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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. Prehistoric people started to spread domesticated bananas across the world 6,000 years ago

   One of the most widely grown, traded and eaten of all the crops, bananas were once a prized exotic novelty, but are now a staple in many country’s supermarkets – Prof Chris Hunt and Dr Rathnasiri Premathilake investigate

3. Gang culture appeals to disenfranchised young people – but ‘social mixing’ offers a way out

   Over the past ten years, violence among young people involved in gangs has claimed hundreds of lives and dominated national debate in the UK.

4. Nepal’s menstrual huts: what can be done about this practice of confining women to cow sheds?

   Despite being illegal, chhaupadi, the practice of exiling menstruating women and girls from their home – often to a cow shed – is still practised in some areas of Western Nepal. Chhaupadi is an extreme example of the stigmas and restrictions around menstruation that exist not only in Nepal, but also globally.

5. How AI could help football managers spot weak links in their teams

   A new approach to gathering data using cybernetics and AI could help coaches spot weak links in their teams

6. How to prevent the deaths of more Vietnamese migrants trying to reach Britain

   It's feared many of the 39 people found dead in a lorry in southeast England were Vietnamese. What else could be done to prevent another such tragedy from happening again?

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. 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

9. Dogs in the classroom – coming to a school near you soon?

   When you think about your own school days, you might have had a furry friend to keep you company in the classroom – maybe a school hamster, rabbit or guinea pig. But what about a school dog?

10. Decorated snail shell in a cave in Iraq could be evidence of Paleolithic bling

    A tiny artefact with complex incisions tells us about prehistoric ornamentation, writes Professor Chris Hunt