Too much body fat isn’t healthy, but some kinds can be beneficial happyfoto/Getty Images If you thought body fat was just a passive storage depot for calories, think again. Research increasingly suggests that it plays an important role in our overall health, with two studies shedding new light on its complexity. Fat exists in several…
A collection of “little red dots” spotted by the James Webb Space Telescope NASA, ESA, CSA, STScI, and D. Kocevski (Colby U.)/Space Telescope Science Institute Office of Public Outreach Impossibly bright galaxies discovered by the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) may not be so bright after all. These galaxies once threatened to upend our understanding…
Hallucigenia, one of the strangest animals of all time Alamy One of the weirdest animals that ever lived may have been a scavenger. A re-examination of fossils first described in the 1970s seems to show a swarm of Hallucigenia feeding on the corpse of a comb jelly. Hallucigenia was a small animal, up to 5…
Parents can take steps to encourage their children to develop positive eating habits plainpicture/artwall Nancy Bostock is increasingly worried about the messaging children and parents are receiving around food. A paediatrician at Cambridgeshire and Peterborough NHS Foundation Trust, Bostock has worked in a children’s weight-management clinic and a children’s inpatient mental health unit, and co-led…
Scientific laboratories can be dangerous places PeopleImages/Shutterstock The use of AI models in scientific laboratories risks enabling dangerous experiments that could cause fires or explosions, researchers have warned. Such models offer a convincing illusion of understanding but are susceptible to missing basic and vital safety precautions. In tests of 19 cutting-edge AI models, every single…
Marco Schioppo (back) and Adam Parke monitoring the ultra-stable laser at the National Physical Laboratory in Teddington, UK David Severn, Part of Quantum Untangled (2025) at Science Gallery, King’s College London Two nonchalant physicists, one with a wry smile, are monitoring some of the most advanced quantum technology in the UK, an ultra-stable laser at…
Imagine forming a relationship with a chatbot that suddenly starts suggesting products to you Maria Korneeva/Getty Images Love MachinesJames Muldoon, Faber & Faber Artificial intelligence is now unavoidable – although there are those among us who try. Even if you don’t seek out a chatbot, you will see new icons in your current apps to…
Ievgenii Meyer/Shutterstock It’s January, which means I am slogging through Dry January after the festive overindulgence. This year, however, I am doing so with a book in hand: Charles Knowles’s Why We Drink Too Much, a guide not only to why we drink, but also to what happens in our bodies and brains when we…
It’s getting busy in Earth orbit Maciej Frolow/Getty Images China has applied to launch nearly 200,000 satellites into Earth orbit, but the move may be an attempt at merely reserving orbital space rather than a genuine effort to build the largest mega-constellation in existence. On December 29, the newly formed Institute of Radio Spectrum Utilisation…
The Pittsburgh Penguins have announced key roster changes as they prepare for their next matchup. The team has recalled forward Tristan Broz and defenseman Ryan Graves from their American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate, the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins. Tristan Broz’s Second Chance Broz, who made his NHL debut earlier this season during a game against the Buffalo…