The demand for donkey hides has grown exponentially over the past 15 years, driven mainly by demand from China. Lauren Johnston is a specialist on China trade with Africa. She has spent several years looking into the donkey trade, and has just published a book, "China, Africa and the Market for Donkeys." She answers questions about what she found.
In the 2025 federal election, Canadians voted at the highest rate since 1993. Explanations for high or low turnout usually focus on the national election campaign, including how close the race was and what seemed to be at stake.
Simon Fraser University researchers are zeroing in on how global forestation efforts impact our climate system beyond CO₂ removal in a new study.
The dwarf planet Ceres is arguably one of the most overlooked and underappreciated planetary objects in the solar system. This could be because while Ceres has the same dwarf planet designation as Pluto, Ceres is largely considered an "asteroid" since it resides in the main asteroid belt. However, along with being the largest object in the main asteroid belt, Ceres accounts for between 25% and 30% of the belt's total mass.
A new study finds that tropical areas often thought to be safe from the effects of climate change are actually experiencing significant changes in rainfall and extreme temperature events. The paper, "Shifting climate in Caribbean tropical forests: Long-term trends at La Selva (Costa Rica) and El Verde (Puerto Rico)," is published in PLOS Climate.
A new historical analysis challenges the received wisdom as to why Chinese characters developed their distinctive square shapes. The work, published in the International Journal of Arts and Technology, argues that their shape resulted from interacting linguistic, technological and cultural factors rather than a single cause.
Where a storm surge strikes along a stretch of U.K. coastline is decided by global climate patterns in the Atlantic, Arctic and even further afield—according to new research led by Cambridge University.
An international team led by researchers at Queen's University Belfast has made a discovery that has eluded astronomers for decades. Beginning in 1906, telescope observations revealed a population of asteroids leading and trailing Jupiter, which came to be known as the "Trojan" and "Greek" populations. Since then, astronomers have discovered similar "families" orbiting Saturn and Uranus, but not Neptune. Thanks to the Queen's-led team, the mystery of the missing Trojans has now been resolved.
In recent years, the principle behind the humble ice cream truck has been getting a high-tech makeover. Retailers are reinventing mobile stores—both people-piloted and self-driving—often selling perishable items such as baked goods or fresh meals. BPM Analytics projects sales from retail on wheels will grow to $30 billion worldwide by 2030.
When we think about Antarctica, many people imagine penguins, seals and whales. However, the majority of Antarctica's scientific wonders cannot be seen without a microscope. These microbial communities form the foundation of Antarctic ecosystems yet remain largely invisible to most visitors.
