What’s the truth behind the ‘shoplifting epidemic’? Six key questions answered: Is it really true that shoplifting is out of control? Shutterstock/Lightspring According to media reports, in 2023 the UK experienced an unprecedented wave of shoplifting. The theory goes that the cost of living crisis and poor police responses are driving a crime wave. Is …
Kenya at 60: the shameful truth about British colonial abuse and how it was covered up: It is fairly well known that the lives of hundreds of thousands of Kenyans were affected by terrible acts of violence under the British colonial administration. The British government and King Charles have acknowledged it, and some victims of …
Did Napoleon really fire at the pyramids? A historian explains the truth behind the legends of Ridley Scott’s biopic: Directors of historical feature films face a difficult task. How can they make the characters familiar to an audience without reducing them to caricature? How can they make sure that knowledge of the outcome – battles …
Donald Trump’s truth: why liars might sometimes be considered honest – new research: According to fact checkers, Donald Trump made more than 30,000 false or misleading claims during his presidency. That’s around 20 a day. But, according to several opinion polls during his presidency, around 75% of Republican voters still considered Trump to be honest. …
Meg 2: the truth about the extinct mega shark – and why even this ridiculous film could inspire future palaeontologists: Otodus megalodon, the biggest shark of all time, has long captured the imaginations of palaeontologists and the public alike. Scientific fascination spawns from the sheer enormity of their fossilised teeth. As big as human hands …
The Titan disaster could suggest deep sea diving is risky — history shows that’s far from the truth: A view of the seafloor from the Deep Rover 2 submersible. Jon Copley, Author provided The tragic death of five people when the Titan submersible imploded during its descent to the wreck of the Titanic has led …
The dirty truth about your phone – and why you need to stop scrolling in the bathroom: Using your phone when you're on the toilet is a horrid habit. Canva/Shutterstock We carry them everywhere, take them to bed, to the bathroom and for many people they’re the first thing they see in the morning – …
Body language books get it wrong: the truth about reading nonverbal cues: Defensive, uncertain, confident, confrontational: can your body language reveal what you're thinking? Pexels/Jopwell Most of us have heard the one about if you cross your arms over your chest you’re feeling defensive or if you’re fiddling with your hair while talking you feel …
From the bed sheets to the TV remote, a microbiologist reveals the shocking truth about dirt and germs in hotel rooms: Relaxing in filth? Pexels/Cottonbro studio For most of us, staying in a hotel room is either something of a necessity – think business travel – or something to look forward to as part of …
Shrinking: a psychiatrist doesn’t know the “truth” and other issues with the show’s depiction of therapy, according to a clinical psychologist: Shrinking is advertised as the story of the grieving therapist Jimmy (Jason Segel) who has lost his wife and wants to try a new approach to his loss, one that involves honesty, including telling …
Christmas films: there might be some truth to stories about hometown romances, according to research: The festive season seems to be a good time for love, or so many Christmas films would have us believe. One incredibly popular trope is “the return” – where the main character, usually with a successful career in the city, …
How a quest for mathematical truth and complex models can lead to useless scientific predictions – new research: The mathematical concept of a fractal is a never-ending pattern. G. DAWSON/Flickr, CC BY-SA A dominant view in science is that there is a mathematical truth structuring the universe. It is assumed that the scientist’s job is …
Wuthering Heights, Emily Brontë and the truth about the ‘real-life Heathcliff’: Warner Bros. When Emily Brontë published Wuthering Heights in 1847 under the pseudonym Ellis Bell, outraged Victorian critics deemed it savage, indecent and immoral. One described it as “a compound of vulgar depravity and unnatural horrors”. After Brontë’s death, when the novel began to …
Rail strikes: words used to describe unions misrepresent the truth about how they work: The UK could be facing a summer of strikes, but inaccurate language affects public understanding of how unions work. Gorodenkoff/Shutterstock Public discussion of pickets, politics and even profile pictures, have been a daily occurrence this week for Mick Lynch, the general …
Ukraine recap: why words are important – and truth must triumph over propaganda: It’s eight weeks since the Russian military rolled across the border into Ukraine, telling the world that this was just a “special military operation” aiming to free an oppressed people from what Vladimir Putin called a “gang of drug addicts and neo-Nazis”. …
The truth about the ‘great resignation’ – who changed jobs, where they went and why: 'Cant wait to reach my new cage.' eamesBot The great resignation is a buzzphrase that first appeared in May 2021, and has struck fear into the hearts of employers ever since. Coined in the US, the term refers to the unprecedented …
South Africa in the news: ‘Relationship That Truth Shares With Democracy Akin To Both A Sword And A Shield’: Justice D.Y Chandrachud: “Many countries have established truth commissions immediately upon independence from a totalitarian regime or in coming out of human rights violations since it creates a public memory upon …: “South Africa” – BingNews …
Five lessons on bringing truth back to politics from Britain’s first female philosophy professor: Susan Stebbing's 1939 work is just as relevant today as it was then. National Portrait Gallery, London via Creative Commons, CC BY-NC It is often said that we live in a “post-truth” era. It is unclear at times what role, if …