Editor's note

France was rocked by scenes of violence on the weekend as thousands of protestors wearing yellow vests once again took to the streets as part of ongoing “gilets jaunes” protests. In an article translated from The Conversation France, Claude Poissenot looks at the very personal feelings of anger that are driving the protests.

One of the main obstacles to a mission to Mars is the health impact on astronauts. During such a mission, crew members could lose up to 40% of their muscle mass, corresponding to a reduction in strength that comes from ageing from 40 to 80 years on Earth. Now a team of scientists have set out to study the molecular basis of muscle loss during spaceflight – by sending worms to the International Space Station. Christopher Gaffney and Bethan Phillips explain.

Reggae grew up in the backstreets and dance halls of Jamaica and rose to conquer the world. But, as Christopher Partridge notes, it’s not for music alone that UNESCO has added it to its list of important cultural artefacts. From its early days, reggae has had a religious and political significance as the music of the oppressed, a status that hit a high point in 1978 when Bob Marley brought Jamaica’s warring political leaders together on stage to hold hands in an act of reconciliation.

Three years on from the landmark Paris Agreement on climate change, the world is meeting for the 24th annual Conference of the Parties in Poland. Negotiators hope to agree on a set of rules for how greenhouse gas emissions will be regulated, but experts warn we may need more radical change to avert catastrophe – here’s a breakdown of all you need to know. And if you sent feedback to our special COP24 newsletter yesterday, there was an error with the reply email address, apologies. We’d still love to hear from you so please reply to this email instead.

Gemma Ware

Society Editor

Top stories

AFP

Why France’s ‘gilets jaunes’ protesters are so angry

Claude Poissenot, Université de Lorraine

The violence of the protests that have gripped France, known as the gilets jaunes, is rooted in personal passion and anger.

Falcon 9 launch in 2014. U.S. Air Force photo/Senior Airman Natasha Dowridge

Worms in space: why we are launching them

Christopher Gaffney, Lancaster University; Bethan Phillips, University of Nottingham

New experiment on the International Space Station could help us tackle muscle loss in astronauts.

Paul Weinberg

Why UNESCO was right to add reggae to its cultural heritage list

Christopher Partridge, Lancaster University

More than just a musical accolade, UNESCO has recognised the social and political importance of Jamaican music.

NicoElNino / shutterstock

COP24: 12 years from disaster – editors’ guide to what our academic experts say is needed to fight climate change

Khalil A. Cassimally, The Conversation; Jack Marley, The Conversation

We may only have 12 years to stop climate change and the landmark Paris Agreement of 2015 seems more in doubt than ever. What can we hope to come out of COP24?

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