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Offshore wind farms: policymakers are more influenced by reports that accentuate negative impacts – new study

Offshore wind farms: policymakers are more influenced by reports that accentuate negative impacts – new study: New metrics could help policymakers assess the benefits and environmental effects of offshore wind more effectively dragancfm/Shutterstock Towering up to 260m above the ocean’s surface, modern wind turbines are impressive feats of engineering, producing much-needed renewable energy. But what …

Social workers can help children more effectively by assessing the needs of the whole family – study

Social workers can help children more effectively by assessing the needs of the whole family – study: What do children need most? The answer often depends on a person’s relationship with the child. When people think about children outside their family and close friends, they commonly make basic needs the priorities. Food, shelter and services …

Encyclopedia Britannica once published a catalogue of humanity’s ‘102 Great Ideas’ – and it created more questions than answers

Encyclopedia Britannica once published a catalogue of humanity’s ‘102 Great Ideas’ – and it created more questions than answers: Shutterstock In its January 26 1948 issue, Life magazine published a feature showcasing the “102 Great Ideas” of western civilisation. The project was the brainchild of Mortimer Adler, a professor of philosophy and law at the …

There are more than 300 ways to work flexibly – here are four tips to make it work for you

There are more than 300 ways to work flexibly – here are four tips to make it work for you: Aleutie/Shutterstock Did you know that, according to a recent study, there are more than 300 ways to work flexibly? The list of possible flexible work practices used by an increasingly diverse and ageing workforce has …

There will be more elections in 2024 than ever before – here’s how it could affect financial markets

There will be more elections in 2024 than ever before – here’s how it could affect financial markets: Rishi Sunak, the UK prime minister, has indicated that the upcoming UK election will not be until the second half of 2024, but this is just the tip of the iceberg for polling activity in the coming …

Plants and bookcases in, living rooms and blank walls out: how your Zoom background can make you seem more competent

Plants and bookcases in, living rooms and blank walls out: how your Zoom background can make you seem more competent: Working from home has made job interviews and starting a new role easier in many ways. You don’t have to worry about a missed train or spilt coffee derailing a job interview if it’s on …

Spiders really may be more scared of you than you are of them

Spiders really may be more scared of you than you are of them: Spiders often act passively in response to humans. Jimmy_Chan/Shutterstock Spiders have evolved creative strategies to allow them to thrive in habitats across the globe. The one thing that seems to elude them though, is the ability to charm the humans that they …

Renewables now generate more of Britain’s electricity than fossil fuels – but what happens next?

Renewables now generate more of Britain’s electricity than fossil fuels – but what happens next?: David Falconer / Shutterstock At the start of 2016, in an article noting some exciting changes in British energy, The Conversation published the following paragraph: Wind, solar and hydro – the weather-dependent renewables – together generated 14.6% of Great Britain’s …

‘Leaveism’ and ‘presenteeism’ continue even when employers are more flexible – here’s how to be happier at work

‘Leaveism’ and ‘presenteeism’ continue even when employers are more flexible – here’s how to be happier at work: pathdoc/Shutterstock Way back in February 2020, before most of us really knew anything about COVID, we wrote an article for The Conversation about “leaveism” and its impact on flexible working. Barely a month later, the world was …

Switching to plant-based diets means cleaner air – and it could save more than 200,000 lives around the world

Switching to plant-based diets means cleaner air – and it could save more than 200,000 lives around the world: Foxys Forest Manufacture/Shutterstock Adopting a healthier diet will probably feature prominently in many of our New Year’s resolutions. But it’s often challenging for people to live up to their intentions. But there are good reasons to …

Young people took up smoking during the pandemic – how tobacco has been used for stress relief for more than a century

Young people took up smoking during the pandemic – how tobacco has been used for stress relief for more than a century: Lomb/Shutterstock In the UK and much of the west, smoking rates have consistently declined since the turn of the millennium. But during some of the most anxiety-ridden months of the COVID pandemic in …

Britain likely to generate more electricity from wind, solar and hydro than fossil fuels for the first year ever in 2023

Britain likely to generate more electricity from wind, solar and hydro than fossil fuels for the first year ever in 2023: Solar now provides about 5% of Britain's electricity. StudioFI / shutterstock There are many milestones to pass in the transition from a high to low-carbon sustainable energy system. There is the first hour without …

Ukraine war: with stalemate on the battlefield Nato needs unity and commitment more than ever

Ukraine war: with stalemate on the battlefield Nato needs unity and commitment more than ever: As the Ukrainian president, Volodymyr Zelensky, arrived in Washington earlier this month for talks aimed at securing further military aid, Republican congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene posted on X (formerly Twitter): “With Zelensky in town and Ukraine money running dry, why …

Rishi Sunak wants more maths at school – but finding the teachers will be hard when university departments are closing

Rishi Sunak wants more maths at school – but finding the teachers will be hard when university departments are closing: Jacob Lund/Shutterstock Oxford Brookes University recently announced it will no longer be offering mathematics degrees. This follows reported reductions or proposed cuts at other universities. This is a problem for Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s vision …

Why Nottingham and Birmingham will be followed by more cities running out of money

Why Nottingham and Birmingham will be followed by more cities running out of money: Nottingham town hall. trabantos/Shutterstock Almost a fifth of England’s council bosses have warned they are running out of money so badly that they will become effectively bankrupt this year or next. A report by the Local Government Association also indicates that …

England Rugby captain’s decision to prioritise mental health could inspire more athletes to do the same

England Rugby captain’s decision to prioritise mental health could inspire more athletes to do the same: Many elite athletes still find it difficult to speak out about their mental health. Marco Iacobucci Epp/ Shutterstock England Rugby Union captain Owen Farrell recently announced he was deciding to step away from international duties. The 32-year-old said his …

How Christmas music in adverts and shops harnesses nostalgia to encourage you to spend more

How Christmas music in adverts and shops harnesses nostalgia to encourage you to spend more: Feestocks/Unsplash In my research, I have spent a good deal of time speaking with people from across the world about their relationship with sound and music – how it features in their everyday lives and how it influences their attitudes …

River deltas are threatened by more than climate change – leaving hundreds of millions of people at risk

River deltas are threatened by more than climate change – leaving hundreds of millions of people at risk: The Irrawaddy delta, Myanmar. lavizzara/Shutterstock Perilously situated between rising sea levels and pressures from upstream lie coastal river deltas and their roughly half a billion inhabitants. These regions have played an important role in societal development since …