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....
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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...
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...
Why can nobody recognise this lost 1980s song?
A mysterious song snippet has been making the rounds online. Nobody seems to recognise the track or its origin. What gives? Despite the internet’s best efforts, it seems nobody can identify a mysterious 17 second song snippet that was uploaded to WatZatSong by a user called Carl92 in 2021. The...
Willy Wonka-inspired Glasgow experience scam shows danger of AI
An ‘immersive’ Glasgow adventure day based on Charlie and the Chocolate Factory has been described as a scam, after ticket-goers complained of a lacklustre experience. It’s an example of how unchecked AI advertisements can lead to serious product misrepresentation. Nearly everyone has seen or read the classic tale of...
This giant ancient ape became extinct because of climate change
An ancient species of great ape, named Gigantopithecus blacki, was driven to extinction hundreds of thousands of years ago. Scientists believe climate change is mostly to blame for putting the giants’ favourite fruits out of reach during dry seasons. Between witnessing entire regions becoming upended by extreme weather and warnings...
Chicken clucks allow us to identify their emotional state
Scientists have uncovered that a person can identify with 69 per cent accuracy if a call is from a happy or frustrated bird, which could help breeders improve the welfare of their flocks. According to a new study, people can tell if chickens are happy or frustrated from audio cues. It found that humans are surprisingly good at discerning the bird’s calls, able to identify with 69...
‘Rizz’ named word of the year by Oxford University Press
Gen Z’s favourite TikTok buzzword ‘rizz’ was crowned word of the year for 2023. Unsure what that means? A brush up on your social media dialect might be in order. The word ‘rizz’ has been named word of the year by the Oxford University Press. Based on more than 32,000 votes and final judgement from a team of language experts, the word is defined as ‘style, charm, or attractiveness; the ability...
Ofcom report says people watch porn most often during the workday
A new report by the UK communications regulator Ofcom reveals that people across the country visit porn websites more during the workday than any other time. Bored at your desk? Try whacking on an X-rated adult video. Only kidding. Obviously. Watching porn at work probably isn’t the best cure for boredom – unless you’re actively trying to get sacked. Yet up and down the country, Brits are doing exactly that. A new report...
14-year-old develops new bar of soap to treat melanoma
Heman Bekele may have found a strikingly simple answer to skin cancer treatment: a bar of soap. Despite extortionate amounts of fundraising and tireless research, a cancer cure still often feels like a pipedream. But as far as cancer research goes, it's long been suspected that the answer to one of humanity’s biggest killers could lie anywhere, or be discovered by anyone. This week, a 14-year-old from Virginia is the latest...
