Mathematician reveals why humans keep turning into cannibals ScienceAlert (Chuck L)
The Secret Life of Insects JSTOR (Micael T)
The Myth of Medieval Childhood Work in Progress (Micael T)
Up close and personal: How music was heard in the art of listening in the 18th century (Michael T.)
The number of words we speak every day seems to be decreasing by more than 300 every year. Some researchers blame the Internet. Some blame the decline of small, everyday interactions with strangers. https://t.co/j6OWM14q8k
— New Yorker (@NewYorker) July 23, 2026
About sampling bias Chris Dillow (Micael T)
Decline in the Communication of Scientific Ideas NBER (resilc)
The science of not dying from drugs Playboy (resilc)
First study directly links body fat deposition to brain aging ScienceAlert (Chuck L)
Climate/Environment
Earth is heating faster than ever before in history, new scientist says
Super El Niño forecast approaches record strength as signs of severe weather appear in winter 2026/2027 Europe
El Niño, post-war price shock worsens plight of Asia’s rice belt Bloomberg
Trump allies make Republican pitch on sunscreen technology EENews
China?
From the weekend, there is still a close relationship:
🇨🇳🇪🇺The EU 🇷🇺sanctions 14 Chinese and Hong Kong companies over trade with Russia👉In response, China blacklisted 14 EU companies and institutions.
‼ ️Answers came within 24 hours — Complete ban on exports of consumer products, high-tech materials, and rare earth materials originating from China
Prohibition is… pic.twitter.com/fWDac7UDHv
— Lord Bebo (@MyLordBebo) July 26, 2026
China takes on SpaceX in satellite competition at sea Asia Times (Kevin W)
China hits back in AI controversy, claims US AI companies plagiarize Chinese models The Register
New CGD note: Beyond Belt and Road: Responding to the evolution of China’s infrastructure financing.
China has largely given up on financing publicly owned infrastructure. pic.twitter.com/h6iHyejsxM
— Charles Kenny (@charlesjkenny) July 27, 2026
As the US plunges the Middle East into turmoil, Oman is leaning towards China – Responsible State Strategy (resilc)
Japan
As the prime minister embarks on a huge spending spree, can Japan avoid a Liz Truss-like shock? guardian
Japan promotes Pacific rare earths following deep-sea discovery of BNE
South Korea
Rival South Korea competes to build nuclear submarines Financial Times
India
‘This is just the beginning’: India’s Gen Z protesters force out minister, but what next? BBC
India’s Cockroach Movement threatens to resume protests after mass student arrests Guardian (resilc)
Africa
Sudanese civil war: civilians used as ‘human shields’ DW
Promises of Niger coup fade as uncertainty and hardship persist amid political gridlock Eastleigh Voice
Why the conflict in northern Mali has entered a dangerous new phase Al Jazeera
south of the border
‘We count every liter’: how Cuba’s energy crisis sparked daily struggles over water Guardian
discord in europe
Free speech is slowly dying in Europe Forvm Geopolitica (Michael T)
France, Germany seek big car, ‘Made in Europe’ deals Politic
France and Spain are bracing for more heatwaves as wildfires rage, the Financial Times reported. lead story.
‘Conflict zone’: Aerial photos reveal the devastation of Bordeaux’s massive wildfires, with officials claiming they may still be burning in the Daily Mail in November. lead story.
‘They are doomed without us’: Volunteers save fish from French rivers dried up by heatwave Guardian
French firefighters face ‘photocumulonimbus cloud’ for the first time France24 (Rolf A)
70% of Germans do not believe the army can protect the country – YouGov poll RT (Robin K)
old blighty
UK power grid weakens due to heatwave Bloomberg
“Rather than go to the trouble of growing anything, it might be better to leave the farm empty.” BBC
Mr Burnham to tell UK schools to adapt education to suit local business needs Guardian (Kevin W). God forbid that schools produce students who can think independently.
israel vs resistance
It was a dog that saved Hussein Hamzeh from a bomb. When the war resumed, he stayed to take care of animals in Lebanon.Guardian (resilc)
Human Rights Watch has no Palestine researchers (out of 500!). Because the entire “Israel/Palestine” team quit because they were fed up with the censorship of the report. https://t.co/bmj234Di8Q
— Zoe Brown (@receipts_lol) July 25, 2026
In an anguished voice, the Palestinian described how Israeli forces bombed his bookstore in Gaza City three times in a row. pic.twitter.com/3lyPoMrpSA
— Rami Abdul | رامي عبده (@RamAbdu) July 26, 2026
Israeli crackdown intensifies in occupied West Bank as settlers cause mayhem on Al Jazeera
Is the War Department hiding the true scale of U.S. military casualties?Larry Johnson
In 1978, when Iran was trembling on the brink of revolution, Michel Foucault arrived not as a tourist or a diplomat, but as a theorist looking for confirmation. The French philosopher, famous for his analysis of power, discourse, and the hidden mechanisms of Western institutions, traveled… pic.twitter.com/DnQByZ4KQ1
— Archaeo – History (@archeohistories) July 26, 2026
syrakistan
Iraq faces deepening financial crisis as parliament warns government may borrow money to pay salaries Bus News
Thousands march in Pakistan-ruled Kashmir amid election uncertainty Al Jazeera
Kuwait ratifies landmark defense deal with Pakistan Sputnik (Kevin W)
A new war that’s not so cold war
As Putin’s rhetoric heats up Simplicius, regime gloats over Ukraine’s shift to civilian targets
A closer look at the July war: Events in Ukraine
Turkiye is preparing to blackmail Russia from Vuzglade in the northwest through machine translation (Michael T.). Oops!
Russian-Ukrainian trade attack kills 10 people, including children, in Chernihiv Al-Jazeera
EU allows free sale of seized Russian oil
The European Union has approved a mechanism that would allow seized Russian oil to be sold without compulsory compensation payments to former owners. The corresponding decision was officially announced… pic.twitter.com/5zFUfbQO5l
— 𝕊𝕡𝕣𝕚𝕟𝕥𝕖𝕣 𝕻𝕣𝕖𝕤𝕤 (@SprinterPress) July 27, 2026
Russia announces extension of ban on gasoline exports until the end of 2026 Anadolu Agency
Some of President Putin’s words to Congressman Karl Sanchez
North Korea sending 30,000 troops to Russia is a “win-win”, analyst South China Morning Post reported. Note that Alexander Mercouris is not convinced that this is happening and is rather blackmailed by Zelensky. However, he acknowledged that this is good for North Korea and not bad for Russia.
big brother is watching over you
Many people’s Claude chats have been published online, including some extremely private content.
imperial collapse watch
Asia will destroy US hegemony in the Pacific. End of partnership | Professor Jomo Kwame Sundaram’s Neutrality Research, YouTube (Robin K). Great talk about international developments, BRICS, East Asia, the questionable outlook for Southeast Asia, the impact of the Iran war, etc.
We’ve all seen the old Harvard entrance exams, but what about the 1878 British Indian Civil Service Entrance Examination? pic.twitter.com/0Obl3wiGds
— Peter Garicano (@pietergaricano) July 24, 2026
Ron Paul talks about silver linings in Trump’s Iran debacle Antiwar.com (resilc)
A tale of moral conflict: Karim Khan and Delcy Rodriguez Craig Murray (Lucy K.)
US slams France at UN conference over ally’s criticism of US human rights record Associated Press (Kevin W)
US Patriot missiles are already a huge failure: Cheap new PAC-3 ACE variant may be nearly useless as a military watch
Trump 2.0
Republican senators warn that confidence in Hegseth is being eroded as Iran war drags on
Trump administration asks hospitals to share emergency treatment records KFF Health News (Kevin W)
President Trump’s data center upgrades are a gift to Democrats MS Now
Saudi Arabia is staring down President Trump’s whiplash over the nuclear deal. Bwahahaha
President Trump selling early access to his truthful social posts to Wall Street is ethically objectionable but may be legal Mike Hiltzik, Los Angeles Times
What do voters in each Congressional district think about Trump?Immigration? Midterm exam? G. Elliott Morris
immigration
White House calls for veteran to replace truck driver who lost license in crackdown Associated Press (Robin K.)
customs duty
President Trump’s Tariff Addiction by Wolfgang Munhau, Anhard
Our press is no longer free
“Worst media scandal of my life” Adam Elmalek was a reporter for the LA Times.
He received death threats after refusing to believe the story about 40 decapitated babies and refusing to accept other stories without scrutiny. He was also criticized in the newsroom as follows… pic.twitter.com/oVB5xj63Rt
— William Peynsaert (@PeynsaertBill) July 27, 2026
economy
Japan and China’s roles are declining, but who is now funding America’s budget deficit? IDN
Japan supports overseas oil pipelines to reduce Hormuz-dependent crude oil prices. resilc: “Drones and missiles are useless now.”
Iran war hits airlines again as US jet fuel costs soar Oil prices
Everything You Think You Know About Economics Is Wrong Steve Keene (Chuck L.)
Mr. Market should be more worried.
Just in 🚨: South Korean stocks plummet by nearly 11%, third-biggest loss in history 📉 📉 pic.twitter.com/QIZWlRMSjO
— Barchart (@Barchart) July 28, 2026
Why is #KOSPI crashing and why is it driving down Nasdaq and silver?
The KOSPI has fallen by more than 8%, but South Korea itself is not the root cause. Selling has been concentrated in the global AI semiconductor sector.
Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix have come together… pic.twitter.com/acHOTr0ToT
— TheApeOfGoldStreet (@TheApeOfGoldST) July 28, 2026
Nasdaq futures fall as chips continue to fall, but strong earnings support other markets: Live Update CNBC
Flood of big tech debt takes over market risks: Credit Weekly Bloomberg
The U.S. bond market hasn’t been this calm since the dot-com bust and the financial crisis. History warns of a rude awakening Market Watch
NYSE Margin Debt Soars to Historic Levels SeekingAlpha
A.I.
I saw a post on Reddit that said, “The fundamental purpose of AI is to remove the ability to access wealth from the skilled, while giving the wealthy access to skills.” I don’t think I’ve ever seen AI explained so sharply.
— ً (@omgsidewalks) July 26, 2026
Is it too cynical to think that if Nvidia didn’t subsidize everything might fall apart? 🤔 https://t.co/GkkbkFDiWw
— Gary Marcus (@GaryMarcus) July 27, 2026
The AI bubble is bigger than ever, and the cracks are starting to show for alpha.
Cyclical lending is not what it used to be Gary Marcus
OpenAI advertising is failing and cannot survive without advertising. Ed Zitron Tech Report, YouTube
AI companies are spending record amounts lobbying the Financial Times in Washington. What a surprise!
Prove you’re human: AI, Chinese illustrators, and becoming tokenizable ChinaTalk
class war
The Global South is forced to choose its creditors over its children Al Jazeera
Taxpayers spend about $2 billion a year on Medicaid for Amazon and Walmart employees
Are you a jerk or a sucker? The New York Times. About the American Dream.
America’s big cities are rapidly losing children The Wall Street Journal
“Cold as Ice”: A Cleveland family’s heat wave hustle Signal (Carla R)
Antidote (via):
And bonus (Robin K):
It’s just cold..🦆🐾😍 pic.twitter.com/9cFCDHa4yb
— 𝕐o̴g̴ (@Yoda4ever) July 25, 2026
Second bonus (Robin K):
Rescued a family of raccoons that escaped into a utility pole during the flood! pic.twitter.com/j0KXRJY60c
— Cat coverage (@5chmatme) July 26, 2026
And third:
Bull sees a show jumping horse and decides he can do it too. pic.twitter.com/7SWUdVrtG0
— Nature Unedited (@NatureUnedited) July 26, 2026
Click here for yesterday’s link and Antidote du Jour.
