By Renaud Foucart, Senior Lecturer in Economics, Lancaster University Management School, Lancaster University
Iran’s military might was never going to be a match for the US and Israel. So instead it turned to the highly effective weapon it has at its disposal – geography.
Blocking off the Strait of Hormuz has shaken the global economy. It has doubled the price of a barrel of crude oil, which has a knock-on effect on the price the rest of the world…
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By Charlotte Gislam, Researcher in Game Studies, University of Salford
Neta Yodovich, Researcher in Game Studies, University of Salford
Recognition by Bafta and investment by the UK government reveals just how far video gaming has come in terms of being a respected art form.
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By J.C. Bradbury, Professor of Economics, Kennesaw State University
When the Atlanta Braves opened Truist Park in 2017, Major League Baseball Commissioner Rob Manfred called it a “watershed” moment.
What drew so much attention to the new Braves’ stadium in suburban Cobb County, Georgia, at the time was its construction within a mixed-use development, known as The Battery Atlanta. Truist Park anchors a live-work-play campus that includes restaurants, shops, hotels, offices and residences. The idea was to…
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By Nathan Critch, Research Associate, Department of Politics, University of Manchester
Darcy Luke, Research Associate, Edinburgh Futures Institute, University of Edinburgh
Keir Starmer’s decision to appoint Peter Mandelson as ambassador to the US keeps coming back to haunt him. It has now emerged that Mandelson was granted security clearance by the Foreign Office, despite concerns raised during the vetting process. Top Foreign Office civil servant Olly Robbins was sacked over these revelations.
Mandelson was controversial long before Starmer appointed him in 2024. A New Labour figure known as the “prince…
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By Ibrahim Al-Marashi, Adjunct Professor, IE School of Humanities, IE University; California State University San Marcos
While AI technology is new, information warfare is as old as conflict itself. For millennia, humans have used propaganda, deception and psychological operations to influence adversaries’ decision-making and morale. In the 13th century, for instance, the Mongols destroyed entire cities just so word of mouth would spread to the next, with the goal of breaking morale and forcing it to capitulate before troops even arrived.
As technology has progressed, it has opened new frontiers in information warfare. From the Second World War to the 1991 Gulf War, planes dropped leaflets to spread…
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By David Smith, Lecturer, School of Applied Social Studies, Robert Gordon University
Sabrina Fitzsimons, Co-Director of DCU CREATE (Centre for Collaborative Research Across Teacher Education), Lecturer in Education, Dublin City University
Incels – involuntary celibates – believe they have been unconditionally excluded from the dating market and are doomed to remain virgins. This has negative implications for their mood and self-esteem, as well as the women and girls they grow to resent.
For this reason, schools in England are now required to address incel communities, among other sources of online misogyny, in relationships, sex and health…
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By Kersten Hall, Author and Honorary Fellow, Centre for History and Philosophy of Science, University of Leeds
Ralf Dahm, Visiting Professor, Department of Biology, University of Padua
Working on human pus in a medieval castle, Miescher discovered a substance that would eventually unlock our understanding of how life works.
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By Adam Taylor, Professor of Anatomy, Lancaster University
During pregnancy, a mother’s body undergoes vast structural and functional changes. But what many might not know is that the after-effects of these changes can last long after giving birth – and can even result in the development of new health conditions.
Here are just a few of the common conditions a mother can develop after giving birth:
1. Gallstones
One common condition that arises after pregnancy is gallstones. Approximately 12% of women are affected.
Gallstones…
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By Nick Ilott, Senior Researcher and Lead Bioinformatician, The Oxford Centre for Microbiome Studies, University of Oxford
Through the air we breathe and the food we eat, we can’t help but inhale and ingest tiny bits of plastic every day.
These microplastics, as they’re known, have been found in many parts of the human body – including the lungs, placenta and blood vessels. Research has even linked…
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By David J. Galbreath, Professor of War and Technology, University of Bath
The was appears to be at a dangerous stalemate. But there are ways for both sides to find an off-ramp.
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