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Editor's note
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Nearly three decades after it was thought to be lost to the world, the silver-backed chevrotain – a fanged deer the size of a rabbit – has reappeared in Vietnam. The sightings of this “mouse deer” may sound like good news for conservationists – Vietnam’s densely forested hills and unique mountain refuges should provide the perfect cover for a treasure trove of wildlife to flourish in secret. But almost as fast as species are newly identified
or rediscovered they are labeled as critically endangered.
Take the saola. Discovered in 1992 – it’s the largest land-dwelling animal identified anywhere since 1937 and its genetic make-up remains a mystery to this day. Like so many species, the saola is under threat from hunter. According to David Roberts, an expert in new and extinct species, thousands of snare traps pepper a national reserve set aside for the species and the last verified sighting was a photograph taken in 2013. As Roberts explains, hunting and habitat destruction is simultaneously revealing Vietnam’s rare animals and plants and bringing them to the brink of extinction. Their future hangs in the balance.
Meanwhile, it turns out that the universe may actually be curved, not flat – and it could force scientists to rethink everything they know about the cosmos. And if you were planning on feasting on your favourite fermented foods anytime soon, read this first. That kombucha might be causing you some serious health issues.
And today we’re launching our reader survey. We want to know what you think about The Conversation and what we could be doing better. Please take a short time to answer some questions and your views can help shape our content.
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Jordan Raine
Commissioning Editor
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Top stories
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Until its rediscovery, the silver-backed chevrotain was among Global Wildlife Conservation’s 25 “most wanted lost” species.
SIE/GWC/Leibniz-IZW/NCNP
David Roberts, University of Kent
This diminutive deer isn't the only fantastical life form discovered in Vietnam. But hunting and habitat destruction threaten many with extinction.
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Dark matter and gas in the universe. There may be more dark matter than we think.
Illustris
Eleonora Di Valentino, University of Manchester
A study has suggested that the universe is curved like a sphere rather than flat, which may unleash a major crisis in cosmology.
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Fermented foods such as yogurt, kimchi, and sauerkraut, are all popular sources of probiotics.
Nina Firsova/ Shutterstock
Manal Mohammed, University of Westminster
While the probiotics found in fermented foods might have health benefits for most, these foods could cause serious harm to the health of others.
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Politics + Society
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Zacharias Maniadis, University of Southampton
Study shows voters struggle to take media bias into account – even when they are explicitely told it's there.
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Richard Thomas, Swansea University; Declan McDowell-Naylor, Cardiff University
A new genre of political media is influencing people that mainstream commentators seem unable to reach.
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Paul Baines, University of Leicester
It's a slippery slope from satire to dangerous deepfakes.
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The game is a major part of John Major's political legacy.
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Aidan McGarry, Loughborough University
From Chile to Lebanon and Iraq to Hong Kong, the same masks have become a common language to register dissent.
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Today's three-day weather forecast is as accurate as a 24-hour forecast in the 1990s. But floods are still particularly tricky to pin down.
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Arts + Culture
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Science + Technology
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Simple policies, such as the free bus pass for older adults, not only reduce loneliness but also help older people maintain cognitive function.
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