Category: Analysis
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Apocalyptic images of melting glaciers and sinking islands won’t help anyone imagine a better future
Source: ForeignAffairs4 Source: The Conversation – UK – By Natalie Pollard, Professor of Contemporary Literature and Culture, University of Exeter What do you picture when you think about climate change? For many of us, it is the same set of dramatic images: melting glaciers, sinking landforms, rising seas or extreme weather. These are powerful visuals.…
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Exhausted employees don’t want it – so why has Greece introduced a 13-hour work day?
Source: ForeignAffairs4 Source: The Conversation – UK – By Elena Papagiannaki, Lecturer in Economics, Edinburgh Napier University Hospitality workers are likely to be hit hard by the law. Mulevich/Shutterstock The Greek government has passed a law allowing private employers to extend shifts to 13 hours per day, framed in terms of “flexibility” and “growth”. It’s…
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Sulfur-based batteries could offer electric vehicles a greener, longer-range option
Source: ForeignAffairs4 Source: The Conversation – USA (2) – By Golareh Jalilvand, Assistant Professor of Chemical Engineering, University of South Carolina Sulfur is abundant and inexpensive, making it an attractive ingredient for making batteries. Alanna Dumonceaux/Design Pics Editorial/Universal Images Group via Getty Images Picture an electric car that could go 600, 700 or even 1,000…
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Want to make America healthy again? Stop fueling climate change
Source: ForeignAffairs4 Source: The Conversation – USA (2) – By Jonathan Levy, Professor and Chair, Department of Environmental Health, Boston University Extreme heat can threaten human health, but it’s only one way climate change puts lives at risk. Drew Angerer/Getty Images If you’ve been following recent debates about health, you’ve been hearing a lot about…
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How a Sudanese university kept learning alive during war
Source: ForeignAffairs4 Source: The Conversation – Africa – By Gihad Ibrahim, Assistant Professor and E-learning Department Head, Mashreq University The civil war in Sudan began in April 2023, causing death, hunger, displacement and destruction on a huge scale. Gihad Ibrahim, head of e-learning and senior manager at Mashreq University in Sudan’s capital, Khartoum, spoke with…
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Nana Konadu Agyeman-Rawlings: the first lady who redefined women’s power in Ghana.
Source: ForeignAffairs4 Source: The Conversation – Africa (2) – By Nancy Henaku, Lecturer, Department of English, University of Ghana Tributes for Nana Konadu Agyeman-Rawlings (1948-2025) have been pouring in since her death on 23 October 2025. For many Ghanaians, her broad-ranging empowerment work as leader of the 31st December Women’s Movement is deserving of full…
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New technologies like AI come with big claims – borrowing the scientific concept of validity can help cut through the hype
Source: ForeignAffairs4 Source: The Conversation – USA (2) – By Kai R. Larsen, Professor of Information Systems, University of Colorado Boulder Closely examining the claims companies make about a product can help you separate hype from reality. Flavio Coelho/Moment via Getty Images Technological innovations can seem relentless. In computing, some have proclaimed that “a year…
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Turn shopping stress into purposeful gift giving by cultivating ‘consumer wisdom’ during the holidays
Source: ForeignAffairs4 Source: The Conversation – USA (2) – By Michael Luchs, JS Mack Professor of Business, William & Mary The most meaningful gifts reflect the giver’s values and identity – and the recipient’s, too. Halfpoint images/Moment via Getty Images Every fall I anticipate the winter holidays with almost childlike joy. I look forward to…
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How number systems shape our thinking and what it means for learning, language and culture
Source: ForeignAffairs4 Source: The Conversation – Canada – By Jean-Charles Pelland, Postdoctoral Researcher, Department of Psychosocial Science, University of Bergen Most of us have little trouble working out how many millilitres are in 2.4 litres of water (it’s 2,400). But the same can’t be said when we’re asked how many minutes are in 2.4 hours…
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The Running Man is the most fun you’ll have at the cinema this year
Source: ForeignAffairs4 Source: The Conversation – UK – By Matt Jacobsen, Senior Lecturer in Film History in the School of Society and Environment, Queen Mary University of London Nearly four decades after Arnold Schwarzenegger’s muscle-bound version sprinted across screens, The Running Man returns to cinemas. In Edgar Wright’s hands, this adaptation is a sharper, smarter…