Does parrot farming protect wild species? Wildlife trade researchers review the evidence: The lives of people and parrots have been entwined for thousands of years. These colourful, charismatic birds are kept as pets all over the world for companionship and entertainment. However, today, nearly one-third of the 400 parrot species globally face the threat of …
Is your desk job killing your back? Ancient Egyptian scribes had the same aches and pains, say researchers: Tens of thousands of years ago, during a period of Egyptian history known as the Old Kingdom (around 2649–2130 BC), it was rare for people to be able to read and write. From an estimated population of …
Florence Bell died unrecognised for her contributions to DNA science – decades on female researchers are still being sidelined: Almost 80 years ago, Florence Bell quietly laid the foundations for one of the biggest landmarks in 20th century science: the discovery of the structure of DNA. But when she died on November 23 2000, her …
Did life evolve more than once? Researchers are closing in on an answer: Maximillian cabinet/Shutterstock From its humble origin(s), life has infected the entire planet with endless beautiful forms. The genesis of life is the oldest biological event, so old that no clear evidence was left behind other than the existence of life itself. This …
Researchers discover 18th century clay tobacco pipes were used as weapons and surgical tools: The ready availability of clay pipes meant that they were sometimes used for other activities other than smoking. Ashmolean Museum, CC BY-NC Tobacco pipes were one of the first mass-produced, disposable objects in Britain. Through contact with indigenous peoples of the …
Iraq 20 years on: researchers assess how US invasion shapes lives today – podcast: An abandoned house in the old town of Mosul, Iraq. (Ali Al-Baroodi, @ali_albaroodi), Author provided On March 19, 2003, the United States led an unlawful invasion into Iraq — at the time, the reason given was the search for weapons of …
African researchers are ready to share more work openly – now policy must make it possible: Some African countries are already doing well in open research. Dick Klaisataporn/Getty Images Librarians are the curators of creativity. They collect success stories and share it with the world. Traditionally, the success was from published authors, which libraries shared …
Digital storytelling can be a powerful tool for water researchers: Digital storytelling offers a way for water researchers to capture the nuance and emotion of people's experiences. Eric Lafforgue/Art in All of Us/Corbis via Getty Images Storytelling and science may, at first glance, seem like strange bedfellows. Scientists usually share their research through academic journals …
5 xenophobic myths about immigrants in South Africa debunked by researchers: Protesters and police clash during a march against illegal immigrants in South Africa. Alet Pretorius/Gallo Images/Getty Images In South Africa, immigrants are often scapegoated as the root of socio-economic problems. In the post-apartheid landscape, Black African immigrants, mainly, from other African countries have been …
Rwandan researchers are finally being centred in scholarship about their own country: Aegis Trust/Flickr/All rights reserved© It is widely known that African researchers are dramatically underrepresented in academic journals. But it’s still astonishing to see this reality starkly represented in numbers. For the past eight years we have run the Research, Policy and Higher Education …
Researchers should be assessed on quality not quantity: here’s how: Researchers need to be assessed on every aspect of their work, no matter where it takes place. Photo by marlenefrancia/Shutterstock How do you assess academic researchers for promotion or funding? This question has become ever more central in higher education settings since the 1980s saw …
The science that is helping researchers find the ‘disappeared’ in Latin America: In most Latin American countries where there has been a high level of civil conflict over the past few decades, there are still huge numbers of missing people due to forced disappearances. In Colombia alone this number is estimated to be more than …
‘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 …
COVID is caused by a virus – so why are researchers treating it with antibiotics?: i viewfinder/Shutterstock If you have a cold, don’t ask your doctor for antibiotics – that’s the golden rule. They’re for bacterial infections, not viral ones. We’re told not only that they won’t work, but that by using antibiotics when they …
What bush crickets are telling researchers via their unique calls: T thyraeus Bush crickets – or katydids, as they are also known – are fascinating creatures. They belong in the same order of insects as grasshoppers and crickets and are among the many species that communicate acoustically. Male bush crickets are prolific callers – and …
Why researchers are turning to music as a possible treatment for stroke, brain injuries and even Parkinson’s: Music has a powerful effect on the brain. meboonstudio/ Shutterstock You probably don’t realise it when you’re listening to your favourite song, but music has an incredibly powerful effect on the human brain. Singing, playing an instrument or …
One sentence in a book leads researchers to a species not seen in over 100 years: One of four montane skinks collected by the researchers. Wilson Monia It’s been more than 100 years since a live montane skink, Proscelotes aenea, was last spotted. Since then, it hasn’t been clear whether the lizard was extinct or …
South Africa in the news: Australian researchers capture strange radio waves from direction of galactic centre: Astronomers from Australia’s University of Sydney discovered unusual signals coming from the direction of the Milky Way’s centre. The discovery, published on Tuesday in the Astrophysical Journal, …: “South Africa” – BingNews Cricket Australia in flux as chair Earl …