Conflict minerals are minerals which are mined in areas of armed conflict, most notably the Democratic Republic of Congo. The control of the mines which contain these very valuable minerals is the source of a great deal of conflict. The conflict exists between the Congolese National Army and rebel groups, such as the Democratic Forces…
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The UK is leading the way in designing babies. There is currently government plans to create babies with the DNA of three separate ‘parents’. There is also talk that this procedure, achieved through in vitro fertilisation (IVF), could actually be offered by the NHS by next year. Parents who are at a risk of having children…
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The hygiene hypothesis is the idea that allergies, such as hay fever and asthma, are the result of a lack of early childhood exposure to germs and parasites. Looking at this idea from another angle, we can say that allergies are the result of living in a highly sanitised and clean environment (since sanitation involves…
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There are many arguments in favour of the legalisation of drugs, including, but not limited to: eradicating drug-related violence, preventing the adulteration of drugs, preserving our personal freedom, saving government expenses used to fight a ‘war on drugs’, freeing up police time and prison space, and generating revenue through the taxation of drugs. But, while…
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The current global population stands at over seven billion people. To put this number into perspective, the global population in 1804 was a billion, with predictions of the number of people increasing to nine billion in 2045 (based on current trends). Clearly then, the number of humans on the planet has been rapidly increasing. When…
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