By Helena Goodwyn, Assistant Professor of English Literature and Creative Writing, Northumbria University, Newcastle
In 1906, the journalist W.T. Stead warned in A Plea for the Revival of Reading that Britain faced a reading crisis. People, he complained, no longer read books. Instead, they skimmed newspapers on trains, forgot what they had read by lunchtime and increasingly preferred distraction to sustained attention. His proposed solution? A national revival of reading.
One hundred and twenty years later, 2026 is the UK’s National Year of Reading. After years of concern about declining rates…
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By Stuart Thompson, Emeritus Fellow in Plant Biochemistry, University of Westminster
Fields, parks and lawns across Europe have turned to straw this summer. Landscapes thousands of years old have been revealed as green outlines against yellow backgrounds, where ancient underground walls and ditches retain enough water to sustain pockets of grass above them. Lawns and parklands have been especially affected because what water is available is being directed to homes and farms.
July was the driest…
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By Mohammed Elmorsy, Associate Professor, Department of Computer Science, MacEwan University
Samuel Mugo, Professor & Associate Dean, Development, Department of Physical Sciences, MacEwan University
The advantage of virtual reality training is scalability. The same experience can be delivered in many countries simultaneously, without need for travel.
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By Josh Arbon, Postdoctoral Research Fellow in Zoology, University of Cambridge
Battles between rival groups are a story as old as time. This sounds like a human story, but it is also one that is playing out across nature.
Conflict between groups of animals competing for territory and resources is widespread, and contests between animals can be dangerous. Getting ambushed, especially by a larger or more powerful group, can have disastrous consequences.
However, conflict is sometimes unavoidable.
Emerging research shows war preparations are not a trait unique to humans.
A…
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By Benjamin Pothier, Researcher in Anthropology, Ethnobotany and Art History, Space Artist and Human Factors Specialist in Crewed Space Missions, Fellow International of the Explorers Club., University of Plymouth
A painted panel deep in a Spanish cave may push the human relationship with mind-altering plants back thousands of years, earlier than anything previously known.
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By Xavier Aldana Reyes, Reader in English Literature and Film, Manchester Metropolitan University
David Cronenberg’s The Fly remains a grotesque yet deeply moving tale of transformation, technology and what it means to lose your humanity.
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By Dan Baumgardt, Senior Lecturer, School of Psychology and Neuroscience, University of Bristol
Ever feel that the arrival of summer sun makes you feel a bit dopey? You wouldn’t be the only one. Soaring temperatures are known for their ability to slow our thought processes, making even everyday tasks seem like a baffling ordeal.
But what is actually happening inside our heads when the heat is on? The explanation appears to lie in the extra work our brain and body have to do to keep us cool.
The brain and body are in constant conversation. When outdoor temperatures change,…
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By Brian Sheppard, Professor of Law, Seton Hall University
Andrew Moshirnia, Associate Professor & Director of Education - Business Law & Taxation, Monash University
To manipulate voter perception, political action committees are adopting names that signal the opposite political goals from what those groups intend. And research shows the strategy is working.
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By Michael Traugott, Research Professor at the Center for Political Studies, University of Michigan
Abdul El-Sayed won a hard fight in Michigan’s Democratic primary race for U.S. Senate against Rep. Haley Stevens. He eked out a win by 15,000 votes, or about 1% of the almost 1.5 million votes cast during the election on Aug. 4, 2026.
El-Sayed had a consistent populist message during the primary campaign. He told The New York Times, “I can walk into almost…
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By Tuck Seng Wong, Professor of Biomanufacturing, School of Chemical, Materials and Biological Engineering, University of Sheffield
Kang Lan Tee, Associate Professor, School of Chemical, Materials and Biological Engineering, University of Sheffield
From AI models to synthetic DNA screening and outbreak surveillance, there are several points where emerging biological risks could be reduced.
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