September 2026
All columns and Brief analyses.
10 results
Perilla leaf extract lengthened the lives of laboratory worms
In a peer-reviewed laboratory study, extract from perilla leaves lengthened the lives of Caenorhabditis elegans worms and reduced their fat storage. Researchers also examined heat and oxidative stress resistance and markers linked to insulin signalling. These findings come from one worm model, with no demonstrated effect on human longevity or weight.
Saudi Arabia seeks views on new conditions for foreign-market trades
Saudi Arabia's Capital Market Authority opened proposed conditions for domestic financial institutions handling client trades in foreign markets to public comment. The draft covers suitability checks and would require clients to provide at least 50 per cent of the value of financed trades. Comments are due by October 27. The provisions could affect brokers and their clients, but they remain proposals rather than rules already in force.
Some Gemini shoppers in India see a Flipkart Buy button
Some shoppers in India now see a Buy button on selected Flipkart products inside Gemini and AI Mode. It opens a Flipkart-branded checkout without leaving the AI interface, but the test covers only some users and products. The trial moves Google’s shopping assistant from finding products toward completing purchases, while a broader October release remains a plan reported by one person familiar with the test.
South Korea expects more than 50 trillion won above its tax forecast
South Korea is expected to collect more than 50 trillion won above the tax forecast it raised in April. Strong semiconductor earnings are expected to feed into corporate-tax payments that are not yet reflected in collections through July. The finance ministry is due to publish an updated forecast on Wednesday; the size of the excess and its eventual use remain unsettled. Collections from January through July were 274 trillion won, 41.4 trillion won more than a year earlier.
Students interrupt NVIDIA climate panel over data centers and Israel ties
At New York Climate Week, students interrupted a discussion of AI and climate change involving NVIDIA sustainability executive Josh Parker. They challenged the environmental impact of data centers and raised allegations about the company's Israel-related business. Their intervention brought both objections directly to a company representative at a public climate event. The students' allegations remain their assertions, without independent verification of the underlying emissions or business claims.
Supersonic Labs puts Julia 1 decisions on a local CPU
Supersonic Labs has released Julia 1, a small open model that chooses among answers supplied by an application instead of drafting a reply. It can run on a CPU, giving teams a local option for classification and routing. The developer's own tests show that the route becomes less reliable when a long list of similar banking labels must first be narrowed.
Swiss neutrality vote puts Russia sanctions and NATO ties on the ballot
Swiss voters are deciding whether to write a stricter definition of armed neutrality into their constitution. The proposal would restrict cooperation with military alliances and generally bar sanctions on belligerent states unless required by the UN. The government and parliament oppose it, arguing that it would narrow their room to respond to threats. Both a nationwide voter majority and a cantonal majority are needed; the final result was still pending.
Swiss voters reject tighter neutrality rules by 70.2 percent
Swiss voters rejected a proposal to put stricter neutrality rules in the constitution, with 70.2 percent voting no and no canton approving it. The measure would have restricted sanctions against countries at war without UN approval and limited cooperation with military alliances. Its defeat leaves the current room for government decisions on sanctions and security partnerships intact; it does not itself change Swiss neutrality.
Synthesia gives a journalist a talking likeness bound to one story
Synthesia made an interactive likeness of TechCrunch reporter Dominic-Madori Davis after photographing her and recording a short voice sample at its New York office. It answers questions about one of her investigations and redirects other questions to that story. The trial shows how a familiar face and voice can front a narrowly bounded conversation, while Davis's family found that the likeness could not answer personal questions.
Synthetic criminology data kept 18 of 20 experimental effects close
A new criminology study generated synthetic responses for a survey experiment about profanity in police workplaces. In five models, 18 of 20 treatment coefficients remained within two original standard errors of the original estimates. The result offers a way to run and inspect code on restricted research data, while leaving the original observations unverified and disclosure risks to assess.