|
Since at least Victorian times, people in Britain have gathered in darkened rooms, haunted houses and, more recently, on YouTube and TikTok, hoping to catch sight of a ghost. And it still goes on despite decades of failure to find any evidence they exist.
Alice Vernon has been researching ghost hunting for years and her new book unearths its strange, enduring appeal. She explains that our ongoing obsession often says more about the living than it does about the spirit world.
Also today, a physiologist explains why exercise might not be that important for losing weight but is useful for trying to keep it off. And parents of children in England are usually well aware of how many tests their children take during their school years. Will yet another reading assessment for secondary school students make a difference?
Chancellor Rachel Reeves faces some daunting choices about where to raise taxes and cut spending in her next budget. The Conversation and LSE’s International Inequalities Institute have teamed up for a special online event on Tuesday, November 18 from 5pm-6.30pm, in which experts from the worlds of business, taxation and government policy will offer advice on the best course of action. Sign up now to join the event and put your
question to our panel.
|
|
Siriol Griffiths
Wales Editor
|
|
shutterstock.
Juiced Up Media/Shutterstock
Alice Vernon, Aberystwyth University
From Victorian séances to TikTok, our hunt for ghosts reveals more about the living than the dead.
|
Studies show exercise only has a modest effect on weight loss.
Giuseppe Elio Cammarata/ Shutterstock
Rachel Woods, University of Lincoln
Exercise has many health benefits beyond weight loss.
|
Rawpixel.com/Shutterstock
Stephen Gorard, Durham University
Secondary schools introduce separate subject disciplines, many of which are almost impossible to understand without the ability to read fluently.
|
World
|
-
Stefan Wolff, University of Birmingham; Tetyana Malyarenko, National University Odesa Law Academy
It looked as if the US might supply Ukraine with game-changing new weapons. Then the Russian president phoned Donald Trump.
-
Tahani Mustafa, King's College London
The US president appears to recognise that Hamas could, initially at least, play a role in stopping lawlessness in the war-torn enclave.
|
|
Politics + Society
|
-
Philip Murphy, School of Advanced Study, University of London
Espionage trials risk revealing the sometimes highly confidential methods by which evidence had been gathered against the accused.
-
Matthew Barnfield, Queen Mary University of London
Keir Starmer says painful decisions are needed now to fix the country for the future. But voters may not stick around to find out if he’s right.
|
|
Arts + Culture
|
-
Oliver Gingrich, University of Greenwich; Min Young Oh, University of Greenwich
The Twits is a fast-paced, whirlwind animation that speaks to audiences of all ages.
-
Nada Saadaoui, University of Cumbria
Austen’s cities, seaside resorts, country estates and naval towns remind us that geography is never neutral.
|
|
Business + Economy
|
-
Sarah Reid, The Conversation
SIgn up now for our online pre-budget event featuring IFS director Helen Miller and other leading tax and business experts
-
Benjamin Selwyn, University of Sussex
The president has promised his approach will bring back jobs – but will they be good ones?
|
|
Environment
|
-
Matthew Wright, University of Oxford; Ben Hutchins, University of Reading; James Mollard, University of Edinburgh
New report shows how seemingly benign weather conditions can have a big impact on British electricity production – and prices.
|
|
Health
|
-
Siobhan Mclernon, London South Bank University
A stroke can happen at any age. Here’s what to look for – and why every second matters.
|
|
Science + Technology
|
-
Simonetta Di Pippo, Bocconi University
Valuable lunar resources like water ice are finite and some treaties don’t address the problem.
-
Connor Leslie, Northumbria University, Newcastle
Even when you use technology to hide a person’s physique, people can still tell how strong they are from their walk.
|
|
|
|
| |
|
|
|
|
| |
| |
| |
| |
| |
|
|
