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Activist Ananym Capital urges LKQ to sell its European auto parts business
Divesting its European business means LKQ will be able to focus all its attention on its higher margin North American operations.
Trump talks about neuroses, purchasing chairs and his wife’s underwear drawer in latest affordability speech
President Donald Trump came to North Carolina on Friday to talk about the economy.
Intriguing science discoveries of 2025
This year, our scientists offered new hope for treating neurodegeneration and obesity and dramatically improved the odds that a once-promising immunotherapy could still prove to be a game-changer for cancer patients. They gained new insight into the mechanics of hearing, the emergence of spoken language, and how brand new genes can arise out of […]
Glowing neurons let scientists watch the brain work in real time
A new bioluminescent tool allows neurons to glow on their own, letting scientists track brain activity without harmful lasers or fading signals. The advance makes it possible to watch individual brain cells fire for hours, offering a clearer, deeper look at how the brain works.
Student found community, and a future in research through hockey and science
Hockey immersed Essix Moser in Kennesaw State University’s community. Neuroscience research showed him his future.
Rory McIlroy wins Sports Personality of the Year 2025 award
Rory McIlroy is crowned BBC Sports Personality of the Year for 2025 after clinching the career Grand Slam and helping Europe win the Ryder Cup in the USA.
Team Europe win BBC Sports Personality Team of the Year 2025 after Ryder Cup victory
Team Europe win BBC Sports Personality Team of the Year 2025 following Ryder Cup victory in New York.
NASA’s Europa Clipper Observes Comet 3I/ATLAS
NASA’s Europa Clipper mission observed the interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS on Nov. 6 from a distance of about 102 million miles (164 million kilometers). Captured
How soaring healthcare costs are changing where millionaires move to
Henley & Partners say data shows wealthy families shifting plans as private healthcare costs surge worldwide and cheaper European options gain appeal.
Banijay Entertainment Expands Creator Push With Breakout Format ‘All Star Hide and Seek’ From Finnish YouTuber Roni Bäck (EXCLUSIVE)
Banijay has picked up the breakout streaming format 'All Star Hide and Seek,' underscoring a broader push into creator-led entertainment.
Poll: The affordability crisis is disrupting politics in 1 country after another
The international poll illustrates the uphill battle many leaders face in trying to contain the intertwined economic and political backlash.
China offers ‘wonderful opportunity’ for scientists: top European neurologist
Consciousness expert Steven Laureys has taken on a role at Hangzhou Normal University amid ‘challenging times’ for science in the US.
Outstanding Seniors in the College of Science: Gamaliel Luna Ahumada
The College of Science is proud to recognize 10 outstanding seniors who went above and beyond during their time as Wildcats. Gamaliel Luna Ahumada is this semester's recipient from Neuroscience.
The World’s Most Valuable Women’s Sports Teams 2025
See Forbes' 2025 list of the world's most valuable women's sports teams, featuring 25 clubs from the WNBA, the NWSL and European soccer worth a combined $5.6 billion.
Germany’s Business Outlook Deteriorates More Than Expected
German business confidence dipped in December, underscoring the challenges for Europe’s largest economy to overcome years of economic weakness.
Resonac CEO on Business Outlook
Hidehito Takahashi, President and CEO of Resonac, discusses his outlook for demand and business growth for the Japanese semiconductor materials supplier, and says the company will seek to procure rare earths from Australia and Europe. He speaks with Annabelle Droulers and Avril Hong on "Bloomberg: The Asia Trade". (Source: Bloomberg)
Commission proposes new measures to improve health and the healthcare sector
European Commission proposes new measures to create an innovative and resilient health sector that delivers for patients across the EU. Find out more.
Global Business Activity Growth Slows as Tariffs Bite
Business activity in the U.S., Europe and parts of Asia continued to grow as 2025 draws to a close, but at a slower pace as higher barriers to trade and uncertainty about relations between major powers took their toll.
Trump’s plan to bolster Europe’s nationalists is already underway
The U.S. administration vowed in its recent National Security Strategy to boost “patriotic European parties” to the detriment of the EU.
Trump’s Business Model Is to Break Europe
Washington wants a free hand for Silicon Valley and Russia investment. The EU is an obstacle—and the far right is an ally.
Farmers and politics threaten to put EU's free-trade deal with South America on ice
France is creating a last-minute hurdle for a major trade deal between the European Union and the Mercosur bloc.
Farmers and politics threaten to put EU's free-trade deal with South America on ice
France is creating a last-minute hurdle for a major trade deal between the European Union and the Mercosur bloc
Science in a French City, Which I Shall Not Name
It has a beautiful historic center with typical old European streets and an impressive number of museums. It is a delightful area of narrow cobbled streets, small charming squares, and beautiful old buildings. It is a very old city—more than 2,000 years old. It is a green city with many parks. There are 14 churches and cathedrals in this city, although over the years it has become less Christian and more Muslim. [Alex Gordon]
Meloni’s rise and Italian political stability
Giorgia Meloni is emerging as Europe’s unexpectedly resilient leader, reshaping Italy’s politics and influencing continental dynamics.
Frameshift: Shari Wiseman reflects on her pivot from science to publishing
As chief editor of Nature Neuroscience, Wiseman applies critical-thinking skills she learned in the lab to manage the journal’s day-to-day operations.
Bulgaria’s rocky road to the euro
Government has resigned just 20 days before the nation joins the eurozone
Anti-immigrant politics move from Europe’s fringe to the mainstream
From London marches to hardening government policies, rising migration and economic anxiety are fuelling a surge in nationalist rhetoric and reshaping Europe’s political centre.
Anti-immigrant rhetoric and policies intensify across Europe
In the past year, tens of thousands hostile to immigrants marched through London chanting “send them home!”
Trump Has Stomped Out the Holiday Spirit in European Embassies
At a series of Christmas parties this week, diplomats were still struggling to come to grips with the uncertain future of the transatlantic relationship.
An international relations expert explains U.S.-Europe political split over Ukraine war
There are tensions between the U.S. and Europe over how to end the Ukraine war. NPR's Rob Schmitz talks to Nathalie Tocci from Johns Hopkins University about what's fueling these political divisions.
The Trump Effect: How One Man’s Politics Rewired Europe
From defense to trade to climate policy, Trump’s second term has shaken Europe’s foundations and forced leaders across the continent to adapt to a new transatlantic reality.
How Mass Anti-Graft Protests Pushed Bulgaria Into a Political Crisis
Bulgaria is in political turmoil after the largest anti-corruption demonstrations in decades triggered the resignation of Prime Minister Rosen Zhelyazkov’s minority government just weeks before the country is due to adopt the euro currency.
I visited an underrated city in Sweden before heading to Copenhagen, and it ended up being a highlight of my Europe trip
Malmö, Sweden, is just 20 minutes from Copenhagen, Denmark, via train. Affordable and fun, it's totally worth adding to your trip to Scandinavia.
Germany news: More people lack health care, aid group says
An aid charity says access to health care in Germany is failing the most vulnerable, with many excluded from medical care. Meanwhile, most Germans don't want the US to meddle in Europe's politics. DW has more.
Germany news: More people lack healthcare, aid group says
An aid charity says access to healthcare in Germany is failing the most vulnerable, with many excluded from healthcare. Meanwhile, most Germans don't want the US to meddle in Europe's politics. DW has more.
The real reason behind Trump’s nasty breakup with Europe
Jonathan Freedland speaks to the US military scholar Joseph Stieb about the Trump administration’s national security strategy
Bulgaria Faces More Political Turmoil Just as It Adopts the Euro
Bulgaria faces a fresh wave of political turmoil after street protests over rampant corruption led to the resignation of the prime minister just weeks before the country joins the euro.
Palantir says its 'Neurodivergent Fellowship' has received 2,000 applications and counting
Palantir's new fellowship for neurodivergent talent draws 2,000 applications, showing demand for merit-based, unconventional hiring in tech and AI.
Asked about The Donald’s national security strategy, the Commons was remarkable for its absences
You’d think MPs would be lining up to decry the US president’s threat to destabilise Europe. Instead, only backbenchers and a few junior ministers bothered to turn up
Brain science, social media and a modern moral panic
In brain scans, social media addiction looks the same as gaming and gambling addictions and substance abuse, says grad student Kylie Falcione at UCSB's Media Neuroscience Lab
Analysis: The Civil Rights law that Stephen Miller says ruined America
Trump’s key aide thinks the country was better off with strict quotas that sought to preserve the racial makeup of the country in the 1920s and so favored immigrants from Western and Northern Europe over what he called “third world countries.”
The New WHO Pandemic Treaty and Global Health Governance: Incorporating Common but Differentiated Responsibilities into PABS - Georgetown Journal of International Affairs
On May 20, 2025, the World Health Assembly unanimously adopted the World Health Organization (WHO) Pandemic Agreement, an international treaty designed to strengthen pandemic prevention, preparedness, and response. The product of three years of arduous negotiations, the treaty marks a new era of global cooperation in public health. However, core aspects of the agreement remain unresolved—notably the Pathogen Access and Benefit-Sharing (PABS) System, which is intended to ensure equitable access to pandemic-related materials and benefits. To support the successful implementation of the WHO Pandemic Agreement, the principle of “common but differentiated responsibilities” should be formally incorporated into the negotiating agenda of the PABS annex. Introduction For the first time, an international treaty has enshrined the principle of “One Health,” the compelling idea that the health of animals, humans, and the environment all contribute to pandemic risks. SARS (2003), H1N1 (2009–10), Ebola (2014–16), and COVID-19 all emerged through zoonotic spillover from animal hosts—respectively, civets, hogs, and bats. Together, they underscore the need for a coordinated, cross-sectoral approach. The Pandemic Agreement responds to this call, requiring state parties to acknowledge the ecological interplay and commit to a comprehensive “One Health” strategy. Specifically, Article 5 charges governments to address “the drivers of pandemics and the emergence and re-emergence of infectious disease at the human-animal-environment interface,” including wild animal markets, deforestation, and antibiotic overuse. Yet the effectiveness of this “One Health” vision depends equally on the free flow of scientific information and data among countries and institutions. Just as environmental and animal health factors have been neglected in past global frameworks, so too has data sharing been marginalized, despite its centrality to timely detection and response. The Pandemic Agreement takes an important step by requiring governments to enhance data collection and cooperate with the World Health Organization (WHO). However, these provisions will remain aspirational without a robust Pathogen Access and Benefit-Sharing (PABS) annex. The PABS system will determine whether countries and researchers can rapidly exchange pathogen samples and genetic data while ensuring equitable access to resulting research and development, including diagnostics, therapeutics, and vaccines. Without such mechanisms, the treaty’s promise to operationalize “One Health” and strengthen global preparedness will risk becoming largely symbolic, echoing earlier failures to translate shared principles into coordinated action. Equity Concerns When the 2025 Health Assembly adopted the Pandemic Agreement, it left the difficult question of access to pathogens and the sharing of resulting benefits to be addressed in a separate agreement. Negotiations on this separate agreement, PABS, are now underway in Geneva. Yet governments remain divided over fundamental questions of equity between the countries that primarily contribute to the system and those that primarily draw from it—and consequently benefit. For example, wildlife in countries bordering the equator is likely to produce PABS materials, but companies in Europe are likely to use them to develop lucrative products. The most likely contributor countries are likely to be those biodiverse countries around the equator, such as Brazil, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and Indonesia, where the number of human-mammalian viral host interactions is large. Conversely, countries most likely to benefit from this material are those with the technology, investors, and infrastructure to capitalize on genomic data, such as the United States, EU member states, and Japan. This imbalance reflects a broader pattern seen in prior international frameworks. Now, as in the past, the wealthiest countries in the world (a useful heuristic is membership of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD)) disproportionately benefit from systems in which pathogens and genomic sequencing data are contributed to a common source. Under the International Agreement on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture (the “Plant Treaty” or “Seed Treaty”) and the Pandemic Influenza Preparedness (PIP) Framework, companies from Europe and North America disproportionately withdraw biological samples and data for development into lucrative medical products. Their governments and companies have both statutory and contractual claims to the products that those companies correspondingly produce. PABS appears poised to follow the same pattern. The text calls for strong language on access to pathogens and associated data, but the corresponding benefits that should flow to poorer countries are couched in equivocal or non-binding language. Common but Differentiated Responsibilities To address these inequities, the principle of “common but differentiated responsibilities” should be formally incorporated into the negotiating agenda of the PABS annex. Common but differentiated responsibilities are often a feature of climate change negotiations. The basic principle is that, even though all countries should reduce carbon emissions, governments that became rich and powerful through massive carbon emissions (e.g., France, the United Kingdom, the United States) should have a greater obligation to address the resulting crises. Applied to PABS, it would require that governments hosting and supporting companies developing lucrative products carry greater obligations toward the cost of running the PABS system; share benefits or final medical products; and transfer technology to help countries worldwide develop their own capacities to innovate and manufacture vaccines during an emergency. For example, an annex could mandate that any company based in an OECD country that withdraws PABS material would be obligated to donate the resulting diagnostics, therapeutics, or vaccines to the WHO during a public health emergency or pandemic. Questions remain about how robust those donations would be, but the principle is that they should deliver highly significant lifesaving benefits to be equitably shared. Theoretically, this approach mirrors the PIP Framework, in which companies withdrawing influenza samples are required to pay half of the operating costs. In practice, however, the framework has fallen short. The PIP Framework Secretariat has struggled to secure payments from companies, with companies often disagreeing over how much is owed. Additionally, without another pandemic influenza to test the strength of the agreement during a public health emergency, corporate compliance with sharing mechanisms remains unknown. Even if these limitations did not characterize the PIP Framework, partially paying for operating expenses does not address the inequity in access to genetic data and pathogen samples that left less developed countries last in line for COVID-19 vaccines (and, before them, H1N1). Common but differentiated responsibilities would go further, addressing governments’ legitimate grievances regarding information sharing. It would make withdrawals of PABS material and resulting products more transparent, building trust across the board. Enforcement and Enduring Success A key implication of this approach is that the governing mechanism of the PABS must have real enforcement authority. The WHO Pandemic Agreement delegates its core governance responsibilities to a Conference of the Parties (COP)—a governing body composed of one representative from each participating government, similar to those established under the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change and the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control. The proposed WHO Pandemic Agreement COP is charged with oversight functions but ultimately possesses no real authority to compel a government to take any action it does not wish to take. The text does not give the COP the ability to, for example, sanction a party that does not comply with either textual obligations or PABS provisions. In other words, there are no effective mechanisms in place to ensure compliance. Perhaps just as significant, establishing a meaningful enforcement mechanism within the PABS system would strengthen the WHO’s credibility and its ability to ensure compliance across global health governance. By setting a precedent for accountability, such a mechanism could enhance the organization’s authority not only within the Pandemic Agreement but also in enforcing the revised International Health Regulations and other frameworks for public health emergencies. Conclusion The PABS annex can—and should—be different. It should establish clear responsibilities for funding as well as for sharing the diagnostics, therapeutics, and vaccines that result from contributions to the system. The system, in turn, must include a dedicated body empowered to hold governments and the corporations they sponsor accountable for their responsibilities before, during, and after pandemics. Doing so would restore trust in the broader agreement, which was eroded as commitments were repeatedly diluted while parties scrambled to meet their own self-imposed deadlines during the Pandemic Agreement negotiations. A robust PABS Annex would cement a grand social bargain. Wealthier countries and their corporations would gain unimpeded access to scientific information essential for developing and manufacturing lifesaving medical products. As such, they would stand to gain considerable economic benefit. Yet that privilege must be matched with responsibility. The grand bargain must include not only the right to innovate, but also the duty to ensure that innovation serves all. As medical products are developed and produced through collective contributions, every person must have equal access. All human beings deserve an equitable chance to survive—to save their own life, the lives of their families, and the well-being of their communities. … Sam Halabi, JD, MPhil, is the Bette Jacobs Endowed Professor at Georgetown University’s School of Health and the Director of the Center for Transformational Health Law at Georgetown Law. He serves as the co-lead for the WHO’s Working Group on Regulatory Consideration on AI and Health’s training workstream. He earned his JD from Harvard, his MPhil from Oxford, and undergraduate degrees from Kansas State University. Lawrence Gostin, LLD (Hon.), JD, BA, is University Distinguished Professor and Founding Director and Timothy and Linda O’Neill Professor of the O’Neill Institute for National and Global Health Law. He is the author of Global Health Security: A Blueprint for the Future (Harvard University Press, 2021); Global Health Law (Harvard University Press, 2014); Public Health Law: Power, Duty, Restraint (University of California Press, 3rd ed., 2016); Public Health Law and Ethics: A Reader (University of California Press, 3rd ed., 2018); Law and the Health System (Foundation Press, 2014); Principles of Mental Health Law & Practice (Oxford University Press, 2010). He also directs the WHO Collaborating Center at Georgetown University. Image Credit: United States Mission Geneva, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Bulgarian Protests Throw Euro Area’s Next Member Into New Crisis
A wave of street protests against ruling class graft is destabilizing Bulgaria just weeks before the Balkan nation is set to join the euro.
Ukraine presents response to US peace plan as Trump says European leaders want a meeting
Ukraine delivered its response to the latest US-drafted peace proposal aimed at ending the war with Russia to the Trump administration on Wednesday, US and Ukrainian officials told CNN, as the contours of a tenuous potential deal take shape and the US president continues to make clear he wants the conflict resolved quickly.
I lived in Europe for almost a decade. Here are the 6 cities you should visit during the holiday season.
When I lived in Europe, I visited a variety of Christmas markets. I enjoyed the scenery, food, and trinkets at markets in Vienna, Geneva, and Bruges.
'European adventure a retreat from domestic doubts'
There's been something agricultural about Tottenham in recent weeks. Against Brentford we showed some enterprise and then against a tricky customer in the Champions League on Tuesday, we saw Spurs bring out all the party tricks and flicks, with a little bit of help from our Slavic friends. This wasn't Tottenham fixed, or Tottenham unchained, but it was a Tottenham we can all get behind.
Investment Firm APEX Is Raising $350 Million To Target European Sports Assets
Large private equity funds have mostly scorned the continent’s smaller teams and leagues, but CEO António Caçorino thinks he can generate outsize returns with deals from $15 million to $50 million.
EU won't have Donald Trump meddling in European affairs
The US "course correction" for Europe alarms experts. EU politicians stand by the transatlantic partnership despite many accusations, but emphasize the bloc's sovereignty. Reactions from Brussels.
More clubs face European expulsion after Uefa ruling
More teams could be thrown out of European competitions after Uefa said it would continue its hard-line position on multi-club ownership.
The Most Influential Man in Europe Thinks Europe is Full of Losers
The most important European policymaker for the first time in a decade is not a European and, increasingly, doesn’t even much like the place anymore.
Trump thrashes European leaders in wide-ranging interview: ‘I think they’re weak’
In an interview with POLITICO, the president offered no reassurance to America's allies about Russia and vowed to reshape their politics.
Brain health tips: Neurosurgeon shares 5 simple habits that help
The brain works tirelessly to help us think, remember, decide, and feel. Neuroscience suggests that the overall ‘fitness’ of the brain highly depends on daily habits. As it turns out, seemingly simple lifestyle patterns can shape the structure, connectivity, and resilience of the brain over time. Highlighting the importance of consistency, balance, and protection for long-term brain resilience, US-based neurosurgeon Dr. Jay Jagannathan shared 5 simple habits that help improve brain health and function, when done consistently. Let’s take a closer look:
‘A fight for our lives’: Ford teams up with Renault to make EVs that can rival Chinese brands
Renault and Ford will jointly develop small, cheaper Ford-branded electric vehicles for the European market to fend off rising competition from Chinese rivals, the companies said Tuesday.
European markets set for soft open as investors await Fed decision
European shares are expected to open mostly flat on Tuesday as global investors await the U.S. Federal Reserve's monetary policy update.
Trump voices concern over Europe's political direction
Ties between the US and the EU are under pressure as Donald Trump questions Europe's trajectory and Brussels defends its recent regulatory decisions.
School for Science and Math at Vanderbilt wins Dana Foundation grant for curriculum on smartphones and cognition in teens
How do smartphones affect the brains of teenagers? That question is at the core of a new grant awarded to the School for Science and Math at Vanderbilt (SSMV) by the Dana Foundation, which works to advance neuroscience in alignment with community values and societal priorities. Menton Deweese, director of the SSMV, and Pamela Popp, […]
Woman stitches her way through mental health challenges with idea for neurodiversity-themed clothing line
EU's Costa: US must not interfere in Europe's politics
European Council President Antonio Costa has slammed a new US security strategy paper that is highly critical of the EU. He also voiced concern that the change in Washington's security policy has been hailed by Russia.
Magnum Ice Cream valued at $9.1 billion in Amsterdam listing
Shares in the Magnum Ice Cream Company traded at 12.8 euros per share on Monday, implying a market capitalisation of 7.84 billion euros ($9.14 billion), as the company finalised its long-awaited spinoff from Unilever to list in Amsterdam.
Scientists uncover a volcanic trigger behind the Black Death
A newly analyzed set of climate data points to a major volcanic eruption that may have played a key role in the Black Death’s arrival. Cooling and crop failures across Europe pushed Italian states to bring in grain from the Black Sea. Those shipments may have carried plague-infected fleas. The study ties together tree rings, ice cores, and historical writings to reframe how the pandemic began.
PS5 reigns supreme over Black Friday, accounting for a staggering 62% of all console sales
The European Top 20 didn't welcome any new entries last week, but Black Friday week saw a boost in sales nonetheless th…
I tried Apple's app of the year. It's more than a tool for people with ADHD.
Tiimo is an AI-powered visual planner that's marketed towards those with neurodivergent brains. It's Apple's pick for the best iPhone app of 2025.
Europe Culture Guide: European Entertainment You Can’t Miss
Explore Europe’s entertainment, museums, food, and nightlife with insights from my own travels. A European culture guide that helps you plan meaningful trips.
Elon Musk, Trump admin go scorched Earth on EU after X hit with $140M fine
Elon Musk and the Trump administration slammed the European Union after X was hit with a $140 million fine for Digital Services Act "non-compliance."
Alarm grows in Europe over what is seen as Trump's 'betrayal' of Ukraine
European governments are fearful that Washington is laying the groundwork for an ultimatum to Kyiv on Moscow's terms.
USMNT's World Cup draw lays perfect path for groundbreaking summer
The USMNT will play Australia and Paraguay in Group D, as well as third opponent from Europe that will be determined in March
How Sony’s PlayStation changed gaming and entertainment forever
Celebrating its 30th anniversary in North America and Europe, the PlayStation brand has penetrated popular culture like few others.
Eurovision has faced political boycotts before – how does the latest compare?
Decision by four countries to pull out over Israel’s inclusion is significant for the contest but crisis may not be existential
UK-EU youth mobility scheme could let tens of thousands live and work abroad
Ministers want to secure deal by end of 2026 as part of a broader reset of Britain’s relationship with Europe
Trump national security strategy calls for ‘cultivating resistance’ in Europe and changing US’ role in Western hemisphere
The White House quietly released President Donald Trump’s new national security strategy late Thursday, a 33-page document that elevates his “America First” doctrine and sets out the administration’s realignment of US foreign policy, from shifting military resources in the Western Hemisphere to taking an unprecedentedly confrontational posture toward Europe.
WSU wine science students experience Moldovan winemaking traditions, culture
During a recent trip to Moldova, WSU students toured medieval ruins, a monastery, and subterranean caves where monks hid from enemies while protecting wine, a historically symbolic and religious product in the eastern European country.
Trump Says Europe Risks Being Wiped Away Unless Societies Change
The Trump administration said that European civilization is at risk of “erasure” as a result of decades of economic decline, political censorship and immigration.
'Intelligence comes at a price, and for many species, the benefits just aren't worth it': A neuroscientist's take on how human intellect evolved
In his book "One Hand Clapping," Nikolay Kukushkin explores explanations for how consciousness evolved, and ultimately, what makes us human.
Swiss researchers glad to have rejoined EU science schemes but ...
The country officially rejoined Horizon Europe and a range of other programmes in November but what did it cost its science base?
It’s official, politics has ruined Eurovision
A toxic anti-Israel boycott has created the biggest crisis in the song contest’s history – it’s hard to see how it can move forward
Massive volcanic eruptions may have actually caused the Black Death | BBC Science Focus Magazine
New research suggests that a combination of volcanic activity, cold summers and famine brought the deadly plague to Europe.
'Europe has the resources to sustain cutting-edge AI research'
OP-ED. Around 30 artificial intelligence leaders – researchers, engineers and entrepreneurs – urge Europe to invest in talent and science.
Volcanic eruption triggered 'butterfly effect' that led to the Black Death, researchers find
A volcanic eruption in 1345 may have kicked off a series of events that led to the Black Death sweeping through medieval Europe.
Vote now to have your say in Eurogamer readers' top 50 games of 2025
Have your say in Eurogamer readers' top 50 games of 2025.
Volcanic eruption may have sparked Europe's Black Death plague, scientists find
The plague killed between a third and half of the European population in the mid-14th Century. But it's unknown what triggered the pandemic.
Eurovision organisers debate whether Israel should be barred from contest
Jury may vote along with the public if EBU cannot prevent bids that sway the public, as Israel allegedly did last year.
Collapse of key Atlantic current could bring extreme drought to Europe for hundreds of years, study finds
Scientists modeled Europe's future if a key Atlantic current were to collapse and found that the continent faces a much drier future.
Arsenal's 'beautiful' line-up change
Match of the Day pundit Danny Murphy says Arsenal's squad depth is "remarkable" after Brentford struggled to contain the right side of their attack in the 2-0 win on Wednesday: "It's becoming remarkable now how good their squad is because [Jurrien} Timber and [Bukayo] Saka play on the right hand side normally, which is arguably one of the best combinations down the right side in Europe. "Then they bring in [Ben] White and [Noni] Madueke, who looked like they have played together for seasons. It was a beautiful combination.
We tested Europe’s luxurious new ‘business-class’ sleeper bus between Amsterdam and Zurich
A new overnight bus service in the Netherlands, Belgium and Switzerland offers comfort and sustainability
Scientists reveal the one practice that could prevent dementia as you age
New research reveals that social isolation increases dementia risk by 47% in older adults. The study shows that a lack of social contact is a major neurological threat.
Women's Euros 2029: Germany chosen to host Uefa tournament
Germany will host the 2029 Women's European Championship, Uefa announces.
Eva Kaili to Mogherini: Belgium ‘not a safe place’ for politicians
Former MEP embroiled in Qatargate scandal speaks out on fraud probe involving EEAS and College of Europe.
📸 Portugal, Austria, Switzerland and Czechia unveil their new kits
Puma officially launched the new home jerseys for their European teams for the upcoming 2026 World Cup this Wednesday.The sports brand has unveiled designs that not only outfit the teams but also tell...
We’re announcing new health AI funding, while a new report signals a turning point for health in Europe.
At the European Health Summit in Brussels, Greg Corrado, Distinguished Scientist at Google, released a new report authored by Implement Consulting Group and commissioned…
Reliable forecasts of heat-health emergencies at least one week in advance
Nature Medicine - We estimate that there were more than 181,000 heat-related deaths in Europe during the three exceptionally hot summers of 2022–2024, with 62,775 deaths during 2024 alone....
NASA, ESA Sun Observatory Marks 30 Years
As ESA (European Space Agency) and NASA’s SOHO (Solar and Heliospheric Observatory) turns 30 on Tuesday, a lot has changed in how we understand our Sun
New Nonprofit Addresses National Health Crisis Empowering People Nationwide to Heal from Trauma and Build Resilience
A new national nonprofit is taking a grassroots approach to one of America's most urgent health challenges: Trauma. Remarkably Resilient, Inc., founded by sisters Kathleen Harnish McKune and Karen Dickson, today announces the official national launch of its Remarkably Resilient Together (RRT) campaign – a neuroscience-informed movement that comprises accessible, easy-to-use tools to help vulnerable individuals, families and professionals heal from trauma, manage stress and build resilience.
Scientists Discover a Way to 'Recharge' Aging Human Cells
"An early but exciting step toward recharging aging tissues."
INSEAD Holds Top Spot In Financial Times European Business School Ranking
A look at how European business schools fare across Full-Time MBA, Executive MBA, MiM, and Executive Education measures
Is AI making us stupid?
Artificial intelligence can execute tasks in seconds that once took humans hours, if not days to complete. While this may be great for productivity, some researchers are concerned that our increasing use of AI could be impacting our ability to tackle difficult problems and think critically. To find out where the science stands, and how worried we should be about the potential of AI to change how we think, Ian Sample hears from Madeleine Finlay and Sam Gilbert, professor of neuroscience at University College London
Your brain doesn’t age the way you think — new research upends old beliefs
Cambridge neuroscientists discover five distinct stages of brain development from birth to 90, revealing key turning points in human aging based on brain structure.
CT LEND Fellows Train to Improve Health Care for People with Developmental Disabilities
Three School of Social Work MSW students are learning to assist children and adults with neurodevelopmental disabilities as 2025-26 Connecticut Leadership E ...
Science must move from materialism to mystery
Theoretical physicist and neuroscientist Àlex Gómez-Marín argues that modern science has become trapped in a framework that mistakes matter for the whole of reality. In this wide-ranging interview, Gómez-Marín challenges the foundations of materialism, defends the scientific study of near-death experiences, and calls for a new type of science grounded in mystery and a renewed sense of the sacred. He suggests that abandoning materialism could open the door to a deeper understanding of consciousness, death, and the purpose of human existence. Simon Custer: You are both a theoretical physicist and a neuroscientist, and you have also been fiercely critical of materialist theories of mind and consciousness. What do you think the ultimate nature of reality is?Àlex Gómez-Marín: I don't know what the ultimate nature of reality is, but what I try to first assess is whether the stories that they [mainstream science] have told us about it are right, or maybe whether there are other alternatives. That's why I've been a fierce critic of materialism. As a scientist, I realized that they had sold us this idea that to be a good scientist you also had to subscribe to many other -isms, like materialism, reductionism, and even secularism. And so first I think one needs to unmount these -isms, and then, as is happening today in consciousness studies, we have a huge landscape where there isn't only one game in town, the idea that matter is the only thing that really exists. But because we are studying the hard problem of consciousness, it may be the case that other views of reality, like idealism, or even dualism, or other theories like dual aspect monism... these are philosophical ideas that now, I think, have room in science to be taken seriously. How does something like materialism relate to dualism or idealism? What is materialism in the first place?Well, materialism is the philosophical position that matter is the only really ‘real’ thing in the universe. And I think that worked kind of well because science started 400 years ago and Galileo made that split, I call it the foundational wound. It was a great business move.He said, let's start doing science on that portion of reality that lends itself more easily to mathematization and measurement. So, for some reason, the solidity of this table or the movement of planets lend themselves very well to this foundational idea of science. But as time went on, 400 years later, we realized that we had forgotten the other side, which is what really matters.What really matters is pain, is love, is feelings, sensation, consciousness, which is very hard to define, but very intimate. We all know what it is. It's that thing that disappears when we go into deep sleep and comes back in the morning. SUGGESTED VIEWING On the edges of knowledge With Michael Shermer, Rupert Sheldrake, Güneş Taylor It's what it is like to be, as Nagel said. It's the feeling of being alive. So, materialism is good to study certain things, but then when it ossifies into this ideology and then is dressed like science, now it's preventing us from understanding these key questions that are really that everybody wants to know.Why are we here? Why do we feel reality? Where do we go when we die? And so we need other ways. We need pluralism. I'm only asking for having more options on the table and taking them seriously. Why does materialism fail to explain consciousness? For example, if you were to lobotomize me, I would not be a functional human being. What do you say to someone who might think that materialism adequately explains the mind?Well, here we could speak about different things. We could talk about physics or about neuroscience. I happen to have training with both.For instance, for neuroscientists, 99% of them, I'm not included in that portion, believe that the brain can only be a productive organ. It's an organ that somehow, somewhere, consciousness emerges. It's like a lamp. And then something happens, magic happens, and then consciousness emerges.That's the position you need to be if you're a materialist because if the only really ‘real’ thing is matter, then you need to say, just give us some more time and money and we'll figure out how mind emerges or is produced from matter. There are many philosophically sophisticated ways of criticizing this.Now there's another option, which is the brain as a permissive organ. This was said by William James more than 100 years ago.Now then the brain wouldn't be like this machine, like for instance, a heat engine whose smoke is consciousness, which is what we would have in the first big model, the productive model. But in the permissive model, the brain would be a kind of a filter. And so the brain would still have a very important role in consciousness, but it wouldn't be a productive role.It would be permissive, much like a filter or much like a prism which would receive light. And - I'm speaking metaphorically - it would receive the light of the mind and then it could reflect it and refract it.Now, with these two big options on the table, I think we can make progress into what I call the edges of consciousness, which are all these experiences, weird experiences that many people have, but we don't talk about enough, like near-death experiences, precognitive dreams, synchronicities. These experiences are very important for humans and they have a place in the permissive hypothesis and they are literally impossible in the productive hypothesis. So that's yet one more reason to explore alternatives to materialism. There may be anecdotal evidence for near-death experiences, but is there robust evidence that would be accepted by the majority of scientists who subscribe to the scientific method?Sure. And the plural of anecdotes, someone said, is data.And there's a lot of data. Actually, this year is the 50th anniversary, half a century, since Dr. Raymond Moody realized that we have two ears and one mouth and started listening to what his patients had to say about their experiences while they were clinically dead.The heart had stopped, breathing had stopped in these patients. These patients would come back and tell him these amazing stories that some people may say are hallucinations, but for the patients were hyper-real, like seeing light at the end of the tunnels, seeing deceased family members waiting for them, feeling bliss.___I would say the evidence suggests that the mind can survive the death of activity of the brain.___And so he and others started taking them seriously and writing their accounts down. And then you can do a science based on that material of experience that people have. Now, on the more objective side, more recently people have started to measure what's going on in the brain when people are clinically dead and brought back. This has opened a proper field of study, which is near-death studies.Evidence is a difficult word, because sometimes people think that when you say evidence, this is just the final proof. Evidence is like in a jury. You bring testimony, you bring pieces of data that point in one direction or another.I would say the evidence suggests that the mind can survive the death of activity of the brain. When brains are broken or shut off, there can still be mind going on. And that's revolutionary.That would entail that when we die, it's not game over, which, by the way, is the thesis of materialism. If consciousness survives, materialism dies. It's game over for materialism if something of us continues after we die. Do you think that there is mental continuity after death?Well, I think so, and I believe so, and I could also say I may have experienced it myself, because four years ago I had a near-death experience. I was in the hospital, I lost a lot of blood, and I saw those beings at the end of the tunnel, three beings, and there was yellow light. I was in a well, I was looking upwards, and I hadn't read about NDEs by then, but when I came back from this experience, I decided I would try to integrate this also in my professional life. Not just my personal life, of course, but my professional life as a physicist and as a neuroscientist. So I may have had the experience of glimpses of what an afterlife would be, and I'm not ashamed to say it in this way, and then one can do science of it, and then one can do philosophy of it.One can think about what -isms we were discussing, what views on reality would allow those experiences to be really ‘real,’ as opposed to, well, poor guy, the brain was kind of broken, it must have been a hallucination. Do you have a view about whether individuality or “the ego” persists after death, or whether we sort of merge into some sort of cosmic consciousness instead?I don't know, but my view would be along those lines you're suggesting. I think we could speak about a kind of universal mind, and then the problem is not how we emerge from matter, but how we fragment from a more holistic consciousness into these individual eddies and then when we die, this kind of dissipates.But I'm not sure. For instance, idealism would promote that view, but then what would survive of us after these eddies just vanish and become again the big Consciousness, I'm not sure what that would be. I don't know for sure, but I would tell you I believe something of us survives.And there are other lines of research, not just near-death experience, that can address this really hard question of survival. For instance, there are children who remember previous lives. This was studied by Ian Stevenson at the University of Virginia for more than 50 years.___Research takes place within a selection mechanism that also sometimes reinforces things that are not very scientific.___It's amazing research. He went all over the world, especially in the East, and collected all these case studies, all these stories. In plural, these were data of kids, very young age, who would describe up to 40 items that then he could go and verify.There was no internet. There was really no way the kid could know. Why would the kid say that when I was living in this other body and I was a woman and that's how my house would look like or that's how I would die, right? Again, there is evidence, not proof, but there's evidence not only that something weird and interesting is happening as we cross the threshold, but also when we come back to this life.Scientists should not be afraid of studying this, but they are because there's stigma. There's usually stigma upon the enigma, and this is so unfortunate. And one of the reasons is because of the ideology of materialism, because those things cannot be possible. What is wrong with the politics of science such that they have generated this stigma?So many things. Science is a human activity to begin with.So it falls prey to all our passions and ego and greed. That's one thing. Science is a job for the good and for the bad.You need to get a salary. You need to get grants. Research takes place within a selection mechanism that also sometimes reinforces things that are not very scientific.And then, we didn't have time to unpack this, but science for many years become entangled, as I was suggesting before, to other -isms, materialism, secularism. So anything that smells like the afterlife, people may think has to do with God, and then they freak out.Anything that suggests that there's something about the mind that may not need a physical material substrate to exist, it smells like non-materialism. So, all these -isms are ideologically blocking that kind of research, and then there are all these sociopolitical constraints as to what should be studied and what shouldn't be studied.I call it the backstage of science. Sometimes we scientists or science communicators seem to speak as if the data is the only thing that matters. We say, well, data and theory.But then there's a third leg of this stool, which is all the politics that goes behind the scenes. And we often don't speak about this, and it's quite vicious and petty, and it's very real. Why is materialism so attractive to most scientists?Well, an easy answer is because we've grown up with it.It's what the educational system promotes, and that's what you hear when you go to university. So it's like growing in a culture. It feels like the air in which you breathe.So it's very hard to begin with to detect, well, maybe there's another alternative. Maybe there are other ways of doing science, other environments in which one could do science. That's one reason.And other reasons maybe are more profound, and I'm not qualified to explain them, but I could say, looking at this 400-year history of science, since it started around 1623 with Galileo's book The Assayer, that science went and coupled with all what's going on in the West.And so the fall of religion, you could say, and science presented us this new alternative that then could be coupled very well with other -isms, and this idea of growth, and then science losing its good twin brother, which was philosophy. There's a whole natural history of science starting as philosophy, kind of emancipating or breaking out from philosophy, and then marrying technology, and then marrying other social systems.From that point of view, materialism is a very convenient idea to propose. There were attempts, like the German idealists tried to do a more romantic science. But no, the idea prevailed, like Francis Bacon said: You should pursue nature through all her corners, he said, and make her spill her secrets.Our attitude towards nature in the science that dominates is very much reflecting how we treat nature in our society, in our culture, like a resource to extract secrets by force and then dominate it. How is materialism related to the notions of growth and progress? What's wrong with having a productive citizenry?This is another very interesting and very difficult question to answer.But there's this recent book coming out by Paul Kingsnorth. In it, he explains this idea of the machine and this idea of progress. And this, again, this conflation of more is better, of we need to go forward always, and convincing us that the way to do that is to continually extract more from nature. But because we don't have the religious context anymore, because God is dead, then what do we have? We have what we can do as humans with our own gadgets.It's kind of the story of the Promethean fire. We will just build anything to make ourselves God.A good example today is transhumanism. Transhumanism is this pseudo-religion dressed in technoscientific language whose goal is very religious. They promise immortality, they promise redemption, they promise transformation of the entire natural world, but it's done by human means through technology. Are you suggesting that we can't have ethics without religion?Well, we should have ethics with or without religion. That's another pruning that has happened in science. We say, forget about aesthetics, although some physicists still think that beautiful means probably true, and forget about politics. We pretend there's no backstage of science, and even let's forget about ethics.___Science needs to be in the service of mankind.___Scientists, when they become more like engineers, they're just thinking how to make things work so that they can go to the moon, go to Mars, make machines that think, but they don't think whether that's a good idea.And also consider metaphysics. Many scientists for a long time pretended, and maybe that comes from the stream of positivisms, that really one doesn't need metaphysics at all, except that materialism is always the metaphysics running the system.You see, it's not just ethics. It's the pruning of all of these, you could say, five main legs of philosophy that just makes a kind of unconscious science, a science that doesn't really know what it's doing. It's doing it very well locally, but it just doesn't know what it's doing globally. Do you think science has to have an ultimate vision and purpose behind it for it to be effective or for it to be meaningful and transformative?Yes, a way I would say that is that science needs to be in the service of mankind. And it hasn't been that. And we can see it through, you know, when we discovered the secrets of the atom, and all of a sudden, the Manhattan Project, and then we create nuclear weapons.And now we're trying to crack how machines may think, and now we're creating this mess, right? So science needs to be in service of mankind, not in service of a few ideas that maybe want to make more money or just dominate upon nature. What about planes, trains, automobiles, and modern medicine? Hasn't science served mankind by helping us develop those technologies?Yes and no. I see where you're going, and it's fair.I came here by plane, and it's a blessing. When I almost died, the surgeons did their job, and they saved my life. But these two forced choices between Luddites and Silicon Valley types, I think, of course, it's a false dichotomy.Progress, in a way, it's good, but we often don't speak about the dark side of the moon. We say the great things that progress has brought, and we don't speak about the disasters, the side effects that it has come with, and the same when we promise new technologies. We tend to think that any technology is great, that email is going to save us so much time because we don't need to write letters and send them anymore.Is that true? I spend so many hours a week writing emails. Let's just say there are great things about it and bad things about it. People like Harvard psychologist Steven Pinker, for example, argue that we've made moral progress over time because of the Enlightenment. Do you think that's totally wrong-headed?I think he's emphasizing a side of the moon, and he does that very well, and you can find tons of plots where there's a slope going up and say it's great. But I think he should also tell the not-so-friendly story.But if your ideology is just to resist and continue to explain that the Enlightenment is the best thing ever and reason is the best thing ever… this feels to me like you're worshipping these abstractions.I'm very critical of it and also of these, again, science communicators and scientists that say, Oh, science says, in the name of science, experts say. It's like, come on, let's be careful because we can shoot ourselves in the foot by putting forth to the people an image of science that we know is not really true. Recently there's been a resurgence of spirituality and of people who say that they're spiritual but not religious, especially in the United States. If materialism is going away, what is going to fill that gap? Are we going to return to traditional religion? Do you see that being connected with the rise of the political right?I'm not a fortune teller, so I don't know what's going to happen. But, yeah, we could say we're in this post-materialist age and even post-secular age. One cannot come back to the past, but maybe just to contact with the roots is a good idea.What do I mean by that? I think we need to do a science 2.0, a science that says thank you to Galileo and thank you to materialism, but we need to reinvent even a new kind of scientific method. We need to do so in a culture where we realize humans cannot thrive in a vacuum where there's this idea that the sacred has to be removed.Now, how do we do that without bringing in back all the vices of religion? I don't know. I'm from a Catholic country.Here we are in England, so there are differences and interreligious dialogue has always been a challenge. But I think maybe a way of putting it is: after all these conflicts and branchings I was quickly alluding to, science from philosophy and then also from religion, now there's a time of reconciliation perhaps and maybe debates in the proper sense, like exchange of ideas in service of learning and getting into something higher than both poles. We need science to talk to religious people and it's interesting when people say they're spiritual and not religious.I think this is just a way of saying, no, I don't want to go back, I want to go forward. But at the end of the day, religions have offered us practices and grounding that we now desperately need. Everybody can and should just meditate or pray or do whatever they want, but we're in a crisis and it's time for reconciliation. What do you say to critics that say you are merely projecting our need for meaning onto a fundamentally indifferent universe?Yeah, I know that the typical science communicator says something like this. But we're not projecting. Human beings feed on meaning.It's the other way around. If you're a materialist, because the only thing that there is is matter, all that comes next, free will, consciousness, meaning, this is a kind of illusion that we need to explain.They're just craving for meaning, but there isn't really for them. I would also like to remind my materialist friends that for decades, if not centuries, they've said in the name of science, we know that this and this and this doesn't really exist. I think now they sense they're forced to say, well, actually, we don't know. We've been saying, for instance, that there's nothing after you die, and now probably they need to admit that they don't know the answer.___We need to do a science 2.0, a science that says thank you to Galileo and thank you to materialism, but we need to reinvent even a new kind of scientific method.___So it's a moment to open up possibilities and also to gently but fiercely critique these claims that I think harm society. If you say in the name of science, get on with it, when your father dies, you'll never see him again. Well, what the F do you know about it? You haven't studied the literature, you haven't had any of those experiences, and basically what you're doing is you're just doing marketing on ideology. This needs to stop. Do you think that it's scarier for some people to entertain the thought that there might be life after death, compared to a materialist worldview where you just die, given that there might be consequences for unsavory behaviour?Well, death and dying is scary. It's maybe the ultimate ending. It's a limit on life, and when we're in this conquest mode, we don't like limits.And it also has, there's a shockwave backwards, so I think if you change your notion of what death is or may be, you live differently. It also has consequences, as you're saying, for the future because this is not our only goal here and we come back in whatever form. And again, different religions would say different things. I the East, they are more happy with the idea of reincarnation, and here in the West, there are other preferences. But in any case, it changes how we live, and that's really what matters.It's not about just projecting or imagining what we'll be after, but how we live now and also how we treat those who are dying. So it goes from the individual to the families, to the hospitals.Now in the near-death research I do, this has ramifications at all these levels, all the way to society.But our society is thanatophobic. It has a phobia of death. We don't want to hear about death, and this is another thing we need to put on the table and be willing to talk about it. Do you think that we might get closer to answering ultimate questions like why is there anything at all if we jettison materialism?That’s an excellent question, Simon. Two things: we should stop treating reality, I believe, as a great sudoku, as an enigma, as something that with intelligence, money, and time that we will crack and instead treat reality more like a mystery. And what you do for in front of a mystery is not to be the clever guy in a class and say “I’ll solve you” but more like “I will bow and you will transform me.”I know this sounds a bit like a scientist speaking like a mystic. But I think this reorientation is needed. In the end, we won’t crack the big questions, but they will transform us. If we free ourselves from this prison of materialism, the way we will explore these questions will be freer, more creative, and in service of mankind. Do you think exploring mystery is the reason why we are here?I think we are here because, and this pseudo-theological argument I’m making off the cuff, But the One, the Absolute, if there is such a thing, had everything except limitation. We are that absolute experiencing that contingency. It’s like an act of divine proprioception. It’s a wonderful adventure, it’s just incredible to be alive. Perhaps we have forgotten why we are here and the whole point is to experience the flesh.Let me end by saying this. I criticize materialism harshly. I bang on this dead horse, because I think it’s dead. But matter is a great mystery. So maybe my invitation is as follows: hey materialist friends, come here, let’s work on materialism 2.0! Consciousness is a mystery, but matter is also a mystery. The fact that we can have an intersubjective experience consensus, the fact that we can apply mathematics, that we can measure things... the physical world we take for granted, but it is a great mystery too.Maybe that’s related to your last question: why are we here? Why did spirit decide to incarnate? Being in the flesh may be a great thing if spirit decided to do so.Àlex Gómez-Marín, thank you very much.My pleasure.
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