-
Utopai Studios, DeNA Team on AI-Assisted Animation Projects in Japan (EXCLUSIVE)
Utopai Studios and DeNA have launched an AI-assisted animation partnership in Japan, marking Utopai’s entry into the country’s anime industry. DeNA’s Entertainment Development Business Unit will trial Utopai’s storytelling AI system, PAI, within experimental animation workflows, with a team of Utopai specialists working alongside DeNA’s creative staff on early visual concepts, character and environment design,…
-
‘The Sun Never Sets’ Review: Dakota Fanning and Jake Johnson Split, Maybe, in Joe Swanberg’s Unsatisfying Romcom
Variety’s review finds “The Sun Never Sets,” director Joe Swanberg’s latest romantic comedy, an unsatisfying entry in his filmography, criticising it as “both bizarre and boring”. The film stars Dakota Fanning as Wendy, who agrees to a relationship break with her partner Jack (Jake Johnson), a single father, so she can be certain of her…
-
Should Hollywood Embrace Religion? Young Audiences Crave Complex Spiritual Characters and Plotlines That Challenge Faith, New Study Shows
A new study by UCLA’s Center for Scholars & Storytellers (CSS) suggests Hollywood could better engage young audiences by portraying religion and spirituality in more realistic, nuanced ways rather than relying on stereotypes. Researchers surveyed over 2,000 people aged 14 to 24 and found many were sensitive to how their beliefs were depicted on screen,…
-
UN report says global warming will surpass the goal of 1.5 degrees Celsius
A new United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) report concludes that global warming will exceed the 1.5°C limit set by the Paris Agreement, marking a significant shift in tone from previous UN messaging. Rather than outlining how to avoid crossing this threshold, the report focuses on strategies to minimise how far and how long temperatures remain…
-
Women who start common hormone therapy in their 50s may have 23% lower dementia risk
A new study suggests that postmenopausal women who begin hormone replacement therapy (HRT) around the time of menopause may have a lower risk of developing dementia in later life. Researchers analysed UK Biobank data covering over 183,000 women and found HRT use was linked to roughly a 10% lower risk of all-cause dementia and a…
-
Premier League money has lost all meaning amid chaotic spectacle of excess | Barney Ronay
This Guardian opinion piece by Barney Ronay argues that the 2026 summer Premier League transfer window has become so vast and chaotic that spending figures have effectively lost meaning, with clubs now treated like speculative assets rather than football teams. Using the analogy of ever-rising house prices regardless of what owners do to a property,…
-
Researchers fear safety disaster ahead of OpenAI’s Astra release
OpenAI is preparing to release Astra, its most advanced AI model yet, but safety researchers are raising alarm over reports that the system reveals far less of its internal “thinking” than other leading AI models, making it potentially much harder to monitor for dangerous behaviour. The concern follows earlier delays to Astra’s launch after its…
-
Cost-of-living squeeze deepens as markets slide and Burnham clashes with Badenoch at PMQs
Global bond markets tumbled on inflation and AI-borrowing fears, prompting the Dutch central bank to shift gold reserves to London, as Andy Burnham made his PMQs debut sparring with Kemi Badenoch over EU steel concerns; also today, a South Korean care-home director was jailed for abuse, and Arsenal end the transfer …
-
New York law requires hairdressers to learn how to work with all hair types
A new law in New York state requires trainee hairdressers to be taught how to work with all hair types, from the tightest curls to the straightest, as part of their cosmetology qualifications. Sponsored by assembly member Michaelle Solages and signed by governor Kathy Hochul in 2023, the measure aims to stop clients being turned…
-
New weight-loss compound melts fat without curbing appetite — and preserves muscle
Researchers at the University of California, Berkeley, have identified an old oral compound, TOFA, that produced significant weight loss in obese mice by increasing energy expenditure rather than suppressing appetite. Published in Science Advances, the findings are notable because current injectable weight-loss drugs such as semaglutide often cause gastrointestinal side effects, muscle loss and rapid…