Daniel Cash, United Nations University; Aston University The formal launch of the Africa Credit Rating Agency (AfCRA) has required considerable institutional commitment. It brings to fruition an effort that has been almost a decade in the making. In 2017, the African Union gave the African Peer Review Mechanism a mandate to support member
Ph. At a 2024 MIT Museum exhibit, visitors were asked to guess which videos were deepfakes. Lane Turner/The Boston Globe via Getty Images Travis N. Ridout, Washington State University; Erika Franklin Fowler, Wesleyan University, and Michael Franz, Bowdoin College The 2026 U.S. midterm campaigns are the first in which AI-generated political ads are
Josh Bland, University of Cambridge The Premier League has published the core findings of the independent commission investigating Manchester City Football Club. It finds the club guilty of all charges relating to serious financial breaches across nine seasons, from 2009-10 to 2017-18. Among its findings were that City used “sham” commercial arrangements to
Robert Lucas, University of Manchester Scientists who worked out how to control brain cells with light have won this year’s Nobel prize in physiology or medicine. Karl Deisseroth, Peter Hegemann and Georg Nagel were honoured for their research into “light-gated ion channels and optogenetics”. Peter Hegemann, at Humboldt University of Berlin, and Georg
Ph. Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia, seen here in 2006, was the court’s most prominent originalist. Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images Brian Fitzpatrick, Vanderbilt University The U.S. Supreme Court returns from summer break Oct. 5, 2026, and begins hearing a new year of cases. Soon after what’s known as the “first Monday in October” among
Vebjørn Andersson has seen first-hand how long a dementia diagnosis can take. As a PhD student and dementia researcher at Oslo University Hospital, he sees many patients with late-stage dementia who may have missed opportunities for earlier support and care. “It takes too long for the diagnostic procedures to find the right diagnoses
Kimberley Simpson, University of Sheffield Plants use carbon dioxide (CO₂) in photosynthesis to make the carbohydrates they need to grow. As the CO₂ in the atmosphere rises, mainly because humans are burning fossil fuels, many plants can photosynthesise more or use water more efficiently. This is known as “CO₂ fertilisation”. Scientists have carried
Ph. Demonstrators march through the centre of Madrid to protest against high house prices and rents and to demand measures to tackle the housing crisis in Spain, on 26 September 2026. ÓSCAR GONZÁLEZ FUENTES/Shutterstock Andrei Quintiá Pastrana, Universidade de Santiago de Compostela When Maricarmen Abascal, a disabled 87 year-old, was evicted from the
Europeans spend up to 90% of their lives indoors, according to official estimates. Yet while outdoor air pollution has become a familiar public concern, the air inside our homes, schools and workplaces has largely gone unnoticed. That is changing. Researchers across Europe are investigating what is really in indoor air, how it affects our
Ran Porat, Monash University The apparent attempted hijacking of a Flydubai flight carrying 170 mostly Israeli passengers was another reminder to Israelis of the constant threat of terror and war. Only the bravery of the chief pilot and passengers prevented a major disaster. A few hours earlier, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu released a