Catalonia’s independence referendum this weekend carries no political legitimacy or legal force, but the political fallout is proving to be immense. The Spanish government not only condemned it, but sent in police to dismantle polling stations, prevent people from voting, and break up protests with force. Andrew Dowling explains that while the independence movement is clearly getting nowhere, Madrid’s intense crackdown will damage Spain’s international image and further poison relations at home.
From enormous birds to giant kangaroos and sloths the size of houses, megafauna - terrestrial plant-eating mammals weighing more than 100kg - used to be fairly common on the Earth. Most of the world’s existing megafauna are threatened with extinction but, write Erick Lundgren, Arian Wallach, Daniel Ramp and William Ripple, the picture’s not all gloom and doom.
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EPA/Quique Garcia
Andrew Dowling, Cardiff University
The referendum that wasn't a referendum can't have a winner.
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Environment + Energy
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Erick Lundgren, University of Technology Sydney; Arian Wallach, University of Technology Sydney; Daniel Ramp, University of Technology Sydney; William Ripple, Oregon State University
Much of the Earth's megafauna are now found outside their native ranges. Thanks to introduced populations, megafauna richness on each continent is higher today than during the past ~10,000 years.
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Paul Burke, Australian National University
Traffic continues to increase, but more slowly than would have been the case if the reforms had not gone ahead.
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Politics + Society
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Peter Atkins, Durham University
The distinction between food insecurity and famine is artificial and unhelpful. Hungry people are suffering however their situation falls below the radar.
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Hyun-Joo Lim, Bournemouth University
Tens of thousands of North Koreans live in China. Their lives are often no better than they were at home.
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Health + Medicine
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Anne Kearney, Memorial University of Newfoundland
October is breast cancer awareness month. Women should know there is no reliable evidence that routine mammograms reduce death from breast cancer, and there's good evidence that they cause harm.
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