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Linguistics could make language learning more relevant – and attractive – for school pupils

A 2023 YouGov poll found that only 21% of UK adults can hold a conversation in a language other than their mother tongue. About half of the other...

yesterday 10

The Conversation

Jonathan Kasstan

Freeze branding: the new body modification technique causes serious and irreversible harm

If you’re a fan of the TV show Yellowstone, you’ll know the deal – you earn your place on the ranch by being branded. On the show, this means...

yesterday 10

The Conversation

Adam Taylor

Oscar Wilde’s The Ballad of Reading Gaol is a work of art activism beloved by Banksy

In 2021, Banksy revealed a mural of Oscar Wilde, clad in prisoner garb, making an escape from the abandoned Reading jail. The artist claimed that...

yesterday 3

The Conversation

Sondeep Kandola

Trump’s proposed Golden Dome missile defence system – an expert explains the technical challenges involved

The Trump administration’s recent announcement of a “Golden Dome” strategic missile defence shield to protect the US is the most ambitious such...

yesterday 3

The Conversation

Jack O&39Doherty

Do shorter prison sentences make society less safe? What the evidence says

The final report of the Independent Sentencing Review has proposed the most significant reform of sentencing and punishment in England and Wales...

yesterday 3

The Conversation

Daniel Alge

Still Wakes The Deep deserves its three Baftas for superlative survival horror game thrills

The survival horror game genre is very much like the survival horror-movie genre. It is a niche genre which appeals to people who crave good scares...

yesterday 2

The Conversation

Thomas Hainey

As Trump’s ratings slide, polling data reveals the scale of Fox News’s influence on US politics

Donald Trump’s ratings continue to slide on most issues. Recent Economist/YouGov polling across the US, completed on May 9-12, shows 51% think the...

yesterday 1

The Conversation

Paul Whiteley

History shows that Donald Trump is making a serious error in appeasing Vladimir Putin

The policy of appeasement – strategic concessions to an aggressor that are designed to avoid war – is generally most closely associated in the UK...

yesterday 1

The Conversation

Tim Luckhurst

West Nile virus found in the UK for the first time – what you need to know

For the first time, traces of the West Nile virus have been found in mosquitoes in the UK, according to a report published this week by the UK...

yesterday 2

The Conversation

Paul Hunter

What action can Israel’s allies take over its expansion of military operations in Gaza?

The British, French and Canadian leaders issued a joint statement on May 19 in which they condemned Israel’s “egregious actions” in Gaza,...

yesterday 1

The Conversation

Catherine Gegout

We found a germ that ‘feeds’ on hospital plastic – new study

Plastic pollution is one of the defining environmental challenges of our time – and some of nature’s tiniest organisms may offer a surprising way...

yesterday 1

The Conversation

Ronan Mccarthy

Russia is facing fresh sanctions, but Putin is used to dealing with a struggling economy

The UK and the EU have agreed to hit Russia with a raft of new economic sanctions after hopes of a ceasefire with Ukraine came to nothing. One...

yesterday 1

The Conversation

Yerzhan Tokbolat

Five ways to inspire ocean connection: reflections from my 40-year marine ecology career

For 40 years, I’ve worked as a marine ecologist and, since 1992, I’ve been based in Plymouth, Devon – a global hub for coastal marine research and...

yesterday 2

The Conversation

Martin Attrill

For many island species, the next tropical cyclone may be their last

When a major cyclone tears through an island nation, all efforts rightly focus on saving human lives and restoring livelihoods. However, these...

yesterday 1

The Conversation

Simon Valle

How the UK could monetise ‘citizen data’ and turn it into a national asset

Data is the lifeblood of artificial intelligence (AI) and as such is a hugely valuable resource. Entrepreneur Matt Clifford’s report on the AI...

yesterday 1

The Conversation

Ashley Braganza

Ukraine: it’s clear right now there are no serious plans for peace

When it comes to the sincerity, or otherwise, of Vladimir Putin’s apparent willingness to talk peace with Ukraine, the Russian leader has given us...

previous day 30

The Conversation

Jonathan Este

Eight years after arena attack, the commercialisation of Manchester’s bee symbol has unsettled some Mancunians

If you visit Manchester, one of the first things you’ll notice is the great number of bee images throughout the city. Born in the Industrial...

previous day 10

The Conversation

Ashley Collar

Why gait quality matters as you age

Walking is one of the most important things we do for our quality of life. In fact, research shows it contributes more than any other physical...

previous day 10

The Conversation

Helen Dawes

M&S cyber-attack : how to protect yourself from sim-swap fraud

Our mobile phone numbers have become a de facto form of identification, but they can be hijacked for nefarious purposes. Just such an attack may...

previous day 3

The Conversation

Alan Woodward

Anti-environmentalism is on the rise but it’s full of contradictions

Anti-environmentalism is gaining ground. Attacks on the net zero goal and hostility to conservation measures and anti-pollution targets are...

previous day 3

The Conversation

Alastair Bonnett

It’s unlikely a magic bullet will ever cure Alzheimer’s – maybe a magic shotgun can

For much of the 21st century, one theory has dominated research efforts to cure Alzheimer’s disease: the amyloid hypothesis. Beta-amyloid is a...

previous day 2

The Conversation

Gemma Ware

Starmer’s winter fuel allowance ‘U-turn ’ sets him on a tricky path with backbenchers and voters

The U-turn is a long and, depending on your point of view, honourable or dishonourable tradition in British politics. Now Keir Starmer has been...

previous day 1

The Conversation

Tim Bale

Hay fever: why symptoms are so bad this year – and what to do if your usual remedies aren’t working

Hay fever can be annoying at the best of times. But this year, many people are reporting their usual symptoms are worse than ever before – with...

previous day 1

The Conversation

Samuel J. White

Why Ofcom wants to plug a legal loophole around politicians presenting news

Following a legal battle with GB News, the UK’s media regulator is proposing to tighten its rules on politicians appearing as presenters. Earlier...

previous day 1

The Conversation

Stephen Cushion

Golden Dome: what Trump should learn from Reagan’s ‘Star Wars’ missile defence system plan

Donald Trump has unveiled plans for a new “next-generation” missile defence system which he says will by “capable even of intercepting missiles...

previous day 1

The Conversation

Matthew Powell

After 50 successful years, the European Space Agency has some big challenges ahead

This year marks the 50th anniversary of the founding of the European Space Agency (Esa). It has launched spectacularly successful missions, but is...

previous day 2

The Conversation

Daniel Brown

Heart Lamp by the Indian writer Banu Mushtaq wins 2025 International Booker prize – a powerful collection of stories inspired by the real suffering of women

Banu Mushtaq’s quietly powerful collection of short stories, translated by Deepa Bhasthi, shines a light on the lives of Muslim women in rural...

previous day 2

The Conversation

Helen Vassallo

The top Democrats leading the fight against Trump’s agenda

The first five months of Donald Trump’s second presidency have been brutal for the Democratic party, which has been almost completely unable to...

previous day 1

The Conversation

Fernando Pizarro

Eight years after arena attack, Manchester bee commercialisation has unsettled some Mancunians

If you visit Manchester, one of the first things you’ll notice is the great number of bee images throughout the city. Born in the Industrial...

previous day 3

The Conversation

Ashley Collar

Why a ‘rip-off ’ degree might be worth the money after all – research study

Certain university degrees – especially in the arts and humanities – are often maligned as “rip-offs” or “Mickey Mouse degrees”. The...

previous day 2

The Conversation

Sean Brophy

Just three nights of poor sleep might harm your heart – new study

We’ve long known that a lack of sleep is bad for the heart – but scientists are now starting to understand exactly how it causes harm. In a new...

previous day 1

The Conversation

Annie Curtis

Helen Chadwick: Life Pleasures – a rich and witty retrospective that smells like chocolate

A bubbling Jacuzzi-sized fountain of molten chocolate greets visitors at the entrance to Life Pleasures, a major retrospective of British artist...

previous day 2

The Conversation

Kerry Harker

‘We are all lumped under one umbrella of hate’: when social attitudes change, what is life like for people who don’t agree?

Pseudonyms are used in this article; interviewees who asked for their real names to be used are asterisked. In 2016, one of us (Kath) attended New...

previous day 2

The Conversation

Carol Ballantine

Working women are too often left to deal with endometriosis alone. But big changes could be coming

Endometriosis is a long-term and invisible gynaecological condition that affects around 1.5 million women in the UK alone. It’s known for its...

previous day 1

The Conversation

Victoria Williams

Mary Dorcey: queer Irish poet illuminates a form of sexuality even the law has overlooked

It’s the tenth anniversary of the marriage referendum in Ireland on May 22. The first country to legalise same-sex marriage by popular vote,...

previous day 2

The Conversation

Jack Reid

Clownfish shrink during marine heatwaves – new study

As the world contemplates dealing with more extreme temperatures, one coral reef fish has found a novel way to beat the heat: shrinking. Wanting to...

wednesday 20

The Conversation

Theresa Rueger

Universities face getting stuck with thousands of obsolete robots – here’s how to avoid a research calamity

For more than a decade, the French robotics company Aldebaran has built some of the most popular robots used in academic research. Go to most...

wednesday 5

The Conversation

Carl Strathearn

Small Boat: this slim, devastating novel about a real migrant shipwreck reminds us of the cruelty of indifference

There’s a particular kind of story that’s rarely executed well – one without heroes, without lessons, without even the cold comfort of a villain...

wednesday 4

The Conversation

Fiona Murphy

The psychology of climate traps and how to avoid them

Each year, the world loses around 5 million hectares of forest, with 95% of this deforestation occurring in tropical regions. South America is a...

wednesday 5

The Conversation

Lucrezia Nava

Why is it so hard for young people to get jobs?

For generations, young people have been told the path to opportunity is clear. Study hard, get a degree, and success will follow. This promise –...

wednesday 4

The Conversation

Farooq Mughal

Men on social media are cutting their eyelashes to appear more ‘masculine’ – here’s why it’s a bad idea

Social media is full of bizarre and questionable trends. The latest involves men trimming or shaving off their eyelashes in order to appear more “...

wednesday 1

The Conversation

Adam Taylor

Israel allows a ‘limited’ amount of aid back into Gaza, where the humanitarian situation is desperate

After 11 weeks of blockading the flow of humanitarian aid into Gaza, the Israeli government asked the UN to resume “limited” aid deliveries on May...

wednesday 2

The Conversation

Sarah Schiffling

How male anatomy became the default in medicine – and why that’s a problem

Imagine waking up from surgery to discover that the implants designed to save your life were too large, too rigid, and never meant for someone like...

wednesday 2

The Conversation

Michelle Spear

How the UK-EU deal turns the page on Brexit – and what happens next

At their first bilateral summit since Brexit, UK and EU leaders set out a range of areas they will seek to forge closer ties. European Council...

wednesday 3

The Conversation

Magdalena Frennhoff Larsén

Why the UK government is opposing universities on immigration

The UK government has announced its plans for controlling immigration, and these include new rules for international students. The recent white...

wednesday 3

The Conversation

Chris Millward

Lilo & Stitch: can Disney’s latest live-action animation remake reignite interest in the genre after Snow White box-office disaster?

Lilo & Stitch (2025) is another release in a long line of “reimaginings” of Disney animated features. Described as “live-action” they rework...

wednesday 1

The Conversation

Laura O&39Flanagan

Teachers knew what children needed to recover from the pandemic – but their insights were ignored

Five years have passed since schools and nurseries closed in England as a result of COVID-19 lockdowns. This unprecedented disruption to children’s...

wednesday 2

The Conversation

Alice Bradbury

Universal vaccines could reshape how we fight future outbreaks – but a broad approach is needed

Every year, the race begins anew. Scientists scramble to track mutating viruses, pharmaceutical companies reformulate vaccines and public health...

wednesday 2

The Conversation

Antony Black

Continuing to seek Chinese investment in the UK comes at a heavy political price

One major consequence of the UK government’s resistance to rejoining the European single market is that it is forced to go around the world seeking...

wednesday 1

The Conversation

Jeffrey Henderson

Did humans evolve to prefer religion? Research shows many atheists intuitively favour faith

Many atheists consider themselves to be highly rational people who rate evidence and analytical thinking above religion, superstition and...

wednesday 1

The Conversation

Will Gervais