Nursing Workforce: Minnesota and the nation face a bottleneck before nurses even reach hospitals: too few nursing faculty. A new report says nursing schools turned away more than 80,000 qualified applicants in 2024–25 because they lacked instructors, clinical sites, classroom space, and budgets. COPD Care: A study of older adults with COPD links cognitive issues, reduced hand dexterity, and weak inhalation strength to poor inhaler technique and worse outcomes—highlighting the need for better patient support. Synthetic Biology Breakthrough: University of Minnesota researchers unveiled “SpudCell,” a synthetic, cell-like system built from nonliving materials that can take in nutrients, copy its genome, grow, and divide—an important step toward understanding life’s basics. Medical Device Expansion: Tactile Medical secured an exclusive U.S. distribution deal with ElastiMed to bring its MyoSleeve wearable compression device to VA and DoD patients nationwide. Public Health & Environment: A decade-long U.S. Geological Survey effort finds pesticide pollution in Midwest and Great Plains rivers is getting worse, with many chemicals detected at levels that may harm aquatic life. Minnesota Agriculture: The state opened a $6.6 million grant program reimbursing up to 75% for electric farm equipment, aiming to cut costs and emissions. Space & STEM Inspiration: NASA astronaut Anil Menon—born in Minneapolis with family roots in Kerala—prepares for an ISS mission, adding another Minnesota-to-space STEM story. Weather Alert: Dangerous heat continues across Minnesota into midweek, with extreme heat warnings and heat index values near triple digits.