Contrary to popular belief, new research finds that the use of artificial intelligence has a minimal effect on global greenhouse gas emissions and may actually benefit the environment and the economy.

For their study, researchers from the University of Waterloo and the Georgia Institute of Technology combined data on the U.S. economy with estimates of AI use across industries to determine the environmental fallout if AI use continues its current trajectory.

Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) symptoms are influenced by socioeconomic factors in regions affected by conflict and resource limitations, a new study focusing on non-Western populations has found. The study also revealed that lower omega-3 fatty acid intake is significantly associated with higher ADHD symptom scores in Palestinian adolescents, reflecting findings from other research conducted in Western countries.

A new study led by the University of East Anglia (UEA) reveals what drives investors to put their money behind business start-ups.

Researchers analysed more than a thousand successful crowdfunding campaigns on the platform Seedrs. They found that setting a £90K “sweet spot” target, having around 19 team members, and using certain phrases including “health” and “organic” in campaign pitches all helped attract investors.

Offering a high equity percentage in return for investment was also found to be crucial – with low equity ratios putting investors off.

On 2 December 2025, the German Federal Institute for Risk Assessment (BfR) and the Austrian Agency for Health and Food Safety (AGES) are hosting a consumer protection forum entitled "Microplastics – What do we know today?". The event will highlight the current state of scientific knowledge and promote the dialogue between experts from the fields of research, society, business and politics. "Research on microplastics has made enormous progress in recent years," says PD Dr Johannes Pleiner-Duxneuner, Managing Director of AGES. "Nevertheless, there are still gaps in the data that need to be clarified." Current studies detect microplastics in numerous human organs and link them to various diseases – but how reliable are these studies? Are there methodological shortcomings? Are the particles detected really microplastics? According to the current state of scientific knowledge, microplastics pose a relatively low health risk to humans. "Most particles cannot be absorbed or processed by the body, and the amounts that are absorbed are probably too small to cause any harm to health," says the BfR President Professor Dr Andreas Hensel. "At the same time, further research is needed – particularly with regard to the exact mechanisms of action of microplastics in the human body." The forum provides a platform for bringing together different perspectives, drawing possible conclusions and addressing concerns among the general public. 

Many people still fall for new forms of network marketing, multi-level marketing (MLMs) and other organisations that, despite their products, strongly resemble pyramid schemes. However, Claudia Groß (Radboud University) and William Keep (College of New Jersey) discovered that scientific research is remarkably lenient in its assessment of this business model. This may be because much of the research in this area is funded by lobby organisations, the researchers write in a paper published today in the Journal of Marketing Management.