By Rachel Grant, Senior Lecturer in Bioscience, London South Bank University
For centuries, unusual animal behaviour before earthquakes has been reported worldwide. Livestock becoming restless, wildlife disappearing and snakes emerging from hibernation in the middle of winter. For a long time, scientists dismissed such observations as folklore.
In recent years, however, systematic research has begun to explore whether animals genuinely respond to environmental changes preceding major earthquakes. Although earthquakes are hard to predict…
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By Paolo Aversa, Professor of Strategy, King's College London
The first races under Formula 1’s new regulations delivered exactly what the sport’s rule-makers had hoped for: more overtaking. At the recent Australian Grand Prix in Melbourne, passes on track nearly tripled compared with the previous year. At the Chinese Grand Prix over the weekend the increase was less extreme, but still noticeable.
This revealed something unexpected about Formula 1’s new generation of cars. Many of the passes did not come from the classic ingredients of racing – a driver braking later…
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By Chloé Fernandez, PhD Student in Marine Zoology , Universitat de València
Natalia Fraija Fernández, Investigadora Doctora Senior, Universitat de València
The Mediterranean Sea is home to some of the ocean’s largest animals. Among the nine species of cetaceans commonly found along its western shores are the fin whale (Balaenoptera physalus, the world’s second-largest marine animal), and the sperm whale (Physeter macrocephalus). These species can reach lengths of up to 23 and 18 metres respectively, and their populations are genetically isolated from their Atlantic counterparts.
But despite their size, these enormous animals can be difficult to spot. The sperm…
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By Amnesty International
Those responsible for planning and executing an unlawful US strike on a school in Minab, Hormozgan province in Iran that killed 168 people, including over 100 children, must be held accountable, Amnesty International said today. Evidence gathered by the organization indicates that the school building was directly struck, alongside 12 other structures in an adjacent […] The post USA/Iran: Those responsible for deadly and unlawful US strike on school that killed over 100 children must be held accountable appeared first on Amnesty International. ]]>
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By Human Rights Watch
Click to expand Image United Nations Headquarters in New York City, US, July 16, 2024. © 2024 Jakub Porzycki/NurPhoto via AP Photo The United Nations will hold elections in April for the 19 members of the UN Committee on Non-Governmental Organizations, which controls UN accreditation for nongovernmental groups. The election to the UN’s gatekeeper for civil society comes at a difficult time for human rights and civil society groups around the world, with governments defunding these groups, blocking foreign grants, and suppressing and often criminalizing their work.The candidates for this…
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By Lisa Sachs, Director, Columbia Center on Sustainable Investment, Columbia University
The effects of climate change are no longer a future risk for Africa. They are a present crisis.
Floods are destroying infrastructure that took decades to build. Droughts are collapsing harvests and displacing communities. Extreme heat is eroding…
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By Luke Elson, Lecturer in Philosophy, University of Reading
A philosophical puzzle can help explain why some people and governments aren’t acting quickly enough to tackle climate change.
In 1990, American philosopher Warren Quinn posed the puzzle of the self-torturer. Imagine you’ve had an electrical device fitted to you. It has a dial, and every week you’re offered £10,000 to turn that dial up a notch. Doing this causes a tiny but permanent increase in electrical current flowing through your body,…
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By Mayur Ranchordas, Professor of Applied Sport Nutrition and Sport Nutrition Consultant, Sheffield Hallam University
A compound your body makes after drinking caffeine is now appearing in drinks. But scientists are still studying how safe and effective it really is.
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By Mike Stembridge, Professor of Cardiovascular and Environmental Physiology Cardiff School of Sport & Health Sciences, Cardiff Metropolitan University
Elliott Jenkins, PhD Candidate in Exercise and Environmental Physiology, Cardiff Metropolitan University
For decades, elite runners have travelled the world to train at high altitude. When oxygen levels in the air are low, the body responds by producing more red blood cells – the cells responsible for carrying oxygen around the body. When athletes return to sea level, this greater oxygen-carrying capacity can enhance endurance performance.
But altitude training comes at a cost. It requires time away, financial investment and long-haul travel. For the vast majority of runners lining…
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By Vivek Soundararajan, Professor of Work and Equality, University of Bath
IT workers in India keep a lot of the world’s technology ticking over. They may be operating your company’s helpdesk, or responding to a query about your latest gadget.
They may also be working from home. And in India’s IT hubs, like Bangalore, Chennai or Hyderabad, this is likely to be from a cramped apartment filled with backup battery systems the workers have paid for themselves.
For despite often working for some of the biggest companies in the world, research I carried out with colleagues…
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