By Emily Godwin, Senior Research Associate in Digital Marketing and Virtual Environments, University of Bristol, and PhD Candidate in Conspiracy Theories, University of Bath
“I am become meme,” declared Elon Musk at the 2025 Conservative Political Action Conference, just after hoisting a chainsaw – a gift from Argentina’s president, Javier Milei – above his head. The tech billionaire and head of President Donald Trump’s Department of Government Efficiency (Doge) was correct. Within hours, images of the moment had spread across social media, spawning countless edits, humorous remixes and sharp commentary.
This moment was more than just a spectacle. It exemplified…
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By Samuel McKee, Associate Tutor and PhD Candidate in Philosophy of Science, Manchester Metropolitan University
A field known as synthetic biology has become one of the most highly anticipated in science. Its outputs range from golden rice, which is genetically engineered to provide vitamin A, to advances stemming from the Human Genome Project, which successfully mapped the entire human genome. Prominent voices in biotechnology have heralded it as the next wave of the future of innovation.
Synthetic biology is the use of genetic engineering and other advances in biotechnology to…
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By Kevin Riehle, Lecturer in Intelligence and Security Studies, Brunel University of London
Aleksandr Dugin, sometimes referred to as “Putin’s brain” because of his ideological influence on Russian politics, endorsed the policies of Donald Trump in a CNN interview aired on March 30. Dugin said Trump’s America has a lot more in common with Putin’s Russia than most people think, adding: “Trumpists and the followers…
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By Caitjan Gainty, Senior Lecturer in the History of Science, Technology and Medicine, King's College London
In his new book, No More Normal, psychiatrist Alastair Santhouse recalls an experience from the 1980s when he was a university student in the UK helping deliver supplies to “refuseniks” – Soviet citizens who were denied permission to leave the USSR. These people often faced harsh treatment, losing their jobs and becoming targets of harassment. Some were even diagnosed with a psychiatric condition called “sluggish schizophrenia”.
By the time Santhouse encountered this diagnostic category, sluggish schizophrenia…
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By Katrien Devolder, Director of Public Philosophy, Professor of Applied Ethics, University of Oxford
If you’re a young person today, you’ve probably felt the sting of being called lazy, or caught yourself wondering if you are. Do you sometimes feel guilty when not being productive, or find yourself pretending to be busy?
You’re not alone. Self-doubt about productivity is very common and no wonder: we’re immersed in a culture that expects constant achievement. The perception of Gen Z (and Millennials) being “lazy” or “entitled” persists, making it easy to internalise…
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By Oluwole Ojewale, Research Fellow, Obafemi Awolowo University, Regional Coordinator, Institute for Security Studies
Elite competition for dominance over illegal mining locations leads to funding of armed bandits, and the use of violence against civilians in north-west Nigeria.
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By Kristina Pikovskaia, Leverhulme Early Career Research Fellow, University of Edinburgh
Economic crises since the 1990s led to a sharp rise in Zimbabwe’s informal economy, hence some call the country a nation of vendors.
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By Teboho Mofokeng, Lecturer in Civil Engineering, University of Cape Town
A new Water Research Commission study has found that Cape Town residents may be willing to shift to flushing their toilets with seawater.
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By Gaston Adoyo, Lecturer and researcher, Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology
Coconut trees are iconic plants found across the world’s tropical regions. They’re called “nature’s supermarket” or the “tree of life” in several cultures because every part of the coconut tree is used. Its leaves can be used to thatch homes, its heart can be eaten and its roots have medicinal uses.
The refreshing liquid found within a young green coconut is a highly prized component of the coconut palm. Coconuts are unique in the world of fruits because they have a large internal cavity filled with water. Other fruits typically store water within individual cells or pulp.
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By Martina Calçada Kohatsu, PhD Candidate in Educational Psychology, McGill University
Dialogue can offer a way out of the polarization created between parents and their children by the internet and long online hours.
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