Keep calm and carry on: lessons from wasps on how societies survive power struggles
What happens when a leader suddenly disappears? In politics, business and other human organisations, leadership transitions can trigger intense power struggles. Rivals compete for control, alliances shift and institutions can become unstable. Similar dynamics occur throughout the animal kingdom. Our new research on tropical paper wasps, published in the journal Animal Behaviour, shows just how […]
Influencers are promoting dangerous peptides on social media – and regulators are struggling to keep up
Influencers are helping drive sales of these unapproved substances. Alan Crosthwaite/ Shutterstock Once confined to niche bodybuilding forums and hardcore gyms, unproven injectable peptides are now being openly marketed online to the average gym-goer by social media influencers – and regulators struggling to keep up. Across Instagram, TikTok or YouTube, unapproved and harmful peptide products […]
Trump’s primary challenges to his Republican foes make GOP nervous in run up to midterms
Two days before registered Republicans voted in the party’s primary election in Kentucky’s 4th Congressional District on May 20, Donald Trump called the incumbent representative, Thomas Massie, “the worst Republican congressman in history”. Massie subsequently lost the primary to a political newcomer with no prior office-holding experience. Ed Gallrein’s not-so-secret weapon was that he had […]
Sun safety this summer: from UV apps to sun protection tips that actually work
fokke baarssen/Shutterstock The UK has already seen unusually hot weather this year, with temperatures high enough to make sun safety a live issue well before many people have packed for their summer holidays. For many of us, the instinctive response to good weather is to get outside while it lasts. But sudden bursts of hot, […]
How to deal with disappointment – by an expert in this misunderstood emotion
LightField Studios/Shutterstock When disappointment strikes, is your instinct to try to shake it off, forget about it and move on? My research and experience of many workplaces suggests this might be exactly the wrong response. My interest in the science of disappointment began more than 15 years ago as a workplace consultant. I was struck […]
Miles Davis’s Kind of Blue is the highest selling jazz record of all time – he thought it was a failure
Miles Davis There are many things about Miles Davis to remember as we mark 100 years since his birth. There’s the 1950s and 60s elegance and lyricism, with his Harmon muted trumpet, the tone of which was once said to sound like “a man walking on eggshells”. There’s his badass attitude taking no bull from […]
School trips aren’t always accessible for autistic children – but they can bring huge benefits
Tsuguliev/Shutterstock School trips are often remembered as a highlight of childhood education. Whether it’s exploring a castle, visiting a museum or spending the day at a farm or zoo, these experiences offer something the classroom often cannot: learning that is immersive, memorable and often exciting. For autistic children, school trips can be both highly valuable […]
Territorial integrity and self-determination still dominate the Falklands discussion – but oil may change that
The people of the Falkland Islands are deep in “commemoration season”, preparing for Liberation Day on June 14. This date has been celebrated on the South Atlantic archipelago as its national day since 1982, when Britain defeated Argentina in a 74-day conflict that claimed more than 900 lives, and reclaimed control over the territory. Despite […]
What it’s like to travel with a weak passport: ‘There’s no dignity’
OlegD/Shutterstock International tourism sells the promise of a borderless world: open skies, new horizons, the freedom to explore. But for the holder of a weak passport, that promise rings hollow. The Henley Passport Index (HPI) ranks the world’s passports by the number of destinations their holders can visit visa-free. This may be affected by factors […]
Which of your climate actions make the biggest difference? Here’s how to find out
Abdullah Al Islam/Shutterstock Go vegan, ditch the car, avoid air travel. Or forget all that – because it’s corporations and governments that are really to blame. This argument can feel quite paralysing but what if this is the wrong debate to be having? Our research shows that the most effective approach to climate action is […]