Daily Archives: February 1, 2022

Parabons technology doesnt tell you the exact number of millimeters between the eyes or the ratio between the eyes, nose, and mouth, Greytak says. Without that sort of precision, facial recognition algorithms cannot deliver accurate resultsbut deriving such precise measurements from DNA would require fundamentally new scientific discoveries, she says, and the papers that have tried to do prediction at that level have not had a lot of success. Greytak says Parabon only predicts the general shape of someones face (though the scientific feasibility of such prediction has also been questioned).

Police have been known to run forensic sketches based on witness descriptions through facial recognition systems. A 2019 study from Georgetown Laws Center on Privacy and Technology found that at least half a dozen police agencies in the US permit, if not encourage using forensic sketches, either hand drawn or computer generated, as input photos for face recognition systems. AI experts have warned that such a process likely leads to lower levels of accuracy.

Corsight also has been criticized in the past for exaggerating the capabilities and accuracy of its face recognition system, which it calls the most ethical facial recognition system for highly challenging conditions, according to a slide deck presentation available online. In a technology demo for IPVM last November, Corsight CEO Watts said that Corsights face recognition system can identify someone with a face masknot just with a face mask, but with a ski mask. IPVM reported that using Corsights AI on a masked face rendered a 65% confidence score, Corsights own measure of how likely it is that the face captured will be matched in its database, and noted that the mask is more accurately described as a balaclava or neck gaiter, as opposed to a ski mask with only mouth and eye cutouts.

Broader issues with face recognition technologys accuracy have been well-documented (including by MIT Technology Review). They are more pronounced when photographs are poorly lit or taken at extreme angles, and when the subjects have darker skin, are women, or are very old or very young. Privacy advocates and the public have also criticized facial recognition technology, particularly systems like Clearview AI that scrape social media as part of their matching engine.

Law enforcement use of the technology is particularly fraughtBoston, Minneapolis, and San Francisco are among the many cities that have banned it. Amazon and Microsoft have stopped selling facial recognition products to police groups, and IBM has taken its face recognition software off the market.

The idea that youre going to be able to create something with the level of granularity and fidelity thats necessary to run a face match searchto me, thats preposterous, says Albert Fox Cahn, a civil rights lawyer and executive director of the Surveillance Technology Oversight Project, who works extensively on issues related to face recognition systems. That is pseudoscience.

Dzemila Sero, a researcher in the Computational Imaging Group of Centrum Wiskunde & Informatica, the national research institute for mathematics and computer science in the Netherlands, says the science to support such a system is not yet sufficiently developed, at least not publicly. Sero says the catalog of genes required to produce accurate depictions of faces from DNA samples is currently incomplete, citing Human Longevitys 2017 study.

In addition, factors like the environment and aging have substantial effects on faces that cant be captured through DNA phenotyping, and research has shown that individual genes dont affect the appearance of someones face as much as their gender and ancestry does. Premature attempts to implement this technique would likely undermine trust and support for genomic research and garner no societal benefit, she told MIT Technology Review in an email.

Read more:
This company says its developing a system that can recognize your face from just your DNA - MIT Technology Review

Financing led by Formic Ventures, an early-stage high-tech biotech investment firm

LONG ISLAND CITY, N.Y., Jan. 25, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Loki Therapeutics, a company developing next- generation therapeutics that leverage vaccination recall antigens to enhance longevity and treat immune-system related diseases, including cancer, today announced that it has secured seed financing led by Formic Ventures. With this additional funding, Loki has been able to raise a total of $2 million to date. Loki plans to utilize proceeds from the funding for the manufacturing of clinical grade materials and regulatory work to enable the company's first-in-human clinical trial.

Formic Ventures is an early-stage, high-tech and biotech investment firm focused on prolonging human health span and empowering human creativity. Formic was founded by Michael Antonov.

Loki Co-founder and CEO Chris Bradley said, "This financing allows us to advance the development of Loki's potentially groundbreaking AWAKE platform, which activates and redirects pre-existing memory T cells created during vaccination to treat cancer and other immune-mediated diseases. Garnering the support of Formic Ventures and Michael Antonov, who has helped advanced numerous next-generation technologies including Oculus, provides important validation for our company and technology as we aim to bring our first programs into the clinic. Michael also founded The Michael Antonov Foundation, a charitable organization that supports innovative biotechnology companies that seek to advance cutting-edge medicines to treat diseases for which no effective therapeutics currently exist."

"We are delighted to lead this financing for Loki, a company with a platform that shows significant promise for extending the longevity and quality of life of patients with numerous immune-system related diseases," added Antonov. "Loki's unique approach of awakening immune memory has the potential to become a completely new category of cancer treatment, unlocking a wide variety of benefits for treating difficult solid tumors more effectively and affordably than current alternatives, while providing similar benefits for other diseases associated with weakened immune systems."

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Loki's AWAKE platform offers a completely new approach to treating cancer and other diseases caused by immune-system breakdown by activating and redirecting pre-existing memory T cells created during vaccination to target and eliminate cancer cells, as well as target other immune-related diseases. Loki's lead program AWAKE-LM-TT capitalizes on the childhood vaccination for tetanus to generate a powerful and immediate immune response to solid tumors and metastases presenting the tetanus antigens. Loki is currently advancing AWAKE-LM-TT as a potential treatment for metastatic pancreatic cancer, as well as metastatic ovarian cancer. Loki is also pursuing additional development programs based on other childhood vaccines, including polio (AWAKE-LM-PV) and mumps.

Developed by Loki Co-Founder and Principal Scientist Claudia Gravekamp, Ph.D., who also serves as Associate Professor in the Department of Microbiology and Immunology at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine in New York and member of the Albert Einstein Cancer Center, AWAKE utilizes non-pathogenic microbes (attenuated Listeria monocytogenes) for the precise delivery of vaccine recall antigens to tumor microenvironments and into tumor cells.

About Formic VenturesFormic Ventures is a diversified venture capital firm that makes early-stage investments in biotechnology startups focused on human longevity as well as technology startups and companies that make human lives more meaningful.

About Loki Therapeutics Loki Therapeutics is developing next-generation therapeutics that leverage vaccination recall antigens to enhance longevity and treat immune-system related diseases, including cancer, by delivering vaccine recall antigens to tumor cells with genetically attenuated bacterial vectors.

Loki's AWAKE platform offers a completely new approach to treating cancer and other diseases caused by immune-system breakdown by activating and redirecting pre-existing memory T cells created during vaccination to target and eliminate cancer cells, as well as target other immune-related diseases. Key to AWAKE is its utilization of attenuated Listeria Monocytogenes for the precise delivery of recall antigens to tumor environments and into the tumor cell. Loki's lead development program AWAKE-LM-TT capitalizes on the childhood vaccination for tetanus toxoid (TT) to generate an immune response to solid tumors and metastases presenting the tetanus antigens. Loki is currently advancing AWAKE-LM-TT as a potential treatment for metastatic pancreatic cancer, as well as metastatic ovarian cancer. Loki is also pursuing additional development programs based on other childhood vaccines, including polio (AWAKE-LM-PV) and mumps. For more information on Loki Therapeutics please visit http://www.lokitx.com.

ContactsTiberend Strategic Advisors, Inc.Lisa Sher (Investors)lsher@tiberend.com

David Schemelia (Media)dschemelia@tiberend.com

View original content:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/loki-therapeutics-announces-seed-financing-to-develop-therapeutics-that-enhance-longevity-and-treat-immune-system-related-diseases-301466949.html

SOURCE Loki Therapeutics

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Loki Therapeutics Announces Seed Financing to Develop Therapeutics that Enhance Longevity and Treat Immune-system Related Diseases - Yahoo Finance

For those of you I havent met yet, Im Dr. Stacy Carrington-Lawrence, the new deputy director of NIAs Division of Aging Biology (DAB). Im excited to be here! Part of my job is to connect with the extramural community to discuss and build upon our research priorities, including understanding the mechanisms, hallmarks, and biomarkers of aging; exploring assessments of the rates of aging (including lifespan and healthspan); and developing methods to alter them to improve health as we age.

Joining DAB was a natural fit for me. In my previous career as an HIV/AIDS researcher, part of my focus was on HIV and aging as well as health disparities. And of course, addressing health disparities of aging is a long-standing interest and priority for DAB and the broader NIA. Therefore, another component of my new role is working with the scientific community to expand the fields growing interest in defining the biological basis of aging-related health disparities. Understanding the role of molecular and cellular processes in health disparities can lead to novel and improved treatments that work for everyone regardless of background.

Many of you may have read the NIA Health Disparities Framework, including the category that lists several biological factors thought to play a role in health disparities. Although DAB supports and promotes research on each of these factors, our current health disparities portfolio examining these variables is modest. Our goal in 2022 and moving forward is to expand and diversify this portfolio, with collaborative input from my colleagues across NIA including the Office of Special Populations.

We are renewing our efforts now and will continue to do so in the coming years to address the gaps in our health disparities portfolio. We aim to achieve that by increasing our support for research on common biological pathways and processes of aging, and studies to expand understanding of physiological aging within and across different health disparities populations.

DAB support for animal models remains instrumental in aging research and has led to critical advances that have enabled us to understand the cellular and molecular basis of longevity, differential rates of aging, and the role of our environment in how we age. We are now directing our attention to translating some of these discoveries from animal models to humans as we move our health disparities portfolio and human subjects research forward. These efforts to better understand health and health disparities in humans require basic research with data and samples from human study participants.

Specifically, over the next few years, DAB will implement a strategy advancing research to identify the biological mechanisms and biologic risk factors that accelerate or slow down human aging. This will involve an integrated and collaborative approach that includes examining the hallmarks of aging; understanding how organ systems and processes interact with one another as we age; and exploring how to best utilize and develop animal models and emerging technologies to inform research advances in diverse populations. If you want to be part of this effort, please contact us for more information.

I look forward to working more closely with you this year and beyond. If you are interested in learning more about DABs efforts to strengthen and grow basic research on health disparities, please email me or leave a comment below. And if your research team is exploring these important issues, we urge you to keep an eye on the Inside NIA blog and the DAB webpage for future related funding opportunities in the biology of health disparities.

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Next steps for the biology of health disparities - National Institute on Aging

Peopletypicallyassociate junk food with weight gain and obesity, but new research suggestsmany ofthe plastic products used in everyday life, fromshampoo bottlesto dishsponges,mayplay a role inpackingon the pounds.

Researchers studied 34 different plastic productssuch asyogurt containers, drink bottles and kitchen spongesin a laboratory to see what types of chemicals theycontained.They foundmore than55,000 different chemical componentsandmanagedto identify629 ofthem.

Within that subset, they found 11 chemicals known to interfere with metabolism, called metabolism-disrupting chemicals.

Our experiments show that ordinary plastic products contain a mix of substances that can be a relevant and underestimated factor behind overweight and obesity, saidMartin Wagner, an associate professor at Norwegian University of Science and Technology,in a statement.

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Historically, scientists believed that most plastic chemicals stay within the materialtheyreused in, but Wagners team found that plastic products leachmanychemicals under real-world conditions, whichmeanstheyreable to enter the human body.

Wagners team also noted previous research has suggested that some plastics contain endocrine-disrupting chemicals that could affect a persons development and fertility, and Wagners new research is adding weight gain to that list.

About one-third of the plastic products investigated by Wagner and his research team were found to contribute to fat cell development in laboratory experiments, and these substances can reprogram precursor cells to become fat cells that then proliferate and accumulate even more fat.

However, while some plastic products did contain metabolism-disrupting substances, not all did. Some carried chemicals that could induce the development of fat cells,but theyrecurrently unidentified. At this point, scientists only know theycarry the potential to interfere with how the human body stores fat.

Its very likely that it is not the usual suspects, such as Bisphenol A, causing these metabolic disturbances. This means that other plastic chemicals than the ones we already know could be contributing to overweight and obesity, saidJohannes Vlker, the first author of the studywho isaffiliated withNorwegian University of Science and Technology.

TheU.S Department of Health and Human Servicesestimates that from 2017 to 2018,nearly1 in3 adults were overweightin the U.S.and more than2 in 5adults were considered obese.

Wagners research team estimated that2 billion people in the world are overweight, while 650millionfallunderthe obese category.

Thatcarriesseriousrisk, as the Centers for Disease Control and Preventionsays obesity is associated with poorer mental health outcomes and a reduced quality of life. Obesity is also associated with the leading causes of death in the U.S. and worldwide, like diabetes, heart disease, stroke and certain types of cancer.

Researchers' solution to plastic chemicalscontributing to weight gain is to scale back the use of plastics, writing, a shift toward chemically less-complex plastics represents a way forward to a nontoxic environment.

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ESG Efforts Recognized by Several Leading Independent Organizations

HARVEY, Ill., January 31, 2022--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Atkore Inc. (the "Company" or "Atkore") (NYSE: ATKR) today released its 2021 Sustainability Report, detailing the Companys environment, social and governance (ESG) practices in key areas that include management of natural resources, health & safety, Diversity, Equity & Inclusion (DEI), and employee engagement. In addition, the Companys efforts related to ESG have been recognized recently by several leading independent organizations.

"Sustainability is central to the strength, safety, and longevity of Atkore, and we have continued to implement and execute a range of initiatives during 2021 to improve the sustainability and performance of our business," said Atkores President and CEO Bill Waltz. "In addition, we are committed to executing key initiatives that drive progress in these areas over the next several years as well with the announcement of our 2025 Sustainability Targets. As we continue our journey of Building Better Together, we remain focused on sustainable business practices for the benefit of our employees, customers, suppliers, shareholders and communities."

Highlights of Atkores 2021 Sustainability Report:

"Lets Make it Home": Atkores new safety brand, which represents the Companys dedication to creating a place where every one of its employees feels respected, appreciated, and safe, every day.

Electrification Transition: Atkores products are critical in the global transition to a lower-carbon economy and contribute to customers ability to generate clean energy. Atkore is committed to increasing investment in sustainable product development and adoption.

Water Transmission: Atkore offers a comprehensive line of PVC plumbing and water piping products, which are durable, effective, and provide our customers with peace of mind thanks to maintenance-free performance.

Diversity, Equity & Inclusion: In 2021, Atkore launched unconscious bias training for all salaried employees and introduced DEI topics into its onboarding and immersion programreflecting its ambition to embed equity and inclusion across all parts of its operations.

2025 Sustainability Targets: Atkore is committed to driving positive ESG impacts, and the Company has set four goals in the following areas:

Reduce Scope 1 & Scope 2 GHG intensity by 10% from 58.2 metric tons of CO2e per million USD to 52.4 metric tons of CO2e per million USD1

Increase percentage of sites meeting annual team-based safety observations (TBSO) targets to 80%

Achieve 30% diversity across the Senior Leadership Team

Increase participation in employee engagement and alignment survey to 80%

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Additionally, Atkore is pleased to announce that its ESG and sustainability efforts have been recently recognized by several leading independent organizations as follows:

Ranked 48th in Newsweeks list of Americas Most Responsible Companies for 2022.

Designated as a Great Place to Work Certified company for the second year in a row. Great Place to Work is the global authority on workplace culture and employee experience and the leadership behaviors proven to deliver market-leading revenue and increased innovation.

Earned the 2022 Top Workplaces USA award, issued by Energage, a purpose-driven organization that develops solutions to build and brand Top Workplaces.

Achieved a score of 85 on the Human Rights Campaign Foundations 2022 Corporate Equality Index based on the Companys inaugural submission. The Corporate Equality Index is the leading benchmarking survey and report measuring corporate policies and practices related to LGBTQ+ workplace equality.

Received a Bronze Rating from EcoVadis related to the Companys sustainability. EcoVadis is a trusted provider of business sustainability ratings, intelligence and collaborative performance improvement tools for global supply chains.

"We are excited and pleased to receive these external recognitions, as each is a testament to our strong culture and reaffirms our commitment to our mission and our values," added Mr. Waltz.

The 2021 Atkore Sustainability Report was prepared in alignment with the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) Standards and the Sustainable Accounting Standards Board (SASB) Standard for Electrical & Electronic Equipment (RT-EE version 201810) but is not fully in accordance with either standard. The report is now available on the companys website.

About Atkore Inc.

Atkore is forging a future where our employees, customers, suppliers, shareholders and communities are building better together a future focused on serving the customer and powering and protecting the world. With a network of manufacturing and distribution facilities worldwide, Atkore is a leading provider of electrical, safety and infrastructure solutions. To learn more, please visit http://www.atkore.com.

1 Revenue used to calculate future GHG emissions intensity will be adjusted to remove the impact of changes in average selling prices.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20220131005172/en/

Contacts

Media Contact: Lisa WinterVice President Communications708-225-2453LWinter@atkore.com

Investor Contact: John DeitzerVice President Treasury & Investor Relations708-225-2124JDeitzer@atkore.com

Link:
Atkore Releases 2021 Sustainability Report and Announces Sustainability Commitments for 2025 - Yahoo Finance

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Regional Strategic Analysis of Longevity and Anti senescence Therapy Market during the Forecasted Period 2020-2030 Construction News Portal -...

A recent report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention classified 25.3% of the American adult population as physically inactive.

That doesnt sound great. But what does it mean, exactly? That figure is the result of a multi-year survey conducted by the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System(BRFSS), which called Americans up to ask them a simple question: During the past month, other than your regular job, did you participate in any physical activities or exercises such as running, calisthenics, golf, gardening, or walking for exercise? Those that answered no were classified as inactive.

Across the board, the survey had some fascinating results:

Surveys that rely on self-reporting sometimes struggle to paint an accurate picture; consider that American obesity prevalence stands at 42.4%, well above the mark for inactivity prevalence. Obesity (like BMI) is an imperfect metric, but its fair to say that inactivity prevalence is likely a little higher from state to state than expressed here.

That said, the amount of activity necessary to answer yes to that BRFSS question is pretty light. Theres a widespread misconception that starting an exercise routine means putting in as much time and effort as Marvel movie stars or Instagram influencers. But recent longevity research has confirmed over and over again that you can radically change your biomarkers by putting in the bare minimum.

A walk a day some 10 to 20 minutes spent outside will work wonders for your health. As renowned evolutionary biologist Dr. Daniel Lieberman says, per The Washington Post: The most important message is that something is better than nothing. Just move more. You dont need a Peloton or a personal trainer if you dont want one. You just need some sort of activity that occurs away from a desk chair or couch. Because while the desk chair helps you make money, and the couch helps you relax, neither are a friend to your heart, brain or back.

A recent paper published by Dr. Lieberman and his fellow evolutionary researchers puts the damaging modern lifestyle into perspective. Titled The active grandparent hypothesis, it pushes back against the widely held myth that our ancestors lived shorter, unhealthier lives. Life expectancy, in fact, was hijacked by high infant mortality rates and childhood infections.

Adults of the time were actually less likely to suffer from chronic conditions that we now accept as inevitable (and spend the last 30 years of our lives fighting/pouring money into). Using the modern Hadza people, a Tanzanian hunter-gatherer tribe, as a proxy for ancestral living, the authors concluded that old age evolved in humans along with a highly active lifestyle. In other words, the human race only started living as long as it did because it moved around, constantly.

Early humans hunted animals for food and warmth, foraged berries and honey for sustenance, migrated to and fro in deference to water access and seasonal change. Those who lived through and after the Neolithic Revolution werent exactly sitting in armchairs all day, either. There is evolutionary debate over whether a transition to agriculture ruined the health of the human race, but according to Liebermans paper, all that digging and tilling still qualified as consistent movement, and kept humans fit.

Its once we stopped moving (especially in the last 50 years), and started behaving more like chimpanzees, that chronic conditions reached the mainstream. Weve come to accept that exercise burns calories and catalyzes an important repair and maintenance process in the body, but we cant forget that the absence of exercise isnt neutral its an actively damaging state, which breaks down the body in small yet permanent ways.

If youre someone whod answer no to that BRFSS question and feel overwhelmed by all this chat of chimpanzees and farmers, its best to start small. Get a daily walk in. You have the time. You know you do. From there, identify palatable activities. If it gets your body moving, and doesnt feel like a chore, thats all you can really ask for. From there, as your body starts to reward you, and you develop a taste for your natural setting again, start thinking about taking it to the next level.

Lots of people bemoan the idea of a long life but thats because theyre recalling the last 10, 20 or 30 years a loved one mightve suffered from chronic conditions. If you start now, you can live more years, and crucially, live more healthy years.

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What Percentage of American Adults Are Classified as "Inactive"? - InsideHook

The figure skating rivalry between Nathan Chen of the United States and Yuzuru Hanyu of Japan is enduring, but sporadic. Compelling, but infrequent.

Hanyu is the two-time reigning Olympic gold medalist. Chen has won the last three world titles. But they have met in the same individual competition just nine times over six seasons.

And that only makes the rivalry more compelling. Absence makes the heat grow stronger.

Never will it be more intense than next Monday, when Hanyu and Chen begin skating for the mens singles title at the 2022 Winter Olympics.

What happens next week can only embellish Hanyus legacy. By becoming in 2018 the first man to win consecutive Olympic gold medals in singles since Dick Button of the United States in 1952, Hanyu already became a permanent member of a pantheon open to few.

Chen, yet to win an individual Olympic medal, is seeking a career-defining singles gold. Even if he gets it, Chen understands his rivals place in the sports history will remain distinct.

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He is in a completely different status than I am as a skater, Chen told me before this season began. I will always respect that.

Among the most striking reasons for Hanyus status is his longevity at the top. His world championship bronze medal last March was not only his seventh at that competition, including two golds, but it came nine years after his first, also bronze, in 2012. No other man since World War II has won world singles medals over that long a span. Hanyus seven world medals match East German Jan Hoffmans as the most by any man since World War II.

I always say a multigenerational athlete like that, thats like all-universe status, thats difficult to find, Chen said.

Not only that, but Hanyu at 27 is still trying to push the athletic boundaries of the sport in a seemingly obsessive quest to become the first to land a clean quadruple axel, a jump that requires 4 revolutions in the air.

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SEE MORE: Yuzuru Hanyu wins Japan figure skating nationals

As was the case prior to the 2018 Olympics, when Hanyu was single-minded about getting consistency on his quadruple lutz, the axel quest has come with physical risk.

An ankle ligament injury on a failed quad lutz attempt left him out of competition from late November 2017 until the Winter Games the following February. At last years worlds, when Hanyu won the short program impressively but stumbled to fourth in the free skate, he said that frequent practice of the quad axel had overworked my body.

This season, when Hanyu once again is committed to the quad axel, he injured the same ankle and was out of competition until winning the Japanese Championships in late December. He made his first competitive attempt of the jump in the free skate at those nationals but landed on two feet after an under-rotation that downgraded it to a triple axel.

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When I spoke with Chen before the season, I asked if he found it strange that Hanyu appeared more fixated on the quad axel than on trying to win a third Olympic gold medal.

I dont think so, Chen said. Listen, if I was two-time Olympic champion, I wouldnotbe in this sport anymore, you know. I would be long gone.

Chen laughed, and then continued.

If I was in his position, if I could do one quad toe and still try to medal, okay, Im good. The fact he is still trying to push himself to do something no one has ever done before is unreal.

U.S. skater Jason Brown, headed for his second Olympics, trained with Hanyu in Toronto for the two seasons before the pandemic led Hanyu to return to Japan. Brown saw in Hanyu a relentlessness that offers an insight into his mindset about the quad axel.

He comes at everything with, Im going to get it done, no matter what, Brown said. Its almost like hes able to turn a switch and become this genius.

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Ive seen him have the most rough training days and struggle through. Then the Zamboni comes on the ice, and he gets back on and pushes himself five times harder. Theres no giving up, no surrendering. And hes always after more.

Im not surprised at all (about Hanyus quad axel emphasis). He has this unbelievably focused mentality, this determination, this persistence, this, Im getting this done, Im going to solve this puzzle.

For all that, for his being around Hanyu every so often at competitions and then training with him for nearly two years, Brown said he is no different than the rest of the world in puzzling over who Hanyu is when he is not skating.

To everyone, he is a bit of a mystery, Brown said.

SEE MORE: How to watch Figure Skating at the 2022 Winter Olympics on NBC and Peacock

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Hanyu is not only his sports singular current global superstar but also one who inspires nearly religious reverence among his vast number of fans, known broadly as Fanyus, many of whom travel the globe to see him at competitions major and minor. Some of his most passionate supporters act at times like members of a cult, unable to brook even justifiable criticism of their idols performances.

Yet Hanyu has done little to fuel such passions beyond skating brilliantly and exuding an ever-boyish charisma. He has no social media presence. He rarely does interviews other than those during press conferences at competitions.

After nearly eight years working with coach Brian Orser in Toronto, Hanyu has essentially been in seclusion most of the time since spring 2020. He has been training by himself at the rink in Sendai, Japan, he literally fled during the devastating earthquake and tsunami that hit the region in 2011. He has been very active in raising funds for the disaster relief, making donations in excess of $300,000 himself.

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Hanyu also used some of the time freed by pandemic shutdowns to finish his undergraduate thesis in Human Informatics and Cognitive Sciences at Tokyos Waseda University. The thesis is one of the few things Hanyu has revealed about his life outside the rink.

And then there is the Pooh thing. That a Disney character beloved by children has become his mascot and good luck charm adds to the air of innocence that further endears Hanyu to his fans. They have celebrated his skating by dressing in Poohraphernalia and throwing thousands of plush Poohs onto rinks around the world after he performs.

In a survey done by the Sasakawa Sports Foundation in late summer 2020, Hanyu was chosen as Japans most popular athlete, ahead of such global icons as Naomi Osaka and Shohei Ohtani. He also has remarkable worldwide appeal, as evidenced by an English-language fan site dedicated to him, the aptly named Planet Hanyu.

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Hanyu has a long list of sponsors, among them the airline ANA, Citizen watches, and Kos personal care products. Estimates of his recent annual income have been around $13 million.

Chen too is doing well financially, with several major sponsorship deals, including Panasonic, Bridgestone, Toyota and Visa. In 2020, he was included in Forbes 30 under 30 spotlight on the next generation of sports talent, a group that also included pro basketballs Klay Thompson and Breanna Stewart and pro footballs Patrick Mahomes.

NBC has been constantly promoting Chen leading up to the Olympics, with wide exposure during its NFL playoff telecasts and a joint campaign with the upcoming Universal Studios film, Jurassic World: Dominion. Yet even with Olympic gold, Chen may remain a domestic star of what has become a niche sport in the United States, where the best-known figure skaters have always been women.

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Hanyus identity as a skater is clear, if still a bit mystical. With a reed-thin, 5-foot, 7-inch body, he blends a sense of fragility, lithe grace and seemingly effortless athleticism into an ethereal whole underpinned by a fierce competitiveness. He was in the vanguard of the quad revolution in mens skating and the first to land a quadruple loop jump in competition. He has done four clean quads in a free skate several times.

His triple axel seems like sleight of foot. While most skaters telegraph its arrival with long glides across the rink, Hanyu makes it appear out of nowhere. Turn, takeoff, boom.

There is little question that Hanyu is thegreatest mens skater at least since Button.Another Olympic medal of any color would make a convincing argument that he is the GOAT, no matter how hard it is to compare across eras.

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Hes one of those athletes where when you step up (to him), youre a little star struckeven now. Chen said after beating Hanyu for the 2021 world title. He has just been around a long time and has been consistently successful. Thats really impressive.

Chens coach, Rafael Arutunian, unashamedly asked Hanyu for his autograph several years ago. Arutunian still has the magazine Hanyu signed.

Yet Hanyu has been unable to beat Chen in their three meetings at individual competitions since the 2018 Olympics, when he lost the free skate decisively to his U.S. rival. Chen has a 5-4 advantage in their nine overall meetings, the first coming at the 2016 NHK Trophy Grand Prix event.

There were quite a few times when I thought that my growth stopped when I was about 24 to 25 years old, and when I couldnt skate my free program well, Hanyusaid in an online press conferenceat Decembers Japanese Championships. But Im probably at my best now. Definitely.

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And anyone who dares count Hanyu out because of injury and time away from both practice and competition would be wise to remember what he did under similar circumstances four years ago.

Hes a man that rises to the occasion, 1988 Olympic champion Brian Boitano said. When you think there is little chance for him, he delivers.

Over the seasons since the 2018 Olympics, Chen has narrowed what once had seemed an unassailable edge for Hanyu in component scores (which broadly reflect artistic quality), and he has a potentially substantial advantage over Hanyu in technical base value. With the short and free program layouts each had at his national championships, Chens aggregate element base value is 13 points higher.

They are now both super well-rounded skaters, Boitano said.

SEE MORE: Nathan Chen finds peace in music, playing guitar

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At the 2019 Grand Prix Final, where Chen won by nearly 44 points with a world record total of 335.30, the second-place Hanyu expressed lighthearted exasperation over how high Chen, five years younger, had raised the technical bar. In that event, Chen did two clean quads in the short program and five in the free while getting positive grades of execution and maximum difficulty levels on all 19 elements in the two programs.

Nathan is really pushing harder and harder, Hanyu said. Why is he making it harder, because Im really older than him?

I really love competing with him. If I alone can get over the 300 (points), I feel like I am lonely and then I cant find the motivation for the skating, so its like here is my motivation. Finally I can feel like competing, and its sport on the ice.

Chen is the only skater to have cleanly done all five types of quadruple jumps that have been landed so far. He was the first to do five clean quadruple jumps in a free skate and the first to get full rotational credit for six in a free skate.

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I wouldnt want to go under four quads in the free, Chen said, in a matter-of-fact statement that he admitted sounded crazy but shows just how far the sports best skaters have pushed the envelope.

It also shows how Hanyu catalyzed Chens desire to master the technical content that has given him a better chance to defeat Hanyu.

He has unintentionally pushed me, Chen said.

I asked if Chen if he would be the skater he is today without Hanyu as a competitor. His answer was unequivocal: Certainly not.

I think Yuzuru completely pushed the sport into a different position, not just how he shaped me as an athlete, how he shaped the sport, Chen said. Everyone is doing bigger and better things because of him. Figure skating is definitely indebted to him for all he has done to progress the sport.

Coming into this season, Chen looked like an odds-on pick for Olympic gold. Yet he has made big errors in two of his three competitions, and a third place at Skate America ended a 14-event win streak that began with his first of three straight world titles in 2018. Chens dominance had reached the point that after Vincent Zhou won Skate America, he said, Obviously I dont expect to win everything Im not Nathan Chen.

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I think Chen is showing signs of being human after all and that Hanyu seems to be getting stronger despite age, wear and tear and lack of competition outings, said Kurt Browning of Canada, a four-time world champion.

Chen came into the 2018 Olympics as a medal contender but imploded in consecutive short programs during the team and individual events, falling twice and not managing a single clean jumping pass among the six he attempted. He finished 17thin the mens short program and, with nothing to lose, did six quads, landing five cleanly, to take first in the free skate and fifth overall.

That put skating and competition and all that in perspective, Chen said. As a kid, I thought if I bombed an opportunity to skate well in an Olympics, thats basically the end of everything for me, and its the only reason I compete.

I finished that competition and went to worlds and another competition and then another competition. Then I realized okay, yeah, I wish I could have gone back and changed it, but my life continues moving forward and skating continues moving forward.

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Looking back, Chen realized that he had been too fixated on medals and also had been getting input from too many sources about which jumps he should do.

What it comes down to, everyone wants the best (for you), but they dont necessarily always agree on it, and I have to make the final judgment call, he said. Being as young as I was and not really knowing what the right call was, just being inexperienced as a skater at that level, I didnt know what the best judgment was to make.

Having had a little bit more experience obviously Im still quite young and being able to use that competition as a learning experience definitely has better prepared me since then.

Chen and Hanyu are not the only gold medal contenders. Two other Japanese skaters, reigning Olympic silver medalist Shoma Uno and reigning world silver medalist Yuma Kagiyama, also can be factors should the top two make serious errors.

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Hanyu had not even fully committed in public to competing in Beijing until winning the Japanese Championships with a brilliant performance in the short and a strong, steady performance in the free after the opening mistake on the quad axel. This presumably will be his last Olympics and possibly his final competition, period.

Chen also may step away from competition after this season, at least for a while. He intends to go back to Yale, where he is a rising junior, after a two-year academic leave.

It kind of depends on how the Games go and how the season goes, Chen said. I hope the answer will be more clear when I finish the Olympics.

And that will more than likely be the end of a rivalry that has become more and more fascinating since the 2018 Olympics.

Think of what the mens event would have looked like if Hanyu or Chen had not had the other to chase or be chased by, Browning said. It would have been a one-man show, and those are always tough sells. Together, they make the Olympics much more interesting.

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Boitano knows how much intense rivalries can make each skater better. In the two seasons leading up to the Battle of the Brians at the 1988 Winter Games in Calgary, he and Orser traded world titles. Boitano won gold with one of the greatest free skate performances in Olympic history, and the outcome was decided by the smallest judging margin possible under the old 6.0 scoring system.

This has been going and going and going between Yuzuru and Nathan, and that is what is required to make a rivalry very special, Boitano said. It has been year after year of great skating against great skating. Now its down to this moment.

Philip Hersh, who has covered figure skating at the last 11 Winter Olympics, is a special contributor to NBCOlympics.com.

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In pushing each other, Hanyu and Chen have redefined the meaning of figure skating greatness - WDIV ClickOnDetroit