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Editor's note
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A dam is in essence a pile of earth and rock sturdy enough to hold back the force of the water behind it. Even today, most dams worldwide are earth banks covered in concrete for protection. Concrete is incredibly strong, but even small cracks in a dam’s spillway can quickly threaten the structure’s integrity when blasted by water flowing at up to 70mph.
It is something the evacuated residents of Whaley Bridge in Derbyshire will be fully aware of as they closely watch emergency efforts to prevent a full collapse of the Toddbrook Reservoir dam above their small town. Torrential rain in the area saw half a month’s rain fall in one day, with volumes of water that severely tested the spillways designed to channel off excessive water, and a scramble to quickly lower the water level and decrease the pressure. Mohammad Heidarzadeh explains the engineering of these dams and the maintenance necessary to prevent dam failure.
In Britain’s coastal erosion hotspot on the Norfolk coast a bigger beach is proposed as a solution, but could it just be postponing the inevitable? And in the US, a look at what the First Amendment really means to free speech amid claims that President Donald Trump threatens this key constitutional right.
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Michael Parker
Membership Editor
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Top stories
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Danny Lawson/PA
Mohammad Heidarzadeh, Brunel University London
The damage to the dam holding back a reservoir just a mile from the nearest town downriver should focus minds on ensuring civil infrastructure is maintained.
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Bacton beach defences.
Hugh Venables/Geograph
Sally Brown, University of Southampton
Dumping millions of cubic metres of sand on the beach stops people from dealing with the reality of coastal erosion.
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Protestors make their voices heard in New York City following Donald Trump’s 2016 election.
Shutterstock
Eliza Bechtold, Durham University
In Trump's America, there is a fundamental misunderstanding of the nature and scope of the First Amendment.
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Environment + Energy
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Jayalaxshmi Mistry, Royal Holloway
Indigenous peoples safeguard biodiversity better than any other group. But in 2018, 164 were killed defending the environment. It's time for us to heed their knowledge, and protect their future.
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Sophus zu Ermgassen, University of Kent; Joseph William Bull, University of Kent
'Biodiversity offsetting' is a globally-significant conservation practice, but new research reveals offsets have mixed results.
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Christine Corlet Walker, University of Surrey
Economic growth created the climate crisis and continues to fuel it – 'green' growth is no solution.
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Politics + Society
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Lacey Wallace, Pennsylvania State University
More than 40 percent of U.S. adults have a gun in their household, making it hard to get guns off the streets – even if new gun restrictions are passed.
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Paula Keaveney, Edge Hill University
With the two big parties in turmoil, some politicians are striking out alone.
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Health + Medicine
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Jean Strelitz, University of Cambridge
Drinking one less pint of beer a week could cut the risk of cardiovascular disease by almost half.
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Featured events
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Rewley House, 1 Wellington Square, Oxford, Oxfordshire, OX1 2JA, United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland — University of Oxford
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Institute of Mental Health, University of Nottingham Innovation Park, , Nottingham, Nottingham, NG7 2TU, United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland — University of Nottingham
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34 Broad Street, Oxford, Oxfordshire, OX1 3BD, United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland — University of Oxford
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