By Simon Rodway, Lecturer in Celtic Studies, Aberystwyth University
New insights from archaeology, genetics and early inscriptions are helping to uncover the story of Celtic languages in Britain and Ireland.
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By Mary Jane Spiller, Senior Lecturer in Cognitive Psychology, University of East London
I have a form of time–space synaesthesia, so the new year arrives for me in a very physical way. I feel myself move around the year, almost like I’m travelling along a structure. December sits low and to my left; January lifts and slides forward. The transition has a weight to it, as though the calendar itself shifts in space.
Synaesthesia is a perceptual condition where one sense triggers an experience in another sense. For some people,…
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By Lianganzi Wang, PhD Candidate, Sound and Music Computing, Queen Mary University of London
I was walking in Alice Holt Forest on England’s Surrey-Hampshire border when I stopped to listen. Despite there being nobody nearby, a slow “breathing” sound filled my ears. This was not a trick. An artwork was turning live forest data into sound, making the air feel like it was gently rising and falling. In that moment, “climate change” stopped being abstract and became something I could hear.
The piece I could hear is called Dendrophone by composer Peter Batchelor. It maps sunlight, humidity and carbon dioxide readings into a multichannel sound field in real time. Wetter air sounds…
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By Maureen Amimo, Lecturer, Maasai Mara University
In parts of Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania, it is not uncommon to hear of individuals who run naked at night. They cause trouble and instil fear in the neighbourhood. They throw stones on rooftops, make animal noises, bang on windows and doors, and chase night travellers.
In Kenya, the practice is called night running, or night dancing in parts of Tanzania and Uganda. It is claimed to be a form of spiritual possession in the communities where it is rampant.
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By Sandra Tuombouh
Eco-charcoal, a product made using methods and materials that minimize environmental harm, is gradually replacing traditional charcoal in some households in Cameroon’s capital, Yaounde.
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Tuesday, December 30, 2025
Sexual violence against children has become entrenched, systemic and increasingly widespread across the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), with new data showing a sharp rise in cases since 2022, according to the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF).
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By Ray Nickson, Senior Lecturer in Criminology, Newcastle Law School, University of Newcastle
The century-old story of Sydney’s Nippon Baseball Club offers insights into the lives of Asian migrants during the White Australia policy.
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By Morteza Hajizadeh, Hajizadeh, University of Auckland, Waipapa Taumata Rau
Persian and other Islamic literature celebrated male homoerotic love as a form of divine longing – until Western moral codes entered the region.
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By Timothy Byron, Lecturer in Psychology, University of Wollongong
You’re reading a report and trying to concentrate. The room is silent. But despite your best efforts to focus, a little snatch of melody – an “earworm” – keeps circling inside your head.
Research suggests most people get earworms regularly – and they’re more common among people who listen to a lot of music. One Finnish study found more than 90% of people report experiencing earworms at least weekly. About 60% of people experienced them daily.
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By Dan Jerker B. Svantesson, Professor specialising in Internet law, Bond University
Law affects beer, and beer affects law. The connection between the two is stronger than you might think, as we have illustrated in the recently published book Beer Law.
So as you pour a nice cold one during the summer holidays, here are a few things to think about.
1. Beer was a trigger for civilisation
It is common knowledge that humans transitioned from a “hunter-gatherer” type of life to civilisation and settling down to cultivate…
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