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DiCaprio Wants a Wilder Scotland: The actor and passionate environmentalist, Leonardo DiCaprio, has called for Scotland to become a ‘rewilding nation,’ urging the Scottish government to commit 30 per cent of the country’s land and seas to returning lost animals, trees, and restoring ecosystems. Support for rewilding is high amongst Scots, with opinion polls indicating a 74 per cent approval rating for rewilding projects.
Swiss Activists Call for Return to Neutrality: A petition by delegates of the ‘Neutrality Initiative’ carrying 130,000 signatures has triggered a referendum in Switzerland in the coming months. New clauses to define the meaning of Swiss neutrality in practice have been proposed, and if accepted, will mean Switzerland cannot be part of any military alliance and cannot impose or join a sanctions regime. The changes would potentially make Switzerland a safe haven for Russian and Chinese money.
Does Pregnancy Accelerate Aging? Amidst concerns over globally falling birth rates, new research suggests that pregnancy could increase the ageing process in young mothers. The study examined 1,735 young women in the Philippines, revealing that women who had been pregnant and those with more pregnancies looked biologically older than women with no or fewer pregnancies.
How to Ward Off Election Disinformation: AI bots are automated accounts that mimic human behaviour online. Increasingly, malicious social bots are used to spread harmful disinformation during sensitive periods, such as election time. But all is not lost. ‘Vigilance, critical thinking, and a healthy dose of scepticism,’ will help ward off disinformation traps. From accounts with excessive posting or repetitive messaging to mushrooming ‘news’ websites, fact-check your information with another reputable news source before reposting.
Fears of £1bn Cut to School Funding: A report by the Education Policy Institute predicts schools across England may face deep budget cuts in the next five years, resulting in school mergers and closures. As school funding is closely tied to pupil numbers, a declining national birth rate is predicted to reduce pupil numbers by 818,000 between 2022-23 and 2032-33.
Say Hello to ‘Vangoghi’! A new gecko species was discovered in India’s remote mountain range, the Western Ghats. The uniquely spotted blue-and-yellow lizard is one of 2,300 worldwide belonging to the genus Cnemapsis. Cnemapsis Vangoghi has been named in honour of Vincent Van Gogh whose Starry Night painting was the first thing to enter biologist Ishan Agarwal’s mind on encountering the little fellow.