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- The Conversation (UK) Read
Reading, socialising and doing puzzles can help preserve cognitive health – large study shows
Puzzles, brain-training games and hobbies have long been said to stave off cognitive decline. But while some research has shown that intensive brain-training programmes done over several weeks can reduce cognitive impairment, such interventions aren’t very practical in daily life.
- The Conversation (UK) Read
Wildfires are now an escalating risk: here’s how the UK needs to prepare ahead of next summer
Fire services across the UK are now working out how much they can do over the winter to prepare for one of the country’s escalating dangers: wildfires.
- The Conversation (UK) Read
Manchester City supporters have been gaslit. What happens now?
The Premier League has published the core findings of the independent commission investigating Manchester City Football Club. It finds the club guilty of all charges relating to serious financial breaches across nine seasons, from 2009-10 to 2017-18.
- The Conversation (UK) Read
The great Romanian contribution – research reveals just how Britain benefits
Romanians are broadly young, educated and the most economically active European migrant community in England and Wales. But, according to a recent YouGov poll, they are the least-wanted European immigrants in the UK. So why hasn’t public opinion kept pace with the reality of what this group contributes?
- The Conversation (UK) Read
Would a 50mph motorway speed limit really save much fuel?
Imagine joining the motorway in the near future and seeing a 50mph speed limit sign, but no roadworks, no accident and no obvious reason to slow down. This time, the aim is to save fuel.
- The Conversation (UK) Read
Women are turning to testosterone, but what does the science actually say?
A recent BBC report described women posing as men to get hold of testosterone gel, hoping to improve their menopause symptoms, because female testosterone products are not easily available to them. But why is the appetite for this predominantly male hormone exploding and are there risks involved?
- The Conversation (UK) Read
Covid fatigue linked to reduced brain blood flow
Playing with your children or meeting a friend for coffee are everyday activities that many people move between without giving much thought to how much mental or physical energy they take.
- The Conversation (UK) Read
Confronting demons: how acoustic and AI technology brought ancient Etruscan tombs back to life
Although it not always obvious, sound guides how we experience the world around us. And the latest archaeoacoustic techniques show that even the world’s earliest architects understood this.
- The Conversation (UK) Read
This year’s Labour conference was the party that delegates should have had in 2024
“The mood of the party?” A reliable opening question between news presenter and political journalist. Necessarily imprecise, the answer can still transport the listener or viewer to where they aren’t. Doing so from Liverpool this week invokes the other meaning of the word party. This was the conference that should have taken place in 2024 after Labour’s return to power. But it didn’t, owing to the stumbling of the government in general and the fumbling of the prime minister in particular.
- The Conversation (UK) Read
Digger tries to mock powerful older men – but can’t escape 64-year-old millionaire Tom Cruise
Civilisations are often remembered not for their politics or their leaders, but for the figures they worshipped. Ancient Greece is as known for Achilles and Odysseus as for its achievements in democracy and philosophy. Medieval England is remembered less for the Plantagenets than for the legends of King Arthur and Robin Hood. The wild west has Davy Crockett, Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid.
- The Conversation (UK) Read
From equations to Instagram feeds: how ‘algorithm’ changed its meaning
Algorithms are central to modern mathematics and computer science. They are explicit procedures valued for their clarity, efficiency and beauty. Beyond these fields, however, the word “algorithm” is most likely to evoke social media feeds, targeted advertising or a combination of the two of the two.
- The Conversation (UK) Read
Our research measures the real cost of coal mines to people and planet
The longer it takes to transition away from fossil fuels such as coal, the more costs accrue as climate change accelerates.
- The Conversation (UK) Read
The end of endless summer: why cheap winter veg is under threat
British supermarkets have trained us to expect tomatoes, cucumbers and asparagus throughout the year. Their year-round presence can make seasonality seem obsolete.
- The Conversation (UK) Read
RAF Fairford: the power (and risks) of making the public the ‘eyes and ears’ of counter-terrorism
The events around RAF Fairford offer a timely reminder of a less visible part of Britain’s counter-terrorism system: the role of the public. In the early hours of September 27, armed officers responded to a report of suspicious vehicles near the base and arrested five men. A local farmer had found a road blocked late at night as she returned home and raised the alarm.
- The Conversation (UK) Read
Long-acting medicines could make daily tablets a thing of the past for some patients
For millions of people around the world, managing a long-term health condition means remembering to take medicines every day, often for years. But advances in long-acting medicines mean that some treatments now need to be taken only once a month, every few months or even twice a year.
- The Conversation (UK) Read
Stoicism isn’t just for men – despite what the manosphere would tell you
Stoicism has attracted all sorts of fans over recent years, but one group whose interest in this ancient philosophy has attracted a good deal of comment is the “manosphere”.
- The Conversation (UK) Read
Celebrity Traitors: research suggests that contestants will find the game tougher than it looks
The Traitors has become essential viewing for millions of fans. The TV game show, in which a group of “faithfuls” try to identify a smaller number of hidden traitors, is all about truth and lies.
- The Conversation (UK) Read
Dark kitchens are popping up everywhere, but what are they and why does it matter?
When you order food through an app, how much do you know about where you’re purchasing from? This could be a restaurant on the local high street, or one located in a warehouse on a faraway industrial estate.
- The Conversation (UK) Read
Soheila Sokhanvari’s painstaking miniatures memorialise the stolen lives of Iranian cultural icons
A photograph survives, but the life around it has been dismantled. A voice remains on an old recording, but the singer has been forbidden to stand before an audience. A face flickers across a cinema screen, while the woman it belonged to has lost her work, her home and the right to be publicly remembered.
- The Conversation (UK) Read
How should England pay for social care? Germany, Norway and Sweden take very different routes
Cost keeps care out of reach for many people in England. Andy Burnham’s National Care Service could learn from how Germany, Norway and Sweden pay for it.
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