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Mind

Cracking consciousness will never be easy but we are making strides

A new way to understand where consciousness comes from and novel insights into subjective thought show that the hard problem of consciousness is worth persevering with

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Mandatory Credit: Photo by EPA-EFE/Shutterstock (13842171a) Packages of prescribtion drugs Ozempic and Wegovy by Novo Nordisk sit on a table in Copenhagen, Denmark, 23 March 2023. US celebrities have credited their weight loss to the FDA-approved medications that are prescribed to treat Type 2 diabetes. Diabetes drugs used as slimming agent, Copenhagen, Denmark - 23 Mar 2023

Health

People think drugs like Wegovy are a quick fix. So what if they are?

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T861Y1 CRISPR-Cas9 gene editing complex, illustration

Health

The high cost of CRISPR therapy will stop it getting to most patients

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Colorado, Cortez, Mesa Verde, cliff dwelling, Cliff Palace. (Photo by: Bernard Friel/Education Images/Universal Images Group via Getty Images)

Humans

History reveals vital new lessons in how to make our societies better

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2H57CRH Real zero no net zero placard, Global Day of Action for Climate Justice demonstration, London, UK. 6th November 2021

Environment

Net-zero aim shouldn't be used to delay action on carbon emissions

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What looks much like craggy mountains on a moonlit evening is actually the edge of a nearby, young, star-forming region NGC 3324 in the Carina Nebula. Captured in infrared light by the Near-Infrared Camera (NIRCam) on NASA???s James Webb Space Telescope, this image reveals previously obscured areas of star birth. Called the Cosmic Cliffs, the region is actually the edge of a gigantic, gaseous cavity within NGC 3324, roughly 7,600 light-years away. The cavernous area has been carved from the nebula by the intense ultraviolet radiation and stellar winds from extremely massive, hot, young stars located in the center of the bubble, above the area shown in this image. The high-energy radiation from these stars is sculpting the nebula???s wall by slowly eroding it away. NIRCam ??? with its crisp resolution and unparalleled sensitivity ??? unveils hundreds of previously hidden stars, and even numerous background galaxies. Several prominent features in this image are described below. ??? The ???steam??? that appears to rise from the celestial ???mountains??? is actually hot, ionized gas and hot dust streaming away from the nebula due to intense, ultraviolet radiation. ??? Dramatic pillars rise above the glowing wall of gas, resisting the blistering ultraviolet radiation from the young stars. ??? Bubbles and cavities are being blown by the intense radiation and stellar winds of newborn stars. ??? Protostellar jets and outflows, which appear in gold, shoot from dust-enshrouded, nascent stars. ??? A ???blow-out??? erupts at the top-center of the ridge, spewing gas and dust into the interstellar medium. ??? An unusual ???arch??? appears, looking like a bent-over cylinder. This period of very early star formation is difficult to capture because, for an individual star, it lasts only about 50,000 to 100,000 years ??? but Webb???s extreme sensitivity and exquisite spatial resolution have chronicled this rare event. Located roughly 7,600 light-years away, NGC 3324 was first cat

Space

The JWST is already delivering on its promise to transform cosmology

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Funafuti atoll Tuvalu from the air.

Environment

We need to go beyond net zero to reverse catastrophic climate damage

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Larry Brown, owner of Brown's Farm, which produces sustainable eggs for NestFresh, walks around the property in Gonzales, Texas, U.S., on Wednesday, May 5, 2021. Farmers are betting they can profit further with specialty eggs by adding another layer of premiumization: eggs from a special type of sustainable farm that can be trumpeted as being better for the planet. Photographer: Mary Kang/Bloomberg via Getty Images

Environment

We already have ethical options for replacing industrial farming

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Supermassive black hole. Elements of this image furnished by NASA.; Shutterstock ID 1756053335; purchase_order: -; job: -; client: -; other: -

Space

Lab imitations of the unobservable cosmos can be genuinely insightful

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EJMAXP Senior couple Nordic walking on rocky trail in the nature.

Health

We can treat age-related illness without calling ageing a disease

Declaring ageing a disease could hold back efforts to find genuine treatments that tackle age-related illnesses like osteoporosis and dementia

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Technology

With AI exploiting businesses’ data, when do we get paid and by whom?

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Health

As awareness of 'hidden' conditions rises, research must keep up

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Health

Tackling ultra-processed food must focus on evidence and avoid stigma

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Technology

Regulating AI is going to be hard but big tech transparency is key

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