Species that often mate outside a bonded pair produce larger and faster seeds – research
Starting in the late 1980s, the advent of genetic analysis put the final nail in the coffin for the idea of monogamy in birds, showing that in many species, males other than the one at the nest can father some of the offspring. Sperm competition, it appeared, is a concern...
Promiscuity: Insects, birds are as fiercely protective and jealous as humans
On a spring day in 1965, 20-year-old biology student Geoff Parker found himself lying flat on his stomach in an English meadow, staring at a pat of cow dung and the frantic activities of dung flies around it. But this was far from a case of a student grudgingly accepting...
Kenya: US copyright law, fake Gmail accounts used to censor gambling story
On February 4, Emmanuel Dogbevi turned to Twitter with a plea for help. He tagged press freedom groups and colleagues in a series of tweets, lamenting how allegations that he violated US copyright law had prompted his news website to be taken offline. Dogbevi told CPJ via phone that Ghana...
Press Freedom: Sixty-five journalists killed last year in the line of duty
The number of journalists killed last year in the line of duty rose by 17 to stand at 65 compared to 2019’s 49, bringing further to the fore questions about the safety of media professionals as well as the right of the public to access information, and Press Freedom. The...
Despair: Some African countries can’t afford shots outside the Covax system
Most African countries are almost entirely reliant on Covax – the initiative backed by the World Health Organisation (WHO), the vaccine alliance Gavi and the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations that offers vaccines cheaply to developing countries. Covax began distributing vaccines to countries such as Ghana and the Ivory Coast...
Africa holds key to keeping the world free from a pandemic that’s on the rise
As the rest of the world prepares for a vaccine-driven return to normal over the next few months, at her community health centre in a poor, working class neighbourhood of Cape Town, Andrea Mendelsohn is dreading the arrival of April and May – that’s when the weather will get cooler...
Big Tech: A trade union is a strong counterweight for workers who want to speak up
Seeta Gangadharan, the cofounder of Our Data Bodies and a professor at the London School of Economics and Political Science, has proposed that tech workers need to be taught how to be whistle-blowers. Ms Gangadharan envisions summer schools for computer science graduates that would arm them with the resources for...
US health agency will invest $1 billion in ‘long Covid’ research
The United States has announced that it will spend big on research into ‘long Covid’ – the long-lasting health effects of a SARS-CoV-2 infection. The funding comes as the scientific community is just starting to recognise the impact of the condition and unravel why it occurs. On 23 February, the...
AI: Balancing criminal legal system with rising uptake of new technology
Training more people on the basics of using data is part of Yeshimabeit Milner’smission to ensure tech is built equitably – and to bring into the conversation more people who have experienced algorithmic harms. Milner is cofounder and executive director of the non-profit Data 4 Black Lives, which examines how...
Holy weed: Colorado cannabis farms puff out more gases than coal mines
Legal cannabis production in Colorado emits more greenhouse gases than the state’s coal mining industry, researchers analysing the sector’s energy use have found. The production and use of cannabis for medical or recreational reasons is now legal in several US states, which has led to a booming industry. Hailey Summers...
