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Editor's note
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Vaccines are widely regarded as one of the greatest achievements of the scientific age, yet people are increasingly shunning this safe, cheap, life-saving treatment. In fact, the World Health Organisation recently stripped the UK, Albania, the Czech Republic and Greece of their “measles-free” status as too few people in those countries are now immunised against the disease. And while the US is yet to suffer such ignominy, it is experiencing its biggest measles outbreak for 27 years.
This doesn’t surprise global public health expert, Jonathan Kennedy. He sees it as a direct outcome of the rise in right-wing populist movements. After all, populist leaders use the same playbook as anti-vaxxers: they tell lies, spread fear, sow discord, and use social media to do so. Unfortunately, it’s working.
Bizarrely, recent events even show Jacob Rees-Mogg comparing Dr David Nicholl to anti-vaxxer extraordinaire, Andrew Wakefield. The reason? Dr Nicholl, a consultant neurologist, dared to warn the public about deaths that are likely to arise as a result of a no-deal Brexit.
There is certainly a lot of confusion and discord around these days, but if you want a clear-eyed view of the latest Brexit happenings, stay tuned. Today, we show how Brexit uncertainty is harming the British economy, and we look at when and how a UK general election might happen. Tomorrow, who knows?
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Clint Witchalls
Health + Medicine Editor
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Top stories
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SamaraHeisz5/Shutterstock
Jonathan Kennedy, Queen Mary University of London
If you want to know where measles is a problem, look for countries with rising populist parties.
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Britain is still split over Brexit.
EPA-EFE / Neil Hall
Costas Milas, University of Liverpool
It's time to break the deadlock with a referendum on no-deal Brexit or Theresa May's withdrawal agreement.
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Aaron Chown/PA
Chris Stafford, University of Nottingham
MPs blocked the prime minister's motion to hold an election – but that doesn't mean they don't want one.
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Politics + Society
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Abdullah Yusuf, University of Dundee
Roughly translating as 'Hindu-ness', Hindutva reframes the majority religion more as an identity, stoking tensions and intolerance of Muslims.
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Thomas Gift, UCL
Polls show Americans want gun control, but it isn't a top-line issue for voters.
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Carol Anne Goodwin Jones, University of Birmingham
Police tactics in Hong Kong have not helped the cycle of protest, repression and further protest.
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Education
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Mandy Pierlejewski, Leeds Beckett University
Testing times ahead for four-year-olds as new starters face 'harmful' assessments within six weeks of starting school.
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Michael McCluskey, Keele University
Our new research shows that children who are physically active every day tend to perform better in exams.
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Arts + Culture
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Leighton Vaughan Williams, Nottingham Trent University
A close look at 15 years of the popular dance competition shows that people dancing last have a distinct advantage.
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Gareth Loudon, Cardiff Metropolitan University
Finding your creative space with meaning.
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Warwick Potter, The University of Queensland
A conductor's role is about communication with performers and their audience. They do so using eye contact, dress, and of course, the fabled waving of the arms.
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Health + Medicine
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Roger J. Kreuz, University of Memphis
As we get older, our eyesight may dim and our recall may falter. But our linguistic abilities don't seem to erode.
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Denize Atan, University of Bristol
Most people know that a poor diet can lead to heart disease, diabetes and even cancer. Few are aware that it can also cause blindness.
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Science + Technology
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Duncan T Odom, University of Cambridge
Current plans for lunar exploration may end up destroying ancient, genetic samples from Earth that have ended up on the moon.
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Environment + Energy
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Camila Silva, Lancaster University
The Amazon will take a lifetime to recover from this year's fires – if it ever does.
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Featured events
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Berrill Lecture Theatre The Open University Walton Hall, Milton Keynes, Buckinghamshire, MK7 6AA, United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland — The Open University
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Here East, Queen Elizabeth Park, London, London, City of, E15 2GW, United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland — UCL
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Cambridge Judge Business School, Trumpington Street, Cambridge, Cambridgeshire, CB2 1AG, United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland — University of Cambridge
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