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Editor's note
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This month marks 50 years since the Apollo 11 moon landing – a time during which we have made great technological progress. In fact, it is often said that we now have more computing power in our mobile phones than the computer aboard Apollo 11 did. Yet we haven’t been back to the moon since 1972, so could it really be true? And, if so, what does that mean for those planning to go back to the moon in the next few years?
Throughout the month, we will celebrate the 50th anniversary of the moon landing not only with a number of articles, but also with the launch of an exciting new global podcast series called To the moon and beyond. Hosted by me and Martin Archer, a space plasma physicist at Queen Mary, University of London, we’ll be talking to academic experts around the world as we explore the past 50 years of space exploration and the 50 years to come. Listen to the trailer or subscribe wherever you get your podcasts from. The first episode will launch later this week so stay tuned.
Sadly, the technological success we’ve seen since the moon landings also has a dark side. It could start with a Facebook notification, or a concerned message from a friend – before you know it, your life has been shattered and there’s no end in sight. That’s just the beginning of what victims and survivors of “revenge porn”, upskirting, deepfake porn and sexual extortion experience when sexually explicit images of them are shared online. New research published today reveals how a patchwork of complex and outdated legislation is failing to protect people from online sexual abuse.
Meanwhile, a new method for sucking up CO₂ has been found – and it’s been staring us in the face for decades. Researchers added glue to the liquid chemicals that are usually used to bind the greenhouse gas and found the new material could capture one-fifth of its own weight in CO₂ – a major improvement. That’s the same cheap glue that we use everyday for fixing ornaments or making furniture. Materials chemist Louise Hamdy believes glue could
be the magic ingredient in a new generation of carbon capture technology, which could play a big role in slowing climate change.
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Miriam Frankel
Science Editor
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Top stories
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Astronaut David R. Scott, Apollo 15 commander.
NASA
Graham Kendall, University of Nottingham
Here is how our mobile phones compare with the computer that landed man on the moon in 1969.
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Miriam Frankel, The Conversation ; Martin Archer, Queen Mary University of London
A new podcast series from The Conversation exploring the last 50 years of space exploration and the 50 years to come.
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Shattered lives.
Shutterstock.
Erika Rackley, University of Kent; Clare McGlynn, Durham University; Kelly Johnson, Durham University
Laws against 'revenge porn', upskirting, deepfake pornography are piecemeal, and a review will take years to conduct. Here are three things government can do now to support victims.
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Ronstik/Shutterstock
Louise Hamdy, Swansea University
A key tool for capturing and storing carbon may have been hiding in plain sight all along.
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Politics + Society
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Jon Herbert, Keele University; Andrew Wroe, University of Kent; Trevor McCrisken, University of Warwick
The president's policy achievements are distinctly ordinary, for a Republican, and his limited record may offer a good line of attack for opponents.
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Senthorun Raj, Keele University
Fifty years after the Stonewall riots, what is their political legacy for LGBTQ activism?
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Bates Gill, Macquarie University
As China's challenges mount, can Xi Jinping continue to maintain economic growth and social stability without losing the party’s absolute political control?
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Health + Medicine
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Simon Harold Walker, University of Strathclyde
Only through discussion and recognition of service and veteran mental health issues can these tragedies be prevented in the future.
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Leica Sarah Claydon-Mueller, Anglia Ruskin University; Priya Kannan, Hong Kong Polytechnic University
Exercise can help relieve period pain.
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Business + Economy
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Alexander Brem, University of Southern Denmark
Open plan offices can suck the life out of workplaces. But it doesn't have to be this way.
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Kamini Gupta, King's College London
You can't fix financial literacy with digital wallets.
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Arts + Culture
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Rohan McWilliam, Anglia Ruskin University
As well as founding England's first million-selling newspaper, Lloyd shamelessly sold plagiarised versions of some of Charles Dickens' best-loved novels.
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Science + Technology
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Natasha Ellison, University of Sheffield
Alan Turing's last published paper revealed the mathematics behind the beautiful patterns that adorn the natural world.
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Featured events
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Room 105, 51 Gordon Square, London, London, City of, WC1H 0PN, United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland — UCL
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University of Essex, Wivenhoe Park, Colchester, Essex, CO4 3SQ, United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland — University of Essex
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99 George St , Glasgow, Glasgow City, G11RD, United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland — University of Strathclyde
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King's Manor, York, York, YO1 7EP, United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland — University of York
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