Not so long ago, in a galaxy not so far away… democracy was in danger. Our current political environment is filled with threats to democracy, from the rise of authoritarian populism around the world...
Politics
What Star Wars Can Teach Us About The Decline Of Democracy
Corruption: How The UK Compares To Other Countries
Corruption allegations have been flowing freely in the UK of late. To cherry-pick just some, an MP has resigned over his apparent conflicts of interest, a former attorney general has had his external...
Belarus: Border Crisis With Poland Loses Sight Of The People...
Tensions at the border between Poland and Belarus continue to rise, with thousands of vulnerable migrants stranded in a standoff between the two countries and the geopolitical blocs to which they...
Environment
Deep-Sea Mining May Wipe Out Species We Have Only Just Discovered
Deep-sea hydrothermal vents harbour some of the most extraordinary species on our planet. Lying at two to three kilometres below the surface, these extreme, insular ecosystems are powered, not by the...
Climate Change Is Making Monogamous Albatrosses Divorce – New...
Not all relationships end in “happily ever after”, and birds are no exception. While more than 90% of bird species form monogamous couples, many of these will end in divorce. The reasons for...
How To Live With Large Predators – Lessons From Spanish Wolf...
Elena and her husband are shepherds. Their herd of 400 free-roaming goats were bred over generations to make the most of the patchwork of woodlands and pastures that cover their local mountain range...
Culture
Pubic Hair, Nudism And The Censor: The Story Of The Photographic...
I look at nude bodies all the time in my work. Art history is full of them – painted, sculpted and photographed – and they fill the walls of galleries and museums. I stand before them, projected on...
What’s Behind The Magic Of Live Music?
For months, fans were relegated to watching their favourite singers and musicians over Zoom or via webcasts. Now, live shows – from festivals like Lollapalooza to Broadway musicals – are officially...
More ‘Disease’ Than ‘Dracula’ – How The Vampire Myth Was Born
The vampire is a common image in today’s pop culture, and one that takes many forms: from Alucard, the dashing spawn of Dracula in the PlayStation game “Castlevania: Symphony of the Night”; to...
Science
Soon, 1 Out Of Every 15 Points Of Light In The Sky Will Be A...
I’m outside at my rural Saskatchewan farm, chatting with my neighbours who I’ve invited over to appreciate the night sky through my telescope. After exclamations and open-mouthed wonder over Saturn’s...
A New Era Of Planetary Exploration: What We Discovered On The...
Seven months after it was launched, the US robotic rover Perseverance successfully landed on Mars on February 18 2021. The landing was part of the mission Mars2020 and was viewed live by millions of...
What Is Chaos? A Complex Systems Scientist Explains
Chaos evokes images of the dinosaurs running wild in Jurassic Park, or my friend’s toddler ravaging the living room. In a chaotic world, you never know what to expect. Stuff is happening all the...