Category: The Conversation

Source: ForeignAffairs4 Source: The Conversation – UK – By Louise Curran, Lecturer in Eighteenth-Century and Romantic Literature, University of Birmingham In Ang Lee’s adaptation of Sense and Sensibility (1995), the handsome cad Willoughby (played by Greg Wise) rescues Marianne (Kate Winslet) on horseback in the middle of a raging storm. Pathetic fallacy has rarely looked…

Source: ForeignAffairs4 Source: The Conversation – UK – By Jane Wright, Commissioning Editor, Arts & Culture, The Conversation I do love a good, proper horror film that puts a bony, creepy hand of unease on your shoulder. With a strange mystery and growing sense of distrust at its heart, Weapons appears to be just that…

Source: ForeignAffairs4 Source: The Conversation – UK – By Primrose Freestone, Senior Lecturer in Clinical Microbiology, University of Leicester Symptoms of ‘sick building syndrome’ can develop in anyone who spends extended periods of time in air-conditioned environments. LightField Studios/ Shutterstock Air conditioning can feel heaven-sent on hot summer days. It keeps temperatures comfortable and controls…

Source: ForeignAffairs4 Source: The Conversation – UK – By Elizabeth Nicholls, Senior Research Fellow in Ecology, University of Sussex Few things are as satisfying as pulling a potato from the soil with your bare hands. But in Britain’s cities this small joy – and the many health and environmental benefits that come with it –…

Source: ForeignAffairs4 Source: The Conversation – UK – By Karin Modig, Associate Professor, Epidemiology, Karolinska Institutet Cenntenarians had lower rates of disease throughout their life overall. Lysenko Andrii/ Shutterstock Humans may be living longer on average these days, but, even so, only a fraction of us will live to see our 100th birthday. Yet the…

Source: ForeignAffairs4 Source: The Conversation – UK – By Torbjörn Tännsjö, Professor of Practical Philosophy, Stockholm University Calls for electoral reform are rising in the UK, where a majority of people are now in favour of a different system. It’s easy to see why. A voting system based on having one MP for one constituency,…

Source: ForeignAffairs4 Source: The Conversation – UK – By Paul Whiteley, Professor, Department of Government, University of Essex Shutterstock/Donkeyworx In the 2024 UK general election, Reform came third with a 14% share of the vote, capturing five seats in the House of Commons. This was a breakthrough election for the party. In the previous general…

Source: ForeignAffairs4 Source: The Conversation – UK – By Kerry Brown, Professor of Chinese Politics; Director, Lau China Institute, King’s College London Taiwan has often compared itself to being a “shrimp between two whales”. That expression has never been more apt than today with the US and China – which considers Taiwan to be part…

Source: ForeignAffairs4 Source: The Conversation – UK – By Seamus Higgins, Associate Professor Food Process Engineering, Chemical & Environmental Engineering, University of Nottingham Studio Nut/Shutterstock Baby food pouches came under scrutiny earlier this year, following a report from the University of Leeds and consumer group Which?. The findings were troubling. Many pouches are high in…

Source: ForeignAffairs4 Source: The Conversation – UK – By Phoebe Lewis, PhD Candidate in Marine Science, Newcastle University If you walk the harbour in Hastings in south-east England or the beach further north in Cromer at dawn, you’ll see the signs of a centuries-old way of life: small boats landing their fresh catch and crews…