2,077 search results

How can statistics bring dead languages back to life?
Science, Maths & Technology

How can statistics bring dead languages back to life?

...based method to move back through the family tree of languages that stem from PIE. They can simulate how certain words would have sounded when they were spoken 8,000 years ago. Remarkably, at the heart of the technology is the statistics of shape. “Sounds have shape,” explains Professor John Aston, from Cambridge’s Statistical Laboratory. “As a word is uttered it...
What might the Trump presidency be like?
Society, Politics & Law

What might the Trump presidency be like?

...base. This experiment in political engineering began in earnest back in the early 1990s. It was until recently an insidious thing, usually advanced via dog-whistle tactics. Trump has picked it up and turned into a blunt instrument as he doubled down on his pursuit of a core white vote and eschewed any serious appeals to minorities. But on a structural level, Trump’s...
Carers, COVID-19 and Physical Activity: The Research
Health, Sports & Psychology

Carers, COVID-19 and Physical Activity: The Research

...Based on four systematic literature reviews, we are aware of the overall lack of research related to carers and their relationship with physical activity. We have not identified any research study findings around carers and their relationship with physical activity during the COVID-19 pandemic and we are not aware of any research currently being carried out in this field...
Breaking bad: The science of flatulence
Health, Sports & Psychology

Breaking bad: The science of flatulence

...based fiber and vitamin C to toxic nasties like calomel and phenolphthalein. Flatulence has been reported as a major side effect of antibiotics such as chloramphenicol and chlortetracycline. As reported in an old paper I dug up, "the common complaint [of treatment with these drugs] was flatulence..."the wind" troubled them day and night and caused them embarrassment,...
Honour thy vulnerable witnesses
Health, Sports & Psychology

Honour thy vulnerable witnesses

...based practice to support witnesses on the autistic spectrum when they give evidence to the police...This content is associated with The Open University's Psychology courses and qualifications. You see your partner, your friend, your colleague, your neighbour every day, but the moment you try to describe their face, you find yourself awkwardly falling into generic...
What do sports authorities have to do to take account of transgender competitors?
Health, Sports & Psychology

What do sports authorities have to do to take account of transgender competitors?

...based on assumptions that male-to-female trans athletes will always have a biological advantage in terms of size, muscle mass and lung capacity. For Turner, the new policy, while seemingly more inclusive, is bound to be exploited by “medal-hungry male athletes in unscrupulous nations”. One example Turner mentions is the case of the Iranian women’s football national...
Gender, IT and economic growth
Society, Politics & Law

Gender, IT and economic growth

...bases for their ‘rising’ as well as varied trajectories of growth. Chinese economic growth has been powered by manufacturing while India’s growth has, at least in part, been attributed to the growth in services, most notably in the Information and Technology sector. Chinese manufacturing has been underpinned by the labour of rural men and women who have moved to...
Ecology and economy under the fig tree in South Asian Cities
Society, Politics & Law

Ecology and economy under the fig tree in South Asian Cities

...base]Sacred fig tree, Ajmer, Rajhastan, India Natural heritage Even in highly populated and crowded cities of South Asia, urban nature is never far away. Trees are protected for their religious symbolism. Different types of fig trees are very common in Indian cities, the peepal tree (Ficus religiosa) being one of the commonest. It’s a magnificent tree that towers up to...