Powerful flares, breathtaking views across the solar poles, and a curious solar "hedgehog" are among the haul of spectacular images, movies, and data returned by Solar Orbiter from its first close approach to the Sun. Although the analysis of the new dataset has only just started, it is clear that the ESA-led mission is providing the most extraordinary insights into the sun's magnetic behaviour and the way this shapes space weather.
Solar Orbiter's closest approach...
Russia's invasion of Ukraine could soon cause a global food crisis that may last for years, the UN has warned.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said the war has worsened food insecurity in poorer nations due to rising prices, the BBC reports.
Some countries could face long-term famines if Ukraine's exports are not restored to pre-war levels, he added.
The conflict has cut off supplies from Ukraine's ports, which once exported vast amounts of cooking oil as well...
The European Commission has given more details on how it plans to end Europe's dependence on Russian fossil fuels.
Russia supplies 40% of the EU's natural gas and 27% of its imported oil. The EU sends the country roughly $420 billion a year in return.
Now, the EU plans to speed its shift to green energy, but says it must also invest in pipelines in other countries. It has been accused of helping fund the war in...
Social media sites are facing criticism for the spread of graphic and far-right material from Saturday's attack in Buffalo, New York, the BBC reports.
Campaign group Hope Not Hate called the response "wholly inadequate."
The gunman livestreamed the fatal shooting of 10 people at a Buffalo supermarket on Twitch. Twitch quickly took down the livesuffaltream on Saturday – but Meta and Twitter's moderation remains under scrutiny.
The platforms say footage from the attack and links to the shooter's manifesto are...
Turkey's president has restated his opposition to Finland and Sweden joining NATO - just hours after they said they would seek membership.
Recep Tayyip Erdogan said the two Nordic nations should not bother sending delegations to convince Turkey, a key NATO member, of their bids, the BBC reports.
He says he is angered by what he sees as their willingness to host Kurdish militants.
Without the support of all NATO members, Sweden and Finland cannot join the...
Data about every internet user is shared hundreds of times each day as companies bid for online advertising slots, a report suggests.
The study, by the Irish Council for Civil Liberties (ICCL), found that the average European user's data is shared 376 times per day. The figure rises to 747 times daily for U.S.-based users, the report claims.
Revenue from digital advertisements is what keeps most internet services free to use.
The ICCL is currently engaged in legal action...
Switzerland voted Sunday to boost the availability of transplant organs by making everyone a potential donor after death unless they have expressly objected, reports Medical Xpress.
The legal change, approved by 60% of voters in a referendum, marks a dramatic shift from the current system.
Under the existing laws, transplants are only possible if the deceased person consented while alive – and their wishes are often unknown. In such cases, the decision is left up to relatives, who...
Last year, scientists at Scripps Research and Toscana Life Sciences studied the blood of 14 COVID-19 survivors to find the most potent antibodies against the SARS-CoV-2 virus. One of the leading molecules that emerged – now in stage II/III trials in Italy – was an antibody dubbed J08, which seemed to be capable of both preventing and treating COVID-19.
Now, the same group – a collaboration between scientists at Scripps Research and in Italy and France –...
Bernard Bigot, a French scientist leading a vast international effort to demonstrate that nuclear fusion can be a viable source of energy, has died, Phys.org reports. He was 72.
The organization behind the International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor, or ITER, said Bigot died Saturday from an unspecified illness. The organization's director general since March 2015, Bigot was approaching the midway point of his second term, due to end in 2025.
An ITER statement described his death as "a...
Russian President Vladimir Putin has warned his Finnish counterpart that joining NATO and abandoning Finland's neutral status would be a "mistake".
He told Sauli Niinistö there was no threat to Finland's security, the BBC reports.
The exchange came during a phone call made by the Finnish president, ahead of a formal request that Finland is expected to announce soon. Sweden has also indicated its intention to join the western alliance, following Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
Finland shares a...
