insert_link Africa Sudan’s civilians urgently need protection: the options for international peacekeeping By Jenna Russo, City University of New York In September 2024, the United Nations’ independent fact-finding mission to Sudan issued its first report. Citing grave human rights violations amounting to war crimes and crimes against humanity, the report called for the immediate deployment of an independent and impartial force to protect civilians. Nearly 18 months after the outbreak of fighting, the humanitarian situation in Sudan has become […] todaySeptember 18, 2024 6
insert_link Health / Medical How the health of your lungs is linked to the bacteria in your gut Children with asthma may have lower levels of beneficial bacteria in their gut. Studio Nut/ Shutterstock By Samuel J. White, York St John University and Philippe B. Wilson, York St John University The trillions of bacteria living in our gut have an extraordinary effect on our health. They’re in charge of digestion, breaking down the foods we eat and extracting their vitamins and minerals. A healthy, balanced microbiome […] todaySeptember 18, 2024 32
insert_link World Harris gains in post-debate US national polls, but will her gains be sustained? By Adrian Beaumont, The University of Melbourne The United States presidential election will be held on November 5. In analyst Nate Silver’s aggregate of national polls, Democrat Kamala Harris leads Republican Donald Trump by 48.9–46.0. In my previous US politics article on September 9, Harris led Trump by 48.7–46.2. Joe Biden’s final position before his withdrawal as Democratic candidate on July 21 was a national poll deficit […] todaySeptember 18, 2024 7
insert_link Lifestyle What is love? A philosopher explains it’s not a choice or a feeling − it’s a practice How we understand love shapes the trajectory of our relationships. MicroStockHub/iStock via Getty Images Plus Edith Gwendolyn Nally, University of Missouri-Kansas City Curious Kids is a series for children of all ages. If you have a question you’d like an expert to answer, send it to curiouskidsus@theconversation.com. How do you define love? Is it a choice or a feeling? – Izzy, age 11, Golden, Colorado Love is confusing. People in […] todaySeptember 18, 2024 20
insert_link Africa Kenya’s femicide cases need national action: declare a crisis now – scholar By Awino Okech, SOAS, University of London Ugandan athlete and Olympian Rebecca Cheptegei died in September 2024 after being set alight by a man she knew in Eldoret, Kenya. Cheptegei’s murder was reported to have been about a conflict over land ownership. Her attacker, Dickson Ndiema, has since died from injuries sustained in the attack. Cheptegei is not the first woman athlete to be murdered in Kenya. […] todaySeptember 18, 2024 13
insert_link Health / Medical Romantic breakups can spark severe trauma in young people – new study By Alberta SJ van der Watt, Stellenbosch University What should I study? What do I want to be? How will I pay for my education? Who do I want to spend the rest of my life with? These are the life-changing decisions many young people face. Emerging adulthood (between the ages of 18 and 25 years) is a critical stage in the life course, especially […] todaySeptember 18, 2024 18
insert_link Lifestyle How to avoid being hacked: start by upping your password game – ‘12345’ doesn’t cut it Strong passwords can make a huge difference to your cyber security. Boris Zhitkov By Thembekile Olivia Mayayise, University of the Witwatersrand If you type the term “password cyberattack” into Google News, the results will show just how often cyber criminals are getting hold of important data belonging to companies and individuals. Weak passwords are a big part of the problem. For instance, in 2023 technology security firm Nordpass […] todaySeptember 18, 2024 45
insert_link 2 Health / Medical It’s almost impossible to keep teens off their phones in bed – but new research shows it really does affect their sleep By Rachael Taylor, University of Otago Parents of children and teenagers have long been warned about the dangers of screen time and digital devices before bed – the worry being that screens could harm the sleep patterns of young people. But do screens really hurt the length and quality of sleep? Our new research found that using screens in bed was worse for sleep than using […] todaySeptember 18, 2024 20 2
insert_link Lifestyle Catching online scammers: our model combines data and behavioural science to map the psychological games cybercriminals play Modern cybersecurity teams and users must stay vigilant and proactive to outmanoeuvre cybercriminals. treety By Rennie Naidoo, University of the Witwatersrand When fiction’s most famous detective, Sherlock Holmes, needed to solve a crime, he turned to his sharp observational skills and deep understanding of human nature. He used this combination more than once when facing off against his arch-nemesis, Dr James Moriarty, a villain adept at exploiting human […] todaySeptember 18, 2024 39