By Samuel Jesse Cox, Postdoctoral Fellow and Visiting Lecturer in English Literature, University of Tübingen
The Rose Field, the third and final volume in Philip Pullman’s The Book of Dust trilogy is finally in the hands of his readers.
This trilogy accompanies Pullman’s earlier series, His Dark Materials, and tells stories that happen both before and after those original books. Both trilogies follow Lyra Belacqua and her daemon, Pantalaimon – a manifestation of her soul in animal form. In The…
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By Adam Lowenstein, Professor of Film and Media Studies, University of Pittsburgh
The Halloween season has always been special for me. It’s the time when it seems the entire country shares the fascination with the dark side of human experience that has inspired me from my youth as a fan of horror movies to my current career as a professor of English and film studies focused on the horror genre.
I’m a member of Pittsburgh’s Jewish community, and the Halloween season has also carried a very different connotation for the past seven years. On Oct. 27, 2018, Pittsburgh’s…
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By Decide Mabumbo, Senior Researcher - Climate risk management and disaster resilience, CGIAR
South Africa’s G20 presidency is a chance to lobby for investment in drought-tolerant crops, better irrigation, and early warning systems.
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By Laura Tensen, Assistant Professor, University of Greifswald
Biologists often form deep bonds with the species they study. For some, that relationship begins early in their careers and shapes decades of research. The connection can be personal, even affectionate, but it can also create tensions when others set their sights on the same species.
In biology, certain plants and animals are considered “charismatic species” by the general public. They capture the public imagination through beauty, uniqueness,…
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By Sathiya Susuman Appunni, Full Professor of Demography, University of the Western Cape
Despite international efforts to eliminate child marriage, the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) continues to have high rates of this harmful practice.
Child marriage refers to a formal or informal union where one or both parties are under 18 years of age. It’s harmful because it denies girls their right to education, health and personal development.
Around 29% of young women aged 20-24 in the DRC were
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By Alan Whitfield, Emeritus Chief Scientist, NRF-SAIAB, National Research Foundation
Charles Helm, Research Associate, African Centre for Coastal Palaeoscience, Nelson Mandela University
Francis Thackeray, Honorary Research Associate, Evolutionary Studies Institute, University of the Witwatersrand
Renee Rust, Research fellow, Department of Geography, Archaeology & Environmental Studies, University of the Witwatersrand; Research Associate, African Centre for Coastal Palaeoscience, Nelson Mandela University
Willo Stear, Research Associate, African Centre for Coastal Palaeoscience, Nelson Mandela University
The origins and migrations of modern humans around the world are a hot topic of debate. Genetic analyses have pointed to Africa as the continent from which our ancestors dispersed in the Late Pleistocene epoch, which began about 126,000 years ago. Various dispersal routes have been suggested.
As a group of scientists who have been studying human evolution, we propose in a recently published…
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By Gemma Ware, Host, The Conversation Weekly Podcast, The Conversation
Why early Protestants embraced demons and witches but turned their backs on ghosts. Listen to expert Penelope Geng on The Conversation Weekly podcast.
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By Amnesty International
Climate change is getting worse and so are the threats it poses to human rights. The right to adequate housing is being violated on a massive scale, as homes, particularly those in informal settlements, are destroyed by the effects of climate change. For example, South Africa has experienced devastating extreme weather and flooding over the […] The post How do we protect the right to housing amid the growing threat of climate change? appeared first on Amnesty International. ]]>
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By Tilman Ruff, Honorary Principal Fellow, School of Population and Global Health, The University of Melbourne
All of the nine nuclear-armed nations are investing huge sums in new weapons. And the numbers of nuclear weapons “available for use” is climbing again.
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By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra
Labor came to power in 2022 promising a new form of transparent, accountable politics. As recent incidents have shown, there’s little sign of it.
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