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This weekend’s so-called “unite the kingdom” rally in London attracted more than 100,000 protesters, making it one of the largest far-right gatherings in the UK. The anti-migrant sentiment on display in part reflected a wider trend of more visible racism that appears to be increasing around the world. But why are humans so often intolerant like this? Some people, including a few evolutionary biologists, argue we are simply hard-wired to be racist.
Evidence from anthropology, psychology and other fields, however, suggests this doesn’t hold up. In fact, racism appears to be a psychological defence mechanism against anxiety and insecurity – developing in five distinct stages. The good news is that also means it can be overcome.
Meanwhile, a school-age child has died from a complication of measles in Los Angeles, highlighting the deadly consequences of falling vaccination rates. And read about the women who turned beach cleanups into a global movement in the 1980s.
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Miriam Frankel
Senior Science + Technology Editor
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United the kingdom rally in London,13 September 2025.
EPA/TAYFUN SALCI
Steve Taylor, Leeds Beckett University
There is no genetic or biological basis for dividing the human race into distinct “races.”
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A child with measles.
Natalya Maisheva/Shutterstock.com
Benedict Michael, University of Liverpool
Why falling vaccination rates put vulnerable children at risk.
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Beach cleanup pioneer Linda Maraniss brandishing collected waste at the Texas senate assembly.
Reproduced with permission from Linda Maraniss.
Elsa Devienne, Northumbria University, Newcastle
In the 1980s, beach cleanups were envisaged as citizen science, aimed squarely at industrial pollution.
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World
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M. Waqas Haider, Lancaster University
By targeting Hamas leadership on Qatari soil, Israel has not only escalated the conflict but also shaken confidence in Doha’s role as a mediator.
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David Hastings Dunn, University of Birmingham
State visits are usually tightly controlled to give the maximum benefit to both countries. But the US president is notoriously unpredictable.
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Paul Whiteley, University of Essex
An expert digs into why the US public thinks inflation is so high.
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Arts + Culture
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Naomi Baker, Manchester University
In the 17th century, Anne Wentworth spoke out against her abusive husband and the religious institution that protected him.
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Julie Curtis, University of Oxford
The exhibition was dedicated to ‘all those who have the courage to disagree’.
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Business + Economy
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Robert Simmons, Lancaster University
Staying afloat is a struggle for some teams further down the pyramid.
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Matt Barlow, University of Glasgow
Argentina’s firebrand president – and his programme of austerity – face an even tougher electoral test in October.
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Education
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Pinky Jain, Leeds Beckett University
Mixed-age classes can support a greater sense of belonging and community in schools, when children across year groups form friendships.
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Environment
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Simon Goodman, University of Leeds
The Caspian Sea is disappearing fast – and it’s pitting people against nature.
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Health
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Ahmed Elbediwy, Kingston University; Nadine Wehida, Kingston University
Pancreatic, brain, lung, stomach and oesophageal cancers have seen hardly any change in survival rate over the past 50 years.
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Science + Technology
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Putu Agus Khorisantono, Karolinska Institutet; Janina Seubert, Karolinska Institutet
Our latest study showed that taste and smell were both found to activate a region of the brain important for taste, hunger and thirst.
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