AI chatbots are bad at planning, but this could soon change

Meta and OpenAI are working to incorporate planning abilities into their AI systems.

Nello Cristianini, Professor of Artificial Intelligence, University of Bath • conversation
April 12, 2024 ~6 min

Save our seabed – the bottom of the ocean needs to become a top priority, and the UN agrees

Blue carbon is stored in mangroves, seagrass and sediments. Discussions at the UN Ocean Decade conference reiterate the importance of preserving existing sea floor habitats, before it’s too late.

William Austin, Professor, University of St Andrews • conversation
April 12, 2024 ~8 min


Older Swiss women just set a global legal precedent for challenging their nation’s climate change policy

Their victory in the European Court of Human Rights is a huge win for the climate.

Aoife Daly, Professor of Law, University College Cork • conversation
April 11, 2024 ~6 min

Swifts need more nest boxes but that alone won’t be enough - here’s why

Swifts migrate long distances yet face many threats along their journey. Lack of nest sites is a big problem but installing swift boxes and bricks won’t be the only solution.

Robert Robinson, Associate Professor, Ornithology, University of East Anglia • conversation
April 11, 2024 ~7 min

Domestic violence survivors seek homeless services from a system that often leaves them homeless

Programs and policies to help domestic abuse survivors find safe housing work only if they’re implemented and supported with resources.

Lauren Cattaneo, Associate Professor of Clinical Psychology, George Mason University • conversation
April 11, 2024 ~10 min

Personalized cancer treatments based on testing drugs quickly leads to faster treatment, better outcomes

Functional precision medicine works to take the guesswork out of deciding which drug to try next for patients with cancers that don’t respond to standard treatments.

Diana Azzam, Assistant Professor of Environmental Health Sciences, Florida International University • conversation
April 11, 2024 ~7 min

Peter Higgs was one of the greats of particle physics. He transformed what we know about the building blocks of the universe

During a walk in the Scottish Highlands, one of the greats of particle physics had the idea of a lifetime

Harald Fox, Senior Lecturer of Particle Physics, Lancaster University • conversation
April 11, 2024 ~5 min

Newly discovered genetic variant that causes Parkinson’s disease clarifies why the condition develops and how to halt it

No treatments are currently available to cure Parkinson’s disease. Better understanding the genetic foundation of this condition can help researchers find ways to slow or halt its progression.

Matthew Farrer, Professor of Neurology, University of Florida • conversation
April 10, 2024 ~10 min


PFAS ‘forever chemicals’: Why EPA set federal drinking water limits for these health-harming contaminants

These chemicals are now found on almost every part of the planet, including in the bodies of a large percentage of the American public. An environmental health scientist explains the risks.

Kathryn Crawford, Assistant Professor of Environmental Health, Middlebury • conversation
April 10, 2024 ~9 min

Infections after surgery are more likely due to bacteria already on your skin than from microbes in the hospital − new research

Most infection prevention guidelines center on the hospital environment rather than the patient. But the source of antibiotic-resistant microbes is often from the patient’s own body.

Chloe Bryson-Cahn, Associate Professor of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, School of Medicine, University of Washington • conversation
April 10, 2024 ~9 min

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