- The top 25 stories curated by editors and fellow readers!
Editor's Pick |
| Work How Much Formaldehyde Is in Your Car, Your Kitchen or Your Furniture? Here's What Our Testing Found.  The chemical can trigger health problems and causes more cancer than any other toxic air pollutant. Our reporters traveled around New York City and New Jersey with equipment to measure its presence. The results proved concerning. |
| Work Orange County firefighter dies of cardiac arrest amid early morning fire  Andrew Khouri covers the housing market for the Los Angeles Times. Before coming to The Times he wrote about commercial real estate for the San Fernando Valley Business Journal. He holds a master’s degree in journalism from the University of Southern California’s Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism and graduated from the University of San Diego with a degree in history. |
| Work Body of missing Texas man found in Mt. Whitney area  Andrew Khouri covers the housing market for the Los Angeles Times. Before coming to The Times he wrote about commercial real estate for the San Fernando Valley Business Journal. He holds a master’s degree in journalism from the University of Southern California’s Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism and graduated from the University of San Diego with a degree in history. |
| Work Karl-Anthony Towns Shares 5 Places to Visit in NYC  Mr. Towns, 29, has been one of the most dominating forces in this young N.B.A. season, averaging 24.7 points, a league-leading 14 rebounds and 3.3 assists for a (24-12) Knicks team which, as early January, is third in the Eastern Conference. He is already a fan favorite in the five boroughs, recently earning the nickname the Big Bodega, a clever play on his size, and his New York and Dominican roots. |
| Work The Mystery of a Subway Victim's Downward Spiral  Those who knew her said she had an inner glow that shined through as she cheered on football players in high school, posed against a collage of Led Zeppelin posters and welcomed diners at Perkins Pancake House with a smile. |
| Work Could this be the future of farming? Inside Europe's biggest vertical farm  The whole point of a vertical farm is to create an environment where you can grow plants, stacked on top of each other in high density. The idea being that you can grow your salads or peas somewhere close to the cities where they're consumed. Outside it is the bleak midwinter. |
| Work DVD shop owner vows to be 'last man standing'  Perched on the end of a row of terraces in a small town is one of the last DVD rental shops in the UK. In 2022, there were thought to be as few as 10 remaining. |
| Work Waymo stopped a man from stealing a driverless car  Waymo, the ride-hailing app that operates driverless cars and is owned by Google parent company Alphabet, stopped a man from driving off in one of its electric Jaguars on Thursday, CBS News and others reported. |
| Work The climate agenda is in rapid retreat as right-wing parties rise everywhere  The last time Greta Thunberg posted a message on Twitter, now X, was on Nov. 27, and she did not mention climate, or global warming, or heating, though she did mention ecocide. It was about the oppression of the Kurds in Kurdistan. Ms. Thunberg, with 5. |
| Work Why Computer Scientists Consult Oracles  Hypothetical devices that can quickly and accurately answer questions have become a powerful tool in computational complexity theory. Introduction Pose a question to a Magic 8 Ball, and it'll answer yes, no or something annoyingly indecisive. |
| Work In 2025, People Will Try Living in This Underwater Habitat  The future of human habitation in the sea is taking shape in an abandoned quarry on the border of Wales and England. |
| Work Why Time Slows Down in Altered States of Consciousness  We all know that time seems to pass at different speeds in different situations. For example, time appears to go slowly when we travel to unfamiliar places. A week in a foreign country seems much longer than week at home. Time also seems to pass slowly when we are bored, or in pain. |
| Work Why China isn't worried about Trump's threat of a trade war | The Bottom Line  Despite the bluster from US officials threatening to slow down China's economy, time is on China's side, argues Chinese political analyst Victor Gao. |
| Work Sweetened caffeine drinking revealed behavioral rhythm independent of the central circadian clock in male mice  Caffeine consumption is associated with the evening chronotype, and caffeine administration in mice results in prolonged period of the circadian rhythm in locomotor activity. |
| Work Why is Honduras threatening to expel US troops?  Honduras has threatened to expel United States troops, retaliating against incoming President Donald Trump's plans to carry out mass deportations of refugees and asylum seekers entering the US from Central America. |
| Work Woman had eight organs removed in cancer treatment  Faye Louise, from Horsham, West Sussex, began planning her own funeral after doctors found a tumour in her appendix in 2023. But after "the mother of all surgeries", she said she was cancer free and able to return to work as a flight dispatcher at Gatwick Airport. |
| Work 11 deadly trip wires for Keir Starmer as UK politics roars back  The British prime minister, who took Labour back into power last summer after years in the wilderness, will be hoping a New Year reset can help stabilize his administration, which is currently sinking in the polls and struggling to cut through with voters. |
| Work Mediterranean diet linked to improved memory via gut bacteria changes  Credit: CC0 Public Domain A new Tulane University study suggests the Mediterranean diet's brain-boosting benefits may work by changing the balance of bacteria in the gut. |
| Work Why every trip to Antarctica should inspire action  A voyage to the great White Continent is both a dream come true and a call to arms, to protect our icy poles and, in turn, our planet.This article was produced by National Geographic Traveller (UK). |
| Work Biden Signs Bill to Raise Social Security Payments for Millions  WASHINGTON ? President Joe Biden on Sunday signed into law a measure that boosts Social Security payments for current and former public employees, affecting nearly 3 million people who receive pensions from their time as teachers, firefighters, police officers and in other public service jobs. |
| Work Want More Sales? A Behavioral Scientist Says This Counterintuitive Strategy Could Double Your Success  Most of us think great marketing is all about closing the deal, but what if telling people they don't have to buy is the real secret? Maybe you've experienced this too, that moment when someone shares an idea that feels so against your instincts, you want to reject it outright. |
| Work The past 24 hours in South Korea?s chaotic politics, explained  If you believe in the work we do at Vox, please support us by becoming a member. Our mission has never been more urgent. But our work isn?t easy. It requires resources, dedication, and independence. And that?s where you come in. |
| Work TSMC's wafer pricing now $18,000 for a 3nm wafer, increased over 3X in 10 years: Analyst  Apple's A-series smartphone processors have evolved significantly from the A7 (28nm) to the A18 Pro (3nm), gaining more cores, transistors, and features. |
| Work Households with solar panels face significant revenue loss  Households in the Netherlands with solar panels are seeing their annual returns shrink by 300 euros to nearly 500 euros due to rising feed-in charges and lower solar yields in 2024. |
| Work Russia disastrous Winter War on Finland could give clues on Ukraine endgame  Joseph Stalin's 1939 invasion of Finland has been compared to Vladimir Putin's aggression in Ukraine amid questions over whether a deal that followed the Winter War could be a blueprint for a conflict eight and a half decades later. |
| Work Does substance use change the brain's structure, or does brain structure predispose some to substance use?  Regional Cortical Volume and Thickness Associations With Early Substance Use Initiation in the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development (ABCD) Study. Credit: JAMA Network Open (2024). DOI: 10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2024. |
| Work Job recruiters are carrot-and-sticking candidates with work-from-home perks to get people to sign on at lower salaries BYSome workers take 5% to 15% less pay in order to work from home. |
| Work Scammers Could Cheat New York's New Congestion Pricing Tolls  Each year, scofflaw drivers in New York City cheat their way out of paying tolls, costing the region's mass transit system millions in lost revenue. |
| Work Groundbreaking mRNA vaccine revolutionizes pancreatic cancer treatment  Unlike traditional vaccines, which are one-size-fits-all, these mRNA vaccines are tailored to each individual patient. |
| Work Study reveals the foods with the highest plastic contamination, from fast food to staple ingredients  Ahead of the new year, consumers nationwide were hit with several food recalls linked to E. coli, Listeria and Salmonella outbreaks. Last September, a deadly listeria outbreak concerning sliced deli meats forced Boar's Head to indefinitely shut down its plant in Jarratt, Virginia. |
| Work What are passkeys? How going passwordless can simplify your life in 2025  You probably have a lot of passwords in your life. Even with the help of password managers, passwords are becoming more and more of a burden for most people. |
| Work What Covid tried to teach us -- and why it will matter in the next pandemic  Covid, for example, was far harder on older adults than it was on young children. Of the nearly 1.15 million U.S. Covid deaths reported to the CDC between 2020 and the end of September 2023, only 1,700 were children aged 17 and younger, or 0.1% of all Covid deaths. Flu pandemics, on the other hand, are often tough on young children. Adults 65 and older sailed through the 2009 pandemic, for the most part. School-aged children, teenagers, and younger adults were more likely to be sickened. |
| Work ICC Tribunal exempts Tullow Oil from $320m tax on Ghana operations  The information on this site has been included in good faith for general informational purposes only. It is not intended to amount to advice on which you should rely, and we give no representation, warranty or guarantee, whether express or implied as to its accuracy or completeness. You must obtain professional or specialist advice before taking, or refraining from, any action on the basis of the content on our site. |
| Work Red Sky signs contract for offshore block 6/24 exploration in Angola  The information on this site has been included in good faith for general informational purposes only. It is not intended to amount to advice on which you should rely, and we give no representation, warranty or guarantee, whether express or implied as to its accuracy or completeness. You must obtain professional or specialist advice before taking, or refraining from, any action on the basis of the content on our site. |
| Work Analysis-Exodus by Wall Street banks from climate group worries advocates  "European banks have complained that they'd love the NZBA guidelines to be stronger but the U.S. members just won't let it happen - so (it is) now time for the Europeans to step up and show that they weren't just using U.S. obstructionism as an excuse for foot-dragging," he said on LinkedIn. |
| Work China scrambles to shore up sliding yuan and stock markets  "While Chinese officials have promised further stimulus, signalling greater monetary and fiscal easing, investors are waiting for concrete signs that demand is responding," HSBC's chief Asia economist Fred Neumann said. |
| Work Scientists Discover Common Virus Could Be Causing a Type of Alzheimer's  Researchers have discovered a link between a chronic gut infection caused by a common virus and the development of Alzheimer's disease in some people. |
| Work Big Lots closes strategic deal with Gordon Brothers  The information on this site has been included in good faith for general informational purposes only. It is not intended to amount to advice on which you should rely, and we give no representation, warranty or guarantee, whether express or implied as to its accuracy or completeness. You must obtain professional or specialist advice before taking, or refraining from, any action on the basis of the content on our site. |
| Work Morning Bid: Canadian dollar calm as Trudeau heads for the exits  Median forecasts are for jobs growth of 150,000 and an unemployment rate of 4.2%, but analysts caution quirks in the seasonal factors could depress jobs by around 50,000. There's also a chance the jobless rate could round up to 4.3%, given it was 4.246% in November. |
| Work Nippon Steel could face growth challenges after U.S. Steel purchase blocked, analysts say  Imai said that the U.S. government's reviewing process and the decisions over its acquisition proposal did not seem properly handled, adding Nippon Steel is "entitled to a proper review," according to the report. |
| Work Sam Altman has choice words for the OpenAI board members who fired him  OpenAI CEO Sam Altman has strong words for the former board members who abruptly fired him late last November. Just over a year ago, OpenAI's old board removed Altman for not being "consistently candid" in his communications with board members. |
| Work Nvidia-Partner Hon Hai's Shares Climb After AI Spurs Sales Beat  Hon Hai also aims to break into the electric vehicle market, though that venture has yet to have any meaningful effect on its earnings. The company reached out to Renault SA about a tie-up with Nissan Motor Co., which Renault owns 36% of. For now, that pursuit is on hold as Nissan and Honda Motor Co. negotiate a merger, Bloomberg News reported. |
| Work Exclusive-Chinese exchanges ask big fund managers to restrict stock selling, sources say  Chinese stocks marked their first annual gain since 2020 last year, closing up 14.7%, although most of the gains were driven by a brief sharp rally following the announcement of a stimulus package in September. |
| Work Getting your steps in can reduce depression, research finds Feeling down? Taking a walk could help, new research shows. The more steps we take, the less likely we are to feel depressed, according to a JAMA Network Open paper published in December. |
| Work Oil falls from highest since October as dollar strengthens  Still, the global oil market is clouded by a supply surplus this year as a rise in non-OPEC supplies is projected by analysts to largely offset global demand increase, also with the possibility of more production in the U.S. under Trump. |
| Work Japanese Stocks Close Lower Amid U.S.-China Trade Fears  Japanese stocks ended lower on their first trading day of 2025, amid growing concerns about higher borrowing costs. Auto and retail stocks led declines, with Toyota Motor dropping 4.3% and Fast Retailing losing 4.2%. The 10-year Japanese government bond yield rose 3.5 basis points to 1.125%, its h |
| Work Chinese Stocks End Down as Stimulus Fears Linger  Liquor stocks led the declines, with Luzhou Laojiao and Wuliangye Yibin falling 3.7% and 3.4%, respectively, while Kweichow Moutai dropped 2.4%. In the telecommunication sector, China Mobile lost 2.6%. Among the top gainers, Zhejiang Juhua rose 6.6% and Ningbo Deye Technology gained 5.6%. |
| Work Gold Expected to Maintain Upward Trend  Major central banks could continue to ease monetary policy with inflation hitting near their targets, it said, adding that central banks may also keep buying gold to diversify their reserves. However, a strong dollar and a rise in U.S. Treasury yields may provide some headwinds to gold prices. |
| Work BOJ's Ueda Sends Fresh Reminder to Bankers on Raising Rates  The central bank is set to hold its next policy meeting between Jan. 23-24. There is no scheduled public speech by Ueda before then, although Deputy Governor Ryozo Himino is set to give a speech and press conference on Jan. 14. That event is expected to draw close market attention for any further clues over a January rate hike. |
| Work This stick tests your hormones using your phone and saliva  If you're health-conscious, chances are your feed for the past year has been flooded with influencers evangelizing hormone balancing as a hack for easy weight loss, lowering stress levels, and even reversing symptoms of hormonal conditions like polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS). |
| Work Stock market today: World stocks are mixed after Wall St snaps out of its holiday-season funk  But even though the economy and job market still look solid, the path ahead is not assured. Part of the reason the S&P 500 set more than 50 all-time highs last year was because of the expectation that the Fed would keep cutting interest rates through 2025, after it began easing them in September. |
| Work Stocks nudge up in choppy trade as political uncertainty reigns  The euro rose 0.25% on the day to $1.03365, just ahead of resistance around $1.0340, while the pound clawed back some ground after hitting eight-month lows last week to trade up 0.4% at $1.2472. |
| Work These smart glasses have a tiny little screen hidden in the frame  Halliday Glasses have boarded the smart spectacles hype train, featuring "proactive" AI assistance and a near-eye display that shows information directly in the user's field of view. Wearable technology startup Halliday says its flagship eyewear will be available sometime after CES. |
| Work Prediction: Nvidia Will Beat the Market. Here's Why.  Adria Cimino has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has positions in and recommends Microsoft and Nvidia. The Motley Fool recommends the following options: long January 2026 $395 calls on Microsoft and short January 2026 $405 calls on Microsoft. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. |
| Work Dollar slips as traders return; yuan slides to 16-month low  "There's still a massive amount of uncertainty as to the speed with which we'll see policy announcements and how much the reality will match up to the rhetoric, so I think that leaves huge amounts of uncertainty in markets," said Ray Attrill, head of FX strategy at National Australia Bank. |
| Work Hospitals now know how some health AI tools were developed. Will that change anything?  Mario Aguilar covers technology in health care, including artificial intelligence, virtual reality, wearable devices, telehealth, and digital therapeutics. His stories explore how tech is changing the practice of health care and the business and policy challenges to realizing tech’s promise. He’s also the co-author of the free, twice weekly STAT Health Tech newsletter. |
| Work Dollar Falls Amid Caution Ahead of U.S. Jobs Data  The dollar has recently risen strongly in a short space of time so there is potential for a short-term pullback, "perhaps by virtue of some profit-taking" ahead of the jobs data, Pepperstone strategist Michael Brown said in a note. |
| Work Timekettle's new earbuds offer real-time translation on calls  Timekettle unveiled its latest earbuds, the W4 Pro, this week at CES 2025 in Las Vegas. The product aims to up the ante on the startup's focus by bringing real-time two-way translation to phone and video calls. |
| Work Stock Futures Rising as Markets Reverse Santa Claus Slump  The new year presents a variety of new risks. Some are well-publicized, such as the impact of President-elect Donald Trump’s plans to impose steep tariffs on imports. Others are less discussed, such as higher bond yields. According to Barry Knapp at Ironsides Macroeconomics, that won’t just be down to faster-than-expected inflation or Federal Reserve interest rates. It’s also down to the Fed selling down past Treasury holdings, as well as worries about the U.S. government budget. |
| Work The Brutalist, Emilia PA(C)rez and ShA?gun triumph at the Golden Globes  Nominated films that came away empty-handed included Anora, Dune: Part Two and A Complete Unknown while television shows that were unrewarded included Abbott Elementary, Only Murders in the Building, Disclaimer and Mr and Mrs Smith. |
| Work Firms that donated to Republican party avoided tariffs in Trump first term a?? study  "Even though we did not find an impact of donations to Trump's first inauguration on the chance of being granted an exemption," said Lee, "it is possible that donations to the inaugural committee may increase the chance of being exempted from tariffs in Trump's second term." |