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We’re all much twitchier about pandemics than we used to be. But is the international community better set up for the next major infectious disease emergency following COVID-19? This month the World Health Organization agreed a series of amendments to international health regulations, report Michael Baker, Professor of Public Health at the University of Otago, and Alexander Gillespie, Professor of Law, University of Waikato. But a range of proposed measures failed to make the cut.
Viral outbreaks certainly get a lot more coverage in the news media than was the case pre-COVID. But how do virologists react to reports of new diseases spreading? We asked Ed Hutchinson, at the University of Glasgow.
With voting in the UK’s general election now a little more than two weeks away, polling strongly indicates that the country is on course for a new government, led by the Labour party. Despina Alexiadou of the University of Strathclyde considers the manifesto put forward by its leader, Kier Starmer. And research by the School of Journalism at the University of Cardiff suggests that one of the country’s leading television
political debate shows on the BBC leans firmly to the right when selecting guests from outside the parties. Matt Walsh, head of school, writes.
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Michael Baker, University of Otago; Alexander Gillespie, University of Waikato
The world’s best chance of preventing the next pandemic lies in a global treaty. But deep divisions over funding and the sharing of vaccines and treatments have so far prevented an agreement.
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Ed Hutchinson, University of Glasgow
Unusual influenza viruses keep making headlines. A virologist explains how they decide if something is worth fretting about.
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Jenny Graves, La Trobe University
A mysterious century-old law of genetics may explain the puzzling genetic legacy of our extinct Neanderthal cousins.
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Despina Alexiadou, University of Strathclyde
Comparing Keir Starmer’s 2024 election manifesto with Tony Blair’s 1997 document is a helpful way to understand why the vision is grander than is being portrayed.
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Matt Walsh, Cardiff University
The top five most frequent non-politician panellists all write for The Spectator.
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Laurie Archbald-Pannone, University of Virginia
Unfortunately, there’s no cure for scammers – but you can build immunity against them.
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Julie Maslowsky, University of Michigan
The 2022 Dobbs decision that overturned 50 years of abortion rights is affecting where young people choose to go to college, to work and to live, as well as the way they vote.
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Jen Snowball, Rhodes University
South Africa’s National Arts Festival’s economic impact on its host city, Makhanda, is estimated to be US$4.5 million a year. But it also makes an impact on a social and an artistic level.
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George Gilbert, University of Southampton
An 82-metre column in the capital of imperial Russia commemorates Peter the Great’s victory in the Great Northern war and the establishment of the Russian empire.
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