The Victorian sex abuse scandal that shocked Britain and changed the law – long before Epstein
The illustration published along with the story in the Illustrated Police News on May 2 1885. Royal Historic Society The media exposes a scandal – a network of rich, powerful men are abusing teenage girls. Outrage spreads fast and the public demands that authorities reveal the evidence and bring the perpetrators to justice. Yet the […]
The best books about being a teenager – according to our experts
DavideAngelini/Shutterstock Awkwardness and acne are the first things that spring to mind when thinking of adolescence, but they’re not always the full picture. We asked eight of our experts to tell us which book they feel best represents the experience of being a teenager. 1. Natives by Akala In this biographical polemic, Natives, Akala captures […]
80 million people globally claim Irish ancestry – why the release of 1926 Irish census records is so momentus
A children’s party in Dublin in the 1920s. National Library of Ireland on The Commons @ Flickr Commons, CC BY One hundred years after it was conducted, the first full census of independent Ireland is being released for free online. These nearly 3 million records will be of great significance to Ireland’s population, and a […]
How to run a marathon better: the nutritional and psychological hacks that matter most
Successful marathon running isn’t just about fitness. Tartezy/ Shutterstock Running a marathon asks a great deal of the body. You need sustained energy, careful pacing, plenty of muscle endurance and smart hydration. Marathons also ask a great deal of the mind. At some point, almost every runner has to deal with nerves, discomfort, self-doubt or […]
The truth about child IQ: research shows it fluctuates and may be an unreliable predictor of future success
peampath2812/Shutterstock Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart is arguably the most celebrated child prodigy in history, composing his first pieces of music aged five, his first symphony at eight and his first opera at 11. After a study in 1993 found that listening to Mozart could improve spatial IQ – prompting headlines such as “Mozart makes your brain […]
US raises the stakes in the Strait of Hormuz
This is the text from The Conversation UK’s World Affairs Briefing email. Sign up here to receive weekly analysis of the latest developments in international relations, direct to your inbox. The US is reported to be greatly expanding the scope of its naval blockade of Iran, asserting the right to board and seize any ships […]
Electric vehicles pass tipping point, breaking the link with oil prices
When the Strait of Hormuz first closed in March and oil hit US$120 a barrel, a very old question came back: is this finally the moment electric vehicles take off for good – or just another false start? EVs have been here before. They surged after the 1973 oil embargo, collapsed when oil fell, and […]
Eight wonders of the world
This roundup of The Conversation’s environment coverage was first published in our award-winning weekly climate action newsletter, Imagine. Every scalable solution has to start somewhere small. With a spark of an idea, an anomaly during an experiment or, perhaps, an empty seashell on an Irish beach. Juan Diego Rodriguez-Blanco at Trinity College Dublin has found […]
What ‘warfare versus welfare’ gets wrong about real-life economics
Lord Robertson’s claim that the UK cannot defend itself with an “ever-expanding” welfare budget has resonated loudly, given his previous positions as a Nato secretary-general and UK defence secretary. Following up on the UK’s 2025 strategic defence review, which he led, Robertson warned that low investment is leaving UK security “in peril”. The comments have […]
Osteopenia: loss of bone mineral density affects millions of people – here’s what you need to know
A human tibia under the microscope: many people do not even realise they have osteopenia. eranicle/ Shutterstock Around 40% of adults worldwide are affected by osteopenia: a loss of bone mineral density. This condition is extremely common particularly in postmenopausal women and elderly adults. It’s estimated that more than 500,000 fractures occur annually in the […]