Kate Middleton’s sweet exchange with smart children: ‘Kind of’
Princess Kate, who returned to royal work last week following a summer break with her and Prince William’s three children, got real with a group of students in an unexpected exchange on Thursday.
The Princess of Wales smartly responded to the school girls who were less than thrilled to be back to school after the summer break.
The 43-year-old shared a clever comeback in conversation with a group of pupils as she left Sudbury Silk Mills in Sudbury, Suffolk.
“Nice to meet you. What school have you come from? Thank you for waiting. I saw you when I came in, and I wanted to say hello, because you have been waiting very patiently, I gather, have you?” Princess Catherine said in fan footage shared to Instagram.
The royal continued: “Thank you for coming to say hi. Is it nice being back at school?”
“No,” the student said in unison. “No!” Kate exclaimed, which made the girls laugh.
“That must have meant you had a really good holiday,” the Princess of Wales sweetly suggested.
“Kind of,” one student said, and Kate repeated, “Kind of,” moving to shake hands with other well-wishers in the crowd.
Kate and William are parents to Prince George, 12, Princess Charlotte, 10, and Prince Louis, 7, and all three kids went back to school last week after a summer break.
Temperature-column mass structures for the models of each star. We shade the approximate temperature ranges over which the core and wings of Lyα forms in purple (≈8000–25,000 K for the core, and ≈4000–7500 K for the wings), the actual range of temperatures varies by star and is determined by where the optical depth, τ (λ), equals to one. — astro-ph.SR
Lyman-α (Lyα) is the most prominent ultraviolet emission line in low-mass stars, playing a crucial role in exoplanet atmospheric photochemistry, heating, and escape.
However, interstellar medium (ISM) absorption typically obscures most of the Lyα profile, requiring reconstructions that introduce systematic uncertainties. We present intrinsic Lyα profiles for 12 high radial velocity K and M dwarfs, where Doppler shifting minimizes ISM contamination, allowing direct measurements of ∼50-95% of the line flux. Our sample spans the K-to-M spectral transition, enabling us to constrain the dependence of self-reversals in Lyα emission profiles on effective temperature (Teff).
The depth of self-reversal, driven by non-local thermodynamic equilibrium (LTE) effects, decreases with decreasing Teff, with M dwarfs exhibiting little to none. Two stars, Ross 1044 and Ross 451, were observed over multiple days, revealing ∼20% Lyα variability confined to the line core – implying that studies relying on reconstructions may underestimate temporal variability.
We find strong correlations between Lyα flux, peak-to-trough ratio, and hydrogen departure coefficients with Teff, providing empirical constraints for stellar atmosphere models. A comparison of Lyα flux in the habitable zone shows measured values for high radial velocity stars less than the reconstructed values for the rest of the sample, likely due to the older ages of the high-RV stars and/or overestimated reconstructed fluxes due to model deficiency (e.g., neglecting self-reversal).
Our results establish an empirical foundation for Lyα emission in K and M dwarfs, reducing uncertainties in reconstructions and improving models of stellar UV emission relevant to exoplanetary studies.
Sarah Peacock, Travis S. Barman, R. O. Parke Loyd, Adam C. Schneider, Allison Youngblood, Kenneth G. Carpenter, Evgenya L. Shkolnik
Comments: 21 pages, 11 figures, 3 tables, accepted to ApJ Subjects: Solar and Stellar Astrophysics (astro-ph.SR); Earth and Planetary Astrophysics (astro-ph.EP) Cite as: arXiv:2509.09029 [astro-ph.SR] (or arXiv:2509.09029v1 [astro-ph.SR] for this version) https://doi.org/10.48550/arXiv.2509.09029 Focus to learn more Submission history From: Sarah Peacock [v1] Wed, 10 Sep 2025 21:57:26 UTC (2,080 KB) https://arxiv.org/abs/2509.09029 Astrobiology
After a week essentially devoid of good news, I’m not ashamed to say I am beaming and fist-pumping at the announcement that Netflix has renewed its steamy, conservative-queer-chic drama The Hunting Wives for a second season. While not every prestige TV show needs a multi-season follow-up—I’m looking at you, Season 3 of Big Little Lies, although I will, of course, be seated when it finally comes out—and the plot of The Hunting Wives Season 1 did resolve rather neatly, its mere eight episodes didn’t provide me with nearly enough of Malin Ackerman and her array of bronde wigs.
According to Deadline, Season 2 of the Rebecca Cutter-created show, based on May Cobb’s bestselling novel of the same name, will find Ackerman’s devious Margo and Brittany Snow’s less-innocent-than-she-seems Sophie on the outs, when “soon enough, old secrets and new foes force them back together. As they play their dangerous games the question arises. Are they the hunters or the hunted?”
I have no idea what any of that means, but if it leads us to more Margo-and-Sophie sex scenes in which we get to experience the marvel of Sophie as a femme top, I’m on board! (When I posited that the return of The Hunting Wives might augur the start of “Femme Top Fall,” Vogue’s fashion news editor José Criales-Unzueta responded: “A blouse fall, if you will. Get it? Because blouses are feminine tops…” Well, yes!)
When I asked another Vogue colleague, Elise Taylor, what she wanted to see from Season 2 of The Hunting Wives, her answer was immediate: “More denim and diamonds, baby. I want LOGOMANIA! We know Texas women spend, and I want them in the flashiest outfits possible.” I share Taylor’s desire wholeheartedly. The women of The Hunting Wives don’t actually have to dress well—and, in fact, like the hotel guests on the most recent season of The White Lotus, it’s realistic that they wouldn’t—but they do have to dress capital-B Big. Personally, I’m counting down the days until Netflix once again plunges us deep into the heart of Texas.
Bleach London co-founder and creative director Alex Brownsell met her future husband, songwriter and music producer Fred Appleby Macpherson, over a decade ago, at a friend’s 21st birthday party. “We didn’t have to arrange many dates because it was an era where most of our friends would be in the same three bars every night,” she remembers. “One of the first times we got together we went to McDonald’s and Fred didn’t offer to pay for my Happy Meal, which he reminded me of in his speech.” The couple got engaged in Bulgaria on New Year’s Eve in 2019. “We were on a ski lift and he opened the box upside down about 25 metres above the snow-covered ground,” Alex laughs. “Thankfully it didn’t fall…”
After the pandemic derailed their wedding plans in 2020, it took them another five years to actually walk down the aisle, with the couple having two children in the interim. They settled on September 6, 2025 as their wedding date, and asked Abi Ford for her help with creative, set and floral design (with the couple’s gardener, Jake Tulley, also pitching in on the latter), and Good Times Collective to run the creative production side of things. The ceremony was scheduled to take place at the Henry VII Lady Chapel at Westminster Abbey, but finding a suitable reception venue proved trickier. “Once we discovered the Columbia Hotel, everything else started falling into place,” says Alex. “It’s an amazing building with a slightly The Shining-esque feel that’s been in the same family for generations. Unlike so many hotels in London, it hasn’t been done up to within an inch of its life, and its historical decor is what makes it so unique. Sophie Fresco and her team there were the best hosts we could’ve asked for and really made the wedding perfect.”
Finding a dress that complemented the history of the Abbey and its colour palette was front of mind when Alex was looking for her wedding dress. “I was taken aback when I saw this gold Edwardian lace gown at Jane Bourvis with green detailing on the front,” she shares. “It was the first wedding dress I tried on, and I loved it straight away.” With the first look decided on, she knew she could have a bit more fun experimenting with her party looks. “My second dress was an ’80s ivory silk gown I found via a Canadian seller on Etsy and re-worked a bit, and my third was a custom latex Poster Girl dress, made by my friends Francesca Cappa and Natasha Somerville,” she says. Each dress had different shoes: Manolo Blahnik for her first look, 2010 Marc Jacobs for her second, and vintage transparent Margiela heels from Aro Archive for her third.
Dubai [UAE], September 12 (ANI): Ahead of the high-voltage clash between India and Pakistan in the ongoing T20 Asia Cup on September 14, Indian batting coach Sitanshu Kotak praised wicketkeeper-batsman Sanju Samson, saying he’s versatile enough to bat at any position for India.
Samson’s batting position is uncertain after Shubman Gill’s addition to the squad, as Gill opened alongside Abhishek Sharma in India’s Asia Cup opener against the UAE. Samson, who had previously opened with Sharma, this development adds to the uncertainty around his batting position.
“I think Sanju is a good enough player to bat at any number. So, it will be according to the team’s requirements. The captain and head coach will decide. He is more than happy to bat at any number,” Sitanshu Kotak told the media.
On the India vs Pakistan clash, Kotak states that the players are solely focused on playing cricket and are not concerned with anything else.
“We are here to play. The players are focused on playing cricket, and I don’t think they have anything in mind other than playing. That is what we focus on. It will be a competitive game. The India-Pakistan game is always a competitive game. So, we would rather focus on that,” he added.
India posted a commanding victory by nine wickets in their Asia Cup opener against the UAE on Wednesday. After the fixture against Pakistan, India will play their final group stage fixture against Oman on September 19 in Abu Dhabi.
After the group stage, the tournament will proceed to the Super 4, where the top two teams from each group will qualify. If India finishes at the top of Group A, then all of their Super 4 matches will be held in Dubai.
If India finishes second, then one of their Super 4 clashes will be held in Abu Dhabi and the remaining two in Dubai. The Super 4 stage will run from September 20 to 26.
Dubai will host the final, which is scheduled for September 28. (ANI)
(This content is sourced from a syndicated feed and is published as received. The Tribune assumes no responsibility or liability for its accuracy, completeness, or content.)
The drugmaker AstraZeneca has paused a planned £200m investment in its Cambridge research site, completing a depressing week for the UK pharmaceutical industry.
The decision by Britain’s biggest company means none of its much-trumpeted £650m investment package in the UK – which was originally announced in March 2024 – is currently proceeding.
The now stalled £200m Cambridge project had been set to create 1,000 jobs. In January, AstraZeneca scrapped plans to invest £450m in its vaccine manufacturing plant in Merseyside, citing a cut in British government support.
An AstraZeneca spokesperson said: “We constantly reassess the investment needs of our company and can confirm our expansion in Cambridge is paused. We have no further comment to make.”
The latest UK setback contrasts with AstraZeneca’s moves in other jurisdictions. In July the company announced it would invest $50bn (£37bn) in the US by 2030, as part of a string of pledges by pharmaceutical companies as Donald Trump’s threats to impose sector-specific tariffs loom over the industry.
The British drugmaker, which is headquartered in Cambridge, said its US investment would fund a new drug manufacturing facility in Virginia and expand its research and development and cell therapy manufacturing in Maryland, Massachusetts, California, Indiana and Texas.
The news from AstraZeneca caps a week of negative announcements and warnings from what is a crucial UK industry.
Keir Starmer’s government has described life sciences as “one of the crown jewels of the UK economy”, while the previous Conservative government had vowed to turn the country into a “global science and technology superpower” by 2030.
Yet on Wednesday, US drugmaker Merck scrapped a £1bn London research centre as well as laying off 125 scientists in the capital this year.
Its planned new lab, called the UK Discovery Centre, at the Belgrove House site opposite St Pancras and King’s Cross stations, was already under construction and scheduled to open in two years’ time. It had been expected to eventually employ about 800 people overall, including 180 scientists.
skip past newsletter promotion
after newsletter promotion
Meanwhile, Sir John Bell, a prominent scientist and former regius professor of medicine at the University of Oxford, warned on Thursday that other big pharmaceutical companies were going to stop investing in the UK.
He told BBC Radio 4 he had spoken to several chief executives of large pharmaceutical companies in the past six months “and they’re all in the same space, and that is, they’re not going to do any more investing in the UK”.
Then on Friday Paul Naish, the UK head of market access for the French pharmaceuticals company Sanofi, told the Guardian Britain called for a “proper plan from the Treasury” for life sciences, arguing the country had become “not a good place” to develop or sell drugs.
When we imagine the end of the world, we often picture humanity scrambling for survival, but nature might have other winners in mind. Some creatures are built to endure heatwaves, radiation, starvation, and even the vacuum of space.
These survivors don’t just get by. They thrive in conditions that would wipe out most life. From microscopic water bears that can nap for decades to scavengers that feast on decay, here are eight animals most likely to outlive a global catastrophe, and maybe even inherit whatever’s left of Earth.
Tardigrades (Water Bears)
Wikimedia commons
If any animal makes a credible “last survivor,” it’s the tardigrade. These millimeter-scale creatures can shut down almost all metabolism by curling into a dehydrated “tun,” then revive years later when water returns. In this state they tolerate extremes that would destroy most life. Near-vacuum, crushing pressures, and intense radiation measured in thousands of grays.
Short bursts of brutal temperatures, from close to absolute zero up to around 150°C, have been survived in lab tests, and a 2007 experiment even showed some tardigrades enduring the harshness of outer space. They’re not magical, though. To actually live and reproduce again they still need a thin film of water and tolerable chemistry. As a model of toughness plus low resource needs, they’re a near-mandatory pick for any doomsday list.
Cockroaches
Cockroaches are generalists that eat almost anything, breed quickly, and can endure long periods with little food or water. These are traits that make them infamously hard to eradicate. They’re tougher than us under radiation because their cells divide less often, but the “nuclear-apocalypse proof roach” is a myth. Controlled tests and expert reviews suggest roaches survive higher doses than humans yet still die at extreme levels, and they would not withstand the heat and shock of an actual blast.
A memorable party fact is that roaches can live for days to weeks without a head comes from how insects breathe through body spiracles, not a centralized nose-throat system. In a grim post-disaster world with scattered scraps and shelter, they’d likely persist, though drought, cold snaps, and poisoned resources would still set limits.
Vultures
Vultures are nature’s disease-control squad. They specialize in carrion and have stomach acid powerful enough to neutralize many dangerous microbes. Their gut communities are adapted to handle toxins and bacteria that would sicken other animals. Because they can soar over long distances to locate food, they’re well placed to exploit carcasses in disrupted ecosystems where fresh kills are scarce.
The catch is that vultures are extremely vulnerable to certain poisons, including residues in livestock carcasses. One reason several species have crashed in parts of Asia and Africa. In a global disaster where toxins are widespread, that sensitivity could be a major weakness. In scenarios dominated by natural die-offs without chemical contamination, their biology becomes a survival advantage.
Sharks
Wikimedia Commons
Sharks occupy vast ocean ranges and many can go long stretches between meals. Records include a swell shark fasting for over a year in captivity, and frigid-water species like the Greenland shark run on exceptionally low metabolic budgets. Some species also scavenge, a useful fallback if food webs wobble.
Deep-sea and polar sharks in particular live in environments buffered from many surface-level shocks, which could buy time after a global crisis. Still, they’re not immune to broadscale ocean changes. Severe deoxygenation, acidification, or food-chain collapse would threaten even the hardiest. As a symbol of long-term endurance, Greenland sharks, likely the longest-lived vertebrates, reaching several centuries, show how a slow, low-energy strategy can survive lean times.
Emperor Penguins
Emperor penguins are built for scarcity and cold. Males can fast for more than three months while incubating eggs through Antarctic winter, relying on dense fat stores and energy-saving huddles that rotate birds from the frigid edge to the warm center. Their compact bodies, small extremities, and tightly packed feathers minimize heat loss, and colonies are so remote that some human-made disasters might not reach them quickly.
The flip side is habitat dependence: emperors need stable “fast ice” platforms connected to the sea for breeding and feeding. If a catastrophe accelerates sea-ice loss or disrupts access to prey beneath the ice, their resilience could fade fast. As long as the ice holds and food remains accessible, though, few birds are better prepared for extended darkness and bitter cold.
Rotifers
Bdelloid rotifers are microscopic animals that can hit pause on life, surviving desiccation, freezing, and oxygen loss, then restart when conditions improve. Their claim to fame? Scientists revived individuals from Siberian permafrost dated to roughly 24,000 years, showing that suspended animation can last on geologic timescales.
Many bdelloids reproduce asexually (parthenogenesis), so a single survivor can quickly re-establish a population when water returns. They’re not invincible. Extreme toxins or total habitat sterilization would still wipe them out, but their tiny size, flexible diets, and dormancy tricks make them excellent bets to bridge long, harsh intervals. In a world with patchy micro-habitats, thin films in soils, meltwater pockets, or temporary ponds, rotifers could quietly ride out the worst and bounce back.
Killifish
Wikimedia Commons
The Atlantic killifish is a poster child for rapid, repeatable adaptation to human-made stress. Populations living in some of North America’s most polluted estuaries have independently evolved genetic defenses against complex chemical mixtures, tolerating toxin levels that kill other fish. They mature quickly and breed often, which speeds evolutionary change and helps populations rebound after shocks.
As small generalists of tidewaters and marshes, killifish can exploit marginal habitats that might expand in messy, post-disaster coastlines. Limits remain. A truly severe collapse of oxygen, salinity balance, or food webs would still be dangerous, and not all killifish species share the same tolerance. But their track record in dirty, disturbed waters makes them unusually plausible survivors among vertebrates.
Ants
Ants are masters of collective problem-solving. When floods hit, species like fire ants link together into living rafts that float for days, reshaping and “self-healing” to shed water and seek land. The colony behaves like a material that resists tearing and adapts under stress. Their colonies can relocate, split, and rebuild rapidly, and their omnivorous diets let them exploit almost any food source.
Sheer numbers also help. Scientists estimate roughly 20 quadrillion ants on Earth, giving the group redundancy across habitats. Their weaknesses are colony-level. Poisons, prolonged freezing, or total loss of nesting sites can still wipe out local populations. But across the planet, the combination of social organization, mobility, and engineering tricks makes ants hard to count out in a global crunch.
Nepal has sworn in its first female prime minister after a historic week in which widespread youth protests forced the resigniation of her predecessor and the dissolving of parliament.
Sushila Karki, the former chief justice of Nepal, took the oath of office to lead an interim government late on Friday, after several tense days of negotiation.
Karki, a widely respected figure known for her hardline stand against corruption, had been nominated by a group who said they represented the self-described gen Z protesters who brought down the government earlier this week.
Tens of thousands of protesters, the majority of them below the age of 30, took to the streets on Monday to voice their opposition to a clumsily enforced ban on social media sites as well as bigger issues of corruption and nepotism among Nepal’s political elite.
Police responded with deadly force, including documented use of live ammunition. Twenty-one civilians taking part in the demonstrations were killed on what became the bloodiest day of protest in Nepal’s history.
By Tuesday, rage at the government had reached a fever pitch and the country’s parliament buildings, as well as the homes of the prime minister – KP Sharma Oli – president and other ministers were all set on fire and the capital, Kathmandu, resembled a burned out war zone. Oli, who had been airlifted out by the military, announced his resignation by Tuesday afternoon.
The resignation of the 73-year-old – who was serving his fourth term as prime minister and was seen by many as authoritarian, corrupt and out of touch – was widely celebrated by the gen Z protesters out on the streets. However, the speed at which the protests had led to the toppling of the government also presented issues. They had not been part of a coherent, organised group and did not have a leader or group of representatives.
After the president and the army chief invited the gen Z protesters to be part of the discussions on who should form the next government, a team of representatives were chosen. By Wednesday, they had put forward Karki as their choice to lead an interim government, and insisted that the current parliament should be dissolved.
Nepal’s former chief justice Sushila Karki has been appointed interim prime minister after KP Sharma Oli was forced to resign. Photograph: Reuters
Karki had been appointed Nepal’s first female chief justice in 2016 and became known for delivering several high-profile judgments against ministers and senior police in corruption cases, coming into the crosshairs of the major political parties as a result. After retiring, she had established herself as a prominent figure in civil society, speaking out on issues of corruption and political malpractices in Nepal.
Despite some divisions, by Wednesday the gen Z protesters rallied around Karki, who had been outspoken against the lethal force used against protesters, describing it as a “massacre”. She was also given the backing of the popular young mayor of Kathamandu, rapper-turned-politician Balendra Shah, who is widely revered among the younger generation.
However, the country appeared to be heading towards deadlock after leaders of some of Nepal’s most established political parties initially refused to agree for parliament to be dissolved. But on Friday night, after the army chief Ashok Raj Sigdel warned that the military would be forced to declare a state of emergency if no political solution would be found, it was agreed by party leaders to dissolve the parliament, and for Karki to be appointed prime minister until fresh elections are called.
The exact nature of the interim government that will govern Nepal under Karki has still yet to be made clear, though it was announced she would be leading a “council of ministers”.
Many in the gen Z movement are pushing for her to immediately open corruption allegations into former prime minister Oli and his ministers and hold an inquiry into the protest deaths that took place.
Dheeraj Joshi, 25, a gen-Z leader participating in discussions with the army and the president, said that he believed that Karki’s appointment would see the country “moving from a phase of destruction to a phase of construction”.
“That doesn’t mean everything will immediately be fine once she takes office,” he said. “Initially, there will be a process to identify who weakened the country the most, and then set priorities accordingly. Over time, the deeply rooted corruption will be uprooted. Once that process begins, the ground will open up for better future.”
US President Donald Trump has levied an additional 25% duty on Indian imports to pressure India to stop buying Russian oil. (AI image)
The United States Treasury has urged its G7 and European Union partners to levy “meaningful tariffs” on Chinese and Indian imports to counter their Russian oil acquisitions. The US Treasury has organized an urgent G7 conference to explore enhanced measures against Moscow regarding the Ukraine conflict.US President Donald Trump has levied an additional 25% duty on Indian imports to pressure India to stop buying Russian oil. This has elevated the total punitive tariffs on goods from India to 50%, negatively impacting trade discussions between the countries.
US Tariff War: Donald Trump Blames Russian Oil Imports For India Action, Bessent Pushes EU Action
The Trump administration has opted not to implement further tariffs on Chinese products despite China’s Russian oil purchases, as it maintains a sensitive trade balance with Beijing that has resulted in a reduction of reciprocal tariffs from above 100%.“Chinese and Indian purchases of Russian oil are funding Putin’s war machine and prolonging the senseless killing of the Ukrainian people,” said a US Treasury representative via email to Reuters.The Treasury official further noted, “Earlier this week, we made it clear to our EU allies that if they are serious about ending the war in their own backyard, they need to join us and impose meaningful tariffs that will be rescinded the day the war ends.”Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent will visit Madrid on Friday to meet Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng. Their discussions will encompass trade matters, US requirements for Chinese-owned TikTok to sell its American operations, and concerns regarding money laundering prevention.Trump indicated on Friday that he was growing impatient with Russian President Vladimir Putin, although he did not explicitly mention imposing additional sanctions during his Fox News appearance.During the interview, Trump conveyed his disappointment regarding Putin’s unwillingness to end the conflict, despite Trump’s diplomatic initiatives. He discussed potential measures, including enhanced sanctions on banking institutions and oil sectors, along with increased tariffs to pressure Russia, whilst emphasising the necessity for European nations’ involvement.“We’re going to have to come down very, very strong,” Trump said.A Treasury spokesperson emphasised the importance of coordinated action with G7 allies against Russia.“President Trump’s Peace and Prosperity Administration is ready, and our G7 partners need to step up with us,” the spokesperson added.
Sept. 12 (UPI) — A common nutrient found in leafy greens and corn may do more than protect eyesight.
New research shows that zeaxanthin, a plant-derived carotenoid, can strengthen the body’s cancer-fighting immune cells and make immunotherapy more effective.
The study, recently published in the journal Cell Reports Medicine, found that zeaxanthin enhanced the ability of CD8+ T cells — immune cells that kill tumors — to attack cancer.
When given orally to mice, the nutrient slowed the growth of melanoma and colon tumors. That effect disappeared when CD8+ T cells were removed.
“We were surprised to find that zeaxanthin, already known for its role in eye health, has a completely new function in boosting anti-tumor immunity,” said senior author Dr. Jing Chen, a professor of medicine at the University of Chicago.
“Our study shows that a simple dietary nutrient could complement and strengthen advanced cancer treatments like immunotherapy,” he added in a news release.
The researchers discovered that zeaxanthin helps stabilize the T-cell receptor complex on CD8+ T cells. This makes the receptor work better and strengthens signals inside the cell.
As a result, the T cells produce more cytokines, which help them attack cancer more effectively.
In additional lab tests, zeaxanthin improved the tumor-killing ability of engineered human T cells against melanoma, multiple myeloma and glioblastoma cells. And pairing zeaxanthin with immunotherapy in mice further slowed tumor growth compared with immunotherapy alone, researchers said.
Zeaxanthin is widely available as an over-the-counter supplement for eye health. The researchers stressed, however, that clinical trials are needed to test whether these benefits are the same for cancer patients.
Results of tests in animals are often different in humans.
