British weekly scientific journal; multidisciplinary, London-based.
OpenAI has announced breakthroughs in solving long-standing math problems, prompting a debate among mathematicians about AI’s role. Some celebrate rapid progress, while others warn of erasing research pathways; verification remains essential as experts assess implications for the field.
New research using canopy lasers has mapped earthworks across the Amazon, suggesting the Anquiry civilization supported 1.25 to 3 million people at its peak and built a network of geoglyphs and roads with ceremonial centers. The findings challenge the idea of an untouched rainforest and imply a long and complex precolonial society.
Scientists have captured the Sun’s surface at unprecedented resolution with the Daniel K. Inouye Solar Telescope and other instruments and have identified widespread Kelvin–Helmholtz vortices—500–2,000km spirals of magnetised plasma. The team has linked these instabilities to how magnetic energy cascades to smaller scales and feeds flares and coronal mass ejections that produce space weather.
Researchers at Stanford and the Arc Institute have used generative genome models to design and synthesise bacteriophage genomes; 16 of the lab-made viruses proved viable and a cocktail of them rapidly killed E. coli strains resistant to natural phages. Experts have warned the work has raised urgent biosafety and biosecurity questions about AI-designed genomes.
A class-action-like suit claims Oura’s sleep tracking relies on AI estimates rather than physiological signals, arguing the ring cannot accurately determine sleep stages. The case cites a Nature study showing limited accuracy, while Oura defends its methodology and insists its data are scientifically grounded.
Investors have pushed new biotech winners — from Novo Nordisk’s semaglutide pill to startups tackling baldness and targeted autoimmune drugs — while market enthusiasm has cooled for some forecasts. Novo Nordisk has released a daily weight‑loss pill used by over 1.5 million people; hair‑loss startups have sent small caps soaring; India’s low‑cost GLP‑1 generics have underperformed expectations.
Biotech researchers are developing methods to alter gene expression without changing the DNA sequence, using epigenome editing to treat chronic diseases. The approach differs from traditional gene editing by targeting when and where genes are expressed in cells.
Disaster-hit Nepal faces mounting rebuilding costs after a glacier collapse triggered devastating floods. Scientists link warming to destabilisation of glaciers, while international finance bodies struggle to mobilise funds. Nepal urges faster climate finance to support relief, reconstruction and loss-and-damage claims.
Stanford researchers have transplanted human brain organoids into mice with cortex-depleted brains, creating a model that links human tissue with mouse neural circuits. The work, reported in Nature, shows human cells wiring into mouse brain tissue and drawing attention to ethical oversight and limitations in translating to human disease.
New geophysical surveys have revived the possibility that hidden corridors behind Tutankhamun’s tomb may house space connected to Queen Nefertiti’s burial complex. Researchers propose drilling a narrow borehole to test anomalies north of KV62, potentially expanding Egypt’s most famous royal necropolis.
The IUCN has classified 96% of the world’s shallow-water coral reef systems as critically endangered and warned of possible ecosystem collapse by 2075 if current warming continues. The assessment, presented at COP17, blames heat stress from climate change and adds that reefs still show pockets of resilience that stronger emissions cuts and local conservation can protect.
A South Korean team has matched Van Gogh’s Starry Night to a predawn sky over Saint-Rémy-de-Provence around July 22, 1889, suggesting the painting may reflect a real sky rather than pure imagination. The study, published in Scientific Reports, notes three possible dawns fit the crescent Moon above Venus and the Hyades; July 22 is the closest match, though not conclusive. Leading institutions challenge the dating, citing June 1889 as the painting’s creation.
Two peer‑reviewed studies in Nature Health show Europe’s 2026 heat waves have killed about 50,000 urban residents, with climate change driving roughly two‑thirds of the toll. The research covers 850 cities across 30 countries and finds the death rate highest in Malta, Italy and Hungary, while Italy, France, Spain, Germany and the UK have the largest absolute numbers.
Google has rolled out insulin resistance trends and blood pressure data to Fitbit Air and Edge devices as part of its Health Guardian suite, aiming to offer proactive health insights to more users. The move tightens integration with Google Health Premium and highlights ongoing AI-driven health monitoring ambition.
The Guardian and AP reports show Lula has won the runoff, while the opposition faces a Congress sympathetic to extractivism. Analysts warn that deforestation pressures persist, even as Amazon protections see a record decline in destruction under Lula. The result signals a global south leadership moment, with the Amazon's fate closely tied to policy shifts and international funding.