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 S50Microplastics and nanoplastics have been found throughout the human body - how worried should we be?  The world is becoming clogged with plastic. Particles of plastic so tiny they cannot be seen with the naked eye have been found almost everywhere, from the oceans’ depths to the mountain tops. They are in the soil, in plants, in animals and they are inside us. The question is: what harm, if any, are they causing?When plastic trash is dumped in a landfill or the sea, it breaks down, very slowly. Sunlight and waves cause the surface of the plastic to become brittle, and particles are shed into the environment. Collectively known as “small plastic particles”, they range in size from five millimetres or smaller (microplastics) to less than one-thousandth of a millimetre (nanoplastics). The smallest can only be detected with special scientific instruments.
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S1 Would You Invite Employees to Vote on Strategic Direction? As the newly appointed CEO of Hema, a struggling European retail chain with 750 stores and 19,000 employees, Saskia Egas Reparaz faced a daunting challenge. The year before, in 2020, the company had posted a loss of 215 million euros despite having generated 1.1 billion euros in revenue. Hema had been through several private equity owners and leadership teams over the past 15 years, all of whom had failed to turn things around. Yet the new private equity owners had high expectations of Egas Reparaz and were confident that she could get the company back on track.She did just that, most notably by reversing the company’s long-established strategy of expanding beyond the home market. Hema was operating stores throughout Western Europe and had even franchised some outlets in the Middle East and Mexico. Egas Reparaz closed dozens of stores and focused Hema’s operations in the Benelux countries (Belgium, the Netherlands and Luxembourg) as well as nearby France. By the end of 2021, the company was profitable again, and in 2022, gross sales rose 20%. It’s easy to say that this successful turnaround came from making the right strategic choices. But it was equally important that Hema involved its people in strategic planning. Successful strategic planning goes beyond setting the right strategic priorities; it involves putting your people at the heart of it.
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S2'I Saw the TV Glow's Confusing and Bleak Ending, Explained Jane Schoenbrun’s I Saw the TV Glow is about television. But like television, it’s also about life. It’s also a deeply weird movie with a final act that will likely leave you at least a little confused (and perhaps totally lost). Some have called the movie’s ending bleak and even cruel. But if you choose to believe it, I Saw the TV Glow’s ending is incredibly inspirational. So what does I Saw the TV Glow’s ending mean? We’re going to do our best to explain a movie that’s admittedly left open for interpretation.Warning: Spoilers ahead for the ending of I Saw the TV Glow. If you haven’t seen the movie yet, we recommend watching it first before you continue reading this article. Still here? Let’s dive in!
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S3Shadow of the Erdtree Review: 'Elden Ring' at its Finest and Most Frustrating I was on my 60th try against a spear-wielding boss named Gaius riding a massive boar; it’d been four hours and my eyes were burning from staring at the screen so intensely. After getting embarrassed by the porcine boss, yet again, I felt something shift. I craved vengeance. One more try before I quit, I said, and to my surprise, that was the one. With my victory claimed, and my heartbeat well over 100, I decided it was time to take a break.Elden Ring’s Shadow of the Erdtree expansion is an astoundingly massive addition to an already enormous game. The DLC is packed to the brim with gorgeous new locales, diverse new weapons and abilities, and soul-crushing bosses. That being said, this is also some of the most challenging and brutally difficult content FromSoftware has ever produced. As someone who’s played and beaten everything since Demon’s Souls, this is the first time I’ve ever felt that difficulty hinder my enjoyment. That’s a caveat to what is otherwise a phenomenal expansion, one that finds some fascinating ways to embellish on Elden Ring’s core design.
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S4One of the Most Important RPGs Ever Is Getting an Astounding Facelift Dragon Quest is unarguably one of the most important video franchises in history, a seminal series that has influenced decades of RPG design. Unfortunately, some of the earlier titles haven’t aged that well, a fact Square Enix is clearly addressing with the full-fledged remake of Dragon Quest 3. After going hands-on with the remake, it’s abundantly clear Square Enix has honed its HD-2D art style to a dangerous sheen, while providing a wealth of improvements and additions that’ll make one of the most important RPGs ever made feel better than ever. Originally released in 1988 on the NES, Dragon Quest III introduced so many of the systems that would come to define not just the series but RPGs as a whole. This was the first Dragon Quest game to introduce a class system, it drastically upped the size and open-endedness of the world, and it crafted a compelling narrative that tied directly into the first two games. The third game serves as a prequel to Dragon Quest I and II and also has ties to the most recent entry, Dragon Quest 11.
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S5Tesla's Cybertruck Has a Big Problem With Its Massive Windshield Wiper Cybertruck owners can’t seem to catch a break and reports of the Tesla pickup’s comically large windshield wiper not working aren’t making things look any better.Over the last few weeks, Cybertruck owners have been reporting that their windshield wipers stopped working. It may not seem like an immediate road hazard, but you won’t have much visibility when there’s anything more than a light drizzle while driving. When taken to a Tesla Service center, owners were told that a faulty motor was responsible, but that they would have to wait for the replacement part. Tesla has reportedly temporarily halted deliveries for the Cybertruck, as seen on social media.
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S67 Years Later, Nintendo Finally Reveals 'Metroid Prime 4' -- And It Looks Amazing Metroid Prime 4, the next entry in Nintendo’s sci-fi action-adventure series, finally has a proper name and release window nearly seven years to the day it was first announced.During Tuesday's jam-packed Nintendo Direct showcase, Nintendo debuted an action-heavy gameplay trailer for the new game, now titled Metroid Prime 4: Beyond. The two-minute-long trailer showed Samus landing near a Galactic Federation Research Facility during an explosive conflict between the Space Pirates and the allied space authority.
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S7'The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom' Makes A Playable Zelda More Than Just Another Link It’s finally happening! After decades of being sidelined in a game series that’s named after her, Zelda is headlining a game of her own — The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom. Announced at the June Nintendo Direct, Echoes of Wisdom takes Link off the board entirely and gives Zelda a unique set of powers for her first turn as hero.The Echoes of Wisdom trailer starts with Link creeping into a dungeon to rescue Princess Zelda, seemingly setting up yet another damsel-in-distress tale. But after defeating Ganon, he goes and falls into a giant hole in the ground (silly Link), freeing Zelda from the gem she was trapped in at the last moment. From there, Echoes of Wisdom reveals that it’s the game so many have been waiting a long time for — one that finally gives Zelda her due.
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S8'Elden Ring' DLC Length: How Long It Takes to Beat 'Shadow of the Erdtree' Elden Ring is one of the most massive games FromSoftware has ever created. The Lands Between are packed with secrets to uncover and an adventure that can easily take upwards of 100 hours, especially if you dig into New Game Plus. The Shadow of the Erdtree DLC is about to make that experience even longer, however, adding an entirely new sprawling area called The Land of Shadow. Only Elden Ring could have an expansion that feels like an entire game in and of itself, so you need to make sure you’ve set aside a weekend or two. With that in mind, here’s exactly how long it takes to beat Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree. Before starting Shadow of the Erdtree, do note that you’ll have to play through a sizable portion of the main game, at least beating the bosses Radahn and Mohg. We have a full guide on that here.
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S9Google's Next Magic Trick Is Making AI Sound for Your Generative Videos Content creators might never have a shortage of b-roll again thanks to Google DeepMind’s latest AI tool.Google’s AI laboratory showed off its video-to-audio tech, shortened to V2A, and like generative video, V2A uses AI to create audio that can match what’s being played in a video. In the first few demos, the new AI tech is capable of delivering convincing audio like steady footsteps or precise drum strokes that line up with the videos’ timing.
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S10Todd Howard Admits Bethesda's Latest 'Starfield' Controversy Was a Mistake The Bethesda boss provides some clarity on the recent DLC that stirred frustration with fans.Bethesda Game Studios boss Todd Howard hears Starfield fans loud and clear regarding the developer's recent controversial downloadable content. And for now, it looks like future content drops will forego charging players for something as incremental as a single quest.
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S11Nintendo Switch Online Just Quietly Released 4 All-Time Classic Games With the Switch’s successor set to be revealed before March of next year, Nintendo seems intent on sending the original console out in style. During the June Nintendo Direct, the company revealed a remake of Dragon Quest 3, the long-anticipated Metroid Prime 4, and a Legend of Zelda game that finally makes Zelda the hero. Old-school Nintendo fans have plenty to look forward to as well, with the announcement of a few classic Game Boy Advance and Nintendo 64 games heading to the Switch Online retro collection today.On the Game Boy Advance side, Nintendo is adding The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past Four Swords and Metroid: Zero Mission. The Nintendo 64 collection will be getting Turok: Dinosaur Hunter and Perfect Dark. Like all Game Boy Advance and Nintendo 64 titles on Switch Online, players will need to be subscribed to the optional Expansion Pass to access the new titles. The Nintendo 64 releases are also the first entries coming to a new Switch app specifically for games rated Mature.
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S12This Phone-Like Device Could Be the Most Affordable Alternative to Apple Vision Pro's Spatial Computing Apple and Meta are making steady progress towards fulfilling their vision for spatial computing (or mixed reality as it’s also called), but the Vision Pro and Quest 3 are still bulky headsets that come with comfort and battery life compromises. But what if there was another way to get a spatial computing experience that would literally be lighter on your face? Meet Xreal’s Beam Pro.You may know Xreal as the company that sells lightweight video glasses like the Air, Air 2, Air 2 Pro, and soon, the Air 2 Ultra. These video glasses are super easy to use: Just plug your preferred device into them via USB-C and — boom — you’re watching movies, playing connected consoles, or using your laptop like you would if you were viewing stuff on a massive external monitor or TV.
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S13Who is the Sith in 'The Acolyte'? Episode 4 All But Confirms a Major Fan Theory Not is all as it seems in The Acolyte, but the series’ biggest twist could be its most straightforward. Episode 4 brings us that much closer to uncovering the identity of its mysterious Sith master, and finally teases the showdown we’ve all been waiting for. Unfortunately, the episode ends on a hair-raising cliffhanger, which means we’ll have to wait another week for potential answers. But while The Acolyte has been playing it pretty safe thus far, it might have already answered its most buzzworthy mystery.Episode 4 sees our cast converge on the forest planet Khofar. While Sith apprentice Mae (Amandla Stenberg) and her sidekick of sorts, Qimir (Manny Jacinto), are there to assassinate the Wookiee Jedi Kelnaccaa (Joonas Suotamo), Mae’s twin sister Osha (also Stenberg), her former Jedi Master Sol (Lee Jung-jae), and a group of other Jedi warriors are there to stop them.
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S14'The Acolyte' Just Dashed Everyone's Yoda Dreams With One Line When Yoda was about to turn 900, he told Obi-Wan Kenobi and Luke Skywalker that he had been training Jedi “for 800 years.” In the Disney+ animated series Young Jedi Adventures, we see Yoda doing just that, two full centuries before A New Hope, which would be roughly 600 years into his 800-year Jedi Master gig. And, because The Acolyte takes place even closer to the films (a century before The Phantom Menace) then that means the chances of seeing Yoda in this series are really high, right?Wrong. In The Acolyte Episode 4, one line makes it very clear that we’ll not be seeing Yoda anytime soon. And unless this situation changes, our little green friend will remain busy for the duration of this series.
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S15'The Boys' Is About to Solve a Disturbing Homelander Mystery The Boys is back, and this time, its days are numbered. Now that showrunner Eric Kripke has announced the gory satirical satire show will end after Season 5, everything in the current Season 4 is building to a monumental final fight, and with every episode, we get closer and closer to that showdown. After the initial three-episode premiere, The Boys is now back to its regular one-episode-a-week pace, but Episode 4 is surely going to be just as explosive as the first three. Here’s everything you need to know about the episode, from when to tune it to what to expect.
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S16Netflix's Wild New Superhero Reboot Was 20 Years in the Making Ultraman: Rising director Shannon Tindle chats about working with ILM, and the biggest challenge of rebooting the tokusatsu hero for American audiences.Ultraman is one of the most recognizable superheroes in history — just not in the United States. Since the character’s debut in the eponymous 1966 series, Ultraman has been a pioneer of the “kyodai (or giant) hero” genre and a staple of tokusatsu, the brand of effects-heavy media unique to Japan. For Shannon Tindle (Kubo and the Two Strings, Lost Ollie) this meant that making his dream Ultraman story in the Netflix animated film Ultraman: Rising would require honoring the franchise’s near 60-year-old history just as much as it would require introducing it to people whose only exposure to kaiju is with Godzilla.
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S17One Line in 'The Acolyte' Changes Everything We Know About the Jedi For the longest time, it seemed like the only powers that be in the Star Wars universe were the Jedi and the Sith (and the various institutions they served). But The Acolyte is shifting our perspective, showing the Jedi not as galactic heroes but as a ruling class that regulates the use of the Force. In Episode 4, however, it’s revealed that the Jedi may not have such a tight grip on the Force after all. In fact, the entire way we think about the Jedi has shifted, opening up possibilities for the future of Star Wars both in-universe and in reality.
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S1860 Years Ago, the Most Influential Sci-Fi Show Aired its Subversive Final Episode After five seasons and 155 episodes of macabre twists and turns, the original run of the CBS anthology The Twilight Zone concluded with an uncharacteristically happy ending.First screened 60 years ago, “The Bewitchin’ Pool” centers on Sport (Mary Badham) and Jeb (Jeffrey Byron) Sharewood, two affluent young siblings seemingly unperturbed when a straw-hatted boy suddenly emerges from their swimming pool, the latter poetically described by creator and narrator Rod Serling as “a structure built of tile and cement and money, a backyard toy for the affluent, wet entertainment for the well-to-do.” The pair subsequently accept his invitation to follow him back to his homeland, and after diving in after him, find themselves in a fantasy world that evokes The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn.
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S19For one of nature's great builders, finding a mate means weaving the perfect nest | Aeon Videos Native to South and Southeast Asia, the bird species Ploceus philippinus, better known as the baya weaver, is so named for its unique nests, which often hang from palm trees above bodies of water. To create them, males of the species, identifiable by their bright yellow feathers, stitch together grass, leaves and twigs. Females then take on inspection duties, poking at the structure to find vulnerabilities, and only pairing with the male if his work is up to snuff. This short video condenses roughly 18 days of meticulous work into three-and-a-half minutes as it captures one of the world’s most skilled and clever builders weaving a structure he hopes might impress a mate.
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S20S21G7 overcomes internal wrangling and 'irrelevance' barbs to strike US$50 billion deal to support Ukraine University Teacher, Department of Politics and International Relations, University of Sheffield In the 26 months since Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022, the west has been riven with disagreement about how much – and what – support it will provide for Volodymyr Zelensky’s government. There are two main reasons for this. One is Russia’s deep integration in the global economy, particularly when it comes to energy supplies. The other is the fear of escalation into a wider conflict.
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S22This is billed as a 'change' election - but Britain's electoral system means hardly any seats are true multi-party contests With all polls pointing in the same direction, the 2024 election will deliver seismic change. It is being seen as a contest that will practically wipe out one party and deliver a large majority to another. But the reality for most of the voting public will feel quite different, at least at the constituency level. The Electoral Reform Society has estimated that more than 100 of the UK’s 650 parliamentary seats haven’t changed hands for 100 years or more. Millions of voters, therefore, reside in what the society describes as “one party fiefdoms”.
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S23S24Eighteenth-century stays are the corset of 2024 - just ask Taylor Swift or Anne Hathaway While performing the Tortured Poets Department act of her Eras Tour in Paris in May 2024, Taylor Swift appeared in a custom Vivienne Westwood white dress. It had a fitted bodice and flowing, draped skirts scrawled in lyrics from her single, Fortnight. While the lyrics have gained the attention of Swifties across the internet, as an expert in Georgian fashion, I was captured by the fitted bodice – a design that was known in the 18th century as stays. It’s a testament to the staying power of 18th-century trends that stays continue to be at the centre of fashion.
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S25The Green party's plans aren't perfect but they offer a much-needed attempt at climate leadership The Green party’s target is to take four seats at the upcoming UK election. Recognising it has no chance of forming a government, its manifesto is written from the perspective of a future pressure group within Westminster. In doing so, the party highlights some key ideas and steps that could help the UK achieve meaningful climate action. This provides a refreshing attempt to outline an alternative way forward, at a time when climate leadership is severely lacking from other parties.
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S26Why legacy media brands still matter in the UK's 'social media election' For decades, the front pages of newspapers have documented iconic campaign moments. Now, many think that the internet (particularly social media platforms) is where an election is won or lost. Some have even dubbed this year’s general election the “TikTok election”.It is true that the nature of campaigning has changed, and newspaper and broadcaster reach has waned. But legacy media brands still drive much of the political conversation around elections and beyond, though analysing their continuing reach and influence is complicated.
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S27How glacier algae are challenging the way we think about evolution People often underestimate tiny beings. But microscopic algal cells not only evolved to thrive in one of the most extreme habitats on Earth – glaciers – but are also shaping them.With a team of scientists from the UK and Canada, we traced the evolution of purple algae back hundreds of millions of years and our findings challenge a key idea about how evolution works. Though small, these algae are having a dramatic effect on the glaciers they live on.
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S28S29Ukraine summit fails to provide a path to peace for Kyiv and its allies Was the the first so-called “Summit on Peace in Ukraine”, held in Switzerland on June 15 to 16, a failure? Certainly not, if you listen to the fairly upbeat reactions of Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky and his western backers. And, to be fair, the summit has enabled Zelensky to keep Russia’s war against Ukraine high on the international agenda.But by most other counts, the outcome of the summit was disappointing. International participation was lacklustre, with only 92 of the reportedly invited 160 states and international organisations turning up. The final communique fell short of expectations in terms of content and signatories.
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S30EPA has lowered the screening level for lead in soil - here's what that could mean for households across the US As spring phases into summer across the U.S., kids are spending more time outdoors. Playing outside is healthy in all kinds of ways, but it also poses some risks. One that many families may not be aware of is exposure to lead in soil, which is still a serious problem, mainly in cities.Children can be exposed to lead by swallowing or inhaling soil while they are playing. Young children often put their hands in their mouths and may have dirt on their hands. Kids and pets also can track lead dust from soil indoors. And anyone who eats fruit or vegetables grown in contaminated soil can ingest lead.
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S31Young investors: Here's some tips for getting into the market You’ve likely heard of Minecraft. It’s a simple game where you slowly place blocks and craft items from containers to castles and entire cities. You’ve probably also heard of the first-person shooter Call of Duty (COD), where players navigate fast-paced war zones.Like gaming, investing is all about how you approach it. You can build slow but safe, like in Minecraft, or you can go fast and risk more, like in COD.
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S32S33S34Pay transparency would help close NZ's gender gap - why is progress so slow? Announcing her government’s plan to disestablish the Equal Pay Taskforce in May, Minister for the Public Service Nicola Willis argued the “process for settling pay equity claims has now matured” enough that the taskforce was no longer required. Only a week earlier, New Zealand had praised the taskforce’s work in reducing pay gaps for women, Māori and Pacific people, during the United Nations’ five-yearly review of the country’s human rights record.
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S35S36Bohemian, artist, conservationist: breathing humanity into the man who fought to protect Queensland's rainforest and reef John Büsst earned the moniker “The Bingil Bay Bastard”. From his self-built homestead in Bingil Bay, he campaigned from the early 1960s against grazing and agricultural industries seeking to fell the tropical forests of north Queensland. Then, in his words, “in came the Army” eyeing “the best, most scientifically valuable, and the very loveliest” low-lying forest areas surrounding Mission Beach for army weapons testing. By 1968, after a campaign opposing the tests, nearly 50,000 acres of this land had been protected. Eventually, nearly 100,000 acres would become national park.
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S37S38S39Will the Paris Olympics be a terrorist target? These three factors could be key In recent months, Islamic State has escalated its calls to attack sporting events in Europe. Governments are increasingly concerned about the specific threat the terrorist group poses to the upcoming Paris Olympics and Paralympic Games.But how concerned should we be? While definitive answers on the dangers posed by clandestine actors are inherently hard to get, there are three important factors to look at: intent, capability and opportunity.
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S40S41How Biden's executive order to protect immigrant spouses of citizens from deportation will benefit their families and communities Rodrigo Salazar is a man who entered the U.S. without a visa and has been living in the country without legal status ever since. Because of this, Rodrigo, who asked that we not use his or his wife’s real names in order to protect their identity, cannot advance from low-paying jobs at restaurants and car washes. His wife, Carmela, is a U.S. citizen, but she is also facing career limitations. Carmela doesn’t feel safe moving to a place where she could get a higher-paying job. She worries that Rodrigo’s lack of legal status would be more obvious in a city with a smaller Latino population, which would put him at risk for arrest and deportation.
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S42Infant's tragic death after neglect sparks urgent calls for system changes Doctoral Student, Clinical Psychology, L’Université d’Ottawa/University of Ottawa As a community in Kingston, Ont., grapples with the shocking death of a seven-month-old infant who was allegedly abandoned for several days, questions arise as to how such a tragedy could unfold. A surviving three-year-old sibling was also rescued from the home and brought to hospital in need of medical care.
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S43Whips, adultery and a 'Loin King': what is it about Tory political players writing scandalous books? Cleo Watson, former co-deputy chief of staff to Boris Johnson, was fined in the infamous “PartyGate” scandal involving gatherings held at government buildings while the United Kingdom was under a pandemic lockdown. The scandal ultimately saw Johnson step down as prime minister.She’s the author of Cleavage, a saucy new novel set against the backdrop of contemporary Conservative British politics. Cleavage depicts an embattled Tory party limping towards a seemingly inevitable election loss. It is an interestingly timed release for those hoping current UK prime minister Rishi Sunak will win the upcoming July 4 election.
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S44Please stop obsessing over words. It's quite simple: the RBA thinks inflation is too high These days every word of every statement from the Reserve Bank Governor Michele Bullock is pored over in minute detail – as is every word uttered at her press conference after each Reserve Bank board meeting.Desperate for signals about what the bank will do next, market economists examine every comma, every adjective, for a hidden meaning. It’s a bit like divination, the ancient practice of seeking meaning by examining the entrails (internal organs) of a sacrificed sheep or goat.
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S45S46Dutton goes nuclear, proposing seven government-owned generators with the first starting in 2030s Opposition leader Peter Dutton has announced seven sites for reactors, unveiling his long-awaited and highly-controversial policy for nuclear power with the claim it could start operating from the 2030s. The locations are the sites of former or current coal plants. They have the technical attributes needed for a nuclear plant, including transmission infrastructure, cooling water capacity and a skilled workforce, the opposition policy says.
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S47Saying a final goodbye to Willie Mays, baseball's 'Say hey' kid In 1959, when Soviet Premier Nikita Khruschev visited San Francisco and members of the International Longshoreman’s Union greeted him with cheers, newspaperman Frank Coniff quipped: “This is the damndest city. They cheer Khruschev and boo Willie Mays.”It was the height of the Cold War and, for Coniff and many of his readers, there was no better symbol of America than Mays. At that time, Mays was a 28-year-old centerfielder for the San Francisco Giants and the best ballplayer in the world, and he was occasionally booed by fans of his own team.
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S48S49Farmers told me what they really think about reintroducing lynx and wolves to Britain and Ireland The only howl I heard on a recent walk across the Garron plateau in the Glens of Antrim, Northern Ireland, was from a bitter, biting wind. But 300 years ago, the howls would most definitely have been lupine: this place was home to one of the last wolves in what is now the UK. The species clung on in other parts of Ireland until the late 18th century. Lynx and bears probably disappeared from both islands much earlier, despite debates over the potential presence of lynx in early modern Scottish texts.
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