Science

Type 1 Diabetes: A Step Toward a Cure?
SpotlightType 1 Diabetes: A Step Toward a Cure?

Type 1 diabetes, a chronic autoimmune disease, forces millions of people to rely on daily insulin injections. Despite advances in treatment, the prospect of a real cure has long remained out of reach. Yet a research team in Tianjin, China, has taken a major step forward: a 25-year-old patient, diabetic since childhood, has been insulin-free for ...

Google Unveils Latest Pixel Phones Packed with AI
Google Unveils Latest Pixel Phones Packed with AI

Google on Wednesday unveiled new Pixel 10 smartphones that promise more artificial intelligence capabilities, as it seeks to elbow out competition in the emerging AI-assistant market. Comedian Jimmy Fallon hosted a launch event in Brooklyn that blended Google product pitches with stars such as The Jonas Brothers band and Stephen Curry of the ...

Surging Tourism is Polluting Antarctica, Scientists Warn
Surging Tourism is Polluting Antarctica, Scientists Warn

Soaring numbers of tourists and expanding research projects are increasingly polluting Antarctica, scientists warned Wednesday, a fresh blow for one of Earth's most pristine environments already threatened by human-driven climate change. In Antarctic areas where humans have been active, the concentration of fine particles containing heavy metals ...

One Drop That Could Replace Reading Glasses: Is Presbyopia’s End in Sight?
SpotlightOne Drop That Could Replace Reading Glasses: Is Presbyopia’s End in Sight?

For millions over the age of 45, reaching for reading glasses has become second nature, whether to check a label, scroll a phone, or enjoy a novel. Now, a simple daily drop could bring clear, effortless near vision. By the end of 2025, this innovation could transform the daily lives of millions with presbyopia, promising to consign reading glasses ...

With Waters at 32C, Mediterranean Tropicalisation Shifts Into High Gear
SpotlightWith Waters at 32C, Mediterranean Tropicalisation Shifts Into High Gear

When Murat Draman went scuba diving off the coast of the southern Turkish province of Antalya and saw the temperature in the depths was pushing 30C, it didn't surprise him. "We were at a depth of 30 meters (100 feet) this morning and the water was 29C," said Draman, a diving instructor in an area which is experiencing firsthand the rapid ...

Urban Furnaces or Cool Oases: The Choice Lies Inside Our Walls
SpotlightUrban Furnaces or Cool Oases: The Choice Lies Inside Our Walls

Heat is no longer just a summer inconvenience. With extreme heatwaves becoming more frequent, it is now a risk factor for health, the economy and quality of life. In a country like Lebanon, where urbanization has surged without climate adaptation planning, heatwaves often become an ordeal. Many buildings are made of heat-retaining materials, ...

Why Does a Fan Cool You Without Cooling the Air?
SpotlightWhy Does a Fan Cool You Without Cooling the Air?

It’s 32°C in your living room. Heat clings to your clothes, your clammy skin refuses to dry. You flip the fan switch. Within seconds, something changes: a breeze brushes your arms and neck, and everything feels more bearable. Yet the thermometer hasn’t moved. The secret lies not in the air itself, but in how your body interacts with it. A ...

Five Key Things About Heatwaves in Europe
HighlightFive Key Things About Heatwaves in Europe

Scorching temperatures, such as those recorded in southern Europe, illustrate the intensifying heatwaves in Europe, which scientists consider a direct result of climate change. Here are five things to know about the heatwaves in Europe, which the EU climate monitor Copernicus says is the "fastest-warming continent on Earth". 2003: ...

Four Days Left to Square the Circle on Global Plastic Pollution Treaty
Four Days Left to Square the Circle on Global Plastic Pollution Treaty

Countries remained at loggerheads Monday over how to tackle plastic pollution, with only four days left to craft a landmark global treaty on reining in the ever-growing scourge. While plastic has transformed modern life, plastic pollution poses an increasing threat to the environment and the human body -- and every day the garbage accumulates on ...

Needle Attacks: Between Collective Rumor and Stalled Investigations
SpotlightNeedle Attacks: Between Collective Rumor and Stalled Investigations

Concerts, festivals, nightclubs and crowded subway carriages – these lively, bustling venues have, in recent years, become the alleged sites of a phenomenon as disturbing as it is elusive. Since autumn 2021, hundreds of people across France have reported sudden needle pricks in their legs, arms or backs, followed by nausea, dizziness, fainting ...

Why Is Everyone Getting Sick This Summer?
Q&AWhy Is Everyone Getting Sick This Summer?

Sore throat, vomiting, diarrhea, high fever. It feels like everyone knows someone who's down with something. COVID is back, stomach bugs are spreading and even flu-like symptoms are making a summer comeback. To understand why so many people are falling ill in Lebanon this summer, and how to stay protected, we spoke with Dr. Rola Husni Samaha, ...