Being beautiful can improve a person’s quality of life and emotional wellbeing. But sometimes, there is a risk of harm — from exposure to cancer-causing UV light, to cheap cosmetic procedures.
Can international courts help address the costs and causes of climate change?
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Governments and activist groups are bringing environmental issues to international courts. They argue that the impact of climate change and environmental issues affect human rights.
People march with a banner that reads in Spanish ‘Stop the adjustment, out with the IMF,’ in Buenos Aires, Argentina on May 9, 2023.
(AP Photo/Victor R. Caivano)
Cloud seeding – spraying materials into clouds to increase precipitation – has been around for nearly 80 years. But only recently have scientists been able to measure how effective it really is.
Used cars that get exported from places like Europe, Japan and the U.S. are most often shipped to countries in Africa where they are resold.
Yanick Folly/Getty Images
Older imported cars pose risks to motorists and spew pollution. Some countries, including Ghana, are taking steps to limit the harms of this piece of the vehicle life cycle.
Indian, or red, sandalwood, is an important natural resources for cultures across the world.
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With the proliferation of social media platforms, smart devices and apps, the demands on our attention have never been greater. But how is this affecting our ability to process and retain information?
Within the next year or two, people will set foot on the surface of the Moon for the first time in 50 years.
NASA
A US-led coalition and China are both planning to establish bases on the Moon. How the two nations will navigate actions on the Moon and how other countries will be involved is still unclear.
An abandoned house in the old town of Mosul, Iraq.
(Ali Al-Baroodi, @ali_albaroodi)
The U.S.-led invasion of Iraq in 2003 led to civilian death and displacement. Twenty years later, Iraqis are telling their stories of conflict and trauma as they move towards healing.
ChatGPT has the fastest-growing user base of any technology in history.
Dmytro Varavin/iStock via Getty Images
New technologies are often surrounded by hopeful messages that they will alleviate poverty and bring about positive social change. History shows these assumptions are often misplaced.
Research suggests that only about 1,000 to 1,500 Príncipe scops owls exist in the wild.
Martim Melo
A local legend of a mysterious bird with big eyes grew into the discovery of the Príncipe scops owl. A biologist on the team tells the story of finding and cataloging this new species.
Moving beyond our dependency on oil requires developing viable alternative energies.
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Political will is necessary for governments to move away from oil. But alternative energies are not all that they seem, and should be considered carefully beyond the appearance of sustainability.
Loneliness around the world is growing as a result of how our lives are structured.
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Public health measures in response to the COVID-19 pandemic meant that many people experienced social isolation. But the pandemic didn’t invent loneliness, and its impacts on our health are growing.
Most clinical trials overrepresent young white males.
Andresr/Digital Vision via Getty Images
Medicine works better when the treatments are tailored to fit each individual person’s biology and history. A first step is increasing diversity in clinical trials, but the end goal is precision medicine.
Smaller cities can offer the amenities of larger ones, combined with authentic charm and history.
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During the global COVID-19 pandemic, people started moving into smaller cities, drawn by the possibility of more affordable and pleasant quality of life.
Beavers dramatically change a landscape by building dams that create ponds of still water.
Jerzy Strzelecki/Wikimedia Commons
Restoring entire ecosystems is a difficult and expensive process. Thankfully, certain species, called ecosystem engineers, can make restoration easier. Gaining social and political support is critical too.
Starvation was omnipresent in the Warsaw Ghetto for both young and old.
Blid Bundesarchiv/Wikimedia Commons
A researcher at Tufts University near Boston discovered an old book full of research on starvation written by Jewish doctors imprisoned in the Warsaw Ghetto.
Welfare services are essential for a healthy economy and productive population.
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In winter, light in the northern latitudes is dim and very blue compared to summer light. Reindeer eyes have evolved to be better suited at seeing in this unique environment.
Professor - Emerging Technologies (Stem Cells) at The University of Melbourne and Group Leader - Stem Cell Ethics & Policy at the Murdoch Children's Research Institute, The University of Melbourne