Despite having broadly the same GDP per capita, levels of educational achievement in Vietnam and India are poles apart. New research from the Young Lives research programme at the Department of International Development at Oxford University has discovered that, although…
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Conflict rages between those who believe that gender is socially constructed and those who argue that it is biologically determined. But now geneticists propose that we can change our sexual characteristics through lifestyle choices. Is this misguided hype, or the…
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New research about the BBC’s news coverage, covered on The Conversation website, might explain why we are all growing increasingly keen to see crowd-sourced news – videos, blogs and photos from ‘citizen journalists’. The research, conducted by Cardiff University and funded…
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Esther Gaytan Fuertes writes: According to a recent study published by the Journal of Women’s Health, the novels Fifty Shades of Grey and its two sequels portray an abusive relationship characterised by the woman’s intimidation and isolation, where BDSM is…
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Victor Ponsford writes: Yemen has a complex and colourful history and society, and its politics reflect this. The media, however, are often guilty of reducing Yemen, along with its recondite culture, into one easily understood word: ‘terrorism’. Over the last…
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Walking through the centre of London on a hot July afternoon this year, I noticed a couple of women wearing summery dresses each sporting a pair of winter boots. Probably another fashion that has passed me by, I mused. But perhaps…
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The law of the jungle can be harsh, but the law of the river is even worse judging by the newly observed behaviour of a fish that attacks the weakest member of the shoal when danger is spotted – leaving…
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Research suggests that during times of financial crisis, individuals and households return to forgotten and (previously) redundant forms of economic and social behaviour in order to survive. Given governments’ emphasis, over the past 15 years, on credit unions as a…
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The global ‘space market’ is predicted to be worth $400bn by 2030. The cost of putting satellites into orbit is expected to fall dramatically over the next decade – so there is likely to be a scramble to…
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A few weeks ago I spent an amazing afternoon in the company of the dancer and choreographer Tim Casson who pitched up in a London street and asked passers-by to create dances for him to perform. This is street dance…
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