By Audrey T. Lin, Research Associate in Anthropology, Smithsonian Institution
Logan Kistler, Curator of Archaeobotany and Archaeogenomics, National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution
Today’s wolves and dogs share a common ancestor. But a deeper look at their genes reveals that interbreeding since dogs were domesticated 20,000 years ago hasn’t been as rare as scientists assumed.
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By Amnesty International
Reacting to the German government’s decision to lift a suspension on the issuance of certain arms export licences to Israel for use in the occupied Gaza Strip effective today, Erika Guevara-Rosas, Amnesty International’s Senior Director for Research, Advocacy, Policy and Campaigns said: “Germany’s decision to lift its partial suspension of weapons shipments to Israel is […] The post Germany: Resumption of arms transfers to Israel reckless, unlawful and risks complicity in Israel’s international crimes appeared first on Amnesty International. ]]>
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By Human Rights Watch
Click to expand Image Honduran citizens vote during the primary elections in Tegucigalpa, Honduras on March 9, 2025. © 2025 Emilio Flores/Anadolu via Getty Images (Washington, DC) – Escalating political pressure on electoral authorities threatens Hondurans’ right to vote in free and fair elections, Human Rights Watch said today.Honduras will hold general elections on November 30, 2025, for the president, all 128 National Congress members, and 20 Central American Parliament members. In recent weeks, the Attorney General’s Office has opened criminal investigations targeting top electoral…
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By Francesco Agnellini, Lecturer in Digital and Data Studies, Binghamton University, State University of New York
The line between human and machine authorship is blurring, particularly as it’s become increasingly difficult to tell whether something was written by a person or AI.
Now, in what may seem like a tipping point, the digital marketing firm Graphite recently published a study showing that more than 50% of articles on the web are being generated by artificial intelligence.
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By Stephen M Yeager, Professor of English, Concordia University
Dungeon & Dragon’s expansion over the last 50 years was driven by digital social networks in the same way that the evolution of digital social networks was driven by D&D.
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By Jonny Peter, Associate Professor, Unit Head and also serves as Head of the Division of Allergology and Clinical Immunology at Groote Schuur Hospital, University of Cape Town
“I feel better, but my mind isn’t the same.” Four years after the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, such comments are still heard regularly in many medical practices in South Africa. What began as a respiratory virus seems to have left a lingering mark on some people who were infected.
In South Africa, more than 4 million cases of COVID-19 were confirmed. For some people, the physical recovery was just the beginning. Ongoing fatigue, poor…
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By Danny Bradlow, Professor/Senior Research Fellow, Centre for Advancement of Scholarship, University of Pretoria
US president Donald Trump’s efforts to derail a successful wrap-up of the G20 summit in Johannesburg failed. Trump boycotted the meeting and the US told other countries through diplomatic channels not to sign a communiqué. Nevertheless, the 19 remaining countries and regional organisations signed…
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By Renaud Foucart, Senior Lecturer in Economics, Lancaster University Management School, Lancaster University
As the UK prepares for the budget announcement, familiar debates are taking shape. Should Chancellor Rachel Reeves cut welfare spending? Or reform the “triple lock” on state pensions?
Other debates focus on revenue: how should she raise money without breaking Labour’s manifesto promise not to increase taxes on working people? But these discussions are being held in a strange vacuum, where the three enormous expenditures that led the UK to this point are not mentioned.
COVID debt, energy support schemes and Brexit have fundamentally shaped the UK’s…
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By Mark Woolhouse, Professor of Infectious Disease Epidemiology, University of Edinburgh
The COVID inquiry focused on whether lockdowns came too soon or too late, but the more important question is could they have been avoided altogether?
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By Graham Taylor, Associate Professor in Viral and Tumour Immunology, University of Birmingham
Heather Long, Associate Professor, Department of Immunology and Immunotherapy, University of Birmingham
Around 5 million people worldwide live with the autoimmune condition lupus. This condition can cause a range of symptoms, including tiredness, fever, joint pain and a characteristic butterfly-shaped rash across the cheeks and nose.
For some people, these symptoms are mild and only flare-up occassionally. But for others, the disease is more severe – with constant symptoms
Although researchers know that lupus is caused by the immune system mistakenly attacking the body’s own tissues and organs, it…
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