By Daniele D'Alvia, Lecturer in Banking and Finance Law, Queen Mary University of London
When a conflict escalates, financial markets respond within minutes. That reaction is not just panic or speculation – it is a kind of collective judgement about what might happen next.
Tensions involving the US, Israel and Iran triggered a sharp jump in oil prices when Asian markets opened on Monday (rising by as much as 13% amid fears of supply disruption). Major Gulf indices fell steeply,…
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By Sophie Bartlett, Research Associate in Administrative Data Research Wales, Cardiff University
Chris Taylor, Academic Director, Cardiff University Social Sciences Research Park (SPARK), Cardiff University
Concerns about living in a “post-truth” society – where evidence struggles to compete with misinformation, ideology and emotion – are now familiar. From vaccine hesitancy to climate change denial, public debates increasingly hinge not on a lack of information, but on how people judge evidence, expertise and uncertainty.
These concerns are often framed as a problem of facts. But a deeper issue may be at play – whether people have the skills to weigh competing claims, understand uncertainty and decide what counts as…
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By Christine Loscher, Professor of Immunology, Dublin City University
Spring is just around the corner. While many look forward to the warmer weather after the long winter months, others may be filled with dread as spring marks the start of hay fever season. If this is you, the good news is there are plenty of things you can do ahead of hay fever season to make symptoms more manageable.
Hay fever affects roughly one in four UK adults. Symptoms are caused by three different types of pollen: tree,…
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By Adam Taylor, Professor of Anatomy, Lancaster University
Celebrity outfits and endorsements often dominate social media, but Elton John recently drew attention for a very different reason. The musician has been spotted wearing jewellery made from his own kneecaps.
After a double knee replacement in 2024, he asked his surgeon if he could keep his patellae, the bones at the front of the knee, and later worked with jeweller Theo Fennell to turn them into wearable pieces.
While jewellery made from kneecaps is unusual, it raises a broader question: what happens to tissue…
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By Stephen Neely, Associate Professor of Public Affairs, University of South Florida
Political content on social media finds you even if you’re not looking for it, and it tends to do so through a sensationalized and emotionally charged lens.
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By Helena Addison, Postdoctoral Fellow, Yale University
“People can assess me, interview me, incarcerate me, observe me, and they can think they know what I need,” said Shawn, a man in his early 50s who spent 15 years in and out of prison. “And that can be an educated assessment, but at the end of the day, I live inside of this body, inside of this head. I know what I need.”
Shawn is one of 29 formerly incarcerated Black men living in Philadelphia I interviewed as part of my research on coping with the mental health effects of imprisonment. His name and the names of…
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By Catherine A. Sanderson, Poler Family Professor of Psychology, Amherst College
Heroes take a personal risk for the common good. Some people may just be born with the personality traits of a hero – but anyone can get ready to act heroically.
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By Svetla Ben-Itzhak, Assistant Professor of Space and International Relations, Johns Hopkins University
Private companies are no longer peripheral participants in U.S. space activities. They provide key services, including launching and deploying satellites, transporting cargo and astronauts to the International Space Station, and even sending landers…
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By Alessandro Meregaglia, Associate Professor and Archivist, Boise State University
For the sharpest minds in show business, there’s always another hustle.
Take Joe Exotic, whose 2020 conviction for a murder-for-hire plot and violations of the Endangered Species Act hasn’t kept the eccentric tiger trainer out of the headlines.
Since beginning his 21-year sentence, the “Tiger King” star has started a cannabis brand, hawked digital art and begun work on an album tentatively titled “Jungle Rhapsody: A Tiger King…
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By Andrew Latham, Professor of Political Science, Macalester College
Hostile acts don’t always arrive with a clear signature.
Nefarious actors shape elections without leaving irrefutable evidence of ballot manipulation. Rogue states interfere with infrastructure through actions that resist clean attribution. State-backed hackers can warp information environments…
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