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“Drastic” fall in bumblebee populations shocks scientists

Bumblebee collecting

Rome, Italy Thomson Reuters Foundation When scientist Peter Soroye first saw the figures showing estimated bumblebee populations in North America had fallen by nearly 50 per cent in a single generation, he thought it must be a typo. He checked the numbers – the result of a long-term analysis of bumblebee populations published in the […]

Women and men found to respond differently in disasters

Hurricane Michael aftermath

London Thomson Reuters Foundation Women and men caught up in disasters respond differently, with women quick to take shelter or prepare to evacuate, but often struggling to persuade the men in their families to do so, research suggests. Traditional gender roles also emerge after a disaster with women becoming the homemaker while men take charge of finances […]

Cities are sucking our countryside dry, scientists say

Tbilisi, GeorgiaThomson Reuters Foundation Expanding cities are sucking up ever more water, exacerbating the effect of climate change and threatening to create a “dusty and deserted” rural hinterland, scientists said on Thursday. An international team of researchers calculated that globally at least 16 billion cubic meters of water – almost the annual flow of the […]

Public mistrust thwarts Congo’s Ebola response as cases climb

Dakar, SenegalThomson Reuters Foundation A quarter of people surveyed in Democratic Republic of Congo’s Ebola hotspots believed the virus was not real, a study said on Wednesday, as the world’s second-biggest outbreak spreads. Health workers said public mistrust is now the biggest obstacle to stopping the epidemic, which has infected more than 1,000 people in […]

US lapsed and non-Christians open to talking about faith with the non-judgemental but don’t see such a trait in Christians they know, research finds

Most lapsed and non-Christians say they would be open to talking about faith matters with someone who listens without judgement – but only 34 per cent say they see this trait in Christians they know personally, according to Barna Group research. The research, contained in a recent report, Reviving Evangelism, which the US-based organisation produced in […]