Strait of Hormuz: why even neutral and distant countries like Switzerland can’t escape the fallout
Glaciers in the Swiss alps are experiencing rapid melt due to climate change. Manuel Wild/Shutterstock There is often a perception that geographical distance reduces vulnerability – an idea that can be particularly appealing in neutral countries with long-standing stable and strong economies. Switzerland is a clear example: its long-standing neutrality, formally recognised at the Congress […]
The problem with vet bills – a dog-owning economist explains
Kamil Macniak/Shutterstock When my dog Buddy ate a tub of chewing gum – around 60 pieces – we rushed him to the vet, where he stayed overnight. Thankfully he was fine. The same could not be said for our wallets. Two aspects of the experience with the vets stood out to my inner economist. First, […]
Crypto tolls in the Strait of Hormuz shows why bitcoin thrives in times of crisis
QQMinh88 / shutterstock Bitcoin has long been promised to function as money. In practice, it rarely does. While 99% of transactions are still speculative trading, for as long as bitcoin has been a thing it has been used to skirt governments’ economic controls. Cryptocurrencies are particularly attractive for countries facing sanctions. The Iranian government is […]
The Victorian sex abuse scandal that shocked Britain and changed the law – long before Epstein
The illustration published along with the story in the Illustrated Police News on May 2 1885. Royal Historic Society The media exposes a scandal – a network of rich, powerful men are abusing teenage girls. Outrage spreads fast and the public demands that authorities reveal the evidence and bring the perpetrators to justice. Yet the […]
The best books about being a teenager – according to our experts
DavideAngelini/Shutterstock Awkwardness and acne are the first things that spring to mind when thinking of adolescence, but they’re not always the full picture. We asked eight of our experts to tell us which book they feel best represents the experience of being a teenager. 1. Natives by Akala In this biographical polemic, Natives, Akala captures […]
80 million people globally claim Irish ancestry – why the release of 1926 Irish census records is so momentus
A children’s party in Dublin in the 1920s. National Library of Ireland on The Commons @ Flickr Commons, CC BY One hundred years after it was conducted, the first full census of independent Ireland is being released for free online. These nearly 3 million records will be of great significance to Ireland’s population, and a […]
How to run a marathon better: the nutritional and psychological hacks that matter most
Successful marathon running isn’t just about fitness. Tartezy/ Shutterstock Running a marathon asks a great deal of the body. You need sustained energy, careful pacing, plenty of muscle endurance and smart hydration. Marathons also ask a great deal of the mind. At some point, almost every runner has to deal with nerves, discomfort, self-doubt or […]
The truth about child IQ: research shows it fluctuates and may be an unreliable predictor of future success
peampath2812/Shutterstock Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart is arguably the most celebrated child prodigy in history, composing his first pieces of music aged five, his first symphony at eight and his first opera at 11. After a study in 1993 found that listening to Mozart could improve spatial IQ – prompting headlines such as “Mozart makes your brain […]
US raises the stakes in the Strait of Hormuz
This is the text from The Conversation UK’s World Affairs Briefing email. Sign up here to receive weekly analysis of the latest developments in international relations, direct to your inbox. The US is reported to be greatly expanding the scope of its naval blockade of Iran, asserting the right to board and seize any ships […]
Electric vehicles pass tipping point, breaking the link with oil prices
When the Strait of Hormuz first closed in March and oil hit US$120 a barrel, a very old question came back: is this finally the moment electric vehicles take off for good – or just another false start? EVs have been here before. They surged after the 1973 oil embargo, collapsed when oil fell, and […]