
Place names are more than just labels on a map. They influence how people learn about the world around them and perceive their place in it. Names can send messages and suggest what is and isnt valued in society. And the...
Politicians’ attacks on immigrants lack solid evidence: New data set the record straight
Immigration dominated recent election campaigns in countries that include the United Kingdom, France, Germany and the United States. The subject sparked particularly fierce debates over welfare. While some politicians...

To address the environmental polycrisis, the first step is to demand more honesty
Climate breakdown is major threat to life as we know it, but it is just one element of a much wider environmental polycrisis that includes biodiversity loss, energy and pollution, food security, population growth and...

Fatherlessness and a lack of male role models are often cited as causes of an apparent crisis of masculinity among boys. This is not new. These arguments have been made for nearly half a century, both in the UK and the US,...

How scratching monkeys can help us understand emotions and consciousness
Scientists Sakumi Iki and Ikuma Adachi recently spent a lot of time watching monkeys scratch themselves. Self-scratching among non-human primates is known to indicate social tension and anxiety. The two researchers from...

Why your medical condition might be named after a food
From watermelon stomach to chocolate cysts, you might wonder why doctors decided to name some ailments after foods after all, its enough to put you off your dinner. When early physicians and surgeons were studying the...

Snow White: this opportunity to empower Disney’s first princess falls short at every turn
Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs was a wonder of animation and cinema when it was first released by Disney in 1937. Based on the 1812 German fairy tale by the Brothers Grimm, it tells the story of a princess whose wicked...