It is unclear how well masks work. People Image Studio/Shutterstock Although political leaders have closed borders in response to COVID-19, scientists are collaborating like never before. But the coronavirus (SARS-COV-2) is novel – and we don’t yet have all the facts about it. As a result, we may have toContinue Reading
Concerns have been raised over Chinese influence on Australian campuses. The University of New South Wales received criticism for removing an article calling out the decline of human rights in Hong Kong. Photo from Flickr page of Sompop S (CC BY 2.0) In the latest of a string of incidentsContinue Reading
It would be a brave person who tried to argue that the UK government, over the past several years, hadn’t shown a kind of systemic ableism in its attitudes towards and policies dealing with disabled people. This ableism is reflected in wider societal and media-based discourses in the UK. OverContinue Reading
Monika Wisniewska/Shutterstock Heatwaves undoubtedly bring a certain joy at the opportunity to be out in the sunshine. But as the planet heats and weather records tumble, increasingly normal bouts of baking heat aren’t all sun and games. Aside from the grief and guilt we may feel about the human causesContinue Reading
Children have reached their verdict on adults. Monkey Business Images/Shutterstock Every parent knows that sometimes your child says something that stops you in your tracks. Such a moment came for one of us, Emma Maynard, when her son Oscar was approaching his year 6 SATS tests at the end ofContinue Reading
The case adds to other related episodes of police violence A young man ikilled by Angolan police. Screengrab of a video shared by Televisão Pública de Angola. The Angolan National Police officers shot dead 23-year-old José Teokamba Manuel on 12 July while enforcing confinement measures due to the COVID-19 pandemic, according toContinue Reading
The six activists live abroad and one of them is a citizen of the United States Beijing’s six wanted Hong Kong fugitives. Image from the Stand News. Used with permission. Six pro-democracy activists have been branded fugitives of justice by the Hong Kong Police Force, according to a report by China CentralContinue Reading
Some super smellers even associate unpleasant memories or feelings of annoyance with certain smells. Shift Drive/ Shutterstock Do certain smells make you feel uncomfortable, even nauseous? Or is your nose so good that you can detect even the subtlest aromas in your favourite wine? Perhaps certain smells evoke negative orContinue Reading
Artazum/Shutterstock Over 200 scientists, including myself, signed a letter that was published in the journal Clinical Infectious Diseases on July 6 2020 saying that COVID is not only spread by touch and droplets sprayed from the mouth and nose but, importantly, via a third route too. The third infection pathwayContinue Reading
Nafeer, a youth-led initiative, aims to create a crisis plan Rain and floods in Sudan, August 2013. Photo by Nafeer Sudan via Flickr CC BY 2.0. This year’s rainy season led to disaster when the Bout Dam collapsed during the annual Eid al-Adha holidays in Sudan. The town of Bout, situatedContinue Reading
