By Carlos Coronel, Postdoctoral researcher, Latin American Brain Health Institute, Universidad Adolfo Ibáñez
Agustín Ibáñez, Professor in Global Brain Health at GBHI, Trinity College
Creative experience might enhance brain health, which could slow down the brain’s ageing.
That’s according to a study by a group of international scientists across 13 countries. They found that creative activities, like dance classes – the tango proved particularly effective – or art classes or music lessons or a hobby like gaming, had a positive impact on an artificial intelligence (AI) “brain clock”. And the more the participant practised their art form, the “younger” their brain clocks…
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By Westen K Shilaho, International Relations Scholar, University of the Witwatersrand
One of the markers of Kenyan statesman Raila Odinga was not just his courage in challenging the establishment but his ability to fortify it when circumstances demanded. An example was his willingness in 2007 to set aside his ambition at having been robbed of the presidency in a rigged…
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By Louis Bayman, Associate Professor in Department of Film Studies, University of Southampton
Horror has always helped us establish the boundaries of acceptability by giving a name and shape to what transgresses them. Much of what constitutes horror stems from childhood, a time when boundaries and ideas of transgression are first being set.
Children can often encounter the world as a frightening place, full of unseen, mysterious powers. Any child who has been told that the monsters under the bed aren’t real knows just how little that reassurance helps their very real sense…
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By Phil Johnstone, Visiting Fellow, School of Global Studies, University of Sussex; University of Tartu; Utrecht University
Andy Stirling, Professor of Science & Technology Policy, SPRU, University of Sussex Business School, University of Sussex
Donald Trump’s recent visit to the UK saw a so-called “landmark partnership” on nuclear energy. London and Washington announced plans to build 20 small modular reactors and also develop microreactor technology – despite the fact no such plants have yet been built commercially anywhere in the world.
…
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By George Kassar, Full-time Faculty, Research Associate, Ascencia Business School
Ahmed Benhoumane, Associate professor, Ascencia Business School
There are environmental and personal reasons to consume less. Doing so may require an approach grounded in human behaviour, not a trend.
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By Glenn Fosbraey, Associate Dean of Humanities and Social Sciences, University of Winchester
In the last ten years, Bruce Springsteen has cemented his status as a bona fide music legend.
In that time, he has won the Presidential Medal of Freedom, had a worldwide bestselling book been the subject of the acclaimed film Blinded By The Light (2019), and seen his studio albums continue to scale the higher reaches of the charts.
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By Karl Pike, Lecturer in British Politics/Public Policy, School of Politics and International Relations, Queen Mary University of London
If you blinked you may have missed it. Labour has a new deputy leader, Lucy Powell, who won the contest to replace Angela Rayner.
The position of deputy comes down to a vote of party members and affiliated supporters, and this contest was seen as an opportunity to give Keir Starmer’s leadership the thumbs up or thumbs down.
Members have gone for the latter, selecting Powell over Education Secretary Bridget…
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By Rebecca Hamer, Research associate, Sheffield Hallam University
Two stories of abuse have repeatedly captured the nation’s attention. The first relates to Prince Andrew’s friendship with financier Jeffrey Epstein, even after Epstein was convicted for sex offences. The second is the group-based child sexual abuse in Rotherham, Rochdale and other cities.
Prince Andrew has come under mounting pressure over the posthumous publication of a memoir by Virginia Giuffre a victim of Epstein’s who also accused Andrew of abuse. In 2022, Andrew settled a civil sexual assault…
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By Caroline Bond, Professor of Educational Psychology, University of Manchester
Luke Munford, Senior Lecturer in Health Economics, University of Manchester
Pupils with special educational needs and disabilities are twice as likely as their peers to be persistently absent from school.
Persistent absence means that they miss up to 10% of school sessions (sessions are a morning or afternoon at school). For those with an Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP) – a legal document that lays out support they are entitled to – the picture is even worse. They are up to seven times more likely to be severely…
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By John Wyver, Professor of the Arts on Screen, University of Westminster
The BBC’s Written Archives Centre (WAC) is housed in an unassuming bungalow on the outskirts of Reading, 40 miles west of London. It holds one of the greatest document collections of British and global history from the past century.
For half that time, researchers, storytellers and interested members of the public were able to mine its extensive resources for monographs, dissertations and broadcasts relating to the BBC. Recent changes to the conditions of access, however, mean that independent and exploratory…
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