By Marina Joubert, Science Communication Researcher, Stellenbosch University
Namibia is one of the world’s leading uranium producers. It also has significant deposits of diamonds, gold, zinc, copper and rare earth elements. As these sectors evolve, there’s a need for geoscientists to communicate with the public as well as communities. Geoscientists study the Earth: its rocks, water, minerals and hazards. They include geologists, hydrogeologists,…
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By Olaoluwa Omoniyi Olarewaju, Honorary Research Fellow, University of KwaZulu-Natal
The use of digital agriculture is expanding across Africa. Tools like artificial intelligence (AI), sensors and blockchain are helping farmers receive information about weather, pests, markets and farm management. AI can analyse images and other farm data to detect problems or support decisions. Digital traceability systems can record where food comes from and what happens to it along the supply chain.
These technologies offer considerable opportunities, particularly in horticulture. Fruits and vegetables are highly perishable, so a decision made at the wrong time can result in substantial…
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By Massimo Morelli, Professor of Economics and Political Science, Bocconi University
Dmitrii Petrukhin, PhD Candidate in the Department of Economics, University of Cambridge
The Democratic party has won both chambers of US Congress in the midterm elections, wresting control from the Republicans. With Donald Trump still in the White House until 2028, the result has raised expectations of political gridlock.
Analysts at the US investment bank Stifel, for example, have predicted that gridlock is “the most likely policy outcome”. Ahead of the elections, Trump warned…
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By Nicholas Westcott, Professor of Practice in Diplomacy, Dept of Politics and International Studies, SOAS, University of London
Discussions are underway for a potential meeting between Donald Trump, Xi Jinping and Vladimir Putin on the margins of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit on November 18-19. The prospect has prompted comparisons with the “Big Three” summit in Yalta in February 1945 at which the leaders of Britain, the US and the Soviet Union discussed a carve up of the world following the second world war.
It is clear that Trump, Xi and Putin, each in charge of a country that considers itself a “great power”,…
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By Katie Tonkiss, Senior Lecturer in Sociology, Aston University
A recent family court judgment in the UK highlighted ethical issues with the practice of international surrogacy. The case is thought to be the first to come before a court in the UK involving a surrogate who gave birth in China, where surrogacy is illegal. It raised numerous concerns – including about the welfare of the surrogate and child, the use of sex selection and the child’s immigration status and nationality.
Surrogacy is a growing practice in the UK, with the number of births…
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By David Smith, Associate Professor in American Politics and Foreign Policy, US Studies Centre, University of Sydney
Democrats have taken control of both chambers of Congress - and now the Republican Party must decide whether it will turn away from Donald Trump.
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By Irini Mavrou, Associate professor, Universidad Nebrija; UCL
Andreas Kyriakou, Profesor Asociado (Lingüística Aplicada), Universidad Nebrija
In today’s interconnected world, millions of people move between two or more languages every day. They may negotiate at work in one language, speak with family in another, and follow news, entertainment and social media across several others.
Using multiple languages can deeply change the way a person sees the world. Research has suggested that thinking and speaking in different languages can fundamentally shift the way we reason…
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By Denis Muller, Senior Research Fellow, Centre for Advancing Journalism, The University of Melbourne
It’s an election on the other side of the world that isn’t even about choosing a president. But Australians can’t get enough of it.
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By Simon Clarke, Associate Professor in Cellular Microbiology, University of Reading
The DRC outbreak has passed 10,000 cases. Here is why UK health officials rate the risk to Britain as low, and how Ebola differs from COVID.
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By David Bailey, Professor of Business Economics, University of Birmingham
Dieter Franz Kogler, Professor of Economic Geography, University College Dublin
Phil Tomlinson, Professor of Industrial Strategy & Regional Development, Co-Director Centre for Governance, Regions and Industrial Strategy (CGRIS), University of Bath
British pubs are disappearing at an alarming rate. Last year around eight closed down every week.
And it’s not simply because people are drinking less. The crisis has been caused by the economics of running a pub.
Our latest research suggests that Britain’s pub’s…
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