Author: DW

Micro- and nanoplastics found in human brains and livers have increased between 2016 and 2024, according to a new study. The study, published in Nature Medicine, found brain tissue sampled from human cadavers in 2016 contained substantially higher concentrations of plastic particles than the livers and kidneys. Micro and nanoplastics are tiny — typically 200 nanometers in length, and much smaller than a human cell. An analysis performed on cadavers from 2024 found even higher amounts in brain and liver tissues compared to 2016. “We hypothesize that most of these plastics are not from recent exposure, but are extremely old…

The Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh were pictured holding hands and lovingly poking at each other during their trip to Nepal. Prince Edward and his wife Sophie toured the Godawari National Botanic Garden on the outskirts of Kathmandu on the second day of their official royal tour of the Himalayan nation. They held hands as they went down a flight of stone stairs after visiting the site’s orchid house, surrounded by views of the Kathmandu Valley.The couple, both 60, had earlier planted a magnolia tree just metres from a pair planted by the late Queen and Prince Philip in 1986. Image:…

A new era starts in the three Baltic countries on February 8. On that day, Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia are turning off the switch on their connection to the Russian electricity grid, 10 months ahead of schedule. The move is merely symbolic as the three Baltic countries have not bought Russian or Belarusian electricity since May 2022, so users shouldn’t notice any difference or experience disruptions.  To strengthen their electricity systems the Baltic countries have been slowly connecting to the shared Synchronous Grid of Continental Europe system, the world’s second-largest synchronized grid after China. They will be the last EU countries…

Scientists in the US are in a state of confusion and panic after the Trump administration issued an order freezing billions in federal research funding last week.  The administration walked back its planned halt of federal grants and loans within two days, but a review of thousands of federally-funded programs continues. A pause on research funded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) remains in place. The NIH is the world’s largest biomedical institution, providing more than $40 billion (€38.7 billion) annually to health research. It funds more than 300,000 researchers at more than 2,500 universities and other research institutions, primarily in the…

Why is Bayern’s relationship with Rwanda in the news? Though a unilateral ceasefire was announced on Tuesday, a deadly conflict in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) has seen the Rwanda-backed rebel group M23 recently capture the Congolese border city of Goma and exacerbated a humanitarian crisis in the region. Rwanda denies backing M23 and says any actions it takes are in self-defense, but the United Nations has repeatedly called for the country to withdraw forces from DRC and end the group’s support.   Bayern Munich signed a deal with Rwanda in 2023, following in the footsteps of English club Arsenal and French outfit Paris Saint-Germain.…

Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis has said that his country can “play a leading role in the global energy market” and “become a dynamic energy-exporting economy in the coming years.” Gas production in the Ionian Sea will evidently be a major part of this scenario. In his weekly Facebook post on January 26, he called the interest shown by US energy giant Chevron in exploring the area southwest of the Peloponnese region “an important development.” Five years ago, another American energy giant, ExxonMobil, also expressed a similar interest and was granted a license for exploratory drilling. Does Greece have major…

Former German leader Angela Merkel has reiterated her criticism of chancellor candidate Friedrich Merz after he relied on votes from the far-right Alternative for Germany party (AfD) to pass a motion in parliament last week. Merkel, who once led Merz’s conservative Christian Democratic Union (CDU), had released a statement in the aftermath of the vote saying that Merz’s previous pledge not to work with the AfD was a “great national political responsibility.” She defended this public stance on Wednesday night as Germany heads toward an election later in February. “I thought it was right not to remain silent in such a decisive situation,” Merkel…

You know that viral TikTok song that goes “oh no, oh no, oh no no no no”? I can’t get it out of my head either. It just keeps looping. It’s like the tune has wormed its way into my ear. And that’s exactly what it is: an earworm. What are earworms and why do we get them? Earworms are involuntary memories triggered by a thought, a mood or an external cue, such as your daily commute — you don’t choose them, they just happen. Scientists call them involuntary musical imagery, or INMI for short. But you will also likely get…

Sir Keir Starmer has contradicted President Donald Trump’s stance on Gaza, saying that Gazans “must be allowed to rebuild” as part of a two-state solution.The prime minister was asked about the president’s surprise announcement by Liberal Democrat leader Sir Ed Davey during Prime Minister’s Questions. Sir Keir’s stance came following comments from Foreign Secretary David Lammy who also distanced himself from Mr Trump.Politics live: PM and Badenoch clash on ChagosMr Trump said he wanted to remove Palestinians from Gaza and turn it into a “Riviera” of the Middle East. Speaking in the House of Commons, Sir Keir said: “The most…

Global stock markets dived, the dollar rallied, oil prices jumped and world leaders readied tit-for-tat measures. Those were the almost immediate reactions to US President Donald Trump’s new tariffs on Canada, Mexico and China, signed into law at the weekend. From Tuesday, the United States was due to impose 25% additional duties on imports from Canada and Mexico and 10% on goods from China above the current tariff rate. Energy imports from Canada would be subject to a 10% tariff. However, hours before they took effect, Trump paused the levies on both Mexico and Canada for 30 days as negotiations continued. Trump’s tariffs are unprecedented…