
COVID-19: we’re no better prepared for a pandemic today than we were in 2020
On March 11 2020, the World Health Organization declared COVID-19 a pandemic. According to official data there have been more than 770 million cases of COVID, which have caused over 7 million deaths in 231 countries ...

The Gaza ceasefire is dead − Israeli domestic politics killed it
The ceasefire in Gaza appears to be over. And while Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has sought to blame Hamas for the resumption of fighting that killed more than 400 Palestinians on March 18, 2025 only the...

Chimpanzee genes have changed over time to suit local conditions – new study
Chimpanzees are humans closest living relatives, sharing over 98% of our DNA. They are endangered, with fewer than 250,000 left and an annual decline of between 1.5% and 6%. This is due to habitat destruction, hunting and...

South Africa’s unsafe water supplies: licensing service providers won’t solve the issue
In many cities and towns across South Africa, water shortages and supply disruptions have become more frequent. Most recent figures show that 33% of all urban water users and 65% of rural users face regular water cut-offs....

Cameroon’s Baka people say they are part of the forest: that’s why they look after it
The Congo Basins hunter-gatherer people have the secret to living well with the forest. While doing fieldwork in 2020, I remember walking with Indigenous elders Ferdinand Mbita and Félix Mangombe up the small,...

Fossil face discovery highlights challenges faced by Europe’s earliest settlers
Piecing together the story of Europes earliest settlers is a challenge, largely because relevant human fossils are scarce. On March 12, researchers announced the discovery of a new fossil from the excavation site of Sime...

Labour says benefit reforms are a ‘moral mission’ – it looks more like moral panic
After weeks of speculation, Liz Kendall, work and pensions secretary, has unveiled her plans to reform welfare and cut the countrys ballooning benefits bill. The proposals include: stricter eligibility requirements for...