Read more in my story for the BBC: www.bbc.com/future/artic...

Does that mean there’s no difference between so-called chemical vs mineral sunscreens? No. But a lot of the claims people make about the differences — including, yes, that chemical sunscreens have been proven harmful — don't reflect (...see what I did there) the current state of the science.

In fact, research has shown that modern mineral sunscreens absorb the vast majority of UV radiation — about 95%. Only a small portion (4–5%) is reflected or scattered.

In other words, both types work primarily by absorbing UVR.

More about how the abnormal gets normalized, and what to do about it, in my BBC piece here: www.bbc.com/future/artic...

10) Automate your actions. Motivation fades; systems stick. Calendar monthly letters, set recurring donations, schedule volunteer hours so future you keeps showing up.

9) Look with fresh eyes. Sometimes it takes distance to see that something isn’t normal, or acceptable. Some researchers suggest talking to someone in a different country, reading international reporting, or (if you can) traveling. It’s one way to shift from resignation to awareness.

8) Zoom out. One way to stay grounded is to think long-term. That might mean looking backward (how did we get here?) by swapping some daily headlines for history books. Or it might mean looking forward: what might this mean in 10, 100, even 1,000 years? Seek out big-picture analysis, too.

7) Diversify your information diet. The brain craves novelty, so feed it. Even if you care about one issue in particular, seek out multiple outlets and media types. Don’t just doom-scroll headlines: read foreign policy analyses, watch a documentary, read poetry, and get different perspectives.

6) Recognize the signs of being desensitized. Sometimes, we get used to things we don’t want to get used to - without even realizing it. The first step is to reflect. What have you grown accustomed to in your home, community, or country that you wish were different? Start there.

5) Find your people. When we’re overwhelmed, it’s common to withdraw. But the research says we should do the opposite. Taking action in community doesn’t just make our efforts more effective—it also makes us more resilient and protects against burnout and empathetic distress.

4) Think small, concrete, everyday actions. Humans struggle with “slow violence" - harm that builds gradually, like climate change. Researchers suggest meeting it with “slow resistance”: incremental acts like sharing an article or biking instead of driving. Everyday actions add up.

3) Try mindfulness. Even a 60-second breath or body scan can lower anxiety and keep you engaged. One study found that when physicians were taught short meditation techniques, they stayed more emotionally engaged with patients while also feeling less distressed.

2) Distinguish self vs other. When we can tell our pain and distress from someone else’s, we can regulate our emotions better, avoid empathy fatigue and stay in the game for longer. Compassion is a good motivator, but always notice whose emotions you’re carrying.

1) Boundaries, boundaries, boundaries. 24/7 news is new, and overload may be causing us to shut down from the topics we need to engage with most. Some researchers suggest consuming the news only at specific times, or using an app to lock you out of social media after a certain amount of scrolling.

In total, fluoridated drinking water reaches more than 400 million people worldwide. Yet not every country in the world adds fluoride to the water. In fact, most do not. But the reasons why — and what they do instead – might surprise you. My latest for the BBC: www.bbc.com/future/artic...

Read more in my latest piece for the BBC: www.bbc.com/future/artic...

The scientists found this could mean tens of millions more cancer cases in countries where rice is an everyday staple. And half of the global population consume rice every single day.

It's important to remember that the relative risk to any particular individual of rice consumption (even as arsenic levels rise) is slight. But across populations, even small risks add up.

Given that inorganic arsenic consumption can raise the risk of cancer, heart disease, diabetes, foetal and infant mortality, and developmental neurocognitive effects, this represents yet another growing health issue presented by climate change.