Troy

Researchers working in the Rising Star cave system near Johannesburg, South Africa, report that they have found evidence that the small-brained fossil human species Homo naledi engaged in several sophisticated behaviors that were previously associated exclusively with large-brained hominins. The findings are preliminary, but if future research bears them out, scientists may need to rethink how we became human.

A shop in a small town in England is pioneering a new type of retail – one where goods are exchanged not for cash, but time. The response was overwhelming, with 1,143 hours pledged to help local charities in just one day. It’s a simple idea with a lot of impact, and it’s gaining momentum outside of this small cathedral city.

"Universal basic income usually covers people’s basic needs but we want to see what effect this unconditional lump sum has on people’s mental and physical health, whether they choose to work or not," says Will Stronge, the director of research at the thinktank Autonomy, which is backing the plan.

The ruling is a victory for Namibians and their foreign spouses, who risked deportation and the denial of benefits when their marriages were not recognized by the state. The litigation was brought by two binational couples, one married in Germany and another married in South Africa, who had settled in Namibia. The foreign spouses were denied residency permits, which did not recognize them as a “spouse.”

Since Russia's invasion, Ukrainian artists and cultural workers swiftly has been shifting their focus to contributing to war efforts, including on the front lines. But they are also working to maintain and promote Ukraine's unique artistic and cultural heritage.

In recent weeks, the star has at times shone more than 50 percent brighter than normal, drawing renewed attention from amateur sky watchers and professional astronomers alike. They hopefully await a historic celestial event. Someday, Betelgeuse will explosively end its life in a supernova—and from our planetary perch just 650 light-years away, we Earthlings will have front-row seats to this spectacular cosmic cataclysm.

Here's an image that gives an idea of Betelguese’s size: https://www.jameswebbdiscovery.com/astronomy-news/exploring-betelgeuse-with-the-james-webb-space-telescope

The Ukrainian laywer and human rights activist says that Putin does not fear Nato but democracy and claims that Russia "has to be stopped in Ukraine" to not go further in its imperialistic expansion. "The imprisoned peoples of Belarus, Chechnya, Dagestan, Tatarstan, Yakutiia, and others endure forced russification, the expropriation of natural resources, and prohibitions on their own language and culture."

[Speech transcript in English and German, or watch the recording in English.]

True Russia, a non-profit organisation founded by Russian artists and economists who oppose the war, have created a constantly growing database of social, cultural and scientific initiatives of communities around the world - from distance jobs for academics to remote IT assignments, and from housing initiatives to psychological help.

Imagine if every person in the world could have a conversation with another person, across all borders. A Chinese woman from Shanghai and an American woman from the Rust Belt would exchange stories about their lives. A coal miner from Germany and a small farmer from Madagascar could share their experience of climate change. A cleaning woman from Greece could debate a teacher from Hungary about migration and LGBTQ rights.

What would such conversations change?

If we lose the right to freely use and enjoy creative works, we open the way for a new world of extreme commercialization where artists must pay for the privilege to create, and people find the costs and barriers to information and culture rising ever upwards. Let’s embrace this opportunity for change presented by Generative AI and transform traditional economic structures to ensure prosperity, and lower the barriers to enjoying the fruits of our diverse and vibrant shared culture.