Growing Produce

New research reports that two diets with the same calorie content can produce different metabolic and brain responses depending on how heavily the food is processed. The findings challenge the idea that calories alone determine nutritional impact, suggesting ultra-processed foods may affect metabolism and neural activity in ways whole foods do not.

Governor Gavin Newsom has revived California's wildlife coexistence program amid news that gray wolves in the state produced a record 42 pups this breeding season. The state's wolf population has been steadily growing since wolves returned to California a decade ago, prompting renewed efforts to manage conflicts between wolves and livestock while supporting the species' recovery.

Reports point to efforts to create reinforcement learning environments where AI agents can be trained on real knowledge-work tasks, such as analysis, writing and administrative work. The idea is that purpose-built training grounds, rather than static datasets, will be key to producing AI systems capable of performing white-collar jobs. Discussion centres on who is building these environments and how they will shape the next wave of workplace AI.

A new opinion piece argues that artificial intelligence in biology can only be as reliable as the data it is trained on. The author warns that flawed, incomplete, or biased biological datasets can lead AI models to produce misleading conclusions, with real consequences for research and medicine. The article calls for better data quality and curation as AI tools spread through the life sciences.

New reporting highlights how common household chemicals, from painkillers to sunscreen ingredients, are damaging microscopic organisms that underpin aquatic ecosystems. These tiny organisms, such as algae and plankton, form the base of food webs and produce much of the oxygen in water systems. Scientists are increasingly concerned that pharmaceutical residues and UV filters in wastewater are disrupting their growth and function, with potential consequences for fish, water quality, and food chains worldwide.