By Adam Meyer, PhD Candidate in Ecosystem Ecology, Memorial University of Newfoundland
Kristy Ferraro, Presidential Postdoctoral Fellow, University of Michigan
Scientists are philosophers, explorers, data collectors and number crunchers. They are also storytellers, placing data within a broader scientific and societal context. How they tell these stories matters.
In our work as ecologists, we find that the “hero-villain” narrative trope is a popular tool in ecology and conservation writing. For example, wild pigs – a hybrid of human-introduced wild…
(Full Story)
|
By Marlo Rossi, PhD Candidate in Public Affairs & Community Development, Rutgers University–Camden, Rutgers University
Polls indicate majority support for abortion rights in most states, but laws differ greatly between places that uphold such rights and those that ban the procedure.
(Full Story)
|
By Bert Johnson, Professor of Political Science, Middlebury College
A majority of Americans say they are “frustrated” or “angry” – or both – with Republicans and Democrats, according to the Pew Research Center. But that rarely translates into support for independent or third-party candidates.
One exception has been in the Northeast. Angus King of Maine and Bernie Sanders of Vermont are the Senate’s only independents. King, along with Lowell Weicker of Connecticut and Lincoln Chafee of Rhode Island, represent three…
(Full Story)
|
By Shixiang (Woody) Zhu, Assistant Professor of Data Analytics and Public Policy, Carnegie Mellon University
As AI data centers are added to Pennsylvania’s existing infrastructure, they bring the promise of economic growth − and a massive, 24/7 appetite for electricity.
(Full Story)
|
By Azwihangwisi Judith Mphidi, Adjunct Academic, University of South Africa
South Africa has a reputation as one of the most progressive countries on the African continent when it comes to disability rights.
It has ratified the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities and adopted laws aimed at protecting the rights of persons with disabilities.
But is it…
(Full Story)
|
By Amnesty International
Open Letter to Lebanon’s Justice Minister and Deputy Prime Minister The Lebanese government should take immediate, concrete steps to help secure access to justice, truth, and reparations for thousands of civilian victims of abuses stemming from the armed conflict with Israel, five Lebanese and international human rights organizations said today in a letter to Lebanon’s justice minister and deputy […] The post Lebanon: Deliver Justice, Truth, Reparations for War Crimes Victims appeared first on Amnesty International. ]]>
(Full Story)
|
By Human Rights Watch
Click to expand Image A woman walks in front of charred agricultural equipment, at the site of an Israeli strike in the southern Lebanese village of Msayleh, on October 11, 2025. © Mahmoud Zayyat /AFP via Getty Images (Beirut) – The Lebanese government should take immediate, concrete steps to help secure access to justice, truth, and reparations for thousands of civilian victims of abuses stemming from the armed conflict with Israel, five Lebanese and international human rights organizations said today in a letter to Lebanon’s justice minister and deputy prime minister,…
(Full Story)
|
By Elena Moore, Professor of Sociology, University of Cape Town
Dolly Mogomotsi Ntseane, Associate Professor, University of Botswana
Gwen Lesetedi, Senior Lecturer, University of Botswana
Vayda Megannon, Doctoral candidate, University of Cape Town
Zeenat Samodien, Researcher and Data Manager at Family Caregiving Programme for Older Persons in Southern Africa, University of Cape Town
The government of Botswana in southern Africa dramatically increased the universal old age pension for all citizens aged 65 and above from P830 (about US$63) to P1,400 (about US$106) per month in 2025. Headlines celebrated the near 70% rise in value. For many older citizens struggling with rising food and transport costs, it appeared to signal a new era of state recognition of elder care.
But if you look closer, the story is less straightforward.
A cash increase is something you can measure, and you…
(Full Story)
|
By Vivienne Milligan, Honorary Professor of Housing Policy and Practice, City Futures Research Centre, UNSW Sydney
Megan Moskos, Associate Professor of Sociology, School of Society and Culture, Adelaide University
New national research shows unmet housing need among First Nations households is double the rate of other Australians. But there are solutions.
(Full Story)
|
By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra
The anti-corruption expert says Victoria’s Labor government was willing to ‘deal with the devil’ on its Big Build projects – at the cost of ‘bad governing’.
(Full Story)
|