off-beat

Curiosity drives entomophagy in adults, while disgust hinders it.

Puppet shows have become resilient tools of resistance, support and relief for the people of war-torn Ukraine.

These are unfortunate examples of how AI can lead to mistreatment of people because of technical flaws as well as misplaced human faith in the technology’s supposed objectivity.

Unsustainable harvesting of Mediterranean orchids is pushing wild populations toward extinction. If the trend persists, orchid blooms may become a rare sight not just across the eastern Mediterranean region, but parts of Asia as well. Protecting these blooms requires a shift in cultivation practices and global coordination.

Landing on the Moon can disturb its environment. Unlike Earth, the Moon has no biodiversity, climate as we typically think of it, or oceans. But it does have its own active environment. While the Moon may seem unchanging and indestructible, it is surprisingly sensitive to human activity.

Moving cannabis to a Schedule III drug ushers in the end of the cannabis prohibition era and the beginning of the regulation era, potentially creating promising opportunities around research and new therapeutics.

The plants use sticky, liquid-like protein droplets that trap and disable invading viruses, revealed a study by a team of scientists from the Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology (CCMB), a CSIR institution.

A remarkable new fossil suggests that giant octopuses, perhaps reaching as long as 19m (62ft), may have been the ones doing the hunting. The fossil in question is a giant octopus jaw, belonging to a new species called Nanaimoteuthis haggarti.

When eaten regularly, theycan provide a useful contribution to daily protein, fibre and micronutrientsintake.

Blockchain was never just about technology – it was about rethinking mechanisms of trust, so it could be engineered rather than delegated. What is emerging is not the end of trust but its reconfiguration.

Often presented as a simple way to deal with narcissistic, abusive or toxic behaviour, the technique is straightforward: make yourself as uninteresting as a grey rock. Respond in a neutral, minimal and emotionally flat way, particularly in interactions marked by conflict, criticism, or provocation.

Care is, at its core, a deeply human activity, not just a series of programmable tasks. It relies on relationships, trust and mutual understanding. Robots may support these processes, but they cannot replace them.