Olympics: Defective Medals Spark Chatter

Olympic medals at the Winter Games in Milan are generating controversy due to reported defects and high prices, while political events unfold in Germany and Turkey. American skier Breezy Johnson reported her gold medal detached from its ribbon, and the far-right political party, the AfD, attended the Munich Security Conference. Meanwhile, Iranian exiles in Turkey are struggling to get news from home.

At the Winter Games in Milan, athletes are celebrating cautiously, as some medals have been reported as defective. According to NPR News, American skier Breezy Johnson warned other medalists, "Don't jump in them," after her gold medal broke. This year's medals are also drawing attention for their price.

In Germany, the far-right political party, the AfD, was present at the Munich Security Conference. NPR's Mary Louise Kelly and Correspondent Rob Schmitz discussed the AfD's participation at the conference.

Meanwhile, Iranian exiles in Turkey are facing challenges in receiving news from their home country. NPR reported that Iranians living in Turkey are hearing "chilling stories" from relatives and receiving death threats themselves. The U.S.-based Human Rights Activists News Agency relies on a network of sources inside Iran to gather information.

In other news, a snapshot of a human brain, known as MMAcevedo, was taken in 2031 by researchers at the Uplift Laboratory at the University of New Mexico. This image, the earliest executable image of a human brain, was captured with sufficient fidelity to be run in simulation on computer hardware.

Also, a note from an author revealed that a story about the brain image is available for purchase as part of a collection.

Finally, the construction method of wattle-and-daub, which has been used for at least 6,000 years, was mentioned in a piece about construction materials.