Tropical forests can switch from carbon sinks to carbon sources during El Niño
South American tropical forests risk turning from carbon sinks to carbon sources during extreme climate events like El Niño. Teo Tarras / Shutterstock Tropical forests draw down and store large quantities of CO₂ from the atmosphere. The Amazon rainforest in South America, for example, stores approximately 123 billion tonnes of carbon – more than is […]
Ten fathers took extended leave to care for their babies – how their family life changed
Lopolo/Shutterstock The UK government launched a major review of parental leave in July 2025, with recommendations expected in early 2027. One question sits at the heart of the review: what difference does parental leave make to family life? Our new research suggests the effects can last for years. Fathers who spend time as their child’s […]
Why you are seeing bees struggling to survive this summer
Bumblebees die in extreme heat, but there are other reasons too. Jay-Dee/Shutterstock You may be spotting bodies of dead bumblebees lying across pavements near you in the summer months. There are several reasons for this, some to do with the weather and some very much due to humans. Bumblebees are social, living in colonies that […]
Does it matter what children read, as long as they are reading?
This summer, the National Year of Reading is teaming up with sporting figures including Joe Wicks, Clare Balding and Georgia Stanway to encourage people to read. The initiative, part of the campaign’s Summer of Sport programme, links reading activity to major sporting events including Wimbledon, the Fifa Men’s World Cup, cricket and Formula 1. Team […]
Weight-loss jabs may create a new kind of yo-yo dieting
karen roach/Shutterstock For many people living with obesity, newer weight-loss medicines such as Wegovy and Mounjaro have been transformative. These drugs are often grouped under the label GLP-1 medicines because they mimic hormones released after eating, helping people feel fuller and less hungry. Mounjaro, whose active ingredient is tirzepatide, also acts on another hormone involved […]
US-Iran ceasefire had a built-in detonator. This week it went off
The breakdown of the ceasefire between the US and Iran was perhaps the least surprising news this week. The 14-point plan – AKA the memorandum of understanding (MoU) – signed by Donald Trump in Versailles at the end of the G7 summit on June 17 and by the Iranian president, Masoud Pezeshkian, the same day […]
Taylor Swift joins celebrities using the law to fight back against AI deepfakes
A waxwork of Taylor Swift in Madame Tussauds in London. Now the star is trying to trademark her voice and image to protect against AI deepfakes. Sergii Figurnyi/Shutterstock When Taylor Swift launched her latest album, The Life of a Showgirl, in October 2025, she recorded two short clips to promote it. One for Amazon Music […]
Is recursive self‑improvement the dawning of AI superintelligence?
freedom100m/Shutterstock The US AI research company Anthropic has become known for building powerful AI models while simultaneously warning about their dangers. Most recently, its executives wrote about the threat posed by “recursive self-improvement”. This is the point when AI systems can improve themselves by themselves, potentially leading to “superintelligence” far beyond human control. “We are […]
The secret life of roots: how plants fight back against salty soils
Young shoots of corn. malshkoff/Shutterstock To people, salt is a kitchen staple. But to crops, too much of it can be devastating. Across coastal regions and irrigated agricultural land, salt is accumulating in soils, making it harder for plants to absorb water and reducing harvests. Scientists estimate that around half of the world’s irrigated farmland […]
What World Cup football can teach us about managing fatigue in extreme conditions
A football player standing over a penalty in a hot, high-altitude stadium is dealing with more than pressure. His body is trying to keep cool. His heart and breathing may be working harder. Less oxygen is reaching his muscles. One poor decision can end his team’s World Cup. The 2026 men’s World Cup has made […]