Culture (UK) Notre Dame: a history of medieval cathedrals and fireThe Conversation UK - Jenny Alexander Many great churches and cathedrals have suffered catastrophic fires over their long histories and medieval chronicles are full of stories of …
Play buttonCulture (UK) Passion play: the often fraught history of the theatre and ChristianityThe Conversation UK - Elizabeth Schafer and Julian Meyrick During Holy Week – the run-up to Easter – theatrical versions of religious narratives abound. Across the world, countless church groups present …
13th century Notre Dame: how Christ's Crown of Thorns has survived crusades, political upheaval and a fire (but only just)The Conversation UK - Dr Emily Guerry When the spire of Notre Dame cathedral collapsed in a fiery blaze on Monday 15 April, it looked as if the priceless treasures inside would be lost …
Culture (UK) Notre Dame: the public and private lives of France's spiritual homeThe Conversation UK - Michael Rapport While flames engulfed Notre Dame on the evening of April 15 and the world watched in despair, French president Emmanuel Macron told news cameras that …
Teens Why protesters should be wary of '12 years to climate breakdown' rhetoricThe Conversation UK - Myles Allen I was invited to speak to a group of teenagers on climate strike in Oxford recently. Like many scientists, I support the strikes, but also find them …
Easter Easter: eggs, hares, lamb and the return of warmth and sunshine – a Christian festival that feels paganThe Conversation UK - Jane Stevenson There’s a lot of confusion about Easter – not least because this most important of all Christian festivals moves around so much from year to year, …
Nicotine Nicotine replacement: when quitting cigarettes, consider using more nicotine, not lessThe Conversation UK - Jamie Hartmann-Boyce and Nicola Lindson When delivered through cigarettes, nicotine is considered to be one of the most addictive substances on Earth, so it may seem odd to suggest that …
Rental Housing Landlords will be forbidden from evicting tenants for no reason – but reform has only just begunThe Conversation UK - Tom Simcock and Kim McKee Change is coming. Soon, private tenants in England will have the security they need to call their rented house a home. The UK government has …
Refugees Employers wary of hiring refugees and migrants to help fill shortages need help understanding the lawThe Conversation UK - Catherine Harris A recent survey I conducted of employers in Coventry in the West Midlands found that while 80% of the businesses we interviewed had hard-to-fill job …
Play buttonCarbon New CO₂ capture technology is not the magic bullet against climate changeThe Conversation UK - Chris Hawes According to a recent major UN report, if we are to limit temperature rise to 1.5 °C and prevent the most catastrophic effects of climate change, we …
Culture (UK) Easter: what the Catholic Church teaches about bread and wine and Christ's flesh and bloodThe Conversation UK - Anderson Jeremiah On the Thursday before Easter, more than two billion Christians worldwide observe the Eucharist, a special ritual that commemorates the Last Supper – …
Thailand Thailand: the baffling mathematics that helps to keep the junta in powerThe Conversation UK - Enze Han and Sirada Khemanitthathai Thailand’s March general election was the first poll since the country’s military deposed the government of Yingluck Shinawatra in 2014. And there …
Economy How the power of persuasion goes way beyond mere advertisingThe Conversation UK - Steve McKevitt There was a time when persuasion was easy to recognise. It was the stuff on billboards and flyers or between the articles in newspapers and …
David Attenborough 'Climate Change – The Facts': the BBC and David Attenborough should talk about solutionsThe Conversation UK - Rick Stafford and Peter JS Jones Guardian journalist George Monbiot wrote a damning critique of the BBC and Sir David Attenborough’s wildlife documentaries in late 2018, arguing that …
Economy Where you live in your 20s affects how early or late you retire – here's howThe Conversation UK - Emily Murray Across the globe, people are living longer. Many countries – including the UK – have responded by raising the age of retirement. By 2028, UK citizens …
Unemployment Where you live in your 20s affects when you retire – here's howThe Conversation UK - Emily Murray Across the globe, people are living longer. Many countries – including the UK – have responded by raising the age of retirement. By 2028, UK citizens …
Learning India: widespread food insecurity may be damaging children's ability to learn – and the future economyThe Conversation UK - Jasmine Fledderjohann and Elisabetta Aurino and Sukumar Vellakkal There has been an impressive expansion in school enrolment in India since the early 2000s. Despite this, India is in the midst of a “learning …
Hacking There's a massive cybersecurity job gap – we should fill it by employing hackersThe Conversation UK - John McAlaney and Helen Thackray Cybersecurity incidents are gaining an increasingly high profile. In the past, these incidents may have been perceived primarily as a somewhat …
European Union Brexit extension: how much will it actually cost the UK to leave the EU?The Conversation UK - Jonathan Perraton EU leaders have agreed a short extension to Brexit until October 31 at the latest, in order to give the British parliament time to agree a deal. This …
Catalonia Spain: Catalan question dominates ahead of wildly uncertain electionThe Conversation UK - Caroline Gray Spain’s third general election in four years is fast approaching. Voters will take to the polls on April 28 in a climate of unprecedented …
Play buttonCulture (UK) Ian McEwan's Machines Like Me and the thorny issue of robot rightsThe Conversation UK - Joshua Jowitt Ian McEwan’s latest book, Machines Like Me: A Novel offers an alternative history: Britain has lost the Falklands War, Margaret Thatcher is waging an …
IAAF Caster Semenya v IAAF: ruling will have big implications for women's participation in sportThe Conversation UK - Sheree Bekker When can a woman not compete with other women? This is, in essence, the question at the heart of the hearing currently before the Court of …
Play buttonBiological Species How the social lives of animals should form part of our conservation cultureThe Conversation UK - Philippa Brakes Shared knowledge is an important currency for humans. It shapes everything from what we eat and how we dress, to how we raise our children. Some …
Fascism The return of fascism? Why this is the wrong question to askThe Conversation UK - Aristotle Kallis When a group of ultra-nationalist wannabes gathered in Milan in 1919 to hear firebrand leader Benito Mussolini speak, they became part of an infamous …
Economy Job recruiters discriminate against Muslims, and it doesn't end at the interview stageThe Conversation UK - Attakrit Leckcivilize To mark the UN’s International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination, the House of Commons in the UK held a debate the other day. Among …
Politics of Hindu nationalism: India Tomorrow part 2 podcast transcriptThe Conversation UK - Annabel Bligh and Gemma Ware This is a transcript of part two of The Anthill’s podcast series, India Tomorrow. Click here to listen to the full episode and also find out more …
India India Tomorrow part 2: the politics of Hindu nationalismThe Conversation UK - Indrajit Roy and Annabel Bligh When Narendra Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) swept to victory in India’s 2014 elections, much was made of its Hindu nationalist agenda. After …
Human Rights Upskirting is now illegal – now the normalisation of men's sexual privilege in society must be tackledThe Conversation UK - Hannah Bows Upskirting – taking a photo or filming underneath a skirt or dress without consent – has finally become a criminal offence in England and Wales (it …
Glasgow Four simple ways landlords and letting agents can make life better for tenantsThe Conversation UK - Steve Rolfe and Lisa Garnham Everyone knows how important it is to have a home. It’s no surprise that being homeless is bad for a person’s health: it can even kill. And it’s just …
