| Read time: 5 minute(s)

Debate this: How not to get brainwashed by fake news?

Can we train ourselves to be lie detectors? The world is flooded with lies, fakes and misinformation. One academic, Alex Edmans is claiming salvation can only be found in our own minds. He thinks we could solve the misinformation problem if we all just learnt to check our facts and think critically about what we […]
| Read time: 5 minute(s)

Australia offers climate refuge to Tuvalu citizens

Australia has offered refuge to citizens of Tuvalu because of the catastrophic impacts of climate change, in a landmark new pact. Tuvalu – a series of low-lying atolls in the Pacific – is among the nations most at risk from rising seas. It is home to 11,200 people and has repeatedly called for greater action […]
| Read time: 6 minute(s)

DEBATE OF THE DAY: Do bans ever work?

THE NEWS: More and more teenagers around the world say that they vape. And with sales of legal e-cigarettes banned to under-18s, many are turning to illegally produced products.  Lead, nickel and chromium. Would you willingly eat these? Probably not-but these chemicals were found in vapes taken from students.  Tests showed that people who used […]
| Read time: 4 minute(s)

An otter in Santa Cruz is hassling surfers — and stealing their boards

An aggressive sea otter in California is hassling locals by riding boards she stole from surfers in the lineup. Steamer Lane is a legendary point break nestled along the rocky shores of Santa Cruz, home to swaths of experienced surfers, as well as a 5-year-old female sea otter with a growing reputation for repeatedly confronting […]
| Read time: 4 minute(s)

Debate of the Week: Is the world set for permanent heatwaves?

THE NEWS: The latest spell of hot weather has experts wondering whether the world faces the same high temperatures this summer as it did last year.  Kiran Mahtani broke the egg into a saucepan. She wanted to fry it — so she carried the pan to her car and left it on the dashboard. “The […]
| Read time: 8 minute(s)

Meet the house that diapers built

Researchers have designed and erected a house that has shredded, disposable diapers mixed into its concrete and mortar. A single-story home of about 36 square meters can pack nearly 2 cubic meters of used diapers into its floors, columns and walls. Using recycled diapers as composite building materials would not only shrink landfill waste but […]
| Read time: 7 minute(s)

Debate of the Week: Have we missed our chance to stop global warming?

IN THE NEWS: A new report has warned that the world is on track to hit a 1.5C temperature increase by 2027. Wildfires spread across Canada. Floods deluge Italy. Droughts cause havoc in France and Spain. And it all takes place in the same week. This may be only the start. Extreme weather events are […]
| Read time: 5 minute(s)

“Historic” deal to restore the Colorado River Delta in United States.

Arizona, California and Nevada have agreed to take less water from the drought-strained Colorado River, a breakthrough agreement that, for now, keeps the river from falling so low that it would jeopardize water supplies for major Western cities like Phoenix and Los Angeles as well as for some of America’s most productive farmland. The agreement, […]
| Read time: 6 minute(s)

DEBATE OF THE DAY: Is predicting the future a skill we can learn?

IN THE NEWS: Is predicting the future a skill we can learn? Another disaster has shaken some of the world’s most vulnerable people. Some think we can use science to predict and prevent them. On Friday 3 February, a Dutch researcher, Frank Hoogerbeets, tweeted out a map of southern Turkey. In the caption he wrote: […]
| Read time: 5 minute(s)

New museum in Mexico spotlights endangered axolotl salamander

A new museum and conservation center dedicated to Mexico’s critically endangered axolotl salamander is highlighting the amphibian’s remarkable story that has captured the attention of scientists and the public alike. With an impressive ability to heal itself, the axolotl (pronounced ah-sho-LO-tul) salamanders were showcased in the exhibit, which opened on Saturday, at Mexico City’s Chapultepec […]