From colonialism to green transition: A new book on the cobalt and copper mining business in the Congo
Book Announcement
Updates every hour. Last Updated: 18-Jul-2025 11:11 ET (18-Jul-2025 15:11 GMT/UTC)
A new book Mining and Financial Imperialism: The Central African Copper Bonanza by Timo Särkkä analyses the Western colonial origins of the mining industry and its post-colonial legacies in the Central African Copperbelt in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
Distressing news and traumatic stories can cause stress and anxiety – not only in humans, but also in AI language models, such as ChatGPT. Researchers from the University of Zurich and the University Hospital of Psychiatry Zurich have now shown that these models, like humans, respond to therapy: an elevated “anxiety level” in GPT-4 can be “calmed down” using mindfulness-based relaxation techniques.
New research by psychologists from the University of Staffordshire and the University of Birmingham, published in the Journal of Social Issues, identifies spite as a key factor that underlies conspiracy theory belief.
In our polarized society, a new study offers hope for the future: Even young children can learn to discuss and argue about meaningful problems in a respectful and productive way. Researchers at The Ohio State University found success in a social studies curriculum for fourth graders based on teaching what they called “civic competencies.”
Goethe University Frankfurt is expanding its digital presence and has now launched an account on the social media platform Bluesky. After leaving X (formerly Twitter) together with more than 60 other universities in January, the university is focusing on a transparent, science-friendly and decentralized alternative.