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The last time there was this much carbon in the atmosphere, a few million years ago, Britain had about 25% more rain than today. And the last time we had the levels we’re likely to reach this century, a few million years before that, Britain had 60% more rain.
That’s one finding from a team at Northumbria University who used fossilised pollen to reconstruct the climate of prehistoric Britain. They knew that periods with lots of carbon in the air would be hot (back then it was thanks to volcanoes, not humans). But they didn’t expect it to have been so wet.
This isn’t good news. Scientists say that these ancient warm periods may hold some clues about the future of global warming, and lots more rain would mean many more floods – something Britain could do without.
The conservation charity WWF has backtracked after trying to raise money through digital art “NFTs”. One academic asks whether an “eco-friendly NFT” is even possible? We also look at the discovery that a group of chimpanzees in Africa have been rubbing insects into open wounds. No other animal, apart from humans, has ever been seen healing the wounds of others.
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Will de Freitas
Environment + Energy Editor
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Kev Gregory
Matthew Pound, Northumbria University, Newcastle; Martha Gibson, Northumbria University, Newcastle
Spoiler: lots more floods.
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GGG999/Shutterstock
Peter Howson, Northumbria University, Newcastle
The premise of ‘eco-friendly’ non-fungible tokens is shaky at best.
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Chimpanzee female applying an insect to a wound on the face of an adult chimpanzee male
Tobias Deschner/Ozouga chimpanzee project
Alexander Piel, UCL; Fiona Stewart, Liverpool John Moores University
How Rekambo chimpanzees demonstrate a number of ground breaking behaviours never seen before in animals.
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Politics + Society
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Stefan Stern, City, University of London
In the UK, there is very little to stop a leader who doesn’t care to comply with unwritten norms.
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Pauline Maclaran, Royal Holloway University of London
Souvenirs celebrating royal events have been a staple since the 17th century.
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Cevat Giray Aksoy, King's College London
Promising findings in Serbia, Ukraine and Turkey show what can be achieved with a bit of information.
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Martin Scott, University of East Anglia; Mel Bunce, City, University of London
A group of 50 governments is meeting in Estonia to discuss ways to protect journalists. But are their voices being heard?
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James Hodgson, University of Manchester
People don’t just go on retreat to discover themselves. They also go hoping to find magical connections with others.
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Environment
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Catherine Duxbury, University of Essex; Colin Samson, University of Essex
Learning from Indigenous cultures to treat animals as more than just food sources could help us combat the climate crisis.
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Dan Taylor, The Open University
Sci-fi classic The Sheep Look Up has lessons for today on environmental change, says an expert.
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Business + Economy
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Shampa Roy-Mukherjee, University of East London
Global supply chains and energy prices are not solely to blame for a tough year ahead.
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Health
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David W. Denning, University of Manchester
Aids deaths should be falling faster, but treatable fungal disease is keeping the numbers high.
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Arts + Culture
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Kirsty Squires, Staffordshire University
The objects buried with people provide important clues about their lives.
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Featured events
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— Russell Square, London , London, WC1H 0XG, United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland — SOAS, University of London
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— Manchester Central Library, Manchester, Manchester, M2 5PD, United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland — University of Manchester
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— University of Birmingham, Arts Lecture Room 7, Arts Building, Birmingham, Warwickshire, B15 2TT, United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland — University of Birmingham
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— University of Aberdeen, King's College, Aberdeen, Aberdeen, Aberdeenshire, AB24 3FX, United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland — University of Aberdeen
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