By Stephanie Dennison, Professor in Brazilian Studies, University of Leeds
Alfredo Luiz Paes de Oliveira Suppia, Professor Associado do Depto. de Multimeios, Mídia e Comunicação, Inst. de Artes, Universidade Estadual de Campinas (Unicamp)
Kleber Mendonça Filho’s The Secret Agent (O Agente Secreto, 2025) marks a moment of consolidation in one of contemporary Brazilian cinema’s most consistent careers.
Since his early short films such as Cold Tropics (Recife Frio, 2009), the filmmaker has developed a unique style packed with movie references that tantalisingly falls somewhere between arthouse and genre film. These traits reach new heights of self-awareness and formal freedom in The…
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By Nicholas Payne, Associate Professor of Natural Sciences, Trinity College Dublin
Louise Overy, Assistant lecturer in wildlife biology, Munster Technological University
Hundreds of thousands of marine animals are killed every year after becoming accidentally caught in commercial fishing nets. Sharks, skates and rays are at particular risk, alongside turtles, seals, whales and dolphins, many of which are endangered.
Much of this problem comes down to the design of fishing nets and how they are used. Particularly damaging are tangle…
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By Lillian Hingley, Postdoctoral Researcher in English Literature, University of Oxford
When the album dropped at the stroke of midnight on February 13, I found myself lying in the dark listening to Charli XCX’s album, Wuthering Heights. As her second soundtrack album (after Bottoms in 2023), this record was made for Emerald Fennell’s 2026 film adaptation of Wuthering Heights. But this collection of songs also stands as a musical adaptation of Emily Brontë’s novel in its own right.
The opening track, House, struck me with its ability to succinctly get to the heart of what Wuthering Heights…
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By Abdul Jabbar, Dean of Internationalisation, Associate Professor Data Strategy and Analytics, University of Leicester
Araz Zirar, Senior Lecturer in Management (Organisational Behaviour), University of Huddersfield
The kidnapping of Nancy Guthrie – the mother of US news anchor Savannah Guthrie – is the latest in a string of crimes where ransoms have been demanded in Bitcoin.
The 84-year-old was kidnapped from her home in Tucson, Arizona, in the middle of the night. A ransom of US$6 million (£4.4 million) has been demanded by the kidnappers.
The scale of the ransom demand, combined with the use of…
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By Michelle Spear, Professor of Anatomy, University of Bristol
I don’t think I’ve ever laughed harder than during a church service, when something faintly ridiculous caught my eye. My friend saw it too, and once she started laughing, it became impossible to stop. Years later I’ve tried to explain what was so hilarious, but it seems you had to be there. What was it about the combination of the situation – sometimes referred to as “church giggles” – and shared laughter that made it so funny?
Most people recognise the experience. A solemn setting. Absolute silence. A fleeting…
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By Sarah Bell, Senior Research Associate in Qualitative Research, University of Bristol
Persistent concerns about poor behaviour in UK secondary schools have led to the widespread implementation of disciplinary behaviour management strategies. These include the use of isolation rooms, where children are sent to work alone.
In some schools, it may also include zero-tolerance sanction systems such as “Ready to Learn”. This is an…
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By Eleftheria Kodosaki, Research Fellow in Neuroimmunology, UCL
Amanda Heslegrave, Principal Research Fellow, Neurodegenerative Diseases, UCL
Women are more likely than men to be diagnosed with dementia. While researchers have some idea of the factors that elevate risk, it’s still not entirely clear why this happens. But a recent study suggests that the menopause could play a key role in increased vulnerability to Alzheimer’s disease.
Researchers at the University of Cambridge analysed brain scans from nearly nearly 125,000 women. They found the menopause is associated with measurable…
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By Stefan Wolff, Professor of International Security, University of Birmingham
The inaugural meeting of Donald Trump’s board of peace in Washington on February 19 caps a busy week for US diplomacy – though, not necessarily for the country’s professional diplomats. These people have been largely sidelined in the close-knit circle of the US president’s personal envoys, his former real-estate business partner Steve Witkoff and son-in-law Jared Kushner.
Earlier in the week, Witkoff and Kushner attended two separate sets of negotiations in the Swiss city of Geneva. They first sat down for indirect talks…
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By Mehak Bharti, Assistant Professor of Marketing, Toronto Metropolitan University
Jing Wan, Associate Professor of Marketing, University of Guelph
Ethical consumption does not fail because consumers are indifferent or hypocrites, but because ethical choices often feel financially out of reach.
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By Kimberly A. Williams, Professor of Women's and Gender Studies, Mount Royal University
Violence is interpreted through a double standard when it comes to trans people and cis men, allowing masculinity as a structural driver to remain unexamined.
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