How the law is used to silence Human Rights Defenders
Research from Dr Aikaterini-Christina Koula at Manchester Metropolitan University reveals how legal systems are increasingly being weaponized to silence human rights defenders, particularly in Europe. Her work introduces a taxonomy of violations perpetrated through the legal system and demonstrates how these tactics deviate from human rights standards, offering valuable insights for academics, practitioners, and defenders alike.
--------
13:53
A genetic breakthrough for farming: editing corn inside the plant, not the lab
Corn is a cornerstone of modern agricultural food production, particularly in North America. Humans have selectively bred such crops over generations to create better yields, improved appearance and flavor and enhanced disease resistance. However, what if we could skip these arduous rounds of selective breeding and improve a crop’s stability and reliability regardless? Deep within the genetic blueprint of every maize kernel, scientists are aiming to achieve just this. In a recent groundbreaking study, Dr. Jon Reinders of Corteva Agriscience and his colleagues have unveiled a powerful new way to create genetically improved corn, not in a lab dish, but inside the plant itself. This new method is faster, cleaner, safer, and could transform how we grow our most essential crops.
--------
8:45
New Approaches to Defining and Measuring Human Trafficking
Research from Professor Rumi Kato Price at the Washington University School of Medicine and her colleagues, Professors Sheldon Zhang and Annah Bender, reveals how research-driven, standardized indicator approaches can better identify human trafficking victims than traditional legal and prosecutorial frameworks. Their work in Cape Town, South Africa demonstrates that trafficking victimization exists on a spectrum rather than as a binary classification, with implications for improving identification and support for victims worldwide.
--------
15:03
How Traditional Chinese Philosophy Shaped Modern Revolutionary Thought
Research from Professor Germaine A. Hoston at the University of California, San Diego, reveals how traditional Chinese philosophical idealism influenced the development of Chinese Marxism. Her findings demonstrate that despite their rejection of China's feudal past, key Chinese Marxist theorists like Li Dazhao and Mao Zedong incorporated elements of Neo-Confucian idealism into their revolutionary philosophy. This "sinification" of Marxism drew particularly on concepts of consciousness, will, and the unity of knowledge and action from traditional Chinese thought, creating a uniquely Chinese revolutionary philosophy that challenged Soviet economic determinism.
--------
9:09
Building a seismic timeline of the Nippes earthquake
Sitting directly over a complex network of fault lines, Haiti is one of the most earthquake-prone nations on Earth. In 2021, the Nippes earthquake became the latest to devastate the country, and today, researchers are still piecing together the timeline of seismic events which unfolded during the earthquake. Through their research, Professor Jeremy Maurer and colleagues at Missouri University of Science and Technology have described how the Nippes earthquake originated, shifted, and ruptured a major fault line, triggering numerous ‘afterslip’ events in the following days.
Listen to the story behind the science.
SciPod boasts a rich reputation of bringing a new, authentic and easy communication style to lovers of science and technology.
Best of all, you can listen for free! so what are you waiting for, click play and start enjoying.
www.scipod.global
Canada - english