Some Neanderthals hunted bigger animals, across a larger range, than modern humans: Neanderthals were evolutionary cousins to our species, Homo sapiens. Chettaprin.P / Shutterstock The region of Estremadura in Portugal was home to a band of Neanderthals – an ancient evolutionary relative of modern humans – about 95,000 years ago. They made use of the …
West Africa has a small weapons crisis – why some countries are better at dealing with it than others: Small arms and light weapons recovered from bandits in Jos, north central Nigeria. Pius Utomi Ekpei/AFP via Getty Images Research has found that globally, small arms and light weapons increase the likelihood, intensity and longevity of …
South Africa’s cold weather has arrived — some tips on how to stay warm and safe: When cold weather sets in there are several ways to keep yourself warm. NickyLloyd/Getty Images Research shows that the world is undoubtedly warming. And, as the global average temperature keeps rising, heatwaves are increasing in their frequency, duration and …
DNA study sheds light on Scotland’s Picts, and resolves some myths about them: Pictish stones feature distinctive symbols. © Cathy MacIver, Author provided The people known as the Picts have puzzled archaeologists and historians for centuries. They lived in Scotland during the early medieval period, from around AD300 to AD900, but many aspects of their …
Slavery’s historical link to marriage is still at play in some African societies: Women in parts of the world are victims of slavery Wikimedia Commons/Flickr Governments and religious institutions regulate marriage. Such regulations are heavily laden with specific moral ideas and cultural taboos. There are heated debates around what counts as “proper” marriage: should polygamy …
Keeping a diary can improve teachers’ wellbeing – here are some ways it can work for all of us: mimagephotography/Shutterstock Teachers in England are struggling. A recently released government report on the working lives of teachers found that teachers’ wellbeing levels are lower than the general population. More than half of the 11,177 teachers and school …
Why democratic countries around the world are not prepared to support Ukraine – and some are shifting closer to Russia: After over a year of the Ukraine war, efforts at building a global consensus against Russia seem to have stalled, with many countries opting for neutrality. The number of countries condemning Russia has declined, according …
Four reasons inflation will stay stubbornly high for some time: Climbing inflation. Sergey Tinyakov/Shutterstock Price inflation is starting to fall in many countries but it still remains way above the typical 2% target of most major economies. In the UK, inflation has been above target since August 2021 and in double digits since August 2022. …
Why some terror campaigns escalate to civil war and others don’t – study reveals surprising new answers: Guerillas from the Mozambican National Resistance (Renamo) pictured in 1990. Richard Hoffmann/Sygma via Getty Images Most terrorist campaigns – where a group targets civilians to achieve political objectives – are short-lived. But some aren’t. In some cases, terror …
Security in Nigeria: Bola Tinubu will increase tension in some parts of the country and reduce it in others: Nigeria's president-elect, Bola Ahmed Tinubu in Abuja in July 2022. Kola Sulaimon/AFP via Getty Images Bola Ahmed Tinubu will be sworn in as president of the country on 29 May 2023. That’s if the courts uphold …
‘Drinking isn’t an option, it’s more of a requirement’: the reasons for high alcohol consumption among some student athletes: AstroStar/Shutterstock Binge drinking is commonplace in university sport. Students who play sport drink more heavily and frequently than other students. Research that surveyed students in England found that 62% of student sportspeople reported drinking at least …
Why some people lose their accents but others don’t – linguistic expert: FGC/Shutterstock The way a person speaks is an intrinsic part of their identity. It’s tribal, marking a speaker as being from one social group or another. Accents are a sign of belonging as much as something that separates communities. Yet we can probably …
Hay fever: why some people suffer from it and others don’t: Octa corp/Shutterstock While the arrival of spring brings blooming flowers and trees, it also marks the beginning of allergy season for many people. Those who suffer from hay fever may start to notice familiar symptoms such as sneezing, itchy eyes and a runny nose. …
Shedding pounds might benefit your heart even if some weight is regained – new study: Rostislav Sedlacek/Shutterstock Programmes to help people lose weight through changes to their diet, exercise or both, are mainstays of weight management. Despite their widespread use, many people worry that after the programmes end they will regain the weight they lost …
Roadkill: vehicle collisions may be threatening the survival of some mammal populations: It’s almost impossible to take your car for a drive without seeing some of the millions of animals that are killed on roads each year. Such deaths, commonly referred to by researchers as roadkill, negatively affect wildlife populations. But exactly how it does …
Budget explainer: here are some ways to read between the lines on what’s being reported: Understanding economic news. Rawpixel.com/Shutterstock UK budget announcements inevitably lead to a deluge of reporting on how the chancellor’s latest plans for the economy will affect our wallets, pensions and investments, as well as the bottom lines of businesses, charities and …
Starseeds: psychologists on why some people think they’re aliens living on Earth: Welcome to the new reality. sun ok/Shutterstock There’s a new group of people on Earth who believe they’re aliens. Star people, or starseeds, are individuals who believe they have come to Earth from other dimensions to help heal the planet and guide humanity …
Why the revolving door between government and lobby firms is spinning a little too fast in some cases: Shutterstock There are numerous factors that influence public trust in government, one in particular is the relationship with people in power and lobby groups. Some of the recent scandals that have damaged public trust in British politics …