Even the most scary, ugly or insignificant animals have their fans in academia. Over the past few years The Conversation has asked researchers to make the case for these unloved species, and we’ve run articles in defence of everything from moths or grey squirrels to wasps and even midges.

Now it is the turn of the wolf. Though more than three centuries have passed since the UK’s last wolf was killed, their baddie status has been maintained through a variety of cultural myths and tropes (we all know the story of the Big Bad Wolf, for instance). But this is very unfair, says Elizabeth Marshall.

Even in those parts of Europe where rewilding has been most successful, wolves still shy away from humans, meaning people rarely even spot them let alone get attacked by them. As some landowners hope to reintroduce wolves in the Scottish Highlands, Marshall urges us to look at humans from the wolf’s point of view.

Meanwhile, are you being watched? These days, how would you even know? Now that surveillance technology is moving far beyond the classic CCTV camera, it’s time for an urgent public conversation.

We’ve also looked at macho meat, female providers, and how food advertising perpetuates harmful gender stereotypes.

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