Andy Burnham announces thousands of new homes, but is the government much closer to its target?
Andy Burnham recently announced 70,000 new homes Fred Duval / Shutterstock Prime Minister Andy Burnham has promised the largest council house building programme since the immediate post-war period, pledging more than £9 billion of investment. While the commitment is substantial and will deliver much-needed social housing, it is unlikely to push the government much closer […]
Using a radar satellite to track emperor penguins in winter is changing our understanding of the species
Freely available satellite radar imaging is being used for the first time to help track colonies of endangered emperor penguins in Antarctica throughout the winter months. Typically satellite images need sunlight to be useful, and Antarctica is dark in the winter. This has meant that colonies have been hidden at a critical time in the […]
Why criminal justice shouldn’t just be about what punishment people ‘deserve’
Prisons running near capacity have created a dilemma for Andy Burnham. The new prime minister has now confirmed that anyone convicted of manslaughter would not be eligible from the prisoner early-release scheme. Questions around prison capacity hinge on public safety, of course, but also on what types of criminals “deserve” to be let out early. […]
Britain’s quarter century: Netflix, memes and the supposed Christian revival
In this sixth and final part in our series on how the UK has changed in the past 25 years, we focus on tech, culture, religion and entertainment. Media Adrian Bingham, professor of modern British history, University of Sheffield In December 2001 the Parliamentary Office for Science and Technology published a report entitled E is […]
New MRI method could help track Huntington’s disease and its treatments
About 8,000 people in the UK are living with Huntington’s disease, a devastating inherited condition that gradually affects movement, thinking and mood. Now, an advanced type of MRI scan could give researchers a way to estimate the cellular damage it causes in living people, which could eventually help show whether treatments are working. New research […]
Whether you’re an introvert or extravert may decide how you should use AI
More than a century ago, the Swiss psychiatrist Carl Jung made introversion and extraversion central to his theory of psychological types. Today, we tend to use “introvert” and “extrovert” as shorthand for how sociable someone is. Jung’s preferred spelling was “extravert”, and his distinction went considerably further than whether someone enjoys a party or likes […]
Childhood sleep apnoea: when snoring is more than a noisy night
New Africa/Shutterstock A child who snores loudly every night might seem like a funny sight. But if that snoring accompanies repeated narrowing or blockage of the airway, the effects can reach far beyond a noisy night. Obstructive sleep apnoea is often associated with adults who snore and struggle to stay awake during the day. Children […]
More trees are needed to cool down European cities in heatwaves – but they must be planted nearer to homes
Madrid could benefit from more trees to create shade in the summer. Mistervlad/Shutterstock Heatwaves claimed the lives of tens of thousands of people in Europe’s capital cities this summer, as they experienced record temperatures. In London, emergency wards filled with elderly patients injured after fainting in the heat. Meanwhile, the dry weather created subsidence and […]
Can producers keep up with our hunger for pistachios?
nelea33/Shutterstock Pistachio production has more than trebled in the last 20 years. In 2024, more than 1.4 million tonnes were produced globally. Their popularity has only increased in the last two years, with a growing status as a trendy, luxury food item. However, this rise in popularity has come with concerns around the pistachio’s environmental […]
Bayeux tapestry: Matilda of Flanders – the woman who was instrumental to William the Conqueror’s success
The Mora, far right, was gifted by Matilda of Flanders to her husband William the Conqueror. Ulrich Harsh / WIkipedia , CC BY Just three women appear in the main body of the Bayeux tapestry: Edith of Wessex, shown grieving at the deathbed of her husband Edward the Confessor; the mysterious and much-debated shrouded figure […]