Kenya police brutality – it will take more than laws and public anger to change behaviour: Kenya has once again been reminded of brutality within its police force. Two events in mid-June 2025 pointed to the grave challenge that Kenya must confront to reform the service. The first was the death in police custody of …
White Lotus: ‘the show’s depiction of sibling sexual behaviour is incredibly harmful’ – expert opinion: This article contains spoilers for season three of The White Lotus The White Lotus is a show where a lot of sex happens and many taboos are explored. For instance, in episode seven the impact on one character of watching …
Madagascar’s lemurs live with the threat of cyclones – has this shaped their behaviour?: Madagascar is an island that’s no stranger to natural disasters, in particular cyclones. This is because it’s located in the south-west Indian Ocean cyclone basin, a region of the Indian Ocean where tropical cyclones typically form and develop. Madagascar has experienced …
Birds of east Africa: new book reveals their extraordinary diversity and changing behaviour: 101 Curious Tales of East African Birds is a new book that uses academic research to tell fascinating stories about the tropical birds of east Africa, from well-known species to rare ones. It also explores changing bird behaviour in the region. Its …
Bank CEOs set the tone from the top when it comes to risky behaviour — new research: KeyStock/Shutterstock Metro Bank positioned itself as “a fresh start to banking” when it launched in the wake of the 2008 global financial crisis. It was set up in 2010 as a challenger to the “big five” banks dominating …
How to challenge toxic behaviour and help someone being bullied or harassed at work: fizkes/Shutterstock The average person will spend more than 3,500 days at work, so toxic behaviour in the workplace can have a big impact on your wellbeing. Whether it’s the sexual assault of a theatre nurse by a senior surgeon, harassment at …
Regulators including Ofgem use codes of practice to curb bad behaviour by businesses –– how to tell if this works: Janis Abolins/Shutterstock UK energy regulator Ofgem wants to make its voluntary code of practice on prepayment meters compulsory. It introduced the code in April 2022 to protect people from being forced onto prepayment meters for …
Butterfly behaviour shows ways to protect natural habitats in a rapidly changing world: The Sooty blue butterfly (_Zizeeria knysna_), a common yet easily missed resident species in grassland habitats. Charl Deacon Natural landscapes are continually transformed to make room for agricultural and urban developments – often at the expense of important habitats and species. That’s …
Can Rishi Sunak save the Tories? Voting behaviour over time suggests it will take more than personal appeal to win the next election: One of the key findings of research into elections is that there is a close relationship between the popularity of party leaders and support for their parties in elections. The reason for …
Journalists needs to be more critical of the way governments use ‘nudging’ to change our behaviour – here’s why: Oleg Shakirov/Shutterstock Suppose you are in a pub with friends. You drink a few beers, have a good time, and head home. The following morning you realise your headache is milder than usual. You then discover …
‘Cracking down’ on antisocial behaviour is a classic pre-election strategy – but this government owes young people better: For a government that is committed to “levelling up”, Rishi Sunak’s administration seems to have taken a major shift towards “cracking down”. A new action plan on antisocial behaviour has certainly ratcheted-up the rhetoric. Perpetrators will face …
What is antisocial behaviour? According to my research, no one really knows: Sergey Nivens/Shutterstock Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has unveiled plans to crack down on antisocial behaviour. The proposals include making offenders wear hi-vis jackets to wash police cars and clean up vandalism, within 48 hours of being served a court order. Offenders may have …
Misinformation: why it may not necessarily lead to bad behaviour: Lies are nothing new. durantelallera/Shutterstock “So far as the influence of the newspaper upon the mind and morals of the people is concerned, there can be no rational doubt that the telegraph has caused vast injury.” So said the The New York Times in 1858, …
Ancient poop offers unusual insight into animal behaviour: One day this fresh elephant dung could be a coprolite helping scientists understand the past. Silarock/Shutterstock Some people are annoyed when they encounter a fresh pile of dung while out on a walk in nature. Others are excited because it points to the recent visit of a …
Invasive rats are changing fish behaviour on coral reefs – new study: Invasive rats can fundamentally alter the functioning of surrounding marine ecosystems. Bluerain/Shutterstock Coral reefs are degrading rapidly to the extent that their marine inhabitants must either adapt or die. For many animals, including reef fish, behaviour is one of the first responses to …
How tracking technology is transforming our understanding of animal behaviour: Scientists fix biologger tags to animals to gain an insight into their movement and behaviour. Vasileios Karafillidis/Shutterstock Biologging is the practice of attaching devices to animals so that scientific data can be collected. For decades, basic biologgers have been used to relay physiological data including …
Climate change affects mosquito behaviour. This may make it harder to end malaria in South Africa: Global climate is changing rapidly. This has a range of public health implications. CDC/ James Gathany Changes in climatic factors – such as higher temperatures and increased rainfall – affect the developmental, behavioural and distribution patterns of insects like …
Jerry Lee Lewis: fiery performances were inseparable from his reckless behaviour and dark personal life: When Jerry Lee Lewis – pianist, singer and rock-and-roll pioneer – released his best-selling album of duets in 2006, he called it Last Man Standing. In this, at least, he was correct. The title referred specifically to Lewis’s status among …