It has never been easier to be intoxicated all day, every day in the United States. Consider a few trends: In 1950, the typical American would have had to spend 75 percent of his or her daily pay (after taxes) to buy a bottle of vodka. Today, that number is less than 5 percent. Atrophying…
For more than 250 years, stories from early explorers described crocodiles as a common sight along the shores of the Seychelles. But after permanent settlers arrived in 1770, the island population disappeared rapidly. Within about 50 years, the crocodiles had been completely exterminated. Now, scientists have finally uncovered the true identity of these vanished reptiles…
This month, a pair of viruses seized the headlines. First came a hantavirus outbreak aboard a cruise ship, which caused as many as 13 infections, three of which were fatal. Then an Ebola outbreak flared in Africa, so far leading to more than 900 infections and 220 deaths. In both cases, the news has been…
One employee is a survivor of a gastrointestinal cancer who sometimes loses control of her bowels. Another is undergoing breast cancer treatment that leaves her vulnerable to infections. A third has severely limited mobility and excruciating pain. They all work for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which has told them they must commute…
A 27-year-old woman began an experiment on herself early one morning in December 2024. Her laboratory was her childhood bedroom, tucked into a second-floor corner of a pale yellow house in the Boston suburbs. On a bookshelf behind her sat a small stuffed sloth and some favorite books, including “Siddhartha” by Hermann Hesse. Her parents…
Deir el-Balah, Gaza Strip – With a weary expression, Saja arranges her few belongings inside the tent her fiance, Mohammed, has prepared for their wedding in just a few days. There are two thin mattresses instead of a proper bed, a small cooking corner fashioned from wood and tarpaulin, and a makeshift bathroom that Mohammed…
Published on 05/05/2026 – 9:10 GMT+2 Celebrated American pop star Britney Spears has avoided jail time in her DUI (Driving Under the Influence) case after pleading guilty to a lesser misdemeanour charge of reckless driving. ADVERTISEMENT ADVERTISEMENT As we reported in March, the singer was arrested in Ventura County, California, after police pulled her over…
The chief medical examiner was not satisfied. The toxicology report on the dead man’s blood samples made no sense, given what her investigator had noted at the death scene: Oct. 26, 2025, 2:43 a.m. Apartment, South Knoxville, Tenn. Decedent: white man, 52, supine on bed, in T-shirt, pants, belt, socks. In the bathroom: thumbnail-size baggies,…
The Supreme Court’s blow to the Voting Rights Act had barely landed on Wednesday when Senator Marsha Blackburn, Republican of Tennessee, called on lawmakers to eliminate the last Democratic-held House seat in the state. Taking to social media shortly after the ruling, Ms. Blackburn, the favorite to become the state’s next governor, urged the Legislature…
Atomic fusion has long been seen as the ultimate source of clean energy because of all its advantages over fission, the process that has powered nuclear power plants for nearly eight decades. It’s safer — no chain reactions, no meltdowns. It would leave no long-lasting radioactive waste. And it would use fuels that are cheaper…
