"Author says Isaac Newton's wealth 'intimately connected' with slavery."

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Today

Isaac Newton’s wealth ‘intimately connected’ with slavery, author says

by Hannah Devlin Science correspondent / 9h

Scientist and banker benefited from gold mined primarily by enslaved Africans in Brazil, book claims Sir Isaac Newton, whose theory of gravity revolutionised science and who later rose to the upper echelons of London’s financial world, had closer financial ties to the transatlantic trade in enslaved people than was previously understood, a new book has claimed. The book, Ricardo’s Dream, covers t

‘Resilience interventions do work’ – why coping strategies should be a staple of education

by David Robson / 9h

Early instruction that teaches young people how to recognise negative thought patterns and manage their mental health may help to avoid problems in later life I was about 16 when I had my first bout of depression, but 29 when I sought help and received a diagnosis. In the intervening period, I thought I could weather my low moods alone, but the waves of hopelessness didn’t lessen; they only gaine

I’ve written a diary every day since I was 14. What does that say about me?

by Anna Tims / 10h

Reading four decades of entries, I realise ego can take precedence over world events, life is never too dull to record – and I’ve learned not to take myself so seriously “Hello! I said to myself today that if I do five handstands and flip over it will be an excellent year and I did!” Thus, unceremoniously, began the 41-volume (and counting) story of my life. It was 1984 and I was 14, fumbling thr

Yesterday

Don’t know what to buy your loved ones for Christmas? Just ask ChatGPT

by James Tapper / 15h

Santa has a new little helper. But can an AI-powered shopping assistant really master the subtle art of gift giving? Some people love buying Christmas presents. Polly Arrowsmith starts making a note of what her friends and family like, then hunts for bargains, slowly and carefully. Vie Portland begins her shopping in January and has a theme each year, from heart mirrors to inspirational books. An

Not quite religion, not quite self-help: welcome to the Jordan Peterson age of nonsense

by Martha Gill / 17h

Unintelligible as it is, new book is part of a ‘manifesting’ trend offering the young and spiritually lost an illusion of control What links these two news stories? The first: “manifesting” has been declared Cambridge Dictionary ’s word of the year . The self-help practice, based on the magical belief that mental rituals can move the universe in your favour, has exploded in popularity. Having kic

Nov 22, 2024

Jacob Rees-Mogg on abortion, religion and reality TV; Marina Hyde on Musk vs Trump Jr; inheritance inequity; and teenage love – podcast

by Hosted by Savannah Ayoade-Greaves; written by Marina Hyde, Eliza Filby, Simon Hattenstone, Lucy Foulkes. Narrated by Serena Manteghi, Briony Rawle and Jonathan Keeble. Produced by Rachel Porter; the executive producer was Ellie Bury. / 1d

Marina Hyde asks us to spare a sob for Don Jr, replaced in Daddy’s affections by Elon Musk. The Bank of Mum and Dad – the unspoken dynamic behind society’s growing inequality of ‘inheritocracy’. ‘I’ve been called worse than a Nazi’: Simon Hattenstone meets Jacob Rees-Mogg. And psychologist Lucy Foulkes on why we should take teenage love more seriously Continue reading...

4,000-year-old canals used for fishing by Maya predecessors discovered in Belize

by Associated Press / 2d

New research revealed canals used for about 1,000 years to channel and catch freshwater fish on the Yucatán peninsula Long before the ancient Maya built temples , their predecessors were already altering the landscape of Central America’s Yucatán peninsula. Using drones and Google Earth imagery, archaeologists have discovered a 4,000-year-old network of earthen canals in what’s now Belize . The f

‘An AI Fukushima is inevitable’: scientists discuss technology’s immense potential and dangers

37by Ian Sample Science editor / 2d

Experts are optimistic about energy and drug production breakthroughs but also fear its potential misuse When better to hold a conference on artificial intelligence and the countless ways it is advancing science than in those brief days between the first Nobel prizes being awarded in the field and the winners heading to Stockholm for the lavish white tie ceremony? It was fortuitous timing for Goo

Nov 21, 2024

‘You tried to tell yourself I wasn’t real’: what happens when people with acute psychosis meet the voices in their heads? – podcast

by Written and read by Jenny Kleeman. Produced by Nicola Alexandrou. The executive producer was Ellie Bury / 2d

In avatar therapy, a clinician gives voice to their patients’ inner demons. For some of the participants in a new trial, the results have been astounding. By Jenny Kleeman Continue reading...

Reduce whale-ship strikes by making 2.6% of ocean surface safer, study says

by Nicola Davis Science correspondent / 3d

Researchers identify collision hotspots around world but reveal almost all these lack preventive measures Collisions between whales and ships can prove fatal for the marine mammals, but researchers say expanding mitigation measures to just 2.6% of the ocean’s surface would reduce the chance of such strikes in all risk hotspots. While experts say many whale-ship collisions go unobserved and unrepo

Deus in machina: Swiss church installs AI-powered Jesus

AI Jesus offers confessions in Switzerland

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300+by Ashifa Kassam European community affairs correspondent / 3d

Peter’s chapel in Lucerne swaps out its priest to set up a computer and cables in confessional booth The small, unadorned church has long ranked as the oldest in the Swiss city of Lucerne. But Peter’s chapel has become synonymous with all that is new after it installed an artificial intelligence-powered Jesus capable of dialoguing in 100 different languages. “It was really an experiment,” said Ma

First close-up image of a star outside Milky Way shows supergiant in ‘cocoon’

First close-up image of WOH G64

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by Hannah Devlin Science correspondent / 3d

Astrophysicists say material may suggest star is dying and ejection of matter signals coming supernova A star cloaked in an egg-shaped cocoon has been revealed in the first detailed images of a star beyond the Milky Way. Until now, stars in other galaxies have been visible as little more than points of light, even when observed using telescopes. Now, thanks to the European Southern Observatory’s

Hear me out: RFK could be a transformational health secretary | Neil Barsky

Trump appoints RFK Jr as health chief

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by Neil Barsky / 3d

RFK Jr has articulated what our Democratic and Republican leaders have largely ignored: our healthcare system is a national disgrace hiding in plain sight Among the cast of characters poised to join the Trump administration, no one is as exasperating, polarizing or potentially dangerous as Robert F Kennedy Jr. But in a twist that is emblematic of our times, no single nominee has the potential to

The world has responded too slowly to the new mpox outbreak – here’s what it needs to do now | Mona Nemer

by Mona Nemer / 3d

In the crucial first 100 days since the WHO raised the alarm, we have found worrying gaps in testing and treatment of the virus Dr Mona Nemer is chief science adviser of Canada and chair of the International Pandemic Preparedness Secretariat Over the past year, cases of a new strain of mpox known as clade 1b began to rise significantly across central Africa, leading the World Health Organization

Does this banana scare you? The harsh reality of life with an unusual phobia

Swedish minister's banana phobia revealed

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by Emine Saner / 3d

The news that a Swedish politician has rooms swept for the fruit prompted online mockery last week. But for those who face bizarre and irrational fears – from buttons to crumpets – the everyday struggle is far from amusing As ever when it comes to bananas, Sarah has been on high alert this week, after the revelation that a Swedish government minister, Paulina Brandberg, has a banana phobia severe

Nov 20, 2024

‘The land is tearing itself apart’: life on a collapsing Arctic isle

500+by Leyland Cecco, on Herschel Island–Qikiqtaruk / 3d

On Qikiqtaruk, off Canada, researchers at the frontier of climate change are seeing its rich ecology slide into the sea as melting permafrost ice leaves little behind Last summer, the western Arctic was uncomfortably hot . Smoke from Canada’s wildfires hung thick in the air, and swarms of mosquitoes searched for exposed skin. It was a maddening combination that left researchers on Qikiqtaruk, an

The science behind yo-yo diets, bird flu news and which Brits can spot a fake accent – podcast

by Presented by Madeleine Finlay with Ian Sample, produced by Madeleine Finlay and Joshan Chana, sound design by Joel Cox, the executive producer is Ellie Bury / 3d

Science editor Ian Sample joins host Madeleine Finlay to discuss some of the most intriguing science stories of the week. From a study finding that fat cells ‘remembering’ past obesity drives yo-yo dieting, to concerning developments in the bird flu virus, and research pinpointing which parts of the UK are best at spotting fake accents Clips: RTE, BBC, Global News Can you spot a fake accent? Take

The ‘mad egghead’ who built a mouse utopia

by Lee Alan Dugatkin / 3d

John Calhoun designed an apartment complex for mice to examine the effects of overcrowding. It was hailed as a groundbreaking study of social breakdown, but is largely forgotten. So what happened? Standing before the Royal Society of Medicine in London on 22 June 1972, the ecologist turned psychologist John Bumpass Calhoun, the director of the Laboratory of Brain Evolution and Behavior at the Nat

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