Artificial Intelligence has moved from science fiction to boardroom strategy, and increasingly, to the invisible plumbing behind our most critical systems. While consumer-facing chatbots and foundation models make the headlines, the true long-term value of AI lies elsewhere: in vertical platforms engineered for industry context, precision at scale, and repeatable business outcomes. According to...

Experts scrambling to understand losses in hives across the country are finally identifying the culprits. And the damage to farmed bees is a sign of trouble for wild bees too

Bret Adee is one of the largest beekeepers in the US, with 2 billion bees across 55,000 hives. The business has been in his family since the 1930s, and sends truckloads of bees across the country from South Dakota,...

In recent years, a growing number of companies have started allocating a portion of their reserves to bitcoin. This trend has emerged as businesses explore alternatives to protect purchasing power, diversify treasury holdings, and hedge against inflation.  Traditional fiat currencies lose purchasing power over time due to inflation. Bitcoin, on the other hand, as a […]

The actor recently posted a photo of himself undergoing a £10,000 procedure at a London clinic that claims to remove microplastics, forever chemicals and herbicides from the blood. But how settled is the science around the health risks of microplastics? To find out, Ian Sample speaks to Dr Stephanie Wright, associate professor of environmental toxicology at Imperial College London’s school...

Research in Chile suggests climate crisis makes eruptions more likely and explosive, and warns of Antarctica risk

The melting of glaciers and ice caps by the climate crisis could unleash a barrage of explosive volcanic eruptions, a study suggests.

The loss of ice releases the pressure on underground magma chambers and makes eruptions more likely. This process has been seen in Iceland, an...

Technology editor Zoe Kleinman explores the tensions between humans and machines that were encapsulated at Wimbledon.

The solutions to today’s questions

Earlier today I set three puzzles, and also explained why 108 is possibly the most fascinating number in the universe.

Here are some more reasons:

Continue reading…

An Xbox producer faces a backlash after suggesting AI tools can help to deal wih the emotions that follow job loss.

The company has appealed against the fine handed down earlier this year over alleged anti-competitive behaviour.

It’s not what you expect

UPDATE: Read the solutions here

Before we get to today’s puzzles, I’d like to introduce the most interesting number in the universe.

108

Continue reading…

The brilliant planet will move across the invisible line between the pair and appear 3 degrees away from the star Aldebaran

This week, Venus will pass through the so-called Golden Gate of the Ecliptic. Although the name has risen to prominence with science popularisers in recent decades, its exact origin is unknown.

It references two star clusters in the constellation Taurus, the Bull. The...

Detectorists and archaeologists sometimes clash, but the recent find of two Roman swords was the thrilling result of collaboration

The discovery of two swords at a dig in Gloucestershire has fuelled speculation that a Roman villa may once have stood there, at a period in the second or third century AD when Saxons were making inroads in the region. Experts think that the blades may even have...

Cardiologist who empowered paramedics and the general public to restart hearts and save lives

If you had a cardiac arrest before the 1970s, an ambulance might arrive quickly, but almost all its crew could do was transport you to hospital, where your treatment would begin – if indeed you survived the journey. The cardiologist Douglas Chamberlain, who has died aged 94, realised that in order...

Diquat is banned in the UK, EU, China and other countries. The US has resisted calls to regulate it

The herbicide ingredient used to replace glyphosate in Roundup and other weedkiller products can kill gut bacteria and damage organs in multiple ways, new research shows.

The ingredient, diquat, is widely employed in the US as a weedkiller in vineyards and orchards, and is increasingly sprayed...

Testing is difficult for drugs for rare diseases, and new rules may make it harder for sufferers to obtain life-saving drugs

US drug regulators have increasingly signaled a focus on faster approvals and rare diseases, but patients with ultra-rare ailments fear they are falling through the cracks, especially given challenges to conducting clinical trials.

One drug, elamipretide, garnered a...

Sought-after status moves in mysterious ways that elude rules and norms, say the initiated

It has puzzled philosophers, scholars and those aspiring to be cool for generations: what is it that makes someone cool? Now it appears that the alchemical code has finally been cracked.

There are six specific attributes needed to be cool, according to a study published this week by the American...