Liam Demafelix
Reporting from the TSR newsroom.
Writing essays with AI? It lowers your brain activity by 55%, study shows
A study has found that relying on artificial intelligence (AI) assistants such as ChatGPT may reduce brain activity during writing tasks and contribute to what researchers call a lasting “cognitive debt.” The neuroimaging study, led by Nataliya Kosmyna and published on arXiv, used…
Pope to be operated on for lump on lung
Pope Leo XIV on Sunday announced he would have an operation “in the coming days” for a lump on his lung, saying it had been located “at a very early stage”. “During recent medical checks, a nodule on my lung was found. It has been detected at a very early stage and is very localised,” the…
Wait, what? Oh no: Being forgetful is a sign of intelligence study says, but when should you worry?
Living in a fast-paced world, people often react to forgetfulness with frustration and panic. However, a neuroscientific study published in the journal Neuron suggests that occasional forgetfulness is not necessarily a cognitive flaw. Instead, it may be part of how the brain optimizes memory and…
Marcos’ net satisfaction ratings drops to ‘poor’ in latest SWS survey
President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s net satisfaction rating fell to “poor” from “neutral” in the third-quarter survey of the Social Weather Stations (SWS). Marcos’ net satisfaction rating dropped to -11 in September 2026 from -7 in June, according to the survey. The SWS said 35% of adult Filipinos…
Saudi says three dead in airport attacks claimed by Houthis
Saudi authorities said Wednesday three people were killed in attacks on two of the kingdom’s international airports, including in the capital Riyadh, after Yemen’s Houthis claimed to have fired on both transport hubs. The Iran-backed Houthis have claimed a wave of attacks on Saudi civilian…
Looking for Nemo? Climate change threatens clownfish to near extinction — study
Clownfish dad Marlin cannot afford to lose his only son, Nemo. But in reality, their species is slowly disappearing due to climate change. Could they one day become a distant memory from a movie? In a study published in npj Biodiversity, an international research team led by scientists from King…
‘2026 is the new 1789’: French students take school anger to Paris streets
As drums pounded and chants rang out, 16-year-old Yanis, flanked by a knot of friends, rattled off why he had joined tens of thousands surging through the streets of Paris on Tuesday to demand better learning conditions. “There are no toilets, no toilet paper, everything is broken,” he said, his…
Ready, set, snooze: Sleep-deprived Japanese compete for best-rested
In diligent, exhausted Japan, self-described elite “competitive sleepers” vied to lie down, relax and nap the fastest and deepest in a contest organised by a mattress company. The Tokyo competition, dubbed “Matt Race”, saw dozens of participants fitted with sleep tracking devices sprawl on comfy…
Magellan may have reached the Philippines because of El Niño — without knowing it: study
Portuguese explorer Ferdinand Magellan may have reached the Philippines in 1521 because of El Niño, without him or his fellow voyagers knowing it. A 2021 study by Dr. Scott Fitzpatrick of North Carolina State University and Dr. Richard Callaghan of the University of Calgary examined Magellan’s…
US luxury spending slows ahead of midterms, credit card data shows
US credit card spending on luxury brands fell for a third consecutive month in September, retail lender Citi said on Tuesday, signalling further weakness in the industry’s biggest market as the US heads into the November 3 midterm elections. Buffeted by prolonged weakness in China and the…
More than one teaspoon of salt increases risk of heart diseases, stroke — WHO
Cardiovascular diseases remain the world’s leading cause of death—not only in the Philippines—the World Health Organization (WHO) said. According to the WHO, cardiovascular diseases claim an estimated 17.9 million lives each year, with excessive salt intake identified as one of the key…
Starbucks sued over ‘sugar-free’ claims for protein beverages
Starbucks has been sued by consumers who said the coffee chain falsely advertised eight protein beverages as “sugar-free” because they contain lactose, a naturally occurring sugar in milk. According to a proposed class action filed on Friday, reasonable consumers would not expect the beverages…
Drinking one diet soda a day increases the risk of developing type 2 diabetes by 38% — Australian study
Diet soda, often seen as a safer alternative to sugar-sweetened drinks, may not be as harmless as many consumers believe. A study led by Robel Hussen Kabthymer and a team of Australian scientists found that drinking one artificially sweetened beverage per day is linked to a 38% higher risk of…
Lack of sleep linked to shorter life expectancy — study
A study has found that insufficient sleep may shorten a person’s lifespan, emerging as a key predictor of longevity compared to other lifestyle factors. The research, published in the journal SLEEP Advances by scientists from Oregon Health & Science University (OHSU), identified a direct…
Indian pilot hailed as ‘hero’ after cockpit struggle
Indian pilot Smit Machchhar was hailed as a “hero” on Thursday after fighting to retain control of a Dubai-Tel Aviv flight when his co-pilot allegedly attacked him, leaving him wounded but helping avert disaster. But for friends and neighbours in the Mumbai suburb where his parents live, the…