Countries enforcing race or gender diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) policies will now be at risk of the Trump administration deeming them as infringing on human rights. The State Department is issuing the new rules to all US embassies and consulates involved in compiling its annual report on global human rights abuses. The new instructions…
The “swarm” of tens of thousands of earthquakes near the Greek island of Santorini earlier this year was triggered by molten rock pumping through an underground channel over three months, scientists have discovered. They used physics and artificial intelligence to work out exactly what caused the more than 25,000 earthquakes, which travelled about 20km (12…
Corporate AI slop feels inescapable in 2025. From website banner ads to outdoor billboards, images generated by businesses using AI tools surround me. Hell, even the bar down the street posts happy hour flyers with that distinctly hazy, amber glow of some AI graphics. On Thursday, Google launched Nano Banana Pro, the company’s latest image-generating…
Ulcerative colitis is characterised by inflammation of the lining of the colon and rectum BSIP SA/Alamy A toxin produced by bacteria found in dirty water kills off immune cells in the lining of the colon, meaning people whose guts are colonised by these bacteria are much more likely to develop a condition known as ulcerative…
This moss grew from a spore exposed to space for nine months Tomomichi Fujita On 4 March 2022, astronauts locked 20,000 moss spores outside the International Space Station and left them exposed to the rigours of space for 283 days. They then rescued the spores and returned them to Earth on a SpaceX capsule so…
Adult mice used their paws and mouths to remove pups stuck in a pregnant female’s birth canal Violet J. Ivan/NYU Grossman School of Medicine Mice seem to assist pregnant females when they get into difficulty giving birth, with experienced mothers being the most helpful. This is thought to be the first official sighting of such…
Tablets could offer a more convenient way to take weight-loss drugs H_Ko/Shutterstock A daily pill could soon be available as an alternative to Wegovy and Ozempic injections after a trial found it led to substantial weight loss and improved blood sugar levels in people with obesity and type 2 diabetes. Orforglipron, developed by pharmaceutical company…
Understanding how losing the Y chromosome affects treatment outcomes in lung cancer could guide therapy decisions da-kuk/Getty Images Men with the most common form of lung cancer seem to be uniquely susceptible to losing the Y chromosome from their cells, which could have advantages and disadvantages. On the one hand, it shields their tumours from…
“Plants have neither ears nor brains, so they can’t appreciate music as we do…” Credit: Michele Cornelius/Alamy Do you play music to your plants? As a botanist obsessed with collecting houseplants, I get asked this question all the time. This New Age notion first entered popular culture back in the 1960s, complete with psychedelic “music…
Credit: Kirsty Pargeter/Alamy Jelly belly. Thunder thighs. Muffin top. When it comes to our wobbly bits, we aren’t short of derogatory terminology. Many societies tend to view fat as an inert padding that keeps us warm at best, if not a simple nuisance to be rid of. But it is time to reshape that thinking.…