DamselflyBenjamin SalbDamselflies cant smile but their wide-open mandibles make them appear to be grinning broadly or even sticking out their tongue, says Benjamin Salb, who photographed one of the insects, pictured above, at a pond in his local park in Gaithersburg, Maryland, last year.It is among Salbs winning and commended entries in the Royal Entomological Societys 2024 Photography Competition. Another commended image is shown below. Captured by Tyler Redford, it shows a violet leaf beetle (Chrysolina sturmi) clinging to grass stalks. Redford had been searching for spiders, but was struck by the beetles insane iridescent tones.Violet leaf beetle (Chrysolina sturmi)Tyler RedfordAdvertisementTaking eye-catching pictures of insects requires lots of patience, luck and muscle memory, says Salb. He aims to photograph them during warmer months in the pre-dawn hours, when they are less active. Multiple shots are taken at different focal lengths and then combined to increase the depth of field in the final product, which is often a result of dozens of images.The picture of the damselfly exact species unknown is one of Salbs favourites because it features the insects symmetrical pseudopupils: the dark ovals that appear on the compound eyes, which are made up of many lenses.I love photographing damselflies because theyre capable and fierce predators with an almost cartoonish look when seen close-up, says Salb. I find them to be good subjects to share with kids and adults to get them more interested in the small world around us.Topics:

This article first appeared in The Checkup,MIT Technology Reviewsweekly biotech newsletter. To receive it in your inbox every Thursday, and read articles like this first,sign up here. This week Ive been working on a story about a brain of glass. About five years ago, archaeologists found shiny black glass fragments inside the skull of a man who died in the Mount Vesuvius eruption of 79 CE. It seems they are pieces of brain, turned to glass. Scientists have found ancient brains beforesome are thought to be at least 10,000 years old. But this is the only time theyve seen a brain turn to glass. Theyve even been able to spot neurons inside it. The mans remains were found at Herculaneum, an ancient city that was buried under meters of volcanic ash following the eruption. We dont know if there are any other vitrified brains on the site. None have been found so far, but only about a quarter of the city has been excavated. Some archaeologists want to continue excavating the site. But others argue that we need to protect it. Further digging will expose it to the elements, putting the artifacts and remains at risk of damage. You can only excavate a site once, so perhaps its worth waiting until we have the technology to do so in the least destructive way. After all, there are some pretty recent horror stories of excavations involving angle grinders, and of ancient body parts ending up in garages. Future technologies might eventually make our current approaches look similarly barbaric. The inescapable fact of fields like archaeology or paleontology is this: When you study ancient remains, youll probably end up damaging them in some way. Take, for example, DNA analysis. Scientists have made a huge amount of progress in this field. Today, geneticists can crack the genetic code of extinct animals and analyze DNA in soil samples to piece together the history of an environment. But this kind of analysis essentially destroys the sample. To perform DNA analysis on human remains, scientists typically cut out a piece of bone and grind it up. They might use a tooth. But once it has been studied, that sample is gone for good. Archaeological excavations have been performed for hundreds of years, and as recently as the 1950s, it was common for archaeologists to completely excavate a site they discovered. But those digs cause damage too. Nowadays, when a site is discovered, archaeologists tend to focus on specific research questions they might want to answer, and excavate only enough to answer those questions, says Karl Harrison, a forensic archaeologist at the University of Exeter in the UK. We will cross our fingers, excavate the minimal amount, and hope that the next generation of archaeologists will have new, better tools and finer abilities to work on stuff like this, he says. In general, scientists have also become more careful with human remains. Matteo Borrini, a forensic anthropologist at Liverpool John Moores University in the UK, curates his universitys collection of skeletal remains, which he says includes around 1,000 skeletons of medieval and Victorian Britons. The skeletons are extremely valuable for research, says Borrini, who himself has investigated the remains of one person who died from exposure to phosphorus in a match factory and another who was murdered. When researchers ask to study the skeletons, Borrini will find out whether the research will somehow alter them. If there is destructive sampling, we need to guarantee that the destruction will be minimal, and that there will be enough material [left] for further study, he says. Otherwise we dont authorize the study. If only previous generations of archaeologists had taken a similar approach. Harrison told me the story of the discovery of St Bees man, a medieval man found in a lead coffin in Cumbria, UK, in 1981. The man, thought to have died in the 1300s, was found to be extraordinarily well preservedhis skin was intact, his organs were present, and he even still had his body hair. Normally, archaeologists would dig up such ancient specimens with care, using tools made of natural substances like stone or brick, says Harrison. Not so for St Bees man. His coffin was opened with an angle grinder, says Harrison. The mans body was removed and stuck in a truck, where he underwent a standard modern forensic postmortem, he adds. His thorax would have been opened up, his organs [removed and] weighed, [and] the top of his head would have been cut off, says Harrison. Samples of the mans organs were kept in [the pathologists] garage for 40 years. If St Bees man were discovered today, the story would be completely different. The coffin itself would be recognized as a precious ancient artifact that should be handled with care, and the mans remains would be scanned and imaged in the least destructive way possible, says Harrison. Even Lindow man, who was discovered a mere three years later in nearby Manchester, got better treatment. His remains were found in a peat bog, and he is thought to have died over 2,000 years ago. Unlike poor St Bees man, he underwent careful scientific investigation, and his remains took pride of place in the British Museum. Harrison remembers going to see the exhibit when he was 10 years old. Harrison says hes dreaming of minimally destructive DNA technologiestools that might help us understand the lives of long-dead people without damaging their remains. Im looking forward to covering those in the future. (In the meantime, Im personally dreaming of a trip torespectfully and carefullyvisit Herculaneum.) Now read the rest of The Checkup Read more from MIT Technology Review's archive Some believe an ancient-DNA revolution is underway, as scientists use modern technologies to learn about human, animal, and environmental remains from the past. My colleague Antonio Regalado has the details in his recent feature. The piece was published in the latest edition of our magazine, which focuses on relationships. Ancient DNA analysis made it to MIT Technology Reviews annual list of top 10 Breakthrough Technologies in 2023. You can read our thoughts on the breakthroughs of 2025 here. DNA that was frozen for 2 million years was sequenced in 2022. The ancient DNA fragments, which were recovered from Greenland, may offer insight into the environment of the polar desert at the time. Environmental DNA, also known as eDNA, can help scientists assemble a snapshot of all the organisms in a given place. Some are studying samples collected from Angkor Wat in Cambodia, which is believed to have been built in the 12th century. Others are hoping that ancient DNA can be used to de-extinct animals that once lived on Earth. Colossal Biosciences is hoping to resurrect the dodo and the woolly mammoth. From around the web Next-generation obesity drugs might be too effective. One trial participant lost 22% of her body weight in nine months. Another lost 30% of his weight in just eight months. (STAT) A US court upheld the conviction of Elizabeth Holmes, the disgraced founder of the biotechnology company Theranos, who was sentenced to over 11 years for defrauding investors out of hundreds of millions of dollars. Her sentence has since been reduced by two years for good behavior. (The Guardian) An unvaccinated child died of measles in Texas. The death is the first reported as a result of the outbreak that is spreading in Texas and New Mexico, and the first measles death reported in the US in a decade. Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. appears to be downplaying the outbreak. (NBC News) A mysterious disease with Ebola-like symptoms has emerged in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Hundreds of people have been infected in the last five weeks, and more than 50 people have died. (Wired) Towana Looney has been discharged from the hospital three months after receiving a gene-edited pig kidney. Im so grateful to be alive and thankful to have received this incredible gift, she said. (NYU Langone)

I had no practical reason to move from San Francisco to Athens, Greece, just an undeniable feeling.Turns out, moving to Athens for no reason was exactly the right choice for my career.I quit my job in finance, published two books, and transformed my career where I now help others.When I boarded my Lufthansa flight for the 16-hour journey from San Francisco to Greece, I didn't know a single person in the country I was about to call my new home.I had no practical reason for making the move. In San Francisco, where I had been living for the last 15 years, I had stable employment, a circle of long-term friends, and an apartment I loved.Moving to Greece was stepping into the unknown. There was no new job waiting, no friends, no apartment I didn't even speak the language. Yet, I had this undeniable feeling that Athens was where I should be.Moving to Athens was the right choice for my careerAs I settled into my seat, I felt an overwhelming sense of happiness and excitement. What should have been a moment of anxiety was the opposite. At the age of 41, I felt like my life was about to begin.I became a Certified Public Accountant at the age of 24, not because I loved accounting and finance, but because it was a solid, practical career choice. In some ways, it was a good calculation, my job in finance offered me a stable income and a comfortable lifestyle. On a deeper level, though, my days of reporting financial results felt stagnant and uninspiring.I had no way of knowing at the time, but moving to Athens for no reason besides following my intuition was exactly the right choice for my career.Since moving, I've traded my career in finance to become an author and business trainerAt first, I continued working remotely as the CFO of an interactive agency in California, but concurrently, I pursued a certification in the Enneagram, a personality system that deepens self-awareness and enhances understanding of others.The Enneagram is a system I'd been passionate about for years, but I'd never imagined turning it into a career.After living in Greece for three years, the finance work had begun to feel less and less congruent with my Greek life. So, I quit and turned my attention more fully towards the Enneagram.I didn't know exactly what I would do next, but with more free time, I began to write. I published my first book in 2016, called "Headstart for Happiness," which combines the Enneagram personality system with yoga exercises. Then I wrote a second one, "The Nine Keys," focused on the Enneagram in romantic relationships.While promoting "The Nine Keys" at a conference in Portugal, an audience member approached me to ask if I would be interested in helping him in his corporate training business. Before long, I was training business teams in Europe and the United States, helping them unlock their full potential.I also began offering business and personal retreats in Greece, letting me share the love of my adopted country with others.This redesigned life has transformed the way I view everything I was baptized Greek Orthodox in order to fulfill my role as "nona" to a close friend I'd made in Greece. Courtesy of Lynn Roulo Before moving, I imagined I would retire at some point in my 60s.Now, I don't think about retirement at all because there's nothing I want to retire from this is exactly how I want to spend my time for the rest of my days by helping people improve their lives.Back home, my friends and family have all been supportive of my decision to move, and with technology and frequent visits, it wasn't hard to stay in touch.Admittedly, starting my social life over wasn't easy. I rented an apartment in the Acropolis neighborhood and, before long, formed a friendship with the family who owned the souvenir shop next door.Their 25-year-old daughter welcomed me into her social circle, inviting me everywhere from urban bike rides with a group called "Free Day" to bouzoukia traditional Greek live music shows where I was advised that arriving before midnight would be far too early.The bond grew so strong she even asked me to be the godmother of her first child, which led to yet another adventure when I was baptized Greek Orthodox in order to fulfill my role as "nona."Aside from this connection, platforms like MeetUp and expat groups became the foundation of my early social life in Greece.The main difference between my new and old life is how alive I feelI feel energized and excited when I wake up in the morning because I feel like I am doing my life's work.I focus a lot on my health because I want to be able to keep sharing my work with others for years to come.If you want to change your life, my message is simple: you can. I did. Your path doesn't have to be as dramatic as mine. Like Martin Luther King, Jr. said, "You don't need to see the whole staircase, just take the first step."

I was the 'fun aunt' who cared for my seven nieces and nephews for many years.I thought my extensive experience with kids had prepared me for motherhood, but I was wrong. Babysitting let me love and nurture these children without the weight of long-term responsibility.I have three nephews and four nieces, and I babysat them from the time they were newborns until they started school. My sisters dropped them off at our home every morning, and my mother and I cared for them until their mothers returned from work. It may have looked like we were running a daycare, but to me, it was pure joy. I was in my late teens at the time and I adored those kids, had endless fun with them, and still think of them as my own, even though they're all in their late teens now.But being a fun auntie is quite different from the 24/7 demands of motherhood. Something that surprised me as my own family grew.The shock of constant responsibilityFast forward a few years, and everything looked very, very different. Whether it was the chaos of first-time motherhood or the haze of postpartum exhaustion, I found myself wondering, "Wait, did I ever handle babies this small?" I couldn't understand why it had felt so much easier to be the favorite aunt of multiple kids than to care for just one. For months, I convinced myself that my son was simply more demanding than all of them combined. But eventually, I realized he was just like any other baby, except I was his mother. And to him, that made all the difference.I thought I understood tantrums. I had witnessed a few epic meltdowns while babysitting, so I assumed I was prepared. Turns out, those were just trailers. What my child has offered up in the subsequent years is the full feature presentation!What I've since realized, is babysitting is like test-driving a car. You get to enjoy the shiny new features, maybe push the limits a little, and then hand the keys back. Parenting is owning the car. You're responsible for the maintenance, the insurance, and figuring out why there's a half-eaten granola bar stuck to the upholstery. I knew how to change a diaper. But nothing prepared me for the sheer volume of diapers a tiny human can produce in just one day. The myth of control I had as an aunt busted when I became a motherI used to laugh when people said sleep deprivation was torture. Now, I understand. I've negotiated with a 2-year-old over pajama colors at 3 a.m., and I've lost arguments with a 4-year-old about whether only ketchup on toast qualifies as breakfast. I've learned that "mommy brain" is real, my tolerance for noise is superhuman, and I can function on minimal sleep. None of which, I'll now admit, I ever had to endure as an aunt.When I babysat my nieces and nephews, all I cared about was being the fun aunt. There was no pressure to parent the right way. I made their favorite snacks, curated their YouTube playlists, dressed them up in adorable outfits, and styled their hair. The stakes were low, and the joy was abundant.So why, after babysitting for years, was I still unprepared for motherhood?Babysitting let me love and nurture these children without the weight of long-term responsibility. I fed them, bathed them, and even had a hand in helping them learn to walk and talk. But I never had to worry about their education, doctor's appointments, or health concerns. I didn't have to make the big decisions. That, I've learned, is the difference between being a fun aunt and being a mother.Sometimes, I feel guilty that I don't fulfill my kids' every little wish like I did for my nieces and nephews. But I've realized that motherhood isn't about always saying yes. It's about showing up in ways that matter. I may not have the time to make French toast every morning, but I am fighting battles for them that I never had to as an aunt. And in the beautiful balance of life, my kids now get their share of extra love from their grandmothers, aunts, uncles, and even their older cousinsthe very ones I once babysat.The other day, my niece was making pancakes for my kids, and I was hit with nostalgia, remembering the times I stood in that kitchen, just as she was.Life comes full circleNow I know that no amount of aunthood can ever truly prepare you for motherhood. I started this journey thinking I knew what it meant to care for a child. I was wrong. Being a mother isn't about being ready it's about showing up day after day for your children. And that, I realize now, is the most important lesson of all.

Vox reader Jo N Coinnigh asks: Why do American politics (especially the presidential election) affect not just the US, but the entire world?On one level, the answer to this question is very simple: The United States is the most powerful country in the world. So what happens in Washington matters to the world in the same way that decisions in Rome during the height of its imperial era mattered to everyone who lived near its borders.But I worry the comparison to Rome actually undersells the importance of America to the world. Because while the ancient world was more interconnected than most appreciate, it was nothing compared to the world we live in today.Partly, of course, this is a matter of technology starting with the most dangerous weapons ever made by humanity.Post-World War II politics have been largely defined by the specter of nuclear war, a conflict so devastating that it cannot conceivably be won. Were the United States to go to war with Russia or China or even North Korea any use of nuclear weapons would have consequences going well beyond the targets. A full-on nuclear exchange between large nuclear powers could even undermine the foundations of life on Earth itself.But even if we arent talking about the worst case and, frankly, improbable scenarios, the United States is still a global hegemon, setting the terms of political engagement for nearly everyone on the planet.It is the most powerful country in the NATO alliance, which is the largest alliance system in global history. The US military has bases on every populated continent. The dollar is the worlds reserve currency, the most widely accepted form of financial exchange and thus the backbone of the global economy. American diplomats play a role in sensitive negotiations around the world, even those that may not directly affect US interests.How could the new Trump administration affect the rest of the world?To see how changing American policies could affect the world, lets consider a number of specific policy issues directly raised by the new Trump administration:If the United States scales down its role in NATO, or exits altogether, how long can the peace and stability (Western) Europe has experienced since World War II last? Will Germany rearm and develop nuclear weapons? Will historic European animosities reemerge?Similarly, if the United States commitment to East Asian alliances starts to wobble, will Japan rearm and nuclearize? Would South Korea similarly go nuclear? And how would China react?If the United States, the worlds largest economy, abandons any interest in climate action, how much will other countries follow suit? What will the consequences be for warming around the planet?If the United States begins imposing significant tariffs on other countries, other countries will assuredly retaliate. Yet a baseline level of free trade has been essential to global prosperity being a key reason why the 2008 financial crisis did not end up looking like the Great Depression. Will escalating trade war set the stage for global calamity?If the United States abandons its traditional support for a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, will Israels far-right government annex the West Bank? If the United States does indeed exit the World Health Organization and other international public health institutions, how much will global disease surveillance and research cooperation suffer?The United States is the worlds technology powerhouse, with American corporations making decisions on everything from platform content moderation to how to responsibly develop artificial intelligence. What happens if the United States government gives Silicon Valley free rein to do whatever it pleases on those fronts?The United States has, since World War II, served as the guarantor of a very important global norm that countries do not use coercion and military force to expand their territory. It caused America to go to war against Iraq in 1991 and to back Ukraine in 2022. But what happens to this already-weakened global norm if America starts pressuring Denmark to give up Greenland, or Panama to cede the Panama Canal?I am not saying that, in each of these cases, the worst-case scenario will come to pass. Individually, the odds of a global economic meltdown, a new pandemic, warming exceeding 4 degrees centigrade, or a third world war remain relatively low.Rather, the point is to illustrate just how pivotal the United States is to all of each of those issues. As the worlds preeminent military, economic, diplomatic, scientific, and cultural power, its policy decisions invariably have implications for everyone on the planet. Even issues that seem purely domestic, like subsidies for green energy production, can have profound implications for the global marketplace and (by extension) which technologies and firms are financially viable on a global scale.Does any country compare to the US in influence?This may surprise you, given all the talk of a rising China. But in fact, the best available research and evidence suggests that China remains quite a bit behind the United States in global power closer than any other country, but still solidly in second place.Militarily, China is a threat to Americas positions in East Asia but cant compare to America anywhere else. Economically, Chinas economy is stuck in a deepening rut that its leaders cant seem to fix; President Xi Jinping recently announced a new economic program to try to revitalize it. Demographically, Chinas population is declining rapidly while Americas continues to grow thanks to (gulp) immigration. Politically, Chinese-style authoritarian capitalism enjoys only a tiny fraction of the international legitimacy that American-style liberal democracy does. Diplomatically, Washington commands a far larger and more powerful alliance network than Beijing.What weve seen in the past few years is relative decline China becoming stronger as the United States weakens. But absolutes still matter. And in absolute terms, the United States remains well above China on nearly every meaningful metric of global power. What happens in Washington is simply more important than what happens in Beijing, and likely will remain so for quite some time perhaps even indefinitely.For better or worse, America is still No. 1 and, as such, its policies take on outsize significance for everyone.This story was originally published in The Highlight, Voxs member-exclusive magazine. To get early access to member-exclusive stories every month, join the Vox Membership program today.See More:

This story was originally published in The Highlight, Voxs member-exclusive magazine. To get early access to member-exclusive stories every month, join the Vox Membership program today.One of Americas favorite pastimes, right up there with baseball and gimmick food, is generational disdain. Gen Z is experiencing the same hot scrutiny that millennials, Gen X, and even baby boomers were subject to. Every little facet of their lives becomes a perplexing anthropological study, an affirmation to older people that youth is wasted on the young.Theyre having less sex and are praying more. They look old but are, taxonomically, young. They love TikTok and social media, but are antisocial and the loneliest young people have ever been. Now that theyre adults, however, they (and our collective judgment) have entered a new arena: the bar. Gen Z, it seems, has no idea how to act at their local watering hole. The main points of contention are around payment mores and gathering expectations, and bartenders report that the generational shift in behavior is an actual pain for service workers. It brings up questions about how unspoken social customs are actually communicated and how important they are. Obviously, its incredibly satisfying to point out how a person or, even better, a whole group of people does something wrong. Its even more fulfilling to be able to signal a divide, a marker that, for objective scientific reasons, you could never be implicated in this type of chaotic discordance. Look at this worse person who is nothing like me move through the universe, incorrectly! As enjoyable as it is pointing out another generations faults, it might be worth examining how real the problem is and why theres so much glee in this discovery. Gen Zs primary happy hour sin: closing tabs between roundsThe main bar-based observation of youth in the wild is simple: Gen Z supposedly closes out round after round, paying for each drink individually and making the bartender return to the till again and again.It is soul-crushing, says Izzy Tulloch, a bartender with more than 12 years of experience based in New York City. For Tulloch and most bartenders, the busiest moments of their worknights happen in waves, spread across the shift. In those flashes, Tulloch is shaking, stirring, pouring, and making as many drinks as possible in the shortest amount of time. When shes in the weeds as the saying goes basically doing everything a bartender does at once what she doesnt want to be doing is closing tabs. And its all the worse when you add in another quirk of zoomers: asking for separate checks.Closing a tab, holding it out, and asking people for the tip that can take up to two minutes, Tulloch details the tab-closing time crunch. But think about two minutes for eight people. Thats 16 minutes and there are maybe 30 other people waiting to be served. If I could just open a tab, which is one motion, and then take care of all the other guests, I could come back when that moment of being in the weeds is over. The advantage of having an open tab and paying on one tab is that it streamlines everyones experience. Bartending is basically project management with alcohol. Time spent closing tabs and ringing everyone up creates a line, a backlog. The theoretical minutes Tulloch and her colleagues save on closing tabs is more time could instead be spent paying attention to guests, and more guests getting their drinks and orders. Youre just taking away time, and youre breaking the flow of the bartender, Jelani Johnson, the head bartender at Le Coucou and the Campari Academy. Like Tulloch, Johnson has been tending bar for 12 years and hes noticed the tab closing uptick too. (The bartenders I spoke to are speaking about bar culture in the US. In some other countries, patrons pay round-by-round a process also made easier and faster where gratuity isnt expected.) It really breaks up the action. To have to give out the round, ring up the check, and then close out with them? Johnson says. Its this whole back and forth that, just like, really breaks up the flow of the action.Not knowing the intricate timing and rhythm of a bar and throttling it could happen to someone of any age. As Johnson admits, closing out a tab could be tempting if you want to beat the rush and ostensibly not want to wait for the bartender to come back around again. Or it could be a learned response from mistakenly leaving a card somewhere overnight and having to come back for it the next day. Being annoying is timeless. But Johnson, Tulloch, and other bartenders I spoke to said that the main perpetrators of close-out culture tend to be younger, mainly people in their early 20s. Theyll come in in a group. Its usually like, you know, four or five of them or bigger, and theyll order, like, a couple drinks for the whole group, and then theyll close out the tab, Johnson explains. What Johnson describes is actually a one-two punch that combines two of the biggest bartender pet peeves: the aforementioned closing out and the problem of taking up room at the bar while purchasing very little. That space could go to paying patrons.Gen Z arent just just closing out tabs; theyre space vampires.Then theyll hang out there for a good while, and then youll start giving them looks like, Hey, are you guys looking to buy anything? Johnson tells me. And then theyll come back up and put their two empty drinks on the bar, take another round of those two drinks, and then, like, close it out again.This awkward dance is something that Johnson experiences at Le Coucou, the Michelin-starred restaurant where he works, but its also something that he sees happening all over. These vibes can sour other peoples experience at the bar, especially if youre one of the unlucky patrons who wants to have a seat but has to settle for watching a group of friends nurse two beers. Ultimately though, its bartenders who have to deal with the energy and financial drain. Bartenders make their pay on tips, and there isnt much to be made on a group of five posting up for hours when only a couple of them are drinking or ordering food. I hate that Im sounding like such an old man, Johnson says. How this small but annoying quirk came to be and how to fix itThere might be several reasons why bar culture has tipped in a way that makes a bartender feel like an old grump yelling at children to get off his lawn. The payment question is somewhat simple: digital payment, like ApplePay, has generally been on the rise, and that includes bars. Bartenders explained to me that more and more bars are equipped for tap-to-pay and quicker transactions. That may explain why people, especially younger ones, are encouraged to close out their tabs time after time. What discourages Johnson and his cohort is that though there are advantages to going digital (e.g., bartenders dont have to manually input tips at the end of the night) it makes the bar experience more and more impersonal. Bartenders like Johnson become more like the attachment to the computer that youre using to pay for a drink. They dont care about where they are or whats on the menu, Johnson tells me. Theyre not sitting there and like getting to know who I am, or seeing how I make a martini, or asking questions about what makes the place special.The worry is that the more and more impersonal bars become, the less people see them as a social experience that everyone contributes to. Whats happening in bars doesnt seem far off from the way people act at movie theaters or concerts recently, treating them like watching TV from your couch or social media content. The less people see an event or space as a social setting, the more selfish and unaware they act. I think, when it comes to younger people, I feel like they have sort of lost this idea of appropriate social currencies and social transactions, Tulloch tells me. Yet she doesnt blame them at all. The pandemic lockdowns, she explains, altered our social habits. Studies have shown that compared to older generations, Gen Z drinks less. This would explain those bigger groups that show up to bars and nurse one or two drinks. Tulloch says she doesnt expect Gen Z, especially the ones who turned 21 or so during the pandemic and werent able to go out, to fully understand what might be blazingly obvious for people who have been going to bars before 2020. There was no going out with friends or even sneaking into a place with a fake ID. There was no way to learn the unspoken rules of bar patronage when, at the time, the places to learn were shut down. At the same time, few people want to really teach younger people how to behave at the bar and not everyone has the tact and patience. Education isnt really top of mind when anyone is going out. If youre going to bars, you have to spend money at bars. Thats the social currency thats it, she tells me. That is what you have to do. The solution seems quite simple. If the problem post-pandemic is that everyone sees public spaces like bars as me-first territories, then it may just be a matter of taking a step back and thinking about how we all fit into this ecosystem. We need to recognize the people especially service people like bartenders around us. And we just need to be aware of the space and time were all taking up. You dont have to be Gen Z to think about the next time you go out. Your bartender may appreciate that, especially if you keep your tab open. See More:

One eagle-eyed GTA 6 fan has spotted a surprising vehicle lurking in the background of the game's first trailer, but whether it'll be accessible or not is another questionTech10:19, 28 Feb 2025Updated 10:19, 28 Feb 2025Ready to take in the views from the skies?(Image: Rockstar)GTA 6 is still expected this year, but we're still feeling a little anxious with the lack of a second trailer. Could Grand Theft Auto 6 see a delay after all?Thankfully, fans have been spending hours poring over every detail of the one trailer we do have so far, and it's just as well - as one fan may have found a surprising vehicle type hidden in the background.So while fans are already planning farewell tours for Los Santos, and GTA 5 is getting a huge PC upgrade, we're ready to take to the skies in GTA 6 in... a blimp?Over on the GTA 6 subreddit, one fan zoomed into the background of the only trailer we have already and found what looks like a blimp lurking.With Vice City and its surrounding regions based on Florida, fans were quick to point out it could be a decommissioned Tethered Aerostat Radar System (TARS) that became the unofficial mascot of the Lower Florida Keys, bestowed the nickname of 'Fat Albert'."Yes. It's called the fat Albert. It's attached to the ground with a rope when airborne. It scans and looks for drug smugglers but isn't used anymore and has been decommissioned for a while now," one commenter added.Others spotted it looks smaller than the blimp from GTA 5, suggesting it might not be flyable like that one was. If it is smaller, it makes a great choice for a 'rite of passage' we reported on earlier this month.Ready to thread the needle?(Image: Rockstar)In the screenshot above, you can see a gap in the skyscrapers, and fans have suggested they'll try and 'thread the needle' through it."I don't think a trauma kit is saving you if you crash" one said, while others called for video proof if it happens.GTA has a long history of flying vehicles since the Dodo in GTA 3, a nifty plane that was awkward to pilot. As things progressed, we've seen fighter jets and even commercial airliners become part of Rockstar Games' wild sandbox.For more on GTA 6, check out an update from Corsair's CEO that'll disappoint PC players, as well as reports we're going to hear some famous voices on the radio in the game.Article continues belowFor the latest breaking news and stories from across the globe from the Daily Star, sign up for our newsletters.

By Ed Cara Published February 28, 2025 | Comments (0) | Cats' love of catnip is likely caused by an evolutionary adaptation that uses the plant to ward off insect pestsone of the many examples of animal medication in Jaap de Roode's new book. Olga Kazanovskaia/Shutterstock Going to the doctor or reaching for an over-the-counter drug when youre feeling sick may seem like uniquely human activities. After all, whens the last time you saw a pigeon with a bum wing sporting a cast? But as scientists are steadily learning, the basis of medicinethe act of doing something to relieve or prevent illnessextends far past the origins of humanity. In his upcoming book, Doctors by Nature: How Ants, Apes, and Other Animals Heal Themselves, Emory University biologist Jaap de Roode takes the reader through a breezy and fun exploration into the complex world of animal medication. There are actually so many animals that have these amazing abilities to medicate themselves, their offspring, and their brothers and sisters. The book starts with de Roodes research on how monarch butterflies protect their young from parasites by laying eggs on milkweed plants with higher levels of a particular toxin. From there, he cites the work of many other scientists to detail how chimpanzees, ants, bees, and even our pet cats can practice their own form of medicine. Gizmodo spoke to de Roode about his inspiration for the book, why medication among animals is likely even more common than currently believed, and the value of rediscovering lessons about the natural world that our ancestors once readily knew. The following conversation has been lightly edited for grammar and clarity. Ed Cara, Gizmodo: What exactly compelled you to write a book about animal medication and to branch out in covering so many other animals besides the monarch butterfly?Jaap de Roode: Its just such a cool topic, and Ive always loved animals. But I met a lot of resistance when I first studied the monarch butterflies and came up with the idea that they can use medication. And that resistance really stemmed from this idea that animals have to be super clever and have super big brains and to be as much as humans can be [to use medicine]. So in some ways, I just wanted to demonstrate that this is not the case. That there are actually so many animals that have these amazing abilities to medicate themselves, their offspring, and their brothers and sisters. That to me was really importantto make people notice. Its exciting but also so important to realize that for many reasons. Gizmodo: You provide over a dozen specific examples of animal medication throughout the book. But it also seems like weve still just barely scratched the surface of this phenomenon. Do you expect scientists like yourself will end up finding a myriad of other animals that practice medicine?de Roode: Really, this field scientifically has only been going on since the 1980s, when Mike Hoffman and others began looking at chimpanzees, and now were looking at all sorts of insects. Were also seeing that people are starting to think about this more now. A lot of the examples that I described in the book really stemmed from serendipitypeople werent looking for it, but they found it. And so thats another thing that I hope to do with the book: to show people that there is something real out there and rather than find it accidentally, we should start looking for it purposefully. Im looking at my bookshelf right now and I see a book about mosquitoes and, you know, there are some ideas that mosquitoes may actually [self-medicate] as adults. Its only the females that suck blood, and other than that, the males and the females when theyre not breeding, theyre drinking all sorts of nectar. And we know that nectar has all sorts of plant chemicals in them. So even at that level, we may find that mosquitoes do it as well. And thats just one example. So, yes, I think there will be many, many more. Gizmodo:A common theme you keep going back to is the idea that todays scientists are oftentimes rediscovering the lessons that people in the past learned from just observing the animals around them. What are some of the ways that both us and the animals that we share our world with can benefit from learning more about the kinds of animal medication that are happening everywhere? de Roode: For me, the most surprising thing in writing this book was just discovering how much we used to know and how we then got rid of those ideas. And its especially true for Western society, where we like to believe that humans are not part of nature and we need to be unique. And so were always looking for ways that make us better or cleverer than other species. Its been this realization that we are just rediscovering things that people had known thousands of years ago.There are many examples of it, like how traditional healers and shamans have looked at animals to come up with all sorts of medical treatments. And even aspirin probably came from people looking at bears coming out of hibernation using the bark of willow trees. So we can see those benefits for human drug discovery.But I think we can also benefit in other ways and for the animals benefit as well. I talk about these livestock experiments in the book. And I think its so fascinating that when you let sheep and goats and cattle assemble their own dietsyou provide them with what they need for nutrition, but also give them choices from medicinal plantsthat theyre actually really good at meeting their individual needs and also at healing themselves. And that means we dont have to use antibiotics and anthelmintics as much, which then means were not going to create the drug resistance that were really suffering from right now. So you give animals a better life and its better for their welfare. The same is true with honey bees. Theres this ongoing honey bee crisis. And part of the reason we have a crisis is that we believe that bees are stupid, so we do stuff for them instead of letting them medicate themselves. But bringing that back will make the bees healthier, and that will make us healthier. Itll help with all the pollination, which we need for our food production.If we make happier animals, itll make for happier people. Gizmodo: Outside of your personal work with monarch butterflies, whats your favorite kind of animal medication that youve learned about in your work for the book? de Roode: My favorite story is the finches and sparrows that use cigarette butts [to prevent parasitic infestations of their nests]. And its partly because I had known about the research before, but going to Mexico and meeting the researchers there, seeing the nests, and seeing the birds, it was so fascinating. But it also really showed how adaptable animals can be and especially these birds that nest in cities and really adapt to them. And its kind of opportunistic because if there are no cigarette butts, they will use other things such as nicotine plants or other plants that have chemicals that also work against these parasites. Just seeing how inventive these animals are, it was just such a beautiful story and I really loved it. Doctors by Nature: How Ants, Apes, and Other Animals Heal Themselves,published by Princeton University Press, will be out on March 4th.Daily NewsletterYou May Also Like By Ed Cara Published February 11, 2025 By Ed Cara Published February 7, 2025 Aliasger K. Salem, The Conversation Published February 3, 2025 By Margherita Bassi Published January 31, 2025 By Ed Cara Published January 29, 2025 By Ed Cara Published January 21, 2025

11 Social Houses in Palma / Carles Enrich StudioSave this picture! Adri GoulaArchitects: Carles Enrich StudioAreaArea of this architecture projectArea:832 mYearCompletion year of this architecture project Year: 2024 PhotographsPhotographs:Adri GoulaMore SpecsLess SpecsSave this picture!Text description provided by the architects. The project is located on a narrow and small plot, previously occupied by a mars stone quarry, at the intersection of Rut Street and Darwin Street, in the neighborhood of El Coll d'en Rabassa, right at the boundary of Palma municipality. Aiming to complete the irregular urban fabric and respond to the climate emergency, the proposal suggests the construction of eleven homes that integrate into the site, adapting to the pre-existing conditions.Save this picture!The decision to separate the building from the party wall and preserve the existing geological remnants defines a dual strategy in the project's form factor: on one hand, the exterior facades present a compact and regular volume oriented towards the southeast, while the interior facade is set back, avoiding the maximum allowed occupancy. This volumetric configuration enhances the building's passive performance by generating shadows and variable surface courtyards that offer multiple outdoor spaces associated with the homes.Save this picture!The ground floor homes feature patios with permeable paving, while the first-floor homes have terraces. The residential units are designed under a non-hierarchical spatial concept, eliminating circulation areas and maximizing usable space. Three basic typologies (one, two, and three bedrooms) have been defined, with different variations that allow adaptation to the pre-existing conditions. The homes are configured as variations of a non-hierarchical housing system that eliminates circulation spaces while maximizing usable area.Save this picture!Save this picture!The project includes three base typologies (one, two, and three bedrooms) with various adaptations to fit the pre-existing conditions. It emphasizes versatility and convertibility, allowing most spaces to have interchangeable uses, except for the kitchens, which are located next to the bathrooms to minimize the length of installations.Save this picture!Save this picture!Adaptation to climate change. The homes are designed to adapt to climate change through passive strategies typical of vernacular architecture. Cross ventilation is ensured in all rooms through openings in opposite facades and skylights in the stairwells that act as solar collectors and thermal dissipaters. The volumetric setback on the western facade helps shade the homes in their least favorable orientation.Save this picture!Save this picture!The draining gardens on the ground floor and the use of native low-water-demand vegetation allow for a reduction in ambient temperature. Rainwater is collected in a storage tank for reuse in irrigation.Save this picture!Save this picture!The arrangement of openings and the reduced depth of the interior spaces significantly decrease the need for artificial lighting and optimize solar gain management throughout the year. The facade is finished with a lime render (jabelga) that guarantees waterproofing and seals the joints. Its white color, along with the protruding elements of the facade, minimizes overheating of the envelope.Save this picture!Finally, an underground gallery runs through the central part of the building, facilitating the maintenance of installations and functioning as a passive cooling system that provides tempered air to the homes. This set of strategies reduces the energy demand of the building and eliminates the need for artificial air conditioning systems, except for ceiling fans that reinforce natural convection.Save this picture!Constructive economy. The project proposes standardization of constructive solutions and dimensions to facilitate construction through the prefabrication of some elements, such as wooden slabs. The selection of materials is based on criteria of proximity, durability, economic efficiency, and low environmental impact.Save this picture!Save this picture!The structure consists of load-bearing walls made of Mallorcan ceramic blocks (H20), forming a grid of equal spaces of 10 m and technical modules that house the staircases, bathrooms, and solar chimneys. The masonry incorporates vertical perforations filled with earth from the excavation to improve thermal inertia and acoustic insulation between party walls.Save this picture!The prefabricated slabs rest on a laminated wood perimeter beam, which resolves the lintels of the interior openings and facades, allowing for dry disassembly and future recycling of all horizontal partitions. A 5 cm compression layer and a polished concrete floor complete the slabs, ensuring acoustic insulation between floors.Save this picture!Save this picture!Each home has direct access from the street, transforming the building into a series of attached homes, eliminating the need for elevators and promoting an efficient and sustainable housing model.Save this picture!Project gallerySee allShow lessProject locationAddress:Palma, Mallorca, SpainLocation to be used only as a reference. It could indicate city/country but not exact address.About this officeCarles Enrich StudioOfficePublished on February 28, 2025Cite: "11 Social Houses in Palma / Carles Enrich Studio" [11 Viviendas sociales en Palma / Carles Enrich Studio] 28 Feb 2025. ArchDaily. Accessed . <https://www.archdaily.com/1027362/11-social-houses-in-palma-carles-enrich-studio&gt ISSN 0719-8884Save!ArchDaily?You've started following your first account!Did you know?You'll now receive updates based on what you follow! 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Zaha Hadid Architects Unveils Napoli Porta Est Masterplan to Revitalize Eastern Naples in ItalySave this picture!Naples Porta Est / ZHA. Image Brick VisualZaha Hadid Architects (ZHA) has been announced as the winner of the international design competition for the Napoli Porta Est masterplan, a large-scale urban regeneration project in Naples, Italy. The project, which includes the new Campania Region headquarters, aims to reconnect fragmented urban areas and revitalize a district that has long been considered isolated and unsafe due to inadequate public spaces and physical barriers.Located in the eastern part of Naples, the masterplan seeks to address the challenges posed by the decommissioning of heavy industries in the area over past decades. By integrating sustainable infrastructure, the proposal envisions the transformation of this former industrial zone through the creation of new public spaces, an urban park, and the reclamation of disused railway yards. The project also aims to improve mobility and access, alleviating congestion at one of the city's major transport interchanges and facilitating better connectivity between the east of Naples and the historic center.Save this picture!A key aspect of the masterplan is the redevelopment of over 30 hectares of abandoned industrial land, including the former Manifattura Tabacchi factory and derelict structures in the Feltrinelli industrial zone. Additionally, the proposal outlines the potential for further conversion of more than 100 hectares of obsolete industrial land, including the Q8 oil depot, into a new city quarter featuring civic spaces and community amenities. Related Article Henning Larsen Restores and Revitalizes Bolzano's Industrial City in Italy The design strategy prioritizes pedestrian movement and multi-modal transport connections while integrating new green spaces. The proposal includes a 10-hectare urban park designed in collaboration with landscape architect Martha Schwartz, incorporating native trees and landscaped plazas. The masterplan also aims to reintegrate historically disconnected areas such as the Centro Direzionale (CBD), the Mercato, and the Oriental Zone, creating a more cohesive urban experience. The Campania Region's new headquarters will serve as a civic hub, featuring public amenities such as a conference center, cinema, commercial spaces, and regional government offices.Save this picture!The project incorporates sustainable and climate-responsive strategies, including extensive pedestrian areas, biodiverse landscaping, and flood risk mitigation measures. A photovoltaic system covering 7,000 square meters is planned for rooftops and canopies, alongside a significant reliance on geothermal energy. Water recycling systems will help reduce potable water consumption by 60%, and 'sponge city' principles will be applied to absorb excess rainwater and prevent flooding. The bioclimatic design of the towers optimizes natural light, ventilation, and energy efficiency, with a LEED Platinum certification targeted for the buildings.The headquarters will be constructed using a hybrid concrete-steel system sourced from local suppliers, ensuring efficient construction timelines and cost management. The phased development approach is intended to allow for the gradual activation of completed areas, minimizing disruptions. Designed as a flexible and adaptable space, the new headquarters will integrate tree-lined squares leading to the urban park, creating a seamless transition between built and natural environments.Save this picture!With a focus on resilience, sustainability, and improved connectivity, the Napoli Porta Est masterplan aims to transform a long-neglected district into a dynamic urban environment, contributing to Naples' ongoing urban development and enhancing its role as a civic, cultural, and economic center in southern Italy.Also in Italy, Zaha Hadid Architects has also begun construction on the Center of Mediterranean Culture, a project that "will be an international reference point for cultural exchange in the region." Additionally, ZHA is set to transform a historic industrial paper mill in Belgrade into a cultural center, described as a landmark development preserving the site's heritage while introducing modern public spaces. In China, the firm has unveiled designs for the River Culture and Art Center, which aims to establish a vibrant cultural hub along the riverside, integrating art, performance, and public engagement.Save this picture!Image gallerySee allShow lessAbout this authorNour FakharanyAuthorCite: Nour Fakharany. "Zaha Hadid Architects Unveils Napoli Porta Est Masterplan to Revitalize Eastern Naples in Italy" 28 Feb 2025. ArchDaily. Accessed . <https://www.archdaily.com/1027491/zaha-hadid-architects-unveils-napoli-porta-est-masterplan-to-revitalize-eastern-naples-in-italy&gt ISSN 0719-8884Save!ArchDaily?You've started following your first account!Did you know?You'll now receive updates based on what you follow! Personalize your stream and start following your favorite authors, offices and users.Go to my stream