By Ian Whittaker, Senior Lecturer in Physics, Nottingham Trent University
What do you think of when it comes to extra terrestrial life? Most popular sci-fi books and TV shows suggest humanoid beings could live on other planets. But when astronomers are searching for extra-terrestrial life, it is usually in the form of emissions from bacteria or other tiny organisms.
A new research paper in the Astrophysical Journal suggests that Cambridge scientists have managed to find this type of emission with a certainty of 99.7% from a planet…
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By Andy M Morley, Subject Lead: Psychology & Neuroscience, University of Central Lancashire
Paul John Taylor, Senior Lecturer, School of Psychology & Computer Science., University of Central Lancashire
“I did revise… it just didn’t go in!” Sound familiar?
What about “I turned over the exam paper and my mind just went blank…”
It’s worrying to feel like everything you’re doing to prepare for an exam somehow isn’t working. But you can harness the science behind how memory works to make your revision more effective.
Engage and rephrase
Going through a page of notes with a few different coloured pens, highlighting everything you think could be important, might seem an obvious way to revise a topic. But this is what’s known as passive…
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By Havovi Chichger, Professor, Biomedical Science, Anglia Ruskin University
Caray A Walker, Senior Lecturer in Microbiology, Anglia Ruskin University
Artificial sweeteners are being added to a growing number of foods to reduce their sugar content while maintaining their appealing taste. But a growing body of research suggests these non-nutritive sweeteners may not always be a healthier and safer option. So what is our best option if we want to enjoy sweet-tasting foods without the harms of eating sugar?
Artificial sweeteners were originally developed as chemicals to stimulate our sweet-taste sensing pathway. Like sugar molecules, these sweeteners act directly…
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By Robin Mann, Reader in Sociology, Bangor University
Over the past few years, support for Welsh independence has grown in ways not seen before. A recent poll commissioned by YesCymru, a pro-independence campaign group, found that 41% of people who’ve made up their minds on the issue would now vote in favour of independence.
The striking finding is that the number jumps to 72% among 25-to-34 year olds. Meanwhile older generations, particularly those aged 65 and up, remain firmly in the “no” camp, with 80%…
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By Steve Westlake, Lecturer, Environmental Psychology, University of Bath
What’s not to like about an all-female celebrity crew riding a rocket into space? Quite a lot, as it turns out.
Katy Perry and her companions were initially portrayed in the media as breaking down gender barriers. On their return to Earth, the team enthused about protecting the planet and blazing a trail for others. Perry even sang What a Wonderful World during the flight, and kissed the ground on exiting the spacecraft.
But the backlash was swift. Fellow…
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By Catriona Shelly, Postdoctoral Researcher in Psychology, University of Limerick
Orla Muldoon, Professor of Psychology, University of Limerick, and Head of School of Psychology, Queens Belfast, Queen's University Belfast
The UK’s decision to leave the EU was a seismic shock in Ireland. In the years following the Belfast/Good Friday agreement, the border between Northern Ireland and the Republic had become less relevant. The peace process reduced the military architecture along the border, while EU membership enabled free movement of goods and people.
The Brexit referendum reintroduced the possibility of…
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By Raymond A. Patterson, Professor, Area Chair, Business Technology Management, Haskayne School of Business, University of Calgary
Emily Laidlaw, Associate professor, University of Calgary
Jian Zhang, Assistant Professor of Business Technology Management, University of Calgary
For customers who don’t have the freedom to choose where they shop, technological advancements — particularly artificial intelligence (AI) and intrusive personal data collection — are making price discrimination, inflation and lower-quality goods increasingly likely. Vulnerable consumers are most at risk.
Flexibility-based price discrimination allows companies to charge different people different prices for the same produce or service, based on how easily they can walk away.
When consumers can easily find better deals elsewhere, they hold the power. However, AI tools are…
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By Human Rights Watch
Click to expand Image Students protest against the detention of fellow students who joined demonstrations against the jailing of Istanbul mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu, Kadiköy, Istanbul, April 8, 2025. © 2025 Human Rights Watch (Istanbul, April 17, 2025) – Türkiye is set to prosecute hundreds of people, mainly students, who protested the detention of Istanbul mayor Ekrem İmamoglu in hasty, mass trials, scheduled to begin on April 18, 2025, Human Rights Watch said today.The rushed nature and mass scale of the trials, which lack evidence of criminal wrongdoing, exemplify how Türkiye’s restrictions…
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By Human Rights Watch
Click to expand Image A man with albinism covers himself in sunscreen prepared by members of an NGO on August 18, 2016, in Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire. © 2016 Sia Kambou/AFP via Getty Images Luisinho, a 26-year-old man with albinism whom I interviewed in Mozambique, faced a heartbreaking choice: either continue working outdoors under life-threatening sun exposure or quit his job selling second-hand clothes, thereby pushing himself and his family deeper into poverty. He needed to make this choice because he could not afford adequate sun protection.Luisinho’s experience is not isolated. Rather,…
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By Jennifer Mathers, Senior Lecturer in International Politics, Aberystwyth University
Negotiations for peace in Ukraine are struggling to get off the ground, despite numerous meetings between US and Russian officials.
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