Robots can run faster than elite human sprinters, but are they really athletes?
A humanoid robot running 100 metres in 9.39 seconds sounds extraordinary. At this week’s World Humanoid Robot Games in Beijing, one machine reportedly beat the world record held by Usain Bolt, while another jumped higher than Javier Sotomayor’s long-standing high jump mark. On the surface, these achievements appear to represent a new frontier in sport. […]
How Ecuador became a global cocaine hub
For decades, discussions about Latin America’s cocaine trade have tended to focus on the same places. Colombia and Peru produce much of the world’s coca, while Mexico’s cartels dominate trafficking into the US. But between these known parts of the supply chain, another country has quietly become important: Ecuador. Ecuador is not a major cocaine […]
Nepal-Tibet floods: when disaster strikes before communities recover from previous climate extremes, crisis escalates
Major flash floods on the Nepal-Tibet border have destroyed homes, roads, bridges and local hydropower projects. The flooding of the Bhote Koshi river is affecting 50,000 residents. More than 380 tourists are missing. At least 95 people have already died. This region of the Himalayas had not yet recovered from the Bhote Koshi flooding in […]
US midterm elections: Democrats gain ground as Trump faces growing voter discontent
The official campaign for the US midterm elections usually begins after America celebrates Labor Day on September 7. But over the summer, the battle for votes has intensified between Donald Trump’s Republican party and a freshly emboldened Democratic party. In November’s elections, all the seats in the House of Representatives will be contested, as will […]
It’s not just rough sleeping – Andy Burnham’s housing plans need to include the ‘hidden homeless’
Andy Burnham has placed housing inequality, council house building and eradicating rough sleeping at the top of his priority list as prime minister. He has now announced plans to get rough sleepers in England into accommodation by Christmas. While this is a worthy goal, homelessness is not just about rough sleepers. It also includes households […]
Paris Jackson underwent ECT for severe depression. Here’s why the treatment remains debated
Kathy Hutchins/ Shutterstock Michael Jackson’s daughter, Paris, recently revealed that she had undergone nine rounds of electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) to treat severe depression. In the interview, Jackson said that although she felt the treatment “was working”, she said getting “shocked once a month for the rest of my life” wasn’t feasible for her. ECT involves […]
Our obsession with ‘maxxing’ every aspect of our lives could actually be stressing us out
Optimisation is never supposed to become the purpose of life. DannyOliva/ Shutterstock If you want to improve yourself, your health or your lifestyle, you need to do it to the “maxx” – according to social media, at least. If you want to better your appearance, you need to try “looksmaxxing”. If you want to fix […]
Virgin to run trains through the Channel Tunnel – passengers will have a choice
Virgin Trains will start running to Europe from 2030 Alex Daniels Britain’s rail regulator has given Virgin Trains approval to access HS1, the high-speed railway between St Pancras and the Channel Tunnel. This is another step towards Virgin running trains to Paris, Brussels and Amsterdam from 2030. Virgin proposes to start services to Paris initially, […]
What Andy Burnham can learn about devolution from Britain’s Victorian industrial cities
Municipal gas profits helped to pay for Birmingham’s museum and art gallery. trabantos/Shutterstock Andy Burnham’s central vision is for a devolved system of local government that promotes economic growth and fosters local pride. The prime minister’s approach resonates with something known as the “municipal gospel” that swept through Victorian cities in the late 19th century. […]
How climate change affects different modes of transport – from roads to railways
ET Tisomboon/Shutterstock As climate change makes extreme weather more frequent and intense, floods, heatwaves, droughts, wildfires and storms are increasingly disrupting the roads, railways, airports and waterways. Roads have been closed in Germany during this summer’s heatwaves, for example, while travel has been chaotic on railways in the UK. But climate change does not affect […]