Category: The Conversation – UK

Source: The Conversation – UK – By Charlotte Curran, PhD researcher, applied ethics and moral philosophy, University of Leeds

Lily Allen’s bombshell new album, West-End Girl, has caused a sensation for its depiction of a marriage torn apart. Though the singer has described it as a blend of fact and fiction, fans have taken it to be an account of her breakup with Stranger Things actor David Harbour.

West-End Girl is a vulnerable account of divorce, with accusations of infidelity and betrayal. The album feels confessional, with lyrical details such as the retelling of personal phone calls and private messages. This is likely why it has received such admiration – it gives space for the listener to relate it to their own breakups.

Heartbreak has inspired countless artists to channel their emotions into their creative outlets. Here are six that stand out.

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Dating today can feel like a mix of endless swipes, red flags and shifting expectations. From decoding mixed signals to balancing independence with intimacy, relationships in your 20s and 30s come with unique challenges. Love IRL is the latest series from Quarter Life that explores it all.

These research-backed articles break down the complexities of modern love to help you build meaningful connections, no matter your relationship status.

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Rumours by Fleetwood Mac (1977)

Rumours is perhaps the most famous breakup album, not least because the breakups were occurring within the band itself. At the time of recording, drummer Mick Fleetwood had discovered his wife’s affair and bass player John McVie and singer/keyboardist Christine McVie were going through a divorce after eight years of marriage.

Most notably, the songs Dreams, Go Your Own Way, and the B-side Silver Springs detail the relationship breakdown between front-woman Stevie Nicks and guitarist Lindsey Buckingham. All these personal tensions created one of the bestselling albums of all time.

Rumours is a great listen for anyone going through a breakup and wanting to feel hopeful for the future.

Best lyric (Dreams):

But listen carefully to the sound of your loneliness / Like a heartbeat drives you mad in the stillness of remembering what you had and what you lost.

21 by Adele (2011)

Adele’s second studio album, 21, is a heart-wrenching tale of a painful breakup. It so resonated with listeners that it became the longest-running number one album by a female solo artist in the US and UK charts.

The album explores the juxtaposed emotions of anger and sadness that come with the ending of a significant relationship, particularly a first love. It concludes with the cathartic ballad Someone Like You, which presents Adele coming to terms with her ex finding new love and having the optimism to move on too. It’s the perfect breakup album for listeners who want to let their feelings out and bring all of their emotions to the surface.

Best lyric (Rolling in the Deep):

The scars of your love remind me of us / They keep me thinking that we almost had it all.

Here, My Dear by Marvin Gaye (1978)

Described by critics as an “ode to divorce”, Here, My Dear was created as part of Gaye’s alimony and child support negotiations during his divorce from his wife, Anna.

Gaye had intended for this album to be simple and quick, but it turned into his first double-album once he had found passion in writing about his relationship and its end. Here, My Dear is painful and at times petty, dedicating the album to Anna in the first line of the title track and ending with the song Falling In Love Again, to celebrate falling in love with someone new. The album is a great listen for those who are still trying to find closure.

Best lyric (When Did You Stop Loving Me, When Did I Stop Loving You):

Memories of the things we did / Some we’re proud of / Some we hid / So when two people have to part – sometimes it makes them stronger.

Back To Black by Amy Winehouse (2006)

The songs featured on Back to Black detail Winehouse’s tumultuous relationship with long-term partner Blake Fielder-Civil and explore themes of grief and forgiveness.

Back to Black is a complicated reflection on breakups. Its lyrics describe turning to unhealthy coping mechanisms and returning to old flames. The ballad Love is a Losing Game details the loneliness that comes from losing love, paired with the acceptance that a relationship is truly over.

This album gives a refreshingly human portrayal of breakups and has been praised as one of the most influential albums of the 21st century. Back to Black is a great choice for anyone not wanting to feel alone in their emotions after a breakup.

Best lyric (Wake Up Alone):

He’s fierce in my dreams seizes my guts / He floods me with dread / Soaked in soul / He swims in my eyes by the bed / Pour myself over him / Moon spilling in / And I wake up alone.

IGOR by Tyler, the Creator (2019)

Many of Tyler, the Creator’s songs point to themes of unrequited love, but it underpins the entirety of his album IGOR. Lyrics throughout imply hurt and lost love in different kinds of relationships, not just romantic.

The song ARE WE STILL FRIENDS? points to not wanting to lose a friend, potentially after expressing loving feelings for them. IGOR perfectly captures the pain of confusing breakups, where there are still things left unsaid and questions that need answers. IGOR is a top choice for anyone going through a complicated relationship ending, perhaps with a close friend or family member.

Best lyric (GONE GONE/THANK YOU):

You never lived in your truth / I’m just happy I lived in it / But I finally found peace, so peace.

For Emma, Forever Ago by Bon Iver (2007)

For Emma, Forever Ago was the first album Justin Vernon released under his moniker Bon Iver. It’s a beautifully melancholy take on loss and heartbreak. The album was composed after Vernon had experienced a difficult year, which included a relationship breakup and being asked to leave his previous band.

The songs on Emma, Forever ago are emotionally haunting, and its candid storytelling makes listeners feel that they are mourning a loss alongside Vernon. The lyrical transparency on tracks such as Blindsided expresses the sorrow of having a long-term relationship fall apart and the pain of wondering what went wrong.

This album is for anyone wanting to process the grief and sadness of losing someone they wanted to spend forever with.

Best lyric (The Wolves Act I & II):

And the story’s all over you / In the morning, I’ll call you / Can’t you find a clue / When your eyes are all painted Sinatra blue?

What’s your favourite breakup album? Let us know in the comments below.

Charlotte Curran 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. Seven albums to listen to during a breakup – from Lily Allen to Marvin Gaye – https://theconversation.com/seven-albums-to-listen-to-during-a-breakup-from-lily-allen-to-marvin-gaye-268801

Source: The Conversation – UK – By Matt Barlow, Lecturer International Political Economy, University of Glasgow

In late October Argentina’s president, Javier Milei, won a decisive victory in the country’s midterm elections. The scale of the result caught most political commentators off-guard. It now gives the president the legislative capacity to push through his much touted programme of labour and tax reforms.

While voter turnout hit a historic low, those who did vote overwhelmingly supported Milei’s Liberty Advances party, strengthening his chances of consolidating his radical economic agenda of austerity and free-market capitalism.

Milei’s defeat in local legislative elections in Buenos Aires province only a month earlier had led me to ask whether his economic agenda was at risk of being derailed. But this time around, in the same province – a traditional stronghold of the opposition Peronist party – Milei’s party took most of the seats.

Even in his historic presidential election victory in 2023, this was a province that Milei had been unable to win. So victory now could be seen as a validation of his wider austerity policies – and a mark of his popularity.

It is a popularity that seemingly transcends borders – all the way to the White House. In the run-up to the election, much was written on US intervention into Argentine politics. US president Donald Trump offered a US$40 billion (£30 billion) bailout while simultaneously warning the country’s electorate that the offer was conditional on strong voter support for Milei in the midterms.

Immediately after his electoral victory, members of the Trump administration heaped praise on Milei, calling him a patriot and freedom fighter who would make Argentina great again.

Such is the deepening of relations between the US and Argentina that even during the fanfare of President Trump’s east Asia trip, US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent talked with Milei and posted support for his political and economic agenda on social media. Meanwhile, Milei thanked the US for its “unwavering” support.

Bessent’s post also alluded to the fact that the market should easily meet the “republic’s financing needs for 2026”. This is a bold statement when the market has long been sceptical about Argentina, even when its governments have pursued market-friendly policies.

Investors reacted enthusiastically to the election result, however, pushing the value of the Argentine peso up by 10% (at one point) against the US dollar on the Monday after the vote.

Uncertainty about future government policies towards the peso, which floats in an exchange rate band that prevents it from moving beyond upper and lower levels, meant that all the currency gains had been virtually wiped out by the Tuesday.

Yet there remains an optimism in Argentina that Milei’s electoral victory opens up opportunities for debt sales that could provide a pathway for much needed US dollars to make their way into the economy.

Argentinian oil companies YPF and Tecpetrol have sparked an early bond rush by issuing fresh debt into the markets, while provincial governments are reportedly negotiating with banks to package and sell debt to investors abroad. All of this signals growing investor confidence and could bolster the value of the peso.

A bumpy road ahead

It is of course not all plain sailing. While Milei’s policies have so far tamed inflation – and delivered a surplus for the government finances – they come with risks and high social costs.

Many Argentinians do not, as yet, feel better off. A fall in purchasing power thanks to things like rising supermarket prices and transport costs has meant that many citizens are not feeling the benefit of the lower overall rate of inflation. Some 250,000 jobs have been lost across public and private sectors and 18,000 business have closed, leading to high unemployment and underemployment. Many people must now borrow money to make it to the end of the month.

Milei has previously employed vetoes to stall funding increases in higher education, disability allowances and pensions. These are all emotive policy areas and are likely to generate public backlash as well as placing some of the most vulnerable at risk.

The national budget could also come under renewed pressure. Debt repayments including US$3.3 billion to the IMF are due next year and investment is badly needed into Argentine infrastructure.

Milei has sought investment into extractive industries such as lithium and shale gas and oil as part of his growth strategy. But the infrastructure projects that allow for the transportation of these commodities – and which attract investment – fell under his chainsaw as part of major austerity cuts in 2024.

Half of the 2,700 public work projects unfinished from former president Alberto Fernández’s administration have seen no progress during Milei’s presidency.

Meanwhile, the US bailout is not free money, and voters have voiced worries around the potential costs of Trump’s support. This is not just about economic costs but also autonomy, with some commentators describing Argentina as a new US colony.

It is easy to see why. The Argentine government removed export taxes on grain to increase sales and boost dollar reserves in September, only to re-impose them 72 hours later.

This occurred at the same time as leaked messages show there was concern in the US government that Argentina had an unfair advantage through not paying export taxes. This led Bessent to reassure American farmers that the tax advantage enjoyed by farmers in Argentina would end soon, which it did.

The midterms were both an incredible result for Milei and a moment of reflection for the opposition and political analysts. The vote ended a volatile period of Argentine politics, which was recently described to me as being like a Netflix series.

But as with all good series, there are often sequels. Milei has weathered his first electoral challenge, but many others remain that could hinder the economic growth and prosperity that he has promised.

Matt Barlow 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. Milei’s win should lock in financial backing from Trump. But at what cost to Argentinians? – https://theconversation.com/mileis-win-should-lock-in-financial-backing-from-trump-but-at-what-cost-to-argentinians-268806

Source: The Conversation – UK – By Adam Taylor, Professor of Anatomy, Lancaster University

Around 2,000 people visit A&E every year due to injuries caused by fireworks. Although fireworks are an essential part of Bonfire Night celebrations for many revellers, these colourful pyrotechnics can be as dangerous as they are spectacular. And the injuries you might sustain from them can range from minor to downright gruesome if you aren’t careful.

The most common injuries caused by fireworks are, of course, burns. These account for approximately two-thirds of injuries caused by fireworks – typically due to people holding onto a firework when lighting them or when they explode. This is also why approximately 40% of fireworks-related injuries occur in the hands or wrist.

But the force generated in these blasts won’t just burn you. They’re also powerful enough to deglove fingers or hands, which, as the name suggests, is where the skin is removed like a glove.

These blasts can also snap or separate bones – either from each other or from the hand completely. While the skin and bones of the fingers can sometimes be reattached and regain function, this isn’t always the case.

Standing too close to fireworks, treading on smouldering debris or being impaled by a firework that has been launched at spectators are also all risks for injury. Alongside burns, fractures and breaks, there have been cases where the shards of metal that give fireworks their colour have become lodged in the skin and underlying tissue of the feet. Sadly, in one instance, a man had to have his leg amputated after he tripped over a firework mortar and it hit his leg.

Typically, the most common head injuries are those affecting the ears – such as ringing in the ears and perforated ear drums. These injuries happen when fireworks go off in close proximity to the head. Eye injuries are also not uncommon. In fact, one charity reports that ten people in the UK are blinded each year due to fireworks-related accidents – with another 300 suffering eye injuries.

More significant, traumatic injuries to the eye, eye socket and skull itself have been reported. This includes burns, eyeball rupture, damage to soft tissues and blood vessel damage in the skull and throat, which can affect breathing.

Injuries to the head and neck are often challenging to recover from and require multiple specialist teams to repair. Still, in many cases, visual impairment can persist long after recovery.

Teeth may also be at risk on Bonfire Night. In 2021, a UK woman ate what she thought was popping candy – but turned out to be fun snaps. These snaps are mini-fireworks made of sand or gravel mixed with explosive silver fulminate, all wrapped in paper. These exploded in her mouth, breaking her tooth and leaving her with burns to her lips and mouth.

More dangerous than fireworks

Perhaps even more dangerous than fireworks in general are sparklers specifically, which many see as a harmless way to join in on the Bonfire Night fun. But sparklers account for a significant proportion of injuries that are caused by fireworks.

Children are most at risk of sparkler injuries. Two-thirds of sparkler injuries happen to children under five. They burn at incredibly hot temperatures, some close to 1000°C. This is ten times hotter than boiling water. As you’d expect the most typical injuries from sparklers are burns affecting the fingers and hands. But since many people wave sparklers around while using them, this could put the face, eyes and many other parts of the body at risk of injury if not careful.

Younger children have thinner skin, so heat that an adult could normally tolerate will cause more significant damage to a child’s skin.

There’s also the possibility of sparklers igniting children’s clothing, which can result in significant burns across their whole body. One case saw a child receive full thickness burns – where all layers of the skin are destroyed and the underlying muscle and bone is damaged – across nearly 50% of their body after a sparkler ignited their clothes.

Wearing gloves can help prevent against burn injuries from sparklers, however the glove material can be a fire risk if it’s synthetic. If gloves do set on fire, they can melt to the skin, so do not try to remove them as this may cause more damage to the skin.

Approximately 75% of fireworks injuries occur in men and the majority of fireworks injuries occur at private or family displays rather than professionally organised events. So if you are planning to celebrate Bonfire Night at home with some fireworks, be sure to wear sensible clothing made of natural fibres which cover as much skin as possible.

If you are organising Bonfire Night celebrations at home, whoever is in charge of lighting fireworks should be wearing protective equipment, such as goggles and gloves. They should only launch fireworks from sturdy ground – and launch away from observers. Keep material on-hand to extinguish any stray fireworks and water for any potential burns. All these can help reduce the risk of significant injury.

Take extra precautions if you use sparklers. Wearing gloves made of natural fibres may help prevent burns and aim to keep them at arm’s length, away from the face. Always keep children under close supervision and remember they’re a risk to themselves and others with sparklers.

Emergency services also advocate for attending organised events for Bonfire Night, which have stringent safety protocols in place for fireworks displays.

Adam Taylor 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. Bonfire Night: why it’s never a good idea to mess around with fireworks – https://theconversation.com/bonfire-night-why-its-never-a-good-idea-to-mess-around-with-fireworks-263766

Source: The Conversation – UK – By Claire Hart, Associate Professor of Psychology, University of Southampton

Teamwork can bring out both the best and the worst in people. Working together means sharing ideas and coordinating actions. But sometimes, it can also involve swallowing pride, particularly when people with strong personalities, such as those with narcissism, take charge.

In our new study, we explored how grandiose narcissism – the inflated belief that you’re brighter, bolder and more capable than everyone else – affects cooperation in a team.

Instead of running surveys in a lab, we took narcissism into the wild: with more than 100 people locked in commercial escape rooms, racing the clock to solve puzzles together.

Personality psychologists distinguish between two sides of grandiose narcissism. Narcissistic admiration is the charming, confident, magnetic side that wins people over. Narcissistic rivalry, by contrast, is the defensive, combative side – quick to take offence when its status feels threatened.

Both protect a grandiose self-image, but in different ways: admiration draws people in, rivalry pushes them away. We wanted to see which side helps or harms teamwork when the pressure’s on.

The escape-room experiment

Participants were split into small teams of four or five, most meeting for the first time. After a quick ice-breaker, they entered a jungle-themed escape room with 60 minutes to find clues and escape. Success depended on communication, trust and problem-solving: exactly what makes real-world teams thrive.

Before and after the escape-room challenge, players rated themselves and one another on traits like likeability, empathy and confidence. This let us see how first impressions held up when the pressure kicked in.

We also measured the two sides of narcissism – admiration (charm, confidence, leadership) and rivalry (defensiveness, competitiveness). Finally, we tracked how well the teams gelled together, how much conflict emerged and how successful they were – not just how successful they felt, but how many rooms they actually escaped.

This was what’s called a round-robin design: every team member rated both themselves and each of their teammates. This let us capture not just how narcissistic people see themselves, but how they’re actually seen by others – giving a rare glimpse into real-time reputation and perception within teams.

Rivalry wrecks performance

The findings were striking. Teams high in narcissistic rivalry performed worse than others, making around one-third less progress in the escape challenge. They solved fewer puzzles, reported less unity and generally found the experience more frustrating.

Why? Rivalry undermined team cohesion: the sense of unity that keeps people working towards a shared goal. Under pressure, rivalrous people tended to withdraw, dismiss others’ suggestions or hold back information. They didn’t always start arguments, but their defensiveness quietly slowed the group down.

The takeaway is simple: ego doesn’t just make teammates annoying, it breaks the collective bond that gets the job done.

The admiration side of narcissism told a more seductive story. Those high in admiration looked confident, likeable and ready to lead. Early on, they seemed to boost morale. But by the end of the task, teammates saw them as more arrogant and less empathic.

In other words, the charisma that first impressed others soon wore thin once teamwork required genuine give and take. It’s the office classic: the confident self-promoter who dazzles in the meeting, but frustrates everyone by the project’s end.

Modern workplaces run on collaboration: hybrid meetings, agile teams, constant “visibility”. Yet confidence and self-promotion are still too often mistaken for competence.

Our research shows that the wrong kind of confidence can quietly undermine trust, creativity and performance. As organisations rethink leadership and teamwork in the wake of the pandemic and remote work, it’s worth asking: are we rewarding charisma over collaboration? Are our “team players” actually playing for themselves?

The fix isn’t to sideline confident people. But it’s to value good listeners as much as good talkers. Leaders who prize only assertiveness risk breeding rivalry instead of cooperation.

Building psychologically safe teams, where members can speak up without fear of ridicule, helps counteract the corrosive effects of ego.

Even team-building games reveal this dynamic. Escape rooms, often sold as fun bonding exercises, also expose who dominates, who supports and who quietly gives up when they’re not centre stage. Those moments tell you far more about teamwork than any personality test.

The escape-room setting gave us a rare window into narcissism in motion. Participants couldn’t hide behind screens or polish their image: every decision, glance and interruption played out in real time.

What we saw was clear: rivalry isolates, admiration impresses but fades.
The most successful teams weren’t the loudest, but the ones that stayed cohesive, communicative and generous – even when the clock was ticking.

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. How narcissism ruins teamwork – and why it matters in the workplace – https://theconversation.com/how-narcissism-ruins-teamwork-and-why-it-matters-in-the-workplace-268460

Source: The Conversation – UK – By Callum Smith, Historian of Modern British History & Head of Online Learning, Aberystwyth University

It’s hard to think about politics today without immediately picturing the face of a party’s leader, charismatic or otherwise. Whether delivering a rousing conference speech, squirming through a TV interview, or being caught by a “hot mic”, figures like Nigel Farage, Jeremy Corbyn, Donald Trump and Boris Johnson have dominated the political landscape in recent years.

We often talk about them more than the parties they represent. In many ways, the party has become a faction of its leader. But is this rise in personality politics really anything new? History – particularly 18th-century history – suggests otherwise.

Nobody embodied this form of politics better than Charles James Fox, as my latest book explores. Fox was as famous for his charisma and scandals as he was for his statesmanship. Though an aristocrat, he was known as the “man of the people”, with a loyal following within and outside of parliament.

Fox might technically have belonged to the Whig party, over its rival the Tory party. But such distinctions in his day were almost useless. Politics in Fox’s era was factional and centred around personality as much as politics.

So strong was the draw and bond of the Foxites’ leader, that when Fox died in 1806, his movement collapsed, and his followers scattered. A testament to the fragility of leader-based politics.

Rather than voting or speaking in terms of party we often talk of “Faragists”, “Corbynistas” or “Trumpites”. Just as with the Foxites, these terms can not only describe the popular following, but also the political group itself. These factions are often not united by a shared or defined political philosophy, but more by allegiance to their chosen leader.

Which raises the question, have we returned to the Foxite era of factionalism and the cult of personality? Modern case studies indicate that this trend is not just a phenomenon of the right or left, but a theme across the political spectrum. And it’s evident on both sides of the Atlantic.

From Fox to Farage and Corbyn

Take Nigel Farage. He led Ukip into mainstream notoriety in the early 2010s, but the party fractured as its leader grew. It was always more about brand Farage than brand Ukip.

In quick succession the party morphed into the Brexit party, and now Reform UK. Just as Fox did during the election of 1784, Farage positioned himself as the “man of the people”, never far from his trademark pint of ale, an enduring symbol of working-classness. He spoke not as the leader of a political machine, but as an individual apparently freed from the constraints of conventional internal party structures.

Former Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn essentially mirrored this approach. Momentum – created to mobilise his supporters – took on a life of its own. It expanded into Corbyn’s primary political and organisational body, faction in all but name. Rather than riding to victory under Corbyn’s popular appeal, the Labour party struggled with internal conflict, overshadowed by its leader.

Personality politics persists on the left, with the recent election of outspoken Zack Polanski beginning to dominate Green party output. The party’s traditional milder-mannered eco focus is transforming under Polanksi’s banner to become an insurgent electoral force and a threat to Labour. Are we seeing the genesis of the Polanski faction?

None of the aforementioned politicians – Fox included – ever reached the highest political office. But personality politics did catapult Boris Johnson to Number 10 and Donald Trump to the Oval Office. Both show how leader-led movements can insulate a figure from traditional political and media accountability.

Johnson’s carefully crafted popular appeal endured a number of scandals. It took a global pandemic, and public outcry at lockdown partying, to finally oust the then prime minister.

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Read more:
The Conservatives always adapt to survive – or do they?

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Much like the Foxites in 1806, the Tory party fractured in Johnson’s wake. Not only as a result of scandal, but because their previous electoral success was build on the bedrock of Johnson’s popularity.

Far from being a British phenomenon, Trump’s two terms in office are the very epitome of personality politics. You would be forgiven for forgetting that the president has any relationship with the Republican party. Maga has fast become the faction of Trump. As with Fox, the man eclipsed the institution.

The charisma trap

This form of politics was and is only possible because of the media attention awarded to individual leaders at the expense of party. In the 18th century, Fox was satirised and simultaneously promoted to the public. He could attract a cult following, because the media inflated his cult status.

Although forms of media have evolved from caricatures and broadside, television, tabloids and social media continue to favour individual charisma and controversy over collectivism and party unity.

But, as my book argues, as the importance of the factional leader grows, so too do the risks of sudden and dramatic downfall. History suggests that we are destined to repeat and follow the patterns of Fox’s era. But it also suggests that such factions rarely outlast their leaders. Which raises the question, what comes next?

Callum Smith has previously received research funding from the AHRC, a branch of UKRI, more specifically from the South, West and Wales DTP.

– ref. How 18th-century politician Charles Fox mastered personality politics long before Trump and Farage – https://theconversation.com/how-18th-century-politician-charles-fox-mastered-personality-politics-long-before-trump-and-farage-267480

Source: The Conversation – UK – By Doug Specht, Reader in Cultural Geography and Communication, University of Westminster

Maps do more than show us where we are or help us find where we need to go. They are powerful cultural documents, reflecting – and often shaping – the values, priorities and secrets of the societies that create them.

This lesson is brought to vivid and sometimes unsettling life in the British Library’s new exhibition, Secret Maps, which draws on more than 100 remarkable items to trace the long and tangled history of mapping as a tool for both revelation and concealment.

From hand-drawn naval charts presented to Henry VIII, to the satellite data hoovered up by our smartphones, the exhibition explores how, across centuries, maps have given form to power, plotted imperial ambitions, and encoded anxieties about security and privacy. But it also shines a light on how maps have empowered communities, memorialised injustice and contested official narratives.

One of the most striking themes of Secret Maps is the use of cartography as an instrument of state secrecy. Many of the earliest items on display were never meant for public eyes: confidential maps of the English coast commissioned for Tudor monarchs, closely guarded charts of “secret” trading routes by the Dutch East India Company and classified military plans for the D-Day landings. The shaping of knowledge was, and often still is, an act of geopolitical strategy.

A particularly evocative display pairs an 1876 map of Dover stripped of its military details for public consumption with a “secret” version, replete with every casemate (a fortified gun emplacement) and hill.

As one panel explains, such acts of omission, deliberate or otherwise, “reflect accepted priorities”. When official cartography leaves blank spaces, it can signal what those in power would rather not acknowledge publicly, or risk falling into enemy hands.

Maps in conflict and protest

State secrecy is only part of the picture. The exhibition moves through the maps used to anticipate or orchestrate conflict. There are projected atomic attack plans for cold war London, clandestine surveys of military posts during the 1926 general strike, and maps of prison sites that are rarely officially recognised. One contemporary exhibit, a quilt made by inmates of Bullingdon Prison, visually and symbolically places the prisoners “back on the map”. It’s a striking refusal to be rendered invisible.

Secret Maps also highlights the dual nature of mapping in social movements. While some communities have had to fight to be mapped at all, Kibera in Nairobi, for example, has long appeared as a blank space on government maps due to its informal settlement status. Others now find themselves surveilled and exposed by new forms of cartographic data, such as through smartphone location data collected by apps including many digital transport tickets. The transition from omission to unwelcome documentation – particularly through community mapping and digital tracking – raises profound questions about power, visibility and autonomy.

Perhaps the most relevant questions raised by Secret Maps concern the intersection of mapping technology and personal privacy.

In a world awash with smartphones, bank cards and travel passes, our movements are continuously logged and mapped. As one exhibit panel observes: “Every day, we unknowingly trade privacy for convenience.” These “secret maps” of our movements are bought, sold, and used to target us in ways most of us never fully grasp. It’s a modern paradox in which the act of mapping becomes both empowering and intrusive.

Crucially, the exhibition doesn’t treat these as merely problems of technology, but as questions of agency. Maps have always both granted power and threatened it, depending on who controls the data, the scale and the narrative.

Secret Maps is at its best when inviting us to reflect on these paradoxes. One central claim, echoed across several displays, is that: “Maps shape perceptions, empowering some while disempowering others.” What is included or excluded is rarely neutral. From colonial land surveys used to dispossess Indigenous peoples, to the “gay-friendly” city guides and Indigenous countermaps (that promote perspectives, knowledge, and rights in opposition to the colonial or state cartography on display), maps have always marked the battle lines of legitimacy and erasure.

The exhibition does not shy away from difficult topics. Maps tracing the infrastructure of apartheid, or those produced to facilitate war or surveillance, sit alongside playful artefacts such as the iconic Where’s Wally? books. The effect is to remind us that all mapping, whether for adventure, statecraft, or protest, is fundamentally about control: who gets to see, who gets seen and who decides.

A rare glimpse behind the lines

With loans from the British Library’s archives and other national collections, the exhibition offers a rare glimpse into how states historically used maps to control knowledge and project power. But it also foregrounds resistance. Community memory projects, counter-mappings, and the growing use of open-source tools reveal what authorities would like to hide.

As lead curator Tom Harper remarked during the opening of the exhibition: “Mapping has responded to the human desire to explore and define our world but can also be used as a tool of concealment.” Secret Maps succeeds in making tangible these tensions, showing how the map, ostensibly a neutral record, is always, in fact, a site of contest.

Secret Maps isn’t just about the maps that reveal or keep secrets, it’s about how those secrets shape our shared and private lives. It’s a timely reminder that every map is as much about power, memory, and identity as about topography or direction.

Whether you are a curious citizen, a student of history, or a digital cartographer, this exhibition offers an essential lens through which to reconsider the lines that shape our world.

Secret Maps is at the British Library in London until January 18 2026.

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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.

Doug Specht 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. Secret Maps at the British Library reconsiders the lines that shape our world – https://theconversation.com/secret-maps-at-the-british-library-reconsiders-the-lines-that-shape-our-world-268464

Source: The Conversation – UK – By Aisling Pigott, Lecturer, Dietetics, Cardiff Metropolitan University

Some of the world’s healthiest and longest-living people follow the practice of “hara hachi bu” — an eating philosophy rooted in moderation. This practice comes from a Japanese Confucian teaching which instructs people to only eat until they’re around 80% full.

More recently, it’s been gaining attention as a strategy for weight loss. But while hara hachi bu might emphasise eating in moderation and stopping before you’re full, it shouldn’t really be as seen as a method of dietary restriction. Rather, it represents a way of eating that can help us learn to have awareness and gratitude while slowing down at mealtimes.

Research on hara hachi bu is limited. Previous studies have evaluated the overall dietary patterns of those living in regions where this eating philosophy is more commonplace, not the “80% rule” in isolation.

However, the available evidence does suggest hara hachi bu can reduce total daily calorie intake. It’s also associated with lower long-term weight gain and lower average body mass index (BMI). The practice also aligns with healthier meal-pattern choices in men, with participants choosing to eat more vegetables at mealtimes and fewer grains when following hara hachi bu.

Hara hachi bu also shares many similar principles with the concepts of mindful eating or intuitive eating. These non-diet, awareness-based approaches encourage a stronger connection with internal hunger and satiety cues. Research shows both approaches can also help reduce emotional eating and enhance overall diet quality.

Hara hachi bu may also have many advantages that go beyond losing weight.

For instance, hara hachi bu’s focus on awareness and eating intuitively may offer a gentle and sustainable way of supporting long-term health changes. Sustainable health changes are far easier to maintain in the long-term. This may improve health and prevent weight regain, which can be a risk for those who lose weight through traditional diet approaches.

The ethos of hara hachi bu also makes perfect sense in the context of modern life and may help us develop a better relationship with the food we eat.

Evidence suggests that around 70% of adults and children use digital devices while eating. This behaviour has been linked to higher calorie intake, lower fruit and vegetable intake and a greater incidence of disordered eating behaviours including restriction, binge eating and overeating.

As a dietitian, I see it all the time. We put food on a pedestal, obsess over it, talk about it, post about it – but so often, we don’t actually enjoy it. We’ve lost that sense of connection and appreciation.

Being more aware of the food we eat and taking time to taste, enjoy and truly experience it as hara hachi bu emphasises, can allow us to reconnect with our bodies, support digestion and make more nourishing food choices.

Trying ‘hara hachi bu’

For those who might want to give “hara hachi bu” or taking a more mindful and intuitive approach to improve their relationship with food, here are a few tips to try:

1. Check in with your body before eating

Ask yourself: Am I truly hungry? And if so, what kind of hunger is it — physical, emotional, or just habitual? If you’re physically hungry, denying yourself may only lead to stronger cravings or overeating later. But if you’re feeling bored, tired, or stressed, take a moment to pause. Giving yourself space to reflect can help prevent food from becoming a default coping mechanism.

2. Eat without distractions

Step away from screens and give your meal your full attention. Screens often serve as a distraction from our fullness cues, which can contribute to overeating.

3. Slow down and savour each bite

Eating should be a sensory and satisfying experience. Slowing down allows us to know when we’re satiated and should stop eating.

4. Aim to feel comfortably full, not stuffed

If we think of being hungry as a one and being so full you need to lie down as a ten, then eating until you’re around “80% full” means you should feel comfortably satisfied rather than stuffed. Eating slowly and being attuned to your body’s signals will help you achieve this.

5. Share meals when you can

Connection and conversation are part of what makes food meaningful. Connection at meal times is uniquely human and a key to longevity.

6. Aim for nourishment

Ensure your meals are rich in vitamins, minerals, fibre and energy.

7. Practice self-compassion

There’s no need to eat “perfectly”. The point of hara hachi bu is about being aware of your body – not about feeling guilty over what you’re eating.

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People in the world’s ‘blue zones’ live longer – their diet could hold the key to why

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Importantly, hara hachi bu is not meant to be a restrictive eating approach. It promotes moderation and eating in tune with your body – not “eating less”.

When viewed as a means of losing weight, it risks triggering a harmful cycle of restriction, dysregulation and overeating – the very opposite of the balanced, intuitive ethos it’s meant to embody. Focusing solely on eating less also distracts from more important aspects of nutrition – such as dietary quality and eating essential nutrients.

This practice also may not suit everyone. Athletes, children, older adults and those living with illness often have higher or more specific nutritional needs so this eating pattern may not be suitable for these groups.

While often reduced to a simple “80% full” guideline, hara hachi bu reflects a much broader principle of mindful moderation. At its core, it’s about tuning into the body, honouring hunger without overindulgence and appreciating food as fuel — a timeless habit worth adopting.

Aisling Pigott receives funding from Research Capacity Building Collaborative (RCBC) and Health and Care Research Wales. Aisling Pigott is a Non-Executive Director of the British Dietetic Association, the professional body and trade union representing dietitians in the UK.

– ref. Is it healthier to only eat until you’re 80% full? The Japanese philosophy of hara hachi bu – https://theconversation.com/is-it-healthier-to-only-eat-until-youre-80-full-the-japanese-philosophy-of-hara-hachi-bu-268008

Source: The Conversation – UK – By Miguel Lurgi, Associate Professor in Computational Ecology, Swansea University

Setting aside land for nature is one of the main global strategies to conserve biodiversity. From national parks to local reserves, these areas are designed to give wildlife the space it needs to thrive. But my latest research with colleagues shows that these protected areas don’t always work in the way we expect.

They can help increase the number of species and provide habitats for large predators. But they don’t necessarily preserve the complex web of interactions that keeps ecosystems functioning. Our study found that the effectiveness of protected areas varies widely across Europe. This has mixed effects on the ecological relationships that sustain life.

Protected areas are central to international conservation policy. In 2022, governments at the UN biodiversity conference (Cop15) agreed to the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework. The framework aims to protect 30% of the world’s land and sea by 2030. The ambition is to halt biodiversity loss and safeguard the services that healthy ecosystems provide.

But while the number of protected areas continues to grow, there is still debate about how well they work. Most studies measure biodiversity success by counting species or tracking population trends. These are important, but they miss a crucial part of how ecosystems operate: the network of ecological interactions. Interactions between species such as predator-prey relationships connect species together in ecosystems and are crucial for their persistence.

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World’s protected natural areas too small and isolated to benefit wildlife – new study

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We wanted to find out how effective protected areas are at maintaining these networks. Understanding this is central to ensuring that conservation measures protect not only individual species, but the relationships between them that support ecosystem stability and resilience.

We analysed 376,556 records of bird sightings gathered by citizen scientists from online databases. These records covered 509 bird species distributed across 45 protected networks stretching from the Mediterranean to Scandinavia.

By combining these observations with information on which species eats what, we built food webs, which are diagrams that map predator-prey interactions, for both protected and non-protected environments. We then compared the structure of these food webs to assess how well protection helped maintain their integrity.

We found that protected areas can have positive effects on the structure of food webs, but not always. In general, protected sites supported more bird species, particularly those in the middle of the food chain, and we also found larger predators within those areas. For example, less pristine or smaller habitats may only have a sparrowhawk. Whereas more diverse habitats may have a golden or a Bonelli’s eagle. That’s often a sign of a healthier ecosystem.

But for other important features, such as how many interactions each species has or how long the food chains are, the results were far less consistent. Some protected areas showed positive effects, while others showed neutral or even negative ones.

When protection doesn’t mean balance

This means that what works for conserving species does not necessarily work for conserving the ecological interactions between them. Preserving these relationships is crucial because they underpin ecosystem stability.

If predators decline or disappear altogether, their prey can grow, unchecked. This may disrupt the balance of an entire ecosystem. One striking example comes from the Aleutian Islands off Alaska, where the loss of sea otters led to an explosion in sea urchins and the near collapse of kelp forests.

The same principles apply across terrestrial ecosystems. The loss of pollinators, for instance, can have dramatic consequences for both wild plants and crops, threatening food security as well as biodiversity. These examples show why it’s not enough to conserve species in isolation. The connections between species also need protection.

Our study found that how well a protected area works depends a lot on where it is located and how it is managed. We found that factors such as remoteness, habitat diversity, human pressure and the amount of surrounding agricultural land were all linked to how well food webs were preserved.

Protected areas established under the EU Birds Directive, which specifically focuses on maintaining bird populations and habitats, showed the strongest positive effects. This suggests that having a clear conservation goal and strong management practices makes a real difference.

Protected areas that are more diverse in habitat types also tend to support richer ecological networks. This demonstrates the importance of maintaining habitat integrity. In comparison, areas with a lot of human activity or patchy habitats often find it harder to maintain the balance of species and interactions that make ecosystems thrive.

Rethinking how we measure conservation

Our study highlights the complexity of conservation action. Simply protecting land is not enough. To be truly effective, conservation must consider not only how many species live within an area, but also how those species interact.

These interactions are essentially the ecological glue of the natural world. They are what allow ecosystems to persist and perform vital functions such as pollination, pest control and nutrient cycling. Ignoring them risks overlooking early warning signs of ecosystem collapse.

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Read more:
Protecting Brazil and Indonesia’s tropical forests requires political will, law enforcement and public pressure

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To secure a sustainable future, conservation policies must go beyond species counts and focus on safeguarding the intricate networks that keep life in balance.

If we focus on how nature functions, not just which species live there, we can make sure protected areas really keep our ecosystems healthy.

Miguel Lurgi 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. Why national parks and nature reserves don’t always safeguard ecosystems as expected – https://theconversation.com/why-national-parks-and-nature-reserves-dont-always-safeguard-ecosystems-as-expected-266623

Source: The Conversation – UK – By Belinda Zakrzewska, Assistant Professor of Marketing, University of Birmingham

Saulo Jennings, an acclaimed Amazonian chef and UN gastronomy tourism ambassador, was reportedly outraged when organisers of Prince William’s Earthshot prize asked him to prepare an entirely vegan menu. For Jennings, being told to exclude pirarucu – the region’s iconic giant freshwater fish – was not merely a matter of preference but a lack of respect for his culinary traditions.

Prince William founded the Earthshot prize to celebrate innovative solutions to the planet’s greatest environmental challenges. This year’s ceremony takes place on November 5 at Rio de Janeiro’s futuristic Museu do Amanhã (Museum of Tomorrow), marking the first time the Earthshot’s award ceremony will be held in Latin America. It will serve as the opening act for Cop30, which begins on November 10 in Belém, in the heart of the Amazon, emphasising the region’s central place in climate discussions.

Jennings had agreed to create a selection of canapes for the awards ceremony, which was when the misunderstanding arose. He designed a menu with a vegan option but was then told the whole selection must be vegan, meaning he couldn’t include any dishes featuring pirarucu. “It was like asking Iron Maiden to play jazz,” he told the New York Times. “It was a lack of respect for local cuisine, for our culinary tradition.”

At the museum’s urging, Jennings agreed to design an Amazonian-inspired vegan menu using native ingredients. But by then the deal had collapsed and another team was selected to feed the awards ceremony.

Instead, Jennings has been commissioned to cook for the Norwegian and Chinese delegations at Cop30, and will also oversee the food for the Cop banquet, prepared for the heads of state attending the conference. For these occasions, he will be able to highlight the Amazon’s diverse flavours and, he has respectfully assured, will be serving pirarucu.

By insisting on a vegan menu, the Earthshot prize effectively equated veganism with sustainability. But while the two concepts can overlap, they are not the same. Some vegan foods, such as avocados, have large carbon footprints.

This is just one example of how well-intentioned western environmental initiatives can unintentionally clash with the values and food practices of the communities they aim to celebrate.

Impositions on sustainable food practices

Western impositions on Indigenous food cultures stretch back to colonial times. Early European settlers viewed their own staple crops, such as wheat and barley, as symbols of civilisation. On the other hand, they often dismissed Indigenous foods like Andean grains such as quinoa and amaranth as “primitive”.

This legacy still shapes food hierarchies today. In Peru, for example, communities in the Andes are swapping traditional potatoes for pasta and rice.

Nowadays, consumers – both in Brazil and globally – play a role in reinforcing western ideas through their purchasing choices and perceptions of “authentic”, “exotic” or “healthy” foods that shape the exchange of foods across different countries and market segments, while distorting local economies and traditions.

In Belém, açaí berries are a staple of local culinary custom, traditionally consumed by residents with manioc flour and fish. But in other Brazilian regions – and increasingly internationally – they have become known as a trendy powdered or frozen “superfood”, or are blended into açaí bowls.

In postcolonial nations, local elites – typically composed of non-Indigenous people who have historically aligned themselves with western tastes and values – can sometimes both reinforce and challenge these inequalities

In Brazil’s culinary scene, elite chefs have taken the lead in defining a new national haute cuisine that elevates Amazonian ingredients through fine-dining techniques. For example, renowned Brazilian chef Alex Atala elevates pirarucu by reinterpreting the fish using innovative techniques and presentations at his Sao Paulo restaurant, D.O.M.

However, this can detach ingredients from their original uses and create pressures on producers to deliver more, which could lead to unsustainable practices. Therefore, Atala is also committed to advancing sustainability, research and cultural preservation through Instituto Ata, which aims to showcase the diversity both of Brazil’s culture and its environment.

For Indigenous chef Tainá Marajoara, there’s a risk that elite Brazilian culture is borrowing heavily from Indigenous traditions – and using Amazonian ingredients without properly acknowledging the debt this modern food owes to the cultures from which it has been appropriated.

Marajoara – like Jennings, a UN ambassador for gastronomy – has sharply criticised what she perceives as the dominant mindset among Brazilian chefs. She told food magazine Saveur that some elite chefs believe “the food of dark-skinned people needs to be updated, as though we don’t have a wisdom and aesthetic of our own”.

Decolonising western ideas about sustainability

Many Indigenous communities adopt a “kincentric” view of the natural world, meaning they see humans, plants and animals as interconnected members of a shared ecological family, rather than separate entities.

According to Jennings, sustainability means living in harmony with nature’s rhythms – not imposing uniform dietary rules. As he told the New York Times: “We eat whatever the forests give us, whatever the rivers give us. Some days we eat fish; other days we eat nuts and açaí. This is also sustainable.”

True sustainability requires cultural and ecological respect. At Cop30, Jennings and Marajoara will design menus grounded in their cultures’ deep relationships with the natural world. Their aim is to show that sustainability should be a lived practice, not just politicians’ rhetoric.

Hopefully, their participation will reinforce the important message that meaningful climate solutions depend on Indigenous leadership and knowledge.

Bridging the gap between western assumptions and local ecological realities remains urgent. Marajoara warns: “As long as ancestral lands are violated and violence spreads across forests, rivers and fields, our people and our culture are being killed.”

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. Earthshot prize’s request for a vegan menu for Prince William leaves a bitter taste in the Amazon – https://theconversation.com/earthshot-prizes-request-for-a-vegan-menu-for-prince-william-leaves-a-bitter-taste-in-the-amazon-268597

Source: The Conversation – UK – By Dan Baumgardt, Senior Lecturer, School of Psychology and Neuroscience, University of Bristol

Equids, members of the horse family including horses, donkeys and zebras, share curious features called chestnuts. Found on every horse, they appear as toughened growths on their limbs, and can be clipped back if they grow too large. Anyone following the charming and rugged farrier Sam Wolfenden on TikTok will have seen his expert chestnut clipping.

Chestnuts are fascinating little entities – remnants of toe pads that were present in the prehistoric relatives of both domestic and wild horses. They’re also unique to each animal; you can think of them as an individual fingerprint.

Chestnuts are made of keratin, the same material found in the outer layer of skin. It’s protective, waterproof and durable, giving resilience and strength. It’s also found in hair and nails, which allow for important functions like trapping heat and providing sensory information to the brain.

The hooves and horns of animals are no different. Keratin-based and developed from the skin, they are designed for functions such as protection or even as weapons in battle.

Keratin therefore plays an important role across both human and animal species. And since we’re all built from similar biological materials, it may not surprise you that humans can develop horns too – though not quite like a horse or goat.

Human horns

Cutaneous horns, or cornu cutaneum, are compacted keratin masses that grow outward from a person’s skin. Their typically curved shape and hardened texture make them look like the horns of a goat, sheep or cow.

They can vary in colour from yellow to brown to grey. Their relative shade depends on the amount of pigment and dead cells trapped within the keratin as it builds up.

Cutaneous horns develop from skin lesions of various kinds, and many are harmless. Several common benign lesions such as seborrhoeic keratoses – warty swellings extremely common in older people – can develop into these “horns”. So can other warts, including those caused by the human papilloma virus (HPV), a group of viruses that infect the skin and mucous membranes and can lead to either warts or, in rarer cases, cancer.

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Around 16-20% of cutaneous horns are malignant, developing from skin cancers such as squamous cell carcinoma. This form of cancer starts in the outer layer of the skin and can invade deeper tissues if left untreated.

Others arise from premalignant conditions: skin changes that have not yet become cancerous but have the potential to do so. A prime example is an actinic (or solar) keratosis, which can later develop into squamous cell cancer, sometimes forming a horn but often not.

In these cases, the cells within the lesion become denatured, losing their normal structure and function. This uncontrolled growth can lead to excessive keratin production, occasionally resulting in the formation of a horn.

People who develop cutaneous horns, whether benign, premalignant or cancerous, tend to share some similar risk factors. These horns are far more common in older adults and in those with fair skin, and they often appear on sun-exposed areas such as the head or face, suggesting that ultraviolet (UV) light plays a major role.

Sun damage is a key cause of all skin cancers including melanoma, the most dangerous form. Unlike squamous cell cancer, melanoma originates in pigment-producing cells and spreads more aggressively through the body if not caught early.

Grow to astonishing sizes

Some cutaneous horns appear in stranger places, including the chest and even the genitals. And because they can sometimes be linked to cancer, anyone who notices one should see a doctor.

Their appearance can be distressing, especially when they form on visible areas like the face, and they may also cause discomfort or irritation. Treatment usually involves surgical removal of the horn and a small amount of surrounding skin, a procedure known as excision.

Some cutaneous horns can grow to astonishing sizes. In 2024, an elderly woman in China made headlines because of a large cutaneous horn that grew from her forehead, reaching ten centimetres over seven years.

Others have earned nicknames like “unicorn horns” when they sprout from the centre of a person’s forehead. Alternatively, a patient in India was reported to have a “devil’s horn” growing from the top of his head.

However, the record for the biggest cutaneous horn probably belongs to Madame Dimanche, also known as Widow Sunday, in the early 19th century. This French woman’s horn stretched nearly 25cm, hanging past her chin before it was removed. A wax cast of both her face and the horn are now displayed among other anatomical curiosities in the Mütter Museum in Philadelphia.

If you ever notice a hard, growing bump that looks even faintly horn-like, don’t wait. Get it checked by your GP in order to guide the most appropriate treatment.

And to Sam Wolfenden, with his deeply satisfying hoof-trimming videos, keep on clipping, mate.

Dan Baumgardt 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. Why some humans grow horns – https://theconversation.com/why-some-humans-grow-horns-268370