etcetera

Visualizing concert ticketflation.

A day on Uranus is now 28 seconds longer.

The evolution of golf courses over the past 145 years.

America's 51 most beautiful places to visit.

How to make someone feel seen and heard.

Ronin the rat sets new landmine-sniffing record.

"Geesekeepers" protect goose nesting at Chicago's Wrigley Field.

The wild "freakosystem" born in Hawaii.

Clickbait: Cast your vote in the battle of the chickens.

Historybook: Actress Robin Wright born (1966); Pablo Picasso dies (1973); Hank Aaron breaks Babe Ruth’s home run record (1974); Frank Robinson becomes first Black manager of a major league baseball team (1975); Margaret Thatcher dies (2013).

"Failure will never stand in the way of success if you learn from it."

- Hank Aaron

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