How the vapid #challengeaccepted trend shone a light on Turkish femicide
In an interesting reversal of the typical watering down of social media, celebs recently found their attempts at self-promotion co-opted by something actually important. There was a lot of confusion on Instagram recently after a spate of women began posting black and white selfies tagged ‘#challengeaccepted’. The now familiar...
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Understanding carbon calories could be the key to reducing our footprint
We now have the data and technology to track our carbon usage. Companies such as Carbon Calories are using this information to spur individuals to combat climate change. If you’ve ever gone on a diet or paid attention to your daily calorie intake, you’ll no doubt have studied the labels...
Coronavirus causes huge growth in demand for trustworthy news
Questionable news sites have seen a drop in clicks while more traditional outlets have enjoyed fresh popularity, though whether it lasts after the pandemic remains to be seen. The Economist has published new figures that show many of us flocked to mainstream news websites from early March onward at...
UK condemns China for treatment of Uighur minority
The UK is finally calling a spade a spade when it comes to blatant Chinese human rights abuses against its ethnic Muslim minority. The UK, which has long been flirting with both US and Chinese national interests in the current conflict between the two, has hinted that it will...
Lebanon set to become the world’s next failed state
‘We are heading for the future collapse of everything’ - financial analyst Henri Chaoul. Lebanon’s economy has shut down. Its population, which includes a large minority of Syrian refugees, is rioting in the streets, and looting diapers and cereal. Its political elites are systematically shutting down negotiations for aid...
EU coronavirus deal sets new standard for international solidarity
The European Union has agreed on a coronavirus recovery stimulus plan that shows miraculous cooperation, but it comes with some important concessions. After an intense five days of reportedly heated debate, the EU has unanimously passed a deal to aid the recovery of its member’s economies post-COVID. The agreement...
Antarctica’s seabed is leaking methane into the atmosphere
It’s a worrying sign for the climate emergency, but it does give us an unprecedented research opportunity in Antarctica. Methane leakage on the sea floor has been recorded in Antarctica for the first time ever. The seep was discovered in a 30ft deep site known as Cinder Cones in McMurdo Sound and was led by Andrew Thurber from Oregon State University. Methane isn’t being released in bubbles but instead is ‘coming...
Gen Z in developing nations may never recover from this gap in schooling
COVID-19 has stolen an education from the world’s poorest, as many will never get the chance to return to school. As Western nations debate the best way to re-open schools in a safe and sensible manner, Gen Z students in developing nations have faced an education interruption they’ll likely never recover from. In April, some 90% of school children across the world were plucked from their classrooms and sent home, where...
Road microplastics are an unprecedented nightmare
New research shows that car tires are responsible for shedding around 100,000 metric tonnes of microplastic a year, the majority of which end up in the oceans. We’ve always known that cars were an environmentally inefficient method of travel, but a new study has put an emphatic exclamation point on the matter. Scientists have discovered that the friction caused by tires speeding across asphalt shreds plastic into microparticles on...
KFC is rolling out lab-produced chicken nuggets
As part of its ‘Meat of the Future’ campaign, KFC is developing laboratory-produced chicken nuggets to roll out in 2020. As the food industry vies for a more regenerative and sustainable future, fast food chains are being pressured to meet growing demands for animal alternatives. On that front, KFC are plotting something potentially ground-breaking for 2020. The fried chicken mecca is opening its chest of secret ingredients and seasonings to a...
