Comments and analysis

two people walk on a beach

Even a few thousand steps a day can reduce your risk of Alzheimerā€™s ā€“ new study

An opinion piece written by Professor Eef Hogervorst from the School of Sport, Exercise and Health Sciences for The Conversation:

An aerial view of Austin, Texas, flooded with homes badly affected.

Climate change is becoming an insurance crisis

Imagine waking up to find your living room underwater for the second time in five years. You try to claim insurance, only to be told your property is now uninsurable. Premiums have tripled. Your mortgage lender is concerned. And your biggest asset, your home, is rapidly losing value.
A map of Turkey

How Turkey is cracking down on the media

Hakan Tosun, a 50 year-old Turkish journalist, died on October 13 three days after he was assaulted in a street attack in Istanbul. Two people have been arrested. The motive for the attack remains unclear, but several political groups have suggested that it may be linked to Tosunā€™s work. He reported on human rights and environmental protection.
A group of elderly friends taking a selfie with a phone

Can friendship keep you young? Scientists say your social life might slow ageing

An opinion piece written by Professor James Goodwin from the School of Design and Creative Arts for The Conversation:
Flags of Israel and Palestine fly behind barbed wire

October 7 two years on: Israelis and Palestinians caught between two conflicting ideas of peace

An opinion piece written by Dr Yuval Katz from the School of Social Sciences and Humanities for The Conversation:
Two tanks drive through the desert

Three reasons why the climate crisis must reshape how we think about war

Earthā€™s average temperature rose more than 1.5Ā°C above pre-industrial levels in 2024 for the first time ā€“ a critical threshold in the climate crisis. At the same time, major armed conflicts continue to rage in Ukraine, Gaza, Sudan and elsewhere.
The cast of the Thursday Murder Club

The Thursday Murder Club: everything is eclipsed by the cakes in this sanitised Netflix adaptation

In his essay Decline of the English Murder, the writer George Orwell evokes the pleasure to be had in reading about killing. After a good meal (including pudding), you are in the mood to read: ā€œthe sofa cushions are soft underneath you, the fire is well alight, the air is warm.ā€ And what is it, in ā€œthese blissful circumstancesā€, that you want to read about? ā€œNaturally,ā€ says Orwell, ā€œa murderā€.
Kenyan landscape with Mount Kilimanjaro in the background

Christians and the British empire: how a church NGO got entangled in colonial violence in Kenya

In the 1950s, Kenyans fought against colonial control in what came to be known as the Mau Mau rebellion. In response, the British government announced a state of emergency in 1952 and engaged in a brutal counter-insurgency campaign to secure control of colonial Kenya.
Two glasses of beer being held up

Consolation, community, national identity: what is lost when pubs close ā€“ and how they can be saved

An opinion piece written by Dr Thomas Thurnell-Read and Dr Robert Deakin from the School of Social Sciences for The Conversation platform:
Busy Oxford Street in London including a red bus

Britain is already becoming an ā€˜island of strangersā€™ ā€“ but immigration isnā€™t the driver

An opinion piece written by Dr Michael Skey from the School of Social Sciences for The Conversation platform:
The flag of Vatican City - the home of the Pope

The prospect of a US pope was once viewed with suspicion ā€“ but Leo XIV could prove an important counter to Trump

An opinion piece written by Doctoral Researcher Massimo D'Angelo from ĪēŅ¹»Ęʬµ¼ŗ½ London for The Conversation platform.
View from the Mount of Olives on the dome of the rock and ancient cemetery through the barbed wire, as a symbol of Palestine Israeli conflict

Israelā€™s peace movement offers a ray of hope amid the pain of Gaza conflict

An opinion piece written by Dr Yuval Katz from the School of Social Sciences and Humanities for The Conversation platform:
A man facing several security cameras showing different locations in an office

Severance: what the hit show can teach us about cybersecurity and human risk

What if your work self didnā€™t know about your personal life, and your home self had no idea what you did for a living? In Apple TVā€™s Severance, thatā€™s exactly the deal: a surgical procedure splits the memories of employees into ā€œinniesā€ (who only exist at work) and ā€œoutiesā€ (who never recall what they do from nine to five).
pope francis

How Pope Francis changed the Catholic Churchā€™s foreign policy

When the late Pope Francis first stepped on to the balcony of Saint Peterā€™s Basilica following his election 12 years ago, he remarked that he had been called almost from the ā€œend of the worldā€. He was the first non-European pontiff since Gregory III, elected in AD731, who was of Syrian origin. And he was the first pope in history to come from Latin America.
Iran and US flags together

Iran and US to enter high-stakes nuclear negotiations ā€“ hampered by a lack of trust

The announcement of planned talks between the US and Iran in Oman signifies a crucial development ā€“ especially given the history of distrust and animosity that has characterised their interactions.
a child and woman smile at each other

How dentists could help tackle obesity in children

As a specialty registrar in paediatric dentistry, Iā€™ve seen first-hand the pain children experience because of poor oral health. Tooth decay happens when teeth are damaged by acids produced by oral bacteria breaking down sugar from foods and drinks ā€“ and although itā€™s largely preventable ā€“ itā€™s the most common reason forĀ hospital admissionĀ in children aged between five and nine in England.
Woman checking bill sat wrapped up warm

Energy bills and debt are rising yet again ā€“ here are three things that would help vulnerable households

Energy prices are rising faster than benefits, wages or pensions, meaning the amount that UK households owe to energy suppliers ā€“ their energy debt ā€“ is also likely to grow.
Turkish flag being held up in crowd

Turkey: a favourable international climate is spurring Erdoğanā€™s crackdown on democracy

The Turkish judiciary has finally succeeded in sidelining Istanbulā€™s mayor, Ekrem Ä°mamoğlu, at the fourth attempt. On the morning of March 19, the 53-year-old posted a video on social media announcing that police had arrived at his home to arrest him on charges of corruption, aiding a terrorist organisation and organised crime.
Ice floating around in the arctic sea

Growing Trump-Putin detente could spell trouble for the Arctic

During a wide-ranging 90-minute speech to the US congress of March 4, Donald Trump revisited his determination to ā€œgetā€ Greenland ā€œone way or the otherā€. Trump said his country needed Greenland ā€œfor national securityā€. While he said he and his government ā€œstrongly support your right to determine your own futureā€ he added that ā€œif you choose, we welcome you into the United States of Americaā€.
Macron shakes Trump's hand

Emmanuel Macron used every diplomatic trick in the book at the White House ā€“ but Trump writes his own rules

If there was a book of diplomacy, then French president Emmanuel Macron threw it at US president Donald Trump in their joint press conference in Washington DC. Macron delivered quite the masterclass in the diplomatic arts. Unthreatening body language and public displays of affection? Check.
A pile of used clothes

The world needs a circular economy. But workers in developing countries shouldnā€™t pay the price

The circular economy offers a fresh approach to how we produce and consume, focusing on reducing, reusing, recycling and recovering. It moves us away from the traditional ā€œmake, use, discardā€ model, creating a more sustainable system to balance the needs of the economy, society and nature.

A couple arguing

How to argue without falling out ā€“ an expert guide

To disagree is an inescapable part of being human. We simply are not all the same. But whereas a small disagreement may remain amiable, particularly over text or online where we can edit our responses, a face-to-face row over a sensitive topic can develop into a more antagonistic form of argument.
steak cooking on a grill

Processed red meat isnā€™t just bad for your heart, itā€™s also associated with dementia

Less red meat is good for the planet and aĀ growing number of peopleĀ have started the new year resolving to pursue a meat-free diet.
The Capitol building in the US

The Trump revolution: where it came from and where itā€™s going

As Donald Trump prepares for his inauguration, the world is preparing for the beginning of the second Trump Revolution. Trumpā€™s second term will be very different from his first, when his powers were more limited and restrained. In 2016 he did not win a majority of the popular vote.
a digital circuit board with a tree growing from it symbolising technology and its impact on the environment

How the UKā€™s plans for AI could derail net zero ā€“ the numbers explained

The UK governmentā€™s goal to increase public-controlled artificial intelligence computing power twentyfold by 2030 would significantly raise electricity demand. Can renewable energy supply meet it ā€“ and still have enough left over to electrify sectors like heating and transport, which must be fully decarbonised by 2050?