By Tom Chudley, Lecturer in Glaciology, University of Bristol
You might be familiar with the narwhal – otherwise known as the “unicorn of the sea”. The whale species, with their iconic spiral tusks that can extend up to three metres long, live year-round in Arctic waters across Canada, Greenland and Russia. They attract committed tourists determined to see and photograph them in the wild, where, if lucky, they can be observed gathering and feeding in large groups.
Between 2017 and 2019, a group of scientists travelled to the eastern coast of Greenland also hoping to see some narwhals. Unlike tourists, however, they had a slightly more unusual…
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By Bradley Case, Professor in Geographic Information Systems and Remote Sensing, School of Science, Auckland University of Technology
For nature-based climate adaptation, better data is only one part of the full system required to determine where to act, who decides and how action will be funded.
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By Human Rights Watch
Click to expand Image Bolivian President Rodrigo Paz (left), meets with activist Amparo Carvajal before entering the offices of the Permanent Assembly of Human Rights of Bolivia (APDHB), in La Paz, Bolivia, November 20, 2025. © 2025 Juan Karita/AP Photo Bolivia’s government published two decrees in early August that threaten the right to freedom of association and the work of human rights defenders. One decree states that non-governmental organizations must register with the Vice-Ministry of Public Investment and External Financing before carrying out any project that involves…
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By Amnesty International
This week the Grand Chamber of the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) delivered a landmark judgment in the case of prominent Turkish human rights defender, Osman Kavala. It denounced the bad faith of Türkiye’s authorities, and ruled that Kavala has been unlawfully imprisoned for almost nine years based on a politically motivated trial. Consequently, the court […] The post How Osman Kavala’s treatment became emblematic of the dire human rights situation in Türkiye appeared first on Amnesty International. ]]>
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By Daniel Kwasi Kpeglo, PhD in Physics | Materials Science & Computational Physics | Scientific Computing, University of South Africa
A new nanomaterial ‘blanket’ could reduce evaporation from dams by blocking heat while letting sunlight through, helping save scarce water in hot parts of Africa.
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By Zil Audi-Poquillon, PhD Candidate - Health Policy and Health Economics, London School of Economics and Political Science
For decades, Kenyans without health insurance have had one option when they fall sick, or a hospital bill arrives. Reach out to friends and family to gather what they can for their healthcare.
By 2023, official figures showed only about a quarter of Kenyans had any health cover. And most of these were people working in formal sector jobs. For the remaining 75%, who had no cover, falling sick meant paying out of their own pockets at health facilities. The few exceptions include maternity…
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By Yaw Agyabeng-Mensah, Lecturer in Project Management, Macquarie University
Charles Baah, Research Fellow, Charles Darwin University
Ebenezer Affum, Assistant researcher, University of Bristol, University of Bristol
Across Africa, governments are promoting industrialisation while encouraging businesses to reduce waste and keep materials in use for longer. Many manufacturers, however, especially the smaller ones, can’t afford the advanced technologies often associated with greener…
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By Ronell R Klopper, Extraordinary Lecturer, University of Pretoria
Hester Steyn, Plant taxonomist at the National Herbarium, South African National Biodiversity Institute
Marianne Le Roux, e-Flora Coordinator, South African National Biodiversity Institute
Universities and biodiversity institutes have hidden treasures: their collections of pressed plant specimens. These are plants that have been flattened, dried and mounted on special cardboard sheets. Some of them were collected centuries ago. They hold information about where species occur and how ecosystems changed over time.
Yet for many researchers and policymakers, that information remains invisible. The collections are filed in cabinets and the data mostly only accessible if seen in person, one specimen at a time.
This is the central challenge facing African herbaria…
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By Richard Hargy, Lecturer in International Studies and Politics, Ulster University; Queen's University Belfast
The official campaign for the US midterm elections usually begins after America celebrates Labor Day on September 7. But over the summer, the battle for votes has intensified between Donald Trump’s Republican party and a freshly emboldened Democratic party.
In November’s elections, all the seats in the House of Representatives will be contested, as will one-third of the Senate. Throughout the year, Republican and Democratic hopefuls have…
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By Steve Iafrati, Assistant Professor in Social/Public Policy, University of Nottingham
Alastair Munro, Teaching Associate in Human Geography, University of Nottingham
Nick Clare, Associate Professor, Department of Geography, University of Nottingham
Andy Burnham has placed housing inequality, council house building and eradicating rough sleeping at the top of his priority list as prime minister. He has now announced plans to get rough sleepers in England into accommodation by Christmas.
While this is a worthy goal, homelessness is not just…
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