How ‘dupes’, fast fashion and China’s economic slowdown spell disaster for the luxury sector

By Teresa Sádaba

Alarm bells are ringing across the high-end sector. 2024 did not end as luxury brands had hoped, and the figures published by the sectors main conglomerates painted a picture of slowdown and some signs of exhaustion during...

The UK’s international commitments on climate and nature could soon become law – and better protect our environment

By Paul Behrens Et Al

As climate and biodiversity scientists, we spend most of our lives trying to understand how our planet works and how best to address the environmental challenges of our times. Yet, for the past three years, many scientists...

Informal mining in South Africa is here to stay. Police brutality won’t end it - here’s what will

By Rosalind C. Morris

In mid-January 2024 over 1,000 hunger-weakened miners exited two abandoned mine shafts in Stilfontein, near Johannesburg in South Africa. They had been starved out by the police in Operation Vala Umgodi meaning plug the...

Mandelson goes to Washington – or does he? Why neither is a good option now

By Martin Farr

Although it will impinge on the consciousness of few, the appointment of the next UK ambassador to the US is growing into a crisis. It would not do for the involvement of Peter Mandelson in anything to pass without some...

How Canadian cities could be leaders in the fight against waste

By Juste Rajaonson

Most of what we consume in Canada is neither recycled nor reused. In 2020, only 6.1 per cent of economic activities in Canada were considered part of the circular economy. This means that the vast majority of the 2.3...

Why your retirement fund might soon include cryptocurrency

By Larisa Yarovaya

Pension funds are investment pools that manage peoples retirement savings. They aim to encourage long-term saving and provide financial security to retirees. But some pension funds in the US, UK and elsewhere have recently...

Why Manchester City offered Erling Haaland the longest contract in Premier League history

By Kieran Maguire Et Al

In the fast-moving world of Premier League football, fans are a constant. While a clubs managers, players and owners come and go, the one true commitment seems to come from the supporters. So Erling Haaland caused quite a...

Nintendo Switch 2 and anticipated sequels – what to look forward to in gaming in 2025

By Michael Samuel

Bookended by the release of Donkey Kong Country Returns HD in January and Grand Theft Auto 6, at the end of the year (its already winning wards in anticipation) 2025 looks set to be exciting for gamers. Theres also set to...

We’re turning waste bread crusts into nutritious food with ancient Asian fermentation

By Juan Felipe Sandoval Rueda Et Al

Do you find yourself tossing away the crusts of your bread? Youre not alone, but the scale of bread waste is staggering. Around 10% of the 185 million tonnes of bread baked worldwide each year is wasted. While some of this...

Voice of America has to provide ‘accurate, objective and comprehensive’ news – could that all change?

By Kate Wright

With President Donald Trump installed for a second term, one big item on the new administrations agenda appears to be rearranging the media landscape, undermining its journalistic critics and giving a boost to the media...

Donald Trump’s presidency presents Benjamin Netanyahu with a crisis that could be existential – here’s why

By John Strawson

Having agreed to a complex ceasefire in Gaza under pressure from the incoming US president, Donald Trump, Benjamin Netanyahu now confronts a range of international and domestic challenges. On his doorstep, he needs to...

Denmark’s new royal coat of arms marks the end of a 400-year-long Swedish-Danish conflict

By Martin Sunnqvist

King Frederick X of Denmark announced a change of the royal coat of arms on January 1 this year. This change was understood by many rightly or wrongly as an intervention in US president Donald Trumps aspirations to...

How Vladimir Putin was able to change Russia’s constitution and become ‘president for life’

By Paul Edward Fisher

At some point during a political leaders final term they start to become prey to what is commonly known as lame duck syndrome. Donald Trump may have only just been inaugurated, but political commentators are already saying...

Syria after Assad: A fresh chance for inclusive governance and power-sharing, or more of the same?

By Allison McCulloch Et Al

The end of a half-century of Assad family rule in Syria marked a turning point in the countrys deadly 13-year civil war after rebel forces led by Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) conquered Damascus. A peace resolution for Syria...

Africa without borders could help the continent prosper – what’s getting in the way

By Tinashe Sithole

The vision of a borderless Africa is one of unity and shared prosperity for the continent. It is rooted in the ideals of the pan-Africanist movement. There are contradictions, however, between those ideals and the...

It’s hard for women in Sierra Leone to own land – here’s why

By Bankolay Theodore Turay

Land disputes in Sierra Leone are a complex issue, dating back decades. Weak land tenure systems, rapid urbanisation and population growth, poverty, inequality, corruption and weak governance are some of the factors...

How the oil industry and growing political divides turned climate change into a partisan issue

By Joe Árvai

After four years of U.S. progress on efforts to deal with climate change under Joe Biden, Donald Trumps return to the White House is swiftly swinging the pendulum in the opposite direction. On his first day back, Trump...

Warning of ‘oligarchy,’ Biden channels Andrew Jackson

By Daniel Feller

In some circumstances, a presidents official Farewell Address to the Nation may be an occasion for sunny reflection. President Joe Bidens, delivered five days before he left office, began that way, with a celebration of...

‘The geezer game’ – a nearly 50-year-old pickup basketball game – reveals its secrets to longevity

By Richie Zweigenhaft

Donald Trumps polarizing political rise in the past decade has driven many groups and some families apart. But a long-running pickup basketball game that I play in, made up of people with various political leanings,...

Extreme heat, flooding, wildfires – Colorado’s formerly incarcerated people on the hazards they faced behind bars

By Shawhin Roudbari Et Al

Incarcerated people in Colorado are exposed to climate-related extreme heat and cold, plus flooding and wildfires. Because theyre unable to escape these hazards, their health suffers and some die. I remember it being...

What is a migrant? What is ICE? 10 terms to help you understand the debate over immigration

By Ernesto Castañeda Et Al

President Donald Trump aims to upend the immigration system in the United States in his first few days in office. On Jan. 20, 2025, Trump signed various executive orders that temporarily prevent refugees from coming to the...

Earth is bombarded with rocks from space – but who gets to keep these ultimate antiques?

By Anna Marie Brennan

Every day, about 48.5 tonnes of space rock hurtle towards Earth. Meteorites that fall into the ocean are never recovered. But the ones that crash on land can spark debates about legal ownership. Globally, meteorite hunting...

With Trump back in the White House, the age of free trade could be coming to an end

By Sami Bensassi Et Al

For a superpower like the US, free trade is, in practice, an invitation to partake in its wealth. But it also implies an obligation, including political support (or at least non-opposition) and an expectation that the...

Kyoto: timely and enthralling play about first climate treaty reveals potent power of consensus

By Steve Waters

With California poised for more fires and a climate-change denying plutocrat back in the White House, the London opening of Joe Murphy and Joe Robertsons play Kyoto dramatising the intense negotiation of the worlds first...

Doctors should take part in acts of civil disobedience to advocate for patients

By Wael Haddara

Physicians are expected to always act in the best interest of their patients. Increasingly, many doctors find they must speak up and be advocates before a world that seemingly cares little for the lives and rights of their...

I’m an economist. Here’s why I’m worried the California insurance crisis could triggerbroader financial instability

By Gary W. Yohe

The devastating wildfires in Los Angeles have made one threat very clear: Climate change is undermining the insurance systems American homeowners rely on to protect themselves from catastrophes. This breakdown is starting...

Electrolyte beverages can help your body stay balanced − but may worsen symptoms if you’re sick

By Bryn Beeder

Lots of athletes choose electrolyte beverages during their workouts. PhotoAlto/Sandro Di Carlo Darsa via Getty Images For generations, Gatorade and similar electrolyte beverages have been helpful tools for athletes seeking...

Why is obesity linked to irregular heart rhythms? Researchers found 1 potential mechanism

By Arvind Sridhar

A sudden onset of irregular heart rhythms can be disorienting. wildpixel/iStock via Getty Images Plus Atrial fibrillation, or A-fib, is an irregular heart rhythm that increases a persons risk of stroke, heart failure and...

Tyson Fury is such a big hitter on social media that retirement should be another major earning opportunity

By Wasim Ahmed Et Al

Boxer Tyson Fury recently announced that he was retiring from the sport. Just like he did in 2013 and 2017. And then again in 2022. Maybe this time he means it. If he does, it will mean walking away from a lucrative...

Learning your political opponents don’t actually hate you can reduce toxic polarization and antidemocratic attitudes

By Michael Pasek

Many Americans seem to think their political rivals have a lower opinion about them than they actually do. Andrii Yalanskyi/iStock via Getty Images Americans recently endured another grueling election season, offering...

A Passage to India: how global pandemics shaped E.M. Forster’s final novel

By Chris Mourant

E.M. Forsters final novel and masterpiece, A Passage to India, celebrated its centenary in 2024. It tells the story of Adela Quested, who arrives in the city of Chandrapore with Mrs Moore, the mother of her fiancé,...

Bringing Care Home: Redefining Healthcare with Empathy and Connection

By Kenny Au

Healthcare today is a lifeline, but for many elderly and chronically ill individuals, accessing it feels like an uphill battle. I have witnessed people going through cancer firsthand. The constant trips to hospitals and...

Making aluminium uses 10% of Australia’s electricity. Will tax incentives help smelters go green?

By Tessa Leach Et Al

Aluminium is an exceptionally useful metal. Lightweight, resistant to rust and able to be turned into alloys with other metals. Small wonder its the second most used metal in the world after iron and demand is set to soar....

Trump’s meme coin is nothing new: it takes a page out of the ancient world’s playbook

By Gil Davis

Nowadays, we probably never stop to think about why money was invented. If you are a cynical person, you wont be surprised to learn the prime motivation was to make a profit for rulers. About 2,600 years ago, the kings of...

Art as resistance: A digital archive documents how protest arts address police violence

By Taiwo Afolabi Et Al

Policing has become a contentious subject globally, with systemic injustices prompting diverse responses of resistance and revolt. In turn, protest movements around the world have increasingly turned to art as a dynamic...

The key takeaways from Donald Trump’s inauguration speech

By Dafydd Townley

Donald Trump has been sworn in as president of the US for a second term and this time there wont be any arguments about crowd sizes. The most glaringly obvious difference in optics this time round for both those in...

Social media rewires young minds – here’s how

By Laura Elin Pigott

Deliris/Shutterstock That satisfying feeling after doomscrolling through endless TikTok videos or impulsively shopping online mimics the relief of scratching an itch. This is dopamine at work a brain chemical...

Saving lives and limbs on the high seas: the extraordinary world of early modern ship’s surgeons

By Jasmine Kilburn-Toppin

Imagine you are at sea facing a violent battle with an enemy ship. The experienced 17th-century surgeon John Moyle asked his reader to do just that. In his printed guide of recommended practice, the reader was compelled to...

LA fires risk reinforcing the false idea that we’re all in this together

By Andrea Rigon

Sobering images of fires in Los Angeles highlight one of the few cases where some of those who contributed the most to climate change are also facing its consequences. And this is partly why these fires have been such a...

Climate change is fuelling Trump’s desire to tap into Canada’s water and Arctic resources

By Tricia Stadnyk

Rising temperatures, a melting Arctic and increasing global water and resource scarcity are behind United States President Donald Trumps threats to make Canada the 51st American state. A geopolitical storm is brewing in...

Urban studies: Doing research when every city is different

By Sandra Breux Et Al

Urban studies is sometimes considered a loosely defined interdisciplinary academic domain, lacking the scientific rigour needed to understand cities. In Canada, urban studies is a little more than 50 years old; a young...

Despite fears of falling trust in expert knowledge, a global survey shows New Zealanders value science highly

By John Kerr Et Al

Five years since the start of the COVID pandemic, it can feel as if trust in the knowledge of experts and scientific evidence is in crisis. But according to our new findings in a global survey of more than 70,000 people...

Fake podcast clips are misleading millions of people on social media. Here’s how to spot them

By Finley Watson

Podcasting is the medium of choice for millions of listeners looking for the latest commentary on almost any topic. In Australia, its estimated about 48% of people tune in to a podcast each month. However, the rise of...

With nuclear power on the rise, reducing conspiracies and increasing public education is key

By Grant Alexander Wilson

After years of public discourse related to its safety, costs and waste, nuclear power is making a comeback as a core energy solution. Across North America, nuclear power facilities are being started, rebooted and extended....

Trump’s executive orders can make change – but are limited and can be undone by the courts

By Sharece Thrower

U.S. President-elect Donald Trump arrives for inauguration ceremonies in the Rotunda of the U.S. Capitol, January 20, 2025. Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images Before his inauguration, Donald Trump promised to issue a total of...

What the Opium Wars can tell us about China, the U.S. and fentanyl

By Martin Danahay

United States President Donald Trump recently threatened to impose an additional 10 per cent tariff on goods coming from China in response the illegal import into the U.S. of the opioid fentanyl. Fentanyl has become the...

Survey finds Canadians overwhelmingly support building Arctic infrastructure

By Mathieu Landriault Et Al

The Canadian Arctics vast landscape has always been a challenge when it comes to implementing and developing reliable Arctic infrastructure. Home to 150,000 people, with four of every 10 identifying as Indigenous, the...

Trump has few good options to prevent Iran from building a nuclear bomb

By Aniruddha Saha

The administration of new US president Donald Trump is reportedly considering various options to prevent Iran from being able to build a nuclear weapon. These include renegotiating a second nuclear deal, pursuing a policy...

The narratives of decadence, decline and apocalypse that link Elon Musk and all anti-democratic movements

By Felix Schilk

Its the birthrates. Its the birthrates. Its the birthrates, echoed the introduction line in the manifesto of the Christchurch shooter who killed 51 people in a mosque in 2019. His claim was that white people are being...

Five commercials that show how David Lynch elevated advertising to an art form

By Jonatan Sodergren

The late filmmaker David Lynchs unique approach to storytelling, with TV and films like Twin Peaks (1990-2017), Blue Velvet (1986) and Mulholland Drive (2001), combined dreamlike imagery with unsettling narratives. But his...