More or Less

Experts including former NASA administrator Sean O'Keefe warn that while being struck by falling space debris is currently less likely than a lightning strike, those odds are shifting as more objects reenter the atmosphere. They argue governments and companies should be required to use materials that fully burn up on reentry.

Yale Medicine is addressing a common health question: whether people can develop lactose intolerance later in life, even after years of drinking milk without problems. The answer is yes — lactose intolerance can develop with age as the body produces less of the lactase enzyme. The topic is drawing broad interest from people noticing new digestive symptoms after consuming dairy.

Tech companies are introducing soft, friendly mascots as a way to soften public unease about artificial intelligence. The Wall Street Journal reports that firms are pairing powerful AI products with approachable characters designed to make the technology feel less intimidating. Critics and commentators are weighing in on whether the playful branding genuinely addresses concerns over AI's impact on jobs, privacy and society, or simply papers over them with cute imagery.

A study published in Nature examines how traffic speed and different acoustic environments shape perception and perceived mental workload for people using virtual reality. Researchers found that both the pace of traffic and surrounding sound conditions influenced how users perceived their virtual surroundings and how much cognitive effort tasks demanded, offering insight for designing more realistic and less demanding VR environments.

New reporting says warming oceans are reshaping plankton communities, which could leave fish with less nutritious food. As sea temperatures rise, the mix of plankton species shifts, potentially reducing the nutritional quality available to fish higher up the marine food chain. Scientists warn this could have cascading effects on fisheries and ocean ecosystems, though the full extent of the impact remains under study.

A discussion around UK travel habits points to figures showing personal income explains roughly 18% of the variance in whether people fly, while concern about climate change accounts for less than 1%. Commenters note the irony that flying contributes heavily to emissions, yet wealth, not environmental attitudes, drives the decision. Some argue worsening climate impacts such as water shortages and extreme heat may push the issue higher up the agenda.

Elon Musk has responded to criticism by stating that SpaceX's revenue from the US government will account for less than 5% of its total in the fourth quarter. The claim pushes back against suggestions that the company is heavily dependent on federal contracts, and is drawing attention to the growing role of commercial revenue in SpaceX's business.

A new essay on the Autodidacts blog argues that 'vibecoding' — letting AI tools generate code from natural-language prompts — is less satisfying than writing code by hand. The piece taps into an ongoing debate among programmers over whether AI-assisted development erodes the craft and enjoyment of coding.

Amazon's October Prime Day event is underway, and shoppers are hunting for bargains that cost less than $25. Roundups of the best cheap deals are circulating, covering discounted gadgets, accessories and everyday essentials. Bargain hunters are sharing which small-ticket items are actually worth grabbing before the sale ends.

Australian inflation figures have climbed within 24 hours of the Reserve Bank of Australia's closely watched interest rate decision, which was widely described as a harsh call for borrowers. The timing of the new data has intensified debate about whether the central bank misjudged price pressures and what it means for households facing higher costs and mortgage repayments.

Fortune reports that large companies struggling to see returns on their AI investments may be focusing on the wrong thing. The argument: success depends less on choosing the most advanced models and more on the people and processes around them — training staff, redesigning workflows, and integrating AI into how teams actually work. The piece adds to ongoing debate about why enterprise AI spending has yet to deliver clear payoffs.

Teachers in the Bellefonte Area School District in Pennsylvania could walk off the job within days, according to regional reporting from WPSU. The potential strike is less than a week away, though details of the outstanding issues and any last-minute negotiations remain unclear. A walkout would disrupt classes for students across the district.

The Wall Street Journal examines why the Federal Reserve's forward guidance remains so influential, even as officials try to communicate less explicitly about future rate moves. The piece argues that decades of central-bank hand-holding have conditioned investors to parse every word from policymakers, making a transition to less prescriptive messaging difficult without unsettling markets.