Fears that modern electronic devices may harm children are nothing new. Gadgets with screens of any size have long been allegedly melting, rotting, and/or corrupting the brains of youths for decades. However, a medical case report published this week offers a new and alarming way our digital doodads may cause physical harm.
In BMJ Case Reports, two UK doctors, Mara Znagoveanu and Edward Artley, report the case of a boy who came to an emergency department with alarming marks on his abdomen. The marks were described as being in a patch about 15 centimeters (six inches) wide, made of flat, reddish-brown "interlacing lines forming irregular circles and a lace-like morphology." A picture of the marks is here.
Mysterious marks
The boy, whom they described only as being in "mid-childhood," was not in any pain, and the rash was not warm to the touch or tender. He and his parents said they couldn't think of any recent injuries or trauma that might explain the marks. He was otherwise healthy, hadn't recently been ill, and had no systemic symptoms, such as fever or fatigue. Everything about the boy's health, growth, and medical history looked normal.
US energy department warns of potential for outages in PJM Interconnection, serving 67 million from DC to Chicago
The risk of power outages is expected to escalate across a broad swath of the United States on Wednesday as intense heat will test the capacity of electricity supplies serving millions of homes and businesses from the midwest through the mid-Atlantic.
The US Department of Energy warned of the potential for heightened blackout risks in the PJM Interconnection, the largest US electric grid, which serves 67 million people in a territory stretching from Washington DC to Chicago.
As well as being quieter, cheaper to run and easier to clean, induction cookers can cut kitchen temperatures by up to 10C
Leaping flames, searing heat, copious sweat and scorchingly inventive swearing – restaurant kitchens are never a place for the faint-hearted, but this summer they have been sweltering in successive heatwaves to a dangerous degree.
Sadiq Khan has called on the government to commit to revamped climate action and to reduce the UK’s reliance on oil and gas, as the UK endures a summer of drought, wildfires and heatwaves.
Writing in the Guardian, the mayor of London said that Andy Burnham’s administration must reaffirm its commitment to net zero and make clear it will continue to reduce the UK’s reliance on oil and gas “to get Britain back on track.”
Farms and rooftop panels contribute 14.4% to the grid – and figures reveal a surge in new installations
Solar energy supplied more power to Great Britain’s grid in July than in any previous month as households turned to rooftop panels to cut their energy bills.
Solar farms and rooftop panels provided 14.4% of the country’s electricity after some parts of the UK recorded almost twice the average sunshine hours for the time of year.
A new study is challenging one of the most comforting assumptions in urban climate design: that adding vegetation to dense cities always makes hot weather safer. Research published in npj Urban Sustainability reports that compact, high-rise urban forms can amplify humid heat risks associated with vegetation transpiration—a process usually considered an essential cooling service. The finding does not suggest that trees and plants should be removed from cities. Instead, it reveals that the success of green infrastructure depends heavily on building geometry, airflow, humidity, and the way heat and moisture move through the urban atmosphere.
Vegetation transpiration occurs when plants release water vapor through microscopic openings in their leaves. This process consumes energy and can lower leaf and surrounding air temperatures, much like evaporation from human skin. In a well-ventilated environment, the added moisture may be dispersed efficiently, allowing evaporative cooling to provide a net thermal benefit. But in tightly packed high-rise districts, the same moisture can become trapped between buildings. The result is a more humid microclimate in which the body’s ability to cool itself through sweating is weakened.
That distinction matters because humid heat is more dangerous than air temperature alone suggests. The human body relies on evaporation to transfer heat away from the skin. When atmospheric moisture is already high, sweat evaporates more slowly, forcing the body to work harder to maintain a stable internal temperature. Heat-stress indicators such as wet-bulb temperature and the Wet-Bulb Globe Temperature account for this interaction between heat and humidity. A neighborhood with slightly lower temperatures but substantially higher humidity can therefore feel more oppressive—and pose greater health risks—than a drier location with hotter air.
The study focuses on the urban “canyon” effect created by tall buildings arranged close together. These structures can obstruct wind, reduce the exchange of air with the atmosphere above, and alter the amount of sunlight reaching streets and façades. When vegetation in such spaces transpires, the released water vapor may accumulate rather than disperse. The compact geometry can also create complex circulation patterns, with warm and moist air repeatedly moving through pedestrian-level spaces. In this setting, greenery may cool surfaces while simultaneously increasing the moisture burden experienced by people outdoors.
This is a crucial refinement of the popular idea that urban greening is universally beneficial. Plants perform several valuable functions: they provide shade, intercept solar radiation, reduce surface temperatures, store carbon, and improve the visual and psychological quality of public space. Yet their cooling performance is not fixed. It changes with species, soil moisture, canopy density, irrigation, wind conditions, building height, street width, and background humidity. The new research emphasizes that these factors must be evaluated together rather than treating vegetation as an isolated solution to urban heat.
The implications are particularly significant for rapidly growing cities where vertical development is being used to accommodate rising populations. High-rise construction can reduce land consumption, but dense towers may produce localized atmospheric conditions that differ dramatically from those in surrounding neighborhoods. A cooling strategy designed for an open suburban street may behave differently in a narrow urban canyon surrounded by tall façades. Planners could therefore face a difficult balancing act: maximizing shade and ecological benefits without creating stagnant pockets where moisture and heat combine into dangerous conditions.
The findings also raise questions about how cities measure the success of climate adaptation projects. A street may record a lower surface temperature after trees are planted, yet still expose pedestrians to greater physiological stress if humidity increases and air movement declines. This means future assessments should include multiple variables, including air temperature, relative humidity, wind speed, radiant heat, and human thermal response. Satellite observations and conventional weather stations may not fully capture conditions at street level, where building walls, tree canopies, pavement, and human activity interact within a few meters.
The research is likely to intensify debate over “smart” urban greening rather than green infrastructure in general. Possible responses include selecting vegetation according to local humidity and wind conditions, designing wider or better-connected ventilation corridors, combining trees with reflective or permeable surfaces, and ensuring that shaded areas do not become poorly ventilated enclosures. Building orientation and spacing may be as important as the number of trees planted. Irrigation practices could also matter, since additional water supplied to vegetation may increase transpiration during precisely the periods when atmospheric moisture is already high.
For residents, the message is both cautionary and practical. A leafy street can still be healthier than an exposed one, particularly when shade reduces direct solar radiation. But during extreme heat, people should not assume that every green space offers the same level of protection. Dense, humid, windless areas may require additional measures such as cooling centers, drinking-water access, timed outdoor activities, and heat alerts that account for humidity. The study’s central contribution is to show that urban climate risk is not determined by temperature alone—or by the presence of greenery alone—but by the interaction between city form, plant physiology, and human vulnerability.
As climate change increases the frequency and intensity of heat extremes, these interactions could become more consequential. The research presents cities with a deceptively simple lesson: cooling the urban environment is not just a matter of adding more plants. It requires understanding where the water released by vegetation goes, how buildings control its movement, and how the resulting air feels to a human body. In the race to make cities greener, the next generation of design may need to be equally focused on keeping them breathable.
Subject of Research: The relationship between compact high-rise urban form, vegetation transpiration, humidity, and humid heat risk.
Article Title: Urban high-rise compact form amplifies humid heat risk from vegetation transpiration.
Article References: Zhang, Y., Yang, K., Zhu, Y. et al. “Urban high-rise compact form amplifies humid heat risk from vegetation transpiration.” npj Urban Sustainability (2026). https://doi.org/10.1038/s42949-026-00459-1
Japan earthquake relief efforts will receive financial support from Apple following the powerful earthquake that struck Kumamoto Prefecture on the island of Kyushu.
CEO Tim Cook announced the donation through social media on July 30. He expressed concern for people facing the earthquake and continuing aftershocks while thanking the first responders helping affected communities.
“Japan has a very special place in my heart.”
Cook wrote before confirming that Apple was making a donation to support relief work.
Apple did not disclose the amount, recipient organizations or whether its contribution would support the immediate emergency response, longer-term reconstruction or both. The company frequently keeps disaster donation amounts private, even when Cook publicly confirms its participation.
The announcement came as rescue teams continued searching damaged homes, industrial facilities and the remains of a shopping center. Survivors were dealing with water shortages, disrupted transportation, damaged buildings and dangerous summer temperatures.
Image Credit: Wikimedia
Japan Earthquake Relief Follows Deadly Kumamoto Disaster
The earthquake struck southwestern Japan on Tuesday, July 28. Japanese reporting and international agencies have described it as a magnitude 7.1 event, while the U.S. Geological Survey measured it at magnitude 6.8. Differences can occur because agencies use different measurement methods and datasets.
The earthquake reached the highest level on Japan’s seismic intensity scale in parts of Kumamoto. Strong shaking damaged roads, houses and public infrastructure across communities near the epicenter.
The confirmed death toll had risen to 34 by Friday, according to Kumamoto prefectural authorities. Additional people were injured or remained missing as emergency workers entered the period when the likelihood of finding survivors beneath collapsed structures begins to decline sharply.
One of the most severe incidents involved an explosion and partial collapse at a shopping center. The earthquake also toppled a large chimney at a paper factory, damaged traditional homes and caused another section of the stone walls at Kumamoto Castle to collapse.
The historic castle was undergoing extensive restoration after the 2016 Kumamoto earthquakes. Damage to rebuilt or partially restored areas illustrates how recovery from one major disaster can remain unfinished when another arrives.
Aftershocks continued during the rescue operation, increasing the danger for emergency personnel entering unstable buildings. They also discouraged residents from returning to damaged homes, even when those structures remained standing.
Thousands of survivors moved into public shelters or slept inside vehicles. Some families chose cars because evacuation centers were crowded, while others feared that another strong tremor could collapse weakened buildings.
Extreme heat added another emergency. High summer temperatures can quickly create dehydration, heat exhaustion and medical complications, particularly for older people, children and residents sleeping in vehicles without reliable cooling.
Apple Donation Joins an Expanding Corporate Response
The Apple donation places the company among several technology and entertainment businesses providing money for Japan earthquake relief and reconstruction.
The Pokémon Company announced a contribution of 100 million yen to Kumamoto Prefecture, the Japanese Red Cross and other support organizations. The funding is intended to assist people affected by the earthquake and support restoration across damaged areas.
Sony committed 50 million yen and began collecting additional employee donations that the company will match. Its contribution is being directed toward the Japanese Red Cross and an emergency fund operated with Save the Children.
Sony has a direct industrial connection to Kumamoto through its semiconductor operations. The company described the prefecture as a community with which it has developed deep ties since establishing the Kumamoto Technology Center in 2001.
Apple also maintains substantial commercial and cultural connections with Japan through its retail stores, developer community, suppliers and customers. Cook has visited the country repeatedly and has met Japanese developers, musicians, educators and manufacturing partners during previous trips.
The amount behind Apple’s latest commitment may never be made public. The absence of a disclosed figure prevents direct comparison with other corporate donations, and it also leaves unanswered which organizations will distribute the money.
Relief contributions can support several different stages of a disaster response. Immediate funding may pay for water, food, temporary shelter, medical care and emergency equipment. Later funding can help repair homes, restore community services and assist families whose employment disappeared with damaged businesses.
The timing of Apple’s donation places it during the immediate emergency rather than after the complete scale of destruction has been calculated. Recovery costs will continue changing as inspectors determine which buildings can be repaired and which must be demolished.
Kumamoto Faces Another Long Recovery
Kumamoto experienced a destructive sequence of earthquakes in April 2016. Those events killed dozens of people, damaged or destroyed more than 100,000 buildings and displaced large numbers of residents.
Apple responded at the time by allowing customers to send donations to the Japanese Red Cross through iTunes. The system offered preset contribution amounts that were transferred without Apple retaining a percentage.
The company has used similar responses after earthquakes, hurricanes, floods and wildfires in several countries. Cook usually announces the commitment publicly while leaving the amount and distribution arrangements private.
Apple has previously contributed directly to relief organizations and has sometimes provided matching programs for employee donations. It has not announced whether employee matching or a customer donation channel will accompany the current Japan earthquake relief commitment.
The 2026 disaster presents different immediate pressures from the 2016 earthquakes because it arrived during intense summer heat. Shelter capacity alone does not solve the problem when buildings lack sufficient cooling, water or private areas for medically vulnerable residents.
Japanese authorities deployed Self-Defense Force personnel and emergency teams to support local rescuers. Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi instructed agencies to prioritize the protection of life, collect information quickly and coordinate assistance across national and local government.
Electricity had been restored by Friday evening, according to the local power company, but water remained a serious concern. Kumamoto authorities said nearly 80,000 homes were still without running water, creating demand for bottled supplies, mobile water stations and sanitation support.
A water interruption affects more than drinking. Hospitals, shelters, restaurants and homes need reliable supplies for hygiene, food preparation and medical care. Restoration can take longer than electricity because ruptured pipes must be located, isolated and repaired across damaged roads and neighborhoods.
Apple Donation Arrives Before the Full Damage Is Known
Apple’s announcement communicates support without defining how the money will be used. The effectiveness of the contribution will depend on the recipient, timing and ability to direct funding toward needs that remain after the first wave of public attention passes.
Immediate rescue work receives the greatest visibility, but rebuilding homes and local businesses can continue for years. Families may need temporary housing long after shelters close, while damaged schools, transportation routes and medical facilities require larger reconstruction programs.
Private donations cannot replace government disaster funding. They can provide additional flexibility for relief groups that need to purchase supplies quickly or reach people whose circumstances do not fit standard assistance programs.
The continuing aftershocks also make damage assessments provisional. A building considered stable after the first inspection may require another examination, while rain or additional shaking can affect weakened slopes and structures.
Apple has not indicated whether it will open a public donation channel through the App Store or another service. Its current response is limited to the corporate contribution confirmed by Cook.
The next stage of Japan earthquake relief will move from search operations toward shelter support, structural inspections and temporary housing. In Kumamoto, the most urgent calculation is already measured beyond financial totals: nearly 80,000 homes need running water restored while residents endure the hottest weeks of the Japanese summer.
Labour MPs fear No 10 team lack up-to-date energy insight and don’t fully recognise voters’ climate concerns
Andy Burnham was told he could face the first revolt of his premiership as Labour MPs and climate experts condemned his apparent support for renewed drilling for oil and gas.
As the UK suffers through drought, fires and heatwaves, the prime minister gave the strongest indication yet on Friday he was minded to allow new drilling. His comments came just hours before the UN secretary-general warned “every new fossil fuel project” made heatwaves more dangerous.
Emergency crews say situation remains ‘dynamic’ as more than 100 firefighters battle Dunwich Heath blaze
A wildfire near Britain’s biggest nuclear power station has caused “total devastation” to one of the UK’s most important landscapes, as fire crews said the situation remained “dynamic”.
More than 100 firefighters have been battling the blaze on Dunwich Heath, near Leiston, on the Suffolk coast since Wednesday evening. The fire service said on Friday afternoon the situation was stabilising but remained a “major incident” that was “dynamic and potentially changeable”.
The Chicxulub impact not only plunged Earth into an impact winter but also produced a dust blanket that later overheated the planet, according to new research from Purdue University and the University of Colorado, Boulder.
New data from NASA’s Juno spacecraft show temperatures spike more than 20 degrees Celsius just a few meters under Io’s surface, providing the first look at what’s happening below the crust of the Solar System’s most volcanic world.
Neso denies allegations aired by Tory MP that staff took part in cover-up over decision-making in heatwave
In a control room in Wokingham, Berkshire, staff work around the clock, minute by minute, to align Great Britain’s fluctuating power supplies with its ever-changing demand.
However, as households struggle to adapt to soaring summer temperatures, staff at the government-owned National Energy System Operator (Neso), tasked with keeping the lights on, have faced the kind of challenge usually reserved for the country’s coldest winter nights in recent weeks.
Struggling to sleep in the heat? The good news is that a handful of easy cooling tricks can help your body stay comfortable and make hot nights far more bearable. When temperatures rise, sleep often suffers. Hot nights can make it harder to fall asleep, increase waking during the night, and leave people feeling less [...]
Government to launch campaign to help people cope with events such as weather emergencies or cyber-attacks
The British public should begin taking “small but important steps” to secure and protect water, power supplies and basic phone signal in case of further severe weather emergencies, national crises or cyber-attacks, Downing Street has said.
Darren Jones, the chief secretary to the prime minister, told MPs “the risks we face from climate change cannot be underestimated”, and warned of the “significant and prolonged disruption to essential services” extreme weather events could cause.
The scientific consensus is that burning fossil fuels drives the climate crisis, yet the world’s biggest oil companies are planning to increase production
As the world swelters in ever more dangerous heat, why are oil companies being allowed to turn up the gas instead of paying for the consequences of their greed?
That ought to be the question on everyone’s minds amid baking heat domes over much of the northern hemisphere, temperature records being smashed day after day, children dying in locked cars, hospitals filling with heatstroke victims and emergency services tackling wildfires.
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