Severe iodine deficiency disorders (IDDs) caused by lack of iodine during pregnancy  and early life can result in irreversible brain damage but are avoidable. Professor Creswell Eastman at the University of Sydney in Australia and his colleagues Professors Mu Li and Gary Ma have contributed significantly to the prevention of IDDs arising from severe iodine deficiency in the developing world and is now concentrating on the effects of mild to moderate iodine deficiency globally.

Iodine Nutrition In Pregnancy And Breast Feeding To Prevent Iodine Deficiency Disorders

Reproductive biotechnologies have contributed to many major advances in livestock production, and the proper application of these technologies can lead to livestock with superior genetic traits. This is vitally important given the high rates of malnourishment and poverty in developing countries, where communities could greatly benefit from an increase in meat and dairy products. Collaborating with scientists across the world, Dr Curtis R. Youngs of Iowa State University aims to increase the production of animal-derived foods in developing nations by applying reproductive biotechnologies to improve the efficiency and sustainability of livestock production.

Dr Curtis R. Youngs – Improving Livestock Through Reproductive Technologies

For thousands of years, the notion of a one-way flow of cause-and-effect has underpinned virtually every scientific theory. Yet Dr Martin Tamm at the University of Stockholm argues that this notion of ‘causality’ may be holding back our understanding of how the Universe really works. Through his research, he suggests an alternative approach, based around a mathematical construct named ‘probability space’. His ideas could ultimately lead to new solutions to problems that physicists have struggled with for decades.

Causality: A Fundamental Necessity or Part of the Problem?

Blazars are some of the brightest and most vibrant objects known to astronomers: emitting high-velocity jets of matter, and producing gamma rays which outshine almost all other sources in the known universe. To study these phenomena, astronomers must use the latest techniques to observe blazars simultaneously at different wavelengths of electromagnetic radiation, while also capturing the elusive neutrinos they emit. In a recent article, Dr Markus Böttcher, an astronomer at North-West University on Potchefstroom, South Africa, presents an overview of the latest advances in these ‘multiwavelength’ and ‘multi-messenger’ techniques – and where they could lead in the near future.

Studying Blazars with Multiwavelength and Multi-messenger Astronomy - Professor Markus Böttcher

Dr. Robert Trestman, at the Carilion Clinic and Virginia Tech Carilion School of Medicine, has co-developed START NOW, a successful group psychotherapy intervention specifically targeting mental health issues in prisoners. It combines elements of cognitive behavioral therapy to form skills-based learning. Furthermore, START NOW is easily accessible, cost-effective, and designed for use in settings with limited resources. Due to its success within correctional institutions, START NOW is being adapted for use in fields such as adolescent conduct issues and opioid misuse.

START NOW: An Effective Mental Health Intervention | Robert Trestman

Stress is inherently prevalent in our lives and can have seriously deleterious impacts on individual health and well-being, as well as society more broadly. Dr Joseph Arpaia a psychiatrist in private practice in the USA, and colleague Dr Judith P. Andersen of the University of Toronto Mississauga in Canada, have proposed a new theoretical account of stress that has the potential to revolutionise clinical care in the fields of psychiatry and addiction, and improve well-being on a global level.

The Unease Modulation Model: Revolutionising Health, Stress Management and Public Policy

The Hershey Company, one of the largest chocolate manufacturers in the world, produces and distributes millions of sweet treats every year. In 2019, an article on the Washington Post accused the company of failing to uproot child labour from its cocoa supply chain. Dr Bertrand Guillotin, an Associate Professor at Temple University’s Fox School of Business, recently published a case study that closely explores these child labour allegations against the Hershey Company.

Exploring the Hershey Company’s Child Labour Case | Dr Bertrand Guillotin

Energy is vital for life. It allows important functions to occur in living systems, from the molecular level to the scale of the whole organism. Dr Helen Greenwood Hansma, from the University of California in Santa Barbara, believes that the types of energy used in living cells can provide clues to help us understand the origins of life. In her recent research, she explores how mechanical energy could have driven the processes that gave rise to early life in the absence of chemical energy.

Dr Helen Greenwood Hansma | Energy: A Clue to the Origins of Life

Our daily lives involve periods fluctuating between physical activity and sedentary behaviour, but few studies have researched what motivates us to take on these states from one moment to another. Dr Matthew Stults-Kolehmainen  at Yale-New Haven Hospital and Columbia University in the USA, has analysed research from a range of scientific fields to assess the role of urges, cravings, wants and desires on our motivation for physical activity, exercise and sedentarism. He has developed a model to explain how these factors interact, as well as a tool to measure the subjective feeling of these states.

Measuring our Motivation for Physical Activity and Sedentary Behaviour

Traditional Chinese Medicine has been used in the treatment of disease for centuries, although its potency is often overlooked by researchers. Dr Yu-Ling Ma and colleagues in the Oxford Chinese Medicine Research Centre at the University of Oxford have focused on a multi-component herbal medicine called Xin Su Ning in the treatment of cardiac arrhythmia to elucidate the mechanism of action and pharmacological properties of its components.

Dr Yu-Ling Ma | The Power of Traditional Chinese Medicine in Cardiac Care

Liver disease is reported to be the third largest cause of premature death in the UK, with 75% of patients being diagnosed too late for any meaningful intervention. Dr Matthew Hoare from the University of Cambridge, and Dr Peter Campbell from the Sanger Institute, lead a team conducting research into the genome changes associated with chronic liver disease to help understand the cause and consequence of these changes.

Dr Matthew Hoare | Dr Peter Campbell - Understanding Gene Mutations in Chronic Liver Disease

Propaganda is the systemic use of language with the intent to brainwash rather than to persuade. It has the subtle but pervasive power to ensnare an entire populace toward a predetermined attitude or outlook. Deceptive communication is now commonplace in this information age. Dr Robert L. Walsh recently examined how propagandists bend language for mass deception. He argued that what makes propaganda so insidious is a vestige of our prehistoric past – the Neolithic or Tribal mind.

Dr Robert L. Walsh | Propaganda and Mass Deception Depend Upon the Tribal Mind

Western approaches to environmental science typically focus on existing and future issues, such as climate change, and technological solutions to these issues. While these frameworks have their value, they often set aside holistic perspectives on land management, coexistence with nature, and ecosystem preservation. Dr Kristiina A. Vogt, Dr Samantha De Abreu and Dr Maria Blancas at the University of Washington are exploring the potential of holistic storytelling practices common among Indigenous communities to teach environmental science in more effective ways.

Indigenous Holistic Storytelling to Teach Environmental Science

There is a strong link between identifying as lesbian, gay or bisexual (LGB) and homelessness. Dr Ruth McNair from the University of Melbourne analysed data investigating risk and resilience factors associated with homelessness according to sexual identity in the Australian population to understand the associations with homelessness and to improve LGB-inclusive homelessness policy and services.

Lesbian, Gay and Bisexual Homelessness in Australia: Risk and Resilience Factors | Dr Ruth McNair

Limited research has explored the causes of sexual pain and difficulties with intercourse that are experienced by women across the world. Dr Thula Koops and Professor Peer Briken at the University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf have spoken to women experiencing these difficulties and listened to their real stories and thoughts on the origins of their sexual difficulties. Based on these interviews, two main themes emerged. The first links these difficulties to perceived implications of womanhood, while the second focuses on the separation between body and mind in relation to the cause.

Real Life Stories: What Causes Sexual Pain Amongst Women? | Dr Thula Koops - Professor Peer Briken

The genetic secrets to extraordinary longevity, superhero-like healing and regeneration, and resistance to feeding disorders could be found hidden within the Earth. In underground caves in Dinaric Karst along the Adriatic Sea in the Western Balkans lives a cave salamander, the olm, whose remarkable adaptations mean its genome holds great promise for biomedical research. Dr Rok Kostanjšek and an international team of scientists at the Proteus Genome Research Consortium are tackling the challenge of sequencing the huge olm genome, to provide the basis for studying its unique genetic characteristics.

Revealing the Olm Salamander’s Secrets to Advance Biomedical Research

Migrants travel hopefully, dreaming of better lives. Some are successful, some less so. Many in both groups ultimately decide to return to their home country. Dr Tony Ward, a University of Melbourne historian, is himself a migrant, and descended from a family that returned from Australia. He sought out other stories of return migration from Australia to the UK in the 19th Century. His studies shed light on more general questions. How many migrants return? Which migrants are more likely to make the trip home? And why?

Why Do Many Migrants Retrace their Steps? Clues from 19th Century Australia

The idea that human beings have souls that leave their body after death is an essential part of most religions and spiritual beliefs. However, this has been very difficult to prove scientifically. Benjamin Scherlag, Ronald Scherlag, Tarun Dasari and Sunny Po at the University of Oklahoma Health Science Centre recently investigated the existence of a soul by conducting a series of scientific studies. They carried out these experiments on a dwarf form of the organism Stentor coeruleus, which is known for its regenerative abilities.

Could the Soul Be a Biophysical Reality? | Dr Benjamin Scherlag

Both the frequency and intensity of droughts are forecast to increase in climate change predictions. It is well established that plant communities are sensitive to drought conditions, having implications for agriculture, forestry, and wild habitats. Despite the close association between soil fungi and plants, our understanding of how fungal communities respond to drought remains incomplete. To build this understanding, Dr Ari Jumpponen and his colleagues at Kansas State University used a combination of pure culture- and DNA-based techniques to study soil fungal communities exposed to chronic drought conditions.

Exploring How Soil Fungi Respond to Drought | Dr Ari Jumpponen

In a recent paper, Professor Bertrand Guillotin and Julianne Sellin of Temple University discuss the difficult decision demanded of international companies operating in Russia at the beginning of the Ukrainian invasion. They explore this using the case study of Auchan, an international grocery retailer that had invested huge amounts of resources into the Russian market and had a tough decision to make.

International Companies in the Russian Market During the Ukrainian Invasion

Studies suggest that children who rely more on vision from their left eye could be more likely to develop dyslexia if they learn to write using pathways in the right brain hemisphere. Dr David Mather, a researcher at the University of Victoria, recently published a paper reviewing these findings. He outlines a proposed approach to teaching writing skills that could prevent these children from developing dyslexia. This approach involves teaching children to write when they are 7 or 8 years old, when the human brain is better at mapping and memorising entire words.

A Promising Approach to Prevent Children from Developing Dyslexia

Osteoarthritis is a painful and progressive joint disorder that affects hundreds of millions of people worldwide. Typically, the options for treating the condition involve exercise or medication to reduce pain. However, these methods do not target the underlying structural problems in the joints of patients. Recently, researchers have uncovered a genetic susceptibility to osteoarthritis associated with a protein called GDF5, which is involved in skeletal growth and development. Alongside a team of scientists across Europe, Dr Kerstin Kleinschmidt-Doerr at Merck has explored a modified form of the GDF5 protein, named R399E, which showed effects in animal models and in-vitro experiments for treating pain and the underlying structural problems in osteoarthritis.

Could R399E Become a Promising Treatment for Restoring Joints and Relieving Pain in Osteoarthritis?

South Africa’s post-apartheid foreign policy has largely emphasised state-led continental political and economic integration. However, little attention has been paid to the influence of the country’s multinational corporations – or ‘MNCs’ – in this process. MNCs have indeed made an important contribution to increased integration across Africa, due to expansion strategies and the desire to increase market share. Dr Mpumelelo Mkhabela and Professor Christopher Changwe Nshimbi from the Centre for the Study of Governance Innovation at the University of Pretoria argue that we should do more to acknowledge this.

How Multinational Corporations Contribute to Regional Integration Across Africa

Fibromyalgia is a relatively common and yet poorly understood condition characterised by chronic diffuse pain and stiffness, chronic fatigue, poor sleep and cognitive difficulties. Ria Nishikawara at the University of British Columbia and her collaborators Dr Izabela Schultz, Dr Lee Butterfield, and John Murray, carried out a study exploring the unique healthcare experiences of patients diagnosed with fibromyalgia. Their aim was to determine what patients found most helpful and how the available services could be improved.

Exploring How to Improve Healthcare for Patients with Fibromyalgia

The United Nations’ 17 Sustainable Development Goals outline the massive challenges humanity must face to survive on Planet Earth in the 21st Century. All knowledge and experiences accumulated by human societies across time and space could be essential to address these grand challenges. Thus, we should find a way to make this knowledge readily available wherever and whenever decision-makers, heritage stakeholders, and scholars might need it. Professor Andrea Nanetti, an award-winning and internationally recognised expert in Digital Humanities, recently published an open-access paper exploring the opportunities and challenges of using artificial intelligence and machine learning algorithms to leverage human heritage and empower societies to see beyond what is thinkable.

Heritage Science: Seeing Beyond What Is Thinkable to Address 21st Century Challenges

The Scottish Highlands are known as an area of great natural beauty. One notable aspect of the area’s ecology is the relative lack of trees and woodland. In recent years, there have been concerted efforts to introduce more trees. However, Dr James Fenton argues that this fundamentally misunderstands Scotland’s environmental history, imposes southern ideas on the northern landscape, and risks undermining the unique ecology of the Highlands.

Why We Should Question Reforestation in the Scottish Highlands

Policy decisions are influenced by many factors, from the ideology of the policymaker and their advisors to political expediency. Most would also agree that key political decisions should be evidence-based. However, this is easier said than done. Understanding what evidence policymakers need, and how they should evaluate this, is key for more robust decision-making.

What Evidence Do Policymakers Need to Make Robust Decisions?

Dr. P. R. Raghavan, CEO and Chairman of Nanorx Inc., developed Metadichol, a nutritional supplement that has shown potential in treating a range of health issues. Dr. Raghavan suggests that the supplement may help to stave off illnesses such as diabetes and antibiotic-resistant infections.

The Potential Effects of a Dietary Supplement on a Range of Health Issues

During brain development, anomalies may arise which lead to serious conditions such as epilepsy, triggering seizures and requiring lifelong monitoring and medication. However, the underlying causes and the way in which these defects occur are not completely understood. Dr Katty (Jing-Qiong) Kang and colleagues at Vanderbilt University Medical Centre in the USA have conducted extensive research into the molecular mechanisms associated with developmental brain disorders, with a focus on genetic epilepsy. They propose novel therapeutic targets to effectively manage symptoms and improve clinical outcomes by targeting the root cause.

Deciphering the Molecular Origins of Brain Disorders

AI appears all-powerful when playing sophisticated games such as Chess and Go against human opponents. Moreover, recent developments in AI have allowed it to summarize bodies of complex text, generate images and even video. These developments come with warnings that AI could replace many jobs, undermine democratic elections or even pose a threat to the existence of humanity. However, AI is largely based on observing and learning patterns; so, what happens when there are no patterns? Professor Steven Brams of New York University and colleagues have analyzed the potential of beating AI when playing a deceptively simple game called Catch-Up, simply by making random moves.

A Game That Stymies AI

Since ancient Greek civilization, we have sought to identify what makes some people more effective and persuasive orators than others. Studies have suggested that this might be related to rhythmic patterns in certain speech, but evidence is limited. Dr. Ceccherini-Nelli of the University of Alberta conducted a study with his colleagues to explore this. They looked at the patterns present in political speeches and conducted experiments to determine their effects.

What Makes Great Orators’ Speeches Effective and Persuasive?

Dr. Christopher Buck, a virologist at the US National Cancer Institute in Bethesda, Maryland, has been working to spread the word about a growing body of scientific literature suggesting that mint and related herbs can help fight Covid infections. In his recent review article, “The Mint Versus Covid Hypothesis,” he makes a case for the idea that decentralized clinical trials could be used to more thoroughly explore this exciting idea.

Mint: A Fresh Perspective in the Fight Against Covid

In 18th century Britain, the old tradition of deep bowing and curtseying as a form of greeting slowly evolved into a brief touch of the cap or head (for men), or quick bob of the body (for women). Simultaneously, a new form of urban greeting was emerging: the handshake. How and why did the handshake gain such popularity, becoming our most standard greeting today? This phenomenon is explored in a new essay published in the journal Urban History and authored by Professor Penelope Corfield of London University.

Key Changes in Daily Greetings in 18th Century Britain

Our world is facing new and frightening challenges, and political polarization has never been greater. Many see reasoned, respectful discourse as our only path to survival and progress, but attaining the skills and values it requires is not straightforward. Professor Deanna Kuhn of Columbia University has developed a discourse-based curriculum to help the next generation develop the values and the social and critical thinking skills they will need if they are to use tools of discourse to address the complex problems and challenges that await them.

How Can We Equip Teens With Skills and Values of Reasoned, Respectful Discourse?

Brazil, Russia, India and China, often known as the BRICs, have seen explosive growth in the past two decades and have asserted themselves as drivers of globalisation. Many scholars have researched the effects of this growth and development, and how these factors have affected domestic labour conditions. But are they asking the right questions? For instance, if developing countries invest in developed economies, will this lead to improved working conditions in the investing developing nation? Dr Patrick Wagner of the University of Konstanz, Germany, and Professor Damian Raess of the Catholic University of Lille, France, have conducted a study investigating whether Brazilian direct investment in Europe leads to improved working conditions back in Brazil.

Globalisation: A Race to the Bottom or an Opportunity to Improve Labour Standards?

With a history as rich as its flavour, chocolate in its various forms has been loved by people for over 5000 years. Currently, however, chocolate is facing a serious threat. The improper disposal of cocoa waste products is spreading devastating diseases through cocoa crops across the world. To address this serious problem, Dr Piergiorgio Gentile from Newcastle University and Dr Joel Girón-Hernández from Northumbria University with their collaborators have been exploring new uses for cocoa waste products, to increase sustainability and prevent the spread of crop diseases.

Utilising Cocoa Pod Waste to Improve the Sustainability of Chocolate

The development of safe and effective medicines that meet strict regulatory requirements has traditionally involved extensive experimentation, which can be laborious and costly. Incorporating digital processes, which can be used to produce individual pharmaceutical components, may provide a solution to manufacturing challenges by reducing development time, resource requirements, and costs. The Future Continuous Manufacturing and Advanced Crystallisation Hub, a flagship project at CMAC, at the University of Strathclyde, along with collaborators throughout the UK, has investigated the feasibility of using digital models to reduce costs, time and waste for high quality pharmaceutical production.

Optimising Pharmaceutical Production Using Digital Models

In recent years, rapid advancements in techniques for genetic analysis and manipulation have enhanced our potential to understand and improve crop diversity. An innovative project led by Dr. Pasquale Tripodi of the Italian Council for Agricultural Research and Economics and Dr Sandra Goritschnig of the European Cooperative Programme for Plant Genetic Resources marks a significant advance in the study of lettuce genetics. Their recently published research platforms a highly sophisticated technique to analyse genetic diversity within lettuces called Single Primer Enrichment Technology, or SPET for short. This approach provides a highly detailed view of lettuce genetics and also has significant implications for agricultural resilience and crop selection and breeding.

The Science of Greens: Using Genetic Insights to Cultivate Better, Stronger Lettuce

Attempting suicide by ingesting pesticides is a major public health problem in rural Asia. In Sri Lanka, pesticide self-poisoning is the most common method used in suicide attempts in many rural areas. Globally, it accounts for as many as one in every five of the world’s suicides. Many people have recommended ‘safer storage and use’ as the answer to the problem. A group of Sri Lankan and international researchers took on the challenge to test, on a large scale, whether improving pesticide storage in households would actually reduce the frequency of self-poisoning with pesticides. Remarkably, they found no benefit from this approach at all. These findings have important implications for global policies aiming to reduce the incidence of suicide and self-harm.

Does ‘Safer Storage’ Reduce Agricultural Pesticide Self - Poisoning In Rural Asia

In today’s corporate America, rapid growth and success often comes tied to some form of controversy. Perhaps one of the best examples of this is the restaurant chain Chick-fil-A. Driven by the huge popularity of its chicken sandwiches, Chick-fil-A had propelled itself to 10 billion dollars in annual sales by 2019. However, public backlash in response to donations made on behalf of the company to groups with anti-LGBTQ views has recently slowed the momentum down, raising questions about the viability of the company’s aggressive international expansion strategy. In a recent case study, Dr Bertrand Guillotin explores both the positive and negative aspects of Chick-fil-A, its rise to become a global market leader and the stumbling blocks it has encountered, which have often been self-induced.

Chick - Fil - A Successes, Failures And International Expansion Challenges Amid LGBTQ Protests

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