Category: The Conversation

Source: ForeignAffairs4 Source: The Conversation – UK – By Simonetta Di Pippo, Director of the Space Economy Evolution Lab, Bocconi University In the 1960s, Frank Sinatra’s song Fly Me to the Moon became closely associated with the Apollo missions. The optimistic track was recorded in 1964, when US success against the Soviet Union in the…

Source: ForeignAffairs4 Source: The Conversation – UK – By Stephen Gorard, Professor of Education and Public Policy, Durham University Rawpixel.com/Shutterstock All secondary-age school pupils in year eight (aged 12 and 13) in England will be required by the government to take a reading test. The declared purpose is to help drive up reading standards so…

Source: ForeignAffairs4 Source: The Conversation – UK – By Oliver Gingrich, Programme Lead BA (Hons) Animation, University of Greenwich A film adaptation of Roald Dahl’s classic children’s book The Twits has been promised for more than two decades. The Netflix animation plays to the strengths of the beloved classic, while adapting it to present times.…

Source: ForeignAffairs4 Source: The Conversation – UK – By Nada Saadaoui, PhD Candidate in English Literature, University of Cumbria Jane Austen’s novels are often remembered for their wit, romance and sharp social critique. Yet they are also profoundly geographical works: cities, seaside resorts, country estates and naval towns structure the possibilities and limitations of her…

Source: ForeignAffairs4 Source: The Conversation – UK – By Alice Vernon, Lecturer in Creative Writing and 19th-Century Literature, Aberystwyth University shutterstock Juiced Up Media/Shutterstock In 1874, renowned chemist Sir William Crookes sat in a darkened room, eyes fixed on a curtain over an alcove. The curtain twitched, and out came a glowing ghost of a…

Source: ForeignAffairs4 Source: The Conversation – UK – By Benjamin Selwyn, Professor of International Relations and International Development, Department of International Relations, University of Sussex Early in his second presidency, Donald Trump’s imposition of tariffs was met with widespread scepticism. Critics warned of economic decline and a global backlash. Yet the current landscape for the…

Source: ForeignAffairs4 Source: The Conversation – UK – By Rachel Woods, Senior Lecturer in Physiology, University of Lincoln Studies show exercise only has a modest effect on weight loss. Giuseppe Elio Cammarata/ Shutterstock The basic principle of weight loss is straightforward: if you consume fewer calories than you burn, you’ll lose weight. In practice though,…

Source: ForeignAffairs4 Source: The Conversation – UK – By Connor Leslie, Assistant Professor in Criminology, Northumbria University, Newcastle Your walk carries information about how much of a threat you might pose. Wirestock Creators/Shutterstock Humans have been fighting each other since the earliest stages of our species’ history. Scientists believe that these fights changed how we…

Source: ForeignAffairs4 Source: The Conversation – UK – By Tahani Mustafa, Lecturer in International Relations, King’s College London An uneasy ceasefire is still in place in Gaza despite Israeli strikes on what it called “Hamas terror targets” in response to what the Israel Defense Forces said here rocket attacks on its positions. But there appears…

Source: ForeignAffairs4 Source: The Conversation – UK – By Matthew Wright, PhD Candidate, Department of Atmospheric Physics, University of Oxford gazadavies93/Shutterstock For most Brits, January 8 2025 was an uneventful Wednesday, albeit slightly cold. But these low temperatures, coupled with a significant drop in wind speed, contributed to a spike in the real-time electricity price…