How a popular sweetener could be damaging your brain’s defences – new study: Found in everything from protein bars to energy drinks, erythritol has long been considered a safe alternative to sugar. But new research suggests this widely used sweetener may be quietly undermining one of the body’s most crucial protective barriers – with potentially …
Virtual churches are popular in Ghana. But what about online safety?: Many churches have been holding worship services online via live-streaming platforms in recent times. This is unsurprising since many congregants use digital technologies. The COVID-19 pandemic also pushed churches to swiftly embrace digital platforms. This allowed them to continue with religious activities when physical …
Khat in Kenya: why efforts to ban this popular stimulant are unlikely to work: Khat – the stimulant leaves and twigs of the plant Catha edulis – seemed to have secure legal status in Kenya despite being illegal elsewhere. It had been declared an official cash crop in 2016, and efforts were under way to …
Insights 2023: from unheard voices and AI to the origin story of a very popular rabbit: An illustration by Beatrix Potter from The Tale of the Flopsy Bunnies. The Trustees of the British Museum, CC BY-NC-ND This year, the Insights series has covered a wide range of important topics but the themes of ‘unheard voices’, …
Going for a walk wasn’t really a thing 300 years ago – the Victorians turned it into a popular pastime: Daniel Gale/Shutterstock Going for a walk is always a good idea. Perhaps, if you are lucky enough, this might be a hike along ragged cliffs or trudge along a chilly beach with family. Many of …
Nigeria’s flamboyant aso ebi dressing style is popular – but it’s become a financial burden: Aso ebi – “family uniform” – is the Yoruba custom of people dressing alike for social events. The custom is rooted in kinship (ebi), an important aspect of Yoruba social life since precolonial times in what’s now south-west Nigeria. Words …
Egypt’s strongman president faces election amid economic slump and popular anger over inaction on Gaza: The bitter conflict between Israel and Hamas could not have come at a worse time for Egypt. Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, the former military strongman who seized power in 2013 amid the turbulent fallout of the Arab Spring, faces a general …
Popular nasal decongestant found to be ineffective by US drugs regulator – what it means for the UK: A.D.S.Portrait/Shutterstock An advisory panel of the US Food and Drug Administration has found that a drug used in the majority of cold and flu products to treat blocked noses does not work. The panel noted that phenylephrine, …
Why are ‘photo dumps’ so popular? A digital communications expert explains: Nuva Frames/Shutterstock It’s summer 2009. You’ve been to a “campout” with your school friends in someone’s back garden and taken a bunch of out-of-focus pictures on your digital camera. The next day, you dig out your trusty USB cable and upload the photos to …
‘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, …
Aspartame: popular sweetener could be classified as a possible carcinogen by WHO – but there’s no cause for panic: MMD Creative/Shutterstock According to reports, the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), part of the World Health Organization (WHO), is set to declare the artificial sweetener aspartame as “possibly carcinogenic to humans”. Aspartame is about …
The soundtrack to selling: why advertising with popular music needs to be pitch perfect: Cast Of Thousands/Shutterstock At some point today, it’s likely that you’ll listen to music. It may be during a commute or school run, while you do some exercise or take some time to relax. Music is all around us – an …
Ukraine war: Russia scales back May 9 Victory Day celebrations amid fear of popular protests: Russians celebrate the end of the “great patriotic war” on May 9 each year. Victory Day, which commemorates the defeat of Nazism in Europe is the most important holiday in Russia. The public and the state come together in a …
‘One meal a day’ diet popular with celebrities could do more harm than good – here’s why: Coldplay frontman Chris Martin has recently shared he follows Omad. Brian Friedman/ Shutterstock Celebrities have popularised all sorts of outlandish diet trends over the years. One of the latest trends among celebrities is the “one meal a day” …
Mystic Meg: fortunetellers have always been popular, despite a long history of efforts to silence them: Since her death on March 9, celebrities and clients have been paying tribute to Margaret Ann Lake, better known by her stage name “Mystic Meg”. In a career spanning five decades, Mystic Meg went from writing horoscopes to predicting …
Prime: a YouTuber expert explains how Logan Paul and KSI’s drink became so popular: YouTubers Logan Paul and KSI released their drinks brand, Prime Hydration, in January 2022. One year on, Paul said the drink had generated US$ 250 million (£209 million) in retail sales worldwide, with US$ 45 million of that in January 2023 …
Why Old Norse myths endure in popular culture: Chris Hemsworth as Thor in Marvel Studios' The Dark World from 2013. Maximum Film / Alamy From Wagner to William Morris in the late 19th century, via Tolkien’s dwarves and CS Lewis’s The Last Battle, through to last year’s controversial film The Northman, Scandinavian gods and heroes …
Deep Fake Neighbour Wars: ITV’s comedy shows how AI can transform popular culture: ITVX’s Deep Fake Neighbour Wars is the breakthrough in television’s use of artificial intelligence that experts in the cultural use of deepfakes like myself have been waiting for. In this six-part series, celebrities have apparently invaded our everyday lives. Presented as a …