Scientists have designed a functioning virus from scratch using AI – what you need to know
ART-ur/Shutterstock.com Artificial intelligence has designed viruses that can infect bacteria and reproduce – a first that shows AI is beginning to do more than analyse the genetic code of living things. It can write new versions of it, too. The viruses in question are bacteriophages, or phages – viruses that infect bacteria rather than people, […]
Why do some people feel life is so unfair? Understanding this may help explain conspiracy beliefs
HimelVector/Shutterstock Most people set out in life wanting to believe the world is fair. They expect people to wait their turn in queues, to be treated equally in their job, and to be rewarded for hard work. These expectations influence how they understand the world around them, and shape their responses to it. But what […]
In a more devolved UK, should London still be in charge of broadcasting?
The BBC Cymru Wales headquarters in Cardiff. meunierd/Shutterstock What we watch on television, hear on the radio and see on our screens is shaped by decisions that are still largely made in Westminster. That includes the rules governing broadcasters, how public service media are funded and regulated and how the UK’s nations and regions are […]
Saudi defence pact with Turkey and Pakistan is a verdict on the reliability of US security guarantees
Commentators predictably reacted to the news of the signing of a mutual defence pact between Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Pakistan on August 7 by reaching for the label “Islamic Nato”. The Mecca Joint Defence Agreement stipulates that an armed attack on any one of them would be treated as an attack on all. Jerusalem went […]
A decade of Pokémon Go: how nostalgia and community keep the game alive
When Pokémon Go celebrated its tenth anniversary in July 2026, much of the reaction from players around the world was less about the game’s future than its past. Social media was flooded with screenshots from 2016, with memories of first “catches” and stories of crowded parks filled with players discovering an entirely new way to […]
How medieval Scottish kings kept unrest at bay with populist policies
Medieval king Robert the Bruce spotted the power of populism. Ulmus Media/Shutterstock Governments have always had to strike a balance between actions that are unpopular but thought to be necessary, and laws and policies that win them support from the public. In the UK, the new prime minister Andy Burnham has set out to grab […]
The difference between heat exhaustion and heatstroke explained
New Africa/Shutterstock.com With temperatures forecast to climb to 36°C in parts of the UK, heat health alerts are once again in place – and for many people it will mean more than an uncomfortable few days. The human body normally keeps its core temperature at around 37°C, and when the air around us heats up, […]
How polarised is European politics? Here’s how your generation, gender and where you live affect what you believe
Protesters march through the Youngstorget public square in Oslo, Norway, in 2025. borisk.photos / Shutterstock Across Europe, the political debate has rarely looked more polarised. Media narratives frequently describe societies as becoming sharply divided between younger progressive and older conservative generations. A growing body of research also suggests that political attitudes are becoming more divided […]
What protects teachers from burnout: relationships, good leadership and a system that supports them
Jacob Lund/Shutterstock The summer break offers teachers something in short supply during term time: downtime. Our research explores the factors important for teachers’ wellbeing. For many, summer is an essential opportunity to recover from the exhaustion accumulated across the year. There is time to sleep properly, reconnect with family and step away from the constant […]
‘You’re a 4 out of 10’: the troubling rise of AI appearance ratings
New Africa/Shutterstock A teenager joins an online video chat. Within seconds, artificial intelligence analyses their face and gives them a score out of ten for “attractiveness”. They are compared in real time with another user who scores higher and is declared the winner. The game is live-streamed, and the audience ridicule the loser in the […]