Think the world’s in a mess? Here are four things you can do about it
You might feel small, but there are plenty of ways you can make a more positive contribution to the world.
Academic rigour, journalistic flair
Politics + Society
Trump’s US could give up the fight to stop nuclear arms from spreading
The global nuclear non-proliferation regime depends on American leadership. What if Donald Trump loses interest?
No, this isn’t the 1930s – but yes, this is fascism
Hateful movements were able to grow in the early 20th century because the centre right let it happen.
Trump and why emotion triumphs over fact when everyone is the media
The US election has highlighted the waning influence of evidence-based journalism.
Analysis and Comment
Jungle boogie: five dancing animals who know how to strut their stuff
Planet Earth's bears have nothing on these critters.
The things you remember best happened when you were between 15 and 25 – here’s why
Known as the reminiscence bump, memory scientists are hotly debating what causes it.
How Swedish literature reflects the benefits of a shorter working day
The Swedish switch to a six-hour working day is doing them the world of good.
Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them: a history of monsters, from werewolves to hippogriffs
In the world of Harry Potter, beasts are to be protected, not feared. But this concern for monsters is hardly modern.
Climate change ‘hotspots’: why they matter and why we should invest in them
Some areas expecting big environmental changes already have large, vulnerable populations.
British prisons must now recognise gender fluid and non-binary inmates
A new policy announced by the Ministry of Justice will help transgender prisoners to be treated with respect.
The huge political cost of Blair’s decision to allow Eastern European migrants unfettered access to Britain
In 2004 the Labour government allowed citizens of the 10 new EU states labour market access. Why did Blair make this decision?
A common virus could help fight liver cancer and hepatitis C
A promising new immunotherapy to treat liver cancer has been discovered.
How we solved the 1,000-year-old mystery of the Druze people’s origin – with a genetic sat nav
Illuminating the origins of one of the oldest peoples in the Middle East.
Big housebuilders won’t dig a way out of the housing crisis on their own
It's not in developers' interests to flood the market with new housing – so will the government step in?
How Planet Earth’s ice-skating flamingos collectively get ‘in the mood’ for sex
How and why these bizarre stars of Planet Earth II ended up living in icy lakes high in the Andes mountains.
A Brexit strategy that could unite UK’s parliaments – and keep Britain in the single market
Nearly six months on from the UK's shock vote, there looks very little room for manoeuvre in negotiations.
Huddled mice could change the way we think about evolution
Animals that group together to fight off evolutionary pressure may actually evolve faster.
I told my students to be optimistic about the climate – after Trump, I feel an utter fraud
The president-elect threatens to extinguish any hope of keeping warming below 2℃.
Trump and Brexit: are these really revolutions on the right?
By dismissing the votes in June and November as simple 'disatisfaction', the political elites face a long walk in the wilderness.
The Crown may be inaccurate but it’s a cracking period drama
Netflix’s most ambitious and expensive original drama is historical fiction at its most lavish.
When it comes to experts on TV, women are still neither seen nor heard
When it comes to 'experts' men still vastly outnumber women in the media.
What Britain can learn from Scandinavia when it comes to childcare
Will an increase in free nursery hours lead to greater support for publicly-provided childcare?
Britain’s obsession with net migration makes it a global anomaly
Some perspective on the government's net migration target.
New night mayors could make cities’ dreams come true – here’s how
Cities are realising that having great nightlife is not just about entertainment – it also means a 24-hour economy.
Greece economy rallies while Germany stutters but restraint still required
Athens can celebrate two consecutive quarters of growth. Berlin must stomach some weakness. Everyone should remember cheap money isn't free money.
South Korea’s president is facing an uncertain future of protest and scrutiny
The president of South Korea has been accused of choosing her friends poorly.
Six things that successful crowdfunding projects have in common
Budding entrepreneurs take note – here's how to raise money to fund your dream project.
Argument over funding HIV PrEP drug reveals prejudice about the reality of some gay sex
Ignoring those at 'high risk' of HIV in order to sustain the idea of the 'good' gay man will only perpetuate the virus.
How genetics could help future learners unlock hidden potential
Educational genomics could mean tailor-made curriculum programmes can be created based on a pupil’s DNA profile.
Mothers are made to feel guilty whether they breastfeed or formula feed their baby
Breast really best makes many mums feel bad.
How can we prevent type 2 diabetes in children?
Experts are desperately trying to find solutions to the growing public health problem of type 2 diabetes in the young. A number of trials are underway, and some look promising.
President Donald Trump and Europe: suddenly, security has been thrust back up the agenda
EU leaders couldn't pretend to be happy about the result of the US election. It goes against everything they stand for.
China grapples with the mixed blessing of a Trump victory
China may have more to gain from Trump's rise than any other nation – but the risks of a miscalculation are enormous.
Lego vs Daily Mail strikes at paper’s weak spot: its advertising revenue
Campaign pits power of press against social media activism.
US election shows that people don’t always vote for what is best for their wallet
It's time to reconsider economists' idea of rationality in the wake of Trump's election.
Cyprus edges towards reunification after landmark talks
Greek and Turkish Cypriots may get to vote again on whether to end 40 years of division.
Trump’s Supreme Court: abortion, gay rights, and more are on the line
Recent Supreme Court rulings played a crucial role in the cultural politics that got Donald Trump elected.
What happened in New Zealand’s magnitude 7.5 earthquake
Early analysis of the New Zealand earthquake shows it may be a complex event, involving several faults on the South Island.
How Marine Le Pen could become the next French president
The Front National leader is feeling confident after Brexit and Trump.
How a decline in infectious diseases may have boosted gender equality
Anglophone political populism and the cultural rejection of climate change
Biological vs chronological age: how old are you really?
What Trump means for US trade and globalisation
What happened to integrating immigrants in Britain?
How Brexit and Trump will affect James Bond
How to save the Internet of Things from cyber attacks – with psychology
Working with Donald Trump: a guide for European leaders
Research and News
The Conversation Live in Glasgow: Countdown to Brexit – where next for the UK and Europe?
Leading academics will discuss developments shaping the continent in an event that's free and open to the public.
Podcasts
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We unearth some of the best and brightest research from the world of academia.
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Discover
Why CSI: Space will be a far greater challenge than forensic science on Earth
Using terrestrial forensic science to point the finger of blame to criminals in space will be much harder than it looks.
Why the media got it so wrong on Trump and Brexit
If we're living in a 'post-truth' world, the press must take much of the blame.
British red squirrels are suffering from an outbreak of medieval leprosy
Some have a strain that is almost identical to one that infected humans in the middle ages.
We’ve found a new family of stars in the Milky Way that could help us work out how galaxies formed
A new discovery can help determine where all the stars in the universe's galaxies actually come from.
In defence of racer snakes – the demons of Planet Earth II (they’re only after a meal)
TV audiences cheered on the iguanas' escape, but won't somebody think of the poor snakes?
Brexit
Why the media got it so wrong on Trump and Brexit
If we're living in a 'post-truth' world, the press must take much of the blame.
What happened to integrating immigrants in Britain?
Immigrants used to be told to make themselves at home. Not any more.
Why Indians aren’t impressed with Theresa May’s business offer
Theresa May is looking to India for trade and investment, but it's undermined by her anti-immigrant rhetoric.
Hard, soft, smooth, rough – we need better words if Brexit is going to work
The emerging Brexicon is binary, but this is a deeply complicated situation.
Remain means remain: Nicola Sturgeon cannot be ignored on Brexit
Why British aid for trade deals after Brexit will not be so simple
Britain’s first post-Brexit by-election a triumph for Liberal Democrats
A hard Brexit and reduced migration won’t benefit UK workers
Why Britain cannot bank on India for post-Brexit business
Ireland: Brexit sparks diplomatic imagination over territorial borders
Shout loud, Remainers – democracy means giving the majority a hard time
Explainer: what’s the difference between ‘hard’ and ‘soft’ Brexit?
Hard Brexit, tough times – Theresa May’s Britain will be stretched at the seams
Fact Check: would Brexit help or hinder young people who want to buy a house?
Why London won’t lose its crown as Europe’s financial capital
How reliant is Britain on EU migrant workers?
How overseas degrees could offer students the best of both worlds post Brexit
Global development
Here’s what happened at Habitat III – the world’s biggest conference on cities
As many as 30,000 delegates gathered to decide the future of cities for the next 20 years – here's how it played out.
Brexit threatens Britain’s reputation as an agenda-setter for foreign aid
Britain uses its aid for soft power. How will that change after it leaves the EU?
When world leaders thought you shouldn’t need passports or visas
In the 20th century, governments considered the “total abolition” of passports as an important goal and discussed the issue in several international conferences.
President-elect Donald Trump
Research and Expert Database
Editors’ Picks
Elena Ferrante has her reasons for anonymity – we should respect them
The unmasking of the real author of the Neapolitan series was an act of vandalism.
Why Bruce Springsteen’s depression revelation matters
With stigma about mental illness still pervasive, The Boss' frank admission helps shatter some of the most common stereotypes about depression.
Tasmanian devils are evolving rapidly to fight their deadly cancer
New research suggests devils are evolving rapidly in response to their highly lethal transmissible cancer, and that the devils could save themselves.
Still standing: how an ancient clock tower survived Italy’s deadly earthquake
Amatrice's still-standing ancient clocktower has become an iconic image from last week's deadly earthquake. But it is not the only unusual survivor.
Incredible images from Rio 2016, as photographers rise to meet social media challenges
Photographers can't pay the bills with Instagram likes – but it's pushing them to capture more spectacular images than ever before.
Just how unpredictable is the Premier League? Scientists have done the maths
Turns out the English Premier League is a lot more unpredictable than Spain's La Liga, which could be why it attracts so much funding.
Memory and attention are affected by much lower levels of dehydration than previously thought
Feeling thirsty could be affecting your brain function more than you realise.
How to stop a zombie apocalypse – with science
What could we do if a real-life zombie disease started to spread?
Titter ye not – Swallows and Amazons goes all Victorian
The film's exchange of Titty for Tatty is very much in line with Victorian censorship of profanities for children.
Events
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On hip hop, race and politics: The way we talk about things — University of York
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Only connect: From green spaces to green infrastructure — University of York
How we are different
10 reasons
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