From walking to cycling, how we get around a city is a gender equality issue – new research: Having the means, the infrastructure and the freedom to cycle gives women far greater access to the city surarit hattakanont | Shutterstock In urban societies around the world, there are gendered differences in how people get to …
Cancer drug could help fight HIV – new research: A cancer drug called pembrolizumab might also help people with HIV, according to a new study. On the face of it, cancer and Aids have little to do with each other. One is caused by an excessive division of cells in the body, the other is …
ASMR is linked to anxiety and neuroticism, our new research finds: YuliaLisitsa/Shutterstock The autonomous sensory meridian response, or ASMR, is described as an intensely pleasant tingling sensation originating in the scalp and neck, and spreading down the body. ASMR is elicited by a range of video and auditory triggers, such as watching someone pretend to …
Gut bacteria could help protect against COVID and even lead to a new drug – new research: Kateryna Kon/Shutterstock The number of people who have died with or from COVID has varied greatly around the world. Peru, the world’s worst affected country, has had 6,067 COVID deaths for every million inhabitants and 88,345 recorded cases …
How the psychology of blame can explain COVID-19 responses: new research: Frogella/Shutterstock Blame is a common strategy in life. It allows us to escape responsibility for mistakes. During a global pandemic, though, placing blame can be a dangerous strategy. Former US President Donald Trump famously called COVID-19 “the China virus” while facing criticism for his …
Coffee may become more scarce and expensive thanks to climate change – new research: Colombia's coffee region: the country could lose two thirds of its best coffee-growing land. Javier Crespo / shutterstock The world could lose half of its best coffee-growing land under a moderate climate change scenario. Brazil, which is the currently world’s largest …
Nigeria needs more social science research: how to boost output: Shutterstock Sub-Saharan Africa faces some of the biggest challenges to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals. For instance, Nigeria has at least 87 million people in extreme poverty. The country’s unemployment rate was over 33.3%, the second highest in the world, at the end of 2020. …
Probiotics regulate our immune system and could help fight off COVID – new research: Jasni/Shutterstock You’ve probably heard of probiotics – the “good bacteria” that can benefit our health. We consume them in an expanding variety of ways, often in foods marketed as being healthy. These bacteria can be contained in supplement capsules, yogurts, drinks …
Eavesdropping on nature: why Africa needs more bioacoustics research: African Penguins are among the species affected by noises made by seismic underwater exploration. Sergey Uryadnikov/Shutterstock Sound plays an important role in nature. It also helps researchers to study and interpret different landscapes and the species that live there. Most animals make sound; biologists often rely …
Phonics teaching in England needs to change – our new research points to a better approach: Sokor Space/Shutterstock Arguments about the best way to teach children to read can be intense – they’ve even been described as “the reading wars”. In England, as in many other countries, much of the debate has been over the …
Heavy drinkers increased their alcohol consumption the most during lockdown – new research: Deman/Shutterstock When the UK was placed into its first COVID lockdown in March 2020, many of us may have been tempted to reach for a drink. The country was about to enter an extraordinary period, with no idea of what would happen …
Radical overhaul of construction industry needed if UK to have any chance of net zero by 2050 – new research: Tricky_Shark/Shutterstock As I entered the construction site in England a decade ago, I was filled with excitement. This was a new state of the art housing development. I was there to provide independent evidence as …
Evolution: how Victorian sexism influenced Darwin’s theories – new research: Peacocking isn't the only way to attract mates. Andrey Bocharov/Shutterstock Sex is an expensive business, biologically speaking. Finding a suitable mate takes time and energy. Offspring are also a huge investment of resources. But sex does offer a rewarding possibility: children who are fitter than …
Lack of trust in public figures linked to COVID vaccine hesitancy – new research: An estimated 132 million COVID vaccines were given to people in Britain in 2021. Yet despite this, over a year into the UK’s vaccination programme, a significant number of people still don’t have any vaccine-based protection against the coronavirus. Around one …
How going from care to prison compounds women’s trauma – new research: Care leavers are over-represented in the justice system. HTWE | Shutterstock In the year to June 2021, for every 1,000 women in custody in England and Wales, 3,808 incidents of self-harm were recorded. This represented a shocking increase of 16% on the previous …
The wiring in your plane could soon be made from recycled plastic — new research: Lightening aeroplanes' loads helps to reduce their emissions. TobiasRehbein/Pixabay Every aeroplane contains a complex network of electrical cabling that keeps it flying smoothly. For every four passengers in a modern aircraft, you can expect about one mile of cable. That …
Lockdown schooling: research from across the world shows reasons to be hopeful: For some children, learning online, at their own pace, has been beneficial. Hananeko_Studio | Shutterstock When COVID shuttered schools across the world in 2020, the way teachers delivered their lessons and students did their classwork changed over night. As one Boston-based secondary school …
‘You have to suffer for your PhD’: poor mental health among doctoral researchers – new research: Ms.Lotus Bua/Shutterstock PhD students are the future of research, innovation and teaching at universities and beyond – but this future is at risk. There are already indications from previous research that there is a mental health crisis brewing among …