From Hong Kong to Chile and from Lebanon to Iraq, people around the world are taking to the streets in protest against their leaders. Across these myriad different protest movements – with their different contexts, histories and goals – people are wearing the same masks. The grinning faces of Guy Fawkes from the film V […]

  Valerie van Mulukom, Research Associate in Psychology, Coventry University Imagine the director of a big company announcing an important decision and justifying it with it being based on a gut feeling. This would be met with disbelief – surely important decisions have to be thought over carefully, deliberately and rationally? Indeed, relying on your […]

Mercury can potentially be toxic to people when consumed. These threats may include renal failure, liver damage, cardiovascular diseases and even death. Victoria Ndinelago Erasmus, PhD student, Rhodes University and Johannes Angala Iitembu, Senior Lecturer, Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences, University of Namibia The presence of mercury in the marine environment is becoming an issue of […]

Mikel Mellick, Seni​or Lecturer in Athlete Mental Health, Cardiff Metropolitan University Rugby, like all sports, likes to talk about players and coaches “dying by the sword”. This kind of pressure has been ever-present during the Rugby World Cup 2019 in Japan. Referees in particular felt the heat with the sport’s global governing body World Rugby […]

  South Africa’s Cape Peninsula – home to the picturesque city of Cape Town – is part of the only region in the world with fynbos. Fynbos is the world’s most diverse vegetation type – even more so than tropical rainforests. Cape Town city surrounds the Cape Peninsula, the south-western extremity of the African continent, […]

Jonathan Ridley, Head of Engineering, Warsash School of Maritime Science and Engineering, Solent University Sailing used to be considered as a rather sedate pastime. But in the past few years, the world of yacht racing has been revolutionised by the arrival of hydrofoil-supported catamarans, known as “foilers”. These vessels, more akin to high-performance aircraft than […]

Ashvanti Valji, PhD researcher, Cardiff University and Matthias Gruber, Sir Henry Dale Fellow & Principal Investigator of the Motivation and Memory Lab, Cardiff University 14 September 2019 They say curiosity killed the cat for a reason. Being curious has many advantages, but it is also associated with risk taking. But what is curiosity exactly? Is […]

Africa has the world’s third largest Catholic population, after the Americas and Europe. Nearly 1 out of every 5 Africans – 19.2% – is Catholic. Joseph Hellweg, Associate Professor of Religion, Affiliated Associate Professor of Anthropology, Florida State University Pope Francis has completed his seven-day tour of three East African countries: Mozambique, Madagascar and Mauritius. […]

Justin Pearce, Teaching Associate in Politics and International Studies, University of Cambridge The Mozambican government recently signed a peace deal with the Renamo opposition party, in time for elections in October. This is the most decisive step so far towards ending a low-intensity yet persistent conflict that began in 2013. But the peace deal is […]

Jos Barlow, Professor of Conservation Science, Lancaster University and Alexander C. Lees, Senior Lecturer in Conservation Biology, Manchester Metropolitan University 24 August 2019 Imagine a rainforest at dawn – the tall canopy laden with dripping ferns and orchids, tree trunks covered in spongy mosses and lichens, and the morning mist only slowly burning away as […]