Trust in the shadows: How loyalty fuels illicit economic transactions

A little trust can be a dangerous thing. Kmatta via Getty Images When you think about economic activities that society tends to frown on – like offering bribes, paying for the services of a sex worker or even selling human organs – “trust” and “loyalty” might not be the first thi … | Continue reading


@theconversation.com | 6 months ago

Under the influence and under arrest − what happens if you’re drunk in the interrogation room?

In the U.S., if you waive your Miranda rights, you'll be interrogated – whether you're drunk or sober. Photoboyko/iStock via Getty Images Plus Imagine it’s Friday night. You’re enjoying happy hour with friends after a long week. You’re relaxed, having indulged in several of your … | Continue reading


@theconversation.com | 6 months ago

Cybersecurity researchers spotlight a new ransomware threat – be careful where you upload files

Avoiding iffy downloads is no longer enough to ensure this doesn't happen. Olemedia/iStock via Getty Images You probably know better than to click on links that download unknown files onto your computer. It turns out that uploading files can get you into trouble, too. Today’s web … | Continue reading


@theconversation.com | 6 months ago

Philadelphia has a lot more deadly shootings than expected for a big city − and NYC is much safer, new study says

Recent high-profile mass shootings at SEPTA bus stations have left Philadelphia commuters on high alert. Two gunmen opened fire at a bus stop in the Ogontz neighborhood on March 4, 2024, striking five people and killing 17-year-old Dayemen Taylor. Two days later, a group of teena … | Continue reading


@theconversation.com | 6 months ago

Think you’ll never retire? Here are four things young people can do to prepare

If you plan for retirement now, you'll have less of a shock waiting for you in future. fizkes/Shutterstock Retirement planning sounds about as exciting as watching paint dry, especially when you’re in your 20s. But it’s actually the key to unlocking your future freedom. The earli … | Continue reading


@theconversation.com | 6 months ago

Focus on Rwanda’s safety is a distraction from the dangerous conditions for asylum seekers in the UK

The Bibby Stockholm accommodation barge has been the site of a legionella outbreak and other unsafe living conditions. Ajit Wick/Shutterstock Five months ago, the UK’s Supreme Court ruled that the plan to send asylum seekers to Rwanda was unlawful. The court found the African cou … | Continue reading


@theconversation.com | 6 months ago

Liz Truss’s lessons on how not to be a prime minister

All prime ministerial memoirs are about shaping legacies. “History will be kind to me,” Churchill is alleged to have said before writing his own six-volume history. “For I intend to write it.” But among these memoir writers sits a sub-genre of leaders who need to do some pretty s … | Continue reading


@theconversation.com | 6 months ago

Purple Hibiscus: Ibrahim Mahama’s Barbican installation wraps the brutalist building in bright cloth and reveals a hidden history

The Barbican recently unveiled Purple Hibiscus, a new textile installation by Ghanaian artist, Ibrahim Mahama. Named after Nigerian writer Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie’s 2003 novel, the colourful installation comprises 2,000 square metres of handwoven cloth covering the Barbican’s La … | Continue reading


@theconversation.com | 6 months ago

TikTok users claim freezing bread can make it healthier – here’s what the science actually says

Freezing bread causes the starches it contains to turn into resistant starches. Nadezhda Mikhalitskaia/ Shutterstock Several recent TikToks have claimed that freezing bread actually makes it healthier. Some of these mention there’s research which backs up the claims. But is this … | Continue reading


@theconversation.com | 6 months ago

‘Polite littering’ is a rubbish problem – here’s why the British approach to tackling clean ups is not working

Randa Kachef, CC BY-ND Since moving to London almost a decade ago, I’ve always been struck by the drink tins, sandwich packs and free newspapers draped on and wedged in every nook and cranny of this beautiful city. I’ve coined the phrase “polite littering” to represent rubbish th … | Continue reading


@theconversation.com | 6 months ago

South Africa’s constitution was set up as the bedrock of its democracy: it’s been challenged over last 30 years, but has held firm

There was a moment during the state capture years of South African president Jacob Zuma’s term in office (2009 to 2018) when the veil finally slipped. There had been quiet rumblings against the country’s constitution for many years. But now a senior figure in the ruling African N … | Continue reading


@theconversation.com | 6 months ago

Climate change has already made tropical oceans too hot for some marine species to survive. As they flee towards the poles, the implications for ecosystems and human livelihoods will be profound. | Continue reading


@theconversation.com | 3 years ago