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The Conversation
5.5 million years ago the Mediterranean dried out, with sobering lessons for humanity today – new research

5.5 million years ago the Mediterranean dried out, with sobering lessons for humanity today – new research

Daniel García-Castellanos, Instituto de Geociencias de Barcelona (Geo3Bcn – CSIC) and Konstantina Agiadi, Universität Wien

EVA suit, Polaris Program

Polaris Dawn: the first spacewalk by commercial astronauts will be historic, but the mission carries risks

Simonetta Di Pippo, Bocconi University

orange red yellow and grey vertical stripes representing air pollution concentrations and white line graph overlaying it

These colourful diagrams show how air quality has changed in over 100 countries around the world since 1850

Jim McQuaid, University of Leeds; Kirsty Pringle, The University of Edinburgh, and Sam Illingworth, Edinburgh Napier University

A group of young people laughs on a yacht.

Who are the global super-rich of tomorrow? We interviewed teens at one of the world’s most expensive schools to find out

Karen Lillie, Max Planck Institute for the Study of Societies and Claire Maxwell, University of Copenhagen

The best exercises to boost your brain health after 60

Neva Béraud-Peigné, Université Paris-Saclay; Alexandra Perrot, Université Paris-Saclay, and Pauline Maillot, Université Paris Cité

Des seniors en tenue de sport font une course sur le bitume.
Why every island’s wildlife ends up looking alike

Céline Bellard, Université Paris-Saclay and Clara Marino, Université Paris-Saclay

Why every island’s wildlife ends up looking alike
The women's 100m heat one at London's Paralympic Games in 2012.

‘Differently abled’: new Paris exhibition reveals how attitudes to paralympic sport have changed

Andy Miah, University of Salford

Painting of two men camping, with large mountains in the distance

Alexander von Humboldt: the groundbreaking naturalist who bankrupted himself to share his life’s work

Bienvenido León, Universidad de Navarra

The Drakensberg mountains form part of the Great Escarpment encircling southern Africa.

We discovered a new way mountains are formed – from ‘mantle waves’ inside the Earth

Thomas Gernon, University of Southampton

Why we need to approach masculinism as a terrorist threat: Q&A with Stephanie Lamy

Why we need to approach masculinism as a terrorist threat: Q&A with Stephanie Lamy

Stephanie Lamy, Sciences Po Toulouse

The overshoot myth: you can’t keep burning fossil fuels and expect scientists of the future to get us back to 1.5°C

James Dyke, University of Exeter; Robert Watson, University of East Anglia, and Wolfgang Knorr, Lund University

Melting glacier splashes into the sea
From rhino horn snuff to pangolin livestock feed: we analysed half a century of patents to track the wildlife trade’s evolution

Amy Hinsley, University of Oxford and Susanne Masters, Leiden University

horseshoe crabs on sandy beach, sea in background
Why are teenage girls attracted to boys who hurt them? We talked to high school students to find out

Silvia Molina Roldán, Universitat Rovira i Virgili; Garazi Lopez de Aguileta, University of Wisconsin-Madison; Itxaso Tellado, Universitat de Vic – Universitat Central de Catalunya; Leire Ugalde Lujambio, Universidad del País Vasco / Euskal Herriko Unibertsitatea; Lidia Puigvert Mallart, Universitat de Barcelona; Miguel Ángel Pulido, Universitat Ramon Llull; Ramón Flecha García, Universitat de Barcelona, and Sandra Racionero-Plaza, Universitat de Barcelona

Why are teenage girls attracted to boys who hurt them? We talked to high school students to find out
From jellyfish to basking shark, we’re developing 100 new signs to deepen deaf people’s connection with the ocean

Audrey Cameron, The University of Edinburgh

white and brown compass jellyfish swimming in blue sea

European Union

People on shore help pull a rubber dinghy full of people in life jackets from the ocean

We polled EU citizens on what they want asylum policy to look like – their answers may surprise you

Natalia Letki, University of Warsaw; Dawid Walentek, Ghent University; Peter Thisted Dinesen, University of Copenhagen, and Ulf Liebe, University of Warwick

‘Make Europe Great Again’: far right Hungary takes over presidency of the Council of the European Union

Eszter Wirth, Universidad Pontificia Comillas

‘Make Europe Great Again’: far right Hungary takes over presidency of the Council of the European Union
The modern world’s relationship to time is broken – and it’s fuelling the rise of the far right

Jesus Casquete, Universidad del País Vasco / Euskal Herriko Unibertsitatea

The modern world’s relationship to time is broken – and it’s fuelling the rise of the far right
Starmer must seize the chance to rethink the UK-Europe relationship – here’s how he can do it

Nick Whittaker, University of Sussex

Keir Starmer looks at the EU flags outside the European Commission in Brussels
The EU’s outsourced migration control is violent, expensive and ineffective

Barah Mikaïl, IE University

Refugee camp in Suruc, Turkey. 2015

New research

‘Throughout all days and nights, forever’: Could an 11th century contract prove the existence of same-sex marriage in medieval Spain?

José Miguel Andrade, Universidade de Santiago de Compostela

Illustration of two couples from a medieval manuscript.
Plant disease could spell apocalypse for citrus fruits

Raphael Morillon, Cirad; Barbara Hufnagel, Cirad; Patrick Ollitrault, Cirad, and Virginie Ravigné, Cirad

Plant disease could spell apocalypse for citrus fruits
Middle-aged radicalisation: why are so many of Britain’s rioters in their 40s and 50s?

Sara H Wilford, De Montfort University

A man in an angry exchange with the police.
Tourism development doesn’t equal bad jobs – weak government protection does

Santiago Melián González, Universidad de Las Palmas de Gran Canaria and Jacques Bulchand Gidumal, Universidad de Las Palmas de Gran Canaria

Tourism development doesn’t equal bad jobs – weak government protection does
The hypermasculine far right: how white nationalists tell themselves they are ‘protecting’ women and children when they riot

Elizabeth Pearson, Royal Holloway University of London

A group of men rioting with three policemen in the foreground.
For our own good: the psychology of ‘nudging’

Ramón Ortega Lozano, Universidad Nebrija; Aníbal M. Astobiza, Universidad del País Vasco / Euskal Herriko Unibertsitatea, and David Rodríguez-Arias, Universidad de Granada

For our own good: how the psychology of ‘nudging’ pushes us to make healthier choices – and raises ethical dilemmas
Climate crisis sees rise in illegal water markets in the Middle East

Christian Klassert, Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research-UFZ and Samer Talozi, Jordan University for Science and Technology

Climate crisis sees rise in illegal water markets in the Middle East
The people we like can influence the connections our memory makes

Ines Bramao, Lund University; Marius Boeltzig, University of Münster, and Mikael Johansson, Lund University

Outlines of faces in blue with one green face outline near the centre
Eating quickly saves time, but it takes a toll on your health – here’s how

Esther Martínez Miguel, Universidad Nebrija and Silvia Gómez Senent, Universidad Nebrija

A woman eating a sandwich works on a computer.
Two reasons I’m sceptical about psychedelic science

Michiel van Elk, Leiden University

Desiccated 'magic mushrooms'
The chaos of choice: how do people pick their food products?

Elke Godden, University of Antwerp

The chaos of choice: how do people pick their food products?
The problems with climate scenarios, and how to fix them

Riccardo Rebonato, EDHEC Business School

The problems with climate scenarios, and how to fix them

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Two piranhas face to face.

How (apparently) identical animals can have different genomes – new research

Cristian Cañestro, Universitat de Barcelona

‘To be or to be?’ Why this fundamental concept is so difficult for learners of Spanish

Zeina Alhmoud, Universidad Nebrija

‘To be or to be?’ Why this fundamental concept is so difficult for learners of Spanish
Biodiversity loss impacts our societies and economies – How can Europe confront the spread of invasive species?

Núria Roura-Pascual, Universitat de Girona

A raccoon stands with its front paws in a shallow body of water.
How the Dutch became the tallest nation on Earth

Kristina Thompson, Wageningen University and Björn Quanjer, Radboud University

How the Dutch became the tallest nation on Earth
Western movies: a 21st century renaissance

Ruth Gutiérrez Delgado, Universidad de Navarra; Alberto Fijo Cortés, Universidad Villanueva, and Gema Pérez Herrera, Universidad de Valladolid

Four men lead a cow along a wooden jetty on the shore of a river surrounded by trees

Most read this week

1.
Keir Starmer: what we know about Britain’s new prime minister and how he will lead

Mark Bennister, University of Lincoln and Ben Worthy, Birkbeck, University of London

Keir Starmer: what we know about Britain’s new prime minister and how he will lead
2.
Why are teenage girls attracted to boys who hurt them? We talked to high school students to find out

Silvia Molina Roldán, Universitat Rovira i Virgili; Garazi Lopez de Aguileta, University of Wisconsin-Madison; Itxaso Tellado, Universitat de Vic – Universitat Central de Catalunya; Leire Ugalde Lujambio, Universidad del País Vasco / Euskal Herriko Unibertsitatea; Lidia Puigvert Mallart, Universitat de Barcelona; Miguel Ángel Pulido, Universitat Ramon Llull; Ramón Flecha García, Universitat de Barcelona, and Sandra Racionero-Plaza, Universitat de Barcelona

Why are teenage girls attracted to boys who hurt them? We talked to high school students to find out
3.
Your biological age predicts dementia and stroke regardless of your actual age – new study

Jonathan Ka Long Mak, Karolinska Institutet and Sara Hägg, Karolinska Institutet

Your biological age predicts dementia and stroke regardless of your actual age – new study
4.
These colourful diagrams show how air quality has changed in over 100 countries around the world since 1850

Jim McQuaid, University of Leeds; Kirsty Pringle, The University of Edinburgh, and Sam Illingworth, Edinburgh Napier University

These colourful diagrams show how air quality has changed in over 100 countries around the world since 1850
5.
We discovered a new way mountains are formed – from ‘mantle waves’ inside the Earth

Thomas Gernon, University of Southampton

We discovered a new way mountains are formed – from ‘mantle waves’ inside the Earth
6.
The overshoot myth: you can’t keep burning fossil fuels and expect scientists of the future to get us back to 1.5°C

James Dyke, University of Exeter; Robert Watson, University of East Anglia, and Wolfgang Knorr, Lund University

The overshoot myth: you can’t keep burning fossil fuels and expect scientists of the future to get us back to 1.5°C
5G doesn’t affect your health – here are 5 points to put your mind at ease

5G doesn’t affect your health – here are 5 points to put your mind at ease

Alberto Nájera López, Universidad de Castilla-La Mancha

Shepherd’s graffiti sheds new light on Acropolis lost temple mystery – new research

Janric van Rookhuijzen, Radboud University

The Acropolis of Athens with the Parthenon.
Digital multi-tasking is ruining our work, school grades and sleep – here are 7 ways we can reclaim our attention spans

Teresa Rossignoli Palomeque, Universidad Nebrija

Digital multi-tasking is ruining our work, school grades and sleep – here are 7 ways we can reclaim our attention spans
Surging property prices: When will Europe’s cities become affordable again?

Geoffrey Ditta, Universidad Nebrija

Residential buildings in Dublin.
Is social media fuelling political polarisation?

Antoine Marie, École normale supérieure (ENS) – PSL

femme aveuglée par les réseaux sociaux
We need to talk about Chinese and US influence in Europe’s energy industry

Carine Sebi, Grenoble École de Management (GEM) and Patrick Criqui, Université Grenoble Alpes (UGA)

We need to talk about Chinese and US influence in Europe’s energy industry
Epstein-Barr virus: how does a common infection trick the immune system into attacking the brain in people with MS?

Olivia Thomas, Karolinska Institutet; Graham Taylor, University of Birmingham, and Jill Brooks, University of Birmingham

A digital depiction of Epstein-Barr virus as it would appear under a microscope.
How to buy a good pair of sunglasses

Jacobo García Queiruga, Universidade de Santiago de Compostela and Verónica Noya Padín, Universidade de Santiago de Compostela

How to buy a good pair of sunglasses
How companies calculate their carbon footprints

Gianfranco Gianfrate, EDHEC Business School

fumée d'usine avec un ciel ensoleillé
ESCP Business SchoolKarolinska InstitutetEDHEC Business SchoolInternational Institute for Management Development (IMD)University of GalwayTrinity College DublinUniversity College DublinIE UniversityEuropean Academy of Management (EURAM)
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