By Vladimir Chlouba, Assistant Professor of Leadership Studies, University of Richmond
Democracy in Africa has not had a good year. Military juntas from Mali to Niger appear to have cemented their grip on power. Sudan’s democratic dreams were dashed when the country’s two most powerful strongmen opted for war. And there’s now evidence that ordinary Africans may be losing faith in democracy as the best…
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By Laura Tensen, Post-doctoral Fellow, University of Copenhagen
Research exploring how leopards evolved has found that South African leopards are descended from an ice age a million years ago.
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By Jacobo García Queiruga, Profesor Interino en el Área de Optometría (OD, MSc, PhD), Universidade de Santiago de Compostela
Verónica Noya Padín, Investigadora predoctoral - Área de Optometría, Universidade de Santiago de Compostela
Nowadays you can buy a cheap pair of sunglasses just about anywhere – from supermarkets and petrol stations to corner shops and online fashion retailers, but such ubiquity may prompt doubts as to the protection they can offer. While their lenses usually meet certain minimum UV protection requirements, their quality in other respects, such as visual clarity, is dismal.
Opticians, however, are governed by national health regulations, meaning that they have to meet higher standards such as the CE…
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By Aaron W. Hunter, Science Guide & Visiting Researcher, Earth Sciences, University of Cambridge
One of the wildest wonders of nature is the ability of some animals to reproduce by splitting in half. There is still so much we don’t know about this process. So the discovery of a 155-million-year-old starfish fossil frozen partway through this process, published in a new study, could give scientists incredible new insights.
Our planet is teeming with invertebrates that, to our human eyes, may seem alien in the way they live and reproduce.
The starfish, or asteroid, is part of…
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By John Bryson, Professor of Enterprise and Competitiveness, University of Birmingham
According to many politicians and commentators, the UK is in a very sorry state. Ahead of the general election expected this year, Labour leader Keir Starmer has pledged to “fix broken Britain”.
He has spoken of his vow to “usher in a decade of national renewal”, claiming…
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By Matthew Floyd, PhD Candidate, Marine Ecology, Northumbria University, Newcastle
While humanity often has a negative impact, people may inadvertently play a pivotal role in this Maldivian seagrass success story.
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By Tony Ingesson, Assistant Professor in Political Science, Lund University
Russian soldiers in the Ukraine war are sending out signals in morse code on a daily basis, even though there are more high tech solutions.
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By Paul Bowman, Professor of Cultural Studies, Cardiff University
Forty years after the release of The Karate Kid, many fans of the film still can’t hear the name “Daniel” without wanting to add a “san” to it. They may channel the iconic teacher Mr Miyagi, with his deep guttural intensity. And they may even repeat the film’s most famous saying, “wax on, wax off”, raise their arms and stand on one leg whenever they hear that someone does karate.
But are these fragments the sum total of the film’s legacy? And are they mere harmless fun – or do they register as racism, or something like it?
Arguably, the very appeal of The Karate Kid derives…
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By Joseph Downing, Senior Lecturer in International Relations and Politics, Aston University
A manhunt is underway in France after armed men held up a prison van to break out convicted criminal Mohamed Amra, nicknamed “the fly” (La mouche). They killed two offers and injured several more in the process.
France may not be the first European country that springs to mind when organised crime is mentioned, but Amra’s case, and his audacious escape in broad daylight in front of multiple witnesses, is indicative of the pressures authorities currently face in trying to keep pace with the trade in drugs and arms.
The prison break unfolded near Rouen, in the north of the…
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By Treena Orchard, Associate Professor, School of Health Studies, Western University
Dating apps have changed how men interact with women when pursuing heterosexual relationships. A sexuality scholar writes about her experiences online, and her observations on changing masculinity.
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