Articles
What Lake Sturgeon genetics reveal about population structures
The freshwater fish Lake Sturgeon experienced drastic population declines across North America beginning approximately 150 years ago. Although commercial harvest has since ceased, many populations have been slow to recover. Stocking programs have been used to help recover the species, but they need to be approached cautiously as populations of fish that have been isolated for thousands of years may […]
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The paradox of Western hegemony of human nature
The world faces unprecedented social and environmental challenges that demand a coordinated, global response. However, such a response is hampered by a conundrum. The challenges are partly the outcome of Western notions of what it is to be human, yet those very notions will probably dictate the spirit and strength of how the challenges are addressed. Dr Michael Zichy, a […]
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Blurred boundaries: Art in the age of social media
What divides ‘serious’ or high art from ‘popular’ art? And has the line between these become more blurred in the digital era? These questions are asked by Professor Hans Abbing, a practising visual artist and professor of art sociology and economics at the Erasmus University of Rotterdam in the Netherlands. In his book The economies of serious and popular art: […]
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A role for ultraviolet radiation in multiple sclerosis
There are more cases of multiple sclerosis (MS), a condition caused by impaired immune responses, in northern countries compared to southern countries. Dr George E Davis, who is affiliated with the Riverview Psychiatric Centre, Maine, USA, has explored the links between latitude, MS, and UV radiation. He puts forward the idea that UV radiation levels during month of conception offer […]
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Green baize gladiators: Bridge as a mindsport for all
Electronic sports, or esports, have evolved the concept of ‘sport’, especially around the mental acuity needed to play. Professor Samantha Punch at the University of Stirling, together with Dr David Scott at Abertay University, Scotland, see similarities in the card game bridge. They are helping establish a new academic subdiscipline – the sociology of mindsport. In the process, Punch and […]
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Reliably exploring the presence of languages on the Internet
The Internet is a precious resource for linguists as it offers an easily accessible and broad space where they can observe the evolution of languages over time. Daniel Pimienta, Head of the Observatory of Linguistic and Cultural Diversity in the Internet (OBDILCI), has developed a method to measure the presence of languages on the Web, which was greatly enhanced in […]
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How do power imbalances influence national corruption and welfare?
Professor Wolfgang Scholl of Humboldt University in Berlin, Germany, has built a detailed model that shows how and where corruption thrives and the damage it causes to social welfare. The social-psychological, cultural, and economic causes and effects are disentangled, and the ethical imperatives are discussed that support a positive outcome. The model confirms empirically that unequal power relations induce corruption […]
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A four-model approach to understanding our evolutionary psychology
Dr James Walter, Emeritus Adjunct Professor at Loyola University Chicago, USA, summarises research in evolutionary psychology focused on the natural selection effects of negative social behaviors that occurred in the Middle and Upper Paleolithic Ages. To this aim, four main factors are considered: natural selection, comparisons with our closest living relative, the chimpanzee, the social behaviors of modern hunter-gatherer societies, […]
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Non-surgical sterilisation iSpay: Will pet-spaying operations soon be a thing of the past?
Dr CheMyong Jay Ko is the founder of Epivara and a professor in the College of Veterinary Medicine at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, USA, working on reproductive endocrinology. His team has recently achieved a breakthrough in the search for a non-surgical method of permanently sterilising female companion animals such as dogs and cats. Here, we present their proof-of-concept study […]
From lipids to life: Cracking the puzzle about the origin of life
The quest to understand life’s origin has long intrigued scientists seeking to unravel the mysteries of existence. Traditional approaches to this question have their own limitations. Professor Doron Lancet and his team from the Weizmann Institute of Science, Israel, offer a fresh perspective and a more feasible pathway for understanding how life emerged on Earth. Their work introduces a paradigm […]
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