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Charlie Kirk and the politics of rhetoric and division

This article was first published in The Conversation UK’s World Affairs Briefing email newsletter. Sign up to receive weekly analysis of the latest...

yesterday 3

Rachael Jolley

Donald Trump’s vision for Gaza’s future: what a leaked plan tells us about US regional strategy

Entire neighbourhoods in Gaza lie in ruins. Hundreds of thousands are crammed into tents, struggling for food, water and power. Despite this...

yesterday 4

Rafeef Ziadah

The digital movement that enables Indigenous people to show for themselves how the Amazon region is changing

Deep in the Amazon, sound designer Eric Terena has been capturing the sounds of the rainforest while sitting silently beneath the dense, towering...

yesterday 3

Carolina Machado Oliveira

I’ve researched the politics of flags in Northern Ireland for decades – here’s what England needs to understand

Flags – particularly the union flag and the St George’s Cross – continue to appear in towns and cities in England, at times in response to the...

yesterday 4

Dominic Bryan

Peter Mandelson was always a high risk appointment – his departure will not end the matter for Keir Starmer

The line between pulling off a diplomatic masterstroke and setting up an accident waiting to happen can be a fine one. In the seven-month fable of...

yesterday 1

Martin Farr

On Swift Horses: a film that fails to go deep enough on the complex queer lives of people in the 50s

This piece contains spoilers for On Swift Horses On Swift Horses, directed by Daniel Minahan and adapted from the novel by Shannon Pufahl, is a...

yesterday 1

Kate Mcnicholas Smith

What owning a cat does to your brain (and theirs)

Cats may have a reputation for independence, but emerging research suggests we share a unique connection with them – fuelled by brain chemistry....

yesterday 1

Laura Elin Pigott

Regulating AI use could stop its runaway energy expansion

Generative AI promises to help solve everything from climate change to poverty. But behind every chatbot response lies a deep environmental cost....

yesterday 3

Shweta Singh

Ten ways diabetes and dementia are linked

The link between diabetes and dementia is becoming increasingly clear. New research shows how blood sugar problems affect brain health and vice...

yesterday 3

Craig Beall

Bolsonaro’s conviction marks a historic moment in Brazil’s political history

Four out of five members of Brazil’s supreme court have voted to convict the former president, Jair Bolsonaro, for plotting a military coup after...

yesterday 3

Marieke Riethof

After the Epping Forest case, the government needs to be bold and build asylum housing that works

Over recent weeks, the interim injunction to halt the housing of asylum seekers at the Bell hotel in Epping has thrown government plans into...

yesterday 2

Jonathan Darling

After Angela Rayner’s exit from government, what’s the future for employment rights in the UK?

After the resignation of Angela Rayner, the UK government faces an urgent question: what will happen to its flagship employment rights bill? The...

yesterday 3

Rachel Scarfe

The ‘Gaza Riviera’ is a fantasy plan that relies on urbicide and expulsion

The US and Israel have sparked international condemnation over their leaked vision for the reconstruction of a shattered Gaza. The urban...

yesterday 3

Jonathan Silver

What the media gets wrong about death – and how to fix it

Each day, we’re confronted with headlines about death: millions lost to disease, disasters, overwork or unhealthy lifestyles. But much of this...

yesterday 3

Trevor Treharne

Similarities between recharging and refuelling make the switch to electric cars an easier choice

Charging your electric car for the first time can seem confusing. The whole process just isn’t very intuitive. There are different plug types and...

yesterday 1

Nicole Bulawa

New exhibition explores history of decorative borders: from medieval manuscripts to William Morris

The Nature of Gothic, at the Blackburn Museum and Art Gallery, explores the history of decorative borders over hundreds of years. It covers the...

yesterday 3

Cynthia Johnston

Why OpenAI’s solution to AI hallucinations would kill ChatGPT tomorrow

OpenAI’s latest research paper diagnoses exactly why ChatGPT and other large language models can make things up – known in the world of artificial...

yesterday 3

Wei Xing

When ‘sustainable’ fashion backfires on the environment

The circular economy – the idea of “reduce, reuse and recycle” – has long been promoted as one solution to the environmental crisis. Instead of the...

previous day 6

Erez Yerushalmi

Alien: Earth – how realistic are the extraterrestrials? Three experts rank them

The TV series Alien:Earth has introduced a number of new creatures to the much loved, albeit terrifying, Alien franchise. But how realistic are the...

previous day 3

Thomas Haworth

How ‘sovereign citizens’ around the world draw on similar pseudo-law arguments – podcast

In the remote mountain high country of the Australian state of Victoria, police are continuing a huge manhunt. The fugitive is Dezi Freeman, a man...

previous day 3

Gemma Ware

Russian drones over Poland is a serious escalation – here’s why the west’s response won’t worry Putin

On the morning of September 10, Nato jets were scrambled over eastern Poland to defend the airspace of an alliance member against an incursion by...

previous day 4

Stefan Wolff

Indigestion is commonplace but sometimes concerning. Here’s what you need to know

Every so often, a completely random advert stops me in my tracks and makes me wonder what on earth went on in the room where it was created. For...

previous day 3

Dan Baumgardt

The French economy has a boomer problem and is spending way too much on pensions

Before resigning from his nine-month stint as French prime minister, François Bayrou had claimed that if France failed to cut its public deficit,...

previous day 4

Renaud Foucart

Introducing War on Climate, a new series that explores how conflict interacts with environmental issues around the globe

The world is the most violent it has been in decades. A report by the Peace Research Institute Oslo recorded 61 conflicts across 36 countries last...

previous day 3

Sam Phelps

Curious kids: do owls have bogies?

Do owls have bogies? Ravine, aged three, Glasgow Hi Ravine, The quick answer is yes, but the interesting thing is why. Bogies, or boogers as they...

previous day 3

Louise Gentle

How adding sprints to your usual jogs can boost the health benefits of running

Running has a huge number of benefits. The popular workout can prevent disease, improve mental health and even slow the biological ageing process....

previous day 2

Christopher Gaffney

Charlie Kirk shooting: another grim milestone in America’s long and increasingly dangerous story of political violence

Charlie Kirk, figurehead of the American far right, took a question at a 2023 event in Salt Lake City about the second amendment to the US...

previous day 4

Katie Pruszynski

Why Moldova’s election is important for the whole of Europe

Parliamentary elections will be held in Moldova on September 28. While this may seem like a minor event for the rest of Europe, implications for...

previous day 3

Amy Eaglestone

Charlie Kirk was emblematic of a country polarised and imploding

In December 2021, I was in an exhibition hall in Phoenix, Arizona, with 10,000 young people who had come to hear a lineup of “America first”...

previous day 3

Melissa Butcher

Charlie Kirk: why the battle over his legacy will divide even his most ardent admirers

Wherever you stand on his political views, Charlie Kirk’s murder is a tragedy on a personal level. He was just 31 and a husband and father of young...

previous day 4

Gordon Lynch

Deaf: a powerful film about the real struggles of deaf families navigating medical institutions and parenthood

Deaf is a deeply emotional examination of what having a baby can mean for a mixed deaf and hearing couple. Spanish director Eva Libertad’s film...

previous day 3

Dai O&39Brien

National anxieties and personal fear – what psychoanalysis tells us about the comfort we find in flags

The recent proliferation of English flags, from lampposts to roundabouts, can be viewed as more than a simple act of patriotism. It could be argued...

previous day 1

Callum Blades

The digital movement that is enabling Indigenous people to show for themselves how the Amazon region is changing

Deep in the Amazon, sound designer Eric Terena has been capturing the sounds of the rainforest while sitting silently beneath the dense, towering...

previous day 1

Carolina Machado Oliveira

From the Great Stink to the modern sewage scandal: why 19th-century sewers are failing 21st-century England

The raw sewage in England’s rivers and seas is not just a story of corporate failure. It’s also a legacy of Victorian sewers – impressive and high-...

previous day 3

Ruth Emily Sylvester

Mass hysteria at Heathrow airport – how social contagion works

Update: Since we published this story yesterday, the Metropolitan Police has reported that a CS canister has been found at Heathrow T4. The...

wednesday 10

Kit Yates

Environmental pressures need not always spark conflict – lessons from history show how crisis can be avoided

The expectation that competition for dwindling resources drives societies towards conflict has shaped much of the discourse around climate change...

wednesday 9

Jay Silverstein

International law isn’t dead. But the impunity seen in Gaza urgently needs to be addressed

Philippe Lazzarini, the commissioner general of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (Unrwa) says that Gaza is...

wednesday 3

James Sweeney

Two seventh-century people found with west African ancestry – a story of diversity and integration in early Anglo-Saxon society

In 2022, archaeologists worked on the ancient DNA from a number of early medieval cemeteries, and found two individuals that stood out. One was...

wednesday 1

Duncan Sayer

Putting your CV together? Complete honesty might not be the best policy

Writing a CV requires important decisions. What should you include, what should you leave out – and how honest should you be? One particularly...

wednesday 1

Tom Lane

Curious Kids: why do we need to do homework?

Why do we need to do homework when we already spend all day in school? – Grace, aged nine, Belfast If you’ve ever stared at your homework feeling...

wednesday 1

James Williams

Nepal’s social media ban sparks deadly protests, but deeper grievances fuel the fire

Nepal’s prime minister, KP Sharma Oli, resigned on September 9 as his country reeled from some of its worst unrest in decades. A government ban on...

wednesday 1

Leanne Mccarthy-Cotter

Crashing black holes validate Stephen Hawking – new research

Black holes may be the fiercest objects in the universe, yet we still know very little about them. It has only been a decade since we confirmed...

wednesday 1

Patricia Schmidt

Seven health conditions that show why using your phone on the toilet is a bad idea

It might seem like a harmless habit to linger on the loo with your phone while “taking care of business”, but research shows that prolonged toilet...

wednesday 1

Adam Taylor

Trading human remains: why bones should not become a commodity

In recent years, skulls, bones, and even modified human remains have appeared with increasing frequency on online marketplaces and social media...

wednesday 1

Michelle Spear

How America helped create the Palestinian Authority – only to undermine it ever since

At the end of August, the Trump administration blocked Palestinian president, Mahmoud Abbas, and 80 other Palestinian officials from attending the...

wednesday 2

Anne Irfan

Signs of ancient life may have been found in Martian rock – new study

Just over a year ago, Nasa made a remarkable announcement. The Perseverance rover had found potential signs of ancient life on Mars. Now, the...

wednesday 1

Sean Mcmahon

Recipes from the middle ages have much in common with how our grandparents used to cook

“You have to keep beating it for longer,” my grandmother instructed me. “It isn’t pale yet. It’s still too yellow.” I didn’t ask how...

wednesday 1

Diane Purkiss

Focusing on children’s first 1,001 days can build neighbourhood support for migrant families

The UK government’s new ten-year health plan for England prioritises tackling health inequalities through local preventive measures. One promising...

wednesday 6

Tom Allport

Why listening to stories and talking about them is so important for young children

Story time – at home, at nursery and at school – is where young children encounter the magic of books. Reading stories to young children is a...

09.09.2025 1

Fufy Demissie

The hidden plastic problem in your daily dental routine – and what’s being done about it

You brush twice daily, floss religiously and see your dentist every six months. But what if these acts of oral hygiene are quietly contributing to...

09.09.2025 2

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Newspaper Columnists

Charlie Kirk and the politics of rhetoric and division

Rachael Jolley

Donald Trump’s vision for Gaza’s future: what a leaked plan tells us about US regional strategy

Rafeef Ziadah

The digital movement that enables Indigenous people to show for themselves how the Amazon region is changing

Carolina Machado Oliveira

I’ve researched the politics of flags in Northern Ireland for decades – here’s what England needs to understand

Dominic Bryan

Peter Mandelson was always a high risk appointment – his departure will not end the matter for Keir Starmer

Martin Farr

On Swift Horses: a film that fails to go deep enough on the complex queer lives of people in the 50s

Kate Mcnicholas Smith

What owning a cat does to your brain (and theirs)

Laura Elin Pigott

Regulating AI use could stop its runaway energy expansion

Shweta Singh

Ten ways diabetes and dementia are linked

Craig Beall

Bolsonaro’s conviction marks a historic moment in Brazil’s political history

Marieke Riethof

After the Epping Forest case, the government needs to be bold and build asylum housing that works

Jonathan Darling

After Angela Rayner’s exit from government, what’s the future for employment rights in the UK?

Rachel Scarfe

The ‘Gaza Riviera’ is a fantasy plan that relies on urbicide and expulsion

Jonathan Silver

What the media gets wrong about death – and how to fix it

Trevor Treharne

Similarities between recharging and refuelling make the switch to electric cars an easier choice

Nicole Bulawa

New exhibition explores history of decorative borders: from medieval manuscripts to William Morris

Cynthia Johnston

Why OpenAI’s solution to AI hallucinations would kill ChatGPT tomorrow

Wei Xing

When ‘sustainable’ fashion backfires on the environment

Erez Yerushalmi

Alien: Earth – how realistic are the extraterrestrials? Three experts rank them

Thomas Haworth

How ‘sovereign citizens’ around the world draw on similar pseudo-law arguments – podcast

Gemma Ware

Russian drones over Poland is a serious escalation – here’s why the west’s response won’t worry Putin

Stefan Wolff

Indigestion is commonplace but sometimes concerning. Here’s what you need to know

Dan Baumgardt

The French economy has a boomer problem and is spending way too much on pensions

Renaud Foucart

Introducing War on Climate, a new series that explores how conflict interacts with environmental issues around the globe

Sam Phelps

Curious kids: do owls have bogies?

Louise Gentle

How adding sprints to your usual jogs can boost the health benefits of running

Christopher Gaffney

Charlie Kirk shooting: another grim milestone in America’s long and increasingly dangerous story of political violence

Katie Pruszynski

Why Moldova’s election is important for the whole of Europe

Amy Eaglestone

Charlie Kirk was emblematic of a country polarised and imploding

Melissa Butcher

Charlie Kirk: why the battle over his legacy will divide even his most ardent admirers

Gordon Lynch

Deaf: a powerful film about the real struggles of deaf families navigating medical institutions and parenthood

Dai O&39Brien

National anxieties and personal fear – what psychoanalysis tells us about the comfort we find in flags

Callum Blades

The digital movement that is enabling Indigenous people to show for themselves how the Amazon region is changing

Carolina Machado Oliveira

From the Great Stink to the modern sewage scandal: why 19th-century sewers are failing 21st-century England

Ruth Emily Sylvester

Mass hysteria at Heathrow airport – how social contagion works

Kit Yates

Environmental pressures need not always spark conflict – lessons from history show how crisis can be avoided

Jay Silverstein

International law isn’t dead. But the impunity seen in Gaza urgently needs to be addressed

James Sweeney

Two seventh-century people found with west African ancestry – a story of diversity and integration in early Anglo-Saxon society

Duncan Sayer

Putting your CV together? Complete honesty might not be the best policy