M&S cyberattack: how can retailers regain customers’ trust after a hack? A marketing expert explains: Several big British retailers have been in the news recently – but not for buoyant sales or new product launches. Firms like Marks & Spencer and Co-op have been hacked, affecting online sales and the range of products available in-store, …
Cameroon’s Baka people say they are part of the forest: that’s why they look after it: The Congo Basin’s hunter-gatherer people have the secret to living well with the forest. While doing fieldwork in 2020, I remember walking with Indigenous elders Ferdinand Mbita and Félix Mangombe up the small, winding path into their forest in …
Africa’s newest book prize is named after Andreé Blouin: who was she?: Andrée Blouin was a political activist and writer from the Central African Republic. Until recently, her name hardly ever appeared in the grand narratives of Africa’s liberation. When she died in 1986, her passing was hardly in the news – a stark contrast …
Tropical forests can be revived after logging – if they’re not turned into oil palm plantations: A green-crested lizard. Biodiversity remained relatively high even after logging of old- growth forests, suggesting that there is value in conserving logged forests. Charlie Marsh, CC BY-NC-ND In parts of the tropics like the island of Borneo, the pace …
Fifty years after the discovery of Lucy, it’s time to ‘decolonise paleoanthropology’ says leading Ethiopian fossil expert – podcast: On November 24 1974, renowned American paleoanthropologist Donald Johanson spotted “a piece of elbow with humanlike anatomy” poking out of a rocky hillside in northern Ethiopia. It was the first fossil of a partial skeleton belonging …
Ukraine: after 1,000 days of war, Europe must prepare for a Trump-brokered peace deal by asserting its own interests: Drop of Light / Shutterstock Since Donald Trump was reelected on November 5, speculation about what his presidency will mean for the war in Ukraine, which has now entered its 1,000th day, has become frenzied. It …
Cameroon after Paul Biya: poverty, uncertainty and a precarious succession battle: Cameroon’s President Paul Biya is 91 years old. He is Africa’s oldest head of state and only one has served longer: President Teodoro Obiang Nguema of neighbouring Equatorial Guinea, who is 82 years old. Biya has been Cameroon’s president since 1982. Prior to that, …
Forests destroyed by wildfires emit carbon long after the flames die – new study: Charred stumps and green saplings in a Swedish forest after a fire. Natascha Kljun, CC BY-ND Even in Earth’s high northern-latitude forest, climate change is predicted to make wildfires more frequent and severe. Earth’s far north hosts the boreal forest, a …
How to start weightlifting after 60: Weightlifting has many benefits. CCISUL/ Shutterstock A recent study has shown that lifting heavy weights three times weekly leads to sustained improvements in strength in older adults. This is good news because being strong as you age can help you maintain independence for longer, make you more resistant to …
Starliner: Boeing prepares to launch its first crewed spacecraft as it chases after SpaceX: Keith J Fink / Shutterstock Boeing’s CST-100 Starliner is scheduled to make its first flight into space with astronauts on May 6, 2024. This flight and a few others will take place take under contract with Nasa, as part of a …
Chimpanzees stayed in an ‘invisible cage’ after zoo enclosure was enlarged – South African study: Captive chimpanzees are one of the most popular species kept in zoos because of their charismatic appeal and similarity to humans. They are the closest living relatives of humans because of the shared genes and behavioural and psychological similarities. Zoos …
Many survivors aren’t sure what to do after a sexual assault – here’s what you need to know: Bricolage/Shutterstock Millions of people have experienced sexual violence and abuse in England and Wales, but many do not know where to go, or who to turn to afterwards. Shame felt by victims and survivors of sexual violence …
Israeli government riven with division over future of Gaza after far-right calls to expel Palestinians: After more than 90 days of war in Gaza, in which at least 22,000 Palestinians are reported to have been killed, Israeli officials have shifted their attention to what happens once the fighting has ceased. There has been considerable controversy …
Time to choose a career? A psychologist offers tips on the journey after high school: Pivotal decisions loom large for high school graduates and those with responsibility over them. The trajectory has been a fairly straightforward line until now – learning and more learning. Having completed high school, will the journey now lead directly to …
Six ways to look after your eyes in 2024: Inside Creative House/Shutterstock The World Health Organization estimates that over 80% of all vision impairment around the world can be prevented and even cured. Reducing the risk of eye diseases involves adopting a combination of lifestyle changes, protective measures, and regular eye care. Here are six …
Seamus Heaney: ten years after his death, the generosity and warmth of his rich poetic voice endures: The English war poet Wilfred Owen once wrote, “Celebrity is the last infirmity I desire.” Killed in France at the age of 25, unpublished and unknown, “celebrity” for Owen was a posthumous phenomenon. By contrast, celebrity status for …
Eisenhower’s Atoms for Peace speech on nuclear dangers has important lessons even after 70 years: Seventy years ago, on December 8 1953, US president Dwight D. Eisenhower delivered a speech to the United Nations general assembly, setting out his concerns about “atomic warfare”. In the speech, later known as Atoms for Peace, he outlined a …
This 17th-century portrait was given plumper lips years after it was finished – an expert explains why: Diana Cecil, Countess of Elgin, by Cornelius Johnson. English Heritage For the everyday visitor to a gallery or museum, alterations to artworks made years, sometimes decades, after their original creation are rarely obvious. After all, the skill of …