Category: The Conversation

Source: ForeignAffairs4 Source: The Conversation – Global Perspectives – By Adam Daniel, Associate Lecturer in Communication, Western Sydney University Embassy Pictures Corporation/Getty Images With Spinal Tap II: The End Continues hitting cinemas, now is the perfect moment to revisit its precursor, one of most influential and hilarious comedy films ever made, 1984’s This Is Spinal…

Source: ForeignAffairs4 Source: The Conversation – Global Perspectives – By Keith Brown, Professor of Politics and Global Studies, Arizona State University In Serbia, there is a word for a form of stubbornness that sees someone act out of spite or defiance rather than yield to the will of others: “inat.” It’s something Serbian President Aleksandar…

Source: ForeignAffairs4 Source: The Conversation – UK – By Helen McDonald, Senior Lecturer, Life Sciences, University of Bath Two countries, two different approaches to protecting children from chickenpox. While the UK prepares to introduce a combined vaccine covering measles, mumps, rubella and chickenpox (MMRV) in a single jab, the US is moving in the opposite…

Source: ForeignAffairs4 Source: The Conversation – UK – By Lindsay O’Dell, Professor of critical developmental psychology, The Open University Nicoleta Ionescu/Shutterstock US president Donald Trump’s claim that pregnant women should avoid paracetamol – a statement that is both harmful and not backed by the science – fits into a long and damaging tradition of blaming…

Source: ForeignAffairs4 Source: The Conversation – UK – By Andreas L. Birkenfeld, Professor, Diabetology, Endocrinology and Nephrology, University of Tübingen New Africa/Shutterstock.com There’s a long-held belief in diabetes prevention that weight loss is the main way to lower disease risk. Our new study challenges this. For decades, people diagnosed with prediabetes – a condition affecting…

Source: ForeignAffairs4 Source: The Conversation – UK – By Kimberley Hardcastle, Assistant Professor in Business & Marketing, Northumbria University, Newcastle Chay_Tee/Shutterstock Generative AI tools such as ChatGPT, Gemini and Claude are now used by students and teachers at every level of education. According to a report by Anthropic, the company behind Claude, 39% of student…

Source: ForeignAffairs4 Source: The Conversation – UK – By Belinda Zakrzewska, Assistant Professor of Marketing, University of Birmingham Peruvians are rightly passionate about food. Their pride in Peruvian cuisine has been fuelled in the past two decades or so by a wave of international culinary awards that has forged sense of belonging and visibility on…

Source: ForeignAffairs4 Source: The Conversation – UK – By Emily Hammer, PhD Candidate in Theological Ethics, University of St Andrews Most debates about the depiction of consent in Stephenie Meyer’s Twilight saga, which turns 20 this month, focus on the age gap between Bella Swan and Edward Cullen. For the uninitiated, Edward is an undead…

Source: ForeignAffairs4 Source: The Conversation – UK – By Åsa Petersén, Professor of Neuroscience, Lund University kazoka/Shutterstock.com A company called uniQure has announced promising results from a trial of a new gene therapy for Huntington’s disease. The news has spread quickly through families affected by this condition, who have been desperately waiting for a treatment…

Source: ForeignAffairs4 Source: The Conversation – UK – By Dipa Kamdar, Senior Lecturer in Pharmacy Practice, Kingston University Anaphylaxis can cause a red, itchy, and swollen rash, often appearing as hives (welts) or flushing on the skin. Dmytro Zinkevych/Shutterstock Food allergies are no longer limited to the usual suspects. Peanuts and shellfish may still dominate…