Author: Andrew Rogers

West Ham United banned season-ticket holder Joshua Wood for five matches after he helped hold an anti-board banner.The banner reading “Time 2 Sell – Name Your Price” appeared during the home game against Sunderland.The club cited a breach of stadium rules on banner size, not the message itself.Wood said he did not bring the banner into the ground and simply joined other fans protesting.West Ham argued the banner posed safety risks and said the ban was not aimed at silencing dissent.

A major Swedish study found that using AI in breast cancer screening reduced later cancer diagnoses by 12%.Researchers studied 100,000 women and compared AI-supported mammography with standard double readings.AI helped detect more cancers early and flagged high-risk scans for closer review.Eighty-one percent of cancers in the AI group were found at screening, compared with 74% in standard screening.The AI group also showed 27% fewer aggressive cancer subtypes.Researchers say AI could ease radiologist workloads but should not replace human expertise.

Google DeepMind launched AlphaGenome, an AI tool designed to identify genetic drivers of disease.The system predicts how DNA mutations disrupt gene regulation across different cells and tissues.AlphaGenome can analyse up to one million DNA letters at once.Researchers trained it on large public human and mouse genetics databases.The tool helps pinpoint mutations linked to cancer, heart disease, and autoimmune disorders.Scientists say it could accelerate drug discovery and future gene therapies.Early users describe AlphaGenome as a major step forward in understanding the non-coding genome.

Amazon revealed plans for new global job cuts after an internal email was mistakenly sent to staff.The message, signed by AWS executive Colleen Aubrey, said affected workers in the US, Canada, and Costa Rica were already informed.The draft email described the layoffs as “Project Dawn” and cited future organisational needs.Amazon previously announced 14,000 corporate job cuts as it rolls back pandemic-era hiring.Chief executive Andy Jassy has warned AI may replace some roles.Amazon declined to comment on the latest reports.

Scientists launched an AI app that identifies dinosaurs from fossil footprints with about 90% agreement with human experts.Researchers from the University of Edinburgh helped develop the system.The team trained the AI using 2,000 unlabelled footprint silhouettes.The system compared prints using eight shape features, including toe spread and heel position.Professor Steve Brusatte said footprint shapes depend on movement and ground conditions.Lead author Gregor Hartmann warned many past footprint labels may be incorrect.The free DinoTracker app lets users upload prints and compare similar examples.Results support earlier claims that some ancient tracks look birdlike.Brusatte said the tracks likely came from birdlike meat-eating dinosaurs,…

The US Securities and Exchange Commission has agreed to dismiss its lawsuit against the Winklevoss twins’ crypto exchange.The decision followed the full repayment of assets to investors in the Gemini Earn lending program.Regulators cited the return of funds through the Genesis Global Capital bankruptcy process in 2024.The move reflects a friendlier regulatory approach toward cryptocurrencies under President Donald Trump.Trump reversed stricter policies, supported the crypto industry, and promoted wider use of digital assets.The SEC stressed the dismissal does not affect its stance in other enforcement cases.

Coca-Cola has launched legal action against Vue after the cinema chain replaced it with PepsiCo as soft drink supplier. Vue ended the near 25-year partnership last year after putting the contract out to tender, selecting PepsiCo through 2030. Coca-Cola Europacific Partners Great Britain claims Vue owes unpaid debts following the contract termination. Vue says the disputed sum was under £100,000 and has now been fully resolved, with legal action withdrawn.

Google’s AI Overviews cite YouTube more often than any medical website when answering health-related searches, according to a German study that raises concerns about the reliability of information shown to billions of users. Researchers analysed more than 50,000 health queries made in Germany and found that YouTube accounted for 4.43% of all citations, making it the single most referenced source in AI Overviews. No hospital network, government health body or medical association came close. YouTube is owned by Google, whose AI summaries appear at the top of search results and are viewed by about 2bn people each month. The researchers…

Japan is developing the world’s fastest train, the L0 Series maglev, which has reached test speeds of 603.5km/h, far ahead of Europe’s fastest trains such as France’s TGV or Italy’s Italo, which run at around 300–350km/h. Built by Central Japan Railway Company, the train will operate on the new Chuo Shinkansen line, cutting travel time between Tokyo and Nagoya to about 40 minutes, and eventually linking Tokyo, Nagoya and Osaka in roughly one hour. The project relies on magnetic levitation (maglev) technology, which lifts the train above the track, reducing friction and allowing extreme speeds. However, the project is hugely…

Influencers linked to the online “manosphere” are persuading healthy young men that normal changes in energy, mood or libido signal low testosterone, according to a study in Social Science and Medicine. Researchers analysed popular posts on TikTok and Instagram, finding testosterone testing and treatment were often framed as essential to masculinity, despite routine screening being medically unnecessary for most young men. The lead author, Emma Grundtvig Gram of the University of Copenhagen, said normal life experiences were being portrayed as medical problems, driving demand for tests and supplements with little proven benefit. Experts warned this “medicalisation of masculinity” risks unnecessary…