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Editor's note
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A quick and easy way to infuriate someone with strongly held left-wing views is to compare them to someone with strongly held right-wing views. The same, of course, applies in reverse. But findings from the University of Cambridge suggest people at the two ends of the political spectrum could have more in common than they realise. While their views may differ radically, their cognitive profiles are similar.
In tests, people who see themselves as extremely attached to either the Democratic or Republican party in the US displayed far greater mental rigidity than people who feel only moderately attached to a party. They may argue over all kinds of issues, but they share a propensity to see the world in black-and-white terms.
This will make for difficult reading for some but, as one of the study’s authors writes, if we can recognise this tendency for dogma in ourselves and others, perhaps we can find a way to bridge the political divides of our age.
Elsewhere, Ritalin is 75 years old and there’s troubling news from the Democratic Republic of Congo, where a measles outbreak has killed more people this year than Ebola.
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Laura Hood
Politics Editor, Assistant Editor
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Top stories
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EPA/Justin Lane
Leor Zmigrod, University of Cambridge
A particular type of mind could be more susceptible to political partisanship, on either side of the traditionally defined political spectrum.
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Wikipedia
Matthew Smith, University of Strathclyde
The biography of a mercurial medicine.
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A health team begins to disinfect a clinic in Ngongolio, Beni, DRC.
Hugh Kinsella Cunningham/EPA
Jeremy Rossman, University of Kent; Matthew Badham, University of Kent
Two deadly viruses are ravaging the DRC. Why are we only hearing about one of them?
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Covering Climate Now
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Rebecca Willis, Lancaster University
As the UN's Climate Action Summit approaches, governments need to start doing more than setting targets. Here's how they can make a start.
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Simon Mair, University of Surrey
Transforming our societies to stop climate change offers us the chance to make our lives better.
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Ben Newell, UNSW
Far from having a lack of procedures, scientific method is based on observation, prediction, test and appraisal.
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Ed Hawkins, University of Reading
Climate science is no longer the preserve of old men in white coats – it's part of the zeitgeist.
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Arts + Culture
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Laura Bliss, University of Birmingham
Authorities are struggling to deal with the unimaginable scale of online abuse – and young people are suffering as a result.
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Carolina Are, City, University of London
What started as a showcase for America's drag queens is fast becoming a global sensation.
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Science + Technology
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Thomas Moynihan, University of Oxford
An obscure Russian prince lays claim to being the first person to announce that humanity may destroy itself through its own technological advancement.
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Birger Schmitz, Lund University
Dust from the breakup of an asteroid changed the Earth's climate and led to an increase in marine biodiversity, study shows.
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Education
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Catherine Lee, Anglia Ruskin University
A new study suggests LGB teachers in rural schools far likelier to have depression or anxiety than those in towns or cities.
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Politics + Society
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Martin Beck, University of Southern Denmark
Coalition negotiations begin in Israel after neither Benjamin Netanyahu nor Benny Gantz secure a majority.
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Environment + Energy
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Diana Bell, University of East Anglia
What has just happened may represent the irreplaceable loss of a small but nonetheless precious part of the planet’s biological heritage.
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Featured events
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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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Dalhousie Building, Dundee, DD1 5EN, Dundee, Angus, DD1 5EN, United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland — University of Dundee
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Northampton Square, London, Islington, EC1V 0HB, United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland — City, University of London
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Oxford Martin School, 34 Broad Street, Oxford, Oxfordshire, OX1 3BD, United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland — University of Oxford
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