Leading

Fifty years after the discovery of Lucy, it’s time to ‘decolonise paleoanthropology’ says leading Ethiopian fossil expert – podcast

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 …

Putin’s designs on a Baltic island are leading Sweden to prepare for war

Putin’s designs on a Baltic island are leading Sweden to prepare for war: Gotland has been a popular holiday destination for decades, but recently Swedish commander-in-chief, Mikael Bydén, claimed that Russian president Vladmir Putin “has his eyes” on the island. Concern was further ramped up, showing Gotland was just one part of Russia’s ambitions in …

Gaza war: how Qatar used its business connections to become a leading mediator in the Middle East

Gaza war: how Qatar used its business connections to become a leading mediator in the Middle East: During the temporary ceasefire negotiated between Israel and Hamas with the mediation of the Qatar government, 81 hostages have been released in return for the freeing of 180 Palestinians held in Israeli custody. Hundreds of lorry loads of …

Myths about plastic pollution are leading to public confusion: here’s why

Myths about plastic pollution are leading to public confusion: here’s why: STEKLO/Shutterstock Does the prediction that there could be “more plastic than fish in the ocean by 2050” concern you? How about reports that “we eat a credit card’s worth of plastic per week”? These are some of the “facts” about plastic that are cited …

How music heals us, even when it’s sad – by a neuroscientist leading a new study of musical therapy

How music heals us, even when it’s sad – by a neuroscientist leading a new study of musical therapy: Sangoiri/Shutterstock When I hear Shania Twain’s You’re Still The One, it takes me back to when I was 15, playing on my Dad’s PC. I was tidying up the mess after he had tried to [take …

Consciousness: why a leading theory has been branded ‘pseudoscience’

Consciousness: why a leading theory has been branded ‘pseudoscience’: Hubis/Shutterstocl Civil war has broken out in the field of consciousness research. More than 100 consciousness researchers have signed a letter accusing one of the most popular scientific theories of consciousness – the integrated information theory – of being pseudoscience. Immediately, several other figures in the …

Russell Brand allegations are leading to renewed scrutiny of the endemic bullying and harassment in the TV industry

Russell Brand allegations are leading to renewed scrutiny of the endemic bullying and harassment in the TV industry: Gnepphoto/Shutterstock The presenter, comedian and actor Russell Brand is at the centre of a joint investigation by The Times, The Sunday Times and Channel 4 Dispatches, which has reported allegations of abuse made against him by four …

Nigeria is Africa’s leading rice producer, but still needs more – reusing wastewater for irrigation would boost farming

Nigeria is Africa’s leading rice producer, but still needs more – reusing wastewater for irrigation would boost farming: Rice is widely eaten in Nigeria. Benson Ibeabuchi/AFP via Getty Images Rice is one of the staple foods globally, ranking third after wheat and maize in terms of production and consumption. It contributes over 20% of the …

Nigeria’s response to the Sudan crisis is lacking – it could play a leading role in bringing peace

Nigeria’s response to the Sudan crisis is lacking – it could play a leading role in bringing peace: People fleeing war-torn Sudan on 13 May 2023. Khaled Desouki/AFP via Getty Images Hostilities between rival military parties in Sudan had claimed more than 600 lives by May 2023. The infighting has mostly been between the Sudanese …

Xtend Celebrates South African Launch of AI Ad-Engine with Leading Ecommerce Partners

Xtend Celebrates South African Launch of AI Ad-Engine with Leading Ecommerce Partners : South Africa gets an exclusive preview of the world-class AI first retargeting engine that will enable e-commerce platforms to activate, monetise, and re-engage their users globally Xtend, a provider of futuristic marketing technologies, today announced the launch of a world-class AI-first retargeting engine …

Kemal K?l?çdaro?lu: Turkey’s opposition leader is leading in the polls, here’s what you need to know

Kemal K?l?çdaro?lu: Turkey’s opposition leader is leading in the polls, here’s what you need to know: Turkey’s general election on Sunday, May 14 will see voters cast their ballots for 600 members of its parliament and the country’s powerful presidency. This election has become intensely competitive in a country which has undergone severe democratic erosion …

Oral sex is now the leading risk factor for throat cancer

Oral sex is now the leading risk factor for throat cancer: Over the past two decades, there has been a rapid increase in throat cancer in the west, to the extent that some have called it an epidemic. This has been due to a large rise in a specific type of throat cancer called oropharyngeal …

Polio: leading virologist offers a beginner’s guide to the different viruses and vaccines

Polio: leading virologist offers a beginner’s guide to the different viruses and vaccines: Nicholas Kajoba/Xinhua via Getty Images On 17 March 2023, the World Health Organization (WHO) announced that health officials in Burundi and Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) had detected cases of vaccine-derived poliovirus. The WHO said the Burundian government had declared the detection …

HIV remains a leading killer in Africa despite medical breakthroughs – how to eliminate it

HIV remains a leading killer in Africa despite medical breakthroughs – how to eliminate it: Shutterstock About 38 million people around the world are living with HIV. About 70% of them live in Africa. This shows that there is no solution to the AIDS pandemic without a solution in Africa. In 2021, there were 1.5 …

Anti-obesity strategy could be world leading – let’s not lose momentum

Anti-obesity strategy could be world leading – let’s not lose momentum: The new British prime minister, Rishi Sunak, has a lot to contend with at this time of economic uncertainty in the UK. But prioritising the nation’s health and taking action against poor diet and unhealthy body weight needs to be high on his agenda. …

Beyond GDP: changing how we measure progress is key to tackling a world in crisis – three leading experts

Beyond GDP: changing how we measure progress is key to tackling a world in crisis – three leading experts: It’s an odd quirk of history that, on the first day of his ill-fated presidential campaign in March 1968, Robert F Kennedy chose to talk to his audience about the limitations of gross domestic product* (GDP) …

Without a fresh new vision, the next Conservative prime minister risks leading their party to election loss

Without a fresh new vision, the next Conservative prime minister risks leading their party to election loss: The Conservative party has got a problem. The problem can best be described as the coming together of a series of problems that will make re-election harder. In the run-up to the next election, voters will have the …

New research: how refugees leading city walking tours helps increase their sense of belonging

New research: how refugees leading city walking tours helps increase their sense of belonging: Connecting local sights with personal stories of being a newcomer to the city creates more meaningful experiences for visitors. Prawrawee Lim | Shutterstock Worldwide, one person becomes forcibly displaced every three seconds. The thinktank the Institute for Economics and Peace estimates …