63 m. ago Quality of scientific papers questioned as academics ‘overwhelmed’ by the millions published

Mainstream mockery of AI-generated rat with giant penis in one paper brings problem to public attentionIt was, at first glance, just another scientific paper, one of the millions published every year, and destined to receive little to no attention outside the arcane field of biological signalling in stem cells destined to become sperm.But soon after the paper was published online, in the journal Frontiers in Cell and Developmental Biology, it found a global audience. Not all of the readers came for the science. Continue reading...

Science

63 m. ago Kerry Godliman looks back: ‘If my parents hadn’t laughed so much at my jokes, I wouldn’t be doing what I do now’

The actor and comedian on her bohemian upbringing, being headhunted by Ricky Gervais, and why her knickers are good for her comedyBorn in London in 1973, Kerry Godliman is a comedian and actor. She trained at Rose Bruford Drama School, before taking a course on standup comedy at the adult education college City Lit. In 2012, she was cast as Hannah in Ricky Gervais’s Derek, and has appeared in dramas including Save Me, Adult Material and Trigger Point, along with pursuing her career in live comedy and radio. Godliman hosts the Memory Lane podcast with Jen Brister, and performs live in London on 15 July. She is married to actor Ben Abell and they have two children.This was taken at my mum’s 40th – a big house party where everyone dressed up. I was going through a 60s phase with the dress, the hair and the eyeliner – all of which was probably inspired by Deee-Lite. There would have been a lot of drinking and smoking and good music. Pretty raucous all round. Continue reading...

Politics

63 m. ago How do I feel about air conditioning? I’m very hot – but it’s destroying the planet | Emma Beddington

Yes, temperatures are rising. But more and more AC means more and more CO2 – and then more and more global heating. Let’s have some long-term thinking insteadIt’s way too hot. I’m cowering inside, curtains drawn, pale limbs clammily exposed, the sound of my overheated laptop fan drowning out the sound of an ancient, feeble desk fan. If it gets any hotter, I’ll stagger to my air-conditioned car and drive to the air-conditioned supermarket to stand in its chilly aisles, shamelessly fanning myself over the ravaged ice-cream cabinet in the freezer aisle. I’ve even become nostalgic for the summer when I shared an office with a man who insisted on having the AC set to 17C, meaning I had to wear a cardigan to work in August.Ah, air conditioning, the dream. Or the nightmare? Welcome to appliance culture wars, 2025 edition. You may recall, in 2023, the US debated whether induction hobs were a communist plot; then last year Republicans tried, in all apparent seriousness, to pass the Liberty i...

Politics

83 m. ago She left a fundamentalist Mormon cult. Then her children went missing. ‘Somebody came by the shop and hauled off with them’

After escaping a fundamentalist polygamous group, Elizabeth Roundy fought to rebuild her life and protect her children. Now, they are missing — and she believes the FLDS is behind it. As more mothers come forward with similar stories, a chilling pattern is emerging, Andrea Cavallier writes

Economics

97 m. ago Tour de France 2025 live: Stage 9 updates as sprinters return to ‘Cavendish City’

Tour returns to Chateauroux, renamed ‘Cavendish City’ in honour of Manx Missile’s trio of stage wins here

Society

2 h. ago CCTV of missing man issued as police make urgent public appeal

He may have been walking into the city centre, police said

Events

2 h. ago Bald eagle's new status as the official US bird brings pride and hope to many Native Americans

Many Native Americans are marking ceremonies like graduations with bald eagle feathers, a form of reverence for the bird they have always held sacred as a messenger to the Creator

Politics

2 h. ago Former Scots jewellery designer becomes world's first forensic jeweller

Dr. Maria Maclennan, 36, has become the world's first forensic jeweller - and is able to ID bodies in disaster zones through their rings, necklaces and earrings.

Politics

3 h. ago Family tribute to ‘talented’ teenager who died after going missing in lake

Daniel Drewitt was reported missing in the water at Powell’s Pool in Sutton Park, Sutton Coldfield.

Events

3 h. ago Tour de France 2025 live: Stage 9 route and updates as sprinters return to ‘Cavendish City’

Tour returns to Chateauroux, renamed ‘Cavendish City’ in honour of Manx Missile’s trio of stage wins here

Society

4 h. ago Torvill and Dean ‘bow out on a high’ skating to Bolero in final performance

The duo announced their retirement from skating together in 2024, 40 years on from their Olympic gold success.

Politics

4 h. ago Householders warned clothing can be left 'misshapen and unwearable' by clever storage hack

Vacuum sealed storage bags have became very popular because they maximise space but they come with risks

Events

5 h. ago Man who made £1m running illegal streaming sites jailed after being caught with £20k in cash at King’s Cross

He used the profits to buy designer clothes and jewellery, luxury holidays, and a £91,000 Jaguar F-Type V8 coupe

Events

6 h. ago The Cosmos return – with a new home, new league and old ideals

Once the glitziest name in US soccer, the Cosmos are back in Paterson, New Jersey, with a historic stadium, a grassroots ethos and ambitions to build a real club from the ground upThere’s a new New York Cosmos in town – in the town of Paterson, New Jersey, to be precise. One of the most storied names in American soccer has hit the reset button, finding a new league, a new city and a refreshed, community-first approach.While many high-profile new teams in US sports are parachuted in at the top of their league’s hierarchy, this Cosmos revival feels different – some of that by design, some by necessity. Thursday’s announcement at the newly restored Hinchliffe Stadium in Paterson offered longtime fans and curious onlookers a glimpse into this fresh direction, and the reasons behind it. Continue reading...

Economics

7 h. ago Luka Modric’s Milan move proves that a slower Serie A still has plenty of cachet | Jonathan Wilson

Ballon d’Or winner becomes the latest veteran, after Kevin De Bruyne, to be pulled in by Italian game’s leisurely pace of lifeLuka Modric will turn 40 in September. He has played 930 games over the course of a career and has won seven league titles and six Champions Leagues. He even broke the Messi-Ronaldo duopoly to claim the Ballon d’Or after inspiring Croatia to the World Cup final in 2018.He rarely lasts a full 90 minutes these days, didn’t start a game during the Club World Cup and was spared the indignity of coming on for his Madrid farewell with the semi-final against Paris Saint-Germain long since lost. He could have retired five years ago and still been one of the most respected players in the history of the game but, his eyes on next summer’s World Cup, when his contract at Real Madrid expired Modric chose to join Milan. Continue reading...

Politics

8 h. ago Website deranged soldier signed up to ahead of butchering pregnant teenage wife

Mischa Johnson was six months pregnant and looking forward to welcoming her daughter Armani when she was brutally murdered by her cheating soldier husband Dewayne Johnson

Events

9 h. ago Primark's 'comfy' £10 sandals look 'just like' £550 designer Isabel Marant pair

The Primark shoes bear a striking resemblance to a much more expensive pair from designer Isabel Marant

Economics

10 h. ago US aid cuts halt HIV vaccine research in South Africa, with global impact

South Africa has played a historic, global role in scientific research, from COVID-19 vaccines to HIV

Politics

10 h. ago Inside the ghost museums of Ukraine: exhibits replaced by fragments of war and occupation

The curators of shattered historical buildings near the eastern frontline are preserving wartime memories as they reconstruct their collectionsThe museum of local history in the eastern Ukrainian town of Izium has, like the community around it, endured much since Russia’s full-scale invasion of the country.When Izium was bitterly fought over in early 2022 at the start of the Russian assault, the 19th-century building suffered two direct hits from missiles that blew out the roof and led to flood damage. Under occupation from March to September 2022, a Russian guard was posted on the door – but invaders never transported its collection any deeper behind Russian lines, or found the rare early 18th-century volume of the gospels – one of only three of its type – that museum workers had spirited away and hidden. Continue reading...

Events

10 h. ago Texas floods latest: Death toll rises to 129 as Trump argues Texans got ‘a lot of warning’ in advance

Local officials were repeatedly denied state funding for emergency flood warning system at Camp Mystic site but didn’t deploy Amber Alert-style warning according to report

Events