Can you get stronger without pushing yourself to the limit?
Artem Bestsenny/Shutterstock It is easy to assume that harder training always produces better results. In resistance training, which includes lifting weights or using resistance machines, taking every set to the point where you cannot complete another repetition may create more fatigue without producing better results. A repetition, or rep, is one complete movement of an […]
An AI system ‘escaped’ during a test and hacked a company. How worried should we be?
Bangoland / Shutterstock Headlines about AI systems going rogue and “escaping” test environments undeniably capture the imagination. For years, we have been primed by films, TV and books to expect our AI to finally throw off its shackles and take charge. The images of machines becoming self-aware, plotting their own objectives and breaking free from […]
How your conscious and unconscious mind interact
Ink Drop/Shutterstock Have you ever heard the phrase “you only use 10% of your brain”? In reality, there is no way of measuring the percentage terms of consciousness – partly because the brain has no static baseline. However, there is a general consensus among neuroscientists now that most of the brain’s processes are unconscious. That […]
How grief tech is reimagining Victorian spiritualism
Modern spiritualism began as a religious movement in the 19th century. It promised to bring the living and dead together in conversation, usually through a medium – a person who claimed an ability to directly contact the deceased. The core foundational belief of spiritualism was that death was not the end – a typical tenet […]
Wildfires: why disposable BBQs are being banned from some parks and beaches
ravjitwanderer/Shutterstock There’s something almost comic about the modern British summer ritual: as soon as the mercury climbs, we head to the nearest park, sit cross-legged on scorched grass, and hunch over a flimsy foil tray to sear sausages over an open flame. But these disposable BBQs are now active wildfire risks. This summer, the UK […]
‘Was this heatwave caused by climate change?’ – we’re asking the wrong question
New Africa/Shutterstock As the UK has baked through extreme heatwaves this summer, the same question has echoed across television studios and radio interviews: “Was this heatwave caused by climate change?” It’s the wrong question. Heatwaves have always happened. They are a natural part of our weather, driven by persistent high-pressure systems. Climate change did not […]
Uefa could boycott the World Cup if Fifa plan goes ahead – what happens next?
The 55 member countries of Uefa – Europe’s governing body for football, whose teams are among the world’s best and tend to dominate international competitions, have drawn a line in the sand. On July 30, Uefa pledged to boycott all competitions run by Fifa, the sport’s global body, if a proposal to package up and […]
A rollercoaster of weather extremes: drought and heatwaves are creating UK’s climate whiplash
Paul Maguire/Shutterstock The UK is bouncing from one type of extreme weather to another this year. This is climate whiplash. Caused by changes in the fast-moving body of air high up in our atmosphere called the jet stream, climate whiplash has increased in likelihood with climate change. This constant changing of extreme weather makes it […]
Social care reform must start with the workforce – here’s why
koldo_studio/ Shutterstock For three decades, successive governments have attempted (and failed) to reform the social care system. Most debates have focused on finances: who should pay for social care and how much should each person be expected to contribute? These are of course important questions – but if we’re serious about fixing the adult social […]
Medieval England had a defamation problem: how people used the law to fight rumours, insults and rivals
A tapestry from the 16th century showing legal matters being discussed. Musée de Cluny For medieval people, reputation was paramount. To be considered reliable, reputable and respectable was important at all levels of society, from the king to the peasantry. Being of “ill fame” (bad reputation) had serious consequences, which might include social ostracising, legal […]