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Editor's note
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Do we experience a moment of euphoria as we die? Have humans evolved beyond nature – and do we even need it? Is love just a fleeting high fuelled by brain chemicals? These are just some of the
questions we’ll answer in our new Life’s Big Questions series, co-published with BBC Future.
I still remember finding out that the universe may be infinite, potentially containing identical copies of myself. I found it impossible to imagine, yet I couldn’t stop thinking about it. I am not alone. Humans have always obsessed about existential questions concerning life, death and the universe. After all, age-old questions such as “Who am I?” “Are we alone in the universe” and “Is there life after death?” lie somewhere behind many of humankind’s greatest achievements, from the pyramids to Apollo 11.
But while we all ponder such questions from time to time, we rarely discuss them with those around us. Perhaps it’s because we fear they’ll trigger an eye roll at a dinner party, or an awkward silence at work. This may be because we believe they are just too naive, dark or even pointless, the kind of questions a child would ask – not realising that there are no definitive answers.
At The Conversation, there’s no such thing as a question that’s too naive, too scary – or too big. Working with BBC Future, our new Life’s Big Questions series is about getting you, the reader, more involved. From the nature of happiness and the origins of consciousness to the concepts of evil and free will, we believe that experts can provide fascinating perspectives, perspectives most of us may never have considered. You simply need to ask.
If you’d like to get a question answered, please formulate it in two to five sentences and submit it to bigquestions@theconversation.com. Articles will be published weekly on The Conversation and BBC Future. Today we are launching our first two stories, about death and nature. Also check out our story about why death inspires so many writers and artists.
Next week, we’ll find out whether love is just a fleeting high fuelled by brain chemicals. The answer certainly surprised me.
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Miriam Frankel
Science Editor
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Top stories
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Natural?
Shutterstock
Manuel Berdoy, University of Oxford
The answer lies in determining what we are and what we want to become.
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Roberto Trombetta/Flickr
Seamus Coyle, University of Liverpool
How we experience the moment of death may be influenced by a cocktail of brain chemicals and the manner in which our brains shut down.
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Ode to Joy or 17 Million F*** Offs? The people chose Beethoven.
iku4 via Shutterstock
Adam Behr, Newcastle University
An epic battle between the EU anthem and a pro-Brexit pop song was narrowly won by Beethoven's Ode to Joy.
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Arts + Culture
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Claire Hooker, University of Sydney; Ian Kerridge, University of Sydney
Public figures, authors, artists and journalists have long written about their experience of dying. But why do they do it? And what do we gain?
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Politics + Society
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Andrew G Jones, Coventry University
Iraq has asked the US to start withdrawing troops. If it doesn't, that's a breach of international law.
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Environment + Energy
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Simon Cook, University of Dundee
Our study explores the factors which cause glacial erosion.
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Niki Rust, Newcastle University; Solange Vargas, Universidad de La Serena
As Chile's central mountain region warms, guanacos are wandering into trouble.
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Health + Medicine
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Joseph Eisenberg, University of Michigan
Epidemiologists want to quickly identify any emerging disease's potential to spread far and wide. Dependent on a number of factors, this R0 number helps them figure that out and plan accordingly.
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Lucy Budd, De Montfort University; Stephen Ison, De Montfort University
Suspending flights and screening passengers is mainly about reassuring us, not keeping us healthy.
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Science + Technology
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Mark Dallas, University of Reading
A new study raises hopes of better treatment for amnesia, Alzheimer's and other conditions affecting memory.
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Bryce Dyer, Bournemouth University
New rules on athletes' trainers were on the cards since Eliud Kipchoge ran the first sub-two hour marathon in special Vaporflys.
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Ritesh Chugh, CQUniversity Australia
You're at the airport, or on the bus, and your phone's low on juice so you plug into a nearby USB port. But you could be getting more than a power boost - some ports are booby-trapped with malware.
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Featured events
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Yorkshire Room, JB Morrell Library, Campus West, York, York, YO10 5DD, United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland — University of York
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School of the Arts, 19-23 Abercromby Square, Liverpool, L69 7ZG, United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland — University of Liverpool
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Blackbox Theatre, Theatre, Film and Television Building, Campus East, York, York, YO10 5GB, United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland — University of York
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Yorkshire Room, JB Morrell Library, Campus West, York, York, YO10 5DD, United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland — University of York
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