How supermarkets are changing their branding to make you think they’re cheaper
By Melisa Mete
UK shoppers have specific preferences when it comes to their favourite supermarkets. MS was voted as the best in a recent survey, followed closely by German discounter Aldi (Waitrose, Tesco and Sainsburys were next). Aldis...
Why cheap renewables are stalling
By Jack Marley
Last summer, the northern hemisphere was the hottest it has been for 2,000 years.
The warnings of climate scientists are at fever pitch: halt the burning of coal, oil and gas or risk catastrophic warming of at least...
What Honda’s big electric vehicle announcement in Ontario really means
By Dimitry Anastakis
In retrospect, the turnaround and just how fast it happened is difficult to believe.
In 2010, Ontarios economic future looked grim. Tied as it had been for more than a century to the automobile industry, the...
Ukraine war: why the Russian army is still using morse code more than a century after its invention
By Tony Ingesson
Modern warfare is awash with cutting-edge technology from AI to drones to hypersonic missiles yet one technology that is more than a century old is still proving its worth: morse code.
The staccato streams of tones...
Britain is not as broken as everyone seems to think
By John Bryson
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...
How to buy a good pair of sunglasses
By Jacobo García Queiruga Et Al
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...
Belief in democracy is on the decline in Africa
By Vladimir Chlouba
Democracy in Africa has not had a good year. Military juntas from Mali to Niger appear to have cemented their grip on power. Sudans democratic dreams were dashed when the countrys two most powerful strongmen opted for war....
Why banks consider renewable energy to be a riskier investment than fossil fuels
By Matteo Gasparini
The financial sector is among the worlds most heavily regulated industries and for good reason. Financial rules, which force banks to hold capital in reserve when making riskier investments, are designed to prevent...
It’s OK to mow in May − the best way to help pollinators is by adding native plants
By Christina Grozinger Et Al
Its a simple idea: Stop mowing your lawn in the month of May to let flowers in the lawn, such as dandelions and clover, grow and support bees and other pollinators.
No Mow May was started in 2019 by Plantlife, a...
Gurdwaras, mosques, temples and churches: how faith groups are reviving England’s old cinemas
By Kate Jordan
On the corner of Powis Street and Woolwich High Street in south-east London stands a large brick building. Its curved exterior and wide canopy over the entrance immediately signals that it is a cinema.
Looking up,...
Black holes are mysterious, yet also deceptively simple − a new space mission may help physicists answer hairy questions about these astronomical objects
By Gaurav Khanna
Physicists consider black holes one of the most mysterious objects that exist. Ironically, theyre also considered one of the simplest. For years, physicists like me have been looking to prove that black holes are more...
An obscure provision of Ohio law could keep Biden off the ballot there in November
By Jonathan Entin
President Joe Biden might not appear on the November 2024 presidential ballot in Ohio. Ohio law requires that presidential candidates be certified that is, the state must be notified that presidential candidates have been...
Term limits aren’t the answer
By Charlie Hunt
Theres no denying that the current Congress has been one of the most chaotic in recent memory. The paralysis in 2023 and 2024 over the selection of the speaker of the House helped lead to one of Congress most unproductive...
How companies calculate their carbon footprints
By Gianfranco Gianfrate
When it comes to slashing carbon emissions, the onus is often placed on individuals and their carbon footprint. But companies also have a major role to play. In fact, the biggest corporations have accounted for more than...
Funding might change, but Job-ready Graduates stays for now
By Gwilym Croucher
On one level, the 2024 federal budget brought few big surprises for universities.
The two key measures were already announced leading up to May 14: the changes to HELP indexation and payments for nursing, teaching and...
Four ways EU laws affect the daily lives of European citizens today
By Joseba K. Fernández Gaztea
An Argentinian colleague recently posed a rather blunt question to me: How, pray tell, does your beloved European Union help you and me?
Her doubts are valid. Given the bureaucratic immensity of the EU, it is not...
The budget is full of good news, but good news isn’t the same as good management
By Kate Griffiths
This years budget has something for everyone, with very little in the way of cuts and no new taxes.
Its a classic good news pre-election budget.
Whether it is too good to be true hinges on whether this budget...
Why is the government proposing caps on international students and how did we get here?
By Christopher Ziguras
The federal government is due to introduce legislation on Thursday to enable new caps on the number of international student places at educational institutions in Australia. These include universities, TAFEs and private...
Israel’s invasion of Rafah will not eliminate Hamas or end the war. So, what is Benjamin Netanyahu’s plan?
By Ian Parmeter
The Gaza war has now entered its eighth month and a resolution to the conflict still seems far off.
Israel claims to have killed 13,000 Hamas militants so far. If that figure is correct, one can assume the number of...
Cheaper medicines and a new approach for mental health care
By Peter Breadon Et Al
Health was a centrepiece of last years budget, based on a new vision for Medicare. This year, there is less health reform, but the budget does set the foundation for a new approach to community-based mental health...
Protecting wildlife begins with understanding how best to counter wildlife crimes
By Lisa Kelly Et Al
Global biodiversity is declining, and human activities are mainly to blame.
Indeed, 96 per cent of the worlds total remaining mammalian biomass the combined weight, or mass, of mammal organic life consists of either...
The 2023 Sir Paul Curran award for academic journalism goes to Barbara Sahakian
By Jo Adetunji
Barbara Sahakian, Professor of Clinical Neuropsychology at the University of Cambridge and author of Bad Moves and Sex, Lies, Brain Scans, has spent her academic career finding out what makes us tick.
If youve ever...
I’m pregnant. Do I need a multivitamin?
By Linda Gallo Et Al
Growing a healthy baby relies on getting enough nutrients while pregnant.
But rather than following a healthy diet to provide those nutrients, were concerned too many people are relying on pink multivitamins.
These...
From Bridgerton to Grey’s Anatomy, Shonda Rhimes is the queen of romance
By Rebecca TreleaseTrelease
Television producer and screenwriter Shonda Rhimes has come a long way since being a scriptwriter for the 2002 film Crossroads.
Her production company Shondaland now shines in its delivery of romance shows, with...
From Barbie to Thomas the Tank Engine: How entertainment brands are adapting to Generation Alpha
By Aya Aboelenien Et Al
Growing up, did you play with hyper-sexualized Barbie dolls, boys-only Thomas the Tank Engine trains, or slim, white Disney princesses? If so, youre not alone, but this is no longer the case for Generation Alpha.
Brands...
Weather risk can move markets months in advance
By Derek Lemoine
To understand how important weather and climate risks are to the economy, watch investors. New research shows that two long-range seasonal weather forecasts in particular can move the stock market in interesting...
Cardiac rehab is a proven but underused therapy in women, but tailored resources aim to change that
By Gabriela Ghisi
For women with cardiovascular disease, cardiac rehabilitation programs save lives, but are still underused. New resources could help more women take control of their cardiac health.
Cardiovascular diseases (CVD) remain...
Drake-Kendrick Lamar feud: What does the law say about defamatory lyrics?
By Lisa Macklem
The feud between rappers Drake and Kendrick Lamar reached a fever pitch recently, with both dissing each other in songs featuring harsh accusations. This kind of beef between rap artists isnt new, but the severity of the...
Taylor Swift has got the 1830s all wrong
By Emily Ireland
Taylor Swift has become incredibly popular as a documenter of her dating history. But in her new album, The Tortured Poets Department, she tries her hand at writing about actual history.
In the second verse of I Hate it...
Summer 2023 was northern hemisphere’s hottest for 2,000 years, tree rings show
By Mary Gagen
The summer of 2023 was the warmest in the non-tropical areas of the northern hemisphere for 2,000 years, a new study has shown.
Across this vast area of land, encompassing Europe, Asia and North America, surface air...
Over 26 million South Africans get a social grant. Fear of losing the payment used to be a reason to vote for the ANC, but no longer – study
By Leila Patel Et Al
Social grants to reduce poverty feature prominently in the campaign promises of political parties in South Africas 2024 national and provincial general elections, set for 29 May.
The countrys social grants system is one...
Ghana’s forests are being wiped out: what’s behind this and why attempts to stop it aren’t working
By John Tennyson Afele
Ghana has around 7.9 million hectares of forested land (35% of the total land area), according to the Food and Agriculture Organization. Around 7.6 million hectares are primary or naturally regenerated forest, and around...
Meet Paris’ black dandies, the Sapeurs
By Daouda Coulibaly
You can spot them in the streets of Paris or at fashion events in London, Milan, Brussels or Dubai. Most are black African men with sharp outfits designed and chosen to get them noticed. Known as Sapeurs the name comes...
Why do the aurora look better through a camera?
By Darren Baskill
On 10 and 11 May 2024, large parts of the world were treated to their most spectacular display of the aurora the northern and southern lights in a generation. Thanks to modern cameras, the phenomenon was all over social...
How German media attention idealises female Ukrainian refugees
By Antje Missbach Et Al
According to the latest available data, around 3.7 million Ukrainians are internally displaced, while nearly 6.5 million have registered as refugees globally. With 1.13 million, Germany has taken in the largest...
Low testosterone in men associated with an early death – new study
By Daniel Kelly
It has long been thought that testosterone shortens mens lives. Studies in neutered animals and Korean eunuchs seem to confirm this. However, a new study, published in the Annals of Internal Medicine, draws these findings...
Navel gazing: checking your belly button can tell you a lot about your health
By Dan Baumgardt
Navels, belly buttons, innies or outies … whatever term you use, your umbilicus may have plenty to tell you about the state of your health.
For some, they are the thing of nightmares omphalophobia (the fear of...
Exams: seven tips for coping with revision stress
By Emma Palmer-Cooper
Exam season is underway across the UK. If youre sitting exams this summer, you might be feeling stressed and a bit overwhelmed as you try to prepare.
Youre not alone: stress is a normal part of the human experience, and...
Interest rates: the ugly dilemma facing Europe’s central banks – and why it’s a mistake to cut too soon
By Daniel Gros Et Al
Central banks in Europe are discovering an old dilemma: when they lower interest rates because inflation is slowing down, its likely to weaken their currencies. This in turn may delay the fall in inflation towards their...
Gabon: post-coup dialogue has mapped out path to democracy – now military leaders must act
By Douglas Yates
At the end of April 2024, a long and peaceful process of national dialogue in Gabon between the military junta, presided over by coup leader General Brice Oligui Nguema, and civil society, represented by 580 civilians,...
Haitians looking to escape violence and chaos face hostility in neighboring Dominican Republic
By Edlin Veras
Haitis capital of Port-au-Prince has been under siege for several months, with reports suggesting about 200 gangs have seized control of more than 80% of the city.
The surge of violence has left residents with few...
‘Noise’ in the machine: Human differences in judgment lead to problems for AI
By Mayank Kejriwal
Many people understand the concept of bias at some intuitive level. In society, and in artificial intelligence systems, racial and gender biases are well documented.
If society could somehow remove bias, would all...
Iron fuels immune cells – and it could make asthma worse
By Benjamin Hurrell Et Al
Youve likely heard that you can get iron from eating spinach and steak. You might also know that its an essential trace element that is a major component of hemoglobin, a protein in red blood cells that carries oxygen from...
Asian Jewish Americans have a double reason to celebrate their heritage in May
By Samira Mehta
May is both Asian American, Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander Heritage Month and Jewish American Heritage Month. Two entirely separate commemorations for two entirely separate communities, right?
Think again. Not...
By not lip-syncing Amy Winehouse’s songs, actress Marisa Abela confronts impossible expectations in ‘Back to Black’
By Katherine Meizel
Like Amy Winehouse, Back to Black, the new biopic about the late British singer, has been no stranger to controversy.
In the case of the film, opinion has been fiercely split about director Sam Taylor-Johnsons decision...
Divesting university endowments: Easier demanded than done
By Todd L. Ely
Campus protests expressing solidarity with the Palestinian people and objecting to Israels military campaign in Gaza include many calls for universities and colleges to divest a word that basically means sell any of...
Doing a job you find meaningful is great – until it consumes your life
By Andreana Drencheva
Securing a job that you find meaningful work that you think is significant and value positively may be one of your most important career goals.
But there can be a negative side to doing work that youre passionate...
Is dark matter’s main rival theory dead? There’s bad news from the Cassini spacecraft and other recent tests
By Indranil Banik Et Al
One of the biggest mysteries in astrophysics today is that the forces in galaxies do not seem to add up. Galaxies rotate much faster than predicted by applying Newtons law of gravity to their visible matter, despite those...
Why US offshore wind energy is struggling
By Christopher Niezrecki
Americas first large-scale offshore wind farms began sending power to the Northeast in early 2024, but a wave of wind farm project cancellations and rising costs have left many people with doubts about the industrys future...
Loblaws boycott: What consumer psychology can tell us about the success of consumer activism
By Eugene Y. Chan
Loblaws has found itself at the centre of public frustration due to soaring food prices. Canadians have expressed their discontent on social media, venting about the high cost of groceries at grocery stores like...
