Source:nypost.com“I believe that this church offers the carefully discerning such cause for admiration,” the 14th-century French philosopher Jean de Jandun wrote of Notre Dame, “that its inspection can scarcely sate the soul.”A cultural calamity played out on live TV when the cathedral that has been a -focal point of Christendom for so long was gutted by a raging fire, destroying a significant part of an inheritance built up over hundreds of years in a few hours.Notre Dame stands for so many

Source:theguardian.comMicroplastic is raining down on even remote mountaintops, a new study has revealed, with winds having the capacity to carry the pollution “anywhere and everywhere”.The scientists were astounded by the quantities of microplastic falling from the sky in a supposedly pristine place such as the French stretch of the Pyrenees mountains. Researchers are now finding microplastics everywhere they look; in rivers, the deepest oceans and soils around the world.Other recent studies

Source:bbc.comOnlineretailgiantAmazon'swebsite isfloodedwithfakefive-starreviewsforproductsfrombrandsithas neverheardof,consumergroupWhich?hasclaimed.Top-rated reviews on popular items such as headphones, smart watches and fitness trackers were dominated by unknown brands, its probe concluded.Thousands of these were unverified, meaning there was no evidence the reviewer bought the product, it said.Amazon said it was using automated technology to weed out false reviews.It said it invested sig

Source:independent.co.ukAn Isis plan to direct new terror attacks in Europe has been uncovered after the group lost the last sliver of its former “caliphate” in Syria.Documents on a hard drive, which was dropped by Isis jihadis killed in a desert battle, detail proposals for a “Bureau of Foreign Relations for the Department of Operations in Europe” to organise, arm and fund atrocities.In a letter passed toThe Sunday Times, a senior militant calling himself Abu Taher al-Tajiki told local Isis

Source:apnews.comThe recent revelation that National Rifle Association representatives had met with Australian politicians to discuss talking points after a mass shooting generated outrage from various politicians.The reality is that the NRA has been exerting its influence on gun debates outside the U.S. for a number of years, exporting its firebrand rhetoric and belief that more guns will lead to less crime.The lobbying group has sought sway at the United Nations to make it easier to sell Ameri

The world wastes more than 1.3 billion tonnes of food each year. The planet’s 1 billion hungry people could be fed on less than a quarter of the food wasted in the US and Europe.Image:UNFAOIn a recent report, the World Economic Forum identified cutting food waste by up to 20 million tonnes as one of 12 measures that could help transform global food systems by 2030.Now South Korea is taking a lead, recycling 95% of its food waste.It wasn’t always this way in the country. The mouth-watering arra

Source:independent.co.ukA fertility doctor accused of illegally using his own sperm to inseminate patients has been found to be the father of at least 49 children.Jan Karbaat, who died two years ago, impregnated their mothers at his clinic near Rotterdam, in the Netherlands.None of the women were aware he was using his own semen in the operations.The mass deception, which the doctor always denied, was revealed on Friday after DNA tests were made public by a Dutch court.It followed a two-year leg

Source:newatlas.comScientific research continues to uncover interesting connections between the gut microbiome and human health, including everything from depression to PTSD to autoimmune disease. Another example of this are the emerging ties between gut health and autism, with an exciting new study demonstrating how boosting microbial diversity via fecal transplants can dramatically reduce its symptoms in the long term.One in every 59 children born in the US is diagnosed with autism, according

Source:Standard.co.ukKnowamanwithlonghairandabeard?He'sprobablygotsmalltesticles,well,atleastaccordingtoanewstudy.Researchers from the University of Western Australia and the University of Zurich have found that male primates can either be ‘well adorned or well-endowed – but not both’.The study, published in theProceedings of the Royal Society Bby evolutionary biologists, looked at primates and found that the more ‘showy’ they were, the smaller their testicles were likely to be.Apressre

Source:phys.orgScientists from the University of East Anglia have discovered a unique oil eating bacteria in the deepest part of the Earth's oceans—the Mariana Trench.Together with researchers from the China and Russia, they undertook the most comprehensive analysis of microbial populations in the trench.The Mariana Trench is located in the Western Pacific Ocean and reaches a depth of approximately 11,000 metres. By comparison, Mount Everest is 8,848 metres high.We know more about Mars than