Flow batteries that store energy in liquid could accelerate the green transition
nano-stocker/Shutterstock Harnessing renewable resources such as wind and solar energy is vital for the green transition. But these renewables are intermittent and unpredictable. It’s impossible to control when the wind blows and when the sun shines. Currently, we don’t have to rely on the weather to boil a kettle. That’s largely thanks to our use […]
Sitting for long stretches linked to a higher risk of death from cancer – oncologist answers questions about the new study
Jemastock/Shutterstock.com Sitting for more than 30 minutes at a time is linked to a higher risk of dying from cancer, while breaking up long sitting spells with light activity appeared to lower that risk, according to new data. But media reports of the study left many questions unanswered. Here’s what you need to know. What […]
How Shakespeare’s The Tempest can help readers understand the hidden costs of AI
A painting of Miranda, one of the characters in The Tempest, by Frederick Goodall (1888). Folger Shakespeare Library In the 400 years since his death, William Shakespeare’s work has been used as a lens through which to interpret countless developments he could never have anticipated – from modern psychology and political theory to colonialism and […]
Ukraine war is not going well for Russia – how dangerous is this for Vladimir Putin?
The mood regarding the war in Ukraine has changed in recent months. Ukrainian drones have struck Russian oil infrastructure, causing fuel shortages across Russia. And the Ukrainian president, Volodymyr Zelensky, is exuberant about finishing the war from a “position of strength”. The hope is that an economic crisis in Russia leads to social unrest and […]
What will AI do for us? Young adults in lower-income countries feel more positive about its potential – new survey
i_am_zews/Shutterstock Young people in low- and middle-income countries appear generally more optimistic about how AI can enhance their work prospects and social lives than their western peers, according to our new survey of people in ten countries in Africa and South Asia. While debates in higher-income countries often focus on job losses, misinformation and mental […]
Why Bonnie from Toy Story 5 resonates with so many neurodivergent families
When Pixar introduced Toy Story audiences to Bonnie, she was simply the little girl who inherited Woody, Buzz and the gang from Andy at the end of Toy Story 3 (2010). But for many autistic families, Bonnie has become something more: a character whose experiences feel surprisingly familiar. Pixar has never described Bonnie as autistic. […]
Why do some foods taste good and others taste horrible?
Gladskikh Tatiana/Shutterstock Have you noticed that something you find absolutely delicious might taste disgusting to someone else? Well nine-year-old Leo from Wigan in the UK wanted to know why that is – and why our taste for certain foods changes? Leo joined our host Eloise to put his question to taste researcher Linda Bartoshuk on […]
Why Pope Leo’s visit to Lampedusa matters for migrants, the church and global politics
As the US celebrated its 250th anniversary, Pope Leo XIV decided instead to visit the Sicilian island of Lampedusa. Closer to Africa geographically than to Italy, the island is known as a place of sbarchi (sea landings) for thousands immigrants and asylum seekers journeying from Africa to Europe, and a place where thousands of others […]
Climate law expert: Europe’s deadly heatwaves belong in court
Maksim Safaniuk/Shutterstock Europe is in the middle of something that no longer feels exceptional. Temperature records have broken across the continent, hitting 40°C and above in Germany, France, Hungary and Spain – and costing hundreds of lives. Where I live in Scandinavia, this kind of temperature is more unusual. Yet Denmark also recently joined the […]
How to create the blackest black ever known – from nature to nanotechnology
Achieving the blackest of blacks has been one of humanity’s enduring challenges. It is a frontier that unites modern nanotechnologists with nature’s ancient colour palette. Black emerged as one of humanity’s first engineered colours, stemming from charcoal and soot used in the prehistoric cave art of Lascaux in southwestern France. For centuries, darkness has been […]