Can we slow the melting of the ice caps? Ulrik Pedersen/NurPhoto/Shutterstock With carbon dioxide emissions still increasing, can geoengineering halt the melting of the Greenland and Antarctic ice caps and prevent massive sea level rises? No, according to a review of the five main ideas for polar geoengineering proposed so far. Promoting geoengineering ideas that…
The rise of artificial intelligence has increased demand for data centres like this one in London Jason Alden/Bloomberg via Getty Images If Anyone Builds It, Everyone DiesEliezer Yudkowsky and Nate Soares (Bodley Head, UK; Little, Brown, US) In the totality of human existence, there are an awful lot of things for us to worry about….
A new map of the quantum landscape inside solids may unlock powerful materials Michael Strevens Imagine you are out on a walk. Outside the house in the fresh air you may have left the walls behind, but even so there are boundaries that limit where you can wander. In a city, you are constrained by…
Florida surgeon general Joseph Ladapo speaking at an anti-vaccine event in Sarasota, Florida Dave Decker/ZUMA Press Wire/Shutterstock Scepticism around vaccines has reached new heights in the US, with Florida officials pushing to eliminate all vaccine mandates, including those for schoolchildren. The move may embolden other states to follow suit, and also risks triggering a resurgence…
September 8, 2025 2 min read Little-Known ‘Gut Virome’ Protects Us—And Changes throughout Our Lives A new review study examines the “gut virome”: the microbiome’s mysterious viral population By Kate Graham-Shaw edited by Sarah Lewin Frasier Viruses have an understandably bad reputation. But deep in our digestive system, a lot of them are quietly working…
Strength training may benefit the gut microbiome Juliana Yamada/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images The most visible benefits of lifting weights may be bulging biceps, but strength training could also improve your gut microbiome. While there is no single combination of microbes that ensures good health, certain configurations are consistently associated with better medical outcomes,…
GLP-1 medications like Ozempic, Wegovy and Mounjaro might lower people’s risk of developing certain cancers, especially ones linked to obesity.
September 8, 2025 3 min read Rising Temperatures Lead to A Spike in Sugar Consumption Warmer temperatures are associated with higher consumption of sugary beverages and frozen treats, raising concerns about long-term health effects By Andrea Thompson edited by Dean Visser Catherine Falls Commercial/Getty Images When the heat sets in, the siren song of the…
“It has a huge, huge impact on almost every facet of life,” says Duncan Boak. “Not being able to breathe properly. Being bunged up all the time. Blowing your nose constantly, snot running out of your nose constantly, not being able to sleep, facial pain. And it is one of the biggest causes of smell…
The subatomic particles called neutrinos are famously elusive. But an unconventional trick could make a laser beam of the aloof particles.
