Since March 2022, the global community has been negotiating a global plastics treaty within the framework of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) – but no agreement has been reached so far. From 5 to 14 August, the next round of negotiations in Geneva (Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee (INC) 5.2) will make another attempt to reach a legally binding agreement aimed at ending global plastic pollution. Plastic pollution harms not only the environment and human health but also the climate. Environmental chemist Prof. Dr Annika Jahnke and ecotoxicologist Dr Dana Kühnel from the Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research (UFZ) are advocating cooperation between the scientific, regulatory, industrial, and civil society sectors in order to achieve far-reaching improvements in pollution levels as quickly as possible. Within the INC 5.2 negotiations, they will support the “Scientists’ Coalition for an Effective Plastics Treaty” and the German delegation.

Did you know that over 80% of people worldwide have irregular sleep habits? These sleep issues don’t just leave us feeling tired — they affect our health, focus, and quality of life. Now, a new sleep algorithm developed by a team of Korean researchers is aiming to change that. And it’s available on Samsung Galaxy smartwatches around the world, including the newly launched Galaxy Watch8 series.

The personalized sleep guide, created by Professor Jae Kyoung Kim’s research team at KAIST and the Institute for Basic Science (IBS), doesn’t just tell you how long you slept. It actually recommends the best time for you to go to bed — helping you build healthy sleep habits and feel more refreshed every day.

What makes it special? Unlike most sleep features that focus only on the past (“You slept six hours last night”), this algorithm looks ahead. Using mathematical models and your body’s circadian rhythm, it suggests a personalized “sleep window” — like “Going to bed between 11:10 PM and 11:40 PM is ideal for you tonight.”

The University of Copenhagen is excited to announce Repair Biotechnologies as a Tier 3 Sponsor of the 12th Aging Research & Drug Discovery Meeting, the world's largest conference on aging research in the biopharmaceutical industry that will transpire on August 25 - August 29, 2025 on-site at the Ceremonial Hall, University of Copenhagen, and online.