The unsettling rise of Facebook Marketplace sperm donors
Why bother with expensive IVF or IUI treatments for your fertility needs? Facebook Marketplace apparently has you covered. What’s the most ridiculous thing you’ve heard today? Wait, here us out. Thousands of people are currently looking for unregulated fertility treatments on – get this – Facebook Marketplace. Now, it goes without saying...
Current in Offbeat
‘Bionic eye’ solves mystery of Plato’s final resting place
Italian researcher, Graziano Ranocchia, may have finally solved the mystery of Plato’s final resting place. An AI-powered ‘bionic eye’ scanned a 2,000-year-old carbonised scroll written around 348 BC which pinpointed a specific location in Athens. The mystery of where one of the world’s greatest philosophers rests may have just been...
A Michelin-star restaurant will open in outer space by next year
Inside a NASA complex on Cape Canaveral in Florida, the mission to make luxury space travel available to the public is well on its way. ‘The public’ being those in the highest tax bracket, of course. Ever since Jeff Bezos yeeted himself into the stratosphere a couple of years back,...
What are ‘adult gap years’ and why are they on the rise?
Most commonly a pre-uni rite of passage for teens and people in their early 20s, putting everything on hold to travel the world is fast becoming a trend among older generations looking for a break from the relentless nature of life as a grown up. Typically associated with the brink...
Dutch tulip fields are being looked after by an AI robot
Though the rise of Artificial Intelligence is fuelling paranoia amongst some, this rapidly evolving technology is being used in unique and helpful ways – including in The Netherlands’ many tulip fields. The arrival of spring is an exciting time for us sun-deprived humans, but also for nature, which blossoms into...
Is it time to reconsider how we feel about seagulls?
From overfishing to biodiversity loss, the seagull population is dwindling. Scientists are urging us to live alongside them, rather than shunning them as pests. If you live in the UK, it’s likely you’ve had at least one altercation with a seagull. Members of a larger family of seabirds, they’re most...
NHS doctor facing backlash online following Easter egg health warning
As many of us don’t realise that just one of the chocolate treats contains about three-quarters of an adult’s recommended daily calorie intake, Dr Andrew Kelso is urging people not to eat the whole thing in a single sitting. Social media users are voicing their refusal to take his suggestions on board this weekend. It’s that time of year again. When, whether or not you’re religious, Spring’s arrival brings with...
Banana prices to go up as global temperature increases
Top experts say that bananas are likely to become more expensive as climate change and increased temperatures affect supply chains. Bad news for banana lovers this week. Pascal Liu, senior economist at the UN’s Food and Agriculture Organisation, has said that climate change is an ‘enormous threat’ to banana supplies. It will also intensify problems caused by fast-spreading diseases and fruit availability. The World Banana Forum is to meet next week...
Scientists call for greater emoji biodiversity
Emojis are now such a key part of our language that ecologists from the University of Milan believe more variation could help generate interest in lesser-known organisms - and encourage conversations around conservation.
A team of ecologists from the University of Milan recently conducted the world’s most comprehensive survey on the flora and fauna of Emojipedia, the global catalogue of pictograms recognised by the international
French top-flight football league to be renamed ‘Ligue 1 McDonald’s’
Its five-year sponsorship with Uber Eats is almost over. Next season, the top-flight of French football will be officially known as Ligue 1 McDonald’s. This is about to bring a whole new layer to the farmers’ league jokes. Following the end of its five-year sponsorship with Uber Eats, France’s top-flight domestic football league has just handed its naming rights to another commercial giant. Next season, the nation’s best outfits will officially be...
