![\"blake-lively\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/1791715810_470_.jpeg\")
\n Blake Lively. Alamy Stock Photo<\/p>\n
Alamy Stock Photo\n<\/p>\n
At least five women have taken lawsuits over campaigns they say were designed to ruin their reputations, including Blake Lively. The New York Times has taken a deep dive into the allegations.\u00a0<\/p>\n
(The New York Times<\/a>, approx. 17 mins reading time)<\/p>\n \u201cWhile the lawsuits differ, they all claim the smear campaigns were carried out through anonymous websites, fabricated social media posts or promotion of unflattering articles and posts on the internet. They describe a new lane in the field of crisis management where public relations, legal services and the dark web converge.\u201d<\/p>\n 2. The experiment to create a \u2018super dog\u2019<\/a><\/p>\n Alamy Stock Photo\n<\/p>\n In the 1940s a huge facility \u2013 called the School of Dogs \u2013 was set up to study dogs as part of a mission to create a \u2018super dog\u2019.\u00a0<\/p>\n (BBC<\/a>, approx. eight mins reading time)<\/p>\n \u201cWorld War Two had just ended, and a golden age for science in the US was beginning, with sizeable chunks of money funnelled into research. Scientists were free to think big, and large wads of cash were signed over without too many questions.\u201d<\/p>\n 3. Understanding the rise of fascism<\/a><\/p>\n Author Philip Duch believes that the leading theories explaining the rise of the Nazis don\u2019t make sense.<\/p>\n (The Guardian<\/a>, approx. xx mins reading time)<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s hard to admit this from a modern perspective, but historical fascism\u2019s lust for violence didn\u2019t make it repulsive but extremely attractive to a lot of German voters. And we are seeing similar things with the AfD today, where fantasies of violent retribution seem to be integral to campaign events on market squares.\u201d<\/p>\n 4. Defusing a WWII bomb<\/a><\/p>\n Alamy Stock Photo\n<\/p>\n The Guardian spoke to two bomb disposal teams who were tasked with defusing two World War Two bombs in Devon on the same day.<\/p>\n (The Guardian<\/a>, approx. 25 mins reading time)<\/p>\n \u201cWhen most people think of bomb disposal, they imagine a lone figure in a bomb suit carefully approaching an improvised device as bullets fly overhead, holding steady as they unpick wires, knowing that one wrong move will kill them. This image was forged in Belfast during the Troubles and Helmand province during the invasion of Afghanistan, and it is not unwarranted; bomb disposal is commonly described as the most dangerous job in the military. But, in Britain in 2026, the daily reality of the job is quite different.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n 5. Animal testing<\/a><\/p>\n Alamy Stock Photo\n<\/p>\n The Journal Investigates has revealed that\u00a0Irish universities paid hundreds of thousands for invasive animal experiments abroad.<\/p>\n (The Journal<\/a>, approx. 12 mins reading time)<\/p>\n \u201cIn one outsourced study, carried out in the US, mice had folds of skin repeatedly compressed between magnets. In others, sheep had their ovaries removed, rabbits had veins in their eyes deliberately blocked and chinchillas had their eardrums perforated.\u201d<\/p>\n 6. Climate change is helping one group of penguins thrive<\/a><\/p>\n Alamy Stock Photo\n<\/p>\n The world\u2019s population of Gentoo penguins is increasing. Why? Partly because of climate change.\u00a0<\/p>\n (BBC<\/a>, approx. four mins reading time)<\/p>\n \u201cThese three penguins have hauled themselves out of the sea to warm themselves with Deception Island\u2019s volcanic heat. The island is, in fact, an active volcano, and the water inside this doughnut-shaped sliver of land is a flooded caldera. Rusting oil tanks \u2013 remains of the whaling industry that dominated the island in the early 20th century<\/a> \u2013 give the penguins further shelter from the wind.\u201d<\/p>\n \u2026AND A CLASSIC FROM THE ARCHIVES\u2026 Alamy Stock Photo\n<\/p>\n This New York Times article from 2021 looks into languishing \u2013 or the feeling of \u2018blah\u2019 \u2013 when you\u2019re not depressed, but you don\u2019t have much joy either.<\/p>\n![\"six-dogs-sitting-in-the-countryside\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/1791715812_999_.jpeg\")
\n Alamy Stock Photo<\/p>\n![\"remains-of-a-bouncing-bomb-in-the-grounds-of-petwood-hotel-home-of-the-legendary-617-dambusters-squadron-in-ww2-woodhall-spa-lincolnshire-uk\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/1791715813_289_.jpeg\")
\n Remains of a bouncing bomb in the UK. Alamy Stock Photo<\/p>\n![\"two-cute-gray-curious-pet-rats-sitting-in-the-carrier-box-showing-nose-and-teeth\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/1791715813_905_.jpeg\")
\n Alamy Stock Photo<\/p>\n![\"antarctica-deception-island\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/1791715814_46_.jpeg\")
\n Deception Island, Antarctica. Alamy Stock Photo<\/p>\n
\n7. Feeling blah<\/a><\/p>\n![\"a-languishing-man-sleeps-outdoors-on-a-bench-or-table\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/1791715814_540_.jpeg\")
\n Alamy Stock Photo<\/p>\n