16 hours ago EPA/ Shutterstock Alexander Lukashenko met the US special envoy in Belarus ahead of the prisoner releases Dozens of political prisoners have been freed from Belarusian prisons as part of a deal between authoritarian leader Alexander Lukashenko and US President Donald Trump. Fifty-two prisoners have been released, including trade union leaders, journalists and…
Another TikTok video Degeling shared with WIRED showed a slow-motion, close-up angle of the bullet hitting Kirk’s neck. The tone of the video was conspiratorial: The user who uploaded it added spooky music and a digitally narrated voice, asking, “What is the black thing on his shirt and why did it move like this before…
Far-right influencers and violent extremists are posting identifying details about people they view as celebrating or glorifying the murder of right-wing activist Charlie Kirk. The campaign has been swift and widespread and has already led to at least one person losing their job and others receiving death threats. The people posting the identifying information include…
Unusual clouds form over the Martian volcano Arsia Mons each year ESA/DLR/FU Berlin/J. Cowart CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO A thin cloud that appears on Mars each year has baffled astronomers ever since it was first spotted, but it may be the result of a moisture-rich atmosphere that was thought impossible. Each winter, an 1800-kilometre-long cloud…
Ibex can move nimbly across steep mountain slopes Serge Goujon/Shutterstock Nearly 300,000 years ago, Neanderthals had already figured out how to hunt mountain goats along vertical cliffs and process them in well-organised camps. Known for ambushing large animals in Western Europe’s flat meadows and forests, it seems Neanderthals adapted to the hills of Eastern Europe…
French children under 15 should be banned from social media and there should be an overnight “digital curfew” for 15-18 year olds, a parliamentary commission has recommended. The six-month inquiry into the psychological effects of TikTok on minors has found that the short video-sharing platform “knowingly exposes our children, our young people to toxic, dangerous…
Your phone charger needs precise quantum measurements Shutterstock/Zoomik If you are anything like me, you are almost always charging your smartphone. What you might not realise is that the ability to do so safely depends on a delicate quantum measurement at the cutting edge of physics. To understand why, we need to look at what…
Archaeological excavations near Aldborough, UK, are helping us understand life after Roman occupation R Ferraby & M.J. Millet When the Roman Empire withdrew from Britain, the result was not chaos and economic collapse. The metals industry in what is now northern England continued and even expanded in the subsequent centuries, according to an archaeological record…
“Disaffection with climate policies has two root causes: economic and cultural” Alex Ramsay/Alamy I have written before about the outcry in my home city of York, UK, when the council announced plans to increase parking fees to discourage people from driving on our polluted streets. In case you were wondering, the council eventually caved in…
Social media can bombard adolescents with people to judge themselves harshly against Alys Tomlinson/Getty Images How We Grow UpMatt Richtel (Mariner Books) The true story at the start of How We Grow Up, the latest book by Pulitzer-winning journalist Matt Richtel, is chilling to read as a parent of children nearing adolescence. Elaniv was a…