Latest news with #Ion
Axios
3 days ago
- General
- Axios
One of the world's longest words is a Georgia spelling bee wiz's favorite
Lake Chargoggagoggmanchauggagoggchaubunagungamaugg — The favorite word of Sara Daoud, a seventh-grade student from Columbia County, who is one of two students representing Georgia at the Scripps National Spelling Bee this week. Driving the news: Daoud and Sarv Dharavane, a DeKalb County fifth-grader, traveled to Maryland to challenge 241 other students in the spelling bee. After a courageous effort, Daoud was eliminated in the seventh round on Wednesday after misspelling " spirketing." Dharavane remains in the fight. Zoom out: The finals start tonight at 8pm and can be viewed on the Ion network. Fun fact: More commonly known as Lake Webster, Lake Chargoggagoggmanchauggagoggchaubunagungamaugg is located in Massachusetts. According to the Webster Lake Association, the name translates roughly to ""English knifemen and Nipmuc Indians at the Border or Neutral Fishing Place" or "Englishmen at Manchaug at the Fishing Place at the Boundary." The intrigue: The name has various spellings — the version on Daoud's spelling bee profile page includes four extra letters. The spelling used above is the most commonly accepted.
Yahoo
6 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
30 years of Innovation and Impact: Dan Larson's Inspiring Story
Intuitive Patient Day L to R Abhishek Biswas, MD, Federico Barbagli, and Dan Larson view an Ion Endoluminal System Intuitive Patient Day Dan Larson at a da Vinci 5 console at Intuitive in Sunnyvale CA L to R Dan Larson and Baiya Krishnadasan, MD Dan Larson, Cindy Larson, and Dr. Abhishek Biswas tour Intuitive's facilities in Sunnyvale, CA. SUNNYVALE, Calif., May 27, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- When Seattle resident Dan Larson was diagnosed with lung cancer in 2023, his only exposure to robotic technology was through his work as a quality engineer at Boeing. He could never have imagined that robotic technology made by Intuitive, the pioneer of robotic-assisted surgery, would one day play a pivotal role in his health care. Having experienced the loss of his father to lung cancer, Dan was determined to overcome his own diagnosis and enjoy his retirement with his family. Under the care of clinicians at MultiCare Tacoma General Hospital in Washington, Dan underwent two robotic lung biopsies with the Ion Endoluminal System, Intuitive's robotic-assisted bronchoscopy platform, followed by a robotic-assisted lobectomy—removal of part of the lung— with the da Vinci 5 system, Intuitive's next-generation multiport robotic system. Following his successful procedures, Intuitive invited Dan and his wife Cindy, and his physicians, Abhishek Biswas, MD and Baiya Krishnadasan, MD, FACS, both from Tacoma General, to join the engineers, manufacturers, and other Intuitive employees who designed the technology that helped change his life to share his story as the company marks 30 years since its founding. 'When you've seen a loved one go through what I saw my father go through, you're willing to do anything if it means you will get better. I was lucky to have experienced doctors with the best technology near me, and from New Year's Eve to today, it's been a great recovery,' said Dan. 'To other people who may think they're in a similar situation, don't wait to get checked, get your answers, and have it taken care of,' said Dan. Dan spent his career dedicated to quality as a quality assurance investigator at Boeing, so the opportunity to see a behind-the-scenes manufacturing tour at Intuitive was especially meaningful. He witnessed the precision and dedication that goes into building the Ion and da Vinci systems, the technologies used in his care. Dr. Abhishek Biswas, who performed Dan's two Ion biopsies - one that resulted in a diagnosis in 2023 and then to detect local recurrence in 2024 - demonstrated the system to Dan and showed him the 3D navigation path of his own lungs that Dr. Biswas used for guidance when navigating to his target lung nodule. 'Dan was one of the first 25 patients I was able to biopsy with Ion, and without it, his cancer could have progressed to stage four. This technology is truly transformative. Thank you to Intuitive for developing something that is uniquely different and that has made a huge impact on my work, so I can do what is right for my patient,' said Biswas, interventional pulmonologist at MultiCare. Once Dan's lung cancer had been diagnosed, Dr. Baiya Krishnadasan, cardiothoracic surgeon at MultiCare, used the da Vinci 5 system to remove part of his lung on New Year's Eve 2024. "Dan's case is truly heartwarming and special. This was a very complex procedure with a high risk of complications, but with the use of the da Vinci 5 system, we performed a successful operation, and he was able to return home within 48 hours. His positive attitude is inspiring, and it's gratifying to see how well he's done. I'm excited to teach others how to use this remarkable technology," said Krishnadasan. MultiCare Health System was one of the first health systems in the Pacific Northwest to install a da Vinci 5 system. MultiCare has 30 da Vinci systems across various sites, including four da Vinci 5's, as well as four Ion Endoluminal Systems. 'Dan's story is powerful evidence of Intuitive's 30-year mission of putting patients first,' said Intuitive President Dave Rosa. 'Each day at Intuitive, we strive to solve hard problems so that clinicians can provide better outcomes for their patients. It was an honor to have Dan, his wife Cindy, and his physicians meet our teams to reinforce the connection between our employees and the patients that are taken care of using our technology,' said Rosa. 2025 marks Intuitive's 30th year developing robotic-assisted technology with the goal of improving patient outcomes, improving patient and care team experience, increasing access to minimally invasive care, and lowering the total cost to treat. In Intuitive's first three decades, surgeons performed nearly 17 million da Vinci procedures, and nearly 90,000 surgeons have been trained to use Intuitive's systems. To mark Dan's visit, Intuitive employees united to complete an internal Impact Wellness Challenge in collaboration with the Intuitive Foundation, raising $25,000. This amount will be donated by the Intuitive Foundation to St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, a charity chosen by Dan and his wife Cindy. Contact: Peper Long, About Intuitive Intuitive (NASDAQ: ISRG), headquartered in Sunnyvale, California, is a global leader in minimally invasive care and the pioneer of robotic surgery. Our technologies include the da Vinci surgical system and the Ion endoluminal system. By uniting advanced systems, progressive learning, and value-enhancing services, we help physicians and their teams optimize care delivery to support the best outcomes possible. At Intuitive, we envision a future of care that is less invasive and profoundly better, where disease is identified early and treated quickly, so that patients can get back to what matters most. About Ion Ion is Intuitive's robotic-assisted platform for minimally invasive biopsy in the lung. The system features an ultra-thin, ultra-maneuverable catheter that allows navigation far into the peripheral lung and provides the unprecedented stability necessary for precision in biopsy. About da Vinci Surgical Systems There are several models of the da Vinci Surgical System. The da Vinci surgical systems are designed to help surgeons perform minimally invasive surgery and offer surgeons high-definition 3D vision, a magnified view, and robotic and computer assistance. They use specialized instrumentation, including a miniaturized surgical camera and wristed instruments (i.e., scissors, scalpels, and forceps) that are designed to help with precise dissection and reconstruction deep inside the body. Important Safety Information Patients should talk to their doctor to decide if surgery with a da Vinci system is right for them. Patients and doctors should review all available information on nonsurgical and surgical options and associated risks in order to make an informed decision. Serious complications may occur in any surgery, including surgery with a da Vinci system, up to and including death. For important safety information, including surgical risks and considerations, please refer to For product intended use and/or indications for use, risks, cautions, and warnings and full prescribing information, refer to the associated user manual(s) or visit The demonstration of safety and effectiveness for the representative-specific procedures was based on evaluation of the da Vinci 5 system as a surgical tool and did not include evaluation of outcomes related to the treatment of cancer (overall survival, disease-free survival, local recurrence) or treatment of the patient's underlying disease or condition. Device usage in all surgical procedures should be guided by the clinical judgment of an adequately trained surgeon. Individuals' outcomes may depend on a number of factors—including but not limited to—patient characteristics, disease characteristics, and/or surgeon experience. Photos accompanying this announcement are available at: in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
Yahoo
23-05-2025
- Yahoo
At TechCrunch Sessions: AI, Artemis Seaford and Ion Stoica confront the ethical crisis — when AI crosses the line
As generative AI becomes faster, cheaper, and more convincing, the ethical stakes are no longer theoretical. What happens when the tools to deceive become widely accessible? And how do we build systems that are powerful — but safe enough to trust? At TechCrunch Sessions: AI, taking place June 5 at UC Berkeley's Zellerbach Hall, Artemis Seaford, Head of AI Safety at ElevenLabs, and Ion Stoica, co-founder of Databricks and professor at UC Berkeley, will take the main stage to unpack the ethical challenges of today's AI. Their conversation will cut to the heart of one of the most urgent questions in tech: What are we unleashing — and can we still steer it? Artemis brings a rare blend of academic depth and frontline experience. At ElevenLabs, she leads AI safety efforts focused on media authenticity and abuse prevention. Her background spans OpenAI, Meta, and global risk management at the intersection of law, policy, and geopolitics. Expect a grounded, clear-eyed take on how deepfakes are evolving, what new risks are emerging, and which interventions are actually working. Ion, meanwhile, brings a systems-level view. He's not just a leader in AI research—he's helped build the infrastructure behind it. From Spark to Ray to ChatBot Arena, his open source projects power many of today's most advanced AI deployments. As executive chairman of Databricks and a founder of several AI-driven companies, Ion knows what it takes to scale responsibly — and where today's tools still fall short. Together, they'll unpack the ethical blind spots in today's development cycles, explore how safety can be embedded into core architectures, and examine the roles that industry, academia, and regulation must play in the years ahead. This session is part of a day-long exploration at the front lines of artificial intelligence, featuring speakers from OpenAI, Google Cloud, Anthropic, Cohere, and more. Expect tactical insight, candid dialogue, and a rare cross-section of technologists, researchers, and founders — all in one room. Plus, you'll have the chance to engage with these top minds through breakouts and top-tier networking. Grab your ticket now and save big — over $300 off, plus 50% off a second ticket. Whether you're building the future or just trying to keep up with it, you and your plus-one should be in the room for this. The tools are moving fast. The ethics need to catch up. Don't get left behind — learn how to stay compliant. Sign in to access your portfolio
Yahoo
22-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
2 Stocks That Turned $1,000 Into More Than $8,000 in 10 Years to Buy and Hold
Intuitive Surgical and Veeva Systems have crushed the market since 2015. Both companies have large growth runways and strong moats. They can deliver more market-beating returns in the long run. 10 stocks we like better than Intuitive Surgical › The average stock market return over the past few decades (without accounting for inflation) is around 10%. That makes broader equities highly competitive compared to other asset classes, especially since investors can do better than standard returns. The key is to invest in companies with market-beating potential. Even though past success is no guarantee of the future, it is often helpful to start by looking at companies with a history of performing better than the market. Two examples are Intuitive Surgical (NASDAQ: ISRG) and Veeva Systems (NYSE: VEEV). These companies have produced the kinds of returns in the past decade that turned an initial investment of $1,000 into well over $8,000. Here is why they can still beat the market. Over the past 10 years, Intuitive Surgical, a medical device specialist, has produced a compound annual growth rate of 26.1%. That's good enough to turn $1,000 into $10,140. In contrast, a $1,000 investment in the S&P 500 would turn to just $3,320 over the same period at an annual return rate of about 12.8%. How did Intuitive Surgical pull it off? The company is the undisputed leader in the robotic-assisted surgery (RAS) market thanks to its da Vinci system, though it markets another device called the Ion. The da Vinci system is its main growth driver, and is approved for various procedures, including bariatric, urologic, cardiac, gynecologic, and general surgeries, among many others. Intuitive Surgical has had little competition for its crown jewel. With the growing adoption of RAS, the company's revenue and earnings have rapidly increased over the past 10 years. The competitive landscape is changing. Medtronic, another medical device specialist, is close to earning clearance in the U.S. for its Hugo system in urologic procedures. Johnson & Johnson, another healthcare leader, could eventually enter this market too with its Ottava system. Despite mounting competition, Intuitive Surgical could still deliver market-beating returns, though perhaps not as impressively as it has since 2015. It has a tremendous first-mover advantage in the RAS market, with an installed da Vinci base of 10,189 as of the end of the first quarter, an increase of 15% year over year. Since these devices are expensive, healthcare facilities want to stick with whichever one they chose first. If it breaks, Intuitive Surgical offers repair services. And if they break irreparably and must be replaced, it's easier to get the same model since hospital staff have already spent considerable time training on it. In other words, Intuitive Surgical benefits from high switching costs for its customers. Meanwhile, an increasingly aging population worldwide should lead to even greater volumes in surgical procedures undertaken, and that ultimately benefits Intuitive Surgical. The company's first mover advantage, competitive moat, and significant growth avenues make its prospects attractive. It's not too late to get in on this company, despite it crushing the market over the past decade -- it can do the same through 2035. Veeva Systems offers cloud-based services to life science companies. It has found tremendous success in the past 10 years, a period during which the stock rose at a CAGR of 24.2%, good enough to turn $1,000 into $8,734. The cloud industry is ruthlessly competitive and is dominated by companies far larger than Veeva Systems, but it has found success by focusing almost exclusively on the healthcare industry. The companies it caters to in the healthcare space have specific demands and needs, and operate in a highly regulated environment. They often spend significant amounts in upfront investments and undertake years of research and data collection before launching a product to market. Because of these constraints, many generic cloud services won't work with them. Enter Veeva Systems. The company's success in this niche explains its performance since 2015. It has generated excellent financial results, even with a slowdown in the cloud market about three years ago due to an economic downturn. That could happen again if many investors' fears come true and we find ourselves in a recession. However, Veeva Systems' prospects for the next decade still look strong. Recessions don't last forever, and the projections point to the cloud market's continued growth. It is worth noting that Veeva Systems also benefits from high switching costs. Its clients depend on its services for day-to-day operations, be it to collect and store data, for regulatory compliance, and more. They wouldn't want to switch providers and risk disrupting daily operations. Veeva Systems' switching costs are another reason it has been able to compete in a sea of larger companies, and it still has plenty of room to run within its addressable market. It estimates a $20 billion opportunity, of which it has captured about 14%. Further, the company's TAM should continue growing along with the life sciences industry, like it has in the past. Veeva Systems should continue beating the market over the next decade as it makes more headway into its still under-penetrated niche of the massive cloud industry. Before you buy stock in Intuitive Surgical, consider this: The Motley Fool Stock Advisor analyst team just identified what they believe are the for investors to buy now… and Intuitive Surgical wasn't one of them. The 10 stocks that made the cut could produce monster returns in the coming years. Consider when Netflix made this list on December 17, 2004... if you invested $1,000 at the time of our recommendation, you'd have $642,582!* Or when Nvidia made this list on April 15, 2005... if you invested $1,000 at the time of our recommendation, you'd have $829,879!* Now, it's worth noting Stock Advisor's total average return is 975% — a market-crushing outperformance compared to 172% for the S&P 500. Don't miss out on the latest top 10 list, available when you join . See the 10 stocks » *Stock Advisor returns as of May 19, 2025 Prosper Junior Bakiny has positions in Intuitive Surgical. The Motley Fool has positions in and recommends Intuitive Surgical and Veeva Systems. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. 2 Stocks That Turned $1,000 Into More Than $8,000 in 10 Years to Buy and Hold was originally published by The Motley Fool
Reuters
21-05-2025
- Sport
- Reuters
Paige Bueckers' WNBA debut drives huge ratings bump
May 21 - Folks already know about Caitlin Clark's popularity, but the WNBA might have discovered its newest television ratings bump in 2025 top overall draft pick Paige Bueckers. According to a report from Front Office Sports, Friday's opening-night game between Bueckers' Dallas Wings and the Minnesota Lynx, coupled with the back-half of that doubleheader, averaged over 612,000 viewers, which was a 121 percent increase over a comparable window from the previous season. Due to the Clark effect, Ion's 43 games broadcasted last year averaged 677,000 viewers, a 133 percent increase from 2023 -- before Clark's rookie season with the Indiana Fever. But removing Clark games from the equation, Friday's two broadcasts -- the late contest was the first game for the expansion Golden State Valkyries vs. the Los Angeles Sparks -- were the second- and third-most watched games ever on Ion, per Sports Media Watch. Ion announced on Tuesday the viewership was 649,000 for Lynx-Wings and 581,000 for Sparks-Valykyries. Bueckers was a three-time All-American at the University of Connecticut and the national player of the year in 2021. She had career averages of 19.8 points, 4.7 rebounds, 4.6 assists and 2.1 steals for the Huskies, becoming the sixth UConn player to be selected first in the WNBA draft. The rookie finished with 10 points and seven rebounds in 30 minutes for the Wings in a 99-84 home loss. --Field Level Media
