By Amina Yousaf, Associate Head, Early Childhood Studies, University of Guelph-Humber
What some school boards now call the “winter break,” over the days leading up to and after Christmas, is approaching.
But in Canada’s diverse public schools, centring one religious holiday sends a subtle message to many children: your family’s traditions don’t quite belong here.
Our publicly funded schools are designed…
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By Human Rights Watch
Click to expand Image Carmen Lau, a Hong Kong pro-democracy activist in exile, speaking during a rally at Downing Street, London, June 4, 2022. © 2022 Hesther Ng/SOPA Images via AP Photo China’s government has long sought to silence dissent abroad, but recently there’s been a disturbing escalation: harassment through sexually explicit letters targeting activists outside the country.Hongkongers Carmen Lau and Ted Hui are exiled activists who face arrest warrants back in Hong Kong under the draconian National Security Law. They revealed last week that anonymous individuals were distributing…
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By Rachel Scarfe, Lecturer in Economics, University of Stirling
There are nearly one million young people in the UK who are not in employment, education or training (so-called Neets). After falling in number during the 2010s before the pandemic, this cohort of 16 to 24-year-olds has grown from 750,000 only six years ago. This is a worrying shift, for several reasons.
Research shows that a spell of unemployment at a young age can have outsized negative effects on the young person. Workers who were unemployed for even a short time at a young age have to contend with…
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By Samuel J Bennett, Senior Lecturer in Music Production, Nottingham Trent University
Sleigh bells have long acted as convenient shorthand for composers to tell their listeners that this piece belongs to the Christmas canon.
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By Karolina Nieberle, Associate Professor of Social and Organisational Psychology, Durham University
Janey Zheng, Associate Professor in Leadership and Organisational Behaviour, Durham University
Olga Epitropaki, Professor of Management, Durham Business School, Durham University
Managers can feel isolated as they move up the professional ladder – and it has implications for how well a workplace functions.
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By Zoe Lipkens, PhD Researcher, University of Leicester
Have you ever wondered what keeps you warm in your winter jacket? Most jacket insulation is made from human made synthetic fibres (polyester) or natural down from ducks or geese. Some winter jackets are insulated with something a little more surprising – bulrushes.
A biomaterials company called Ponda is using the seed heads of bulrush cultivated in peatlands to create BioPuff as insulation for puffer jackets, an alternative to synthetic fibres and goose down. These jackets help to encourage wetter farming…
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By Adele Julier, Senior Lecturer in Terrestrial Ecology, University of Portsmouth
Mistletoe is a richly symbolic winter plant with an unusual life cycle. With more than half of England’s traditional orchards lost since the mid-20th century, it would be easy to assume mistletoe is disappearing too. But that’s not the case. Despite dramatic changes in land use, mistletoe in Britain and Ireland is not in decline – and in some places it may even be spreading.
Mistletoe is a name used for a variety of different plants across the world, but in Britain it generally…
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By Jane Aspell, Professor of Cognitive Neuroscience, Faculty of Science and Engineering, Anglia Ruskin University
My study shows people can recall more detailed childhood memories if they ‘reinhabit’ the body they had as a child.
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By Gail Flanagan, PhD Candidate, Applied Linguistics, University of Limerick
For us linguists, the flurry of “word of the year” announcements from dictionaries and publishers is a holiday tradition as anticipated as mince pies. The words of the year aren’t just a fun peek into new slang and language changes, they also tell us quite a bit about the worries, trends and obsessions of the English-speaking world.
And this year’s list has one clear theme. In 2025, artificial intelligence (AI) played a huge role in our offices, social media feeds, music and film, and now…
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By Dan Baumgardt, Senior Lecturer, School of Psychology and Neuroscience, University of Bristol
There are few things I look forward to more each year than an excellent Christmas lunch. In fact, I deliberately avoid roast dinners in the run-up to the big day. Especially obligatory work parties, where the turkey inevitably resembles sawdust and the stuffing has the texture of a silicone implant. Call me a snob if you like.
It is estimated that a typical Christmas lunch plate alone can clock in at at least 1,200 calories. Add a couple of glasses of bubbly and a slice of Christmas pudding with brandy…
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