From Love Actually to Christmas On The Farm: how rom-coms became a festive season staple

Many global charities refrain from ‘poverty porn’ imagery to raise money from donors, but stereotypes still distort their pictures

The Research Brief is a short take about interesting academic work. The big idea International nongovernmental organizations, often called NGOs, and other charities often use photos...

Grammy winner explains why Adele is right – album tracks should not be shuffled

For as long as albums have existed, they have offered listeners wonder, hope, truth and reality concerning the state of the human condition. This is achieved...

Consumers value a product viewed online more if they see it being virtually touched

The Research Brief is a short take about interesting academic work. The big idea Consumers who see a product on sale being virtually touched are more...

Our understanding of black holes has changed over time

It took Albert Einstein 10 years to find the equations of general relativity, but German astrophysicist Karl Schwarzschild only needed a few months to solve them....

Are you binge-watching too much? How to know if your TV habits are a problem – and what to do about it

The term “binge-watch” was a contender for the Oxford English Dictionary’s 2013 word of the year. Although it didn’t win (“selfie” ultimately took the crown), this...

Eating disorders have increased during COVID-19 — here’s how to recognize them and how to help

Eating disorders are the third most common chronic condition in adolescence, behind only asthma and obesity. They affect four per cent of the population, 90 per...

Quitting your job or thinking about joining the ‘great resignation’? Here’s what an employment lawyer advises

Record numbers of Americans have quit their jobs in recent months, with more than 4.4 million submitting their resignation in September alone. Millions more may be...

The pandemic is changing the way young people eat and how they feel about their bodies: 4 essential reads

Kids, like adults, cope with stress and anxiety in many different ways. For example, while some children reach for more snacks to deal with uncomfortable feelings,...

The hunt for coronavirus variants: how the new one was found and what we know so far

Since early in the COVID pandemic, the Network for Genomics Surveillance in South Africa has been monitoring changes in SARS-CoV-2. This was a valuable tool to...