Rwanda has sent troops to Mozambique to assist the government in fighting against a four-year Islamist militant insurgency. Political scientist Phil Clark provides insights into the threat and why...
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What Climate ‘Tipping Points’ Are – And How They Could Suddenly...
As recently as 6,000 years ago the Sahara was green and fertile. We’ve found evidence of large rivers crossing the region, lined by flourishing settlements. Then suddenly things changed...
Facebook’s Algorithms Fuelled Massive Foreign Propaganda...
An internal Facebook report found that the social media platform’s algorithms – the rules its computers follow in deciding the content that you see – enabled disinformation campaigns based in Eastern...
Extremophiles: Resilient Microorganisms That Help Us Understand...
In the infamous words of Jurassic Park consultant Dr Ian Malcolm, “life finds a way”. In the depths of the ocean, in volcanic springs, under four metres of ice: almost anywhere scientists can think...
Fossil Footprints Prove Humans Populated The Americas Thousands...
Our species began migrating out of Africa around 100,000 years ago. Aside from Antarctica, the Americas were the last continents humans reached, with the early pioneers crossing the now...
Angela Merkel’s Departure Is An Opportunity To Fix The EU
It will probably take a while for the fact that Angela Merkel is no longer Germany’s chancellor to sink in. It is hard to remember life before ‘Mutti’. When she came to power in 2005, no one had...
Minerals, Drugs And China: How The Taliban Might Finance Their...
Now that the Taliban have reportedly taken full control of Afghanistan and begun forming a government, a looming challenge awaits: How will they keep their country and economy afloat financially? For...
Is Sexual Abuse And Exploitation Rife In The Music Industry?
The popular music industry has a problem – men are sexually assaulting women. Male producers, record company execs and musicians are exploiting and abusing women musicians, women working in the...
AUKUS: Is An Arms Race With China The Price Of ‘Global Britain’?
A new military alliance between the US, Australia and the UK will, for the first time, provide Australia with nuclear-powered submarines. While not officially aimed at another country, the “AUKUS”...
The Five Most Impressive Geological Structures In The Solar...
When we talk about amazing geological features, we often limit ourselves to those on Earth. But as a geologist, I think that’s crazy – there are so many structures on other worlds that can excite and...
Why Spite Could Destroy Liberal Democracy
As communism imploded in 1989, the American political scientist Francis Fukuyama asked if liberal democracy was “the end of history”, being the form all societies were destined to take. The past...
How Often Should We Exercise To Get In Shape?
Elite athletes – like Jakob Ingebrigtsen, who won gold for the men’s 1500m race at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics – train almost ten to 14 times per week, clocking up numerous hours on the track...
COVID Variants: We Spoke To The Experts Designing A Single...
SARS-CoV-2, the virus responsible for COVID-19, has turned the world upside down. Experts have predicted that it will claim the lives of between 9-18 million worldwide. This is in addition to...
The History Of The Taliban Is Crucial In Understanding Their...
The rapid takeover of Afghanistan by the Taliban left many surprised. To Ali Olomi, a historian of the Middle East and Islam at Penn State University, a key to understanding what is happening now –...
New Technology Can Create Treatment Against Drug-Resistant...
The big idea A new technique my colleagues and I developed that can kill deadly, multidrug-resistant bacteria in real-time could be used to generate targeted therapies that replace traditional...
9/11 Did Not Change The World – It Was Already On The Path To...
The September 11 attacks in New York and Washington were visceral in their impact. In less than three hours, the twin towers of the World Trade Center were reduced to a mountain of twisted metal and...
How Snake Oil Got A Bad Name
During the pandemic, the pejorative term “snake-oil salesman” has been bandied about a lot. It’s been used, perhaps with a tinge of 1980s nostalgia, to describe convicted fraudster and serial...
Time Travel Is Possible – But Only If You Have An Object With...
The concept of time travel has always captured the imagination of physicists and laypersons alike. But is it really possible? Of course, it is. We’re doing it right now, aren’t we? We are all...
When Human Life Begins Is A Question Of Politics – Not Biology
A Texas law that aims to eliminate almost all abortions in the state is part of a long-standing nationwide movement to restrict the right to abortion. The Texas law went into effect on Sept. 1, 2021...
It’s Still Not Fully Understood How Placebos Work – But An...
If you’ve had both of your COVID vaccinations, you may have suffered some side effects – perhaps headaches, fatigue, fever or a sore arm. These effects are mainly caused by your immune system’s...