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Chinese researchers design egg-inspired armour for orbital debris
Researchers at Dalian University of Technology in China have designed a new type of spacecraft armour inspired by the shape of an egg, aiming to better protect satellites and crewed vehicles from the growing threat of orbital debris. The work matters because low Earth orbit is becoming increasingly congested, with collisions between spacecraft and debris…
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Anthropic researcher quits as colleagues warn of AI existential risk
Three researchers at AI company Anthropic have publicly warned that artificial intelligence could cause human extinction within the next decade, with one of them, Jacob Coxon, resigning in protest at how Anthropic and OpenAI are handling the risk. Coxon accused both firms of racing towards self-improving superintelligence while gambling with humanity’s future, and claimed that…
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Will it kill off humanity? Computer scientists and politicians wrestle with risks of AI
A wave of stark warnings from computer scientists, an AI industry insider and politicians this week has intensified calls for tighter controls on the development of artificial superintelligence (ASI), technology that could surpass human capabilities. In Westminster, figures including former defence secretary Des Browne and Berkeley professor Stuart Russell compared the risks to nuclear weapons,…
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Students who use AI generally score worse at school
A new OECD report using data from the 2025 PISA study has found that students who use AI to help with schoolwork generally perform worse in science, maths and reading than those who don’t, even after adjusting for socioeconomic background. However, the relationship is nuanced: certain patterns of AI use, particularly moderate, intentional use paired…
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Weight regain after obesity drugs tied to higher odds of suicidal thoughts in observational study
An observational South Korean study has found that adults who took prescription weight-loss medication in the past year reported higher rates of depression, mental-health counselling and suicidal thoughts than those who did not, with the associations strongest among users who gained or regained weight. Researchers say the findings, while notable, cannot prove that the drugs…
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FromSoftware’s first experiment with, of all things, horse armor DLC runs awry, as Elden Ring players manage to spawn free duplicate items in multiplayer
FromSoftware and Bandai Namco have released a patch for Elden Ring after players discovered a multiplayer exploit that let them obtain items from the game’s paid Tarnished Pack DLC for free. The episode marked a rare stumble in the studio’s first foray into microtransactions, drawing wry comparisons to Bethesda’s infamous horse armour add-on for Oblivion,…
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Common stomach bug linked to unwashed lettuce could be behind at least 1 in 5 bowel cancers, study suggests
New research suggests that Helicobacter pylori, a bacterium carried in the stomachs of around 40 per cent of people, could be linked to as many as one in five cases of bowel cancer, offering a possible explanation for rising rates of the disease among younger adults. Scientists say people exposed to the bacteria, often through…
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‘A Common Story’ Review: A Stunningly Played Study of a Couple Whose Inability to Articulate Their Emotions Drives Them Apart
Anna Foglietta’s directorial debut, “A Common Story,” screened in the Orizzonti sidebar at the Venice Film Festival and impresses through what its central couple leave unsaid, offering a rare alternative to the shouting-match relationship dramas that dominate the genre. Starring Alba Rohrwacher and Guido Caprino, the film examines a marriage strained by an inability to…
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Do you drink your coffee ‘extra hot’? It could be putting you at risk of deadly oesophageal cancer, major study finds
A major study led by the University of Oxford has found that drinking tea and coffee ‘extra hot’ may significantly raise the risk of developing oesophageal cancer, one of the most aggressive and often late-diagnosed forms of the disease. Researchers found that people who preferred their drinks above 65C were around three times more likely…