Why it’s not a problem that dinosaurs are sold for millions of dollars – art historian: Sotheby's publicity photograph for the _Ceratosaurus_ fossil. Sotheby's, CC BY-SA A juvenile dinosaur fossil, Ceratosaurus nasicornis, has sold at Sotheby’s New York for US$ 30.5 million (£22.7 million). It is part of a recent resurgence of art-market interest in …
From robotic trucks to smart bins: how technology is helping cities sort their waste problem: Since early January 2025, residents of Birmingham in the UK have been caught in the dispute between the city council and the Unite union over pay, terms and conditions for waste and recycling collectors. The latest attempt at talks broke …
Accra is a tough city to walk in: how city planners can fix the problem: Humans are walking beings. Walking is intrinsically linked to our physical development from childhood and enables our connections with people and places. We can say it is essential to our physical and mental well-being. Walking can also help create inclusive …
Modern spacesuits have a compatability problem. Astronauts’ lives depend on fixing it: Suni Williams and Butch Wilmore, the Nasa astronauts who were stuck on the International Space Station (ISS) for nine months, have finally returned to Earth. Spacesuits were an important consideration that Nasa had to factor into its plans to bring the astronauts back …
We need to switch to heat pumps fast – but can they can overcome this problem?: StockMediaSeller/Shutterstock People in the UK need to adopt heat pumps and electric vehicles as fast as they once embraced refrigerators, mobile phones and internet connection according to a new report by the Climate Change Committee (CCC). This government watchdog …
Which infectious disease is likely to be the biggest emerging problem in 2025?: COVID emerged suddenly, spread rapidly and killed millions of people around the world. Since then, I think it’s fair to say that most people have been nervous about the emergence of the next big infectious disease – be that a virus, bacterium, …
960 million dirty diapers are a big waste problem – what can be done with them: The use of disposable diapers (nappies) is growing in African countries. The disposable diaper undoubtedly makes it easier for many parents to work or spend time on other things, including their own and their child’s wellbeing. At the same …
The problem with new claims that Marlowe’s Doctor Faustus was co-written by a forgotten dramatist: Painting of an unknown 21-year-old man, widely supposed to be Christopher Marlowe (1585). Corpus Christi College In Shakespeare’s time, about a quarter of all plays were collaboratively written by two or more dramatists. Christopher Marlowe’s classic work Doctor Faustus was …
Benjamin Netanyahu’s biggest problem in negotiating an end to war with Hamas and Hezbollah may be his own government: Three months since Hamas launched its murderous October 7 attacks, Israeli foreign policymakers remain far from achieving their goals. The Israel Defense Forces’ (IDF) military campaign in the Gaza Strip has been unrelenting. According to data …
Wolves return to Europe: what to do about them is a people problem – podcast: Wolves are making a comeback across Europe. As their populations grow, 65,000 livestock are killed each year by wolves. Now, moves are underway to change the protection status of the wolf in the European Union. In this episode of The …
Driverless cars: stopping dead seems to be a default setting when they encounter a problem — it can cause chaos on roads: Gorodenkoff / Shutterstock While self-driving vehicles are being deployed in numerous cities globally, persistent controversies continue to challenge their deployment. Recently, Tesla recalled more than two million cars after the US regulator found …
Black Panther, Wakanda Forever and the problem with Hollywood – an African perspective: Black Panther and Black Panther: Wakanda Forever were global hits that played out in an imaginary African kingdom and feature a universe of black creative talent. What’s not to love about the franchise? Quite a lot, reckons cultural and literary studies scholar …
Europe has a wolf problem, and a late Norwegian philosopher had the solution: Ondrej Prosicky / Shutterstock Europe’s “wolf problem” is fast becoming a source of social and political tension. Relative conservation success across the continent has led to calls for action from worried politicians and farming and hunting groups. And the European Commission has …
Fraud is a problem so big we need to start teaching children how to spot it in schools: Fraud can happen to anyone. Twinsterphoto/Shutterstock Have you or someone you know been a victim of fraud? If so, that’s not unusual. The UK’s Office for National Statistics (ONS) reported a rise of 25% in the number …
Vape deals are everywhere this Christmas – here’s how to deal with the horrific waste problem: Vape deals are all over the place in the run-up to Christmas. Vape kits, e-liquids and accessories are being widely promoted as stocking fillers, frequently with upwards of 50% off. There’s certainly a big market, with nearly 5 million …
Loneliness is a major public health problem – and young people are bearing the brunt of it: Hannah Wei|Unsplash Writing in the Week, journalist Theara Coleman has declared 2023 “the year of the loneliness epidemic”. In May, the US surgeon general, Vivek Murthy, said loneliness posed a public health risk on a par with smoking …
mRNA COVID vaccines make ‘unintended proteins’ – we’ve discovered how to fix this problem: MRNA, a type of genetic material that provides the instructions your cells need in order to make proteins, used to be a term mainly used by scientists. But since COVID arrived many of us are now familiar with it thanks to …
We don’t know how many victims of modern slavery are in prison – why that’s a problem: Modern slavery affects an estimated 120,000 people in the UK. Under international law, countries must identify and protect survivors, while prosecuting and punishing those who traffic and exploit them. Courts in England and Wales convicted 282 traffickers in …