14 articles from SATURDAY 3.12.2022

Beyond beliefs: does religious faith lead to a happier, healthier life?

The stress-reducing, life-extending benefits of religion can offer useful strategies even for non-believers, say scientistsIn his Pensées, published posthumously in 1670, the French philosopher Blaise Pascal appeared to establish a foolproof argument for religious commitment, which he saw as a kind of bet. If the existence of God was even minutely possible, he claimed, then the potential gain was...

Earthshot fund gives £1m to UK scientists fighting climate crisis

Scientists who have replaced plastic packaging with seaweed among those to be given prize by Prince of WalesScientists who have replaced plastic packaging with seaweed are among those who have been given a £1m prize by the Prince of Wales’s Earthshot fund.The prize is aimed at rewarding innovative solutions to tackle the climate and biodiversity emergencies, and is named after former US...

New U.S. law promises to light up marijuana research

It just got easier for U.S. scientists to get their hands on some pot—for research, that is. President Joe Biden today signed into law a bill that streamlines access to marijuana for medical research. The new law is expected to speed the issuance of government permits to scientists who want to study cannabis, whose medicinal promise has been widely touted but...