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Editor's note
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How important is your dog? Is it a key, much-loved member of your family – or just another inanimate household object, much like a vase, badminton racket or bicycle? Yes, I thought so. Pets aren’t “things”, they’re one of us – and dog theft can have a devastating impact on both pet and owner.
Unfortunately, the law doesn’t really see it that way. Worrying new figures show that dog theft is on the rise, while charges relating to the offence are falling. This is partly because under the Theft Act 1968, animal companions are legally regarded as inanimate objects when stolen – their sentience and role within the family are not taken into consideration. And this makes stealing them a low-risk, high-reward crime.
Based on Freedom of Information statistics from 39 police forces in England and Wales, Daniel Allen’s research highlights a growing problem – and reveals why the law must now change, fast.
We also examine how most genetic studies only use white participants, leading to greater health inequality, and get inside this year’s Booker Prize, which went to two novels – Margaret Atwood’s The Testaments and Bernadine Evaristo’s Girl, Woman, Other – for the first time since 1992.
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Matt Warren
Deputy Editor
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Top story
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An easy target under current laws.
Shutterstock/MIA Studio
Daniel Allen, Keele University
Pet theft can devastate families and cause animals significant distress – the law needs to change.
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EPA-EFE/Andy Rain
Clare Hutton, Loughborough University
Two brilliant novels, two deserving writers. Sometimes you need to have two prizes.
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Genetic studies need to be more diverse.
Rawpixel/Shutterstock
Karoline Kuchenbaecker, UCL; Evangelos Vassos, King's College London; Roseann Peterson, Virginia Commonwealth University
Genome-wide association studies are more like genome white association studies.
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Environment + Energy
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Lucien Georgeson, UCL; Mark Maslin, UCL
The US President pledged ambitious growth in the fossil fuel industry on his 2016 campaign trail – but new data shows that the green economy was already growing almost three times as fast.
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Richard Mason, Loughborough University; Harry Sanders, Loughborough University
Rivers are shaped by storms, floods, humans and... aquatic invertebrates.
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Health + Medicine
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Ellen W. Evans, Cardiff Metropolitan University
Despite awareness of the importance of hand washing, most people often fail to do it properly.
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Peter Clough, University of Huddersfield
The benefits of being 'mentally tough' are many. Why let just those who are lucky to be naturally resilient benefit, when it can be taught to everyone?
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Politics + Society
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Pippa Catterall, University of Westminster
A vague list of ideas for a government that doesn't really want to see this parliament run its course.
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Kerstin Carlson, University of Southern Denmark
Turkey’s invasion of northern Syria may force Western states to finally address what to do with adherents of Islamic State. Here are the options.
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Cities
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Simon Curtis, University of East Anglia
Cities represent an increasingly powerful force in global politics – but they're still constrained by the agendas of slow-acting states.
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Education
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Simone Natale, Loughborough University; Gabriele Balbi, Università della Svizzera italiana; Paolo Bory, Università della Svizzera italiana
Tech companies use product launches to position themselves as the heroes of the digital revolution.
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Kalwant Bhopal, University of Birmingham
Black and minority ethnic staff in universities are paid less than their white colleagues.
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Business + Economy
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Arnab Bhattacharjee, Heriot-Watt University; Mark Schaffer, Heriot-Watt University
Abhijit Banerjee, Esther Duflo and Michael Kremer win the Nobel Prize for Economics 'for their experimental approach to alleviating global poverty'.
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Featured events
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Bonar Hall University of Dundee, Dundee, Dundee City, DD1 4HN, United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland — The Conversation
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Bonar Hall University of Dundee, Dundee, Dundee City, DD1 4HN, United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland — The Conversation
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East Road, Cambridge, Cambridgeshire, CB11PT, United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland — Anglia Ruskin University
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Julian Study Centre Lecture Theatre, University of East Anglia, Norwich, Norfolk, NR4 7TJ, United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland — University of East Anglia
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