Category: Analysis
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New study finds that ingesting even small amounts of plastic can be fatal for marine animals
Source: ForeignAffairs4 Source: The Conversation – Canada – By Britta Baechler, Adjunct Professor, Department of Physical & Environmental Sciences, University of Toronto When swallowed, plastics can block or puncture an animal’s organs or cause lethal twisting of the digestive tract, also known as torsion. (Troy Mayne/Ocean Conservancy) Plastics are everywhere, and the ocean is no…
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Alberta’s education legislation erodes gender-based violence prevention in K-12 schools
Source: ForeignAffairs4 Source: The Conversation – Canada – By Jamie Anderson, PhD Candidate, Werklund School of Education, University of Calgary The Supreme Court of Canada recently released its ruling that mandatory minimum sentences for access or possession of child sexual abuse and exploitation material — previously called child pornography — may be unconstitutional in some…
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Trump’s aggression in the Caribbean could violate a Victorian-era court ruling on cannibalism at sea
Source: ForeignAffairs4 Source: The Conversation – Canada – By Martin Danahay, Professor, English Language and Literature, Brock University The Donald Trump administration in the United States has authorized killing people in boats on the Caribbean Sea and eastern Pacific, claiming they’re transporting illegal drugs. Maritime and international law experts have raised concerns about the legality…
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Is the AI bubble about to burst? What to watch for as the markets wobble
Source: ForeignAffairs4 Source: The Conversation – UK – By Alex Dryden, PhD Candidate in Economics, SOAS, University of London Phonlamai Photo/Shutterstock The global investment frenzy around AI has seen companies valued at trillions of dollars and eye-watering projections of how it will boost economic productivity. But in recent weeks the mood has begun to shift.…
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The fast-fix for global warming that the UN climate summit can’t ignore
Source: ForeignAffairs4 Source: The Conversation – UK – By Piers Forster, Professor of Physical Climate Change; Director of the Priestley International Centre for Climate, University of Leeds Burping cows are responsible for about a quarter of human-caused emissions of methane: a potent greenhouse gas. Jawinter / shutterstock Despite rapid progress in clean energy and electric…
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How the Louvre thieves exploited human psychology to avoid suspicion – and what it reveals about AI
Source: ForeignAffairs4 Source: The Conversation – UK – By Vincent Charles, Reader in AI for Business and Management Science, Queen’s University Belfast On a sunny morning on October 19 2025, four men allegedly walked into the world’s most-visited museum and left, minutes later, with crown jewels worth €88 million (£76 million). The theft from Paris’s…
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Should we eat dinner earlier in winter? Why timing might matter more than you think
Source: ForeignAffairs4 Source: The Conversation – UK – By Catherine Norton, Associate Professor Sport & Exercise Nutrition, University of Limerick There’s a connection between daylight and our metabolism. Strela Studio/ Shutterstock Once the clocks have gone back and darkness falls before many of us even leave work, the rhythms of winter can feel heavier —…
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How the rich world is fortifying itself against climate migration
Source: ForeignAffairs4 Source: The Conversation – UK – By Andrea Rigon, Professor, Politecnico di Milano, and, UCL US Customs and Border Protection field officers during ICE deportation protests in Los Angeles, June 2025. Matt Gush / shutterstock The UK has announced much harsher rules for asylum seekers including the prospect of more deportations for those…
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South Africans have lost trust in the police, in parliament and in political parties – what that means
Source: ForeignAffairs4 Source: The Conversation – Africa (2) – By Amanda Gouws, Professor of Political Science and Chair of the South African Research Initiative in Gender Politics, Stellenbosch University For democracies to function well, citizens have to trust their institutions. Every incidence of bad service delivery or corruption will influence how much citizens trust institutions.…
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Ex Machina: could “superintelligence” challenge the idea of creativity as a uniquely human activity?
Source: ForeignAffairs4 Source: The Conversation – UK – By Anthony Downey, Professor of Visual Culture, Birmingham City University Please note his piece contains spoilers for Ex Machina. In the more than a decade since its release in 2015, the film Ex Machina – written and directed by Alex Garland – has proved to be an…