People don't mate randomly – but the flawed assumption that they do is an essential part of many studies linking genes to diseases and traits

People don’t randomly select who they have children with. And that means an underlying assumption in research that tries to link particular genes to certain diseases or traits is wrong.

Noah Zaitlen, Professor of Neurology and Human Genetics, University of California, Los Angeles • conversation
Nov. 21, 2022 • ~9 min

England's housing strategy carries a high carbon cost – unless politicians are willing to change plans

England’s housing strategy will consume our entire carbon budget by 2050 – there are alternatives, but they face political and economic barriers.

Josh Ryan-Collins, Head of Finance and Macroeconomics, Institute of Innovation and Public Purpose, UCL • conversation
Nov. 10, 2022 • ~8 min

Kids afraid of getting shots? Here are 3 easy ways for parents to help them

A pediatrician recommends helping your child cope with getting vaccines by employing “The Three P’s” – Preparation, Proximity and Praise.

Lynn Gardner, Associate Professor of Pediatrics and Director of Pediatric Residency Program, Morehouse School of Medicine • conversation
March 29, 2022 • ~5 min

Go ahead, enjoy your memes – they really do help ease pandemic stress

Social media during the pandemic is not all doom scrolling and despair. Lighter memes have psychological benefits.

Jessica Myrick, Professor of Media Studies, Penn State • conversation
Nov. 2, 2021 • ~6 min

Science superpower aspirations risk falling short unless they work for the whole UK

The expensive task of cementing the UK’s status as a science superpower will need to have transformative benefits

Harry Farmer, Senior policy adviser, Nesta • conversation
Aug. 25, 2020 • ~7 min

Your coping and resilience strategies might need to shift as the COVID-19 crisis continues

As the pandemic drags on, uncertainty and fears about health and safety mix with confusion and challenges tied to re-opening society. You need flexibility when picking your coping strategies.

Steven Jay Lynn, Distinguished Professor of Psychology, Binghamton University, State University of New York • conversation
July 13, 2020 • ~7 min

To find success, practice a strategic mindset

Experiments indicate that the learnable strategic mindset gets people where they want to go.

National University of Singapore • futurity
June 29, 2020 • ~5 min

Coronavirus: why we need local models to successfully exit lockdown

National models on the spread of COVID-19 have helped us through this crisis. But we'll need local models to get us through the next stage.

Camila Caiado, Associate Professor in Statistics, Durham University • conversation
May 18, 2020 • ~8 min

Coronavirus: Why the maths behind 'COVID alert levels' makes no sense

The equation 'COVID alert level = R (rate of infection) + number of infections' simply does not add up to a number between one and five.

Thomas Woolley, Lecturer in Applied Mathematics, Cardiff University • conversation
May 15, 2020 • ~6 min

Lockdown UK: four experts explain how to end it

A crib sheet for Dominic Raab.

Jonathan Ball, Professor of Molecular Virology and Director of the Centre for Research into Global Virus Infections, University of Nottingham • conversation
April 17, 2020 • ~8 min

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