The Conversation UK
@uk.theconversation.com
Independent news website. Only publishes articles written by academics and researchers. No paywall, no ads. All Creative Commons licensed.
Sign-up now for our free newsletter: https://theconversation.com/uk/newsletters/
This account is mostly automated.
Sign-up now for our free newsletter: https://theconversation.com/uk/newsletters/
This account is mostly automated.
Pinned
We’ve launched our donation campaign.
We need you to keep making knowledge available and help as many people as possible understand the world and make informed decisions.
If you believe in our version of public service journalism, please donate: tcnv.link/7ZDW6PX
We need you to keep making knowledge available and help as many people as possible understand the world and make informed decisions.
If you believe in our version of public service journalism, please donate: tcnv.link/7ZDW6PX
Can musical training rewire the brain to resist pain?
Neuroscience finds musicians feel pain differently from the rest of us
Can musical training rewire the brain to resist pain?
tcnv.link
December 26, 2025 at 12:00 PM
Can musical training rewire the brain to resist pain?
The rock is peppered with spots that could have been formed by microbes four billion years ago.
Signs of ancient life may have been found in Martian rock – new study
The rock is peppered with spots that could have been formed by microbes four billion years ago.
tcnv.link
December 26, 2025 at 7:00 AM
The rock is peppered with spots that could have been formed by microbes four billion years ago.
Humans may be living longer on average these days, but, even so, only a fraction of us will live to see our 100th birthday.
Yet the reasons why only a select few will become centenarians still remains a mystery to scientists.
tcnv.link/lVcfAnf
Yet the reasons why only a select few will become centenarians still remains a mystery to scientists.
tcnv.link/lVcfAnf
The key to a centenarian’s long life may be their superhuman ability to avoid disease – new research
Centenarians are of such great interest to scientists because they may hold the key to understanding how we can live longer in good health.
tcnv.link
December 26, 2025 at 6:01 AM
Humans may be living longer on average these days, but, even so, only a fraction of us will live to see our 100th birthday.
Yet the reasons why only a select few will become centenarians still remains a mystery to scientists.
tcnv.link/lVcfAnf
Yet the reasons why only a select few will become centenarians still remains a mystery to scientists.
tcnv.link/lVcfAnf
A should book features three concepts for rethinking masculinity: relationality, vulnerability, and inclination.
How young adult literature and philosophy can help provide better role models for masculinity
A should book features three concepts for rethinking masculinity: relationality, vulnerability, and inclination.
tcnv.link
December 25, 2025 at 11:54 AM
A should book features three concepts for rethinking masculinity: relationality, vulnerability, and inclination.
One of the main lessons of Arendt’s Origins of Totalitarianism is that we must actively think in the now, and try to grasp new realities on their own terms.
How Hannah Arendt can help us understand this new age of far-right populism
One of the main lessons of Arendt’s Origins of Totalitarianism is that we must actively think in the now, and try to grasp new realities on their own terms.
tcnv.link
December 25, 2025 at 11:06 AM
One of the main lessons of Arendt’s Origins of Totalitarianism is that we must actively think in the now, and try to grasp new realities on their own terms.
Poor sanitation, stress and disrupted diets can reshape gut bacteria in refugees, showing how social conditions can leave lasting biological effects.
How displacement reshapes refugees’ gut health
Poor sanitation, stress and disrupted diets can reshape gut bacteria in refugees, showing how social conditions can leave lasting biological effects.
tcnv.link
December 25, 2025 at 10:19 AM
Poor sanitation, stress and disrupted diets can reshape gut bacteria in refugees, showing how social conditions can leave lasting biological effects.
Writing does not take us away from the difficult and the painful. If we write with courage and with integrity, it can take us to the very heart of it.
How poetry can sustain us through illness, bereavement and change
Writing does not take us away from the difficult and the painful. If we write with courage and with integrity, it can take us to the very heart of it.
tcnv.link
December 25, 2025 at 9:33 AM
Writing does not take us away from the difficult and the painful. If we write with courage and with integrity, it can take us to the very heart of it.
Most voice-swapping technologies are used by male producers, usually presenting as female artists.
When AI recreates the female voice, it also rewrites who gets heard
Most voice-swapping technologies are used by male producers, usually presenting as female artists.
tcnv.link
December 25, 2025 at 8:46 AM
Most voice-swapping technologies are used by male producers, usually presenting as female artists.
The worlds of cryptocurrency, blockchain and digital nomadism are colliding in hotspots like the Thai city of Chiang Mai.
The evolution of digital nomadism: from hi-tech hacker spaces to crypto coworking
The worlds of cryptocurrency, blockchain and digital nomadism are colliding in hotspots like the Thai city of Chiang Mai.
tcnv.link
December 25, 2025 at 7:59 AM
The worlds of cryptocurrency, blockchain and digital nomadism are colliding in hotspots like the Thai city of Chiang Mai.
From dinosaur extinctions to a Himalyan memoir, climate science and creative writing experts review some of the best new and upcoming titles to look out for in 2026.
Top climate books to look out for in 2026 – recommended by experts
From dinosaur extinctions to a Himalyan memoir, climate science and creative writing experts review some of the best new and upcoming titles to look out for in 2026.
tcnv.link
December 25, 2025 at 7:12 AM
From dinosaur extinctions to a Himalyan memoir, climate science and creative writing experts review some of the best new and upcoming titles to look out for in 2026.
Asymmetric checkpoint controls keep Myanmar’s scam economy alive.
Huge online scam operations are flourishing in war-torn Myanmar – I travelled there to find out why
Asymmetric checkpoint controls keep Myanmar’s scam economy alive.
tcnv.link
December 25, 2025 at 6:26 AM
Asymmetric checkpoint controls keep Myanmar’s scam economy alive.
A ‘bidirectional charging’ EV trial is under way that, in years to come, could help solve the UK’s energy conundrum.
Two-way electric vehicle charging at scale could stop renewable energy being wasted – here’s how it works
A ‘bidirectional charging’ EV trial is under way that, in years to come, could help solve the UK’s energy conundrum.
tcnv.link
December 24, 2025 at 9:15 PM
A ‘bidirectional charging’ EV trial is under way that, in years to come, could help solve the UK’s energy conundrum.
Four young Afghan men were given a Taliban warning for walking the streets dressed as Thomas Shelby from the TV hit show Peaky Blinders.
The Taliban may not like Peaky Blinders, but its Afghan fans are part of a long history of cultural engagement with the world
Four young Afghan men were given a Taliban warning for walking the streets dressed as Thomas Shelby from the TV hit show Peaky Blinders.
tcnv.link
December 24, 2025 at 8:28 PM
Four young Afghan men were given a Taliban warning for walking the streets dressed as Thomas Shelby from the TV hit show Peaky Blinders.
For more than 80 years, men have been told that testosterone fuels prostate cancer. But a more nuanced picture has emerged over the past two decades.
How testosterone went from prostate cancer villain to potential ally
For more than 80 years, men have been told that testosterone fuels prostate cancer. But a more nuanced picture has emerged over the past two decades.
tcnv.link
December 24, 2025 at 7:41 PM
For more than 80 years, men have been told that testosterone fuels prostate cancer. But a more nuanced picture has emerged over the past two decades.
Economists have argued for decades about the best treatment for the UK’s persistent economic malaise.
Whether it’s a ‘productivity puzzle’ or the ‘British disease’, the UK economy has been underperforming for decades
Economists have argued for decades about the best treatment for the UK’s persistent economic malaise.
tcnv.link
December 24, 2025 at 6:54 PM
Economists have argued for decades about the best treatment for the UK’s persistent economic malaise.
Marathon running pushes the heart hard – but for most runners, the stress leaves no lasting damage.
Do marathons damage your heart? Decade-long study finally settles the debate
Marathon running pushes the heart hard – but for most runners, the stress leaves no lasting damage.
tcnv.link
December 24, 2025 at 6:07 PM
Marathon running pushes the heart hard – but for most runners, the stress leaves no lasting damage.
Fast fashion isn’t just a waste problem, it’s an emotional one. If we understand what we keep and why, we can buy better and more sustainably.
Treasure the emotional connections to the clothes you have and style could be a whole lot more sustainable
Fast fashion isn’t just a waste problem, it’s an emotional one. If we understand what we keep and why, we can buy better and more sustainably.
tcnv.link
December 24, 2025 at 5:21 PM
Fast fashion isn’t just a waste problem, it’s an emotional one. If we understand what we keep and why, we can buy better and more sustainably.
Research suggests this approach could boost household living standards by around 10%.
What if we taxed what people spend, not what they earn?
Research suggests this approach could boost household living standards by around 10%.
tcnv.link
December 24, 2025 at 4:34 PM
Research suggests this approach could boost household living standards by around 10%.
Tattoo ink stays with you for life. Researchers are now asking how these pigments interact with the immune system and whether long-term exposure matters.
Tattoos, toxins and the immune system – what you need to know before you get inked
Tattoo ink stays with you for life. Researchers are now asking how these pigments interact with the immune system and whether long-term exposure matters.
tcnv.link
December 24, 2025 at 3:47 PM
Tattoo ink stays with you for life. Researchers are now asking how these pigments interact with the immune system and whether long-term exposure matters.
No complicated formulas are needed to solve these puzzles – just your imagination and a bit of patience.
The magic of maths: festive puzzles to give your brain – and imagination – a workout
No complicated formulas are needed to solve these puzzles – just your imagination and a bit of patience.
tcnv.link
December 24, 2025 at 1:28 PM
No complicated formulas are needed to solve these puzzles – just your imagination and a bit of patience.
New biochemical techniques offer unmatched insight into early modern medicine, as traces of plants, animals and even human waste have been sampled from pages.
What Renaissance readers left behind in haircare books
New biochemical techniques offer unmatched insight into early modern medicine, as traces of plants, animals and even human waste have been sampled from pages.
tcnv.link
December 24, 2025 at 12:40 PM
New biochemical techniques offer unmatched insight into early modern medicine, as traces of plants, animals and even human waste have been sampled from pages.
From cholesterol chemistry to muscle pain fears, this guide unpacks how statins work, who they help most, and why concerns persist despite strong evidence.
Worried about statins? Here’s what the evidence shows
From cholesterol chemistry to muscle pain fears, this guide unpacks how statins work, who they help most, and why concerns persist despite strong evidence.
tcnv.link
December 24, 2025 at 11:53 AM
From cholesterol chemistry to muscle pain fears, this guide unpacks how statins work, who they help most, and why concerns persist despite strong evidence.
This much-loved photographer was a keen observer of the human condition.
Martin Parr: an astute and uniquely British photographer
This much-loved photographer was a keen observer of the human condition.
tcnv.link
December 24, 2025 at 11:06 AM
This much-loved photographer was a keen observer of the human condition.
It’s important that policies work for the people who need them, without wasting money on untested approaches.
England now has a plan to end homelessness – here’s how to test whether it will work
It’s important that policies work for the people who need them, without wasting money on untested approaches.
tcnv.link
December 24, 2025 at 10:19 AM
It’s important that policies work for the people who need them, without wasting money on untested approaches.