Charming witches and supernatural forces: what to watch and visit this week
The Conversation UKby Anna Walker, Senior Arts + Culture Editor, The Conversation·27d ago
Practical Magic is still bewitching Every generation of women has its witch. For my grandmother, it was the Wicked Witch of the West from The Wizard of Oz, with her striped stockings and flying...
Nepal floods: how measuring snow in the Himalayas could help avoid future disasters
The Conversation UKby Siddharth Gumber, Post Doctoral Research Associate at St. Edmund's College, University of Cambridge; British Antarctic Survey·27d ago
The massive and deadly floods on the Nepal-Tibet border are a stark reminder of why the world needs to constantly update its understanding of the fragile ecosystem in the Himalayas.
Floods and droughts are both signs of water insecurity – they show up in these four places
The Conversation UKby Hannah Cloke, Regius Professor of Meteorology and Climate Science, University of Reading·27d ago
After the UK’s hottest ever summer on record, when much of the country has experienced a fraction of its normal levels of rain, many regions continue to be in drought.
A brief history of the hangover and its cures – from cabbages to cloves and the lungs of a goat
The Conversation UKby Joan Fitzpatrick, Reader in Renaissance Literature, Loughborough University·27d ago
Anyone who has ever woken up with a hangover will recognise its physical and psychological effects: headache, nausea, self-loathing, regret, and perhaps even some shame at the uninhibited behaviour...
Your brain may be doing its most important work when you think you’re doing nothing
The Conversation UKby Michael Craig, Assistant Professor of Psychology, Northumbria University, Newcastle·27d ago
You finish a lecture, a meeting, a conversation with someone you care about. And what do you do? You reach for your phone. You stick in your earbuds.
Why ‘slow jogging’ is the perfect fitness trend for people who want to get into exercise
The Conversation UKby Stephen Garland, Senior Lecturer, Sports Physiology, Malmö University·27d ago
Avid runners are often chasing speed. Whether that’s improving their 5K or shaving seconds off their marathon time to nail a personal best.
Could AI really kill off humanity within the decade? Expert Q&A
The Conversation UKby Kate Devlin, Professor of Artificial Intelligence & Society, Department of Digital Humanities, King's College London·27d ago
Artificial intelligence (AI) could wipe out humanity this decade, according to three researchers from the US company Anthropic. One of the employees, Jacob Coxon, has quit the AI firm.
A day in the life: a look at the Danish way versus the British way
The Conversation UKby Kristina Pfeffer, Researcher, Sport and Health Science, University of Southern Denmark·27d ago
Denmark and the UK are often compared when it comes to health. Danes live longer, survive more cancers and report higher levels of wellbeing.
UK changes its tune on Israeli policies in the West Bank
The Conversation UKby Jonathan Este, Senior International Affairs Editor, Associate Editor, The Conversation·27d ago
There’s been a broad spectrum of reactions to the UK government’s decision to introduce a ban on trade in goods and services from illegal Israeli settlements.
Practical Magic 2 will bewitch fans despite its flimsy premise
The Conversation UKby Lynsey Cowlishaw, PhD Candidate in History and Culture, Media and Creative Industries, King's College London·28d ago
It’s gen X nostalgia in full swing. I’m with my sister, who’s dressed in a floral maxi dress and slim-knit cardigan, surrounded by satin baby-dolls and goth-light outfits worn by the tattooed gen...
Heatwaves are making toxic algae worse, but the real problem is what we are putting into our rivers and lakes
The Conversation UKby Marta Albin, PhD Candidate, Applied Immunology and Biotechnology, Dublin City University·28d ago
This summer’s heat brought warnings about harmful algal blooms across Britain and Ireland. In August, swimmers were warned not to enter a newly designated bathing site on the River Thames at Ham...
How to help your garden recover from a heatwave
The Conversation UKby Ross Cameron, Professor of Environmental Horticulture, University of Sheffield·28d ago
UK gardens took a battering this summer as a heat dome settled over western Europe, and much of the green and pleasant land turned a dusty beige. Some areas went without rain for almost two months.
Twenty-five years after 9/11: an over-reliance on technology is leaving us vulnerable
The Conversation UKby Mark Maguire, Professor of Anthropology, Centre for Global Development, Maynooth University·28d ago
It has been 25 years since the devastating attacks of September 11 2001. Amid the reflection that followed emerged the most comprehensive examination of any terrorist attack in history, the 9/11...
Cate Blanchett’s Electra/Persona at the National Theatre is a surreal triumph
The Conversation UKby Will Shüler, Vice-Dean of Education and Senior Lecturer, School of Performing and Digital Arts, Royal Holloway, University of London·28d ago
Written and directed by Benedict Andrews, Electra/Persona is two plays conjoined. The first is a version of Sophocles’ ancient Greek tragedy Electra, and the second is a stage adaptation of the...
Six ways people have used magic to protect their homes throughout history – from witch bottles to ‘hag stones’
The Conversation UKby Thomas Waters, Lecturer in History, Imperial College London·28d ago
Virtually all cultures and epochs fizz with magic. You might call it a secret ingredient of human life, because magic takes so many forms and serves so many functions.
Why a small leftist party may help the radical right to power in Germany
The Conversation UKby Sarah Wagner, Lecturer in Quantitative Political Science, Queen's University Belfast·28d ago
The extreme right-wing Alternative für Deutschland (AfD) has won a decisive victory in a regional election in the German state of Saxony-Anhalt, gaining nearly 44% of the vote.
The next frontier is not artificial intelligence, it’s artificial societies
The Conversation UKby Nick Jennings, Vice-Chancellor and President, Loughborough University·28d ago
There is a temptation to divide the future of AI into two possibilities: utopia or catastrophe. Neither extreme is particularly helpful.
Snakebites kill tens of thousands every year, could our new research change that?
The Conversation UKby Kartik Sunagar, Associate Professor of Evolutionary Biology, Indian Institute of Science·28d ago
Every year, between 80,000 and 140,000 people die from snakebites worldwide. Hundreds of thousands more are left with amputated limbs or permanent disabilities.
How Donald Trump’s war in Iran is failing the legitimacy test in the eyes of US voters
The Conversation UKby Ben Soodavar, Lecturer, Department of War Studies, King's College London·28d ago
Donald Trump now has a new proposed timetable for his war with Iran, albeit without a clear purpose.
Strait of Hormuz crisis: how danger and uncertainty can affect the mental health of seafarers
The Conversation UKby Eka Siradze, Associate Professor of International Law, Faculty of Law, Tbilisi State University·28d ago
As instability in the Strait of Hormuz disrupts shipping, public discussion tends to focus on fuel prices and supplies. Less attention is paid to the people working on the ships.
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