Disney+ and Netflix are buying into football – without buying the live action
Sport is the new battleground in the streaming wars. But it’s not action on the field they’re tempting us with. Disney+ has signed a deal with Gary Neville’s football media brand The Overlap. It’ll host his Stick to Football talk show and a new Manchester United-focused programme co-hosted by Wayne Rooney and YouTuber Mark Goldbridge. […]
Zero-hours contracts are about to change in the UK – how managers respond will be crucial
New rights for gig workers are set to be introduced next year. Eder Paisan Employers in certain sectors will have been concerned to read reports from the UK government that the costs of promised reforms to “zero hours contracts” under the Employment Rights Act 2025 may be anything up to £2.9 billion. The changes, due […]
Why does Salmonella cause serious illness in some people but not others?
raymond orton/Shutterstock For most people, a Salmonella infection causes gastroenteritis, an inflammation of the stomach and intestines that can mean several miserable days of diarrhoea, cramps, fever or vomiting. Most people recover within a week. But severe diarrhoea and dehydration can still be dangerous, even while the bacteria remain confined to the gut. In a […]
Could robots help tackle loneliness? BBC’s Ann Droid raises questions about the future of care
New BBC sitcom Ann Droid imagines a near future in which robots provide care and companionship to older people at home. The series centres on Sue, a recent widow played by Sue Johnston, her hapless son Michael and Linda, an assistive care robot played by Diane Morgan. Linda is designed to provide daily support and […]
Wildfires and a summer of extreme heat mean Andy Burnham can’t stay quiet on climate any longer
New prime minister Andy Burnham’s to-do list just keeps growing. In many regards, he has wasted no time in setting out a vision for the government that puts clear distance between himself and his predecessor Keir Starmer. But despite this, amid a summer of record-breaking heat and devastating wildfires, he is still to say anything […]
Ulez linked with better lung growth in children, research finds
When London introduced the ultra low emission zone (Ulez) in 2019, the idea was straightforward: cut the dirtiest vehicle emissions and improve the air people breathe. But the big question at the time was whether this measure would actually translate into measurable health benefits. Our new study, published in The Lancet Public Health, suggests that […]
Were Denisovans tall compared to other ancient humans? We should be sceptical
Take a walk in London’s Trafalgar Square this summer and wilting under the heat will be all sorts of body sizes, some tall, some short: a real mix of sizes. Picking just two from the crowd to represent the whole human species would be a tall order. But that is exactly what we do when […]
Extreme drought is changing Britain’s wildlife – and some effects won’t be seen until next year
While wildfires dominated the headlines this summer, the effects of extreme heat and drought are also visible on a much smaller scale: parched lawns, wilting and browning trees and dry ditches and bogs. These changes may look temporary, but for wildlife they can have consequences that last long after the rain returns. In some parts […]
Stop! That! Train! is the best kind of silly film
Stop! That! Train! is a very silly film – in the best possible way. It’s a disaster-action movie parody in the vein of The Naked Gun (1988), Hot Shots! (1991) and Airplane! (1980). In fact, Stop! That! Train!’s relationship to the latter is a little bit like a drag queen lip synching to their favourite […]
How Ukraine’s strikes on Russian warehouses became a problem in Kyrgyzstan
Ukraine’s campaign to target Russia’s e-commerce giant Wildberries has had impacts far beyond the Russian federation. For Russia, Wildberries is comparable to Amazon, accounting for about 50% of the country’s online retail market. But its market place is used by manufacturers as far afield as Central Asia. Founded in 2004 as an online clothing retailer, […]