Author: NCIJ NETWNCIJ NETWORK

Heavy alcohol use has consistently been tied to poorer health, no matter what type of alcohol a person drinks. At lower levels of consumption, however, the health effects may differ depending on the beverage, according to research presented at the American College of Cardiology’s Annual Scientific Session (ACC.26). The findings, based on data from more than 340,000 adults in Britain, support earlier evidence suggesting that lower alcohol consumption is generally better for health. They also offer a closer look at how low and moderate drinking may be associated with different outcomes depending on whether people consume wine, beer, cider or…

Mariano Cenamo spent more than two decades trying to make standing forests economically competitive with cattle ranching and other activities driving Amazon deforestation, helping establish Idesam and later backing a new generation of sustainable businesses.His work evolved from early efforts on forest carbon and REDD+ to agroforestry, bioeconomy ventures, investment, and entrepreneurship, always centered on creating practical sources of income for people living in the Amazon.Drawing on Cenamo’s own writings and interviews, as well as Vanessa Adachi’s posthumous portrait in Reset, this obituary explores the ideas, motivations, and personal style behind one of the Amazon’s most influential environmental entrepreneurs.Cenamo…

What many celebrate as a win for nature conservation is, in my view, a significant step in the wrong direction for our relationship with the natural world (Scottish gannet chick hunt blocked for first time in 400 years, 3 August). The decision to prohibit the community on Lewis from collecting gannets runs counter to the spirit of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework, which recognises that safeguarding biodiversity will not be achieved by scientists and city dwellers alone. Instead, it affirms that indigenous and local communities hold a legitimate and essential role as stewards and caretakers of their own environments.Too often,…

What appeared to be a woman’s body found in a suitcase by the side of a road south of Goulburn in regional New South Wales was not in fact human remains, police said on Monday.NSW police said they were called to Wolgon Road, near Oallen Ford Road, at Oallen about 12.50pm on Sunday “following reports a body had been located”.Officers travelled to the remote location and located what was believed to be the body in the suitcase.But on Monday morning Supt Linda Bradbury said police now did not “have a suspicious death of a human on our hands”.“We are still…

Labour should draw up an emergency plan to cut energy prices for low-income families by up to £175 this winter, the Resolution Foundation has said.One of Andy Burnham’s first policy announcements as prime minister was to remove VAT temporarily from electricity bills, saving households about £45 a year.But with wholesale gas prices higher since the resumption of hostilities in the Middle East, the thinktank says costs are likely to rise through the winter.In a report, the Resolution Foundation recommends a scheme that would cut annual bills by up to £175 for poorer consumers, at a cost of £2bn to the…

Samsung’s latest foldable phones have arrived: At the Samsung Unpacked event in London last month, the company unveiled the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8, the Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra, and the Galaxy Z Flip 8. The phones are now available to purchase through Samsung and the various phone carriers. Also: The Galaxy Z Fold 8 is so good, I don’t see the point of flip phones any moreIf you’re looking to upgrade, you can preorder the Galaxy Z Fold 8 (and Z Flip 8) from Samsung or from phone carriers like Verizon, T-Mobile, and AT&T (and make sure you check…

AIxCrypto Holdings, a pre-revenue company building a robot-rental marketplace while holding digital assets, entered the third quarter with $577,328 in cash after its balance fell 97% in six months. Its nearest stated route to operating revenue, RoboShare, was still preparing a Los Angeles pilot as of Aug. 7.Cash and cash equivalents fell from $19.33 million at Dec. 31 to $577,328 at June 30. AIxCrypto reported a $10.27 million first-half net loss and used $7.94 million of cash in operations. That operating use was only part of the decline: the cash-flow statement separately recorded a $12 million financing outflow for Faraday…

Dinosaurs are often remembered for their enormous size. Tyrannosaurus rex was an imposing predator, while dinosaurs such as Apatosaurus reached truly massive proportions. Yet new research suggests that one of the most intriguing questions about dinosaur evolution lies at the opposite end of the size spectrum: Why did dinosaurs apparently never become extremely small? In a study published in the journal Evolution, researchers from the American Museum of Natural History and Princeton University used mathematical models to examine how body size evolved among vertebrates. Their results show that energy use and physiology can account for the range of sizes seen…

When a wildfire broke out near his First Nation community in northern Ontario, Hubert Wigwas decided to stay put.He put sprinklers on his roof to extinguish falling embers. He checked on elders in his community who also stayed behind, and he fuelled up four boats down on the lake in case they needed a quick escape.”This is everything I’ve built in my 58 years,” Wigwas, a councillor from Gull Bay First Nation, told the BBC. “I’m just not going to run away and let it burn.”Canada has seen some of its worst fire seasons in recent years, and experienced its…

NSW deputy premier asks for moratorium on take-home assessments for students amid AI reviewPrue Car, the NSW deputy premier, has asked the NSW Education Standards Authority (Nesa) to impose a ban on unsupervised take-home assessments during a broad review of AI’s impact on student learning.Car said she has asked Nesa to “urgently” examine artificial intelligence and move to protect student learning amid growing evidence the technology is affecting student’s cognitive development. Half of students’ HSC result is based on school-based assessments, some of which is finished outside the classroom.She said in a statement: double quotation markArtificial intelligence has enormous potential…