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The first flying taxis could start operating in 2026 — will this new form of transport actually take off?
By Edd Gent published
Flying cars have been on the cusp of a breakthrough for a while, so what's stopping them from taking to the skies?

Should compulsive shopping and gaming be considered an addiction? Psychiatrists are considering expanding the definition.
By Clarissa Brincat published
Mental health professionals recognize problematic gambling as an addiction. Should the same apply to excessive gaming, compulsive sexual behavior and problematic social media use?

Microplastics that accumulate in the body may 'clog up' immune cells
By Kamal Nahas published
Microplastics that break off polystyrene food containers might prevent immune cells from fighting infections and clearing away dead cells, as well as reducing sperm counts, a mouse study hints.

What's the biggest bottleneck to building better AI? It's no longer the lack of computing resources — it's generating enough energy to feed it
By Carly Page published
For decades, AI was held back by slow, expensive computers. Today, the problem is simpler, but harder to fix: finding enough reliable electricity to keep data centers running as AI spreads into everyday life.

Planting trees in the sea could act as a huge carbon sink and save millions of dollars in storm damage every year. What is stopping us from doing it?
By Sarah Wild published
A new study reveals restoring mangroves could save $800 million in storm damage, protect 140,000 people from flooding, and remove almost triple the amount of CO2 produced by cars in the U.S. every year.

Your own voice could be your biggest privacy threat. How can we stop AI technologies exploiting it?
By Drew Turney published
Voices contain countless cues about their owners, and new research suggests that computers might use them to facilitate a range of bad behaviors.

The biggest trees in the Peruvian Amazon store the most carbon — and they also face the greatest threat from humans
By Brian Owens published
The Amazon's biggest trees store disproportionately more carbon than smaller trees do, new study finds. But in the Peruvian Amazon, large trees are currently prioritized for harvest.

'DNA origami' could be key for making an effective HIV vaccine, early study hints
By Zunnash Khan published
A new vaccine design uses folded DNA to steer the immune system toward producing the rare immune cells needed to make protective antibodies against HIV.

'Night owls' may have worse heart health — but why?
By Isha Ishtiaq published
Emerging evidence suggests that "night owls" are more likely to have poor heart health and a higher risk of heart attack or stroke than "morning larks." Why is that?

'There's no reason to ban us from playing': Analysis debunks notion that transgender women have inherent physical advantages in sports
By Kristina Killgrove, Nicoletta Lanese published
A meta-analysis of 52 studies that included over 5,000 transgender people suggests that transgender women's physical fitness after hormone therapy is comparable to that of cisgender women.
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