By Berry Billingsley, Director of AI, Digital and Online Development, Swansea University
The rise of humanoid robots isn’t just a technical story – it’s a test of how much human connection we’re willing to outsource.
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By Charlie Firth, PhD Candidate, Paediatrics, University of Oxford
The UK has added chickenpox vaccination and a new 18-month appointment. Changes like these are signs the system is working, not breaking.
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By Nicolas Forsans, Professor of Management and Co-director of the Centre for Latin American & Caribbean Studies, University of Essex
The Trump administration has justified the recent capture of Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro as a law enforcement operation to dismantle a “narco‑state”. It also claimed it would break Venezuela’s ties to China, Russia and Iran, and put the world’s largest known oil reserves back under US‑friendly control.
This mix of counter‑narcotics, great power rivalry and energy security had already been elevated to a central priority by the administration in its national…
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By Jamie Lingwood, Senior Lecturer in Psychology, Liverpool Hope University
Emma Vardy, Senior Lecturer in Developmental Psychology, Nottingham Trent University
Fewer children in the UK are growing up with a love of books.
Following a survey that showed the proportion of children and young people reading for pleasure has fallen to its lowest level in two decades, the UK government, the National Literacy Trust and other organisations have declared 2026 a national…
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By Rachel Woods, Senior Lecturer in Physiology, University of Lincoln
Drugs such as Ozempic and Wegovy reduce hunger and help with weight loss – but long-term use can make nutrient deficiencies more likely.
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By Human Rights Watch
Click to expand Image Nigerien military police stand guard outside airbases in Niamey, as supporters of Niger's military junta gather on August 27, 2023. © 2023 AFP via Getty Images Niger’s military junta adopted a sweeping “general mobilization” decree on December 26. The new law grants authorities far-reaching powers to confront security threats, but at the expense of human rights.The decree establishes a broad legal framework allowing the government to summon citizens, seize goods, compel the reporting of alleged “hostile activities,” and restrict communications deemed harmful…
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By Peter C. Mancall, Andrew W. Mellon Professor of the Humanities, USC Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences
Po'pay, a Tewa religious leader, led the Pueblo Revolt, the most successful Indigenous rebellion in what’s now the United States.
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By Martin Elvis, Senior Astrophysicist, Smithsonian Institution
NASA, SpaceX and Blue Origin have all successfully launched superheavy-lift rockets. These massive vehicles are designed to carry a much heavier load.
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By Habibeh Khoshbouei, Professor of Neuroscience, University of Florida
Marcelo Febo, Associate Professor of Psychiatry, University of Florida
Methamphetamine doesn’t just spike levels of the pleasure-inducing hormone dopamine in the reward pathways of the brain – it also provokes damaging brain inflammation through similar mechanisms.
Meth is addictive because it increases dopamine levels in the brain. While researchers know that meth triggers brain inflammation, whether the immune system also affects the brain’s reward system during drug use has been unclear.
Our work focuses…
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By Y. Tony Yang, Endowed Professor of Health Policy and Associate Dean, George Washington University
Doctor’s visits are already rushed. Adding extra steps means some children, especially those from low-income families, simply won’t get the vaccines they should.
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