What happens when a country loses more than twice as many people as it gains each year? Japan is finding out. In 2024, the nation saw nearly 1.6 million deaths but only 686,061 births—the lowest since records began in 1899. That’s a net drop of over 900,000 people, the steepest annual decline since 1968. Prime
Ever looked through a telescope and dreamed of the stars? Michele Dougherty did—and that childhood wonder just made history. Prof Dougherty, who didn’t even study science in secondary school, is now the UK’s first female Astronomer Royal in 350 years. Yes, the official space adviser to King Charles III. And she’s not just sitting behind
What happens when nearly $5 billion in school funding gets suddenly frozen—right before summer programs kick off? Chaos. That’s exactly what happened earlier this month. The Trump administration hit pause on critical K-12 funding, citing the need for a “programmatic review.” Now, after mounting pressure, officials say the rest of the money is finally being
Did Donald Trump send a bizarre birthday message to Jeffrey Epstein in 2003—one framed inside a naked woman’s outline? The Wall Street Journal says yes. Trump says absolutely not. And now, he’s suing. The president has filed a $10 billion lawsuit against Rupert Murdoch, Dow Jones, and The Journal. He calls it a “completely fake”
Panic, smoke, and desperate cries for help—those were the scenes at Gabriel House in Fall River, Massachusetts. Flames ripped through the assisted living facility Sunday night, killing nine residents. “I thought I was going to meet my maker,” said 91-year-old Loraine Ferrara, who was rescued through her bathroom window. Smoke was so thick, she couldn’t
What if the next wave of rebellion wasn’t about breaking curfew—but logging off? Across the globe, more kids are hitting pause on their smartphones—not because their parents told them to, but because they want to. According to new research by GWI, 40% of 12- to 15-year-olds now take deliberate breaks from screens, an 18% jump
Thinking about cozying up to BRICS? You might want to think again—at least if Donald Trump has his way. The U.S. president just announced a new 10% tariff on any country backing BRICS policies that clash with American interests. His message? Loud and clear: “There will be no exceptions.” This isn’t Trump’s first jab at
Imagine trying to fall asleep while the ground won’t stop shaking. That’s the harsh reality for residents of Japan’s remote Tokara Islands, where more than 1,000 earthquakes have rattled the region since June 21. That includes a magnitude 5.5 tremor on Wednesday. “It feels like it’s always shaking,” one exhausted local told MBC. “It’s very
Imagine an AI system so sharp it diagnoses tough medical cases better than a panel of doctors. Sound like science fiction? Microsoft says it’s already happening. Their AI unit is led by DeepMind co-founder Mustafa Suleyman. It has developed a tool that mimics expert medical teams tackling real-world, complex cases. And when paired with OpenAI’s
Just days before the Fourth of July crowds hit the sand, a 20-year-old woman got a shocking surprise while swimming at Jones Beach in Long Island. What experts believe was a bite from a juvenile sand tiger shark. The woman was in waist-deep water when she felt something clamp down on her left foot and
Is there anything the James Webb Space Telescope can’t do? This week, it captured its very first direct image of an exoplanet—a feat that astronomers are calling a major milestone. The newly spotted world, TWA 7b, orbits a young star just 100 light years from Earth. That might sound far, but in galactic terms, it’s
What if a giant asteroid slammed into the moon—and sent a hail of lunar debris hurtling toward Earth? That’s exactly what scientists are now warning could happen in 2032. Asteroid 2024 YR4, once briefly thought to pose a threat to Earth, is now setting its sights on the moon with a 4.3% chance of impact.
