By Matthew Alford, Lecturer in the Department of Politics, Languages and International Studies, University of Bath
I went to Moscow this summer on a trip that was as awkward as it was illuminating. I left feeling Russia is not just a changed country, but a separate civilisation.
As one academic I met there explained: “Russia is not a fortress. Maybe as the Soviet Union, it was. But we are very open to the rest of the world – this time it’s the west that has drawn the iron curtain.”
Due to western sanctions over the war in Ukraine,…
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By Fatema Kawaf, Professor in Digital Marketing, Nottingham Trent University
Ashleigh Logan-McFarlane, Lecturer in Marketing, Edinburgh Napier University
During the first COVID-19 lockdown, we were both mothers trying to stay sane. Our chats often revolved around nappies, feeding, sleep deprivation and motherhood chaos. Between laughter and exhaustion, cloth nappies kept coming up in conversation.
Just the thought of all that laundry was enough to make us tired. Sure they would help reduce the 4,000–6,000 disposable nappies sent to landfill per child each year, but would they be detrimental to our wellbeing?
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By Andrea Holck, Doctoral Researcher, City St George's, University of London
Watching a film about dementia is, ordinarily, a sobering activity. We watch someone become imprisoned in the temporal chaos of their mind. We empathise with the family members nobly trying their best to do what’s right. We leave the film in a fog of melancholia, having been reminded of how sad the condition is.
And dementia is sad. But the stories we tell about it need not only be a premature elegy for someone…
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By Jonathan Darling, Professor in Human Geography, Durham University
Amid growing public concern over migration and a political threat from Reform UK, the Labour government has proposed sweeping reforms to the asylum and refugee system. The home secretary, Shabana Mahmood, says the plans will address an “out of control” asylum system.
By restricting the rights of refugees, the proposals aim to make Britain a “less attractive” destination for people who arrive without documentation. But they also risk making an already-bureaucratic system even harder for refugees to navigate – and for an overstretched Home Office to administer.
Central to…
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By Estrella Luna-Diez, Associate Professor in Plant Pathology, School of Biosciences, University of Birmingham
Anne-Marie Culhane, Visiting Research Fellow, Global Systems Institute, University of Exeter
Bruno Barcante Ladvocat Cintra, Research Fellow, Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences and Birmingham Institute of Forest Research, University of Birmingham
Until recently, little was known about how memory functions in trees which experience decades, even centuries, of shifting environmental pressures.
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By Parveen Akhtar, Senior Lecturer: Politics, History and International Relations, Aston University
How did Mahmood, who once stated that she personally supported a general amnesty for all undocumented workers, become the face of a hardline Labour migration policy?
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By Laszlo Sarkany, Assistant Professor, Political Science, Western University
Canada and the European Union could amend key laws designed to shield companies from American sanctions, which could significantly aid in the operation of the International Criminal Court.
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By Rob Manwaring, Associate Professor, Politics and Public Policy, Flinders University
Emily Foley, Postdoctoral research fellow, Flinders University; University of Canberra
After a series of missteps and about-faces, British prime minister Keir Starmer’s popularity has tanked, and his leadership may not last much longer.
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By Christian Downie, Professor of Political Science, School of Regulation and Global Governance, Australian National University
More fossil fuel lobbyists are coming to global climate talks to try to get favourable outcomes. Now their role is in the spotlight.
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By Joyce Siette, Associate Professor | Deputy Director, The MARCS Institute for Brain, Behaviour and Development, Western Sydney University
People who did a lot of physical activity between 45 and 64 had much lower odds of developing dementia – even when they carried a genetic risk factor.
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