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August 20, 2025

Who was Jane Austen’s best heroine? These experts think they know

Source: The Conversation – UK – By Julie Taddeo, Research Professor, History Affiliate Faculty, School of Languages, Literatures, and Cultures, University of Maryland

To mark the 250th anniversary of Jane Austen’s birth, we’re pitting her much-loved heroines against each other in a battle of wit, charm and sass. Seven leading Austen experts have made their case for her ultimate heroine, but the winner is down to you. Cast your vote in the poll at the end of the article, and let us know the reason for your choice in the comments. This is Jane Austen Fight Club – it’s bonnets at dawn…

Elinor Dashwood, Sense and Sensibility

Championed by Julie Taddeo, research professor of history, University of Maryland

At just 19, Elinor Dashwood is wise beyond her years – and she must be. Like many of Austen’s young women, she suffers the consequences of a father’s careless disregard for his daughters’ futures.

Sensible and reserved, Elinor may seem less exciting than her emotional younger sister, Marianne, but who would you trust in a crisis? A drama queen who nearly grieves herself to death over an unworthy lover, or her sister who quietly endures heartbreak with maturity and grace? When Elinor believes she must accept “the extinction of all her dearest hopes”, we realise that she loves as deeply as Marianne but chooses restraint. She is, in fact, both sense and sensibility.

When Marianne marries the dependable Colonel Brandon, we suspect she believes she has “settled”. Elinor, by contrast, is rewarded with the man she has loved all along (although whether Edward truly deserves Elinor is the subject of a separate debate).

This article is part of a series commemorating the 250th anniversary of Jane Austen’s birth. Despite having published only six books, she is one of the best-known authors in history. These articles explore the legacy and life of this incredible writer.

Emma Woodhouse, Emma

Championed by James Smith, senior lecturer in literature and theory, Royal Holloway University of London

Emma nonchalantly insists that reality conform to her intentions, however outlandish or arbitrary. For one, she is determined to arrange a noble marriage for her friend Harriet Smith, despite her lack of high birth. She hilariously attributes reality’s disappointing deviations to a vulgar lack of decorum – “of judgement, of knowledge, of taste”.

Whereas in other novels such as Don Quixote, Northanger Abbey, and Madame Bovary the principal character flaws are born of reading too much, Emma has been shaped by reading decidedly too little.

Does she feel guilt for her more outlandish whims, including convincing Harriet Smith to decline a real love match? Yes, Austen’s depiction of her mortification is a realistic masterpiece. Does reality get Emma in the end? Sure. She’s ashamed of the way she behaved and endeavours to right her wrongs.

But great comedies let us have it both ways: taking satisfaction in a conciliatory solution to the crazy discrepancies between dream and reality, while transgressively allowing us to feel as though the discrepancy is with us still.

Fanny Price, Mansfield Park

Championed by Emma Sweeney, senior lecturer in creative writing, The Open University

Jane Austen’s mother wrote off the heroine of Mansfield Park as “insipid”, and she’s been dismissed by countless readers since as mousy, unlovable and priggish. Sure, Fanny Price has none of Emma Woodhouse’s wit. She lacks Elizabeth Bennet’s charm. And yet, I’ve never rooted for any of Austen’s heroines as much as I root for Fanny: the Cinderella figure, the frightened child, the poor relation.

Fanny endures real cruelty and neglect. Her place in the Bertram household is genuinely precarious. Fanny cannot afford the jauntiness of life’s Emmas and Elizabeths. Despite having been taught always to consider herself “the lowest and last”, Fanny is the bravest and most subversive of all Austen’s heroines. She resists intense pressure to marry a wealthy suitor and even dares to question her plantation-owning uncle about slavery.

Fanny might have been deprived of a fire in her room, but she certainly has fire in her belly.

Lady Susan Vernon, Lady Susan

Championed by Leigh Wetherall Dickson, associate professor in 18th and 19th-century English literature, Northumbria University, Newcastle

Possessed of an “uncommon union” of beauty, brilliance and “captivating deceit,” Lady Susan
is the most audaciously amoral of all Austen’s characters. She pursues sexual gratification and financial security with equal vigour, while taking “exquisite pleasure” in making those “pre-determined to dislike, acknowledge one’s superiority”.

That she does so while wearing the full mourning apparel of “four months a widow” demonstrates a ruthless manipulation of social surfaces and expectations of behaviour.

To her public, Lady Susan “talks vastly well” to convince of an emotional sincerity that is revealed in private to her co-conspirator, Mrs Johnson, to be false. None of this is admirable but what makes Lady Susan worthy of admiration, a response all heroines must elicit, is how quickly her vexation when thwarted turns into brazen defiance of the forces that work against her.

We can’t help but cheer her resilience when it is declared in her rallying cry “I am again myself, gay and triumphant”.

Anne Elliot, Persuasion

Championed by Katherine Halsey, professor of English studies, University of Stirling

Austen herself called Anne Elliot “almost too good for me” in a letter to her niece, Fanny Knight, in March 1817 – just after she told Fanny that “pictures of perfection … make me sick and wicked”.

Anne isn’t a picture of perfection, but she is a delight, and of all Austen’s heroines, she’s my personal favourite. I love Austen’s description of Anne’s “elegant and cultivated mind”, as well as her occasional self-mockery. Anne is intelligent, loyal, self-aware and kind. She bears her considerable trials with fortitude and generosity, and she is, above all, quietly and steadfastly brave.

She has a strong sense of justice, advocating for what is right. She’s “on the side of honesty against importance”, as Austen puts it. And she knows how to survive suffering without becoming bitter. Anne epitomises grace under pressure, and is therefore a much-needed role model in today’s world.

Catherine Morland, Northanger Abbey

Championed by Victorina Gonzalez-Diaz, reader in English language, University of Liverpool

Catherine Morland is a heroine for every modern woman who has ever felt too ordinary for the spotlight. She isn’t exceptionally beautiful or comfortably wealthy like Emma. She doesn’t duel with language the way quick-witted Lizzy Bennet does.

Instead, Catherine is wonderfully average. No practising concertos, no embroidery tournaments, no long-winded diary entries: her chief accomplishments are a nosy naivety and a vivid imagination that can transform a draughty corridor into a murder mystery.

In the end, Catherine still bags herself Henry Tilney (one of the youngest Austenian heroes) and in Eleanor she gains a sister-in-law who keeps Henry’s verbal pedantry in check. Catherine shows that you don’t need riches, brilliance or carefully-catalogued talents to claim happiness: the best way forward is to be “nice” and wish for your life to be a never-ending gothic novel.

Elizabeth Bennet, Pride and Prejudice

Championed by Nada Saadoui, PhD candidate in English literature, University of Cumbria

Elizabeth Bennet’s wit is legendary, but her true power lies in her refusal to conform. She declines her cousin Mr Collins not with coyness but as a “rational creature”, asserting her right to choose. She speaks her mind, laughs at pretension, learns from error, and demands love founded on equality. She’s an “obstinate, headstrong girl” who best embodies Austen’s radical heart.

Elizabeth does not drift into gothic fantasy like Catherine Morland, nor does she suffer the destructive excesses of sensibility like Marianne Dashwood. Instead, she strides through Austen’s landscapes with perceptiveness, humour and growth. Her rejection of Mr Darcy’s first proposal is as revolutionary as her refusal of Collins – she demands respect, not rescue.

Flawed yet gloriously self-aware, Elizabeth moves with purpose, defying social expectations to forge her own path. In her, Austen crafted not just a spirited protagonist but a timeless symbol of thoughtful rebellion. Two centuries on, Lizzy remains unapologetically sharp, delightfully human and utterly unforgettable.

Now the experts have made their case, it’s your turn to decide which of Austen’s heroines is her best. Vote in our poll below, and see if our other readers agree with you.

This article features references to books that have been included for editorial reasons, and may contain links to bookshop.org. If you click on one of the links and go on to buy something from bookshop.org The Conversation UK may earn a commission.

Emma Claire Sweeney received funding from Arts Council England to help with the research and writing of A SECRET SISTERHOOD: THE HIDDEN FRIENDSHIPS OF AUSTEN, BRONTE, ELIOT AND WOOLF.

James Smith, Julie Taddeo, Katherine Halsey, Leigh Wetherall Dickson, Nada Saadaoui, and Victorina Gonzalez-Diaz do not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and have disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.

– ref. Who was Jane Austen’s best heroine? These experts think they know – https://theconversation.com/who-was-jane-austens-best-heroine-these-experts-think-they-know-253085

August 19, 2025

Stranded by the Air Canada strike? 3 strategies to keep your cool, work with staff and return home safely

Source: The Conversation – Canada – By Jean-Nicolas Reyt, Management Professor, McGill University

The emails from Air Canada came without warning: flights cancelled at the last minute, no way to get home and no one at Air Canada answering the phones despite repeated calls. Days went by without a solution.

The disruption stems from a strike that began on Aug. 16 when some 10,000 Air Canada flight attendants walked off the job after months of unsuccessful talks over compensation and working conditions. In the wake of it, more than 100,000 passengers were left stranded.

A tentative agreement to end the contract dispute between Air Canada and its flight attendants has since been reached, and flights are gradually resuming. But many travellers are still stuck abroad or facing lengthy layovers and long lines in crowded airports as they rebook alternative routes.

For those caught up in it, the experience has been draining and overwhelming. Air Canada has said it could take up to a week for full operations to resume, leaving Canadians stranded abroad, still waiting for a path home.

I am one of those stranded passengers. I also teach management and study how people respond in high-stress, uncertain situations and how they can handle them more effectively.

Research has long shown that uncertainty and scarcity push ordinary people toward frustration and conflict, often in ways that make matters worse. In this piece, I will share a few research-backed strategies to help make an unbearable situation a little easier to navigate.

Why this moment feels so stressful

The Air Canada strike combines three powerful stressors: uncertainty, lack of control and crowding. Travellers do not know when or how they will get home, they cannot influence the pace of solutions and they are surrounded by others competing for the same resources.

Each of these factors is already stressful on its own, and combined, they can overwhelm even the most patient individuals. In these volatile conditions, frustration builds and there is a strong urge to lash out.

Anger might seem like a way to regain control, or at least to feel noticed in the chaos. While it’s an understandable reaction, it rarely improves such situations.

Reacting out of anger often leads us to make emotional rather than rational decisions, such as yelling to feel heard. This behaviour can close off communication with the very people whose help is needed. It also drains our resilience at the moment when it matters most.

Importantly, anger is often directed at front-line staff who represent the organization, but have little control over the root causes of disruption. In ordinary times, these employees already face a considerable amount of abuse from customers. In moments of widespread disruption, that mistreatment can quickly become unbearable.

What you can do instead

Although the situation is frustrating and unfair, research has identified practical ways to make it a little more bearable and of improving how travellers navigate it. Here are three strategies supported by scientific studies, including research I conducted with colleagues:

1. Remember this is a collective problem.

My research has found that people stuck in crowded environments feel less frustrated when they think of the situation in collective terms. Airline staff are not opponents; they are trying to help thousands of stranded passengers at once. Approach them as partners in a shared challenge as much as you can. Seeing the situation as a collective issue, rather than a personal one, can make it easier to cope and connect with those who can assist you.

2. Bring your attention inward.

Crowded airports and long layovers can make every minute feel longer and harder to go through. In several studies on how to handle stressful crowds, my co-researchers and I found that focusing on personal media — a book, a tablet or music through headphones — can reduce stress by narrowing your sense of the crowd. Instead of feeding off the chaos and getting more agitated, try to give your mind a smaller, calmer space to settle in. The wait may still be long, but it will feel more manageable.

3. Be polite and respectful with staff.

Showing respect isn’t just courteous; it’s an effective way to manage conflict. In their book Getting to Yes, negotiations experts Roger Fisher and William Ury famously argued to “separate the people from the problem.”

This lesson applies here as well: always treat staff with dignity, even when the situation is frustrating, and focus on solving the real issue. Airline employees may have limited resources, but they are more likely to help travellers who remain calm, clear and respectful.

None of this diminishes how exhausting and unfair the situation feels. However, while travellers cannot control cancelled flights or the pace of labour negotiations, we can control how we respond to these stressors.

Seeing the situation as a shared problem, finding ways to manage our own stress and treating staff with respect can make the experience more bearable. More importantly, these strategies improve our chances of getting help when opportunities arise.

Jean-Nicolas Reyt does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.

– ref. Stranded by the Air Canada strike? 3 strategies to keep your cool, work with staff and return home safely – https://theconversation.com/stranded-by-the-air-canada-strike-3-strategies-to-keep-your-cool-work-with-staff-and-return-home-safely-263411

August 19, 2025

As back-to-school season approaches, Canadian employers are making a mistake by mandating workers back to the office

Source: The Conversation – Canada – By Andrea DeKeseredy, PhD student, Sociology, University of Alberta

Canadian employers have been mandating workers back to in-person work through blanket return-to-office policies. On top of harming workplace equity, these policies have broader repercussions for the public as children head back to school and respiratory illness season looms.

On Aug. 14, Doug Ford’s Ontario Progressive Conservative government announced that all public workers were being ordered back to the office full-time. This followed the federal government’s controversial mandate that requires federal workers to be in the office at least three days a week, despite mass union pushback.

The private sector is also rescinding workplace flexibility, with both Toronto-Dominion (TD) and the Royal Bank of Canada mandating their employees back in the office.

While employers may be rushing to undo COVID-19 era changes, viral illnesses have other plans.

Respiratory illness season

Since the outbreak of COVID-19, the state of public health in Canada remains bleak. Alberta has broken the record for the deadliest flu season three years in row, with a staggering 239 deaths in the 2024-25 season. At the same time, Ontario has seen its influenza numbers spike to levels not seen in over a decade.

Illustration of three respiratory viruses: RSV, influenza and SARS-CoV-2, which causes COVID-19. — Respiratory illness season means higher risks for RSV, flu and COVID-19.
(NIAID), CC BY

The “tripledemic” of respiratory infections — COVID-19, influenza and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) — can wreak havoc on health-care systems. Thousands are hospitalized every year, overloading our hospitals, while many more more ride out acute sickness at home, burdening family members and other unpaid caregivers.

As fewer people get seasonal flu vaccinations and viral illness spreads, Canadian employers continue to dismantle the few pandemic-induced policies that helped families manage their workplace responsibilities during viral illness season.

Work structure and COVID-19

One of the few benefits of the COVID-19 pandemic was how workplaces amended their day-to-day structure. Arrangements that did not seem possible before, like holding meetings over Zoom, became commonplace.

These changes had the unintended consequences of reducing workplace inequality, especially among women with care-giving responsibilities. In Canada, women’s employment recovery after the acute stages of the pandemic was rapid, with core-aged women achieving the highest employment rates ever recorded. The changes made it so they could better manage conflicts between work demands and the uncertainty of family life and childhood illness.

Our research in Alberta — a province that has been grappling with especially difficult viral illness outbreaks, deaths and waning vaccinations — overwhelmingly shows that flexible, remote work options benefit workers.

Using survey data] from the 2023 Alberta Viewpoint Survey from more than 1,000 people, we found that since September 2022, over half missed work due to their child or other family member being sick. Nearly one-third missed one to six days and near 20 per cent missed one to four weeks. Women were more likely than men to miss extended periods away from work, and many participants worried about how their bosses viewed their absences to care for sick children.

The spread of viral illness throughout the 2022-2023 season clearly affected the workforce, but the larger consequences of illness depended on workplace remote options and flexibility.

Parents who had access to remote, flexible options were able to manage the ongoing unpredictability of illness far better than those who were mandated to be in the workplace. Crucially, these parents were also less likely to send their children to school or daycare sick, thereby reducing the circulation of illness.

Parents who did not have this option, especially those with jobs that required in-person interactions with the public, felt immense pressure to be at work while limited sick days were being used up quickly. Many were left with no choice but to send their children to child care even though they were sick.

Parents who feared losing a day’s pay, their boss’s good will or even their job tried to mask children’s symptoms with medications. Even so, while they were at work, they were anxious about getting “the call” from school or child care telling them that their child needed to be picked up immediately.

Remote work does not just benefit parents, either. It saves workers’ time in commuting, improves well-being and can increase workplace productivity and performance. It has been especially beneficial for people with disabilities and chronic health conditions who often face a range of barriers for accessing employment.

During the pandemic, people with disabilities employed in jobs with flexible and remote work options had lower levels of economic insecurity and were often protected from illness. Since the pandemic, greater access to jobs that provide the ability to work from home has been a key driver in increasing labour force participation among people with disabilities.

Despite all of the evidence that work-from-home options are a public health and equity win, and in the face of worker and union protest, Canadian employers continue to choose policies that disrupt families and add to multiple public health crises.

Risks of ending remote work

While it’s too early to see the effect these mass policies will have on the Canadian labour market, early data from the United States shows a mass exodus of women from the workplace after the implementation of return-to-office policies. Based on federal labour force statistics, the proportion of women who have young children in the workforce has reached its lowest level in more than three years.

Canadian employers turned to work-from-home and remote work to meet the unprecedented risks of the COVID-19 pandemic. More than five years on from the start of the pandemic, it’s clear that these policies have other benefits for both workplaces and for Canadian society as a whole.

Work-from-home and remote-work flexibility has driven gains in workplace equity. It also limits outbreaks of respiratory infections by enabling parents to keep their kids home from school or child care when they’re sick. Removing remote work policies during the back-to-school season is a dangerous game to play, especially with declining vaccination rates.

As illness spreads again this fall, this game may very well lead to productivity losses and more expenses for governments and businesses across Canada.

Andrea DeKeseredy receives funding from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada (SSHRC).

Amy Kaler receives funding from the University of Alberta’s Support for the Advancement of Scholarship fund.

Michelle Maroto receives funding from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada (SSHRC).

– ref. As back-to-school season approaches, Canadian employers are making a mistake by mandating workers back to the office – https://theconversation.com/as-back-to-school-season-approaches-canadian-employers-are-making-a-mistake-by-mandating-workers-back-to-the-office-263251

August 19, 2025

Freud would have called AI a ‘narcissistic insult’ to humanity – here’s how we might overcome it

Source: The Conversation – UK – By Antje Jackelén, Senior Advisor and Systematic Theologian., Lund University

AI can deal a fateful blow to human self-understanding. Stokkete/Shutterstock

In 1917, Sigmund Freud described three “narcissistic insults” that had been caused by science. These were moments of scientific breakthrough that showed humans that we are not as special as we once believed.

The first came with astronomer Nicolaus Copernicus’s discovery%5D) that we are not at the centre of the universe, because the sun rather than the Earth is at our solar system’s centre. It was followed by two more: the loss of humanity’s position as “the crown of creation” through Charles Darwin’s theory of evolution, and the loss of sovereignty over our own selves through the discovery of the power of the unconscious. The latter was Freud’s own work and, according to him, the toughest one of all.

Had Freud heard of artificial intelligence (AI), I believe he would have been prompted to add a fourth. The cosmological, biological and psychological insults have now been followed by the intellectual. AI deals a fateful blow to our human self-understanding.

As a theologian, I’m particularly interested in the implications of this threat for our sense of spirituality. Generally speaking, humanity has coped quite well with the first three “narcissistic insults” described by Freud. But what cures are available for the wound of this most recent development?

1. Changing the language of AI

Even though the range and achievements of AI are breathtaking, the term “artificial intelligence” could be questioned to quell the damage it presents to our self-image. “Co-intelligence” may be more adequate, indicating that, for example, large language models should be used only as complementary to our own mental resources. This language softens the harshness.

2. Questioning the intelligence of AI

Some researchers have questioned the intelligence of AI by pointing out that a large language model merely is “a stochastic parrot”. This suggests that AI seems to have a deep understanding of what it conveys, but in reality, it’s just a system that combines linguistic patterns it has encountered in its extensive training data, based on probable associations, without any actual grasp of meaning.

“We are not going to be AI’s stupid pets,” wrote cognitive scientist Peter Gärdenfors. Rather than fearing AI, we should be fearful of ourselves, because, seduced by AI, we could give up the fruits of the Enlightenment.

Focusing on the differences between human intelligence and its artificial counterpart makes us understand that as long as collective human intelligence can judge the plausibility of AI output, the insult can be handled.

3. Speaking of ‘intelligences’ rather than intelligence

Instead of a single phenomenon, human intelligence can be understood as a variety of intelligences: artistic, personal and moral. They all come together in a mode of intelligence that is intuitive, socially embedded and holds special importance for spirituality – the opposite of a stochastic parrot.

Humans seek and find meaning even beyond ordinary reality, whereas AI is stuck in the “here”, in the profane. When a large language model creates nonsensical or inaccurate outputs, this is called a hallucination. Artificial intelligence hallucinates, human intelligence transcends.

In view of this integration of intelligences in humans, AI is inferior to human intelligence – at least for now.

Yes, but …

These attempts to address the insult of AI recognise that it functions differently from human intelligence. Unlike humans, AI has its identity in computation and statistics. But that does not mean that we need not fear. The speed, volume and complexity of data processing by AI can reach levels that render this difference irrelevant, because the output will count, rather than the way it is achieved.

Say I suffer from massive fear of death and my partner is too affected to be of any help, while my AI assistant shares advice that I experience as caring and valuable. Would it then matter what I call this thing (example one), whether it is indeed intelligent (example two) or how many intelligences it represents (example three)?

Experienced usefulness is likely to trump philosophical questions about the intelligence of AI systems. So what now?

Wavering between techno-messianism (AI will save us and the planet) and techno-dystopia (AI is the end of humanity) is an understandable reaction to the intellectual insult. Yet, uncritical embrace is socially irresponsible, and panic often leads to irrational actions or apathy.

AI development is quicker than adaptation of social and legal systems – especially when the law follows democratic principles. In the haze of this dilemma, transparency gets lost, lines of responsibility become blurred, consequences strike unexpectedly and unevenly. AI will change the way we think about knowledge, work, communication and integrity. It will create winners and losers in the labour market. Social unrest may arise. Without critical humanistic reflection, it’s possible that AI will fail to contribute to a good society for all.

In response, all sectors of society must cooperate. Technical and legal expertise is not enough. It is in civil society that existential questions are asked, and answers sought not only in calculations about power and economics or in legal and technical intricacies, but also in the cultural, philosophical and theological sources from which humanity has drawn orientation over centuries.

The hallmarks of western modernity – individualism, consumerism and secularism – will not suffice in face of AI’s narcissistic insult. Instead, human qualities such as relationality, transcendence, fallibility and responsibility are key.

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Antje Jackelén does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.

– ref. Freud would have called AI a ‘narcissistic insult’ to humanity – here’s how we might overcome it – https://theconversation.com/freud-would-have-called-ai-a-narcissistic-insult-to-humanity-heres-how-we-might-overcome-it-255802

August 19, 2025

Why preventive mastectomy isn’t offered to everyone at risk

Source: The Conversation – UK – By Ahmed Elbediwy, Senior Lecturer in Clinical Biochemistry / Cancer Biology, Kingston University

When Jesse J, Christina Applegate and Katie Thurston spoke openly about their mastectomies, their candour did more than share private struggles. It highlighted a procedure that, while often life saving, is unevenly available depending on the genetic lottery into which someone is born.

A mastectomy – the surgical removal of breast tissue – is usually offered after a breast cancer diagnosis or when doctors consider a person’s inherited genetic risk so high that prevention becomes the safest option. For many, it can mean the difference between life and death. Yet who qualifies is dictated less by need than by which specific genes are affected. This disparity reveals deeper questions about genetics, prevention and medical equity.

The human body contains trillions of cells carrying out processes essential for survival. These processes are not flawless – billions of cells die each day as part of a system designed to limit damage. Central to this system is the copying and expression of DNA, the genetic script from which our bodies are built. Mistakes in this process sometimes lead to mutations.

Most are harmless, but some affect critical genes that control cell division. Tumour suppressor genes are particularly important: they are the brakes that keep cell division under control, guarding the integrity of our DNA. When they fail, cells can multiply unchecked, laying the groundwork for cancer.

Few gene families are as well known in this context as BRCA. Mutations in BRCA1 and BRCA2 are linked to particularly aggressive forms of breast and ovarian cancer.

These mutations can be inherited from either parent and confer a lifetime breast cancer risk of more than 60%. This knowledge has transformed cancer prevention over the past three decades, especially after the highly publicised decision by actress Angelina Jolie to undergo preventive surgery.

Jolie’s mother, Marcheline Bertrand, died of ovarian cancer, and genetic testing revealed Jolie carried a faulty BRCA1 gene. She chose a double mastectomy and later removal of her ovaries. Her openness about the decision is credited with an 80% increase in women undergoing BRCA testing.

British actress Kara Tointon also had a double mastectomy after genetic screening.

When the wrong mutation means fewer options

The ripple effect of these cases was profound: awareness of BRCA mutations soared, genetic testing became more common, and mastectomies became framed not only as treatment but also as a preventive strategy. Yet the focus on BRCA has obscured the broader picture.

Researchers now know that breast cancer can arise from mutations in a range of other moderate-risk genes, each of which raises risk two to fourfold. For patients carrying these mutations, however, mastectomy is rarely an option.

The barriers are both scientific and economic. Evidence remains limited on whether preventive surgery benefits people with moderate-risk mutations.

Clinical guidelines in the UK, developed primarily around BRCA and other high risk genes, do not include them. And cost is a powerful constraint.

Expanding mastectomy access would mean more operations, more reconstruction, more follow-up – a strain on health systems already under pressure. But the potential benefits are substantial.

One recent study suggested that if mastectomies were offered more widely, beyond the BRCA population, up to 11% of additional breast cancer cases could be prevented. The long-term savings, both in human suffering and in healthcare expenditure, could be significant.

This disparity exposes a fundamental inequity in cancer prevention. While people with BRCA mutations benefit from decades of research and the inclusion of their risks in clinical guidelines, others with equally worrying family histories but different genetic profiles are excluded. The result is a two-tier system: one group with access to the most aggressive preventive care, another left with surveillance and uncertainty.

The problem is only set to grow. As genetic testing becomes cheaper and more widely available, more people will learn that they carry moderate-risk mutations. Without updated research and revised guidelines, thousands will confront elevated cancer risks without the option of the same preventive measures as others. It is a dilemma that stretches beyond oncology – a test of whether medicine can deliver on the promise of personalised care.

For now, preventive mastectomy remains both a triumph of modern medicine and a reminder of its limits. It saves lives, but not equally. As one analysis concluded, true personalised care means ensuring all patients, regardless of which mutation they carry, can access the full range of preventive options. Until then, access to this life-saving surgery will depend not just on medical need, but on genetic chance.

The authors do not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and have disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.

– ref. Why preventive mastectomy isn’t offered to everyone at risk – https://theconversation.com/why-preventive-mastectomy-isnt-offered-to-everyone-at-risk-262249

August 19, 2025

Extreme weather alerts can move markets – here’s what investors can learn from our new research

Source: The Conversation – UK – By Styliani Panetsidou, Assistant Professor of Finance, Coventry University

Many of us check the weather forecast to plan our day – to decide whether to carry an umbrella, postpone a trip or work from home when snow is on the horizon. But weather alerts can influence more than just our personal routines. They can also move financial markets.

We have explored this phenomenon in our new research and our findings were both surprising and increasingly relevant in a world of climate change. It seems severe weather alerts can indeed move stock prices. This was unexpected, as alerts are simply warnings, not actual disasters. Yet they are enough to shift market values.

Using detailed UK data on weather alerts from 2015 to 2023 alongside the stock prices of firms with headquarters in affected areas, we showed that investors react negatively to severe weather warnings. On average, firms with headquarters in regions covered by severe weather alerts see their share prices drop by about 1%. It’s a seemingly small drop but it can actually wipe out millions in value for large companies.

This suggests that weather alerts, once considered mainly for their practical and safety implications, are now treated as market-moving information. Notably, the severity of the warning matters. Red alerts – the highest level issued by the UK Met Office, signalling real danger to life and infrastructure – trigger sharper market declines than amber alerts.

The market’s response isn’t spread evenly across all companies. Firms in weather-sensitive industries, such as energy and transport, tend to see sharper declines. For example, when heavy rain or snow threatens to halt trains or disrupt energy supply, it appears that investors quickly factor in the potential costs.

Smaller, high-risk businesses listed on the UK’s growth stock exchange – the Alternative Investment Market (AIM) – also face steeper selloffs. This could be because investors doubt their resilience to sudden shocks.

What’s striking is that these reactions are not just emotional selloffs. Investors appear to be making deliberate, strategic pricing decisions based on exposure to weather risks. Markets are, in effect, treating severe weather alerts as early warnings, not just for public safety but also for financial vulnerability.

Interestingly, one detail stood out to us – updates from the Met Office helped to calm investor nerves. When initial warnings are updated with more information, such as revised timings or affected areas for severe weather, the negative market reaction is smaller. It’s a lesson familiar to anyone who follows stock markets. Uncertainty can be more damaging than bad news, and timely information helps reduce it.

Why this matters

Over the past decades, extreme weather has become more frequent, more severe and more costly. The UN’s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change reports that the number of weather-related disasters has increased fivefold since 1970, leaving millions dead and causing trillions of dollars in economic damage.

Traditionally, financial research has focused on the aftermath of disasters – the wreckage from floods, hurricanes or wildfires. Our findings reveal something subtler but no less important. Markets are already adjusting when severe weather warnings are issued. That makes the alerts themselves a kind of financial signal.

mobile phone screen showing red weather warning for high winds. — Extreme weather alerts warn of more than just danger to life and property.
Josie Elias/Shutterstock

For investors, this adds a new dimension of information to monitor. A weather alert may no longer be just a headline, it may contain material information that shapes market moves.

For firms, especially in sectors directly exposed to weather disruption, the research highlights the importance of building climate resilience and being transparent about weather-related risks. A company whose operations can grind to a halt at the first sign of heavy snow or extreme heat may find itself increasingly punished by the markets.

And this isn’t only about catastrophic storms or once-in-a-century floods. Our study shows that even amber alerts – for snowstorms, heatwaves or icy conditions – can ripple through markets. That should serve as a warning of its own. Climate volatility is becoming a day-to-day economic factor, not just a distant environmental concern.

Weather has always shaped how people live. Now it’s starting to shape how they invest. A storm warning, it turns out, can matter almost as much to the markets as the storm itself.

Styliani Panetsidou receives funding from the British Academy and the Leverhulme Trust.
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Angelos Synapis receives funding from the British Academy and the Leverhulme Trust.

– ref. Extreme weather alerts can move markets – here’s what investors can learn from our new research – https://theconversation.com/extreme-weather-alerts-can-move-markets-heres-what-investors-can-learn-from-our-new-research-263400

August 19, 2025

With over 17,000 shops in the UK expected to close this year, city centres must move on from retail

Source: The Conversation – UK – By Lyndon Simkin, Professor of Strategic Marketing, Manchester Metropolitan University

Claire’s has gone into administration. nrqemi/Shutterstock

British businesses are under such strain that around 50,000 are on the brink of collapse according to a recent report. Retail is an especially vulnerable sector, with predictions that over 17,300 shops will close this year, costing 200,000 jobs.

Last year, the equivalent of 38 shops closed every day. A few re-opened, but most did not, fuelling a sense of economic decay on high streets across the UK where 15% of shops are now empty. In some particularly badly hit places, more shops are closed than open.

These include some still empty former premises of brands like BHS and Woolworths, which have been out of action for almost a decade. Every week, more closures are announced, with many driven by rising tax rates and operating costs.

Fashion retailer River Island recently announced 33 store closures, with more under threat. Now the fashion accessories chain Claire’s has gone into administration, putting 278 shops at risk of closure.

This is a far cry from the halcyon days of the 1980s, when an empty retail unit was rare, soon to be snaffled up by Dixons or Burton Group or a host of other expansion-hungry chains. But those days will not return. Online shopping has seen to that.

So if shopping habits have changed, so surely, must high streets. They need to be used differently – given a different purpose.

There is research which suggests that one good option is for city centres to develop an “experience economy”, where entertainment and leisure are the focus. Another viable path is to embrace more mixed use, where tourism, recreation, housing and education have a more prominent role, instead of everything being aimed at attracting shoppers.

Some towns and cities are already doing this. Former department stores are being redeveloped into a mixture of flats and offices, and retail space is being demolished to be replaced with hotels and housing.

In Cardiff for example, a new square is being planned with a former department store being demolished to be replaced with green space.

Over in Coventry, where retail footfall is down 55% from pre-pandemic levels, a large area of the city centre is being demolished and re-imagined with new street layouts and more open space. Buildings are being designed to offer leisure facilities, along with housing, offices, healthcare – and just a little retail – to breath much needed life into a struggling city centre.

Cardiff skyline beyond the waterfront. — Cardiff is building new open spaces.
muratart/Shutterstock

Such mixed use re-developments and re-purposing are challenging. They require agreement from landlords, tenants, planners, local authorities and residents. And they demand considerable investment in new infrastructure and transport links.

Shopping around

They also require a fundamental economic and philosophical shift – to relinquish retail’s grip on the high street and city centre and let new ideas emerge and flourish. The UK needs more housing, and it needs more green open space. These were once banished from the heart of many towns, but there’s no reason for them not to return.

Unfortunately though, too few cities are acting like Cardiff or Coventry. The demoralising demise continues in many towns. One unwelcome consequence is that criminals have moved into cheap shop units to sell counterfeit goods and launder money.

The main challenge will be to achieve agreement around a vision for change. As various solutions emerge for repurposing retail space and buildings, there will be work to do that will be different in every town and city. After all, it is unlikely that only one model of land re-use will be the preferred solution everywhere.

But what is certain is that city centres must change their shape and purpose. The people who use them have already changed their behaviour. It’s time for high streets – and those who own and administer them – to catch up.

Lyndon Simkin does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.

– ref. With over 17,000 shops in the UK expected to close this year, city centres must move on from retail – https://theconversation.com/with-over-17-000-shops-in-the-uk-expected-to-close-this-year-city-centres-must-move-on-from-retail-262736

August 19, 2025

Why the Arthur’s Seat burn is a cautionary tale for the UK’s wildfire management strategy

Source: The Conversation – UK – By Elliot David Convery-Fisher, Research Fellow in the Socio-Ecology of Fire Management, Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh

For the tenth time this year, a wildfire warning covers most of Scotland. The latest alert came after a recent, and not the first, gorse fire on Arthur’s Seat, Edinburgh’s iconic ancient volcano that draws millions of visitors every year. Fire crews think human activity caused the fire. This is exactly the kind of incident that triggers our instinct to find someone to blame.

But with over 41,000 hectares already burned across Britain in 2025 (an area larger than the Isle of Wight) pointing the finger misses the point. News reports focus on who lit the spark, but Arthur’s Seat was primed to burn: flammable gorse has flourished since sheep stopped grazing the slopes. The real question isn’t who started this fire, but why we are caught off guard when fires happen in the wrong places.

This isn’t just an Edinburgh problem. Millions of Britons live near fire-prone landscapes, from Dorset heathlands to the Scottish Highlands.

My colleagues and I work with national parks in southern Africa to understand how they manage this challenge. The challenges I see in South Africa mirror what Britain now faces because of climate change: how to keep people and infrastructure safe when fire an unavoidable part of our reality.

Research shows that climate change has made the UK’s risk of ideal conditions for wildfires six times higher. While ignition sources haven’t changed much – most UK fires still start from human activity like discarded cigarettes or campfires – the conditions that allow fires to spread have transformed. Warmer, wetter winters create more plant growth and therefore fuel, which turns bone-dry during hot, dry spells.

bonfire remains in empty field — So many wildfires start as a result of discarded cigarettes or smoking remains of campfires.
Simon Collins/Shutterstock

Fire is a natural and vital feature of many landscapes globally. In fire-adapted ecosystems it can clear invasive species while promoting native grasses, reduce the buildup of dead vegetation that fuels dangerous blazes and create some of our most iconic places where plants and animals thrive.

The problem isn’t fire itself, but where, when and how it happens. Over 1.8 million British homes now sit within 100m of countryside edges – exactly where most wildfires occur. During one of Britain’s biggest wildfires on a North Yorkshire moor in 2018, flames nearly reached homes and critical infrastructure: the trans-Pennine railway, M62 motorway, major power lines and drinking water reservoirs. Another recent fire in the same area was close to a ballistic missile base.

I have interviewed fire managers in South Africa, where humans have worked with fire for millennia. Their approach suggests a fundamentally different relationship with fire, understanding fire as part of a landscape’s natural processes. Instead of treating every fire as a crisis, they study how fire behaves – when it helps ecosystems, when it threatens communities, and how to work with these patterns rather than against them.

Take Cape Town as an example, where fire authorities publish daily risk ratings that residents check like weather forecasts. High-risk days mean banned barbecues and closed trails. When safe, fire crews deliberately burn mountain slopes in small sections – having the right fires at the right times to prevent catastrophic ones. Property owners in Cape Town form neighbourhood fire protection associations to support each other and the emergency services during unplanned fires, creating a coordinated response network.

The UK is catching on

The UK government is reviewing its wildfire management strategy, focusing on prevention, collaboration and risk reduction. Landowners are also taking a more proactive approach. The Cairngorms national park in Scotland approved the UK’s first comprehensive wildfire management plan in June 2025, introducing seasonal fire management plans and setting up community groups to communicate fire risk and response. Fire services in the Cairngorms now use drones for real-time aerial mapping and off-road vehicles to fight fires in tough terrain.

However, we are still playing catch up. Fire services recorded 286 wildfires between January and April 2025. That’s over 100 more than the same period in 2022’s record year. Yet services receive little dedicated wildfire funding.

Britain could learn from South Africa’s holistic approach. Starting with the need to understand our own landscapes first. What role does fire play in our landscapes? How can we safely manage fire risk in different landscape types? Which of our ecosystems and places might actually benefit from carefully managed fire?

Edinburgh could start by studying Arthur’s Seat as Cape Town studies Table Mountain – not to implement identical solutions, but to understand how fire behaves in this specific landscape. This means researching how gorse burns, whether controlled burns could reduce dangerous fuel loads, and how visitors can safely coexist with proactive fire management.

The lesson isn’t to transplant South African methods to British soil, but to embrace their comprehensive approach to understanding fire. Every landscape is different. What works on Cape Town’s fynbos shrubland won’t necessarily work on Scottish moors. But the principle of studying fire as a part of the landscape rather than simply an emergency to suppress could transform how Britain manages its growing fire risk.

Fire isn’t the enemy. Poorly understood, unmanaged fire is. Climate change guarantees greater fire risk. Britain’s choice is clear: continue reacting with shock to each blaze, or develop our own integrated understanding of how fire works in British landscapes. The Arthur’s Seat fire was a warning shot. The question is whether we’ll heed it.

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Elliot David Convery-Fisher works for the Royal Botanic Gardens Edinburgh and the University of Edinburgh. He receives funding from UK International Development through the Biodiverse Landscapes Fund project ‘Achieving Sustainable Forest Management through Community Protected Areas in Madagascar’ (ecm 62237).

– ref. Why the Arthur’s Seat burn is a cautionary tale for the UK’s wildfire management strategy – https://theconversation.com/why-the-arthurs-seat-burn-is-a-cautionary-tale-for-the-uks-wildfire-management-strategy-263065

August 19, 2025

Pierre Poilievre wins Alberta byelection — but he’s got a long road ahead to broaden his base

Source: The Conversation – Canada – By Sam Routley, PhD Candidate, Political Science, Western University

Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre will return to Parliament, this time as the new member for the Alberta riding of Battle River-Crowfoot.

With more than 80 per cent of the popular vote in a byelection, Poilievre has managed to pass the first significant test of his leadership following the Conservative Party’s federal election loss in April. The victory not only signals ongoing support from the riding’s voters but, more importantly, restores the legitimacy and platform that the Office of the Leader of the Official Opposition provides.

But the scope of this success should not be overstated. This victory isn’t a noteworthy accomplishment, nor does it indicate a comeback for the Conservatives. Rather, success here was the bare minimum; the start of a much longer journey back to prominence for the Conservatives.

Safest possible riding

Battle River-Crowfoot, which comprises a predominantly rural part of southeastern Alberta, is one of the safest seats for the Conservatives in the country. Although there are variations over time, a Conservative candidate within the last few decades could have, regardless of the particulars of the election period, expected at least 70 per of the vote. Just this year, the party’s candidate — Damien Kurek — won almost 83 per cent of the vote.

But although there has been little change in the riding over time, byelections can often produce novel, unpredictable and counterintuitive results. Unlike Canada-wide contests, local communities are subject to the near constant attention of parties, leaders and the national media.

Byelections also generally have smaller rates of voter turnout and engagement — it’s rare to see more than a third of them turn out. This means that short-term and localized dynamics can have a bigger impact on the results, especially if they can be mobilized.

In fact, minor parties and independent candidates perform generally better in byelections.

Were there any localized dynamics that could have hurt Poilievre? Apart from some reports of grumbling within the Conservative camp, media coverage focused on residents who expressed skepticism that Poilievre — having been an urban politician for the last two decades — was capable (let alone willing) to voice the specific needs of the community.

In fact, this byelection has come at a moment of rising separatist sentiment in Alberta.

Voting for party over leader?

With all this said, though, none of it proved to matter in the results. No serious challenge to Poilievre really materialized, even with 216 other names on the ballot. Instead, by winning 80 per cent of the vote, the Conservative leader has accomplished what amounts to a typical result for the party.

Voters, it seems, did not turn out for Poilievre’s leadership in large numbers as much as they have maintained their support for the party. For now, that’s enough for Poilievre.

He’s shown his ability to mobilize support among voters, and now can turn to his next challenge of surviving the mandatory leadership review in January.

In the months following the federal election in April, the federal Conservatives have been at something of a standstill. Alongside the slow summer months and the soul-searching that follows every election defeat, the party has yet to determine how to adjust to Canada’s new political environment.

While Poilievre — who may or may not still be leader in a year — has focused on communities in Battle River-Crowfoot, the political centre of gravity has shifted to Prime Minister Mark Carney.

In his fifth month in the job, Carney maintains considerable public confidence, whether it comes to ongoing negotiations with the United States or in his expressed support for many of the policies that have been long promoted by the Poilievre Conservatives.

Historically, the Conservatives have quickly replaced their leaders. Poilievre’s predecessors, Andrew Scheer and Erin O’Toole — despite publicly expressing intentions to stay on — were quickly pushed out of their jobs following the formation of Liberal minority governments under Justin Trudeau.

The months ahead

What seems to make Poilievre’s situation different, though, is that no clear or popular successor has appeared, especially someone who can combine the support of party members, elites and unaffiliated voters in the same way he has. In the coming months, he will be able to use his platform in the House of Commons to make this point even more apparent.

No honeymoon lasts forever. Even while Carney now has the support of the Canadian public, there are several tensions and deep-seated challenges within his stated goals that are bound to lead to future problems.

The discontents Poilievre has managed to tap into have been, at best, temporally satiated in the wake of the byelection win. And Carney’s coalition remains a defensive one, consisting of just one cohort of Canadian voters who are divided in terms of age, region, education level and income. This is all part of a voter realignment that is increasingly shaping the country’s politics.

What remains unclear is what challenges Carney will face in the months ahead and how the Conservatives will pivot to take advantage of them.

Will the party, for instance, maintain the libertarian-flavoured populism of the last few years? Or will it, like its international peers, embrace a program that’s, among other things, more economically interventionist, pro-worker and concerned with national culture?

Already, the party has explored a more restrictive stance on immigration, has taken the side of striking Air Canada workers and offered substantive alternative to Carney’s “elbows up” nationalism.

We’ll have to wait until the leadership review in January to see.

Sam Routley does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.

– ref. Pierre Poilievre wins Alberta byelection — but he’s got a long road ahead to broaden his base – https://theconversation.com/pierre-poilievre-wins-alberta-byelection-but-hes-got-a-long-road-ahead-to-broaden-his-base-262191

August 19, 2025

Hype and western values are shaping AI reporting in Africa: what needs to change

Source: The Conversation – Africa (2) – By Sisanda Nkoala, Associate professor, University of the Western Cape

News media shape public understanding of artificial intelligence (AI) and influence how society interacts with these technologies. For many people, especially those who have not sought more knowledge about AI elsewhere, media platforms are a primary source of information.

This is particularly significant in Africa, where historical and socioeconomic contexts like colonial legacies and uneven technology transfer shape how AI is understood and adopted.

Consequently, the way African news media represent and frame AI carries weight in shaping broader public discourse.

To explore how African media report on AI, we, as media researchers, analysed 724 news articles about AI from 26 English-speaking African countries. These were published between 1 June 2022 and 31 December 2023. We looked at how these publications contributed to the hype about AI – exaggerated excitement, inflated expectations, and often sensationalised claims about what artificial intelligence can do.

Hype is often contrasted with the notion of something called an AI winter. This is a period of diminished interest and investment in AI technologies. It’s a cyclical trend that has been seen since AI’s inception in the 1950s. It manifests in exaggerated language, overly optimistic or pessimistic views and significant investments in AI.

Our study examined how AI was portrayed in African news media – whether it was exaggerated or overly optimistic. Media portrayal can influence policy, investment and public acceptance of new technologies. For example, in Germany it was found that positive media coverage of different fuels changed public perception in a positive way.

Our findings show a clear pattern in placement and authorship of articles. The most common placement of AI articles (36%) was in the technology section of publications, followed by general news (24%) and then the business section (19%). This shows that these publications mostly talk about AI as a practical tool that can solve problems and create economic opportunities. They highlight its usefulness and potential benefits, rather than exploring its social or ethical implications. Discussion of issues like employment, inequality and cultural values was largely missing.

African journalists, news entities and content creators contributed some 29% of the articles. But western-based news entities (21%) and journalists (5%) had a considerable influence. Global news agencies like AFP (15%) and Reuters (6%), along with tech news providers like Research Snipers (13%), frequently wrote these pieces.

Only a small proportion of articles (4%) were written by researchers. This suggests that the voices of those directly engaged in AI research and development in Africa were muted. But they are crucial for a locally informed understanding.

To sum up the patterns:

practical benefits of AI are emphasised at the expense of social and ethical conversations
African perspectives on how AI should be developed and used are often overlooked in favour of a western, business-focused viewpoint.

What words are used to describe AI?

We also analysed the words used most frequently. The frequent mention of Google, Microsoft and ChatGPT reflects the dominance of western tech giants in the AI landscape. Words like “he” and “his” appeared disturbingly frequently, while feminine pronouns weren’t among the top words. This indicates a bias towards male perspectives.

The scarcity of terms like Africa, African and African countries suggests that the coverage seldom regards specific African needs and challenges. This overlooks Africa’s growing AI ecosystem.

We found three main themes around AI in African news:

AI’s transformative potential, for example for agriculture, administration, healthcare and economic growth
concerns about AI’s potential negative effects, the unknown and disruptive nature of AI
articles that offered a more balanced view and useful information, aiming to demystify AI tools and explain developments.

What this means for Africa

The dominance of technical and economic framing, often by western voices, might steer policy decisions towards uptake without adequate local consultation or ethical oversight. This might lead to policies that mirror global hype rather than community-specific needs.

The overemphasis on “tools” and “solutions” risks overlooking the broader effects of AI on employment, inequality and cultural values.

The lack of Afrocentric terms in the reporting contributes to a symbolic exclusion, where Africa’s specific needs and opportunities are marginalised.

Towards a more inclusive AI narrative

To encourage a more responsible and locally relevant AI journalism in Africa, African journalists and researchers should be empowered to report on and analyse this technology.

The range of voices should expand to include local researchers, policymakers and communities experiencing AI’s effects firsthand. This means balancing coverage of AI’s economic potential with sustained attention to its social, cultural and ethical implications. African media can resist one-dimensional hype and create a more inclusive and socially responsible conversation around AI.

Sisanda Nkoala receives funding from the National Research Foundation and from the University of the Western Cape. She is a public representative on the South African Press Council and the Western Cape convenor of the South African National Editors Forum.

Musawenkosi Ndlovu receives funding from National Research Foundation of South Africa.

Tanja Bosch receives funding from the National Research Foundation as a SARChI Chair. She is a board member of Media Monitoring Africa.

Trust Matsilele does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.

– ref. Hype and western values are shaping AI reporting in Africa: what needs to change – https://theconversation.com/hype-and-western-values-are-shaping-ai-reporting-in-africa-what-needs-to-change-262551