Elon Musk says he may launch his own party: but US history tells us that’s not a recipe for success: To paraphrase a very old joke, how do you make a small fortune in America? Start with a large fortune and fund a third political party. American political history is littered with the wrecks of …
Cameroon’s Baka people say they are part of the forest: that’s why they look after it: The Congo Basin’s hunter-gatherer people have the secret to living well with the forest. While doing fieldwork in 2020, I remember walking with Indigenous elders Ferdinand Mbita and Félix Mangombe up the small, winding path into their forest in …
South African telescope discovers a giant galaxy that’s 32 times bigger than Earth’s: Inkathazo's glowing plasma jets are shown in red and yellow. The starlight from other surrounding galaxies can be seen in the background. K.K.L Charlton (UCT), MeerKAT, HSC, CARTA, IDIA, CC BY You may not know it, but right now there’s a huge …
Consider The Turkey: philosopher’s new book might put you off your festive bird – and that’s exactly what he would want: Australian philosopher Peter Singer has been a champion of animal rights for more than 50 years. His basic philosophical position has remained the same: the suffering of animals is just as important as the …
No government in half a century has built 300,000 homes every year, but that’s what Labour wants to do now: Labour is changing the way sites for new homes are chosen. Francesco Scatena The election of the Labour government has been accompanied by a renewed appetite to deal with England’s housing crisis. Among the first …
The Beautiful Game: a film about the Homelessness World Cup that’s a testament to how football can change lives: The Beautiful Game is a film of second chances — where teams of homeless men and women from around the world find that all roads lead to Rome and everything’s to play for. Starring Bill Nighy …
‘I couldn’t stand the pain’: the Turkish holiday resort that’s become an emergency dental centre for Britons who can’t get treated at home: This clinic in the Turkish resort of Antalya is the official 'dental sponsor' of the Miss England competition. Diana Ibanez-Tirado, Author provided It’s a hot summer day in the Turkish city of …
“That’s a good girl”: how women are infantilised during obstetric care and labour: GOLFX/Shutterstock As Kate, a participant in our research on birth experiences, struggled with the pain she was experiencing during labour, the midwife was stern. She referred to Kate as a “silly girl” and told her she needed to calm down. Finally, the …
Some believe the 1889 Russian flu pandemic was actually caused by a coronavirus – here’s why that’s unlikely: COVID-19 was the first coronavirus pandemic. The original Sars virus from 2003 and the Mers virus that created a health emergency in South Korea in 2015 were both coronaviruses, but fortunately failed to turn into pandemics in …
Universal basic income: Wales is set to end its experiment – why we think that’s a mistake: The Welsh UBI for care leavers pilot runs until 2025 and won't be extended beyond that date. Alex Segre/Shutterstock The Welsh government has announced that its universal basic income (UBI) project will not be continued after the initial …
Why OpenAI developing an artificial intelligence that’s good at maths is such a big deal: Daboost / Shutterstock With the recent sacking and swift rehiring of Sam Altman by OpenAI, debates around the development and use of artificial intelligence (AI) are once again in the spotlight. What’s more unusual is that a prominent theme in …
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 …
The most vulnerable shoulder rising energy costs because their homes aren’t efficient enough – here’s why that’s so hard to tackle: Maren Winter/Shutterstock In September 2023, the UK prime minister, Rishi Sunak, announced that landlords will no longer be required to improve the energy efficiency of their rental properties. The announcement marked a departure from decades …
After months of negotiations Ukraine will be getting the F-16 warplanes it has been begging for – here’s why that’s important: After months of diplomatic pressure to supply Ukrainian forces with advanced fighter jets, European governments have agreed to supply F-16 aircraft to the Ukrainian air force. The deal, under which Denmark and the Netherlands …
More than half of life on Earth is found in soil – here’s why that’s important: Springtails (Fasciosminthurus quinquefasciatus) are found in any damp soil. Andy Murray/chaosofdelight.org, CC BY-NC-ND A recent study has found that soil is home to 59% of all life on Earth, from an insect feeding on the soil surface to a …
Science experiments traditionally only used male mice – here’s why that’s a problem for women’s health: unoL/Shutterstock If you have ever taken a medicine, then you have benefited from research in animals. But ten years ago, if you looked at a scientific report involving mice or rats, it would probably have used only male animals. …
The personal details of Northern Ireland’s main police force have been leaked – three reasons why that’s incredibly dangerous: Shutterstock/Damien Storan Data breaches are not a good look for any institution or organisation. But depending on the nature of the data leaked and the organisation, some breaches can be more serious and have greater consequences …
Measles: it’s not just London that’s at risk of an outbreak – it’s all of the UK: Since the start of 2023, measles has been reported in a third of countries in the World Health Organization (WHO) European region. And in the first five months of the year there were 5,699 cases reported there – …