SYED ZAIN UMAR

The secret of how cats twist in mid-air to land on their feet

on March 4, 2026 at 6:00 pm

An exceptionally flexible region of the spine enables falling cats to twist the front and back halves of their body sequentially to ensure a safe landing

How to convey amounts of snow to Canadians: use polar bears

on March 4, 2026 at 6:00 pm

Feedback is pleased to discover another delightfully unconventional unit of measurement, which is used to convey amounts of snow on Ottawa’s Rideau canal

What to read this week: Poisonous People by Leanne ten Brinke

on March 4, 2026 at 6:00 pm

If up to 20 per cent of us really do score highly on traits related to psychopathy, we are going to need all the help offered by a compelling new book. Start by admitting your own dark traits, finds Sally Adee

Sea levels around the world are much higher than we thought

on March 4, 2026 at 4:00 pm

Most coastal risk assessments have underestimated current sea levels, meaning tens of millions of people face losing their homes to rising waters earlier than expected

Top predators still prowled the seas after the biggest mass extinction

on March 4, 2026 at 2:49 pm

The end-Permian extinction 252 million years ago wiped out over 80 per cent of marine species, but many ecosystems still had complex food webs despite the losses

Claude AI: Why are there so many internet outages?

on March 4, 2026 at 12:27 pm

AI chatbot Claude going down is just one example of a recent IT outage. One of the main vulnerabilities of the modern internet is to blame for the growing number of incidents

How worried should you be about microplastics?

on March 4, 2026 at 10:29 am

Microplastics have been found accumulating everywhere from our water to our body tissues, but many of the claims have come under fresh scrutiny. Chelsea Whyte cuts through the research to tell you whether you really need to worry

Phantom codes could help quantum computers avoid errors

on March 3, 2026 at 6:00 pm

A method for making quantum computers less error-prone could let them run complex programs such as simulations of materials more efficiently, thus making them more useful

Rare family has had many more sons than daughters for generations

on March 3, 2026 at 5:13 pm

Analysing the births of a Utah family over seven generations has revealed that their disproportionate number of boys could be caused by a selfish Y chromosome

The real reasons birth rates are declining worldwide

on March 3, 2026 at 4:00 pm

From the cost of childcare to the housing crisis, there’s no shortage of explanations for the dramatic global fall in the number of babies being born. These analyses, though, are all missing something, says cognitive and evolutionary anthropologist Paula Sheppard

Your microbiome may determine your risk of a severe allergic reaction

on March 3, 2026 at 4:00 pm

The microbes that live in our mouth and gut may influence whether an allergic reaction to peanuts is mild or life-threatening, and could be harnessed to ward off a severe attack

Why the US is using a cheap Iranian drone against the country itself

on March 3, 2026 at 12:36 pm

The US and Iran are trading blows in the Gulf with a simple drone that costs as little as $50,000 to make. But why is a slow, cheap and relatively primitive drone seeing use in 2026 alongside hypersonic missiles and stealth jets?

Can Michael Pollan crack the problem of consciousness in his new book?

on March 3, 2026 at 10:30 am

The science writer delves into the vast subject of consciousness in his new book A World Appears – and draws some surprising conclusions, finds Grace Wade

Would aliens do physics, or is science a human invention?

on March 3, 2026 at 9:00 am

Shaped by a different biology or culture, other intelligent civilisations – if they’re out there – might understand the universe in a completely different way than we do. Physicist Daniel Whiteson explores what that could tell us about physics and ourselves

First drone passengers may be combat casualties and criminals

on March 3, 2026 at 8:00 am

Drones aren’t yet licensed to carry passengers, but some may already be airlifting wounded personnel off the battlefield and could be employed for smuggling people

A crisis in cosmology may mean hidden dimensions really exist

on March 2, 2026 at 4:00 pm

Physicists are scrambling to understand why dark energy is weakening. In a surprising twist, we must now reconsider the possibility that our reality contains extra dimensions

The bombshell results that demand a new theory of the universe

on March 2, 2026 at 4:00 pm

Last year, our most detailed map of the universe yet suggested our understanding of dark energy has been wrong for decades. The shock result is reigniting the search for a better cosmic story   

A bizarre type of black hole could solve three cosmic mysteries in one

on March 2, 2026 at 4:00 pm

Black holes that turn matter into energy could explain dark energy and answer two other cosmic questions. Now, the challenge is to find them

Crisis in cosmology: If we’ve got dark energy wrong, what could it be?

on March 2, 2026 at 4:00 pm

This is a New Scientist special package about shock results that have upended cosmology. What do they mean for our models of the universe, and what are the alternative explanations?

Spreading crushed rock on farms could absorb 1 billion tonnes of CO2

on March 2, 2026 at 3:00 pm

Putting silicate rocks from mine waste on fields could improve crops and limit global warming, but some researchers question where all that rock is going to come from

Nicola Coughlan makes major claim over ‘plus size’ label

on March 5, 2026 at 8:10 am

Nicola Coughlan makes major claim over ‘plus size’ labelNicola Coughlan has criticised the focus on her body and the reaction to her nude scenes in Bridgerton.She expressed that it was frustrating to see months of work just be all about her appearance instead of acting skills.The…

Nicole Kidman’s daughter Sunday Rose under intense backlash post-Keith Urban divorce

on March 5, 2026 at 7:42 am

Nicole Kidman’s daughter Sunday Rose under intense backlash post-Keith Urban divorceNicole Kidman has lost her cool after daughter Sunday Rose faced severe backlash in the wake of her parents’ divorce.For those unaware, Kidman welcomed two children, daughters 17-year-old Sunday Rose and…

Chase Stokes calls out Morgan Evans over comments on Kelsea Ballerini split

on March 5, 2026 at 7:29 am

Chase Stokes calls out Morgan Evans over comments on Kelsea Ballerini splitChase Stokes called out Morgan Evans for a shocking comment he made about his ex-girlfriend Kelsea Ballerini.“This is about the most pathetic excuse of masculinity ive ever seen. Get a f***ing life,” the…

Taylor Swift faces awkward situation ahead of her wedding to Travis Kelce

on March 5, 2026 at 6:59 am

Taylor Swift faces awkward situation ahead of her wedding to Travis Kelce Taylor Swift is currently planning her wedding to Travis Kelce but things have taken an unexpected turn.Radar Online reported that the pop sensation’s ex-boyfriend Matty Healy is also planning to tie the knot just…

Harry Styles hints he’s ready for marriage and family life

on March 5, 2026 at 6:16 am

Harry Styles hints he’s ready for marriage and family lifeHarry Styles, who is currently in a relationship with actress Zoe Kravitz, revealed that he wants to get married and start a family soon.During an appearance on Apple Music’s The Zane Lowe Show, the 32-year-old singer said that…

Cardi B’s ex Steffon Diggs faces major setback post breakup

on March 5, 2026 at 4:59 am

Cardi B’s ex Steffon Diggs faces major setback post breakup Cardi B’s ex, Stefon Diggs is currently unemployed!This happened after the sportsman was released by his American football team, the New England Patriots.According to CBS as well as other US outlets, the team informed Stefon…

Morgan Evans reveals where his relationship with Laci Kaye Booth stands now

on March 5, 2026 at 4:33 am

Morgan Evans reveals where his relationship with Laci Kaye Booth stands nowMorgan Evans’ relationship with singer Laci Kaye Booth is still going strong after two years of dating.The 40-year-old singer recently made an appearance on Bobby Bones’s The BobbyCast podcast, where he opened up…

Why Jack Wagner and wife Michelle Wolf are not living together

on March 5, 2026 at 3:52 am

American actor Jack Wagner is opening up about his marriage to singer songwriter Michelle Wolf and the couple’s decision to maintain separate homes after tying the knot in 2025.Wagner, 65, married Wolf on May 18, 2025 in a small ceremony attended by about 40 close family members and friends….

Cruz Beckham sends birthday message to estranged brother Brooklyn despite reported rift

on March 5, 2026 at 3:13 am

Cruz Beckham publicly wished his older brother, Brooklyn Beckham, a happy birthday. Taking to Instagram, the youngest of the Beckham brothers, 21, shared a childhood photo on Wednesday, writing “I love you” in a brief message.The post came weeks after Cruz appeared to hint at…

Selena Gomez opens up about mental health misdiagnosis

on March 5, 2026 at 2:34 am

Selena Gomez has revealed she was initially misdiagnosed before eventually learning she has Bipolar disorder.The 33-year-old singer and entrepreneur discussed her experience during the 3 March episode of the Friends Keep Secrets podcast with her husband, Benny Blanco. During the podcast,…

T.I. says sons crossed a line during his feud with 50 Cent

on March 5, 2026 at 2:00 am

T.I. has revealed he was uncomfortable seeing his sons get involved in his ongoing feud with 50 Cent.During an appearance on The Ebro Laura Rosenberg Show on 3 March, the rapper said he drew the line after his son King wore a T-shirt featuring a photo of 50 Cent’s late mother, Sabrina…

Brooklyn Beckham ignores Victoria, David peace call, responds to Nicola Peltz instead

on March 5, 2026 at 1:42 am

Brooklyn Beckham ignores Victoria, David peace call, responds to Nicola Peltz insteadBrooklyn Beckham apparently ignored his family’s offer of reconciliation as he took a moment to gush over his wife Nicola Peltz’s birthday wish for him.On March 4th, which also marked Brooklyn’s 27th birthday,…

Keke Palmer gets candid about ‘dehumanizing’ child star experience

on March 5, 2026 at 12:48 am

Keke Palmer gets candid about ‘dehumanizing’ child star experienceKeke Palmer is looking back at her days as child star and why it felt “dehumanizing.”The 32-year-old star recently opened up about being treated as “product” by Disney and Nickeloden in a recent interview with Variety.“Being…

Daniel Radcliffe welcomes new ‘Harry Potter’ era, says it’s time to ‘pass it on’

on March 5, 2026 at 12:01 am

Daniel Radcliffe welcomes new ‘Harry Potter’ era, says it’s time to ‘pass it on’Daniel Radcliffe is excited to watch the new Harry Potter TV show with his son.During a recent appearance on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, the 36-year-old star gushed that he is looking forward to seeing a new…

Selena Gomez reveals handmade birthday gift Taylor Swift created for her

on March 4, 2026 at 11:33 pm

Selena Gomez has shared details about a sentimental, handmade gift she received from longtime friend Taylor Swift for her 30th birthday.Gomez, 33, spoke about the present while appearing on an episode of the podcast Friends Keep Secrets, hosted by her husband, Benny Blanco. “She painted a…

Jamie Lee Curtis doubles down on her assertion about ‘The Bear’s imminent end

on March 4, 2026 at 11:14 pm

Photo: Jamie Lee Curtis doubles down on her assertion about ‘The Bear’s imminent endJamie Lee Curtis has reiterated her claim that The Bear is ending with season 5. While speaking to Entertainment Tonight, the actress, plays the mother, Donna, to Jeremy Allen White’s Carry Donna,…

Nicole Kidman reacts to daughters’ possible future in Hollywood

on March 4, 2026 at 11:12 pm

Nicole Kidman reacts to daughters possible future in HollywoodNicole Kidman is discussing her daughters’ future plans.In a recent chat with People, the Babygirl actress, who welcomed two daughters Faith and Sunday, with her ex husband Urban Keith, opened up bout whether her girls will follow their…

Jason Biggs speaks of a possible American Pie sequel

on March 4, 2026 at 10:32 pm

Jason Biggs has said there are ongoing discussions about a possible fifth instalment in the American Pie franchise.The 47-year-old actor made the admission to the New York Post, confirming there are “always rumblings” about another sequel. He said he would welcome the chance to…

Nicole Kidman suffers from an alarming condition as she experiences emotional fallout amid Keith Urban split

on March 4, 2026 at 9:40 pm

Photo: Nicole Kidman suffers from an alarming condition as she experiences emotional fallout amid Keith Urban splitNicole Kidman’s friends are concerned about her struggling mental health as her recent appearance hinted towards the painful aftermath of her split from Keith Urban.The Oscar…

Tom Brady’s friends warn him about Alix Earle’s real intentions following romance rumors

on March 4, 2026 at 9:26 pm

Photo: Tom Brady’s friends warn him about Alix Earle’s intentions following the romance rumorsTom Brady has reportedly been urged by people around him to be cautious of his new lady love.Recently, the former footballer was spotted getting cozy with influencer Alix Earle during Super Bowl…

Iran v Australia: Women’s Asian Cup 2026 – live

by Joey Lynch on March 5, 2026 at 9:07 am

Updates from the Matildas Group A game on the Gold CoastAny thoughts? Get in touch with an emailIt’s obviously going to case a shadow over tonight’s match so, as a reminder, The Guardian is bringing you live updates on the crisis in the Middle East.“These women are prisoners,” says Cyrus Jones, a human rights activist who will be attending the match. “Iranian security is up on their floor [of the hotel] at night. They can’t leave their rooms. They can’t use the public bathrooms. They’re monitored when they go for breakfast, when they get on the bus. They’re monitored in a way no other players from other teams are. Continue reading…

Middle East crisis live: Israel launches fresh strikes on Tehran; Iran claims to have targeted Kurdish groups in Iraq

by Taz Ali (now) and Adam Fulton (earlier) on March 5, 2026 at 9:06 am

Tehran says it hit groups ‘opposed to the revolution’, amid reports the US is looking to arm Kurdish militiasIran says it has targeted Kurdish groups in Iraq and warned “separatist groups” against action in the widening war.Tehran said on Thursday it had hit Iraq-based Kurdish groups “opposed to the revolution”, as reports said the US was looking to arm Kurdish militias to infiltrate Iran.We will not tolerate them in any way. Continue reading…

Mother’s Pride review – flat-cap populism and weak beer in Martin Clunes post-Brexit pub comedy

by Mike McCahill on March 5, 2026 at 9:00 am

The team behind Fisherman’s Friends swap sea shanties for real ale, but this tale of rival West Country boozers serves up clunky exposition and sentiment on tapThe Fisherman’s Friends team have found a modestly profitable post-Brexit niche: tales of culturally endangered Anglo-Saxon endeavours, nudged towards gentle uplift via a few songs and laughs, dollops of sentiment and some rabble-rousing populism. First it was half-forgotten sea shanties; now it’s the dwindling pub trade, represented here by rival West Country establishments. On one streetcorner, spit-and-sawdust local the DroversArms, overseen by salt-of-the-earth (read: emotionally repressed) widower Martin Clunes, who is slowly being strangled by his grasping brewery’s supply chain. On the other, that same brewery’s la-di-da gastropub, owned and somewhat implausibly operated by posho Pritchard (Luke Treadaway).The scene may have shifted indoors – gone, alas, is the Cornish scenery of Fisherman’s Friends – but the formula remains much the same: clunky exposition, upper-case “Issues”, variably groansome dad gags. Tension emerges between Clunes and prodigal son Jonno Davies, until the latter proposes a radical idea to save the business: homebrewing. Davies has an awkward reunion with old flame Gabriella Wilde, who is now shacked up with Treadaway and doubtless eating swan for breakfast. But the resolutions really are arbitrary: it takes barely 10 minutes for the villager who sabotages the microbrewery to crowdfund its replacement. Co-writer and director Nick Moorcroft must be praying that audience sympathy for rickety, no-frills structures like the Drovers will extend to the film itself. Continue reading…

Gloria Don’t Speak by Lucy Apps review – tender portrait of a woman with a learning disability

by Alice Jolly on March 5, 2026 at 9:00 am

Longlisted for the Women’s prize, this ambitious debut journeys into the inner world of a vulnerable teenager who is left traumatised by a toxic friendshipLucy Apps’s debut novel tells the story of 19-year-old Gloria, who is living in east London with her mum in the summer of 1999. Gloria has a learning disability and is past the age when the state might offer her support. Often she is happy enough “to stop outdoors where it is nice and busy, and watch things happen and be part of it”.But sometimes people steal from her, or shout abuse. Then she has a “heavy feeling inside her” because she has no option except “to walk around the parks and streets on her own trying not to attract too much attention”. When she develops a friendship with Jack, she is happy because: “He has no one to talk to and she has no one to listen to, so they can fit with each other.” Continue reading…

Wizz Air issues profits warning due to Middle East crisis; China ‘tells refiners to halt diesel and gasoline exports’ – business live

by Graeme Wearden on March 5, 2026 at 8:53 am

Rolling coverage of the latest economic and financial newsMiddle East crisis live: Israel launches fresh strikes on Tehran; Iran claims to have targeted Kurdish groups in IraqGlobalisation is under threat from Iran war – and Britain is uniquely vulnerableEuropean markets have dipped in early trading, as the recovery in Asia-Pacific markets fails to ripple round to Europe.The pan-European Stoxx 600 index is down 0.3%, with losses in Frankfurt, Paris, Milan, Madrid and London. Continue reading…

Globalisation is under threat from Iran war – and Britain is uniquely vulnerable

by James Meadway on March 5, 2026 at 8:34 am

The economic ripples from the US-Israel attacks will soon become waves, engulfing everything from energy prices to food suppliesIn retaliation for the US-Israeli missile attacks, Iran has launched what amounts to all-out economic warfare. Should the conflict continue even for another week, its impacts will start to be felt around the world as the third price surge since the pandemic washes through global markets.For Britain, a further turn of the screw on living standards arrives just as political instability mounts at home, with the Labour and Conservative parties facing existential challenges to their left and right. Continue reading…

South East Water fined £22.5m for ‘repeated supply failures’ in Kent and Sussex

by Julia Kollewe on March 5, 2026 at 8:31 am

Regulator says failures that hit nearly 300,000 customers made worse by utility’s failure to maintain efficient supply systemBusiness live – latest updatesSouth East Water has been fined £22.5m by Ofwat for repeated supply failures in Kent and Sussex between 2020 and 2023 that affected more than 280,000 people.While the root cause of the water shortages was extreme weather, the water regulator for England and Wales found that they were “in part attributable to and/or exacerbated by failures by South East Water itself to develop and maintain an efficient water supply system”. Continue reading…

Cost of living Q&A: post your questions for money expert Hilary Osborne now

by Hosted by Guardian moderators on March 5, 2026 at 8:08 am

This week’s events in the Middle East sent stock markets plummeting and energy prices soaring. But what does this mean for interest rates, inflation and your own finances? Post your question for the Guardian’s money and consumer editor nowThis week’s terrifying events in the Middle East have shaken global markets and caused huge fears about energy prices and the impact they will have on inflation and the cost of living.Hilary Osborne is the Guardian’s money and consumer editor and will be answering questions about wider economic fallout live from 1pm here. Please post your questions and discuss the subject below. Continue reading…

Vladimir review – Rachel Weisz is unswervingly brilliant in a TV show you’ll admire for years to come

by Lucy Mangan on March 5, 2026 at 8:01 am

This adaptation of the 2022 novel – starring Weisz, Leo Woodall and John Slattery – fits it perfectly to television. It’s a proper show for proper grownupsVladimir is that rare visitor to the screen – proper television for proper grownups. The eight-part adaptation of Julia May Jonas’s provocative 2022 debut novel of the same name has not shied away from the properties that made the book great – black comedy, bleak insight, evisceration of accepted pieties – and fitted them perfectly to the new form. The screenwriter, Jeanie Bergen, who has obviously absorbed the book into her very bones, retains all of Jonas’s wit, confidence and, crucially, her willingness to dwell in grey areas and luxuriate in the complexities that govern life in middle age.She also has Rachel Weisz, giving an unswervingly brilliant performance as the unnamed protagonist, a tenured English professor beloved by her students, whose husband, John (John Slattery, playing his one part, but he does it so well and so much better than anyone else, who are we to object to seeing it again?), another tenured academic on the same campus – has just been suspended for sleeping with students. His defence is that this was before the rules changed. “It was a different time” is a recurring phrase – not just from him (for here is the beginning of Jonas and Bergen’s devotion to rug-pulling) but from his wife and other members of their faculty and peer group, male and female. Continue reading…

‘Fame is the worst thing for us as human beings’: Naomi Scott on scream queens, Disney princesses and finding her own voice

by Michael Cragg on March 5, 2026 at 8:00 am

After major roles in horror hit Smile 2 and the live-action Aladdin, the actor is returning to her first love: music. She talks faith, fame and why singing is more freeing than cinemaWhen Naomi Scott was 27 she had what she refers to now as a “quarter-life crisis”. She had been working as an actor since she was a teenager, swapping bit parts in adverts for plum roles in high-profile Disney TV shows and big-budget Hollywood blockbusters including Aladdin (she played Princess Jasmine) and Elizabeth Banks’s Charlie’s Angels remake. She had also married young, after meeting her husband, ex-professional footballer Jordan Spence, at her local church in east London. Worried that the path she’d taken had its destination already mapped out, she felt frustrated, as if she hadn’t really “mourned the other versions of my life”, as the now 32-year-old puts it. Part of that process, it turned out, was returning to her first love: music.“I felt I had to go back to basics, to a childlike writing process,” she explains, sipping a black coffee in a vast, sparsely decorated cafe in Hackney, east London, her faded red hair contrasting with the beige backdrop. “Just me on the piano at 14, allowing whatever comes naturally to come. So that’s what I did.” Music had always been in her orbit, be it via singing in a church choir or later working with the bonkers pop production house Xenomania. Somewhere along the way, however, acting had taken over. Continue reading…

Football’s converging moral panics hold up a mirror to our fractured world | Jonathan Liew

by Jonathan Liew on March 5, 2026 at 8:00 am

From grappling at corners to VAR, the endless list of complaints reflects a wider sense of dislocation from ‘the product’A terrible boredom stalks the land. Across the nation’s television studios and podcast armchairs, wearied men grizzle accursedly with forked tongues into branded microphones: entombed by a game they despise and yet are paid so generously to discuss. Out there in the wild digital beyond, the sickness festers still deeper. The game has gone, they type into a little white box. This is not the football I once loved, click send. The beautiful game is broken, pleads the Telegraph. They think it’s all over, and perhaps it always was.Arne Slot is no longer enjoying himself, and presumably a good proportion of the Liverpool fans at Molineux on Tuesday night know exactly how he feels. John Terry is no longer enjoying himself. Yaya Touré is “disappointed”. Ruud Gullit is so disgusted he has decided to stop watching. Chris Sutton thinks Arsenal will be the ugliest winners in Premier League history. Mark Goldbridge is bored out of his mind, albeit nowhere near as bored as you would presumably need to be to watch a Mark Goldbridge livestream. Continue reading…

You be the judge: should my eco-conscious husband park his dislike of flying?

by Interviews by Georgina Lawton on March 5, 2026 at 8:00 am

Jenny wants to spread her wings and see the world, but Teddy is happy at home. Where do they go from here? You decide• Find out how to get a disagreement settled or become a jurorI worry about my carbon footprint, but you can’t go everywhere by train and I want to see the worldIt’s not an environmental issue. I’ve just had my fill of flying and don’t really enjoy being a tourist Continue reading…

As a boomer, I’m shocked by gen Z’s attitude towards women – something has gone very wrong | Joan Smith

by Joan Smith on March 5, 2026 at 8:00 am

New research suggests older people have more progressive views on women’s rights than younger generations. This direction of travel is deeply concerningIt is usually assumed that young people are more liberal than older generations. Not according to startling new research carried out in 29 countries, including the UK, that suggests that almost a third of gen Z men believe that a wife should always obey her husband. A similar number say a husband should have the final say on important decisions.Although those stats are for a 29-country average, it seems to reflect worries about a masculinity crisis among young men in the UK. What century are we living in? It could be a snapshot from the 1970s, but the figures are from a survey published this week by Ipsos and the Global Institute for Women’s Leadership at King’s College London. But even five decades ago, men in the UK who expressed such views could expect to be laughed at. They were swimming against the tide, as legislation was passed outlawing sex discrimination and creating a (theoretical) right to equal pay.Joan Smith is an author, journalist and a former chair of the mayor of London’s VAWG board. Her latest book is Unfortunately, She Was a Nymphomaniac: A New History of Rome’s Imperial WomenDo you have an opinion on the issues raised in this article? If you would like to submit a response of up to 300 words by email to be considered for publication in our letters section, please click here. Continue reading…

QPR’s Jonathan Varane: ‘Football is a big part of my life, but it’s not everything’

by Ed Aarons on March 5, 2026 at 8:00 am

Midfielder tapped into history while frustrated by injury but hopes to help a young side rediscover promising formJonathan Varane’s 2026 didn’t get off to the best start. Four days into the new year, the QPR midfielder sprained a knee during a 3-0 win over Sheffield Wednesday and was a frustrated spectator for more than a month.Varane had been desperate to play his part, with QPR hoping to push for the playoffs, but the 24-year-old took the opportunity to indulge in two of his other passions: reading and history. That included a trip with his teammate Paul Nardi to the British Museum, where the ancient Egyptian artefacts proved of particular fascination. Continue reading…

Why Bugonia should win the best picture Oscar

by Tim Jonze on March 5, 2026 at 8:00 am

Contains spoilers: Emma Stone’s hard-faced corporate CEO has a lot of explaining to do when she is kidnapped by Jesse Plemons’s conspiracy kook. But in this film, asking whether someone is an alien seems an ordinary inquiryEmma Stone as a kidnapped, shaven-headed pharmaceuticals CEO who might also be the ruler of an alien master race? It says a lot about director Yorgos Lanthimos that Bugonia was arguably his most straightforward film to date.For this remake of the cult 2003 South Korean movie Save the Green Planet! we were invited into the unkempt home of beekeeper Teddy (Jesse Plemons), a paranoid conspiracy theorist whose internet research has led him to believe that aliens are poisoning his bees – and that only he can save life on Earth from extinction. He enlists his neurodivergent cousin Don (Aidan Delbis) to kidnap high-flying Michelle Fuller (Stone), whose company Auxolith seems to have caused Teddy’s mother some kind of irreversible harm in the past. Continue reading…

‘In the face of death, we are all equal’: Ukraine’s Roma fight for recognition for those serving in war

by Emilia Sulek, photography by Béla Váradi on March 5, 2026 at 8:00 am

With many lacking official documentation or unable to speak Ukrainian, the families of men killed in action are struggling to get the compensation they are owedAs a father of four, Viktor Ilchak was not supposed to serve in the army. Ukraine does not mobilise men who have three or more children. His wife and children cried and begged him not to go to war. But he had made up his mind. “A typical Capricorn, so stubborn,” says his wife, Sveta.It was 2015, the war in Donbas was growing in intensity. “I heard someone on TV complaining that Roma aren’t defending their homeland. This pissed me off, and so I volunteered,” says Ilchak. In the territorial recruitment centre in Uzhhorod the Ukrainian soldiers were surprised, but they had to take him. Continue reading…

UK defence minister flies to Cyprus to ease tension over drone strike on RAF base

by Jessica Elgot in Nicosia on March 5, 2026 at 7:51 am

John Healey meets Cypriot counterpart after Shahed-style drone evaded defences and hit RAF base on islandUS-Israel war on Iran – live updatesJohn Healey flew into Cyprus on Wednesday night to calm the diplomatic fallout over a drone that evaded detection and hit an RAF base, prompting fury from local ministers.UK officials believe a drone that hit an RAF base in Cyprus evaded detection by flying low and slow when it was launched by pro-Iranian militia in Lebanon or western Iraq. Continue reading…

Google Pixel 10a review: cheaper Android is great, but no real advance

by Samuel Gibbs Consumer technology editor on March 5, 2026 at 7:00 am

Quality camera, good software and long battery life, but you should just buy the Pixel 9a insteadThe latest smartphone in the lower-cost A-series Pixel line shows what makes Google phones so good, while undercutting the competition on price. The problem is that it differs little from its predecessor, which is still on sale.Priced from £499 (€549/$499/A$849), the Pixel 10a is more like a second edition of last year’s excellent Pixel 9a. The two phones share the same Tensor G4 chip, not the newer G5 in the rest of the £799 and up Pixel 10 line; the same memory, storage and cameras; the same size 6.3in OLED screen, though the Pixel 10a reaches a higher peak brightness making it slightly easier to read outside. Continue reading…

Tales of the Suburbs by John Grindrod review – an entertaining alternative history of queer Britain

by Rebecca Nicholson on March 5, 2026 at 7:00 am

From London’s commuter belt to the country village gay club, these portraits of LGBTQ+ life are filled with humour, compassion and observational flairGenerations of readers have loved Armistead Maupin’s Tales of the City novels. His chronicle of queer life began in 1976 in the eclectic glamour of San Francisco’s Barbary Lane, where queer people learned who they were and how to live their lives. But even Maupin relocated in the end. The most recent instalment, Mona of the Manor, saw one of its key characters move to the Cotswolds to navigate a very different kind of village.The social historian John Grindrod nods to Maupin in this fantastically entertaining alternative history of queer life in Britain, which departs from the usual tales of city-based freedom and discovery to tell the stories of people who grew up in the suburbs. “The suburbs” resist easy definition, and Grindrod handles this lightly. Sometimes they’re marked out by social class, sometimes by geography, each facet blurring into the other. His locations range from London’s commuter belt to hamlets, farms and towns, from the edges of Portsmouth and Hull to pockets of Glasgow and Wilmslow and a tiny village in Lincolnshire, where a gay builder is protected from homophobic abuse in the pub by the local darts team. Continue reading…

On the trail of Peaky Blinders, Black Sabbath and the perfect pint – an alternative guide to Birmingham

by Richard Franks on March 5, 2026 at 7:00 am

As the Peaky Blinders film is released this week, we follow in the footsteps of the Shelbys, make a heavy metal pilgrimage and find the city’s best places to eat, drink and danceThe runaway success of the TV crime drama Peaky Blinders has been credited with boosting tourism to Birmingham and the West Midlands since it first aired in 2013, even though much of the series was actually shot farther north, in Merseyside, Yorkshire and Manchester. The release this week of the Peaky Blinders movie The Immortal Man (much of which was filmed in and around Birmingham this time) will undoubtedly generate a new wave of interest, particularly in the Black Country Living Museum in nearby Dudley, whose authentic recreations of streets, houses and industrial workshops appear in key scenes in the TV show and the film – most notably as the location for Charlie Strong’s yard (pictured below). Continue reading…

STAT+: A new mystery emerges about Epstein’s involvement in Harvard genetics study

by Megan Molteni on March 5, 2026 at 1:02 am

Someone seems to have altered the Personal Genome Project’s profile page believed to belong to Epstein to indicate he provided consent to join the study Jan. 31, 2026.

Opinion: Obesity drugs may silence the ‘drug noise’ behind all addiction

by Ziyad Al-Aly on March 4, 2026 at 11:30 pm

A new study found GLP-1 drugs were associated with 50% fewer substance-related deaths, 39% fewer drug overdoses, and 26% fewer drug-related hospitalizations.

STAT+: RFK Jr. has wide discretion to choose evidence to support vaccine decisions, DOJ argues

by Anil Oza on March 4, 2026 at 11:09 pm

A Justice Department lawyer argued that the HHS secretary has broad discretion to issue vaccine guidance and choose what evidence to consider.

STAT+: Is RFK Jr. coming for your Dunkin’?

by Tal Kopan — Boston Globe on March 4, 2026 at 4:44 pm

The warning comes as Kennedy is leaning heavily into his agenda to improve American diets

STAT+: FDA warns more telehealth firms about compounded GLP-1s

by Elaine Chen on March 4, 2026 at 2:44 pm

Moderna’s Covid-19 shot settlement, Prime Medicine’s gene therapy, and other biotech news from The Readout

STAT+: What does malpractice insurance have to do with AI?

by Brittany Trang on March 4, 2026 at 2:22 pm

In this edition of STAT’s AI Prognosis: Brittany Trang dives into what medical malpractice insurance looks like in the age of artificial intelligence, and more.

STAT+: Pharmalittle: We’re reading about Moderna’s $2.25 billion settlement, FDA warning letters, and more

by Ed Silverman on March 4, 2026 at 2:19 pm

Moderna agreed to pay Roivant up to $2.25 billion to settle claims that its mRNA Covid vaccine infringed on Roivant’s patents

Wildfire pollution linked to higher stroke risk

by Theresa Gaffney on March 4, 2026 at 1:05 pm

Ultra-processed diet and behavior, UnitedHealth’s latest SEC filing, and other health news

STAT+: UnitedHealth promised transparency. Instead, it’s cutting back key disclosures

by Bob Herman on March 4, 2026 at 9:30 am

UnitedHealth used to disclose more than 3,100 subsidiaries. Its latest annual reports shows just 10.

Opinion: What Alexis de Tocqueville taught me about recovering from a brain injury

by Scott Hamilton on March 4, 2026 at 9:30 am

When we are ill, we need expertise more than ever, yet our agency feels fragile. The best clinicians recognize this, a patient writes.

STAT+: Moderna to pay Roivant up to $2.25 billion to settle patent lawsuit behind mRNA vaccines

by Jason Mast on March 3, 2026 at 9:49 pm

A settlement provides a massive windfall for Arbutus and Roivant and avoids a worst-case scenario for Moderna.

STAT+: Virginia lawmakers push a new approach to a prescription drug affordability board

by Ed Silverman on March 3, 2026 at 8:36 pm

As states try to contain the cost of prescription drugs, Virginia lawmakers are pushing an affordability board they believe will go further than efforts in other states.

Autism researchers rebuke Kennedy, form independent advisory group

by O. Rose Broderick on March 3, 2026 at 6:40 pm

A group of autism researchers and advocates are forming an independent advisory body to develop a scientific agenda for the autism community.

STAT+: Trump can’t break free from vaccine politics

by John Wilkerson on March 3, 2026 at 6:20 pm

Trump is trying to shift the focus toward healthy eating and cheaper drugs. But vaccines keeping coming back up.

STAT+: Prime Medicine to seek approval for gene-editing treatment after two-patient trial

by Jason Mast on March 3, 2026 at 5:39 pm

Prime Medicine’s application will test an FDA that has promised to speed new gene-editing treatments but has recently spurned some.

Opinion: CMS shouldn’t be paying for higher-than-necessary doses of cancer drugs

by Mark J. Ratain and David A. Hyman on March 3, 2026 at 2:51 pm

In cancer treatment, higher doses with worse side effects often don’t lead to better outcomes.

STAT+: CMS wants more drugmakers to join Medicaid ‘most-favored nations’ pilot

by Elaine Chen on March 3, 2026 at 2:37 pm

More UniQure drama at the FDA, a new Medicaid pilot program, and other biotech news

STAT+: Pharmalittle: We’re reading about an FDA-UniQure feud, Pfizer’s ‘problem’ with the agency, and more

by Ed Silverman on March 3, 2026 at 2:28 pm

The FDA concluded that UniQure’s experimental Huntington’s treatment was not providing benefit for patients based on existing clinical data

STAT+: HHS starts phasing out Anthropic’s Claude

by Mario Aguilar on March 3, 2026 at 2:13 pm

In this edition of STAT Health Tech: An AI chatbot for surgical patients got ‘breakthrough’ status from FDA, HHS phases out Claude, and more.

Inside the rise of the ‘Make Europe Healthy Again’ movement

by Theresa Gaffney on March 3, 2026 at 2:07 pm

MAHA to MEHA, generative AI for surgery patients, and other health news from Morning Rounds

In the World’s Best Place to See Wild Jaguars, Residents Are Using the Big Cat’s Appeal to Reach Conservation Goals

on March 4, 2026 at 12:30 pm

Brazil’s Pantanal region has the highest jaguar density on Earth, drawing camera-toting visitors to its riverbanks. Despite overtourism concerns, one enclave may offer a model for how to protect the charismatic apex predator

As ADHD Coaching Gains Popularity, Researchers Stress the Importance of Careful Vetting

on March 3, 2026 at 12:30 pm

A recent survey highlights variation in the training credentials and experience across the burgeoning industry, which is mostly unregulated and unlicensed

This Giant Carnivore Ran on Hooves. Scientists Are Investigating Its Massive Skull and Crushing Teeth to Decipher the Beast’s True Nature

on February 19, 2026 at 6:37 pm

For more than a century, paleontologists have been piecing together how the mysterious predator Andrewsarchus is related to other mammals, like the extinct “hell pigs” and “wolves with hooves”

The Sahara Desert Hasn’t Always Been a Dry, Desolate Landscape. Some Scientists See Signs It May Be Greening Again

on February 19, 2026 at 11:00 am

Petroglyphs on sandstone at a national park in Chad bear witness to wildlife that once roamed the area before the continent’s water largely receded 6,000 years ago. Could it return?

After a Devastating Bird Flu Outbreak, Scotland’s Seabirds Are Slowly Recovering—and So Are the Scientists Who Witnessed Their Decline

on February 18, 2026 at 1:12 pm

The world’s largest colony of northern gannets was decimated by bird flu in 2022. Now, as their numbers climb again, researchers are collecting data to understand the virus’ lasting effects

When Coyotes Threatened Livestock on Central Texas Ranches, the Solution Was to Unlock an Ancient Ability in Dogs

on February 17, 2026 at 10:00 am

Killing the predators is not nearly as effective as the intimidating presence of well-trained guardians, a role some breeds have played for 5,000 years

Gallop Into the Year of the Horse With These Five Amazing Equine Discoveries

on February 13, 2026 at 1:26 pm

Since their domestication, horses have changed the course of human history. It’s no wonder the Chinese zodiac associates them with prosperity and success

The Tragedy of the Alps’ Disappearing Glaciers for Those Who Live, Visit and Ski There

on February 12, 2026 at 12:00 pm

Warming temperatures are wreaking havoc at elevation, upending the Winter Olympics and the tourism industry and imperiling communities

An Asteroid Ended the Age of the Dinosaurs. But How Did Their Reign Begin? Mysterious Early Reptiles May Hold the Answer

on February 11, 2026 at 3:10 pm

Researchers are uncovering the evolutionary steps that set the stage for dinosaurs to rule the planet

These Lazy Bats Are Super-Efficient Killers That Carefully Conserve Energy to Attack at a Moment’s Notice

on February 9, 2026 at 3:18 pm

Wild fringe-lipped bats spend just one-tenth of the night in flight, but they can precisely snatch a calling frog and nab prey that rivals their own size

If Microbes Entered the Olympics, These One-Celled Superstars Would Win Gold

on February 6, 2026 at 12:30 pm

They race, they spin, they shoot. Meet the organisms for which physical prowess is more than sport—it’s a matter of life and death

These Beetles Are Entirely Dependent on Ants for Survival. Here’s Why That’s Not an Evolutionary Death Sentence

on February 5, 2026 at 4:01 pm

Rove beetles cloak themselves in ant pheromones to sneak into the insects’ nests for protection. But in an odd catch-22, that makes them forever reliant on their hosts

Seals Are Seemingly Vanishing Off the Dutch Coast. These Scientists Are Trying to Get to the Bottom of the Mysterious Disappearances

on February 4, 2026 at 2:45 pm

Recent counts of the Wadden Sea’s adult harbor seal population have revealed a surprising trend of decline, prompting a consortium of researchers to investigate whether the animals are dying off, relocating or experiencing something else altogether

Small, Stubby-Armed Dinosaurs Have Confounded Paleontologists. Are Answers Finally Within Reach?

on February 2, 2026 at 1:00 pm

Recent discoveries about an alvarezsaur called Manipulonyx have drawn renewed attention to this group of bird-like, clawed creatures and the mysteries around their anatomy and behavior

Cannibalism Among Snakes Is Far More Widespread Than Previously Thought

on January 29, 2026 at 12:30 pm

Scientists undertook the first comprehensive assessment of how often snakes eat their own, uncovering reports of the behavior in more than 200 species

These Hungry Starfish Are Spiraling Out of Control in Australia. Now Scientists Say They Have a New Plan to Fight Back

on January 28, 2026 at 12:30 pm

Synthetic pheromones may be a promising tool in attracting and culling troublesome crown-of-thorns starfish, which rapidly eat large amounts of coral on the Great Barrier Reef

Strange, Shovel-Tusked Elephants Puzzled Paleontologists, Until Experts Took a Closer Look at Their Teeth

on January 26, 2026 at 12:30 pm

The animals’ extended lower jaws were seemingly made for scooping, but research over the past few decades has found they could do a lot more than initially expected

The Penguins That Thrive—and the Ones Left Behind—as Antarctica Warms

on January 23, 2026 at 7:07 pm

A new decade-long study tracked 37 penguin colonies and found that the birds are breeding earlier. The shift marks one way among many that climate change is transforming life at the bottom of the world

Get an Eyeful of These 15 Photos of Incredibly Cool Icicles

on January 23, 2026 at 3:45 pm

Nature’s wintry accessory, icicles help beautify snowy landscapes

Three Stunning Ways Biologists Aim to Edit Animal and Plant Genes to Fight Diseases and Extinction

on January 21, 2026 at 3:00 pm

The strategy, known as synthetic biology, is gaining momentum globally as a conservation tool and human health solution, despite attracting some critics

South East Water fined £22.5m for ‘repeated supply failures’ in Kent and Sussex

by Julia Kollewe on March 5, 2026 at 8:31 am

Regulator says failures that hit nearly 300,000 customers made worse by utility’s failure to maintain efficient supply systemBusiness live – latest updatesSouth East Water has been fined £22.5m by Ofwat for repeated supply failures in Kent and Sussex between 2020 and 2023 that affected more than 280,000 people.While the root cause of the water shortages was extreme weather, the water regulator for England and Wales found that they were “in part attributable to and/or exacerbated by failures by South East Water itself to develop and maintain an efficient water supply system”. Continue reading…

Lobbyists send legal threats to councils over anti-wood burner campaigns

by Fiona Harvey Environment editor on March 5, 2026 at 6:00 am

At least eight councils receive legal threats alleging flyers criticising wood burners are in breach of advertising codesLobbyists for the UK wood-burning stove industry have threatened councils with legal action over public information campaigns warning of the harms of air pollution.At least eight councils have received legal threats, according to research by the British Medical Journal (BMJ). The Stove Industry Association (SIA), which represents the UK’s expanding industry around the burning of wood in domestic settings, wrote to the councils, all London boroughs, in late 2023 complaining that flyers stating wood burners were “careless, not cosy” were in breach of UK advertising codes. Continue reading…

Tiny, lost and constipated: what a baby turtle told Australian scientists about warming seas

by Maya Yang in Sydney on March 5, 2026 at 5:00 am

The arrival of loggerheads in New South Wales shows these ‘sentinels of climate change’ are being forced into unknown territoryWhen Bulwal Bilima (BB for short) first arrived at Taronga Zoo in Sydney, Australia, she, or possibly he, was lethargic, badly constipated and dehydrated. Named “strong turtle” in the Aboriginal Dhurga language of the Yuin people on whose land it was found, the tiny 110g loggerhead hatchling, no bigger than a bar of soap, had a fight on its hands.The baby turtle was found stranded in New South Wales’s Booderee national park last April, much further south than the usual hatching grounds. After days of feeding on squid, sardines and marine vitamins, BB, whose sex cannot be determined until it is fully mature, revived. Continue reading…

A Europe of clean, green cities and resurgent industry is a fantasy – unless we get really creative | Hans Larsson

by Hans Larsson on March 5, 2026 at 5:00 am

If we want things to be ‘Made in Europe’ again, we need to be realistic about how grimy and grey our centres of commerce once were“Bitterfeld, Bitterfeld, where dirt falls from the sky,” went a popular saying. Located in the intensely industrialised Chemical Triangle of the German Democratic Republic (GDR), in the 1980s Bitterfeld became known as the dirtiest town in Europe. Its chemical industry and lignite mines dumped toxic waste in waterways, and the air carried a concentrate of sulphur dioxide some 40 times today’s levels.Europe would soon be rattled out of its postwar reliance on heavy industry, in favour of cheap imports from abroad. In the last days of the GDR, environmental activism brought the coup de grâce. The 1988 release of the undercover film Bitter Things from Bitterfeld shed light on the appalling living conditions in the Chemical Triangle, and the city’s chemical plants were soon decommissioned.Hans Larsson is an architect at OMA/AMO Continue reading…

Rachel Reeves should scrap the North Sea windfall tax now

by Nils Pratley on March 4, 2026 at 6:33 pm

The UK should optimise North Sea oil and gas production while it transfers to renewables and nuclear developmentsThe chancellor’s failure to reform or remove the energy profits levy (EPL) – AKA the North Sea windfall tax – in her spring forecast was a case of “political expediency and more to do with putting one byelection result before the economic needs of the country”. Who said that? Some Tory or Reform politician being opportunist as war in Iran puts the UK’s energy import dependency in the spotlight?Actually, no, it was the general secretary of the GMB union, Gary Smith, on Wednesday, demonstrating once again that views on the North Sea oil and gas do not fit neatly into a left-right divide. He has been making the principled case for an orderly transition in energy for ages, warning that decarbonising via deindustrialising costs jobs and will end up pushing voters rightwards. Continue reading…

Trump has launched an unprecedented assault on the environment. Where’s the pushback?

by Rei Takver on March 4, 2026 at 4:56 pm

Climate deniers expected more resistance to the fossil fuel blitz. But Democrats, billionaires and activists have gone silentThis story is published in partnership with DeSmog, the climate investigations siteAs Donald Trump assaults the legal foundation of America’s ability to regulate global warming emissions, climate deniers have been privately celebrating what they claim is the “silent” acquiescence of billionaires, Democrats, climate activists and even reporters to the president’s aggressive pro-fossil-fuel agenda.“In my 26 years of being focused on climate, I’ve never seen anything like this. Trump is gutting everything they ever stood for,” Marc Morano, a longtime climate denier, said in January at the World Prosperity Forum, a five-day event in Zurich, Switzerland, billed as a rightwing alternative to the World Economic Forum in Davos. Continue reading…

Analysis finds urban areas in England where no one lives within 15-minute walk of nature

by Helena Horton Environment reporter on March 4, 2026 at 4:52 pm

Government says it is working to solve ‘postcode lottery’ of access to green or blue spacesThere are urban areas of England where no one lives within a 15-minute walk of nature, government data shows, as ministers scramble to meet their access to nature targets.While the data shows 80% of people live within walking distance of green or blue spaces such as a river, park or woodland, it also reveals a disparity between rural and poorer urban areas. Continue reading…

Union tries to seize control of works council at Tesla’s German factory

by Kate Connolly in Berlin on March 4, 2026 at 4:18 pm

Lawsuits and slander claims fly in IG Metall’s battle with Elon Musk over employment rights and conditionsBusiness live – latest updatesEurope’s largest trade union is trying to gain control of the works council at Elon Musk’s Tesla gigafactory near Berlin, in an industrial relations showdown marked by lawsuits and mutual accusations of slander.The works council, an elected body of employees that negotiates everything from working hours to pay deals with a company’s management, is considered an entrenched aspect of the German corporate world, particularly in the car industry. Continue reading…

Syngenta says it will stop making pesticide linked to Parkinson’s disease

by Carey Gillam on March 4, 2026 at 3:18 pm

Company will halt production of controversial paraquat weed killer by end of June as it faces thousands of lawsuitsSyngenta, maker of a controversial pesticide linked to Parkinson’s disease, said on Tuesday that it would stop making its paraquat weed killer by the end of June.The announcement comes as the company is facing several thousand lawsuits brought by people in the US who allege they developed Parkinson’s disease due to their exposure to Syngenta’s paraquat products. Continue reading…

Showdown over datacenter politics at heart of North Carolina primary

by Dharna Noor on March 4, 2026 at 2:34 pm

Democratic rematch in Durham-area district draws focus to fight over AI datacenters increasingly shaping US electionsSign up for the Breaking News US email to get newsletter alerts in your inboxA North Carolina congressional primary held on Tuesday is an early test of datacenter politics – a fight increasingly shaping elections nationwide.In the Durham-area fourth district, Congresswoman Valerie Foushee is seeking her third term against progressive challenger Nida Allam, a Durham county commissioner she defeated in 2022. The election was too close to call as of Wednesday morning, with Foushee up by less than one percentage point, and is likely headed for a recount. Continue reading…

‘A real dark situation to be in’: thousands of starving seabirds stranded in biggest ‘wreck’ in a decade

by Phoebe Weston on March 4, 2026 at 1:00 pm

Puffins, guillemots, razorbills and terns are washing up on shores across Europe, after a string of storms affected their ability to find foodThe two puffins washed up among seaweed and bits of plastic on a beach in Newquay, Cornwall, on a damp February morning. Normally, these much-loved seabirds pull in crowds of tourists eager to see their courtship rituals, but these were rolling in the surf, dead. Most people walking past probably missed them.Their breast bones were sticking out, they had no fat on them, and their muscles were wasted; the pair probably starved to death, unable to find enough food out in the Atlantic Ocean where they spend the winter. Continue reading…

Timelapse vision of rare blood moon lunar eclipse in New Zealand – video

on March 4, 2026 at 2:01 am

A rare total lunar eclipse on Tuesday night resulted in a spectacular blood moon, captured by Josh Aoraki from the Te Whatu Stardome in AucklandRed alert: the best photos of the rare blood moon total lunar eclipse – in pictures Continue reading…

Red alert: the best photos of the rare blood moon total lunar eclipse – in pictures

by Guardian Staff on March 3, 2026 at 11:48 pm

A rare total lunar eclipse on Tuesday night resulted in a spectacular blood moon, seen first in Western Australia, then in parts of Asia, Europe and across North America. The next total eclipse will be New Year’s Eve 2028From sacred sisters to hyper-sexualised models: PhotoVogue festival – in pictures Continue reading…

‘I love midges because I know what their hearts look like’: is the passion for taxonomy in danger of dying out?

by Patrick Greenfield on March 2, 2026 at 8:00 am

Insect taxonomist Art Borkent has described and named more than 300 species of midges but fears his field of science is dying out, despite millions of insects, fungi and other organisms waiting to be discoveredOnce Art Borkent starts speaking about biting midges, he rarely pauses for breath. Holding up a picture of a gnat trapped in amber from the time of the dinosaurs, the 72-year-old taxonomist explains that there are more than 6,000 ceratopogonidae species known to science. He has described and named more than 300 midges, mostly from his favourite family of flies. Some specialise in sucking blood from mammals, reptiles, other insects and even fish, often using the CO2 from their host’s breath to locate their target, he says. Tens of thousands remain a mystery to science, waiting to be discovered.But to Borkent’s knowledge, nobody will continue his life’s work of identifying and studying this group of flies once he has gone. Continue reading…

A scorching summer has left Australian wildlife on the brink, but it doesn’t have to be this way | Euan Ritchie and Jess Harwood

by Euan Ritchie and Jess Harwood on February 28, 2026 at 7:00 pm

Unsettling predictions are now our catastrophic reality, but a brighter future is still within reach if our political leaders change courseSoaring, scorching, record temperatures, yet again. Distressing, protracted droughts. Raging fires and devastating floods. Australia’s summer is drawing to a close, and a reprieve from climate whiplash can’t come soon enough.We’ve witnessed and suffered immense losses and deep heartache for wildlife, ecosystems, and our communities. There was a time when the dire potential consequences of climate breakdown and environmental destruction were warnings, calls from scientists and experts for increased and urgent action. Now an unsettling possibility feels like a disturbing reality. Continue reading…

‘Who’d guess they’re the same species?’ What Italy’s wall lizards reveal about genetic diversity and why it matters

on February 28, 2026 at 7:00 am

Understanding biodiversity within species is key to our understanding of why nature works the way it does, say researchersWords and photographs by Roberto García-RoaTwelve miles from the heart of Rome, Dr Javier Ábalos pauses his walk, lifts his sunglasses and points. To his right, perched on a rocky wall, sits a beautiful lizard. Its body is coated in charcoal-black tones speckled with striking yellow across a green dorsum, and its head, with a prominent jaw, is splashed with fluorescent blue spots. The reptile basks in the sun, unconcerned by our presence.About 80 miles (130km) drive farther along the road that connects the capital with the small village of Poggio di Roio, the researcher from the University of Valencia has barely stepped out of the car when he spots another lizard. This one is smaller, with a brownish body and a narrower head crisscrossed by a network of dark stripes.Researchers fear the common wall lizard of the white morph could be driven to extinction by the arrival of a new variation Continue reading…

North Dakota judge finalizes $345m judgment against Greenpeace in pipeline case

by Reuters on February 28, 2026 at 2:09 am

Judge slashed a $667m damages award to Energy Transfer over Greenpeace’s role in Dakota Access Pipeline protestsA North Dakota judge on Friday finalized a $345m judgment against Greenpeace in a lawsuit pursued by pipeline company Energy Transfer (ET.N) over the environmental group’s role in protests against the construction of the Dakota Access Pipeline.The final judgment by judge James Gion was in line with a decision he issued in October, in which he slashed by almost half a damages award of about $667m that a jury had awarded Energy Transfer in March. Continue reading…

Winter getting shorter in 80% of major US cities, new data shows

by Sara Braun in New York on February 27, 2026 at 7:18 pm

Researchers find that across 195 US cities, winters are on average nine days shorter than they were in 1970-1997For the millions of people across the United States who have spent the last month digging themselves out of above-average levels of snow and ice, this winter has felt especially long and harsh. But the typical winter is actually getting shorter in 80% of major US cities scrutinized by researchers, according to new data released by Climate Central, an independent climate science and communication group.Researchers found that across 195 US cities, winters are on average nine days shorter today than they were from 1970 to 1997, as the climate crisis progresses. Continue reading…

Red Hill, Canberra: its walking tracks, scar trees and ochre earth underfoot will always transport me

by Paul Daley on February 27, 2026 at 2:00 pm

What is a favourite place if not one built upon our fondest memories?Would I like to write about my favourite place?The invitation inspired me to recall so many magical places – from north-east Arnhem Land to Mediterranean island hamlets with idyllic quayside tavernas, from the Melbourne Cricket Ground on grand final day to Dickensian London pubs, from picture postcard villages beneath snow-capped alpine peaks to the haunts of my literary giants and on to Joshua Tree and Hagia Sofia. Continue reading…

Trump officials move to kill system that protects US from chemical disasters

by Tom Perkins on February 27, 2026 at 2:00 pm

EPA rolls back rules as chemical firms claim provisions in RMP protection system too expensive to implementSign up for the Breaking News US email to get newsletter alerts in your inboxThe Trump administration is slowly dismantling the federal disaster management system that protects the nation from chemical catastrophes, such as fires and explosions at high-risk facilities.The US Environmental Protection Agency’s Response Management Program (RMP) requires more than 12,500 high-risk facilities to develop protocols to prevent catastrophes, or limit fallout, and was largely designed to protect workers, first responders, and fence-line communities. Continue reading…

Exploratorium

by Aeon Video on March 4, 2026 at 11:01 am

Play with the physics of perception at Frank Oppenheimer’s Exploratorium in this captivating, Oscar-nominated short from 1974- by Aeon VideoWatch on Aeon

The insurance catastrophe

by Gavin Evans on March 3, 2026 at 11:00 am

Whole regions of the world are now uninsurable, bringing radical uncertainty to the economy. How do we fix the problem?- by Gavin EvansRead on Aeon

Great art explained: Ivan the Terrible and His Son Ivan on 16 November 1581

by Aeon Video on March 2, 2026 at 11:01 am

Why Ilya Repin’s masterpiece of Ivan the Terrible, first banned in 1885, remains one of Russia’s most controversial paintings- by Aeon VideoWatch on Aeon

Who is Walter Mignolo?

by Federico Perelmuter on March 2, 2026 at 11:00 am

A prominent architect of decolonial theory, his diagnosis of European colonial ills is both penetrating and flawed- by Federico PerelmuterRead on Aeon

There are no psychopaths

by Rasmus Rosenberg Larsen on February 27, 2026 at 11:00 am

Virtually everything you think you know about psychopathy has been thoroughly debunked. Why does this zombie idea live on?- by Rasmus Rosenberg LarsenRead on Aeon

Love immortal

by Aeon Video on February 26, 2026 at 11:01 am

In pursuit of defeating death, Alan has dedicated his life to cryonics. He hopes to be defrosted together with his wife- by Aeon VideoWatch on Aeon

The presence of power

by Shomik Dasgupta on February 26, 2026 at 11:00 am

The Indian thinker Rammohun Roy believed that good governance must be close: distance made the British Empire cruel- by Shomik DasguptaRead on Aeon

Divers

by Aeon Video on February 25, 2026 at 11:01 am

The meticulous preparation and fleeting ecstasy of elite high-diving captured in all its breathtaking shapes and sounds- by Aeon VideoWatch on Aeon

The six-second hug

by Julian Baggini on February 24, 2026 at 11:00 am

From art to religion to sex, instrumentalisation has drained away intrinsic value. But life is about more than material benefits- by Julian BagginiRead on Aeon

Inside Pompeii

by Aeon Video on February 23, 2026 at 11:01 am

We may know Pompeii for its destruction, but this intricate 3D rendering brings to life what a bustling city it once was- by Aeon VideoWatch on Aeon

Conservation’s prejudice

by Carlos Santana on February 23, 2026 at 11:00 am

Ecology is pervaded by a nativist dogma against invasive species that distorts the science and undermines wildness- by Carlos SantanaRead on Aeon

Going-against-the-grainers

by Dane Leigh Gogoshin on February 20, 2026 at 11:00 am

If our ethical beliefs come from our social environment, how do some people find the moral courage to defy convention?- by Dane Leigh GogoshinRead on Aeon

If I told it: an imperfect portrait of ChatGPT

by Aeon Video on February 19, 2026 at 11:01 am

Amid growing cultural panic about the use of AI in writing, we’re missing the most important point: AI cannot write- by Aeon VideoWatch on Aeon

Books and screens

by Carlo Iacono on February 19, 2026 at 11:00 am

Your inability to focus isn’t a failing. It’s a design problem, and the answer isn’t getting rid of our screen time- by Carlo IaconoRead on Aeon

Esteban Cabeza de Baca’s time travels

by Aeon Video on February 18, 2026 at 11:01 am

Defying time and colonial power, a landscape artist layers the deep histories of his ancestors to create hopeful futures- by Aeon VideoWatch on Aeon

Mexistentialism

by Carlos Alberto Sánchez on February 17, 2026 at 11:00 am

The Mexican embrace of uncertainty, forged in the crucible of history, captures the true vulnerability of our existence- by Carlos Alberto SánchezRead on Aeon

Snow line

by Aeon Video on February 16, 2026 at 11:01 am

How do you teach a child reverence for nature? This filmmaker takes his son on a search for the ever-changing snow line- by Aeon VideoWatch on Aeon

The snowball effect

by Graham Shields on February 16, 2026 at 11:00 am

Our planet was once a harsh, alien, icy world. Yet this deep freeze may have shaped you, me and all life on Earth- by Graham ShieldsRead on Aeon

Guarding the guardians

by Julien Lie-Panis on February 13, 2026 at 11:00 am

Good institutions are social technologies that scale trust from personal relations to entire nations. How do they work?- by Julien Lie-PanisRead on Aeon

Stephen and David’s toy cupboard

by Aeon Video on February 12, 2026 at 11:01 am

David’s handcrafted figurines pay tribute to cultural icons. His latest project takes on his greatest hero, his late brother- by Aeon VideoWatch on Aeon