By Samuel Francis Leaney, Postdoctoral Research Associate in Cerebrovascular Physiology, Manchester Metropolitan University
Tiago Pecanha, Senior Lecturer in Human Cardiovascular Physiology, Manchester Metropolitan University
Whether it’s at practice or during a Fifa World Cup match, football players could unknowingly be putting their brain health at risk every time they take to the field.
Studies suggest that retired football players have a higher risk of developing dementia, particularly Alzheimer’s disease, compared to the general population. It’s currently thought that this increased risk is partly being driven by performing one particular skill: heading the…
(Full Story)
|
By Lizzie Seal, Professor of Criminology, University of Sussex
Ruth Ellis became the last woman to be hanged in Britain on July 13 1955. Her execution was a national event. A crowd, reported to be 1,000-strong, gathered outside Holloway Prison in London that morning. Anti-death penalty protesters held signs, some people prayed and some wept. Ellis’s story had deeply moved the public.
Over 70 years later, the deputy prime minister, David Lammy, has announced that Ellis has been granted a conditional pardon due to the “exceptional…
(Full Story)
|
By Uroš Kovač, Postdoctoral fellow, University of Groningen
Ikechukwu Ejekwumadu, Postdoctoral Fellow, Institute of Sports Science, University of Tübingen
With a Somali referee being denied entry into the US, and the surge of online racist abuse after 2026 World Cup matches, racism and exclusion in football are once again in the news.
Overt anti-Black racism in football is well reported and researched.…
(Full Story)
|
By Gemma Ware, Host, The Conversation Weekly Podcast, The Conversation
Listen to intellectual property expert Graeme Austin talk about the legal routes celebrites are using to fight back against AI deepfakes.
(Full Story)
|
By Michael G. Madden, Established Professor of Computer Science & Head of Machine Learning Research Group, School of Computer Science, University of Galway
James McDermott, Senior Lecturer in Computer Science, School of Computer Science, University of Galway
The US AI research company Anthropic has become known for building powerful AI models while simultaneously warning about their dangers.
Most recently, its executives wrote about the threat posed by “recursive self-improvement”. This is the point when AI systems can improve themselves by themselves, potentially leading to “superintelligence”…
(Full Story)
|
By Amber Williams, PhD Candidate in Molecular Biology, Cardiff University
To people, salt is a kitchen staple. But to crops, too much of it can be devastating.
Across coastal regions and irrigated agricultural land, salt is accumulating in soils, making it harder for plants to absorb water and reducing harvests. Scientists estimate that around…
(Full Story)
|
By Andrew Lane, Professor in Sport Psychology, University of Wolverhampton
Ross Cloak, Associate Professor of Sport and Exercise Science Faculty of Education, Health, and Wellbeing, University of Wolverhampton
Elite teams plan for heat, recovery and warning signs. Workplaces expecting effort during heatwaves need the same kind of thinking.
(Full Story)
|
By Abigail Parrish, Lecturer in Languages Education, University of Sheffield
Anthony Gordon – one of the stars of England’s football team at the 2026 World Cup – surprised many when he was presented as a new Barcelona player at the end of the 2025-26 domestic football season: he answered a question at the press conference in confident Spanish. Gordon explained that he had been learning the language for years with the hope of one day playing for Barcelona.
I research motivation, particularly when it comes to learning languages. Gordon’s ambition to learn…
(Full Story)
|
By Jonathan Peter Skinner, Reader in Anthropology of Events, University of Surrey
The continued reinvention of the Titanic across television, immersive exhibitions, virtual reality and theatre suggests the emergence of what might be called a “Titanic signature”. This is a recognisable way of retelling the disaster that repeatedly combines familiar characters, dramatic moments, emotional themes and immersive experiences. Rather than simply recounting history, each new version reworks a shared cultural template for contemporary audiences.
The term echoes Belfast’s 2012 Titanic…
(Full Story)
|
By Kris Gledhill, Professor of Law, Auckland University of Technology
Same-sex marriages and an apology from the state followed the homosexual law reform, but gaps remain for some people trying to have historic convictions expunged.
(Full Story)
|