Blockchain could play an important role in future agriculture and food security

By Abdul-Rahim Abdulai

Global food supply chains proved brittle during the COVID-19 pandemic, leading for calls to boost the resilience of global food supply chains through improved efficiency in production, distribution and consumption of...

How scientists are restoring boreal peatlands to help keep carbon in the ground

By Bin Xu

Peatlands are one of the most valuable terrestrial ecosystems in our fight against climate change. These deep layers of partially decayed plants and other organic material are tens of thousands of years old. Globally,...

AstraZeneca vaccine: what now for rollout in the UK and Europe?

By Anthony R Cox

Regulators in the UK and Europe have said it looks increasingly likely that several rare forms of blood clotting are linked to the AstraZeneca vaccine, noting that the evidence of the association is becoming firmer as more...

Welfare dependency of foreign nationals during the pandemic: insights from Switzerland

By Lisa Marie Borrelli Et Al

Welfare expenditures are a contested field, not just politically but also in public discourse. This hotly debated theme includes expressions of support for those in need, discussions on attempts to control social benefits,...

How we found hints of new particles or forces of nature – and why it could change physics

By Themis Bowcock Et Al

Seven years ago, a huge magnet was transported over 3,200 miles (5,150km) across land and sea, in the hope of studying a subatomic particle called a muon. Muons are closely related to electrons, which orbit every atom...

Road building is supposed to cut congestion and boost the economy – my research suggests otherwise

By David Metz

British politicians, national and local, tend to like investing in roads. The Treasury believes that the Department for Transports approach to economic analysis is sound, and so is willing to award substantial funds. The...

Stockpiling munitions carries risks. The basic steps that can stop catastrophic explosions

By Nicolas Florquin

A series of massive blasts recently rocked Equatorial Guineas city of Bata. The explosions, at an army barracks, killed over 100 people and destroyed military buildings as well as peoples homes around the site. President...

How children are taking European states to court over the climate crisis – and changing the law

By Aoife Daly Et Al

Even before Greta Thunberg launched her school strike for climate at age 15, youth activists have been key players in public action on the climate crisis. Now theyre breaking new ground in court. On November 30, six...

India prepares for Kumbh Mela, world's largest religious gathering, amid COVID-19 fears

By Tulasi Srinivas

Massive crowds are expected to gather at Indias northern city of Haridwar throughout April 2021 for the religious festival of Kumbh Mela, despite the countrys grappling with a COVID-19 surge. The Kumbh Mela is a Hindu...

Faith in numbers: Trump held steady among believers at the ballot – it was the nonreligious vote he lost in 2020

By Ryan Burge

For all the predictions and talk of a slump in support among evangelicals, it appears Donald Trumps election loss was not at the hands of religious voters. As an analyst of religious data, Ive been crunching data...

Why you should expect more Suez-like supply chain disruptions and shortages at your local grocery store

By Nada R. Sanders

When the Ever Given container ship choked off traffic in the Suez Canal for almost a week in late March 2021, it made big headlines around the world. The price of oil rose, and companies fretted as hundreds of ships...

Ukraine: rapid escalation of conflict in 2014 has lessons for today

By Jakob Hauter

Reports that Russia has been moving large numbers of troops and military hardware towards the Ukrainian border have raised fears of a new escalation of violence in the region. Kyiv has accused Moscow of aggravating the...

Company directors can't serve two masters: what went wrong at Australia Post

By Jason Harris

Shareholder primacy is often said to be the guiding principle of corporations. The idea is that they exist to benefit their shareholders by providing dividends and capital gains, the more the better. Fifty years ago,...

Passive vaping: an impending threat to bystanders

By Beladenta Amalia

Electronic cigarettes (e-cigarettes), also known as vapes, are gaining popularity among youths in many parts of the world, including the US and Europe. These young vapers are often unaware their e-cigarettes contain...

Curbs on press freedom come with a cost, new research reveals

By Alexandra Wake Et Al

The importance of a free press to a thriving democracy is well-known. But what is its importance to a thriving economy? We have found evidence attacks on press freedom such as jailing journalists, raiding their homes,...

Anti-Asian violence: Mental health check-ins on your friends isn’t enough

By Diksha Kale

Recently, my friend and I were talking over the phone about the anti-Asian violence that has been taking place in the United States. As a first-generation Filipino Canadian woman, my friend was particularly worried for...

Unwanted weight gain or weight loss during the pandemic? Blame your stress hormones

By Lina Begdache

If you have experienced unwanted weight gain or weight loss during the pandemic, you are not alone. According to a poll by the American Psychological Association, 61% of U.S. adults reported undesired weight change since...

The situation at the US-Mexico border is a crisis – but is it new?

By Randi Mandelbaum

The media create the impression that there is an unprecedented crisis at the U.S.-Mexico border, with droves of children arriving alone, as well as families flooding to the border. There is a crisis. But as a law...

Should there be a limit on how much debt a young person takes on?

By Paul Schofield

Young Americans between the ages of 18 and 29 owe over US$1 trillion in student loans and mortgage and credit card debt that many will be paying back for decades. The law generally allows adults to accrue significant...

How will our bodies be put back together? What about those eaten by cannibals? A brief history of Christian resurrection beliefs

By Philip C. Almond

Easter celebrates the Christian belief that Jesus Christ rose from the dead. In so doing, he overcame sin and death on behalf of all of us. The resurrection of Jesus was a guarantee that, for those who believed in him,...

'Godzilla vs. Kong': Monster movies evoke adventure but also 'dangers' of tropics

By Priscilla Jolly

For audiences stuck in their living rooms, the new monster film Godzilla vs. Kong offers an opportunity to do some armchair travelling. But before you imagine a tropical island getaway perhaps a lounge-chair by a beach...

CBD, marijuana and hemp: What is the difference among these cannabis products, and which are legal?

By Brandon McFadden Et Al

New York recently became the 15th U.S. state to legalize cannabis for recreational use. While 67% of U.S. adults support marijuana legalization, public knowledge about cannabis is low. A third of Americans think hemp...

Google's union of activists highlights the need for ethical engineering

By Marcel O'Gorman

All of my favourite engineers have either abandoned the profession or are dedicating their lives to changing it for the better. The most heroic engineer I know never built a bridge or patented a gizmo. He completed a stint...

In gun debate, both sides have evidence to back them up

By Zach Lang Et Al

Gun control is back in the U.S. political debate, in the wake of mass shootings in California, Boulder and Atlanta. Democrats see stricter gun control as a step toward addressing the problem. In March 2021, as the House...

Christian nationalism is a barrier to mass vaccination against COVID-19

By Monique Deal Barlow

While the majority of Americans either intend to get the COVID-19 vaccine or have already received their shots, getting white evangelicals to vaccination sites may prove more of a challenge especially those who identify...

Westminster steps in after Northern Ireland fails to comply with abortion law change – how it happened

By Claire Pierson

Abortion was decriminalised in Northern Ireland in October 2019. In March the following year, the legal framework was in place to provide terminations. A year later, though, it hasnt happened. The Department of Health in...

Retirees, holidaymakers, alternative lifestyles, the UK strain: why Byron Bay's COVID situation is so concerning

By Catherine Bennett

Restrictions are in place for at least four council areas around the Byron Bay region after a suite of cases were linked to a Byron hens night. People in Ballina, Byron, Lismore and Tweed have been urged to stay at...

Chocolate's secret ingredient is the fermenting microbes that make it taste so good

By Caitlin Clark

Whether baked as chips into a cookie, melted into a sweet warm drink or molded into the shape of a smiling bunny, chocolate is one of the worlds most universally consumed foods. Even the biggest chocolate lovers,...

Humpback whales may have bounced back from near-extinction, but it's too soon to declare them safe

By Olaf Meynecke

The resurgence in humpback whale populations over the past five decades is hailed as one of the great success stories of global conservation. And right now, the federal Department of Agriculture, Water and the Environment...

Why hydrogen energy has seduced a generation of politicians

By Tom Baxter

Hydrogen is often touted in the scientific and general media as a silver bullet for reaching net zero emissions. Such articles might include the following claims: Its the most common element on Earth. It can be...

Nawal El Saadawi’s intellectual life reflected eight decades of Arab society and culture

By Amal Amireh

Egypts Nawal El Saadawi was the foremost Arab feminist thinker of the past 50 years. Her ideas inspired generations of Arab women, but also provoked controversy and criticism. She was prolific, publishing over 50 books...

How nonfungible tokens work and where they get their value – a cryptocurrency expert explains NFTs

By Dragan Boscovic

Takeaways · Nonfungible tokens prove ownership of a digital item image, sound file or text in the same way that people own crypto coins. · Unlike crypto coins, which are identical and worth the same,...

The US just set ambitious offshore wind power targets – what will it take to meet them?

By Erin Baker Et Al

The United States offshore wind industry is tiny, with just seven wind turbines operating off Rhode Island and Virginia. The few attempts to build large-scale wind farms like Europes have run into long delays, but that may...

Prince Harry’s critics have a point: woke capitalism is no solution

By Carl Rhodes

Prince Harry has copped a pasting in the British media for his new job as chief impact officer with Silicon Valley startup BetterUp. His role, and the companys business model, has been called the latest expression of...

Democracy has always been fragile in Southeast Asia. Now, it may be sliding backwards

By James Chin

Just five years ago, many people were optimistic that Southeast Asia had finally turned the corner when it comes to democracy. Myanmars military had finally loosened its decades-long grip on power when Aung San Suu Kyis...

Politicians have 'washed their hands' and blamed others since Jesus's crucifixion

By Tony Keddie

Handwashing has gotten substantial coverage this past year during the COVID-19 pandemic, and not just for hygiene. You may have encountered some of the many accusations in both the U.S. and Canada that a politician has...

Israeli election: Mansour Abbas emerges as possible first Arab kingmaker in nation's history

By John Strawson

For Israel, this has been the no change, all change election. No change in that the result appears inconclusive just like the three previous elections. Its also all change, as we are seeing the beginnings of the political...

Does coffee burn more fat during exercise? What the evidence tells us

By Neil Clarke

Coffee, green tea and other caffeinated drinks are a popular way to start the morning. Not only does it give many people a much-needed boost, but caffeine can also help when it comes to fitness. Studies show it can help...

Offshore gas finds offered major promise for Mozambique: what went wrong

By Theo Neethling

Recent events in Palma, a town in the volatile Cabo Delgado province in the north of Mozambique, have taken bloodshed in the region to new levels. Dozens of people were killed when hundreds of Islamist militants stormed...

Free speech on campus: universities need to create 'safe but critical' spaces for debate – here's how they can do it

By Alison Scott-Baumann Et Al

The issue of free speech in universities continues to plague UK campuses. Earlier this year, the government announced landmark proposals to tackle the issue, including appointing a free speech tsar and giving the Office...

Governments must work with restaurants on a no-fee delivery app

By Mischa Young

To say its been a rough year for the restaurant industry is an understatement. Restaurants across Canada have suffered immensely from stay-at-home orders, strict in-person seating capacity restrictions and other...

Asian Americans top target for threats and harassment during pandemic

By Ying Liu

Since the very beginning of the pandemic, hate crimes toward Asians and Asian Americans have gotten increased media attention. Our data, from the Understanding Coronavirus in America Study, confirms that these events are...

Selfie culture: what your choice of camera angle says about you

By Alessandro Soranzo

Over the past decade, selfies have become a mainstay of popular culture. If the #selfie hashtag first appeared in 2004, it was the release of the iPhone 4 in 2010 that saw the pictures go viral. Three years later, the...

Holding the news to ransom? What we know so far about the Channel 9 cyber attack

By Paul Haskell-Dowland

On Sunday afternoon, Channel 9 posted a cryptic tweet indicating it was under attack. The accompanying video acknowledged that the failure to run the Weekend Today show that morning was attributed to a major cyber...

A better deal for Uber drivers in UK, but Australia's ‘gig workers' must wait

By Tom Barratt Et Al

Ubers announcement earlier this month it will now treat its drivers in the United Kingdom as workers rather than independent contractors is a significant development for the so-called gig economy. It follows Uber losing...

Why can't the IRS just send Americans a refund – or a bill?

By Beverly Moran

The Internal Revenue Service has postponed the April 15 tax filing deadline to May 17. If taxpayers need even more time to file federal returns, the agency added, they can request an extension until Oct. 15. This...

Banning mobile phones in schools can improve students' academic performance. This is how we know

By Louis-Philippe Beland

The effects of mobiles phones and other technology at school is a hotly debated topic in many countries. Some advocate for a complete ban to limit distractions, while others suggest using technology as a teaching...

It's great to want wage growth, but the way we're going about it could stunt the recovery

By Michael Keating

The Reserve Bank is going all out for wage growth sustainably above 3% the kind of wage growth Australia hasnt seen for the best part of a decade. It has already committed itself to achieving an actual inflation...

Journalism jobs are precarious, financially insecure and require family support

By Erin Reid Et Al

HuffPost recently laid off dozens of Canadian journalists and closed its news site. Bell Media Inc. has also laid off hundreds of journalists. Journalism is a notoriously precarious profession. Downsizing and layoffs...

Solar technologies can speed up vaccine rollout in Africa. Here's how

By Cyrus Sinai Et Al

Theres hope that some industrialised countries will achieve near-universal vaccination against COVID-19 in the coming months. Yet the effort to vaccinate even the most essential workers in developing countries has only...