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1. How chimp DNA techniques turned us into jungle detectives

   Wild chimpanzees are hard to find, but their DNA – left-behind genetic traces – is opening up a new way of studying them, write experts Alexander Piel and Fiona Stewart

2. 5 reasons to love maggots

   Whether they are working away in the farmer’s field or being used as evidence in court, maggots are helping us in our day-to-day lives in surprising ways. Isn’t it time you gave these misunderstood creatures the credit they deserve?

3. Human ancestors had the same dental problems as us – even without fizzy drinks and sweets

   Prehistoric humans and their predecessors may have had a very different diet but their teeth suffered in similar ways to ours, writes anthropology lecturer Dr Ian Towle

4. Safari tourism may make elephants more aggressive – but it’s still the best tool for conservation

   Going on safari in Africa offers tourists the opportunity to see some of the most spectacular wildlife on Earth – including African elephants, but as it becomes more popular worldwide, it’s worth remembering that we often don’t know how tourism affects the animals we observe.

5. Here’s how your holiday photos could help save endangered species

   Tourism is one of the fastest growing industries in the world – 42m people visited sub-Saharan Africa in 2018 alone. Photographs on social media are already being used to help track the illegal wildlife trade and how often areas of wilderness are visited by tourists.

6. Chimpanzee ‘nests’ shed light on the origins of humanity

   Chimpanzees are our closest living relatives, and observing them in the wild helps us reconstruct how our ancestors adapted to a changing environment millions of years ago, write Drs Alexander Piel and Fiona Stewart

7. Groundhog Day or liberation from daily routine?

   Dr Ruth Odgen from the School of Psychology, a lead investigator on a new study into time under COVID-19 isolation, shares her thoughts with us.

8. The Moon: facts, fascination and the future

   We talk to Professor Andy Newsam, Director of the National Schools’ Observatory, about the Apollo 11 Moon landing and learn some interesting facts about the Moon along the way.

9. How parasites and bacteria could be changing the way you think and feel

   From losing inhibitions to dementia – Lecturer in Genetics Dr Robbie Rae explores the role small critters play in a range of illnesses and behaviours