By Marloes Janson, Professor of West African Anthropology, SOAS, University of London
The highway between Lagos and Ibadan was built in 1978 at the height of Nigeria’s oil boom. Lagos is the country’s largest city, with an estimated population of over 20 million, and Ibadan the third-largest and home to a globally renowned university.
But the boom years are over and rising traffic and decades of neglect have turned the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway into one of Nigeria’s…
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By Ivis García, Associate Professor of Landscape Architecture and Urban Planning, Texas A&M University
Drought and a ruptured pipeline have forced Puerto Rico into revolving water shut-offs. For many people, the disruption started years earlier, as did loss of faith in the utility.
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By Thomas Moore, PhD Candidate in Philosophy, University of Sheffield
A visit to my friend in a remote Yorkshire village led me into a three-month immersion in one of Britain’s most remarkable forms of social care.
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By Rachel Woods, Associate Professor of Medical Education, University of Nottingham; University of Lincoln
Supplement shelves can give the impression that almost everyone needs something. Yet for generally healthy adults, a review of 84 studies found that routine vitamin and mineral supplements offered little or no protection against cardiovascular disease, cancer or early death.
Taking a supplement without a clear reason may also cause harm. High doses of some water-soluble vitamins can cause harm, and too much vitamin…
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By Steve Benford, Professor of Collaborative Computing, University of Nottingham
Director James Cameron’s acclaimed sci-fi movie Aliens turns 40 in August. It’s a sequel to Ridley Scott’s claustrophobic breakout hit Alien, made in 1979. Where the original featured one terrifying creature, Cameron’s movie features hundreds – and pits them against a squad of space marines.
A host of intriguing technologies make an appearance, including interstellar travel, hypersleep (where humans are preserved in stasis for long space journeys) and terraforming (making other worlds liveable for humans).
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By José Miguel Soriano del Castillo, Catedrático de Nutrición y Bromatología del Departamento de Medicina Preventiva y Salud Pública, Universitat de València
A table overlooking the sea, with a cold drink accompanied by olives, crisps, nuts, perhaps a tin of sardines or fried fish and chips. Even if you aren’t particularly hungry, the seaside atmosphere seems to demand this kind of savoury, salty food. Is it just force of habit, a physiological need, or does the sea somehow awaken a craving for salt?
The prime suspect is sweat. At the beach, we walk, swim, play and sunbathe, and although the breeze may mask it, we lose water and electrolytes in the…
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By Lauren Warner-Treloar, AHRC-Techne PhD Candidate, Art and Design History, Kingston University
Ukrainian literature offers a rich way into the country’s history, culture and identity.
As more Ukrainian works become available in English translation, readers have an expanding range of voices and perspectives to discover. But where to begin?
Here are five books to help get you started. These five books take readers through time and across Ukraine.
They are presented here in acclaimed translations by leading writers, translators, scholars and cultural practitioners.
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By Janine Doughty, Clinical Lecturer Dental NIHR, School of Dentistry, University of Liverpool
Gemma Ahearne, Senior Lecturer Sociology, Social Policy and Criminology, Part of School of Law and Social Justice, Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, University of Liverpool
For women involved in street sex work who took part in our research, damaged or missing teeth were more than a health problem. They could become visible reminders of lives they were trying to change.
Our study explored the oral-health needs, experiences and priorities of 21 street sex workers in Liverpool. We interviewed participants recruited through community support services and worked with them to create artwork reflecting…
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By Peter Urwin, Director, Centre for Employment Research, University of Westminster
Here’s some advice if you haven’t achieved a grade four or above in maths, English or both on GCSE results day. While grades three and below aren’t fail grades, a grade four in these subjects is often seen as a target, and is required to progress into some study pathways.
First of all: you are not alone. Each year around 200,000 pupils in England find themselves in this situation.
Here is some idea…
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By Jennifer Mathers, Senior Lecturer in International Politics, Aberystwyth University
Could we see Vladimir Putin’s control of Russia seriously challenged – or even destabilised in the coming months? Predicting when authoritarian regimes might fall is notoriously difficult. Their hold on power can appear solid until suddenly it crumbles. But there are signs that the Kremlin is concerned about the potential for upcoming elections to become a source of political instability.
In September, Russians go to the polls to elect the national parliament, the State Duma, as well as the parliaments and governors in Russia’s regions. At one level, it is hard to image why
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