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New dinosaur discovery in Switzerland fills a gap in evolutionary history of sauropods
_Schleitheimia_ (left) and _Plateosaurus_ (above right). University of Utrecht, Author provided Dinosaurs were the dominant group of animals on Earth for over 150 million years. Long-necked, plant-eating sauropods such as Brontosaurus, Diplodocus and Brachiosaurus are probably among the most famous dinosaurs, in part thanks to their huge size and strangeContinue Reading
How smugglers are shifting staggering amounts of contraband despite the pandemic
On July 1, Italian police made the largest amphetamine seizure in the world. At the port of Salerno, just south of Naples, they used chainsaws to open large cylinders of paper and industrial machinery that were inside shipping containers from Syria and found 14 tonnes of pills. In Hong Kong,Continue Reading
In Georgia, cinema is the latest flashpoint in the struggle for LGBTQ+ rights · Global Voices
Screenshot from the trailer of the “And then we danced” movie by Levan Akin, showing the main character Merab. Image via Music Box Films’ December 2019 YouTube video. A 2019 film about the story of an LGBT dancer continues to strongly polarise Georgian society. “And then we danced,” filmed inContinue Reading
Coronavirus: how lockdown exposed food insecurity in a small Bangladeshi city
The food market in Mongla in October 2019: it was shut during the COVID-19 lockdown. Hanna Ruszczyk, Author provided The COVID-19 pandemic has emerged as far more than a health crisis for the world’s poor and marginalised, exposing faultlines in food systems around the world. The UN’s World Food ProgrammeContinue Reading
Coronavirus: why are some people experiencing long-term fatigue?
algae/Shutterstock People who have been seriously unwell and treated on intensive care units can expect to take some months to recover fully, regardless of their ailment. However, with COVID-19, evidence is mounting that some people who have had relatively mild symptoms at home may also have a prolonged illness. OverwhelmingContinue Reading
A tale of two coffee farmers: how they are surviving the pandemic in Honduras
Nothing to roast about. Quiony Navarro I am a third-generation member of a farming family in Honduras. I fondly remember getting up before dawn every day and riding several miles on the back of a mule to join in the family coffee harvest. You get involved in everything from tastingContinue Reading
Freedom of expression in Kazakhstan still a distant prospect, says prosecuted activist · Global Voices
The political activist Aynur Ilyashev was arrested in April Activist Alnur Ilyashev. Photo used with permission. On the surface, there have been many changes in Kazakhstan in recent years. On March 19, longtime President Nursultan Nazarbayev, who had ruled the country since independence in 1991, stepped down. His successor, Kassym-JomartContinue Reading
Black Lives Matter: decentralised leadership and the problems of online organising
Black Lives Matter doesn't believe in hierarchal structures allowing anyone to take on leadership tasks. Nikal Hallen/EPA In the UK, one of the leading Black Lives Matter groups is BlackLivesMatterUK. But while it is a leading voice, it is at pains to stress that it is not the movement’s “leader”.Continue Reading
Does cannabis really affect memory? Here’s what research currently says
THC and CBD, both cannabis compounds, have very different effects on the brain. Dmytro Tyshchenko/ Shutterstock Cannabis use has long been associated with memory loss. But until now, this notion was largely anecdotal. As researchers begin to look into cannabis and the effect that it has on human health, they’reContinue Reading
Coronavirus: England’s R number is creeping up – does that mean a second wave is on the way?
Since the UK government began lifting pandemic lockdown restrictions, there have been warnings that going too fast would allow the coronavirus to start spreading again. And ever since, there have been reports about parts of the country that have seen the R number – a key measure of the spreadContinue Reading