What working-class boys need to succeed at school: respect and open conversations
Monkey Business Images/Shutterstock Across the UK, working‑class boys are navigating an unprecedented convergence of pressures. There are entrenched gaps between working-class boys and their peers in their levels of attainment at every stage of education. Often, however, the solutions for addressing this gap in attainment have roots in assumptions and stereotypes. These tend towards positioning […]
School dinners are changing: the strong emotions and memories around these meals reflect their social, economical and cultural importance
The UK government has launched its first review of school food standards in over a decade, alongside plans to extend free school meals to an additional 500,000 children in families receiving universal credit. Much of the coverage has focused on specific menu changes, including the possible removal of sugary desserts such as steamed sponge. The […]
Probiotics: what are we swallowing?
BearFotos/Shutterstock.com Standing by the counter at the pharmacist waiting to pick up my prescription, I couldn’t help noticing the prominent display of probiotics on the counter. It was two years ago, and I was reading everything I could find on microbiomes and probiotics – whether in books, journals or in shops – in preparation for […]
Europe’s dilemma – to use China’s turbines to meet its renewable targets or not
Europe’s wind turbines have become part of a wider struggle over energy security, industrial power and the west’s dependence on China. European wind power capacity has surged dramatically in recent years. Wind energy now supplies 17% of EU electricity up from 13% in 2019. Offshore wind has expanded particularly rapidly, with installed capacity growing strongly […]
Massive marine heatwave caused Caribbean coral reefs to collapse much faster than predicted – new research
For decades, coral reefs throughout the Caribbean have been suffering from disease, pollution, overfishing and rising sea temperatures, yet most have continued to grow – until now. In 2023 and 2024, surface temperatures climbed to record highs in the world’s oceans, and a marine heatwave of unprecedented length and intensity spread across the tropics. Satellites […]
After a year of Reform UK in local government, the cracks are starting to show
Reform UK is expected to expand its foothold in local government in England this week. More than 5,000 seats across 136 councils are being contested, making this one of the largest electoral tests in recent years. It builds on Reform’s breakthrough in 2025, when the party took control of ten local authorities – its first […]
Wales is looking at a huge shake-up in the Senedd – so why are voters so disenchanted?
Wales is going to the polls on May 7 to elect members to the Senedd (Welsh parliament). And the results could bring big change to the country. The polls are suggesting that this election will result in the biggest shake-up to the political landscape since the creation of the National Assembly for Wales in 1999. […]
The ocean system that shapes Europe’s climate
Nigma Photography/Shutterstock For generations, the mild and temperate climate of north-western Europe has been credited to one legendary force: the Gulf Stream. This idea is so deeply entrenched in our cultural identity that in James Joyce’s Ulysses, the protagonist Stephen Dedalus refuses to take a bath, arguing that “all Ireland is washed by the Gulf […]
TikTok’s ‘nonnamaxxing’ trend explained: here’s how living like an Italian grandma can benefit health and wellbeing
Here are some good reasons to try ‘nonnamaxxing’ for life. Inna Postnikova/ Shutterstock The key to better wellbeing is acting like an Italian grandmother, according to social media’s “nonnamaxxing” trend. Proponents of the trend say that adopting the lifestyle habits of an Italian nonna will help improve your health and mental wellbeing. The core principles […]
Where Iranians are going under fire – a real-time picture of displacement
Since US and Israeli strikes began on the last day of February, millions of Iranians have been living under attack, an internet blackout and tight restrictions on journalists and humanitarian agencies. But many people are on the move, trying to get away from dangerous places or to be reunited with family at a time of […]