If it seems like there’s a McDonald’s everywhere you go, that’s because there is almost

There were about 41,800 locations of the chain restaurant in the world in 2023, according to Statista via Chowhound.

To be exact, there were 41,822 locations — an increase from 2022’s count of around 40,200.

And McDonald’s isn’t done growing.

Late last year, the chain announced that it plans to open 9,000 new locations worldwide by 2027.

The United States has the most amount of McDonald’s, which is no surprise. The fast food giant opened its first location in San Bernardino, California, in 1940, and has grown exponentially since its humble beginnings.

In four years time, there will be 50,000 McDonalds restaurants, the company said in its announcement. McDonalds is projecting a net new restaurant growth of 4% in 2024, which will go up to 5% in the years following.

By the end of 2024, McDonald’s expects to open 2,100 additional locations, with 500 of them being in the US.

But they won’t be seen in dozens of other countries throughout, including six where the restaurant chain is illegal, according to World Population Review, in the interest of public health and cultural preservation: Bermuda, Bolivia, Iceland, Iran, Macedonia, North Korea, Yemen and Zimbabwe.

Back in its homeland, McDonald’s hit 13,449 American locations, and Houston, Texas, is the city within the US that has the most with 126 locations.

One McD’s location in the US has actually been dubbed Americasmost beautifulMcDonalds — and even became a historic landmark.

A run-down mansion in Nassau, Long Island, was restored by the McDonald’s Corporation in exchange for permission to construct a drive-thru. That store opened its doors in 1991 and became the only franchise restaurant in the US to be housed in a fully restored building.

There’s also a McDonalds in Freeport, Maine, that has been dubbed the poshest on the planet, thanks to its upscale finishings and high-end menu, which includes lobster rolls in the summertime.

The store is located inside Gore House, a Victorian-style mansion built by a local merchant back in 1850 — which was transformed into a McDonald’s in 1984.

Meanwhile, across the pond, France (including Monaco) and the United Kingdom were the countries with the most McDonalds locations in Europe, with around 1,600 and 1,400 stores,respectively.

Poshness and beauty aside, a McDonalds in Welshpool, Wales, has been dubbed the best in the world by a Michelin-starred chef. The location reportedly has a deluxe menu that has sandwiches with truffle-fragrant mayonnaise and Cadbury chocolate-filledMcFlurries.

In the Asia Pacific and Middle East regions, China had the most restaurants with golden arches with nearly 6,000 stores, followed by Japan and Australia, with 2,980 and 1,030 stores, respectively.

There are also 123 countries that don’t have any McDonald’s, including North Korea, Russia, Iran, Bermuda and Iceland.

May 8 2024 University of Exeter

A gene previously linked to intellectual disability has been found to regulate learning and memory in mice.

The gene, called KDM5B has previously been linked to some intellectual disability disorders and autism. In the general population, some variants are also associated with reduced brain function, although not sufficient to cause an overt disability or behavioral symptoms.

Now, researchers at King's College London, the University of Exeter and the University of California Irvine have found that reduced function of the gene in the brain results in loss of learning ability and memory and a reduction in the brain's ability to strengthen connections between neurons, which is key in the formation of memories.

The team's new mouse study, published in the Journal of Neuroscience describes how mice bred without a fully functional KDM5B gene have worse learning and memory abilities. In order to rule out the possibility that the effect may have been caused by an impact on brain development, the researchers also reduced the amount of this gene in a separate group of adult mice, in the hippocampus, a brain region responsible for memory. They found that reduced gene function resulted in epileptic seizures in some mice and a deterioration of their learning and memory. Laboratory experiments suggested that the strengthening of connections between neurons during memory formation was reduced.

Professor Albert Basson, whose research group began the work at King's College London and has since moved to the University of Exeter, said: "Memory and the ability to learn are fundamental to our intellectual potential, yet we still have a lot to learn about the underpinning mechanisms. For more than a decade, the KDM5B gene has been linked to autism and some forms of intellectual disability, but a mutation in this gene alone is not always sufficient to cause these conditions, so it hasn't been studied in detail. Our work shows that KDM5B is important for learning and memory and provides new insight into the fundamental mechanisms of memory and learning, which is crucial on the pathway to finding new ways to improve these functions."

KDM5B can modify the structure of the genetic material in our cells which determines whether genes necessary for brain development or function are expressed at the correct amount at the right time. Related StoriesLargest study of BRCA1 and BRCA2 carriers refines cancer risk estimates in Asian populationNew biomarker predicts immunotherapy response in gastrointestinal cancersStudy identifies APOE4 homozygotes as high-risk group for Alzheimer's disease

Dr Leticia Peres-Sisquez who performed the research at King's College London, said: "We set out to investigate whether KDM5B's ability to modify genetic material has a direct impact on learning and memory. We've discovered that the gene has a direct impact on learning and memory – which is distinct from any effect during brain development. This gene will now be of much greater interest to researchers on the quest for new treatments for conditions including autism, and other intellectual disability disorders."

The research was funded by the Medical Research Council and the National Institutes of Aging, with support from Wellcome.

The study is entitled 'The intellectual disability risk gene Kdm5b regulates long term memory consolidation in the hippocampus', published in the Journal of Neuroscience. Source:

University of ExeterJournal reference:

Perez-Sisques, L., et al. (2024). The intellectual disability risk geneKdm5bregulates long term memory consolidation in the hippocampus. The Journal of Neuroscience. doi.org/10.1523/jneurosci.1544-23.2024.

New Yorks wobbly office market, limping from a record-high 20% vacancy rate and loss of some tenants to lower-tax South Florida, has more competition to worry about: Boca Raton.

The once-sleepy Sunshine State city of 100,000 between Fort Lauderdale and West Palm Beach is surging with new office development and amenities to support it.

Boca Raton is more complex and varied than visitors sometimes glean from its repetitive, gated residential communities, or its old reputation as a retirement town filled with geezers in golf carts. Its Atlantic Ocean waterfront now thrives with luxury condo towers, restaurants and private clubs that draw a younger clientele.

That transformation is most evident in an area now called Midtown, formerly known as the Golden Triangle, which has become the hub of Boca’s growing finance footprint.

The commercial district — bounded by Yamato Road to the north and Palmetto Park Road to the south, and between Interstate 95 to the east and St. Andrews Boulevard to the west — is home to 38 NYSE — and Nasdaq-listed companies.

Leasing at Bocas 13 million square feet of offices topped 525,000 square feet in 2023, easily besting  343,000 square feet in Fort Lauderdale and 126,000 square feet in West Palm Beach.

The momentum continued into 2024 with six new leases at the  Boca Raton Innovation Campus (BRIC), a former IBM facility a short distance from Midtown thats undergoing a $100 million project to transform it into more modern offices, places to eat and entertainment venues.

“We continue to see an influx of cutting-edge companies flocking to South Florida in search of flexible, yet turnkey, workspaces to meet the needs of their employees, BRIC general manager Michael Perrette said.

Several new office buildings that are planned or under construction will bring millions more square feet to market in the next few years.

Prominent among them is Midtown Place, a rising, Class-A project with 120,000 square feet of state-of-the-art offices to open next year. A project of Butters Construction & Development, it will bring south Palm Beach County its first new offices in more than a decade.

An existing building, 2 Town Center, was significantly upgraded by owners CP Group two years ago with such Manhattan-style features as prebuilt floors and hybrid meeting spaces. It boasts its own restaurant row.

CP managing partner Angelo Bianco said its more than 60% leased at $45 per square foot to such firms as BMO Harris Bank, Praedium Group, Prudential Financial, Related Companies and Wells Fargo Advisors.

Companies are drawn by what Boca Raton Economic Development manager Jessica Del Vecchio calls a built-in workforce of educated talent.

Del Vecchio summed up the view of some tenants in the post-pandemic world as, We can keep a presence on Wall Street, but we can also relocate to an area that we want to be in —  thats low taxes.

Boca also boasts a stop on the state’s high-speed Brightline service, allowing Miami residents to cut their commute on traffic-clogged I-95 to under an hour.

Midtown tenants enjoy proximity to the gargantuan Town Center Mall. With no fewer than five busy department stores —  Saks Fifth Avenue, Nordstrom, Neiman Marcus, Bloomingdales and Macys — and hundreds of high-end shops, it has staved off the bricks-and-mortar retail woes in much of the country.

There is also the Brookfield-owned residential and shopping complex Mizner Park, and now — incongruously for a subtropical climate — Boca Ice, a 73,000 square-foot facility with twin, NHL-size skating and hockey rinks.

Boca also has expanded its options for tourists looking to avoid the hassle of South Beach or the exorbitant prices in West Palm Beach.

A major hotel/resort, the Renaissance Boca Raton, operated by TPG Hotels & Resorts, recently emerged from an extensive renovation with a new, 30,000 square-foot pool deck and conference facilities.

We have owned and operated the property since 2006 and have experienced multiple market cycles and economic shifts,” said Ralph V. Izzi Jr., a spokesman for owner, the Procaccianti Companies.

“The current resurgence of Midtown Boca has been remarkable to say the least. Post-COVID demand in leisure and business travel, combined with evolving consumer preferences were key factors in our decision to invest so aggressively in the property.

The Boca eating scene is on an upswing everywhere. 

A large outpost of popular and critically praised steakhouse Meat Market is not owned by the Renaissance but is attached to the hotel and also operates a poolside cocktails-and-snacks bar.    

Meanwhile, New York restaurateur Dean Poll opened a branch of his famed Gallaghers steakhouse last fall. He said he chose the location because its in the middle of the corporate center with millions of square feet of offices. Hotels within a half mile mostly cater to business travelers.

He and partner Ken Langone were so confident, We built two dining areas that are able to be made into private rooms.