How much microplastic are we actually breathing in? Here’s what we do and still don’t know
You’ve already inhaled thousands of microscopic particles today. Some will be dust, pollen or soot, and some are plastic. Microplastics – tiny fragments shed from clothes, tyres or packaging – have been found pretty much everywhere. They’re in oceans, soils, wildlife, remote mountaintops and deep-sea trenches and the atmosphere is no exception. But how much […]
How apocalyptic worldviews are moving from the fringes to the corridors of power
It recently emerged that tech billionaire Peter Thiel is running a secret society that brings together fellow CEOs and billionaires with political leaders. Members reportedly include figures like Nato supreme commander Alexus Grynkewich and son-in-law of US President Donald Trump, Jared Kushner. Thiel, a German-American entrepreneur and activist, was a co-founder of PayPal and software […]
One in four adults has metabolic syndrome – and it may be ageing their brains
Metabolic syndrome is linked to higher risk of many health problems – including those that affect the brain. Belight/ Shutterstock An estimated one in four adults worldwide has metabolic syndrome. While metabolic syndrome is most often thought of as a warning sign that diabetes or cardiovascular disease may be on the horizon, my team’s new […]
Plaid Cymru’s independence dilemma – from protest to power
Plaid Cymur’s Rhun ap Iorwerth answers questions in the Senedd for the first time as First Minister. Senedd Cymru, CC BY Plaid Cymru’s victory in the Senedd (Welsh parliament) election on May 7 was historic. For the first time since devolution began in 1999, the party emerged as the largest group, winning 35.4% of the […]
Composting and water cremation: how the eco credentials of alternatives to burial add up
There’s a growing interest in alternatives to traditional burials as well as making the process more environmentally friendly in many countries. For many people it’s about the environmental impact of the funeral industry globally. In the US, for instance, a surface equal to the size of Hawaii (1.6 million hectares) is deforested each year for […]
Heat deaths are a public health crisis rooted in housing inequality
Marharyta44/Shutterstock.com The heatwaves of late May and June killed an estimated 2,700 people in England and Wales, according to a recent analysis – around 550 in May, when west London hit 35.1°C, and 2,200 in June, as East Anglia reached 37°C. Both events broke records that had stood since 1944 and 1976, and researchers estimate […]
During the Troubles, music shaped alternative identities for a generation of Northern Irish teenagers
During the Troubles, a harrowing 30-year conflict over the constitutional status of Northern Ireland, music opened up alternative ways of understanding identity. Along with boxing and greyhound racing, music offered a rare site of cross-community interaction. Musical identities also offered a powerful counterpoint to the media’s depiction of young people in Northern Ireland as either […]
Why Iran shut the Strait of Hormuz after decades of holding back
US forces have struck hundreds of Iranian targets – including in the southern port city of Bandar Abbas – over three consecutive nights in a bid by the US president, Donald Trump, to regain some modicum of control over the Strait of Hormuz. Trump has also inscribed the US as the “guardian” of the vital […]
Jude Bellingham’s leg veins are standing out as much as his scoring skills – here’s why
The ripple of the net after a Jude Bellingham strike is no longer the only ripple attracting attention. During England’s World Cup campaign, the midfielder’s prominent thigh veins have become an internet talking point. They may look dramatic, but visible veins are common in elite athletes. The explanation begins with anatomy. Superficial veins lie in […]
Why food skills belong in the school curriculum – not left to chance at home
Norenko Andrey/Shutterstock One in ten children aged seven to nine years is living with obesity in Europe. In England, childhood obesity rises from around 10% of children in reception to around 22% by year six. While we know there are many complex and inter-connected biological, social and environmental causes of childhood obesity, a good start […]