researchers

Scientists are developing new methods to control mosquitoes, the animal that kills more people than any other on Earth. As the climate warms, mosquito seasons are growing longer, giving the insects more time to spread dangerous diseases such as malaria and dengue. Reports highlight how shifting temperatures are expanding the disease threat into new regions and prompting fresh research into targeting the insects.

The Trump administration is retreating from a planned executive order that would have increased White House control over National Institutes of Health grant decisions, following widespread pushback from scientists and officials. Reporting describes the proposed order as effectively dead, with critics arguing it would have politicised federal biomedical research funding.

A New York Times analysis examines why Chinese officials and researchers have grown wary of international appeals for AI safety cooperation. The report suggests Beijing views safety initiatives partly through the lens of geopolitical competition, suspecting calls for shared oversight could slow its domestic AI industry or constrain its ambitions relative to the United States, complicating efforts at global coordination.

Major AI laboratories say the scenario in which AI models gain the ability to improve themselves autonomously is approaching. The claim, reported by ABC News, revives debate among researchers and policymakers about how soon recursive self-improvement could arrive and what safety measures would be needed. Observers are weighing whether current models show early signs of this capability or whether lab statements reflect competitive positioning.

Scientists in Germany are preparing to copy and store vast troves of American climate data, fearing the Trump administration could alter, restrict, or remove federal climate records. The effort has been likened to building an ark, preserving scientific information outside the United States in case it becomes unavailable at home, and has drawn attention as researchers weigh risks to publicly funded datasets.

The growing longevity industry — from anti-ageing clinics to supplements promising longer life — is expanding faster than the scientific evidence supporting many of its claims, according to Al Jazeera. The report raises concerns that consumers are being sold unproven treatments while research on ageing is still in its early stages.

CBS News examines the question of whether artificial intelligence poses existential risks to humanity. The report weighs warnings from researchers who fear advanced AI could escape human control against skeptics who argue such fears are overstated. Coverage reflects a wider public debate, as governments and tech companies move to regulate the rapidly developing technology.

India's space sector is undergoing its biggest transformation yet, with private companies increasingly handling rocket development and launches while ISRO refocuses on advanced research and deep-space missions. The restructuring follows policy reforms opening the sector to private players. Observers see it as a pivotal change in how the country organises its space ambitions.

In March 2025, the University of Oxford announced a partnership with OpenAI to digitize public-domain books from the Bodleian Library. According to the announcement, the digitized works will become searchable and more widely accessible. The collaboration has drawn attention among librarians, researchers and open-access advocates discussing the role of AI companies in digitizing cultural heritage collections.

Nvidia chief executive Jensen Huang says there is a '0% chance' that artificial intelligence destroys the world by 2030, publicly rejecting warnings from AI safety advocates. His comments directly challenge more pessimistic forecasts from figures within the AI industry, including Anthropic researchers who have warned of serious existential risks. The remarks are drawing attention because Nvidia is one of the biggest beneficiaries of the AI boom, leading critics to question whether his optimism is commercially motivated.

Researchers have published a ranking of the most serious risks posed by increasingly capable AI systems, placing extreme scenarios such as nuclear war, bioweapons development and runaway AI among the potential dangers. The work compares which threats experts consider most plausible and severe as smart systems grow more powerful, sparking debate over how governments should prioritise regulation and safety research.

Mobile phone data is being used to help track the spread of the Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. By analysing movement patterns from mobile networks, health authorities and researchers aim to anticipate where the virus might travel next and target containment measures more effectively. The approach highlights how digital technology is increasingly deployed in epidemic response across Africa.

The Wall Street Journal reports on the AI 'doomers' — researchers and commentators who warn that advanced artificial intelligence could pose existential risks to humanity — and argues they have wielded significant influence over how AI is developed and regulated. The piece has drawn attention in technology circles, where debates between those warning of catastrophic risk and those focused on nearer-term harms remain heated.

A new question is dominating discussion: could artificial intelligence actually wipe out humanity? The debate pits researchers and tech leaders who warn that advanced AI could become uncontrollable against those who say such fears are exaggerated science fiction. As AI tools spread rapidly into everyday life, concerns about safety, regulation and long-term existential risk are moving from niche academic circles into mainstream public conversation.

AI researcher Andrew Ng has dismissed warnings that artificial intelligence could drive humanity to extinction, describing such fears as 'science fiction'. The remarks add to a running debate among AI experts over whether existential risk deserves the attention it receives. Critics of alarmist messaging argue it distracts from nearer-term harms like bias, misinformation and job displacement, while safety advocates counter that ignoring worst-case scenarios is reckless.

Glucosamine, one of the most widely taken joint supplements, has been linked in new research to faster progression of Alzheimer's disease. The finding challenges the common assumption that the over-the-counter remedy is harmless, and is prompting concern among the millions of older adults who take it for joint pain. Experts are urging people not to panic but to discuss supplement use with their doctors.

Google has unveiled Project Suncatcher, an initiative to run machine learning infrastructure in space, with details published on its research blog. The plan points to solar-powered data centers orbiting Earth to expand computing capacity for AI. The announcement is drawing attention among technologists debating the feasibility, cost and environmental logic of moving AI compute off-planet.

Four environmental organizations filed a petition Thursday urging the Federal Communications Commission to reverse its approval of a startup's plan to beam on-demand sunlight from space to Earth. The groups argue the agency failed to consider the project's potential impacts on wildlife and astronomy, raising concerns about a growing commercial trend of using orbiting reflectors to illuminate areas on the ground at night.

New findings indicate Mercury is contracting more quickly than previous estimates suggested. The smallest planet in the solar system has been cooling and shrinking for billions of years, causing its crust to wrinkle and crack. The updated measurements challenge existing models of how the planet's interior cools, prompting discussion among planetary scientists about what this reveals about Mercury's geological evolution.

EL PAÍS examines the argument, prominent among some AI researchers, that there is roughly a one-in-ten chance advanced artificial intelligence could pose an existential threat to humanity. The piece weighs expert warnings about uncontrolled AI development against sceptics who consider such extinction estimates exaggerated, reflecting an ongoing debate as AI capabilities and investment continue to grow rapidly.