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You don't need to take drugs like Ozempic consistently to lose weight

People with disrupted access to GLP-1 drugs, like Ozempic, still seem to lose substantial amounts of weight. Read more

LIGO has spotted the most massive black hole collision ever detected

A puzzling gravitational wave was detected, and astronomers have determined that it comes from a record-breaking black hole merger. Read more

Ancient rocks show earliest evidence of tectonic activity on Earth

The origins of plate tectonics on Earth are hotly debated, but evidence from Australia now shows that parts of the crust moved in relation to each other as early as 3.5 billion years ago. Read more

Natalie Foss

The anthropologist who says shamanism works, even if you don’t believe

Shamanism is on the rise, both in practice and in popular culture. Anthropologist Manvir Singh has spent years exploring why it is so enduring, what we can learn from it and the surprising forms modern shamans take. Read more

Brain changes with eating disorders similar to those in OCD and autism

In children with anorexia nervosa or other restrictive eating disorders, changes in the brain’s outer layer don’t seem to be due to lack of nutrition alone – and some mirror those seen in other neurological conditions. Read more

What characterises a dark empath? The science behind the buzzword

We are all talking about so-called "dark empaths" – but how would we know one if we met one? David Robson looks at the research behind the social media hype. Read more

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Water might be even more important for alien life than we thought

Without enough liquid water on the surface, a planet's atmosphere can become choked with carbon dioxide, raising temperatures to a level beyond what is survivable for all known life. Read more