Gut microbiome: meet Clostridium butyricum – the bacteria that helps keep us feeling our best: _C butyricum_ ferments foods, such as wholegrains, in the gut to produce butyrate. Pixel-Shot/ Shutterstock Our friend here, Clostridium butyricum (also known as C butyricum), is one of the hardest working microbes living in our gut. Without it’s exhaustive work, …
Mortgage rates are falling but borrowers are still feeling the squeeze – a finance expert explains how to cut your repayments: Cast Of Thousands/Shutterstock Around 5 million households have seen their mortgage interest rate change since the Bank of England base rate started to rise in late 2021. Over the course of the 2023 alone, …
The UK economy’s COVID bounceback was stronger than we thought – but here’s why people are still feeling financial pain: Nikon Corporation/Unsplash, CC BY-SA The UK has been transformed from the laggard of developed economy COVID recoveries, after a recent data revision by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) showed its growth was stronger than …
‘A weather-map of popular feeling’: how Mass-Observation was born: On August 29 1938, in the build-up to the second world war, a now-defunct London newspaper asserted that Europe was tensely watching the crisis over Czechoslovakia unfold. But how could a newspaper know what a population was feeling? What if some people, even lots of people, …
The climate crisis leaves students feeling helpless – what universities can do to empower them: Rawpixel.com/Shutterstock Universities have the resources to help combat the climate crisis. What’s more, they have a responsibility to their students – who want to take action, but may lack the support they need to do so. One way universities can …
An international battle over cheese has left European producers feeling bitter: ventdusud/Shutterstock For most cheese lovers, taste is the thing. Whether it’s a tangy blue stilton or a creamy oozing camembert, the most important element is the eating. But cheese has profound political and economic properties too, with implications for international trade deals and commerce. …
Social pressures leave parents feeling judged for seeking help for sick children: Prostock-studio/Shutterstock As a parent, your primary concern is always to do the right thing for your child. No parent wants their child to suffer because they failed to seek help. But although protecting your child’s health is the primary social expectation you face …
Feeling forgetful after COVID? Study shows the virus can affect short-term memory: GaudiLab/Shutterstock Although it’s well known that COVID affects the respiratory system, it’s perhaps less well known that the virus can also affect cognitive function. Many people with COVID experience a phenomenon commonly called “brain fog”, which can include problems remembering, concentrating and performing …
The US dollar is getting stronger: African countries are feeling the pain and have few policy options: Shutterstock The US dollar has been advancing rapidly in response to the Federal Reserve’s resolve to keep raising policy rates for longer to regain control of stubbornly high inflation. This has far reaching consequences. The US dollar is …
African mountains are feeling the heat of climate change: Mount Kenya WanderingNomad / Getty IMages Mountains are special places. They have distinctive climates that are generally cooler and wetter than surrounding lowlands, and they host plants, animals and landscapes that are uniquely found in these environments. However, mountains are under threat because of climate change, …
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South Africans are feeling more insecure: do Ramaphosa’s plans add up?: Smoke rises from a building set on fire at the height of looting and violence in South Africa in July 2021. RAJESH JANTILAL/AFP via Getty Images South African president Cyril Ramaphosa’s 2022 state of the nation address underscored the problematic role that government agencies …
Unilever: why the maker of Marmite is feeling the squeeze: Different tastes. Shutterstock/abimages As a major manufacturer of well known cleaning products, it is perhaps fitting that events at Unilever have started to resemble something of a corporate soap opera. In the last few weeks there has been increased pressure at the top, a failed …
Languishing: what to do if you’re feeling restless, apathetic or empty: Many people may have experienced languishing without even knowing what it was. New Africa/ Shutterstock If you’ve been feeling restless, apathetic or even emotionally empty since the pandemic began, you may be “languishing”. Languishing is described as an emotional state of limbo, aimlessness and …
Why care workers are feeling less valued and leaving the sector after the pandemic: Inside Creative House / Shutterstock The care sector is struggling to recruit and retain staff, as England enters the next phase of its COVID-19 recovery. So why are care workers leaving the sector in droves, and what can be done to …
Feeling tired? Here’s how the brain’s internal ‘hourglass’ controls our need for sleep – new research: The "hourglass" tracks how much sleep we've had. namaki/ Shutterstock No one can stay awake forever. While we’re awake, our need for sleep gradually increases. If we deprive ourselves of sleep, our brain functions – such as attention or …
South Africa in the news: SA aviation feeling impact of renewed restrictions as passenger traffic slows: South Africa’s aviation industry has started feeling the harsh impact of renewed and stricter lockdown restrictions as passenger traffic dwindled at Africa’s busiest airport, OR Tambo International.: “South Africa” – BingNews Defiant Zuma says he’s not going to jail, …
Nigeria’s poor response to Boko Haram has left border communities feeling abandoned: Nigerian security personnel inspect the site of a blast at Nyanya bus station in the outskirts of Abuja Stringer/AFP via Getty Images For over a decade, the North-eastern region of Nigeria has been ravaged by insecurity, as the militant group Boko Haram has …