Science Codex

After a meteoric rise to the top ranks of British academia, scholar Jason Arday was found dead at his London home on Aug. 14, 2026. Arday had spent weeks fighting plagiarism accusations. The way they took on a life of their own in the media ecosystem is a stark reminder of the steep price people can pay in a culture that has made originality a kind of moral virtue.

Jason Arday’s death at 41 came only days after his resignation from the University of Cambridge. He had been facing intense scrutiny of his academic record and allegations of plagiarism. Arday’s story had also become fodder for the ongoing accusation by some critics that universities pursuing racial diversity do so at the risk of compromising academic merit.

Women reported feeling more attached to an animal and receiving more socio-emotional support from it - but that doesn't mean there was improved overall wellbeing. The data were Swiss women and because everyone who spent time with animals reported greater attachment, the belief that pet ownership benefits owners’ health remains unconfirmed.

People with ‘problematic’ levels of Internet use report being more stressed out, having worse moods, and are less likely to do things like go ourside for recreation than those who regard things like social media as a pleasant diversion.They also reported stronger urges to return after a time away, classic addictive behavior..

A recent paper tackled a mystery that has puzzled scientists for years;  how the world’s only winged mammals carry viruses that cause severe disease while rarely becoming seriously ill themselves? One prominent lab that studied them was in Wuhan, China, but they took their database of coronavirus samples offline in late 2019 so scientists in the rest of the world are stuck redoing a lot to try and figure out how it happens.

On August 12, Europe – in particular the Iberian peninsula – will look to the sky to witness a historic solar eclipse. We already know when it will begin, how long it will last, and what part of the sun will be hidden behind the moon. Apps on our phones allow us to calculate the exact moment of greatest darkness, and recommend the best places to see it. But throughout much of human history, eclipses were far more than an astronomical curiosity.

If you want to find water on the moon, look for the vibrations. A new study says that seismic waves—the same kind of vibrations measured during earthquakes—could be used to locate and map ice buried beneath the lunar surface. The team’s findings come as NASA’s Artemis program is targeting the moon’s south polar region for crewed landings in 2028, and water ice hidden in the deep, frozen shadows of polar craters is considered one of the most valuable resources an astronaut can find.

Cadmium contamination in agricultural soil threatens food safety if plants absorb it in high quantity and it enters the food chain. A new study shows that combining biochar from pomelo branches with fertilizer could help convert cadmium into less mobile forms, with larger organic molecules generally providing stronger protection.

Australian universities will have to adopt their own definitions of racism as of next year. This includes antisemitism, Islamophobia and racism towards First Nations people. It is to make complaints easier and clearer, and enhance safety and inclusion on campus. But according to the new rules, introduced by the federal government this week, universities will not have to adopt any specific definitions.

It’s almost midnight when the phone buzzes – a client text, a comment that needs a reply, a trend that will be stale by morning. For the people who run brand accounts on social media, the workday never really ends. We’re marketing researchers who study digital and social media wellness and teach the students who go on to fill these jobs.