Thursday, May 14, 2026

The largest-ever survey of physicists from around the world shows little consensus on fundamental questions in physics, with even the standard model of cosmology (ΛCDM) failing to achieve majority support, possibly influenced by Dark Energy Spectroscopic Instrument results suggesting dark energy may change over time.^[1]

A long-term study of more than 130,000 participants found that drinking two to three cups of coffee daily was associated with up to 35% lower risk of dementia, with researchers suggesting caffeine may help reduce inflammation and harmful plaque buildup associated with Alzheimer's disease.^[2]

U.S. drug overdose deaths fell nearly 14% in 2025 to approximately 70,000, marking the third consecutive year of declines and the longest sustained decrease in decades, with the total returning to pre-pandemic 2019 levels.^[3]

A Japanese company making robot wolves with flashing red eyes and menacing sounds is being overwhelmed with orders after record bear attacks killed 13 people in 2025-2026, with the firm already receiving 50 orders this year—more than a typical full year's volume.^[4]

French prosecutors have demanded a seven-year prison sentence for former President Nicolas Sarkozy in his appeal against conviction for accepting illegal campaign contributions from late Libyan dictator Muammar Gaddafi.^[5]

France lifted a precautionary lockdown on a cruise ship in Bordeaux after determining that 80 cases of stomach illness were caused by a common gastroenteritis bug, not the hantavirus that affected the MV Hondius, and that a 92-year-old passenger's death was from a heart attack unrelated to the outbreak.^[6]