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What do scientists really do? My experience interviewing researchers
Science, Maths & Technology

What do scientists really do? My experience interviewing researchers

...world. The work of scientists may sometimes be perceived as enigmatic and complicated, however their research does not have to be a mystery to people who are not involved with science every day. Hopefully, these interviews can act as a guide to young people, showing what a science career involves and evoking the communal feeling overlooking the science world. The...
Trouble in paradise: The Dutch golden age
History & The Arts

Trouble in paradise: The Dutch golden age

...world...You have probably seen those Dutch paintings of gloomy skulls, hourglasses and hurly-burly tables. These vanitas (‘vanity’) paintings were popular and sought-after in 17th century Dutch society. They reminded their viewers of the shortness and unpredictability of life, and the futility of pursuing worldly ambitions. They spoke to a mostly-Protestant audience...
COP28: inside the United Arab Emirates, the oil giant who hosted the 2023 climate change summit
Nature & Environment

COP28: inside the United Arab Emirates, the oil giant who hosted the 2023 climate change summit

...world’s seventh largest oil producer, hosted the 28th UN climate change summit (COP28) in Dubai from 30 November to 12 December in 2023. Presiding over the conference was the chief executive of the UAE state-owned oil company Adnoc, Sultan al-Jaber...Given fossil fuels account for nearly 90% of the carbon dioxide emissions driving climate change, many have argued that...
The benefits of a longer product life
Science, Maths & Technology

The benefits of a longer product life

...world that flowed through our homes. And just as this was once commonplace for whole generations of folk, those practices have gradually disappeared, and with them the knowledge and skills that were once familiar, now forgotten by generations growing up in a technological, information-based world. Today, ideas of repair are not about looking back nostalgically on times...
The art of performing under pressure
Health, Sports & Psychology

The art of performing under pressure

...World Cup success in 2003. Six years later, he worked with golfers. As part of the research for my book Twelve Yards: The Art and Psychology of the Perfect Penalty, I sat down with him for an in-depth interview. “It is about the one-shot moment,” he told me. “You're the only one who is striking that ball; it’s all on you.” One of his first clients was Luke...
Tackling abuse: the triumphs of women rugby players
Health, Sports & Psychology

Tackling abuse: the triumphs of women rugby players

...world has become a toxic space where female athletes are frequently targeted for their appearance, strength, or refusal to conform to traditional gender norms and expectations. These challenges, however, highlight the resilience and triumphs of women in sports, as they push back against gender inequality and break down barriers redefining what it is to be an athlete. How...
Can yoga help us achieve sustainable development goals?
Health, Sports & Psychology

Can yoga help us achieve sustainable development goals?

...world of which we are part. The theory and practice of yoga, therefore, seems like a natural fit with this moral agenda. [The sweeping landscape of Jammu and Kashmir, India, close to the site of the Indus-Sarasvati civilisation; the birthplace of yoga] The sweeping landscape of Jammu and Kashmir, India, close to the ancient settlement of the Indus-Sarasvati civilisation;...
A polyglot life
Languages

A polyglot life

...world records. If I ever met these people who knew of me, there would usually be a nudge of the arm, or a wink of the eye, “Oh! That Richard! The one who speaks like a gazillion languages!”. Usually, it would be followed by “Say something in all of the languages you know!”. I’d sigh but often oblige in some way as not to disappoint. My usual trick was to say...