Rahaf Aldoughli, Lancaster University When I picture Syria, the first thing I see in my mind’s eye are the statues of the late Syrian president, Hafez al-Assad, in military attire – there’s one in almost every square. But it’s not just statues in the urban spaces, this muscular image of the nation permeates popular culture – Syria is symbolically depicted …

A Popa langur, photographed in early 2020. Aung Ko Lin, Fauna & Flora International, CC BY-SA Tracie McKinney, University of South Wales The discovery of the Popa langur, a medium-sized leaf-eating monkey found in central Myanmar, was recently announced by scientists. It is estimated there are just 200-250 of these monkeys, which will likely mean the new species is classed …

Adrienne Yong, City, University of London and Sabrina Germain, City, University of London We were told at the beginning of the coronavirus pandemic that the virus did not discriminate. But the truth is that COVID-19 has brought to light the structural inequalities in healthcare that have existed for decades. In the UK, people from an ethnic minority background are more …