By Rachel Stuart, Senior Lecturer in Criminology and Deviant Identities, Brunel University of London
Warning: this article contains minor spoilers for Sinners.
Sinners is a vampire film set in Jim Crow-era Mississippi, a time of harsh segregation and racial injustice. The vampire is Irishman Remmick (Jack O'Connell), who is drawn to the blues music played at the Juke Joint, a club set up by identical gangster twins, Smoke and Stack (both played by Michael B. Jordan).
We first encounter Remmick as he is being chased by a band of indigenous Choctaw vampire hunters, who corner him in the shack of a couple who happen to be part of the Ku Klux Klan. The Choctaw’s claim…
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By Dipa Kamdar, Senior Lecturer in Pharmacy Practice, Kingston University
Nasal decongestant sprays are a popular remedy for relieving nasal congestion caused by colds, allergies and sinus infections. These sprays provide quick relief allowing for easier breathing. However, while they can be effective in the short term, overusing nasal decongestant sprays can lead to serious health issues.
In April 2025, ITV news reported on people who became dependent on nasal sprays. Many others went on to share similar experiences on social media…
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By Judith Schomaker, Assistant Professor, Department of Health, Medical and Neuropsychology, Leiden University
When getting ready to take exams, it can sometimes feel as though there’s no way all the information you need to remember is going to fit in your brain. But there are ways to create the right conditions to make your studying as efficient as possible.
My research into the science of memory shows that both novelty – new experiences – and familiarity can affect memory. You can use novelty to prime yourself for learning, and familiarity to organise your memory and retain knowledge.
To start with, this might mean going for a walk in an unfamiliar part of your neighbourhood…
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By Alexandre Pace, PhD Candidate in Geography, Urban and Environmental Studies, Concordia University
The effects of climate change are complex, especially on the water cycle. As we seek to better understand human-driven climate changes, long-term baselines for environmental data are essential.
However, records of past environmental conditions are too short to give us a robust understanding of how these systems have changed over time. One solution is to look at natural archives.
There are many natural processes that leave behind records of past environmental conditions, including…
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By Human Rights Watch
Click to expand Image US Secretary of State Marco Rubio speaks after being sworn in by Vice President JD Vance near the White House in Washington, DC, January 21, 2025. © 2025 AP Photo/Evan Vucci (Washington, DC) – The Trump administration’s new US State Department structure may further hamstring rights and justice-related work, with programming already decimated by foreign aid cuts, Human Rights Watch said today. The new structure eliminates several human rights-focused offices and senior positions.On April 22, 2025, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced a “comprehensive reorganization…
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By Justin Stebbing, Professor of Biomedical Sciences, Anglia Ruskin University
At 71, Tina Knowles – the fashion designer, businesswoman, and mother of Beyoncé – made headlines not for her career, but for a deeply personal revelation: her breast cancer diagnosis. In 2023, a routine mammogram uncovered two tumours in her left breast, one benign and the other malignant. Diagnosed with stage 1 breast cancer, she underwent surgery and is now cancer-free.
Knowles had initially hesitated to share her story, even considering leaving it out of her
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By Rebecca Harding, PhD Candidate, Clinical Psychopharmacology Unit, UCL
Celia Morgan, Professor of Psychopharmacology, Psychology, University of Exeter
New research gives voice to ketamine addiction sufferers, exposing physical harms, treatment gaps and the urgent need for better education.
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By Yixian Sun, Associate Professor in International Development, University of Bath
The second Trump administration has announced various anti-climate policies under its “America first” strategy. Leaving the Paris agreement, kicking off a trade war, shutting down USAid and drilling for more oil and gas will…
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By Christiana Gregoriou, Professor in English Language and Stylistics, University of Leeds
Eighty years on from VE Day, it’s crucial we remember how ethnically diverse those veterans were and how much they can teach us about the meaning of life.
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By Radoslaw Wincza, Lecturer in Behavioural Sciences, University of Central Lancashire
Gustav Kuhn, Associate professor, University of Plymouth
Magicians have long been masters of mind games, turning our brain’s quirks and blind spots into moments of pure astonishment. But magic isn’t just for show – it’s become a powerful tool in the cognitive science of unlocking the mind’s hidden limitations.
The science of magic has grown into a serious field of study, showing us how unreliable our intuitions and self-perceptions can be. However, a new study shows that magicians may be wrong about why their tricks work.
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