n a new opinion piece, two experts who worked in the U.S. Department of Justice’s antitrust division argue that a few huge health care conglomerate platforms have many of the same concerning traits as big tech platforms. In suggesting that policymakers and stakeholders look beyond the individual services provided by each platform, they recommend that antitrust attention and action may be needed.

One widespread theory is that people would donate more in the face of higher wealth taxes. But by looking at data from Norway, Marius Ring, assistant professor of finance at Texas McCombs, finds the opposite to be true. When faced with a 1% increase in the wealth tax rate, people cut their donation amounts to charities by 26%; they were also 27% less likely to give at all.

A new study shows that factual knowledge can reduce polarization on contentious topics. Participants who engaged with balanced facts about gun control shifted toward more moderate policy views—an effect that lasted even after a month. The findings suggest that, contrary to popular belief, people are open to learning facts that challenge their beliefs and that accurate information can promote a healthier discourse.

24 April 2025/Kiel. When bottom trawls are dragged across the seafloor, they stir up sediments. This not only releases previously stored organic carbon, but also intensifies the oxidation of pyrite, a mineral present in marine sediments, leading to additional emissions of carbon dioxide (CO₂). These are the findings of a new study conducted by the GEOMAR Helmholtz Centre for Ocean Research Kiel. Based on sediment samples from Kiel Bight, the researchers investigated the geochemical consequences of sediment resuspension. Their conclusion: areas with fine-grained sediments, which play a crucial role in CO₂ storage in the Baltic Sea, should urgently be placed under protection. The study has now been published in the journal Communications Earth & Environment.

Few tourism enterprises make net positive contributions to conservation, and “nature positive” terms are being used for “marketing greenwash, to delay and avoid environmental fees and regulations, and to lobby for land grabs in public protected areas”. 

Professor Ralf Buckley suggests Australia has adopted “nature positive” political terminology, but in practice has failed to implement past promises to establish a new independent Environment Protection Agency.