The new song, Semper Supra, is set to a jaunty tune, but critics say its lyrics are ‘verbal word salad’Space Force, the sixth and newest branch of the US military, unveiled its official song on Tuesday amid a less than stellar critical response.As one website dedicated to covering America’s armed forces put it: “It’s not a banger.” Continue...

The analysis is based on 489 studies of ant populations spanning every continent where the insects liveThe world’s human population is forecast to surpass 8bn in the coming months. Compared with ants, that is a mediocre milestone.Researchers have made the most thorough assessment to date of the global population of ants and the estimated total is a mind-blowing 20 quadrillion of them, or...

It doesn’t just happen to emergency or frontline workers, and can stem from accidents, bullying, and even severe stressThe modern mind is a column where experts discuss mental health issues they are seeing in their workWith no apparent signs of trauma, Kate* is by all appearances a put-together woman in her early 40s: professional, well-spoken, immaculate and confident.When I ask her what has...

Archaeologists say find supports theory that drug was used in burial rituals, possibly to ‘enter ecstatic state’Israeli archaeologists have discovered opium residue in 3,500-year-old pottery pieces, providing evidence to support the theory that the hallucinogenic drug was used in ancient burial rituals.The joint investigation by the Israel Antiquities Authority and Weizmann Institute of...

A week certainly is a long time in monarchy. It was fascinating to see individuals actively changed by this experienceA strange thing has happened since last week, when I wrote about how myself and other social psychologists were studying the crowds of people queuing to watch the ceremonials following the death of Queen Elizabeth – finding out the many reasons and motivations for taking part in...

There are many story angles surrounding childhood cancer, but rarely mentioned is the burden of illness on everyday lifeAs a parent of two young children with a high-risk brain cancer diagnosis, it’s wonderful to see donation drives soar and yellow ribbons promote empathy for my family’s situation during childhood cancer awareness month.However, I’m also acutely attuned to important story...

When parents cast a child into the role of mediator, friend and carer, the wounds are profound. But recovery is possibleI came to research the emotional neglect of children by accident. More than a decade ago, I wrote my master’s thesis on the relationship between the personal and professional lives of psychotherapists. How did they manage to keep the distress they heard in their clinics from...

Whether it’s organic or psychosomatic or something in between, multiple chemical sensitivity can cause chronic illness, and its sufferers often feel abandonedSharon calls herself a universal reactor. In the 1990s, she became allergic to the world, to the mould colonising her home and the paint coating her kitchen walls, but also deodorants, soaps and anything containing plastic. Public spaces...

Against a backdrop of a cost of living crisis caused in part by soaring energy prices, the UK’s new prime minister, Liz Truss, appointed MP Jacob Rees-Mogg as secretary of state for business and energy. In this role, Rees-Mogg will have to tackle these issues while being responsible for the UK’s legally binding target of net zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050. It is a goal he has previously...

The rate of syphilis cases has hit its highest in three decades as officials work on new solutions such as at-home test kitsSharply rising cases of some sexually transmitted diseases, including a 26% rise in new syphilis infections reported last year, are prompting US health officials to call for new prevention and treatment efforts.“It is imperative that we ... work to rebuild, innovate, and...