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The ability of private technology companies to silence a sitting US president has left many feeling uncomfortable this week, even as he was impeached for a second time. But, momentous as it may feel, Trump’s permanent removal from Twitter barely strikes the top of a growing iceberg of online disinformation.
New research shows industrial-scale online disinformation campaigns are rampant across over 80 countries. Modelled on Cambridge Analytica, new disinformation companies field “cyber troops” to confuse, manipulate, and enrage citizens on social media. Let loose on the world, the same forces some argue inched Trump over the line in 2016 have, following the riot at the Capitol building, led to his expulsion from social media in 2021.
It’s enough to make you want to curl up with a furry friend, far away from your Facebook feed. Those in the market for a puppy would do well to avoid some of the online scams set up by opportunistic criminals looking to capitalise on the lockdown craze for new pets. Meanwhile, fans of the Game of Thrones franchise will be delighted to learn that the mythical dire wolf did indeed exist — though an unfortunate quirk of evolution led to the species’ demise.
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Alex King
Commissioning Editor, Science + Technology
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ozrimoz/Shutterstock
Hannah Bailey, University of Oxford
Social media censorship in the US fails to tackle the rising trend of ‘disinformation-for-hire’ cyber troops.
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Buying puppies online can be a dangerous activity.
Anna Hoychuk/Shutterstock
Jack Mark Whittaker, University of Surrey
There are thousands of fraudulent websites waiting to scam potential pet owners.
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North America during the late Pleistocene: a pack of dire wolves (red hair) are feeding bison while a pair of grey wolves approach in the hopes of scavenging.
Mauricio Antón
Kieren Mitchell; Alice Mouton, Université de Liège; Angela Perri, Durham University; Laurent Frantz, Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich
Our research shows dire wolves lived in the tropics not the Arctic, and were not especially close relatives of the grey wolf.
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Politics + Society
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Henry Giroux, McMaster University
Donald Trump has become the first U.S. president to be impeached twice. But the ignorance and lawlessness of Trumpism will have a dangerous afterlife even after Trump has left Washington.
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John Garrick, Charles Darwin University; Yan Bennett, Princeton University
The stakes are high for China as WHO teams arrive to investigate the origins of the coronavirus. Beijing has presented a success story to the world — and will not accept any criticism.
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Ellis Mallett, University of Surrey
America's hardline policy towards Iran has failed. The incoming US president has an opportunity to change course.
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Jeevun Sandher, King's College London
Spending decisions can often be explained by look at who voted for the party in government.
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Arts + Culture
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John Ellis, Royal Holloway
Instead of feeling ashamed about our guilty pleasures, it is time to understand how they really work
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Vanessa Jackson, Birmingham City University
Bright, kinetic and celebrity-studded, the BBC's schools output has got the tone right for teaching a generation of screen-addicted youth.
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John Scholar, University of Reading
Get past the first 100 pages and you'll see that Joyce's style of writing mostly goes against what philosophers understand of the stream of consciousness.
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Health + Medicine
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Tonia Thomas, University of Oxford; Rachel Colin-Jones, University of Oxford
What normally takes decades has been achieved in 12 months, without cutting corners.
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Ann Hemingway, Bournemouth University
Nurses are not heroes – they are technically expert professional carers with unique skills. And they are struggling.
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Environment + Energy
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Zongbo Shi, University of Birmingham; William Bloss, University of Birmingham
Exaggerating how much lockdown improved air quality could allow us to underestimate the scale of the air pollution problem.
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Jon Major, University of Liverpool
Chemicals found in food and solar cell technology have an interesting history – as my own research shows.
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Science + Technology
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Andreea Font, Liverpool John Moores University
Calculations show that wormholes should create a spectacular display of gamma rays that we could try to observe.
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Business + Economy
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Agelos Delis, Aston University; Christos Ioannidis, Aston University
British shoppers won't have seen any difference to the value of their pounds yet, but everything from baked beans to bargain holidays could be affected down the line.
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Featured events
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Cardiff University, CUBRIC, Maindy Road, Cathays, Cardiff, CF24 4HQ, Cardiff, CF14 0UP, United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland — Cardiff University
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Online Oxford Martin School Event, N/A, Oxfordshire, N/A, United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland — University of Oxford
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Online, Birmingham, Warwickshire, B15 2TT, United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland — University of Birmingham
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Online Oxford Martin School Event, N/A, Oxfordshire, N/A, United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland — University of Oxford
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