By Todor Slavchev Minchev, Doctorant en écologie forestière, Université du Québec à Rimouski (UQAR)
Guillaume de Lafontaine, Professeur en écologie végétale, Université du Québec à Rimouski (UQAR)
Could the boreal forest be less fragile than we think? Contrary to the predictions of models that forecast its rapid decline in favour of temperate maple forests, the ecological history of the boreal forest is showing surprising resilience.
Maple trees, meanwhile, are advancing more slowly than predicted. As a result, the promised great forest transition may not happen as quickly as imagined.
The composition and structure of forests are the result of complex ecological dynamics that are…
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By Gemma Ware, Host, The Conversation Weekly Podcast, The Conversation
Water scientist Patrick Byrne tells The Conversation Weekly podcast what testing rivers can reveal about the biggest, often hidden, sources of PFAS pollution.
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By Stefan Wolff, Professor of International Security, University of Birmingham
Drone incursions into Poland, fighter jets in Nato airspace, election interference in Romania and Moldova and “little green men” (soldiers of unconfirmed origin) in Estonia. These are just a few examples of the tactics Russia has been using in the past few weeks.
They appear to be part of a much broader strategy variously referred to as the “Gerasimov doctrine”, non-linear…
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By John Strawson, Emeritus Professor of Law, University of East London
Now a ceasefire has come into effect in Gaza, Israel’s long-serving prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, faces the dilemma of how to campaign ahead of the next national elections. These elections must be held, at the latest, in one year’s time.
In a meeting at the Knesset in Jerusalem on October 13, both Netanyahu and opposition leader Yair Lapid made speeches that seemed to open the election campaign. Netanyahu chose to cast himself as war victor, while Lapid emphasised…
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By Steven David Pickering, Honorary Professor, International Relations, Brunel University of London
Martin Ejnar Hansen, Reader in Political Science, Brunel University of London
Yosuke Sunahara, Professor, Kobe University
Public service broadcasters are supposed to be the most trusted news outlets in democratic societies. Funded through models like licence fees and free from advertising, they are meant to stand apart from commercial media.
But our new study of trust in the BBC in the UK and NHK in Japan shows that reality is more complicated. Politics and ideology divide trust in public broadcasters in very different ways.
Like the BBC, NHK is a nationwide broadcaster with a mandate to serve…
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By Nigel Gilbert, Professor of Sociology, University of Surrey
Corinna Elsenbroich, Reader in Computational Modelling, University of Glasgow
Yahya Gamal, Research Assistant (Urban Big Data), University of Glasgow
Compared to a deposit, stamp duty is often a small cost – but axing it would cost the government billions a year.
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By Sharon Ruston, Professor of English and Creative Writing, Lancaster University
Guillermo del Toro’s retelling of the story about a scientist trying to create life is a visual treat and a rousing adaptation.
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By Sanam Mahoozi, PhD Candidate Journalism, City St George's, University of London
Iran and Israel fought a 12-day war in June. Although a ceasefire was declared the same month, news coverage of Iran continues to focus on the conflict’s aftermath and the Middle East’s tense political situation.
Meanwhile, Tehran – home to more than 10 million people – is facing one of its worst water shortages in decades. Dams near the capital are at their lowest levels for…
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By Anthony Idowu Ajayi, Research Scientist, African Population and Health Research Center
Caroline W. Kabiru, Senior Research Scientist, African Population and Health Research Center
Anne Achieng, Research Officer
“I feared people and feared the doctors because they would probably judge or insult me. So, she (mother) told me no, that should not be the case, and so she offered to take me.”
These were the words of Wanjiru (not her real name), a 17-year-old adolescent mother from an informal settlement in Nairobi. Her story reflects the deep fear and stigma that many pregnant adolescents experience when navigating access to antenatal care services. Her case is typical of a broader problem, where judgmental attitudes from health providers and community stigma discourage young girls from accessing…
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By Justin Willis, Professor of History, Durham University
Gabrielle Lynch, Professor of Comparative Politics, University of Warwick
Karuti Kanyinga, Research Professor, Institute for Development Studies (IDS), University of Nairobi
Nic Cheeseman, Professor of Democracy, University of Birmingham
Raila Amollo Odinga, who has died at the age of 80, was something of a paradox in post-independence Kenyan politics.
A leader who repeatedly ran for president, he never won – in part due to the 2007 election being manipulated in favour of Mwai Kibaki. Despite this, Odinga will be remembered as a figure who profoundly shaped…
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