By Tara Deans, Associate Professor of Biomedical Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology
The goal of creating synthetic cells is not to replace nature, but to learn more deeply about biology and reengineer it to help society.
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By Michael Joseph Richardson, Senior Lecturer in Human Geography, Newcastle University
At first glance, beekeeping might seem an unusual hobby to introduce to young men – a group often discussed in policy and research as being “at risk”, of poor mental health and disengaged from society.
Yet perhaps it is precisely because of these societal expectations that beekeeping has such power as an activity. This is something I have witnessed through my work with North East Young Dads and Lads, an organisation dedicated to helping young dads play…
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By John Jewell, Director of Undergraduate Studies, School of Journalism, Media and Cultural Studies, Cardiff University
The High Court has ruled in favour of Daily Mail publisher Associated Newspapers in the lawsuit brought by Prince Harry and other public figures. This is likely to end the Duke of Sussex’s years-long campaign to prove allegations of unlawful press activity regarding his private life.
Judge Matthew Nicklin ruled…
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By Misheck Mutize, Post Doctoral Researcher, Graduate School of Business (GSB), University of Cape Town
The three major credit rating agencies – Moody’s, S&P Global and Fitch – have often differed among themselves when rating African institutions and countries. Their opinions don’t have to be aligned, but a huge gap in the ratings suggests inaccuracies in the analyses.
Wrong ratings have consequences. They drive up the cost of capital. Lower ratings indicate higher risk, and lead investors to demand higher interest rates to compensate for that risk. When a sovereign (country) is downgraded, its borrowing costs increase. It has to pay more interest on the same amount of debt, and has…
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By Tapiwa Seremani, Associate Professor in Business Ethics, IÉSEG School of Management
France’s ethnically diverse squad reflects the nation’s multi-faceted history: its colonial heritage, migration patterns and the French Football Federation’s training policy that dates back to the 1990s.
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By Farhang Morady, Reader in International Development, University of Westminster
The US and Iran have returned to the brink of conflict after an exchange of strikes on July 7, just three weeks after the two sides had signed a framework deal to end their hostilities. In comments made ahead of the Nato summit in Turkey, Donald Trump declared the ceasefire “over” and added that further talks would be “a waste of time”.
This development will be welcomed by some members…
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By Hind Elhinnawy, Senior Lecturer, School of Social Sciences, Nottingham Trent University
The death of the Iranian novelist and feminist writer at the age of 80 marks the loss of one of the most courageous and original voices in modern Persian literature. For more than five decades, Parsipur wrote women into spaces from which they had often been excluded: history, politics, spirituality and even storytelling.
Imprisoned under both the shah and the Islamic Republic, censored, banned and eventually exiled, she remained committed to a simple but radical idea: women deserve to be the authors of their own lives.
Born in Tehran in 1946, Parsipur entered Iranian literature…
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By Nima Shokri, Executive Co-Director, Institute for Water, Environment and Health (UNU-INWEH), United Nations University; Technical University of Hamburg
For several decades, Iran has devoted substantial financial, institutional and political resources to military expansion. It has invested heavily in supporting its regional partners, as well as in pursuing geopolitical influence across the Middle East.
Previously, the Islamic Republic has shown few signs of swivelling its resources toward fixing its ever expanding environmental…
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By Stephanie Hatzifilalithis, Scientist, Women's Age Lab, Women's College Hospital - Assistant Professor, Dalla Lana School of Public Health, University of Toronto
Five years ago, British Columbia’s heat dome became one of the deadliest weather disasters in Canadian history.
Over eight days in late June and early July 2021, 619 people died from heat-related causes. Most were older adults. Many lived alone. Nearly all died indoors. What happened was not just a weather event. It was a failure of housing, health systems, emergency preparedness and social policy.
Today, the uncomfortable question is not whether…
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By Svitlana Matviyenko, Associate Professor of Critical Media Analysis, School of Communication, Simon Fraser University
Russia’s use of the Oreshnik nuclear missile extends beyond a single weapons system — its underlying logic is to terrorize civilians, not to deter Ukrainian retaliation.
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