How individual consciousness works – and makes us unique
Benjavisa Ruangvaree Art As we go through life, our brains run different processing modes. Some – the attention and sensory systems – result in very similar experiences of the world: what colour the sky is, how warm the day feels. But there is another, deeper side to the brain which weaves together your memories, goals, […]
Hokum review: a gothic chiller set in a creepy Irish hotel that expertly weaves horror tropes
We are used to seeing the excellent Adam Scott (Severance, Parks and Recreation) in likeable nice guy roles. In Hokum, however, he plays a curmudgeonly and prickly bestselling novelist called Ohm Bauman. Deliberating over the ending to his series of popular novels, Bauman has decided to take a trip to the rural Irish inn where […]
People who are blind from birth never develop schizophrenia – what this tells us about the psychiatric condition
Reshetnikov_art/Shutterstock.com In 1950, two researchers noticed something that didn’t quite add up. Hector Chevigny, a writer who had lost his sight in adulthood, and psychologist Sydell Braverman were studying the psychological lives of blind people when they stumbled upon an intriguing pattern: schizophrenia, a serious mental illness affecting people across virtually every known society, appeared […]
How authoritarian regimes use education as a political tool
School students in a National Day parade, Asmara, Eritrea. Angela N Perryman/Shutterstock It’s often assumed that expanding access to education is progressive – that it’s a means of ensuring social, economic and political development. However, this is not always the case. We’ve carried out research examining the relationship between education and authoritarianism with a focus […]
War in the Gulf and on US free speech
Brent crude oil surged to US$126 (£94) a barrel after US president Donald Trump announced that he was willing to prolong the blockade of Iranian ports for “months if needed”. This conflict has been billed as a matter of who can absorb the most pain. And Trump is betting on it being the US. Trump […]
How to talk to children when terrorist attacks and violence dominate the news
When a man stabbed Jewish people in Golders Green, London, in what police declared a terrorist incident, the story spread fast – through news alerts, social media and the whispered conversations of anxious adults. When this happens, children notice. Whether they catch a fragment of a TV bulletin, overhear a parent on the phone, or […]
‘Executive power is subject to checks and balances’: why King Charles cited Magna Carta in the US Congress
In his speech to Congress during a trip to the US to mark the country’s 250th anniversary, King Charles made repeated references to Magna Carta, the medieval English charter that laid the foundations for the modern rule of law. Dating back to 1215, Magna Carta also established for the first time that the monarch was […]
Trump uses assassination attempt to justify his assault on first amendment rights to free speech
The Trump administration has called on TV network ABC to “take a stand” after a joke from its late night comedy host Jimmy Kimmel offended the US president and first lady. Two days before the White House Correpondents’ dinner on April 25, Kimmel broadcast what he said was a “roast” of the Trump administration. Roasts […]
What is a just war? Inside the war of words between the Trump administration and the Catholic church
Pope Leo’s words on Palm Sunday were pointed. “Jesus does not listen to the prayers of those who wage war”, he said during an address at the Vatican. A few days later in early April, when Timothy Broglio, the archbishop for US military services, was asked on CBS’s Face the Nation if the Iran war […]
Which bird has the best song? These experts think they know
To mark International Dawn Chorus day we’ve asked wildlife experts to make their case for why their favourite songbird deserves your vote. Cast your vote in the poll at the end of the article and let us know why in the comments. We hope their words will inspire you to step outside and soak up […]