- Tesla shares sink after Elon Musk says he will launch new US political party Financial Times
- Analysts say Musk’s party may be threat to Trump even without wins Dawn
- 6 of the biggest challenges facing Musk’s new political party The Washington Post
- Tesla stock tanks after Trump dismisses Musk’s new political party plan and calls him ‘off the rails’ CNN
- America Party: Trump calls Musk’s new political party plan ‘ridiculous’ BBC
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Tesla shares sink after Elon Musk says he will launch new US political party – Financial Times
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Earth is going to spin much faster over the next few months — so fast that several days are going to get shorter
Earth is expected to spin more quickly in the coming weeks, making some of our days unusually short. On July 9, July 22 and Aug. 5, the position of the moon is expected to affect Earth’s rotation so that each day is between 1.3 and 1.51 milliseconds shorter than normal.
A day on Earth is the length of time needed for our planet to fully rotate on its axis — approximately 86,400 seconds, or 24 hours. But Earth’s rotation is affected by a number of things, including the positions of the sun and moon, changes to Earth’s magnetic field, and the balance of mass on the planet.
Since the relatively early days of our planet, Earth’s rotation has been slowing down, making our days longer. Researchers found that about 1 billion to 2 billion years ago, a day on Earth was only 19 hours long. This is likely because the moon was closer to our planet, making its gravitational pull stronger than it is now and causing Earth to spin faster on its axis.
Since then, as the moon has moved away from us, days on average have been getting longer. But in recent years, scientists have reported variations in Earth’s rotation. In 2020, scientists found that Earth was spinning more quickly than at any point since records began in the 1970s, and we saw the shortest-ever recorded day on July 5, 2024, which was 1.66 milliseconds shy of 24 hours, according to timeanddate.com.
On July 9, July 22 and Aug. 5, 2025, the moon will be at its furthest distance from Earth’s equator, which changes the impact its gravitational pull has on our planet’s axis. Think of the Earth as a spinning top — if you were to put your fingers around the middle and spin, it wouldn’t rotate as quickly as if you were to hold it from the top and bottom.
With the moon closer to the poles, the Earth’s spin speeds up, making our day shorter than usual.
Related: Have days on Earth always been 24 hours?
These variations are to be expected, but recent research suggests that human activity is also contributing to the change in the planet’s rotation. Researchers at NASA have calculated that the movement of ice and groundwater, linked to climate change, has increased the length of our days by 1.33 milliseconds per century between 2000 and 2018.
Single events can also affect Earth’s spin: the 2011 earthquake that struck Japan shortened the length of the day by 1.8 microseconds. Even the changing seasons affect Earth’s spin, Richard Holme, a geophysicist at the University of Liverpool, told Live Science via email.
“There is more land in the northern hemisphere than the south,” Holme said. “In northern summer, the trees get leaves, this means that mass is moved from the ground to above the ground — further away from the Earth’s spin axis.” The rate of rotation of any moving body is affected by its distribution of mass. When an ice skater spins on the spot, they rotate faster when their arms are tight to their chest, and slow themselves down by stretching their arms out. As Earth’s mass moves away from its core in summer, its rate of rotation must decrease, so the length of the day increases, Holme explained.
Of course, on the days in question our clocks will still count 24 hours. The difference isn’t noticeable on the individual level.
The only time we would see a change to time zones is if the difference between the length of day is greater than 0.9 seconds, or 900 milliseconds. Though this has never happened in a single day, over the years our clocks fall out of sync with the position of the planet. This is monitored by the International Earth Rotation and Reference Systems Service (IERS), which will add a “leap second” to UTC as needed to bring us back in line.
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See asteroid Donaldjohanson up close thanks to NASA’s Lucy mission photo of the day for July 7, 2025
NASA’s Lucy mission is key to helping us understand the early history of our solar system as it studies asteroids like the Donaldjohanson.
What is it?
Named after the paleoanthropologist who co-discovered the Lucy skeleton, NASA’s Lucy space probe is key to helping scientists understand the early history of our solar system. Launched on Oct. 16, 2021, Lucy is the first space mission designed specifically to study Trojan asteroids, which are ancient remnants from the early solar system that share orbits with the sun and Jupiter.
One of these asteroids is the Donaldjohanson. Discovered in 1995, this small rocky asteroid (not considered a Trojan asteroid) was located in the main asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter.
Where is it?
This photograph was taken in the main asteroid belt of our solar system, where the spacecraft came close to the asteroid at 596 miles (960 kilometers) from Earth.
A close up image of the Donaldjohanson asteroid (Image credit: NASA/Goddard/SwRI/Johns Hopkins APL) Why is it amazing?
On April 20 2025, NASA’s Lucy had a close encounter with the asteroid Donaldjohanson, taking this close up image. While Donaldjohanson isn’t considered a Trojan asteroid, the flyby provided a “dress rehearsal” for the Lucy mission before heading toward Jupiter to study the Trojan asteroids farther away from Earth.
Once there, Lucy will conduct four flybys, observing at least six asteroids. According to NASA, the first close encounter will be with asteroid Eurybates in August 2027.
Want to learn more?
You can read more about NASA’s Lucy mission and the process of asteroid formation as the space probe continues to travel our solar system.
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See asteroid Donaldjohanson up close thanks to NASA’s Lucy mission photo of the day for July 7, 2025
NASA’s Lucy mission is key to helping us understand the early history of our solar system as it studies asteroids like the Donaldjohanson.
What is it?
Named after the paleoanthropologist who co-discovered the Lucy skeleton, NASA’s Lucy space probe is key to helping scientists understand the early history of our solar system. Launched on Oct. 16, 2021, Lucy is the first space mission designed specifically to study Trojan asteroids, which are ancient remnants from the early solar system that share orbits with the sun and Jupiter.
One of these asteroids is the Donaldjohanson. Discovered in 1995, this small rocky asteroid (not considered a Trojan asteroid) was located in the main asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter.
Where is it?
This photograph was taken in the main asteroid belt of our solar system, where the spacecraft came close to the asteroid at 596 miles (960 kilometers) from Earth.
A close up image of the Donaldjohanson asteroid (Image credit: NASA/Goddard/SwRI/Johns Hopkins APL) Why is it amazing?
On April 20 2025, NASA’s Lucy had a close encounter with the asteroid Donaldjohanson, taking this close up image. While Donaldjohanson isn’t considered a Trojan asteroid, the flyby provided a “dress rehearsal” for the Lucy mission before heading toward Jupiter to study the Trojan asteroids farther away from Earth.
Once there, Lucy will conduct four flybys, observing at least six asteroids. According to NASA, the first close encounter will be with asteroid Eurybates in August 2027.
Want to learn more?
You can read more about NASA’s Lucy mission and the process of asteroid formation as the space probe continues to travel our solar system.
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This smart home tech is another way Apple is falling behind in AI
Amazon, Google, and Samsung are all working on an exciting way to bring AI to smart homes – and Apple risks being left behind.
Samsung is first to launch the new feature: the ability to use natural language to simply tell your smart home app what it is you want it to do …
Samsung Smart Things is effectively the Korean company’s equivalent of HomeKit. All compatible devices can be controlled through a single app on the company’s smartphones, in exactly the same way the Home app can be used on iPhones.
Currently, configuring a new automation in Apple’s Home app isn’t a very user-friendly experience for non-techy users. What Samsung has just announced, and The Verge reports is available now in its app, is a Routine Creation Assistant to automate scene-creation.
This lets you type a phrase describing what you want your home to do in the SmartThings app — like “turn off all the lights whenever I leave the house” — and it will set it up without you needing to configure each device or setting.
While that particular example is easy enough to do in Apple’s Home app, as there’s a specific “when the last person leaves home” trigger, other routines can be trickier for normal people.
For example, I have a timed automation for when I start work. This closes my office blind, switches on lighting to a cool color temperature for concentration, and switches off lights in other rooms.
Configuring this required me to create a scene, add accessories, specify their state, and then create an automation to activate that scene at a certain time on certain days (I do it this way so that I also have the option of manually activating the scene). For someone who isn’t used to the kind of flow and logic involved, creating this kind of thing can definitely be intimidating.
If Samsung’s app lets you create arbitrary automations as easily as telling the AI what you want, that’s a huge step forward in making smart home tech appealing to mass-market consumers.
And it’s not just Samsung: both Amazon and Google are already beta-testing exactly the same type of natural-language functionality. So pretty soon, Apple – once the leader in making smart home tech friendlier – could be the only major platform not to offer this.
Another area where Samsung is pulling ahead is by adding time delays.
Another update to SmartThings routines is the option to schedule multiple timed steps using a Delay Actions feature. For example, Samsung says, “Users can now create a ‘Good Morning’ routine that turns on bedroom lights at 7:00 a.m. [and] starts the coffee maker 15 minutes later.”
I’ve often wanted that ability, for example a goodnight routine that switches on the bedroom lights and turns off the rest, but waits 30 seconds before switching off the hallway lighting to show the way to the bedroom.
Finally, Samsung also lets you opt for a notification you tap to confirm you want something to run, which could be useful where you can anticipate potential clashes between timed automations and manually-activated scenes, depending on things like when people get up in the morning.
Shortcuts would be one way of doing this kind of thing, but that’s a lot clunkier than being able to do everything in one simple app. Apple has some catching up to do here.
Photo by Đức Trịnh on Unsplash
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Endometriosis linked to higher pregnancy rates vs other infertility causes
Endometriosis linked to higher pregnancy rates vs other infertility causes | Image Credit: © Peakstock – © Peakstock – stock.adobe.com.
Pregnancy rates are 4 times higher in patients with endometriosis vs those with other causes of infertility, according to a recent study presented at the 41st Annual Meeting of the European Society of Human Reproduction and Embryology (ESHRE).1
Understanding endometriosis and fertility
The trial included over 4 million women in England across 30 years, providing hope for endometriosis patients with plans to conceive. Lucky Saraswat, PhD, senior lecturer at the University of Aberdeen, hypothesized that increased awareness about endometriosis may lead women to seek fertility care sooner, increasing the odds of a successful pregnancy.1
“Endometriosis can vary in how it affects fertility,” said Saraswat. “Women with milder forms may retain good reproductive potential, especially if the condition is diagnosed and managed early. There’s also moderate-quality evidence suggesting that laparoscopic surgery can improve pregnancy rates in some with endometriosis.”1
Symptoms and burden of endometriosis
Endometriosis significantly impacts women’s quality of life, with symptoms including chronic pelvic pain, heavy bleeding, nausea, fatigue, and depression or anxiety.2 Trouble getting pregnant has also been noted as a symptom.
Currently, methods of preventing endometriosis have not been discovered. However, natural progression and long-term symptom burdens may be reduced through enhanced awareness, alongside early diagnosis and management.2
Diagnosis and infertility rates
Researchers from the Centre for Reproductive Health at the University of Edinburgh conducted the largest population-based study assessing women with infertility or symptoms related to endometriosis.1 The primary care, secondary care, and maternity records of participants were linked.
There were 4,041,770 women aged 13 to 50 years presenting to primary care with infertility or other endometriosis symptoms in the cohort, 111,197 of whom were classified as having endometriosis based on a surgically confirmed diagnosis through laparoscopy or laparotomy. Overall, female infertility had a prevalence of 48.9 per 1000 women. 1
The highest infertility rates were observed among women aged 30 to 39 years. Surgically confirmed endometriosis was reported in 6.1% of women with infertility, with infertility before diagnosis reported by 57.4% of these patients. This highlighted delays in identifying and diagnosing endometriosis.1
Improved conception rates compared to other infertility causes
Investigators noted that the data supports prior trials linking endometriosis to fertility challenges, as the odds of infertility were increased 2-fold among women with vs without the condition. However, a 4-fold increased chance of conception was reported in patients with endometriosis vs other causes of infertility.1
Achieving at least 1 pregnancy during the study period was reported by 40.5% of women diagnosed with endometriosis regardless of infertility status. This indicated improved fertility rates compared to tubal factors, ovulatory dysfunction, and unexplained infertility.1
Implications for fertility counseling
Saraswat also noted that other factors such as age influence infertility. However, these findings allow clinicians to provide enhanced fertility counseling to women with a recent endometriosis diagnosis. This includes informing them about their odds of conception and how the overall rates and outcomes of pregnancy compare to other infertility sources.1
“These insights can empower women to make informed reproductive decisions”, said Saraswat. “They also provide a strong foundation for future research into how factors such as disease stage, site, surgical treatment and use of assisted reproduction influence pregnancy outcomes in women with endometriosis.”1
References
- Against the odds: Endometriosis linked to four times higher pregnancy rates than other causes of infertility, new study reveals. European Society of Human Reproduction and Embryology. July 1, 2025. Accessed July 2, 2025. https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/1088675?
- Endometriosis. World Health Organization. March 24, 2023. Accessed July 7, 2025. https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/endometriosis#:~:text=Overview,period%20and%20last%20until%20menopause.
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Wimbledon 2025 results: Flavio Cobolli beats veteran Marin Cilic to reach first major quarter-final
Those who have followed Cobolli’s rise over the past 12 months will not be surprised to see him making a maiden appearance in the last eight of a Grand Slam.
He won his first ATP Tour title this year in Romania and followed that up with victory in Hamburg – both on his favoured surface of clay.
Cobolli has previously stated that as a junior he “hated playing on grass”.
Ironic for someone who also played football, spending five years in the academy of his beloved football club Roma, where he played as a right-back.
He has a tattoo on his chest with the words ‘sei tu l’unica mia sposa, sei tu l’unico mio amor’ which translates as ‘you are my only wife, you are my only love’ – a famous quote from club legend Daniele de Rossi.
When he won the French Open boys’ singles title in 2020, he held a Roma scarf above his head in celebration and says he still prefers to watch football than tennis, attending matches when he can.
He chose to pursue tennis aged 14, preferring the solo nature of the game, and is starting to reap the rewards.
Against the wily Cilic, who beat Briton Jack Draper in the second round and was enjoying his best run at Wimbledon since reaching the final in 2017, Cobolli showed efficiency and poise, needing just two breaks of serve to take a two-set lead.
World number 83 Cilic finally got into the contest when an untimely double fault from Cobolli handed the Croat the third set, the first blemish on Cobolli’s perfect record at this tournament.
With strong strokes from the baseline forming a solid foundation and an impressive shot variety at his disposal, Cobolli quickly put Cilic on the back foot with break points in the fourth.
The pair traded breaks before another tie-break sealed Cobolli’s place in the quarter-finals, where he hopes he will get to play on one of the Grand Slam’s main courts.
His father Stefano, a former tennis player himself who peaked at 238 in the rankings, is now his coach and was in tears as Cobolli lifted his arms to take in the crowd’s adulation after a gruelling three hours and 27 minutes on court.
Cilic, who has showed great perseverance to return to the sport after several years of injury problems, waved to all sides of the court as he departed, perhaps signalling he does not know whether he will get to play at the grass-court major again.
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World Chocolate Day: The EU is celebrating with sky-high prices
ADVERTISEMENTCocoa and powdered chocolate prices jumped by more than 16% in the EU in May 2025 compared to the previous year. Prices in the bloc of 27 countries have been gradually increasing for the last 12 months, with annual ‘cocoa inflation’ going from 6.3% to 16.2%, according to Eurostat.
One of the major reasons behind this is that there has been a surge in the prices of cocoa beans, the main ingredient in chocolate, over the past two years. This was coupled with increases in the cost of sugar and energy.
The EU is entirely reliant on cocoa imports and accounts for more than half of the imports worldwide. The majority of the crop that is exported to the EU is grown in West Africa, where the harvest was hit by bad weather in the most important cocoa-producing regions, such as Ghana and Ivory Coast.
“Cocoa prices have almost tripled compared to the level two years ago,” Susannah Streeter, head of money and markets at Hargreaves Lansdown, told Euronews Business, adding that “prices raced to record levels last year and have seen volatile patterns of trading over the past few months”.
While prices have eased from peaks above $12,000 per tonne, they remain elevated in both the New York Mercantile Exchange (NYMEX) and the Intercontinental Exchange (ICE) in London.
Concerns over the cocoa supply have eased a little from their peak in May 2025, to the beginning of July.
“Chocolate lovers will be relieved to hear that cocoa prices have fallen to an eight-month low in recent days and London futures today are a whopping 42% below where they were at the start of the year,” said Danni Hewson, head of financial analysis at AJ Bell.
London Cocoa Futures were around £5,310 ($7,236) per metric tonne on Monday, more than twice the price it was exactly two years ago.
She said that, “the fact that consumers have been willing to keep stumping up for chocolate even as prices surged has tempted growers to invest in the crop, and the supply outlook has been improving,” which explained the declining prices.
However, due to climate change-related risks, including diseases like black pod, which have been exacerbated, “some plantations have ageing treeor mays, and the trade uncertainty created by Donald Trump’s tariffs has only deepened that uncertainty which is expected to limit any downside when it comes to cocoa prices,” Danni added.
No easing of chocolate prices in Europe any time soon
As bakeries across the continent struggle to grapple with the price increase of this essential ingredient, cocoa prices in the EU and the UK are not expected to fall substantially any time soon, according to a recent report by UK-based strategic consultancy Foresight Transitions.
Global prices of cocoa beans are having a major impact on the continent’s cost of chocolate. The EU’s chocolate consumption is the highest in the world and the bloc is entirely reliant on cocoa imports, mainly from countries in West Africa, where the cocoa harvest is highly exposed to climate or biodiversity-related risks.
According to the report, escalating cocoa prices cost European jobs too, citing the world’s largest chocolate producer, Barry Callebaut, having laid off almost 20% of workers, a third of which are based in the EU, due to the rising cost of cocoa.
“The rise in the cost of cocoa, which is such a crucial ingredient, is causing a big headache for chocolate manufacturers, given that they are also having to cope with absorbing higher energy costs and wage growth,” said Streeter about the UK market. In May 2025, inflation was accompanied by a record jump in chocolate prices and the cost of chocolate was 17.7% higher than a year previously, according to ONS.
“The outlook for prices ahead remains volatile, given that unpredictable weather patterns affecting cocoa farmers, including droughts and extreme rainfall, is likely to continue longer-term,” Streeter said.
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Google Pixel 9 and Pixel 9 Pro owners complain en masse about device-breaking bugs after latest Android 16 update
Google has been offering Android 16 for its Pixel devices for some time. Introduced almost a month ago, Google distributes its latest OS update to the Pixel 6 series onwards, including the budget Pixel 6a (curr. $154 – refurbished on Amazon). Unfortunately, it seems that the most recent Android 16 update has been causing plenty of issues with Google’s Pixel 9 generation of devices.
For instance, various Pixel 9 and Pixel 9 Pro owners have observed that their displays will not respond even after pressing their power buttons. Apparently, the reason is that Google’s current Pixel smartphones are freezing in sleep mode, which prevents them from responding to inputs. Moreover, others have complained that auto brightness and tap to wake regularly stop working without a device reset.
Other issues include a laggy lockscreen, which appears to impact devices running on stable and beta software versions. Allegedly, Google is working to address these issues with a future update. However, it remains to be seen when this update will land for beta or stable software users. It looks like Google has already finalised its July update, though. As a result, affected owners may be left waiting for bug fixes until August at the earliest.
Prior to writing and translating for Notebookcheck, I worked for various companies including Apple and Neowin. I have a BA in International History and Politics from the University of Leeds, which I have since converted to a Law Degree. Happy to chat on Twitter or Notebookchat.
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Whale fossils with legs found in Egypt’s desert reveal evolutionary secret
Whale fossils with legs found in Egypt’s desert reveal evolutionary secret – Daily Times
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