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The release of information about the powerful cadre of men associated with convicted sex offender and accused sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein – known as the Epstein files – has been a long time coming.

Before 2025, science policy rarely made headline news. Through decades of changing political winds, financial crises and global conflicts, funding for U.S. research and innovation has remained remarkably stable, reflecting the American public’s strong support for investing in basic science.

Dust storms regularly affect northern China, including its capital Beijing. In recent years, Chinese scientists and officials have traced the source of the dust storms to its neighbour Mongolia.

Across the UK, a quiet shift in midlife exercise is underway. A decade ago, the cultural image of midlife fitness was the Lycra-clad cyclist speeding along suburban roads. Now, a different scene has emerged: women in hats and tow-floats stepping into freezing lakes at dawn – especially through the winter.

Switching off can be surprisingly expensive. Much like the smoking cessation boom of the 1990s, the digital detox business – spanning hardware, apps, telecoms, workplace wellness providers, digital “wellbeing suites” and tourism – is now a global industry in its own right.

Editor’s note: The Conversation’s operation in the UK is based at UCL in London, where around half of the 25-strong editorial team have desks. It is a physical representation of our integrated position within the institution and the UK Higher Education sector.

Many investors are asking themselves if we are living in an AI bubble; others have gone beyond that and are simply asking themselves, until when? Yet the bubble keeps growing, fuelled by that perilous sentiment of “fear of missing out”. History and recent experience show us that financial bubbles are…

It’s no secret that Europe lags on tech innovation. The EU has even given this a name – the “innovation gap” – and is now taking major steps to make things easier for the continent’s startups, particularly digital businesses.

As children, we’re taught that the functions of a leaf are photosynthesis (turning sunlight into chemical energy) and storing water. This is generally true, including for the lettuce leaves we eat.