researchers

The Trump administration is retreating from a proposed executive order that would have given the White House greater control over National Institutes of Health grants, according to Semafor. The plan, which drew criticism from researchers and science advocates, is now reported to be effectively dead after widespread pushback from the scientific and medical community.

New reporting highlights that emissions already released by the world's biggest polluters will continue driving global warming for decades, even if new pollution stops. The findings underline the long-lasting effect of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere and the lag between emissions cuts and temperature stabilization. Commenters are stressing the urgency of holding major emitters accountable and the limits of near-term climate action.

Scientists are developing new methods to control mosquitoes as climate change lengthens mosquito season and expands the range of disease-carrying species. The mosquito kills more people than any other animal on earth, spreading diseases such as malaria and dengue, and longer warm seasons give the insects more time to transmit dangerous illnesses. Climate researchers warn the public health threat is growing.

Artificial intelligence is making law firms significantly more efficient, but corporate clients are now questioning why their legal bills have not dropped accordingly. The New York Times reports that clients expect savings from faster document review and research to be passed on to them, putting pressure on firms' traditional billable-hour models and sparking debate over who benefits from A.I.-driven productivity gains.

A US Senate committee has voted to hold Anthony Fauci, the former top US infectious disease official, in contempt of Congress. The vote escalates a standoff with Republican lawmakers who have investigated his role in the federal response to Covid-19 and related research funding. Fauci, who led the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases for decades before retiring in 2022, has denied wrongdoing.

New reporting suggests India has warmed more slowly than many regions, but researchers caution this apparent slower warming may be deceptive. Pollution particles and cloud cover are believed to be masking the true extent of heat buildup across the country, meaning underlying warming could be far greater than surface temperature records indicate, with potentially serious implications for India's climate future.

A new study finds that more than 70% of coastal areas across the United States are subsiding at rates exceeding one millimeter per year. Land sinking compounds the threat of sea-level rise for cities along the Atlantic, Gulf and Pacific coasts, increasing flood risk to infrastructure, homes and wetlands. Researchers say the uneven subsidence means some communities face faster relative sea-level rise than global averages suggest.

Researchers have detected a direct radio signal from a planet outside the solar system for the first time. The detection, reported by media outlets, marks a milestone in the search for planets around other stars, as radio emissions from exoplanets had previously only been theorized. Scientists say such signals could offer a new way to study magnetic fields and habitability of distant worlds.

President Trump pledged to reveal the truth about unidentified flying objects, drawing attention from scientists who hoped for the release of government data on aerial phenomena. Researchers say that despite the promises, concrete disclosures and verifiable evidence have yet to materialise, leaving the scientific community frustrated and still waiting for answers about unexplained sightings.

AI researcher and Coursera co-founder Andrew Ng says fears that artificial intelligence could drive humanity extinct are 'science fiction'. He argues that speculation about existential AI risk distracts from concrete near-term issues such as bias, job displacement and concentration of power, and that regulators should focus on real harms of deployed systems rather than distant hypothetical scenarios.

A study published in Science argues that a Mega El Niño pattern, producing extreme and prolonged climate swings, triggered the end-Permian mass extinction around 252 million years ago, the deadliest extinction event in Earth's history. The researchers say runaway warming destabilised ecosystems beyond what species could tolerate. The paper is being shared widely, with an open-access version of the full text available.

A Brookings Institution researcher argues that the current AI buildout will amount to the largest infrastructure investment bet in United States history, surpassing previous eras of massive spending on railroads, highways, and telecommunications. The claim underscores the enormous scale of capital flowing into data centers, chips, and energy capacity to support artificial intelligence development.

Google has unveiled Project Suncatcher, a research initiative to place machine learning infrastructure in space, using solar-powered satellites to scale AI compute beyond Earth. Google published details and early findings on its research blog. The proposal is drawing attention for its ambition and for questions about cost, thermal challenges, and whether orbital data centers are realistic.

Google researchers say the hacking group ShinyHunters has broadened its attacks targeting Oracle's PeopleSoft software. The group, previously known for large-scale data theft campaigns, is reportedly exploiting vulnerabilities to compromise enterprise systems. The finding raises concerns for organizations running PeopleSoft, with security teams urged to patch systems and review exposure to the campaign.

New research suggests the weight-loss drugs Zepbound and Mounjaro may activate brown fat, a type of body tissue that burns calories to generate heat. If confirmed, the findings could help explain part of how the medications drive weight loss beyond appetite suppression, and point to new ways of boosting metabolism in obesity treatment.

The Wall Street Journal profiles the AI 'doomers' — researchers and commentators who warn that advanced artificial intelligence could pose existential risks to humanity. The piece traces how their arguments moved from fringe concerns to mainstream influence, shaping policy debates, corporate safety teams, and public anxiety about runaway AI. The title quote suggests their core message: once transformative AI arrives, the world will fundamentally change and calm reassurances will no longer apply.

New research highlights that people living with severe mental illness die more than 10 years earlier than the general population. Researchers point to contributing factors behind the gap, which is widely attributed in the field to physical health conditions going undertreated, higher rates of smoking and cardiovascular disease, medication side effects, and poorer access to healthcare. The finding has renewed calls to close the life-expectancy gap for this group.

Researchers have identified a new potential treatment target for high blood pressure, a condition affecting over a billion people worldwide and a leading risk factor for heart disease and stroke. The discovery could open the door to new drug development beyond existing blood pressure medications. Details of the findings and their clinical significance remain limited.