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Illustration of a computer screen showing words including disinformation and fake

Technology

Chatbots can persuade conspiracy theorists their view might be wrong

After a short conversation with an artificial intelligence, people’s belief in a conspiracy theory dropped by about 20 per cent

Humans

Untangling the enigmatic origins of the human family’s newest species

This water purification system is powered by static electricity

Technology

Water purifier is powered by static electricity from your body

A mouse embryo that has paused its development due to nutrient depletion

Health

Embryos pause development when nutrients are low — and now we know how

Life

A bacterium has evolved into a new cellular structure inside algae

fecal sample with parasites

Technology

AI can spot parasites in stool samples to help diagnose infections

industrial lasers

Physics

Quantum ‘supersolid’ matter stirred using magnets

Physics

How Peter Higgs revealed the forces that hold the universe together

Micrograph of human colon cancer cells in a three-dimensional extracellular matrix

Health

Testing drugs on mini-cancers in the lab may reveal best treatment

Environment

Air pollution can make insects mate with the wrong species

Ground-level ozone, a product of pollution from cars, degrades insect pheromones, and this can result in mismatched mating and sterile offspring

Space

Planets that look alike might be a sign of spacefaring aliens

Technology

Watch mini humanoid robots showing off their football skills

Mind

Some of our favourite songs make us sad, which may be why we like them

Health

Post-surgery infections may mainly be caused by skin bacteria