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Editor's note
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Modern livestock and crop species have been bred to be bigger, juicier and uniform in order to feed growing populations. It means meat, vegetables and fruit are increasingly being matched with genetically similar partners, leaving a homogeneous gene pool that is a poor defence against disease and environmental change. Philip McGowan, Friederike Bolam and Louise Mair explain why protecting biodiversity is imperative to our food security.
The UK wasn’t meant to be taking part in the forthcoming European elections and any candidate who wins a place in the European parliament will have to stand down if and when Britain leaves the EU. Despite this, the elections are being considered a litmus test of the public mood. While Anand Menon and Alan Wager suggest how a vote might predict the outcome of a potential second Brexit referendum, Matthew Cole lays out the tough choice ahead
for voters and says the result may say more about the failures of the British party system than about the will of
the people.
Changing your diet and losing a lot of weight can reverse type 2 diabetes. But shedding pounds isn’t easy and many people struggle to keep the weight off. Now Jean Strelitz has found that there are potential benefits to losing even a moderate amount of weight in those who are newly diagnosed, including lowering the risk of heart attacks and strokes.
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Jack Marley
Commissioning Editor
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Top stories
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Edwards’s pheasants (Lophura edwardsi) are a wild relative of domesticated chickens.
Wildlife Reserves Singapore
Philip McGowan, Newcastle University; Friederike Bolam, Newcastle University; Louise Mair, Newcastle University
Biodiversity is in crisis. Nowhere is this more serious than among the wild species which our livestock and crops descend from.
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EPA/Neil Hall
Anand Menon, King's College London; Alan Wager, King's College London
Turnout on May 23 could prove revealing when it comes to public opinion about Brexit.
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Isabel Infantes/PA
Matthew Cole, University of Birmingham
There are more parties than ever running for the European parliament in the UK – but that isn't necessarily a good thing.
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Anton Mukhin/Shutterstock
Jean Strelitz, University of Cambridge
Losing just 5% of weight in people newly diagnosed with diabetes can reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease.
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Environment + Energy
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Cameron Brick, University of Cambridge
It's natural to feel powerless against climate breakdown. But transforming pain into action can be infectious, and might just tip the balance towards a healthy climate.
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Judith Thornton, Aberystwyth University; Iain Donnison, Aberystwyth University
To hit emissions targets, Wales will need to drastically reassess how 90% of its landscape is used.
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Simon Willcock, Bangor University; Adham Ashton-Butt, University of Hull
The impact of deforestation for oil palm plantations is well known – and now research has found the replanting process could be additional harm to biodiversity.
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Business + Economy
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Sascha-Dominik Dov Bachmann, Bournemouth University; Anthony Paphiti, Bournemouth University
Countries may be forced to choose whether they side with the US or China when it comes to Huawei.
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Mehdi Boussebaa, University of Glasgow
The notion of 'Empire 2.0' embraced by Brexiteers is backward-facing nonsense.
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Health + Medicine
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Edward Duncan, University of Stirling; Isabelle Uny, University of Stirling
UN is seeking to halve global road deaths and injuries by 2020, but many poorer countries are moving in the wrong direction.
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José Manuel Aburto, University of Southern Denmark; Jenny Garcia, Institut National d'Études Démographiques (INED)
At the beginning of the 1980s, homicides were relatively rare in Venezuela. Now, it's one of the most dangerous countries in Latin America.
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Science + Technology
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Adam Stanton, Keele University
A human knows that four cats, four apples and the symbol 4 all have one thing in common – the abstract concept of 'four'. Now robots are catching up.
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Education
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Steven Greer, University of Bristol
History is complex and multi-dimensional. Any response to what happened in the past should reflect this.
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Arts + Culture
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Leah Clark, The Open University
A new look at Renaissance paintings demonstrates the world has always been global.
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Featured events
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Victoria Gallery & Museum, Ashton Street, Liverpool, Liverpool, L69 3DR, United Kingdom — University of Liverpool
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Bowland Auditorium, Berrick Saul Building, Campus West, York, York, YO10 5DD, United Kingdom — University of York
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Museum of English Rural Life, Redlands Road,, Reading, Reading, RG1 5EX, United Kingdom — University of Reading
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North Quad, Egham, Surrey, TW20 0EX, United Kingdom — Royal Holloway
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