By Joy Cranham, Lecturer in the Department of Education, University of Bath, University of Bath
Like other quirky TV shows that explore coercively controlling groups, Sirens leans into the “wackiness” of cult life. Set on a remote island, an affluent community exists under extravagant rule of Michaela Kell aka Kiki (Julianne Moore). Her devoted followers – many of whom are employed by her – are committed to ensuring her every whim is met.
This carefully curated existence appears bizarre but flawless, until outsider Devon (Meghann Fahy) arrives looking for her sister Simone (Milly Alcock) and begins to illuminate the control and cult-like behaviour being used as tools of oppression.
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By Enrique Gaztanaga, Professor at Institute of Cosmology and Gravitation (University of Portsmouth), University of Portsmouth
The Big Bang is often described as the explosive birth of the universe — a singular moment when space, time and matter sprang into existence. But what if this was not the beginning at all? What if our universe emerged from something else — something more familiar and radical at the same time?
In a new paper, published in Physical Review D, my colleagues and I propose a striking alternative. Our calculations suggest the Big Bang was not the start of everything, but rather the…
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By Justin Stebbing, Professor of Biomedical Sciences, Anglia Ruskin University
A raft of new studies on cancer and exercise show clear benefits. But a question hangs over the benefits of endurance runners.
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By Jonathan Lord, Lecturer in Human Resource Management and Employment Law, University of Salford
Gordon Fletcher, Associate Dean, Research and Innovation, University of Salford
Saad Baset, Associate Lecturer & Researcher, Salford Business School, University of Salford
It’s late evening and your phone vibrates with some banter from colleagues. You join the conversation and go to bed feeling part of the work community. You then wake up and have a feeling of apprehension as to how the messages will be perceived.
WhatsApp might have started as a casual messaging app for friends, but it has now firmly become embedded in workplace communication – and increasingly in workplace conflicts, too.
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By Human Rights Watch
Click to expand Image Turkmen activist Umidajan Bekchanova. © 2025 Private (Berlin, June 3, 2025) – Turkish authorities should immediately release Umidajan Bekchanova, a Turkmen dissident currently held in a deportation center in Istanbul, Human Rights Watch said today. They should guarantee that Bekchanova is not forcibly returned to Turkmenistan, where she faces a serious risk of persecution and abuse.“Bekchanova’s detention puts her at immediate risk of being sent back to Turkmenistan, where independent activism and dissent are severely punished,” said Rachel Denber, deputy Europe…
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By Fernanda Canofre
Penha evaluates the law almost two decades after its enactment: “Women began to realize it was happening within their families, and it changed the culture.”
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Tuesday, June 3rd 2025
UN human rights chief Volker Türk has condemned new reports that dozens more Gazans were killed early Tuesday “trying to access paltry amounts of food” around a private aid hub in the south of the enclave run by the US and Israel.
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By Oksana Hubina, Research Fellow, English literature, University of Leeds
Harewood House, with its impressive history and classic English beauty, is a magnificent place to visit in Leeds, west Yorkshire. The house frequently hosts remarkable exhibitions and cultural events devoted to art, poetry and history.
This time, its doors are open for a new exhibition Austen and Turner: A Country House Encounter, which marks the 250th anniversaries of the landscape painter J.M.W. Turner and the novelist Jane…
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By Maddie Sinclair, PhD Candidate, School of Health and Wellbeing, University of Glasgow
Tess Davis, Research Associate, School of Health & Wellbeing, University of Glasgow
Whether intentional or not, holding climate professionals to unrealistic standards is a climate delay tactic for justifying the status quo.
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By Hamish Morrin, Veterinary Lecturer in Clinical Communication Skills, University of Central Lancashire
If you take your dog, cat or fish to see a vet in the UK, the person who treats them is likely to be a woman. According to the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons, 61% of current UK vets are female. University admissions are even more skewed. Among vets who had recently qualified, nearly 80% were female.
This wasn’t always the case. In the 1930s, when James Herriot – author of books including All Creatures Great and Small and for many the iconic British…
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