Belarusian poet Valzhyna Mort. Photo (c): Tanya Kapitonova, used with permission. As events unfold in Belarus following presidential elections whose results are contested by the opposition and a large part of the population, Belarusian artists are speaking out to denounce state violence and express solidarity with protesters. Valzhyna Mort, aContinue Reading
New online content regulations prohibit certain topics without government approval An earthquake was felt in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, on August 12, 2020. Photo by Chen Hualin, April 1, 2011, via Wikimedia Commons CC BY 3.0. When a major earthquake of 6.0 on the Richter scale shook coastal East AfricaContinue Reading
Photo of the Viktor Tsoi wall in central Minsk. The main writing says “Ты знал, что будет плохо, но не знал, что так скоро” [You knew, all would be bad, but what you didn’t know is that it would happen so quickly], inspired by one of his songs. Photo byContinue Reading
The novel coronavirus is affecting our brains, whether we've caught it or not. Teo Tarras/Shutterstock Whether you have contracted COVID-19 or not, your brain is likely to have changed over the past few months. The virus itself can cause a number of neurological problems, along with anxiety and depression. TheContinue Reading
Chris Redan/Shutterstock Face coverings are now a legal requirement in many public spaces around the world. But even before they became compulsory, masks were causing litter problems on land and at sea. One February beach clean in Hong Kong found 70 masks along 100 metres of shoreline, with 30 moreContinue Reading
‘The people, not politicians, move the political needle on issues’ Screenshot of a line from Trinidad and Tobago’s national anthem, which reads, “Here every creed and race finds an equal place,” taken from a YouTube video by Hardeo Roopan. On August 10, Trinidad and Tobago held its general elections. TheContinue Reading
Our “food reward” system can seriously undermine our ability to resist temptation. Roman Samborskyi/ Shutterstock Food cravings are very familiar to most people. We may see or smell food and want to eat, or sometimes we suddenly feel like eating something delicious. These intense desires occur even when we’re notContinue Reading
Quantum computers may be more trustworthy. Yurchanka Siarhei/Shutterstock MIP* = RE is not a typo. It is a groundbreaking discovery and the catchy title of a recent paper in the field of quantum complexity theory. Complexity theory is a zoo of “complexity classes” – collections of computational problems – ofContinue Reading
It's possible that changes to the immune system during pregnancy protect parent and child from COVID-19. Syda Productions/Shutterstock Any new infectious disease poses unique challenges to people who are pregnant during an outbreak. The effects of Sars, Zika and influenza in pregnancy highlight the potential immediate and longer term detrimentalContinue Reading
Kirsty O'Connor/PA The number of migrants crossing the English Channel in small boats has increased significantly – up to 4,343 this year compared with 857 in the same period last year. The number of lurid headlines calling for action has also increased significantly but the issue is not always wellContinue Reading
