By Lorenzo Feltrin, Postdoctoral research fellow, Ca' Foscari University of Venice; Graduate Institute – Institut de hautes études internationales et du développement (IHEID)
A labour and political ecology expert looks back at imperialistic logic and how chemical fertilisers have repeatedly served as strategic objectives and weapons, particularly in wartime.
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By Herkulaas MvE Combrink, Senior lecturer/ Co-Director, University of the Free State
Phelokazi Mkungeka, PhD candidate in Development Studies, University of the Free State
Misleading information online is often treated as a technical glitch, something that better algorithms or stricter moderation can fix. But research points to a more complex reality. That is, the rise of “misfluencers”, individuals who shape how information is interpreted, shared and trusted across digital platforms.
Whether acting deliberately or not, they tap into emotion, identity and community to amplify misleading claims in ways that feel credible and relatable. This human…
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By Catriona Macleod, Professor of Psychology, Rhodes University
Godfrey Kangaude, Scholar, University of California, Los Angeles
Nicola Jearey-Graham, Senior Researcher, Critical Studies in Sexualities and Reproduction, Rhodes University
A series of conferences held in Entebbe, Uganda, between 2023 and 2025 have resulted in a draft African Charter on Family, Sovereignty and Values. The meetings were organised by the Inter-parliamentary Network on African Sovereignty and Values, which organises continental conferences for African legislators and…
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By Abeer Elshater, Professor of Urban Morphology, Ain Shams University
Hisham Abusaada, Professor of Architecture and Urban Design, Housing and Building National Research Center
Generative AI (GenAI) is a type of artificial intelligence that creates new content – like text, images, or ideas – by learning patterns from existing data. GenAI, particularly through large language models (LLMs) such as ChatGPT and DeepSeek, is rapidly becoming part of everyday urban design research and practice.
The models can summarise literature in seconds, generate policy scenarios, and help draft complex narratives.
For urban designers and researchers working under pressure,…
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By Stefan Wolff, Professor of International Security, University of Birmingham
Hot on the heels of his summit with US president Donald Trump, China’s Xi Jinping hosted his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin in Beijing on May 19 and 20.
Headlines spoke of multiple trade agreements, warnings against a return to the law of the jungle in international relations, and a joint declaration on building a multipolar world. But underneath that it was…
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By Andrew C Marr, Reader in Green & Sustainable Chemistry, School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Queen's University Belfast
Paul Anastas, Professor of the Practice of Chemistry for the Environment, director of the Centre for Green Chemistry and Green Engineering, Yale University
Society depends on chemistry far more than we consciously realise, from medicines to energy to electronics. However, chemistry is viewed with as much apprehension as gratitude, because of the pollution and health problems that some chemicals cause.
There is a strong desire to have all the benefits of chemistry, but none of the downsides. This has led to terms like “chemical free product” coming into popular usage.
Of course it’s impossible to have a chemical free product – the ingredients in…
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By Paul Whiteley, Professor, Department of Government, University of Essex
Even before the US-Israeli war on Iran this year, many of America’s allies had a lack of confidence in the Trump administration.
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By James White, Professor of Planning and Urban Design, University of Glasgow
Hannah Hickman, Associate Professor in Planning Practice , University of the West of England
The UK’s next generation of new towns form a central part of the government’s growth strategy, while also promising to address the housing shortage.
Unlike the low-rise, car-dependent towns built after the second world war, these proposed towns are intended to be denser, more walkable and built around public transport and active lifestyles.
But the UK does not build dense housing particularly well, and various economic, political and cultural forces are pushing new developments in the other…
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By Laura Wise, Senior Research Fellow and Programme Coordinator with the Peace and Conflict Resolution Evidence Platform, University of Edinburgh
Mediators in both the Iran and Ukraine wars have struggled to achieve meaningful ceasefires. Although the US and Iran reached an initial two-week truce on April 7, brokered by Pakistan, the agreement has been fragile from the beginning.
By May 11, Donald Trump had declared that the ceasefire was “on massive life support” and has threatened to
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By Catherine Clarke, Professor in the History of People, Place and Community, School of Advanced Study, University of London
As the Bayeux Tapestry comes to London, the year 1066 and the Norman Conquest are in the spotlight. The tapestry – an embroidered cloth nearly 70 metres long, created soon after the events it depicts – tells the story of the Battle of Hastings in 1066 and William of Normandy’s triumphant defeat of Harold Godwinson, King of England.
The tapestry depicts William of Normandy as the victor, and Harold as a slippery oath-breaker who promises the English throne to William then goes back on his word. But…
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