Tanzanian TB patients have a lower quality of life than people who haven’t had the disease

Olena Ivanova, Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich; Andrea Rachow, Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich; Denise Evans, University of the Witwatersrand, and Tembeka Sineke, University of the Witwatersrand Numerous researchers have documented the quality of life and mental health of specific population groups. Examples include people living with HIV, the elderly, students, men who have sexContinue reading “Tanzanian TB patients have a lower quality of life than people who haven’t had the disease”

Women have always trailed men in research output: how COVID made the situation worse

Cyrill Walters, Stellenbosch University; Armand Bam, Stellenbosch University, and Patrizio Piraino, University of Notre Dame The under-representation of women in research is well documented. Emerging evidence suggests that the COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated this inequality and disrupted the research enterprise globally. But none of these studies, mainly from the global north, provide detailed explanations forContinue reading “Women have always trailed men in research output: how COVID made the situation worse”

Mobile phones can enable learning during school disruptions. Here’s how

Noam Angrist, University of Oxford The COVID-19 pandemic placed enormous pressure on education systems worldwide. At the peak of the crisis, school closures forced over 1.6 billion learners out of classrooms. This exacerbated a learning crisis that existed before the pandemic, with many children in school but learning very little. Widespread school closures are notContinue reading “Mobile phones can enable learning during school disruptions. Here’s how”

Drug misuse and suicidal behaviour more common on the anniversary of a parent’s death – new research

Scott Montgomery, UCL Losing a parent during adolescence and young adulthood can be particularly damaging to mental health and wellbeing. Our latest research has now shown that young people who lost a parent were more likely to be admitted to hospital for treatment for substance misuse use problems or suicidal behaviour around the anniversary ofContinue reading “Drug misuse and suicidal behaviour more common on the anniversary of a parent’s death – new research”

Face masks affect how children understand speech differently from adults – new research

Julia Schwarz, University of Cambridge While mask-wearing is no longer required in many locations, it remains in use as a way to limit the spread of COVID-19. One of the criticisms of masks has been that they make communication more difficult. A recent report by the UK Department for Education, for example, suggests that maskContinue reading “Face masks affect how children understand speech differently from adults – new research”

Monkeypox: World Health Organization declares it a global health emergency – here’s what that means

Paul Hunter, University of East Anglia The World Health Organisation (WHO) has declared the current monkeypox epidemic a global health emergency. The committee of independent advisers who met on Thursday July 21 2022, were split on their decision on whether to call the growing monkeypox outbreak a public health emergency of international concern (PHEIC) –Continue reading “Monkeypox: World Health Organization declares it a global health emergency – here’s what that means”

All Creatures Great and Small at 50: why these stories about a country vet still charm today

Helen Young, Deakin University When Mum was pregnant with me, Dad bought her a paperback copy of James Herriot’s All Creatures Great and Small because it was an easy, pleasant read. I read my mother’s Pan paperback copy, with its cover image of sheep, farmers, and the vet’s vintage car, when I was growing up.Continue reading “All Creatures Great and Small at 50: why these stories about a country vet still charm today”

Raising the age of criminal responsibility is only a first step. First Nations kids need cultural solutions

Lorelle Holland, The University of Queensland and Maree Toombs, The University of Queensland In some Australian states, children can legally be detained from the age of ten years old. This has led to over-policing and over-incarceration of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children. First Nations children represent 50% of youth incarcerated during 2021. Incarcerating childrenContinue reading “Raising the age of criminal responsibility is only a first step. First Nations kids need cultural solutions”