|
As Donald Trump tries yet again to force Vladimir Putin closer to some kind of peace negotiation, one strong bargaining chip is the unexpected power of Ukraine’s drone campaign. New research shows these drone attacks have had a far-reaching impact, forcing Russia to move its air defences, stoking fuel price rises and costing Moscow around US$700 million in just a few months.
President Volodymyr Zelensky’s calls for a ceasefire are now underpinned by this added threat Ukraine is able to pose – something Putin would not have predicted at the beginning of the war.
Other new research we look at today finds evidence that respiratory infections such as the flu or COVID can re-awaken dormant breast cancer cells in mice. While this may sound worrying, the discovery means scientists are able to understand more about prevention – and flag the importance of cancer sufferers receiving COVID vaccinations.
And in the light of recent violent protests outside asylum hotels – and a year after riots took hold around the UK – an expert explains what makes people riot, and what can stop them taking part.
|
|
Rachael Jolley
International Affairs Editor
|
|
Old pals act: the Russian president, Vladimir Putin, greets US special envoy Steve Witkoff in the Kremlin, August 6 2025.
EPA/Gavril Grigorov/Sputnik/Kremlin pool
Stefan Wolff, University of Birmingham
There are signs the US president is prepared to follow through on his threats of sanctioning Russia and arming Ukraine.
|
COVID was one of the common respiratory infections shown to re-awaken breast cancer cells.
MIA Studio/ Shutterstock
Justin Stebbing, Anglia Ruskin University
This recent study highlights just how great of an affect viral infections can have on our health in both the short-term and long-term.
|
Police officers prepare for more unrest as a police car burns in Hartlepool in July 2024.
Owen Humphreys/PA images
John Drury, University of Sussex
An expert in crowd psychology explains why some peaceful protests turn violent, and why riots can spread.
|
World
|
-
Marcel Plichta, University of St Andrews
New research suggests that even small countries can enact large amounts of damage using drone attacks, so countries will need to reassess their military defenses.
-
Jennifer Mathers, Aberystwyth University
Ukraine’s former prime minister thinks there is too much western involement in its institutions, but is that justified?
-
Yaron Peleg, University of Cambridge
How the original idea of a ‘new’ self-reliant and secular Jew has been overwritten by religous grievances that have fuelled the rise of the religious right.
-
Jonathan Este, The Conversation
But Zelensky may have bargaining chips that would play to Ukraine’s advantage.
|
|
Politics + Society
|
-
Giorgia Doná, University of East London; Charlotte Sanders, SOAS, University of London; Paolo Novak, SOAS, University of London
Long-term use of hotels poses numerous challenges to those living there.
|
|
Arts + Culture
|
-
Sasha Garwood, University of Nottingham
The pair were seen as friends but their letters reveal a more intimate life together.
-
Sara Gibbings, University of Bristol
As a producer, I often meet with resistance when it comes to putting female athletes, pundits and presenters front and centre.
|
|
Business + Economy
|
-
Adrian Palmer, University of Reading
The pernicious reach of the internet widens the impacts of tourism. But AI could also be part of the solution.
|
|
Environment
|
-
Edward Forman, University of Southampton; James Baldini, Durham University
Sea spray content in a stalagmite sheds light on how ocean currents in the Gulf Stream have changed in the past.
-
Neil Glasser, Aberystwyth University
One of Patagonia’s few stable glaciers is now on the verge of collapse – new study.
|
|
Health
|
-
Deborah Dunn-Walters, University of Surrey
Viruses mutate all the time. Vaccines don’t cause this – they help filter which strains survive.
-
Nadine Wehida, Kingston University; Ahmed Elbediwy, Kingston University
Are weight loss shots like Ozempic and Wegovy safe long-term? It’s complicated. Some early studies suggest thyroid concerns while others hint at cancer prevention.
-
Alison Ng, Cardiff University; Byki Huntjens, City St George's, University of London
Lash serums promise longer lashes – but some contain glaucoma drugs that can cause darkened skin, sunken eyes and even permanent eye colour change.
|
|
|
|
| |
|
|
|
|
| |
