Science fiction has long envisioned “tractor” beams that could grab and move physical objects using a laser or other stream of energy. Now scientists have created one, at least on a small scale. And we have some advice if you use heat in the winter. Most Brits, and many of us, apparently don’t know how to use our thermostats. Also, Chinese officials go on a worldwide corruption hunt, in today’s Global Scan.
Almost weekly, it seems, scientists confirm the importance and influence of the microbiome, the collection of bacteria and other microbes that live inside and on the human body and in the surrounding environment. From digestive health to allergy prevention, our microbiome affects the way we eat, breathe — even think.