Odyssey by Stephen Fry – the tales of return from the Trojan war are charmingly retold but at an uncomfortable cost: Stephen Fry’s Odyssey is the final instalment in his retellings of Greek myth that began with Mythos. Here, Fry tells us, we move away from the turbulent creation of the gods and the swashbuckling …
Ancient human DNA from a South African rock shelter sheds light on 10,000 years of history: Oakhurst rock shelter is an archaeological site near the town of George on the southern coast of South Africa. It is set into a sandstone cliff above a stream in a valley forested by towering old yellowwood trees. Archaeologists …
China leads the net zero transition – here’s what we can learn from its progress in Beijing and Hong Kong: Manufacture of renewable tech is skyrocketing in Chinese cities such as Beijing. Mike Fuchslocher/Shutterstock China is winning the clean energy race. It has spent ten times more on clean energy than either the US or …
Egypt’s fears about Ethiopia’s mega-dam haven’t come to pass: moving on from historical concerns would benefit the whole region: A new round of angry exchanges has broken out between Egypt and Ethiopia over the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD). On September 1, Cairo wrote to the UN security council to protest against Ethiopia’s continued filling …
‘The data on extreme human ageing is rotten from the inside out’ – Ig Nobel winner Saul Justin Newman: From the swimming habits of dead trout to the revelation that some mammals can breathe through their backsides, a group of leading leftfield scientists have been taking their bows at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology for the …
The Moon had surprisingly recent volcanic activity, samples from Chinese space mission confirm: Volcanoes were erupting on the Moon as recently as 120 million years ago, evidence collected by a Chinese spacecraft suggests. Until the last few years, scientists had thought volcanic activity ended on the Moon around 2 billion years ago. The findings, published …
Mpox vaccines: where they come from and what stands in the way of distributing them in Africa: The Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention and the World Health Organization (WHO) have declared the latest outbreak of mpox in Africa a health emergency. An epidemic in the Democratic Republic of Congo has spread to neighbouring …
Not even the boss of Starbucks needs to be doing a 1,000-mile commute if they can do the job from home: How far is too far for good coffee? Cloudy Design/Shutterstock New Starbucks boss Brian Niccol caused many to spit out their coffee with the news he will commute around 1,000 miles from his home …
Raising revenue from land: what African cities might learn from Hong Kong’s unique land-lease system: Land prices across many African cities are soaring. This is because land is a city’s key asset. As urbanisation progresses, demand for land will rise, and therefore so will land prices, because the supply of land in cities is limited. …
From jellyfish to basking shark, we’re developing 100 new signs to deepen deaf people’s connection with the ocean: New British sign language terms will cover marine creatures like this jellyfish. JDScuba/Shutterstock For deaf people including schoolchildren, teachers and scientists, talking about marine species like the shortfin mako shark, loggerhead turtle and tiny phytoplankton usually means …
An artist has stolen a coin from the British Museum as part of a performance piece – but is the artwork ethical?: In June, the Brazilian artist Ilê Sartuzi removed a historical coin from its display case in the British Museum in London and deposited it in a donation box in the museum’s lobby. The …
What a ‘right to disconnect’ from work could look like in the UK: With tech and flexible-working, the boundaries between work and home have become blurred. bbernard/Shutterstock The UK’s new government has promised to take action to “promote a positive work-life balance for all workers”, and to prevent homes “turning into 24/7 offices”. The risk …
How democracy can work at community level: 3 lessons from a South African protest movement: Popular protests have surged around the world over the last decade. But do they work? And what lessons can be learnt from communities who have a history of militant protests? When the African National Congress (ANC) was elected to power …
Political gambling: a cautionary tale from the 2009 expenses scandal: As gamblegate stretches into its second week, it seems there is no end to the revelations about MPs misbehaving at the bookies. And naturally, as when any significant ethical misconduct is in the news, it didn’t take long for this one to be equated with …
The dangers of sneezing – from ejected bowels to torn windpipes: Sneezing is normally a protective mechanism that keeps potentially harmful things out of our respiratory system. ShotPrime Studio/ Shutterstock If you were to envision the kind of accident that would cause a person’s bowels to explode out of their body, you might imagine some …
Kenya protests: Gen Z shows the power of digital activism – driving change from screens to the streets: Nationwide demonstrations have erupted in Kenya over a controversial tax bill. The Finance Bill 2024, initially presented to parliament in May, has sparked discontent with an increase in an array of taxes and levies for Kenyans. The …
Nigeria’s national anthem change was a tactic to distract attention from the country’s real problems – political analyst: A year into his administration, Nigeria’s President Bola Ahmed Tinubu signed the National Anthem Bill into law, replacing an anthem adopted in 1978 with its predecessor. The decision generated debate among Nigerians, some of whom felt it …
Bridgerton: tips on how to dress and hold yourself in London society straight from the Regency period: As viewers of Bridgerton know, finding the right suitor is an art, requiring charm and beauty. It helped to be a diamond (the most eligible woman of the season, as chosen by the Queen), but all young ladies …