A newly-published Cochrane review reveals significant gaps in the clinical rating scales used to assess pain in newborn babies, highlighting the urgent need for improved tools and global collaboration.

The United Nations organization responsible for international marine shipping today approved new emission reduction policies.  A new paper published in Earth’s Future highlights the need. 

UBC researchers surveyed 149 marine shipping experts in 2021 and found they expect the sector to see a reduction of 30 to 40 per cent in the carbon intensity of shipping — a measure of the amount of CO2 emitted to ship cargo over a given distance — by 2030 compared with 2008 levels.

But they expect the sector won’t meet its net-zero goal for 2050, instead achieving about 40 to 75 per cent reductions from 2008 levels.

It’s becoming increasingly commonplace for people to develop intimate, long-term relationships with artificial intelligence (AI) technologies. At their extreme, people have “married” their AI companions in non-legally binding ceremonies, and at least two people have killed themselves following AI chatbot advice. In an opinion paper publishing April 11 in the Cell Press journal Trends in Cognitive Sciences, psychologists explore ethical issues associated with human-AI relationships, including their potential to disrupt human-human relationships and give harmful advice. 

11 April 2025 / Brussels / Kiel. Led by Professor Dr Sylvia Sander of the GEOMAR Helmholtz Centre for Ocean Research Kiel, a group of internationally renowned marine scientists has published a Future Science Brief on deep-sea research. The report provides a comprehensive analysis of the current state of knowledge and offers recommendations for how both the exploration and management of the deep sea can be made more sustainable. The scientists issue a clear warning: without a thorough understanding of ecosystem processes and biodiversity, informed decisions on the sustainable use and protection of the deep sea are not possible. They are now calling for targeted research to close these knowledge gaps and ensure long-term preservation of the deep sea. The report is aimed at policymakers, researchers and international organisations and is being launched today [11. April, 2 PM (14:00) CET] in a dedicated online webinar.