What happened
Researchers at the University of Minnesota have developed a laboratory-made synthetic cell capable of carrying out many of the activities associated with living organisms, including feeding, growing, dividing and competing for nutrients.

Nicknamed “SpudCell” because of its potato-like shape and in tribute to the pioneering Sputnik spacecraft, the artificial cell contains just 36 genes and is assembled from proteins, genetic material and other chemical components rather than originating from an existing organism.

Who said what
“Life is not binary,” said lead researcher Dr Kate Adamala, while clarifying that she was reluctant to describe the cells as fully alive.

This is certainly “not life in the full, familiar sense”, said The Times’s science editor Rhys Blakely. However, it appears to mark the first time that basic processes associated with living cells have been demonstrated in an entity that, in Adamala’s words, was “built rather than born”.

Researcher Dr John Glass described the achievement as “dazzling”. “We’re going to remember this moment,” said Dr Roseanna Zia, a computational biologist who was not involved in the project.

What next?
The team of experts has established a non-profit organisation to expand the technology, encourage open collaboration and develop more advanced synthetic cells with additional characteristics of living organisms. The group also intends to establish safeguards against any future misuse of the research.

What happened
Canada will take part in next year’s Eurovision Song Contest, organisers have announced.

While it mark the first time that the country has appeared, Quebec-born Celine Dion (pictured above) represented Switzerland in the 1988 contest and won with her song “Ne Partez Pas Sans Moi”.

Who said what
Canada “becomes the first new country to join since Australia in 2015”, said the BBC. Its entry into the competition comes after “a turbulent year where long-standing competitors such as Ireland and Spain pulled out over Israel’s participation”.

Commenting before the news was confirmed, The New York Times said “it would be seen as both a sign of Eurovision’s increasing global ambitions and Canada’s desire to align itself more with Europe”, particularly “as its relations with the United States are strained under the Trump administration”.

What next?
Next year’s contest will be held in Sofia. It remains unclear whether the countries who boycotted this year’s event will participate in 2027.

Desperate to soothe symptoms caused by unbalanced hormones, women are turning to a TikTok trend that recommends combining allergy medication and antacids to treat conditions like PMS or menopause. Despite a lack of clinical evidence, experts say there may be a reason that the cocktail is helping some keep persistent symptoms at bay.

Those who feel “extra rotten in the days leading up to their period” are finding relief with this TikTok-approved concoction, said NPR.

To date, there have not been any clinical trials testing the safety or efficacy of this trend. Those who are using the combo are operating in an “evidence-free zone”, Dr Leigh Frame, the executive director of the Office of Integrative Medicine & Health at George Washington University, told NPR. There is “no evidence that it does or doesn’t work”.

However, experts agree that there is a “plausible biological mechanism” for why some women may be seeing benefits, added NPR. It has to do with histamine, a chemical released when you come into contact with an allergen, triggering an inflammatory response. There is evidence that suggests “histamine also fluctuates with your menstrual cycle”. And both allergy medications and antacids are histamine blockers that interact with different receptors throughout the body, Dr Mara Rivera, a psychiatrist who specialises in reproductive health challenges, told NPR.

Experts are not against open discussion and the sharing of symptoms and potential remedies over social media. It is “great that we are asking these questions and bringing up these ideas” because we “desperately need more research into midlife women’s health”, gynecologist Dr Amy Voedisch told Everyday Health.