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Memory loss. brain dissolves into water. vector illustration Photo: 123rf One hundred and 62 years after he died, American Philosopher Henry David Thoreau is suddenly having a moment, and it's all thanks to Gen Z and emergent demographic Gen Alpha. It's nothing to do with his essays on political transcendentalism and proto-anarchism, but entirely due to an inconspicuous phrase coined in his 1854 book Walden - a treatise detailing that one time Thoreau went to live in the woods for a couple of years, in order to write a book about living in the woods for a couple of years. That phrase is of course, "brain rot", which has been crowned Oxford's Word of the Year 2024. Technically, yes, it's two words. But who wants to risk getting pedantic with an Oxford dictionary? The term "brain rot" has...

By Jessica Black, Claudia Williams, Grace Whiteside Authorities allege the group attempted to import the drugs into Queensland by sea. Photo: ABC / Nickoles Coleman A Comanchero outlaw bikie gang leader has been charged over Australia's largest ever cocaine seizure, police say. A transnational organised crime syndicate with links to the Comancheros is alleged to have attempted to bring 2.34 tonnes of cocaine into Australia. Eleven men and two juveniles were arrested on Saturday night and in the early hours of Sunday morning, in a joint investigation between the Australian Federal Police (AFP) and Queensland police. The arrests include the vice president of the Comancheros Brisbane chapter, and a patched member. Authorities allege the group attempted to import the drugs into Queenslan...

With an exceptionally hot summer on the cards, concerns have been raised about a new sunbathing trend. Cancer Society prevention policy lead Emma Shields said it was alarming to see teenagers on TikTok promoting the UV Index (UVI) as a tanning guide. The UVI shown on weather and forecasting apps is intended help people know when to use sun protection. Several Aucklanders RNZ spoke to at Mission Bay said they had come to the beach after checking the sun was strong. Eighteen-year-old Anastasia Campos said she made sure to lay in the sun when the UV was high. "I text the group chat 'UV 9 today let's go to the beach'." She said she was not worried about skin damage. "Any tan is a sign of skin damage and long-term skin damage can accumulate to cause premature ageing and increase the risk of ...