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Received — 31 May 2026 phys.org - Science

Legal reforms to stop abusive SLAPPs fail to stop chilling effect of the powerful, study warns

31 May 2026 at 17:00
Legal reforms designed to curb the abusive use of "SLAPPs" are insufficient to stop the rich and powerful trying to block freedom of speech, a new study warns. Measures in the U.S., U.K. and the EU to stop strategic lawsuits against public participation do not address the deep-seated inadequacies in the law which have a chilling effect on journalists and whistleblowers, the research says.

Saturday Citations: Failure to launch; cellular mortality; heavy weather

30 May 2026 at 14:20
Highlights from the last week of May, 2026: A key climate tipping point is disrupting the Arctic Ocean food chain (more of a lowlight, I guess). Scuba-diving tourism may not be the benefit to coral reef systems that we once thought, and might actually be unsustainable. And an experimental mRNA vaccine showed promising results against strains of Ebola.

Inside Europe's largest Copper Age tomb, children's bones expose an ancient health crisis hidden for 5,000 years

30 May 2026 at 13:40
Nearly 5,000 years ago, respiratory infections, possibly including tuberculosis, were ravaging the children buried at Camino del Molino (CMOL), Spain. The massive circular burial cave carved into rock is Europe's largest Copper Age mass burial, containing over 1,300 individuals, and has been the subject of years of excavation and analysis.

In the world's economic 'black holes,' data still leak out

30 May 2026 at 04:00
From satellite imagery to clandestine price reports, a new study draws on North Korea to explore economic activity in opaque regimes and information-scarce regions. North Korea is the blackest of economic black holes. Even a basic question like "is the economy shrinking or expanding?" can be difficult to answer. The country does not publish reliable statistics. It sharply restricts outside access and treats trade data as a state secret.

Over 45 and looking for a job? AI thinks you might be too old

29 May 2026 at 15:20
The aging population is a global success story. People are, on average, living longer, healthier lives. The World Health Organization estimates that from 2015 to 2050, those aged over 60 will increase from 12% to 22% of the world's population—but our workplaces have not kept up with these demographic shifts.

Research investigation shows 'bossware' is spying on workers and sharing their data

29 May 2026 at 15:00
A new investigation finds that workplace monitoring platforms are systematically sharing personal data about workers and online activity with hundreds of outside data brokers and big tech companies in ways that are not clearly disclosed and that, in some cases, may contradict the platforms' own privacy policies.

'Shoot for the moon?' Aim a bit lower, researchers say

29 May 2026 at 14:00
How ambitious should you be? Folk wisdom offers conflicting advice: "Shoot for the moon," but also, "Don't let the perfect be the enemy of the good." A new study by researchers at the University of Wyoming, Stanford University and the University of Colorado-Boulder used a mathematical model to show that ambition lies in the middle—above average but finite.

Settling down vs. settling: New study proves being single beats a bad relationship

29 May 2026 at 02:40
While society often assumes that finding a romantic partner is the ultimate key to happiness, tracking relationship changes over time reveals a distinctly different reality. A massive longitudinal study proves that individuals actually experience higher emotional well-being when they are single compared to when they are enduring a poor- or moderate-quality relationship. Ultimately, while a high-quality partnership does boost overall happiness, the data confirms that settling for an unfulfilling romance takes a far heavier psychological toll than simply embracing singlehood.

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