Fears of helping the enemy are blocking international agreements on AI in weapons systems
Walking the dog: a US service member patrols with a Ghost Robotics Vision 60 prototype at Nellis Air Force Base in Nevada. Tech. Sgt. Cory Payne / US Air Force The third in a series of military AI summits was held in La Coruña, Spain in February 2026. The aim of the meeting was to […]
We reviewed 48 ‘low carbon’ projects and found they were becoming part of the fossil fuel problem
Palm oil plantations are sometimes classed as a climate solution, as the oil can be made into biofuel. mngthm / shutterstock The world’s major oil and gas companies claim they are leading the energy transition. They spend billions on PR to brand themselves as part of the solution. The data we’ve reviewed tells a different […]
Six tech-free tips from history for designing your garden
Three gardens at the 2026 RHS Chelsea Flower Show have found themselves mired in controversy rather than the more usual mud. This year’s show gardens include one designed by Matt Keightley, who has used Spacelift, a design app he developed that incorporates AI. Advocates of such tools praise their potential to democratise garden design and […]
How traffic makes cities warmer
A queue of vehicles in central Manchester, one of two cities modelled to quantify the effect of traffic on urban heating. Marina J/Shutterstock More than half the world’s population now lives in cities that are often much hotter than their rural surroundings. Roads, buildings and paved surfaces absorb and store heat during the day, then […]
Andy Burnham: what has made the king of the north so popular?
R Heilig/Shutterstock The mayor of Greater Manchester Andy Burnham looks set to contest the Makerfield by-election. His announcement that he was putting himself forward forced others seeking to oust Keir Starmer as prime minister to slow their pace. And it now seems unlikely that anyone will fire the starting gun on a leadership contest until […]
Rivals season 2: Jilly Cooper’s Rutshire drama shows good sex from a woman’s point of view
Good sex on the screen seems to be having a moment. Steamy gay ice hockey romance Heated Rivalry made stars of its unknown leads Hudson Williams and Connor Storrie. The most recent season of Bridgerton – in which the titular family’s son and their lady’s maid fall passionately in love (and into bed) – garnered […]
Who moves away when climate change hits? The hidden household politics of migration
Muhai Minul/Shutterstock Many people are migrating within countries across south Asia to cope with extreme weather. In Bangladesh, Bhutan, India and Nepal, people often move from rural homes to urban metropolises when their homes and livelihoods become damaged or threatened by cyclones and storms, floods and droughts. Most previous research has focused on migration of […]
Indie sleaze: a brief fashion history, from messy rebellion to mainstream revival
Indie sleaze is back, but not as you remember it. The 00s scene’s revival taps into a growing backlash against hyper-polished influencer culture, offering a messier, more authentic alternative that feels both nostalgic and deliberately staged. The original indie sleaze look of the 2000s was an intentionally unrefined way of dressing, driven by a desire […]
How a super El Niño could trigger global famine
emerald_media/Shutterstock Extreme heat and drought could damage harvests and worsen global food insecurity this summer. Climate scientists, agricultural experts and policymakers warn that a super El Niño could tip vulnerable populations towards famine. El Niño is a climate phenomenon in the Pacific that affects weather patterns globally. Rare “super” El Niños generate exceptionally intense warming […]
Lipoedema: the painful condition too often dismissed as obesity
Manual lymphatic drainage is sometimes used for lipoedema, but evidence for its usefulness remains limited. DuxX/Shutterstock For many women with lipodoema, the diagnosis comes after years of being told the same thing: eat less, more more. The problem is that the fat accumulating around their hips and legs isn’t responding to diet or exercise, because […]