Largest study of links between consumption of the beverage and gut diversity finds coffee-loving bacteria.
Chemistry of the planet’s atmosphere suggests that its interior has never held water.
Artefacts from a Mesopotamian archaeological site suggest that people in the region founded and later rejected an early form of the organized state.
The gambling frenzy is mostly about people being free to enjoy themselves
It has no government and no budget, and is politically gridlocked
His coup attempt was foiled. But grave tests still remain for the country
The president’s reversal is understandable, hum
MIT Sloan Management Review (December 4, 2024): Looking beyond AI, many of our top 10 stories involve tough culture and people management challenges, like dealing with the informal meetings that happen after formal meetings (No. 2) and getting people to stop self-censoring with company leaders (No. 5). These two stories, by Phillip G. Clampitt and Jim Detert, respectively, truly struck a nerve with readers. At a time of radical change, communication and trust have never been more important.
Midlevel leaders are critical to fostering an organizational culture that’s healthy and vibrant.
In this brief video, learn what the latest research and current examples say about return-to-office mandates — and what leaders can do instead to boost productivity and retain talent.
Get beyond job candidates’ pat answers to hiring managers’ standard queries by recasting questions to elicit thoughtful responses.
To get the most from hybrid work, leaders should prepare for trade-offs, make expectations clear, and think harder about how productivity is measured.
Managers must make deliberate choices to support older workers’ use of complex technologies.
Most people know what can’t be said in their organization. But leaders can apply these techniques to break through the unwritten rules that make people self-censor.
Your organization’s highest-performing employees want executives to focus on outcomes and accountability, not office badge swipes.
This artificial intelligence and business strategy report looks at how organizations are using AI to evolve their key performance indicators to better align with their strategies and deliver on enterprise goals.
Leaders must encourage respectful debate during meetings and use related strategies to avoid toxic post-meeting dynamics.
These developing issues should be on every leader’s radar screen, data executives say.
Study participants rated fictional scientists who admitted their own knowledge gaps as more credible.
Neighbouring cells bolster the immune cells’ tumour-fighting abilities.
The only continent where amber had not been found no longer has that distinction, thanks to a sediment core drilled just offshore.
Relatively warm regions of the object called Makemake could also be explained by a dusty planetary ring.
The Guardian Weekly (November 28, 2024): The new issue features last week’s escalation of Nato ballistic missile activity, in which UK and US-made missiles were launched into Russia for the first time, brought a predictably cold response from Vladimir Putin – who loosened Moscow’s nuclear doctrines and promised more attacks with a new, experimental ballistic missile.
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Spotlight | Does lame duck Biden have time to Trump-proof democracy?
The outgoing US president may only have weeks left in the White House, but activists say he can secure civil liberties, accelerate spending on climate and healthcare, and spare death row prisoners. David Smith reports
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Science | My weird, emotional week with an AI pet
Casio says Moflin can develop its own personality and build a rapport with its owner – and it doesn’t need food, exercise or a litter tray. But is it essentially comforting or alienating? Justin McCurry finds out
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Feature | Are we right to strive to save the world’s tiniest babies?
Doctors are pushing the limits of science and human biology to save more extremely premature babies than ever before. But when so few survive, are we putting them through needless suffering? By Sophie McBain
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Opinion | A social media ban is in everyone’s interests – not just kids under 16
Van Badham on why she resents being excluded from protection against monetised fear, anger and toxicity
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Culture | A road trip like no other: an epic drive on the Autobahn
Fifty years after electronic pioneers Kraftwerk released a 23-minute song about a road – and changed pop music for ever – Tim Jonze hits the highways of Düsseldorf and Hamburg in search of its futuristic brilliance
Stimulating certain brain cells in mice seems to ease anxiety without causing hallucination-like effects.
A pall of smoke from burning cropland each year decreases rainfall in the annual monsoon.
Understanding how human neurons cope with the energy demands of a large, active brain could open up new avenues for treating neurological disorders.
 Inside Clear’s ambitions to manage your identity beyond the airportThe company that has helped millions of people cut security lines wants to give you a frictionless future—in exchange for your face. Read more →  Google DeepMind has a new way to look inside an AI’s “mind”Autoencoders are letting us peer into the black box of artificial intelligence. They could help us create AI that is better understood, and more easily controlled. Read more →  How this grassroots effort could make AI voices more diverseA massive volunteer-led effort to collect training data in more languages, from people of more ages and genders, could help make the next generation of voice AI more inclusive and less exploitative. Read more →  Who’s to blame for climate change? It’s surprisingly complicated.The world’s biggest polluters, by the numbers.Read more →  The rise of Bluesky, and the splintering of socialYou may have read that it was a big week for Bluesky. If you’re not familiar, Bluesky is, essentially, a Twitter clone that publishes short-form status updates. Read more → |
NEW HUMANIST MAGAZINE – WINTER 2024/2025 ISSUE: The new issue features ‘Our Cyborg Future?’
Neurobiologist and journalist Moheb Costandi explores the rapidly-developing world of brain-computer interfaces. For some people, these devices are already transforming lives – but the technology is quickly overtaking the ethics.
Peter Ward unpicks the dark philosophy of the tech billionaires and how it is infiltrating some of our most powerful organisations.
A recent film, The Substance, explored the growing pressure on all of us – particularly women – to modify our bodies, not only through make-up and cosmetic procedures but also through digital filters. Clare Chambers, professor of political philosophy at the University of Cambridge, talks to us about the power of resistance and allowing our bodies to be “good enough”.
Peter Salmon recounts the bizarre history of blood transfusion – and why the super-rich remain fascinated by its possibilities.
The Economist (November 21, 2024): AI is driving a transformation across all fields of science, from developing drugs for incurable diseases and improving the understanding of animal communication to self-driving labs.
Video timeline: 00:00 – How AI is revolutionising science 02:53 – Drug discovery 04:31 – AlphaFold 05:30 – Adoption of AI in science 07:08 – Animal communication 09:26 – Scientific fraud 11:03 – Self-driving labs 14:36 – Future of AI in science
Could this prompt a new golden age of discovery? Video supported by @mishcon_de_reya
Elon Musk is given the ultimate target: America’s Government
It should move before the election
Iran is weak. For America’s next president that creates an opportunity
Governments should help postgraduates get a better deal
Boomers Daily 