Wildfires, wombats and wake-up calls – what to read, rethink and act on this week
This roundup of The Conversation’s environment coverage was first published in our award-winning weekly climate action newsletter, Imagine. The world is burning. As ferocious wildfires spread across Europe, some people continue to fly off to the continent on their holidays, seemingly unaware of the extreme dangers facing thousands of people. Better climate reporting could help […]
Why Andy Burnham is right to want for-profit firms out of social care
For-profit organisations actually worsen many of the core problems with England’s social care systems. Monkey Business Images/ Shutterstock Prime minister Andy Burnham announced on Wednesday his commitment to improving England’s social care system. If the new prime minister has his way, England will legislate a new national care service within the next two years. Burnham […]
As Larry the cat welcomes yet another prime minister, an expert explains how pets adapt to change
Larry, the Downing Street cat, has had to adapt to seven different prime ministers moving into No 10 over the past decade. Yet while the nation’s attention is fixed on the departing and incoming political leaders, who is thinking about the effect these upheavals might have on one of the property’s most enduring residents? Cats […]
The other side of the Taj Mahal: artisan workers struggle to survive while the world enjoys their craft
saiko3p/Shutterstock Agra is known as the home of the Taj Mahal, one of the seven wonders of the world and a bucket-list destination. Visitors marvel at its beauty, but few realise that another Agra exists in its shadow: the Agra of its artisans. These communities hold the essence of the city’s cultural legacy yet remain […]
The changing face of diversity in the UK cabinet
Andy Burnham’s first cabinet includes four ministers from visible ethnic minority backgrounds: home secretary Shabana Mahmood, energy security secretary Miatta Fahnbulleh, AI minister Kanishka Narayan, and Lisa Nandy as culture secretary. A decade ago, this team alone would probably have generated headlines. Now, it has barely registered. This silence on the makeup of the cabinet […]
How Shakespeare and his contemporaries used music to rouse emotions
Music is one of the most powerful tools through which films and TV programmes affect us. We might hear a sad melody that brings us to tears, a creepy tune that gives us goosebumps, or a funny song that compels us to laugh. This effect is not limited to the silver and small screen. In […]
UK drought: crop harvests at severe risk of collapse
Extreme droughts affect farmland and therefore the UK’s food system. Ann Dr/Shutterstock Much of England is now officially in drought. Reservoir levels are being closely monitored by water companies, while farmers are reporting dry soils and poor crop conditions. Further restrictions such as grazing rules could soon come into effect. Water is recognised as critical […]
The surprising chemical footprint of your clothes
Pixel-Shot/Shutterstock When trying to make more sustainable clothing choices, many consumers follow a simple rule: choose natural fibres over synthetic ones. Cotton instead of polyester. Wool instead of acrylic. Linen instead of nylon. The logic seems straightforward. Natural fibres originate from plants or animals, while synthetic fibres are largely derived from fossil fuels. If a […]
Why the AI industry is so fond of the prefix ‘co’ – by an expert in linguistics
AI companies and evangelists frequently use terms such as co-pilot, co-worker, co-creator and co-scientist to imply these rapidly developing systems can happily co-exist with us humans. Their inference is clear: people should always be in the loop – the AI is never in charge. But amid stories of AI models going rogue and the prospect […]
Muscle coordination can be mimicked by electric motors – it could lead to improved robots
mybox / Shutterstock People often take their muscles for granted. They pick up a bag, tighten a grip, climb a hill, hold a cup of coffee and the body quietly adjusts force, speed and position without the person ever thinking about it. Muscle turns chemical energy into movement. It is able to produce force smoothly […]