By Charlotte Pughe, Postdoctoral researcher in Horticulture, Nottingham Trent University
Humans have an innate connection to nature – a concept known called biophilia.
Studies have shown the biophilic connection we experience being surrounded by plants improves our mental state and may even slightly shorten hospital recovery rates. This connection has driven the desire for greenery throughout history, with the Victorians even renting rare houseplants…
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By Matthew Alford, Lecturer in the Department of Politics, Languages and International Studies, University of Bath
From the beginning of his brutal reign in Iraq, Saddam Hussein could claim an unusual credit: film producer. After Saddam became president in 1979, his cousin played him in The Long Days. The film dramatised his role in a failed 1959 attempt to assassinate Iraq’s then-prime minister, Abdul-Karim Qasim.
The film presented the new dictator as a hero. A few minutes in, a young Saddam calmly removes a bullet from his leg using a razor blade sterilised with fire. In his 2000 biography of Saddam, journalist Saïd Aburish called…
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By Joe Greenwood-Hau, Youth Poll Lecturer, John Smith Centre, University of Glasgow
Alison Phipps, Professor of Political Sociology, York St John University
Ana Isabel Nunes, Senior Lecturer in Social and Political Sciences, Nottingham Trent University
Anna Thew, Research Fellow in Public Policy, Northumbria University
Francine Morris, Professor of Business, Associate Dean Research and Knowledge Exchange, University of Salford
Harry T Dyer, Associate Professor in Education, University of East Anglia
Matthew Allen, Lecturer in Economics, Salford Business School, University of Salford
Najma Yusufi, Visiting Fellow and Lecturer, Centre for Applied Philosophy, Politics and Ethics, University of Brighton
Zoe Stephenson, Associate Professor of Forensic Psychology, University of Birmingham
Amid a cycle of divided parties, political fragmentation and the UK going through a record number of prime ministers in recent years, young people could be forgiven for tuning out of politics altogether. Our experts have recommended nine books to strike teenagers and young adults’ interest in thinking politically.
1. Noughts and Crosses by Malorie Blackman (2001)
Noughts and Crosses makes the consequences of racial injustice,…
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By Martin Farr, Senior Lecturer in Contemporary British History, Newcastle University
Having satisfied the party membership and erstwhile Labour voters over Israel, Andy Burnham may find it harder to do so over his meeting with Donald Trump.
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By Robert A. Strong, Senior Fellow, Miller Center, University of Virginia
Two 19th-century elections are a reminder that a sizable midterm shift, like the one expected in November, can signal long-lasting changes in American politics that set the country in a new direction.
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By Robert Glover, Associate Professor of Political Science and Honors, University of Maine
A midterm election is coming. In the face of wavering voter trust – some of it driven by forces outside their control – what can election officials actually do to keep elections credible?
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By Jason Bruck, Associate Professor of Biology, Stephen F. Austin State University
Sea sanctuaries could work well for some animals, but up to this point, only a handful of animals have lived in them.
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By Eileen Hunt, Professor of Political Science, University of Notre Dame
The catastrophic story is familiar, but the insight, and the ending, offer an opportunity, and perhaps motivation, for modern readers.
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By Chanh Kieu, Associate Professor of Atmospheric Science, Indiana University
Storms like 2026’s Hurricane Polo that rapidly intensify can catch communities off guard and leave little time to prepare or evacuate. Being able to forecast those risks can save lives.
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By Charles Edward Gehrke, Sloan Fellow, Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT)
Today, China controls the vast majority of rare earths processing. That gives it enormous political leverage, and its trade truce with the US involving those minerals expires Nov. 10, 2026.
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