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The World Faces a Water Crisis and 4 Powerful Charts Show How

A woman stands next to water taps that are out of service in the camp for internally displaced people of Farburo 2 in the village of Adlale, near the city of Gode, Ethiopia, on April 6, 2022. The worst drought to hit the Horn of Africa for 40 years is pushing 20 million people towards starvation. Credit: Eduardo Soteras/AFP via Getty Images Advertisement

TikTok questioned on ineffective teen time limits in Congressional hearing

TikTok questioned on ineffective teen time limits in Congressional hearing

In hopes of heading off concerns over the addictiveness of its app, TikTok earlier this month rolled out new screen time controls that limited minors under the age of 18 to 60-minute daily screen time limits. But in a Congressional hearing today before the House Committee on Energy and Commerce, TikTik CEO Shou Zi Chew was questioned on the new tool’s inefficiency, forcing the exec...

TikTok called out for misusing Citizen Lab research

TikTok called out for misusing Citizen Lab research

TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew was questioned in a U.S. government hearing on Thursday over the relationship between the fast-growing social media platform and its Chinese parent company, ByteDance. In Chew’s pre-written opening statement, the chief executive cited a report from internet watchdog Citizen Lab, saying that “there was no overt data transmission by TikTok to the Chinese government and that TikTok did not...

Fifteen shows off the latest generation of its shared, docked bikes

Fifteen shows off the latest generation of its shared, docked bikes

Fifteen might not be a familiar name, but you may already know some of Fifteen’s bikes. Fifteen is the new name of the companies formerly known as Smoove and Zoov — these two companies with weird names merged a couple of years ago. Smoove is one of the companies behind the Vélib’ bike-sharing service in Paris (along with Indigo, Mobivia and Moventia). And Zoov...

How daisies make deceptive petals that look like female flies

The South African daisy uses mimicry to lure flies imageBROKER/Alamy An orange-hued daisy in South Africa has an unusual lure to attract pollinators: a little structure on its petals that resembles a female fly. Male flies descend on the petals in hopes of mating but end up ferrying the flowers’ pollen to other plants. The fake fly-like structure appears to have emerged within the...

Hunter-gatherer genes gave European farmers an immunity boost

Stone Age hunter-gatherers had children with farmers in Europe Alamy Stock Photo The offspring of Stone Age farmers that settled in Europe inherited an unusually high share of immunity genes from local hunter-gatherers, suggesting that the development of farming wasn’t the sole reason early humans became more resistant to pathogens. It has long been thought that ancient farmers would have had improved immune systems...

Commercial development of gene-edited food now legal in England

BBC News By Pallab Ghosh Science correspondent Gene-edited food can now be developed commercially in England following a change in the law. Supporters of the technology say it will speed up the development of hardier crops that will be needed because of climate change. Critics say that the change could bring ”disaster” to our food production and the environment. Gene editing involves making precise...

What is gene-edited food and is it safe to eat?

BBC News By Pallab Ghosh Science correspondent The law has changed to allow gene-edited food to be developed and sold in England. The government hopes the technology will boost jobs and improve food production, but safety and environmental worries mean it is not allowed in other parts of the UK. What is gene-edited food? For many years, farmers produced new varieties through traditional cross-breeding...

Orca Killer Whale Moms Pay a Steep Price to Feed Their Adult Sons

Having a son can be a costly experience for orca killer whale mothers — and it comes at the expense of having additional offspring, researchers have found. In a recent study, researchers report that male offspring from a population known as the southern residents — which are found off the Pacific coast of the U.S. — depend upon their mothers to such an extent...

A Psychologist Offers 2 Tips To Protect Yourself From An Academic Burnout

Lots of young people come to therapy confused about why they aren’t performing academically despite having the skills to do so. They may say things like: “I used to score well in all my tests right up to college, but now it’s like I can’t read a single page without getting distracted.” “Learning new things always pulled me in. Why does it feel like...