DeepSeek claims to have cured AI’s environmental headache. The Jevons paradox suggests it might make things worse: William Stanley Jevons also invented an early computer. University of Manchester Libraries / wiki, CC BY-SA AI burns through a lot of resources. And thanks to a paradox first identified way back in the 1860s, even a more …
How a currency devaluation in Kazakhstan made the country’s poor worse off: It is the job of the government to keep a country’s economy in check. But sometimes policies don’t work out as planned. Governments often take economic decisions that follow specific political agendas, and these decisions are not always beneficial for everyone. Take, for …
Wellingborough and Kingswood byelections: it’s never been this bad for the Conservatives, and it could still get worse: Writing about Conservative byelection calamities has become something of a standard Friday practice for me. But the party’s defeat in Wellingborough in Northamptonshire was particularly brutal. The Tory vote share was a mere 25% and the Conservative …
PhD students’ mental health is poor and the pandemic made it worse – but there are coping strategies that can help: ESB Professional/Shutterstock A pre-pandemic study on PhD students’ mental health showed that they often struggle with such issues. Financial insecurity and feelings of isolation can be among the factors affecting students’ wellbeing. The pandemic …
Frozen methane under the seabed is thawing as oceans warm – and things are worse than we thought: Kichigin / shutterstock Buried beneath the oceans surrounding continents is a naturally occurring frozen form of methane and water. Sometimes dubbed “fire-ice” as you can literally set light to it, marine methane hydrate can melt as the …
Emissions inequality is getting worse – here’s how to end the reign of the ultra-polluters: Scharfsinn/Shutterstock Climate change is overwhelmingly a problem of wealthy people. The wealthiest 1% of humanity produce over 1,000 times the emissions of the poorest 1%. In fact, these 77 million people are responsible for more climate-changing emissions than the poorest …
Do claims that Crimean Tatars are worse off under Putin than Stalin stand up? An expert examines the evidence: The deportation of at least 240,000 Crimean Tatars to central Asia by Soviet leader Joseph Stalin in 1944 is forever ingrained in the memory of the people of that region. Stalin used claims, later disputed by …
Earthworms are our friends – but they will make the climate crisis worse if we’re not careful: New Africa/Shutterstock Earthworms are revered for the way they nourish healthy soils, and scientific evidence validates the affection gardeners feel for these industrious invertebrates. Nevertheless, research has shown that our soil-dwelling friends may be less benevolent as the …
William Ruto’s first year: he promised to make life easier for Kenyans, but things got worse: It’s more than a year since President William Ruto was sworn into office as Kenya’s fifth president. He assumed power at a time when Kenya was beset by rising food and fuel prices, high unemployment and a worrying debt …
Energy prices: shipping hold-ups made the 2022 spike worse – and could do so again: The Ukraine war has made the EU much more dependent on liquefied gas. Wojcieck Wrzesien Germany and some other EU countries are hastily setting up new floating gas terminals at their ports to help cope with the severe reduction in …
The climate crisis is making gender inequality in developing coastal communities worse: Across the world, women and men experience the impacts of the climate crisis in different ways. These are shaped by societal roles and responsibilities and result in widening inequalities between men and women. Sea-level rise, storm surges and high waves in coastal area …
X/Twitter: imposing a US bot tax on new customers will only make the platform’s problems worse: X, formerly known as Twitter, is testing a subscription plan called “Not a Bot” of US$ 1 equivalent per annum in New Zealand and the Philippines. Those who don’t subscribe will still be able to log in to view …
Four reasons your hay fever may be worse when you move to a different country – and how to manage it: Unfamiliar allergens in your new home country may be one reason for worse hay fever symptoms. Dragana Gordic/ Shutterstock There are many things a person will expect to be different when moving to a …
Ethiopia: religious tension is getting worse – 5 factors driving groups apart: Religion is highly present in Ethiopia. It’s visible in churches and mosques, in clothing, and in public rituals. The country’s main religious communities are Orthodox Christians, Muslims and Protestants. It’s home to one of the world’s oldest churches and has the third-largest Muslim …
Cosmetic surgery boosts some people’s mental health – but for others it makes problems worse: Many hope having cosmetic surgery will bring real mental health improvements. Oleksandr Berezko/ Shutterstock Demand for cosmetic procedures are higher than ever. From breast augmentations to “tweakments” such as lip fillers and Botox, more and more people around the world …
A ‘shadow economy’ of firms like hand car washes and nail salons is exploiting workers – and regulations are making things worse: elly johnson/unsplash, CC BY-ND Almost a million UK workers do not receive holiday pay and the UK continues to lag behind most European countries in tackling the exploitation of these workers. Our research …
People in the UK are volunteering less – it’s not surprising and could get worse: KOTOIMAGES/Shutterstock The number of people taking part in volunteering in the UK is decreasing. This is bad news, but it is not surprising. The social restrictions imposed as a result of COVID-19 do explain some of this decline. Of course, …
Conflict between humans and wildlife in Tanzania is being poorly managed – and climate change is making things worse: Elephants are being forced into confrontations with humans Wikimedia Commons Human-wildlife conflicts are a challenge for authorities in African countries where people live near protected areas. Programmes for communities to participate in wildlife tourism and share …