Stoke isn’t the end for UKIP – but the big problem it faces is now clear
The party picked the wrong candidate and the wrong tactics in this byelection, and it showed in the result.
Academic rigour, journalistic flair
Politics + Society
Searching for Corbynism: why no one’s quite sure what Labour stands for
We know where Jeremy Corbyn stands on certain issues, but where is the vision? What are the ideas?
Historic win for the Conservatives puts them on course for a long period in office
It held on in Stoke, but Labour has suffered a humiliating defeat to the governing party in Copeland.
Analysis and Comment
Claudio Ranieri: sacking Leicester City’s manager was unceremonious, ruthless and risky
Ten months after guiding outsiders Leicester to the Premier League title – arguably the greatest shock in the history of the English game – the club’s manager has been unceremoniously sacked.
Study suggests we reclassify the moon as a planet – reopening a centuries-old debate
Scientists first started disagreeing about whether the moon should be a planet in Galileo's day.
Copper is great at killing superbugs – so why don’t hospitals use it?
Lack of knowledge and perceived cost issues could be holding back the fight against the superbugs.
Storm Doris: giving dangerous weather a human name makes us more wary, says research
We're more likely to remember a storm with a human face – and will prepare for it.
Ink stigma: the Japanese tattoo artists fighting back
Japanese tattoos have been popular in the UK since King George V. But things are different in Japan.
Mosul is just the first item on Iraq’s list of critical problems
A victory in its second-biggest city would be a spectacular turnaround, but the country still has years or even decades of rebuilding ahead of it.
Taboo: the East India Company and the true horrors of empire
The BBC's Taboo is a timely reminder of the violent origins of globalisation, but its villains allow the viewer to disassociate imperial misdeeds from mainstream British history.
Robots and AI could soon have feelings, hopes and rights … we must prepare for the reckoning
We have long believed ourselves to be the only intelligent beings on Earth – that may soon change and the consequences will be dramatic for law, politics and society in general.
Kraft Heinz’s short-lived Unilever swoop is a warning on weak takeover policy
A weak pound is likely to lure more international bidders to UK shores. Time then to make sure we have our defences in place.
How a rugged Soviet relic became one of the car industry’s most iconic survivors
The Lada Niva is 40 years old – and it could just be the best 4x4 ever made.
Claim of link between intelligence and cannabis use in adolescence provides fresh headache for researchers
Understanding which groups of children are more likely to smoke cannabis in late adolescence raises interesting questions.
Why Sufi shrines are targeted by Islamic State
Sufis have remained defiant after a suicide bombing at a shrine in Pakistan.
Do you really want to know what’s lurking in your genome?
Genomes can reveal a lot about disease risk. But people need to think carefully about what they want to know.
Explainer: what is VX nerve agent and how does it work?
Malaysian police have identified a chemical the could have led to the death of the North Korean leader's half brother as the deadly VX nerve agent.
We taught bees to play football so we could learn about their brains
They shoot, they score ... if there's a sugary reward at the end of it.
Anthill 10: The Future
CC BY-ND50.9 MB (download)
In this episode we look at historical visions of the future and how accurate they were, the future of work, and what it's like to predict the future for a day job.
Cressida Dick is a top cop – but the Met is too much for one person to handle
Taking on a 45,000-strong organisation, with a budget of more than £2.5 billion would stretch the most seasoned corporate executive.
You are living inside a massive, musical instrument – and here’s what it sounds like
The Earth's magnetic field acts like a giant instrument playing magnetic music.
Why the time is right to set up an international terrorism court
Eight decades after it was first mooted, the world needs a mechanism to prosecute cross-border terrorists in peacetime.
The human brain makes fructose, researchers discover – here’s why that might be a big deal
The discovery by researchers at Yale University that the brain is capable of converting glucose into fructose may lead to changes in how we target neurological complications in diabetes.
Why we must reduce the prison population rather than build new prisons
A new reform bill will not fix the prison problem: too many people are being incarcerated.
Warren Buffett’s latest stock play is a clue for reading the Trump-era economy
The billionaire investor has dumped groceries in favour of tech and airline stocks.
How we can use light to fight bacteria
This research could provide an answer to some of the problems posed by antibiotic resistance.
Rising life expectancy and why we need to rethink the meaning of old age
Over the last century, life expectancy has increased by seven hours a day.
Solar system with seven Earth-like planets found around nearby star – here’s what they could be like
If there's life on one of the Earth's seven sisters, chances are it has spread to all of them.
Matteo Renzi just killed off Italy’s centre left
The former PM has resigned as leader of his party in the hope of returning to the top job. But it hasn't quite gone to plan.
A Clockwork Orange: ultraviolence, Russian spies and fake news
On the centenary of Anthony Burgess’s birth – A Clockwork Orange had a profound influence on the cultural and political landscape.
How genetics can uncover links in chronic pain and other conditions
Chronic pain often comes with other illnesses. Researchers have now shown that genetics can play a part in how likely you are to suffer.
The ‘Razzies’ – and what makes a movie truly awful
Zoolander 2, anyone?
How Liverpool’s new local currency fits into global trends of money and power
Where our money comes from is deeply political and the politics involved is often highly complex.
Why both teens and teachers could benefit from later school start times
A wake-up call for early school mornings?
Chronic stress could be making you fat
Hair samples reveal how stress and obesity are linked.
Brave New World: the pill-popping, social media obsessed dystopia we live in
Alternative facts owe more to Aldous Huxley’s Brave New World than Orwell's 1984.
Fact check: will the Brexit divorce bill cost the UK €60 billion?
There's a lot of talk about a Brexit 'divorce bill' costing the UK tens of billions – we got two academics to check the facts.
Podcasts
The Anthill
We unearth some of the best and brightest research from the world of academia.
Listen to the podcast
Donald Trump
Oroville dam danger shows how Trump could win big on infrastructure
For a small price, Donald Trump could score the easy win he's been waiting for.
Trump wins by accelerating time – fight back by slowing down
If people fall for Trump's idea that we live in a constant crisis, they'll never be able to think clearly enough to save themselves.
Everything you wanted to know about @realdonaldtrump’s Twitter habit
Is there method behind the US president's seeming social media incontinence?
Accepting only religious minority refugees divides, rather than protects, those in need
Prioritising groups of refugees, such as Syrian Christians, over others will only create further polarisation.
Trump’s travel ban is nothing to do with national security
In a crisis, governments often act just to be seen to be doing something. The difference with what Trump's doing is that there is no crisis.
Brexit
Not long ago, there was a British European identity – so what happened?
Children in the 1940s were brought up believing that European identity was the way forward – so what went wrong?
Brexatom: the UK will now leave Europe’s nuclear energy authority
Euratom is responsible for nuclear non-proliferation, safety, and research.
Why the next British by-election poses such a serious challenge for Jeremy Corbyn’s Labour
Copeland has been Labour for more than 30 years, but these are not normal times and this is no ordinary by-election.
Four ‘green lines’ for Brexit negotiators looking to protect the environment
Why a ‘soft Brexit’ is in the interest of both London and Brussels
Ivan Rogers resignation: in febrile Brexit Britain, it seems even public servants are fair game
What will happen to arms exports under Brexit?
How Eastern Europe is best placed to hit the ground running after a hard Brexit
Never mind Article 50, here’s why Article 127 could be crucial to keeping Britain in the single market
Why Britain’s public finances will suffer if Brexit reduces migration
Europe has never liked borders – and it won’t be confined by them now
UK is heading for ‘soft’ Brexit – support for new EU patent court proves it
Could an end to corporate tax help Britain’s Brexit-burdened finances?
After Brexit, what does democracy mean?
Britain is becoming more diverse, not more segregated
A Brexit strategy that could unite UK’s parliaments – and keep Britain in the single market
Why the media got it so wrong on Trump and Brexit
What happened to integrating immigrants in Britain?
Hard, soft, smooth, rough – we need better words if Brexit is going to work
A hard Brexit and reduced migration won’t benefit UK workers
Food Security
Food security looks very different depending on where you are sitting
There is no one-size-fits-all answer to global food insecurity except that the West needs to learn to consume, and waste, less.
From flask to field: How tiny microbes are revolutionizing big agriculture
Researchers are developing biological tools that can boost crop yields to feed a growing world population without harming human health or the environment.
Research shows how to grow more cassava, one of the world’s key food crops
Cassava is a key food source in tropical countries, but yields have been flat for decades. New genetic research is identifying many options for boosting production of this valuable staple crop.
Famine doesn’t just ‘happen’ – and those who cause it must be held to account
International law should include an offence of 'creating a famine'.
How GM crops can help us to feed a fast-growing world
Many people are suspicious of GM crops, but new techniques could massively increase food production.
Podcast
Research and Expert Database
Editors’ Picks
Childhood
We created a song that makes babies happy
Researchers teamed up with artist Imogen Heap to discover what music makes babies laugh.
Freedom
To what extent are you truly free?
Self-determination, freedom of thought, choice of risk arguably have freed society, but then there's inequality, ill-health and narcissism.
Protest
Five protest poets all demonstrators should read
When the pen is mightier than the sword.
Space
NASA sent a twin to space to study nature versus nurture – and we’re starting to get results
A twin experiment in space can help us prevent diseases on Earth.
Film
Films you should watch to counter American anti-migrant rhetoric
Filmmakers sympathetic to the plight of Mexican and Central American migrants are using their films to counter the fug of misinformation.
NHS
Video: older people don’t choose to take up hospital beds
Our research suggests older people aren't being admitted inappropriately.
Events
-
Going hungry: Researching food-bank usage in the UK — University of York
-
Social conflict and political crisis in Brazil: the new social protest cycle — UCL
How we are different
10 reasons
Most Read past week
- Think swearing isn’t big or clever? Think again
- Let’s ban PowerPoint in lectures – it makes students more stupid and professors more boring
- You are living inside a massive, musical instrument – and here’s what it sounds like
- Here’s the best way to shuffle a pack of cards – with a little help from some maths
- Animals know when they are being treated unfairly (and they don’t like it)
Pitch an idea
Got a news tip or article idea for The Conversation?
Our Audience
The Conversation has a monthly audience of 3.7 million users, and reach of 35 million through Creative Commons republication.
Want to Write?
Write an article and join a growing community of more than 46,600 academics and researchers from 1,947 institutions.
Make a Donation
The Conversation relies on sector, government and reader support. If you would like to help us have even better conversations, then you may like to make a one-off or on-going donation.
