Little Atoms weekly round up (the everything edition)

This week on Little Atoms, featuring democracy in Africa, reform in the Gulf, drugs in Europe, and odd childhood stories from everywhere

Africa's new democratic revolution

Paul Melly says the fall of Burkina Faso's Blaise Compaoré suggests the days of the "Big Man" leader are over

Education is the key to soft power in the Gulf

The rise of Islamic State shouold give fresh impetus for the Gulf states to renew their social contracts

Five things that changed for the better when Portugal reformed its drug laws

Sponsored post: CISTA looks at how one European country decriminalised drug posession. PLUS: DRUGS LIVE Storified

“Chinchillas lived in coffee jars” and 35 other odd things people believed when they were kids

Our readers have vivid imaginations

Future Everything - Alice Bell

We talk climate change and politics of science with the UK's leading radical science writer

You want range? We got range.