Could your genes influence the gut microbiome of others?
Peer-Reviewed Publication
Updates every hour. Last Updated: 18-Dec-2025 05:11 ET (18-Dec-2025 10:11 GMT/UTC)
A new study has found that the microbial communities making up the gastrointestinal tract of rats are shaped by the genes of their social partners. The findings could have implications for human health.
Researchers have developed the first scientifically validated ‘personality test’ framework for popular AI chatbots, and have shown that chatbots not only mimic human personality traits, but their ‘personality’ can be reliably tested and precisely shaped – raising implications for AI safety and ethics.
Nicotine is toxic to the heart and blood vessels, regardless of whether it is consumed via a vape, a pouch, a shisha or a cigarette, according to an expert consensus report published in the European Heart Journal. The report brings together the results of the entire literature in the field and is the first to consider the harms of all nicotine products, rather than smoking only. The authors of the report are calling for urgent action to curb the growing number of adolescents and young people becoming addicted to nicotine, particularly a ban on flavours and social media and influencer advertising, and effective taxation and regulation across all nicotine products.