This year’s Bristol Radical History Festival focused on the persistent threats of racism, xenophobia and, of course, our radical collective resistance to it across Ireland and Britain, reports LYNNE WALSH
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Flying visits
New research suggests that peregrines which migrate long-distances have a superior long-term memory, write ROX MIDDLETON, LIAM SHAW and JOEL HELLEWELL
The researchers noticed that there were two clear groups of birds: short-distance and long-distance and by looking at the bird’s genomes, they report evidence that this difference might have genetic causes
A maverick’s self-inflicted snake bites could unlock breakthrough treatments – but they also reveal deeper tensions between noble scientific curiosity and cold corporate callousness, write ROX MIDDLETON, LIAM SHAW and MIRIAM GAUNTLETT
The FBU is demanding 52 weeks of full pay for women firefighters, highlighting the unique health risks they face — and the continuing need to recruit and retain more women if policies like this are still not in place, writes SEONA HART
Israel continues to operate with impunity in what seems to be a brutal and protracted experiment, while much of the world looks on, says RAMZY BAROUD
A new report by Amnesty International pulls no punches in highlighting the Labour government’s human rights violations of those on benefits, says Dr DYLAN MURPHY
With Reform UK surging and Labour determined not to offer anything different from the status quo, a clear opportunity opens for the left, argues CLAUDIA WEBBE
A recent Immigration Summit heard from Lord Alf Dubs, who fled the Nazis to Britain as a child. JAYDEE SEAFORTH reports on his message that we need to increase public empathy with desperate people seeking asylum
PEREGRINE FALCONS are known for their speed: when one dives from a great height at more than 320km (199 miles) per hour, for a brief moment it will be the fastest animal on Earth. But they are also endurance flyers, migrating thousands of kilometres.
In a new study published in Nature, an international team of researchers investigated peregrine migration. As they note in their response to one peer reviewer who complained about the relatively small size of the dataset, “for a top predator living in the remote Arctic” only accessible in “short Arctic summer breeding windows,” they did pretty well: they tracked 56 birds and took blood samples from 35 individuals.
The peregrines in the study breed in the Arctic north, along the top of Russia and migrate south to a huge variety of locations: northern Africa, India, China and Indonesia. By putting satellite trackers on birds and watching their flight patterns over multiple years, the researchers hoped to be able to understand why the birds took the routes they did.
More from this author
A maverick’s self-inflicted snake bites could unlock breakthrough treatments – but they also reveal deeper tensions between noble scientific curiosity and cold corporate callousness, write ROX MIDDLETON, LIAM SHAW and MIRIAM GAUNTLETT
Science has always been mixed up with money and power, but as a decorative facade for megayachts, it risks leaving reality behind altogether, write ROX MIDDLETON, LIAM SHAW and MIRIAM GAUNTLETT
A small Japanese trial has reported some positive results for stem cell therapy to treat spinal-cord injuries
Man-made canals like Panama and Suez face unprecedented challenges from extreme weather patterns and geopolitical tensions that reveal the fragility of our global trade networks, write ROX MIDDLETON, LIAM SHAW and MIRIAM GAUNTLETT
