By Jeremy Hicks, Professor of Post-Soviet Cultural History and Film, Queen Mary University of London
A statue of Soviet dictator Joseph Stalin was unveiled in the Taganskaya metro station in Moscow in May, recreating a mural that was dismantled decades ago. It is the first such statue to be erected in central Moscow since Stalin’s death in 1953 and marks a disturbing new stage in Russia’s authoritarian path.
Tens of millions of people died as a direct result of Stalin’s policies between 1924 and his death. These policies included the forced
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By David Voas, Emeritus Professor of Social Science, UCL
The Bible Society recently published a report claiming that church attendance in England and Wales increased by more than half between 2018 and 2024. The revival was especially striking among young men, with reported church attendance jumping from 4% to 21% over this short period.
As a quantitative social scientist who has studied religious change in modern societies for more than 25 years, I’m surprised – and sceptical. I do not doubt…
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By Colin Alexander, Senior Lecturer in Political Communications, Nottingham Trent University
It’s ironic that many characters are offended by an animal capable of instinct alone, when they as humans – capable of reason and choice – behave so badly.
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By Justin Stebbing, Professor of Biomedical Sciences, Anglia Ruskin University
When you think of dinosaurs, you might imagine towering predators or gentle giants roaming prehistoric landscapes. But what if these ancient creatures could teach us about one of humanity’s most persistent challenges: cancer?
In a new study, my team and I explored how fossilised soft tissues, preserved for tens of millions of years, could reveal new insights into ancient…
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By Holly Ingram, Midwifery Lecturer, Anglia Ruskin University
Did you know that around one in two women in the UK will experience symptoms of pelvic floor dysfunction at some point in their lives? And for women who engage in high-intensity exercise, that figure rises to 63%.
The female pelvic…
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By Brian Brivati, Visiting Professor of Contemporary History and Human Rights, Kingston University
Israel’s large-scale attack against Iran on June 13, which it conducted without UN security council approval, has prompted retaliation from Tehran. Both sides have traded strikes over the past few days, with over 200 Iranians and 14 Israelis killed so far.
The escalation has broader consequences. It further isolates institutions like the UN, International Criminal Court (ICC) and International Court of Justice (ICJ), which have found themselves increasingly sidelined as Israel’s…
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By Muhammad Wakil Shahzad, Associate Professor and Head of Subject, Mechanical and Construction Engineering, Northumbria University, Newcastle
Data centres are the invisible engines of our digital world. Every Google search, Netflix stream, cloud-stored photo or ChatGPT response passes through banks of high-powered computers housed in giant facilities scattered across the globe.
These datacentres consume a staggering amount of electricity and increasingly, a surprising amount of water. But unlike the water you use at home, much of the water used in datacentres never returns to the water reuse cycle. This silent drain is drawing concern from environmental scientists. One…
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By Ruth Fletcher, Professor of Law, Queen Mary University of London
Legal protection of abortion rights in England and Wales is fragile. Abortion has popular support and is readily available on the NHS, but has also generated a series of criminal investigations. Nicola Packer is one of the most recent abortion-seekers facing criminalisation rather than care. She was found innocent in May after a five year ordeal.
Amid concerns about investigations…
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By James Marcus Drymon, Associate Extension Professor in Marine Fisheries Ecology, Mississippi State University
Bryan Huerta-Beltrán, Graduate Student, The University of Southern Mississippi
Nicole Phillips, Associate Professor of Biology, The University of Southern Mississippi
Peter Kyne, Adjunct Senior Research Fellow in Conservation Biology, Charles Darwin University
They look like devils and hence are called pez diablo in Spanish, but these demonic objects are dried and mutilated versions of living rays known as guitarfish.
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By Grace Allen, Education and Young People Editor
When the Netflix series Adolescence hit TV screens in March this year, its depiction of boyhood, violence and online misogyny sparked debates across the UK and beyond.
As Young People editor at The Conversation, I knew that these were topics that academics who write for us had been building their expertise on for years. The many articles we’ve published include how parents can talk to their children about the “manosphere”, the world of
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