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Editor's note
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After 20 years exploring Saturn, the Cassini space probe has crashed into a smouldering heap, marking the end of its mission. This has been an incredibly successful project, teaching us not only about the planet and its rings but also its moons and weather. Despite these incredible achievements, Monica Grady wants even more. She says we should get cracking on a successor to Cassini as soon as possible. There’s just so much more to find out up there.
In the 1960s, Noam Chomsky argued that we have an innate sense of language. The human brain, he believed, is predisposed to seek order and meaning in words so that we can learn. New research now suggests that we can also make a pretty good job of guessing what sounds letters make even if they come from an unfamiliar alphabet, which might give us reason to revisit Chomsky’s controversial views.
One person who continues to struggle with his alphabet is Donald Trump. The US president has made several high-profile spelling mistakes since taking office, to the mirth of his critics. Should we worry when a man with the power to sign off on practically anything has trouble with even basic words?
The podcast team decamped to the seaside recently. In between trips to the pier, they found out about quantum computing, body farms and an opera about maths. Listen to the latest episode of The Anthill to catch up on their informative trip.
Other highlights from The Conversation this week include a look at the legacy of John le Carré’s Smiley and reaction to the announcement of the Man Booker prize shortlist.
Have a great weekend.
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Laura Hood
Politics Editor, Assistant Editor
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Top story
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Cassini in front of The Lord of the Rings.
NASA
Monica Grady, The Open University
As Cassini’s titanic mission comes to an end, we need to start thinking ahead. A combined mission to explore Saturn's moons Titan and Enceladus would be a good place to start.
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Politics + Society
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Philip Seargeant, The Open University
In a language as idiosyncratic as English, linguistic pedantry is futile and misguided.
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Ansgar Koene, University of Nottingham
The current push towards AI categorisation of people is in danger of embedding a binary view of society.
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Robert de Vries, University of Kent
New research on implicit attitudes to people who receive benefits shows how pervasive hostility towards them is.
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Daniel Silverstone, Liverpool John Moores University
Lucrative cannabis plantations have been a magnet for illegal migrants.
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Science + Technology
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Paul Breen, University of Westminster
New research gives weight to Noam Chomsky's idea of a universal language ability.
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Sally Brown, University of Southampton
The scale from one to five that is used to measure the destructive power of a hurricane may no longer be enough.
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Paul Braterman, University of Glasgow
Rather than castigate those who deny evolution, it is more useful to consider their arguments to help science explain it better
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Arts + Culture
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Joseph Oldham, University of Warwick
Far from grasping at Cold War certainties, le Carré's Smiley embraces the changing role of the British spy.
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Robert Morrison, Queen's University, Ontario
Rod Stewart, one of the greatest rock 'n' roll singers, is still current with his new DNCE co-release. What many don't know is 40 years ago he wrote the first pop song to address gay rights.
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Susan Jones, University of Nottingham
The shortlist is out, but who wins? You decide.
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Health + Medicine
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Rhi Willmot, Bangor University
Final year is stressful enough – without having to run 26 miles.
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Ana Valdes, University of Nottingham
A study of middle-aged British women shows that omega-3 has beneficial effects on gut health.
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Rishi Caleyachetty, University of Birmingham
Metabolically healthy obese people are at increased risk of cardiovascular disease, a large new study finds.
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Peter Kevern, Staffordshire University
A society which values people with dementia is one that values people in general – something we should be running towards, not away from.
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Business + Economy
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Alex Mandilaras, University of Surrey
The 2007-08 financial crisis affected the world's advanced economies in profound ways and the ripple effects continue to today.
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Daniel Hough, University of Sussex
Politicians need to get serious about the steady drip of scandals.
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Environment + Energy
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Andrew Klekociuk, University of Tasmania; Paul Krummel, CSIRO
The treaty to limit the destruction of the ozone layer is hailed as the most successful environmental agreement of all time. Three decades on, the ozone layer is slowly but surely returning to health.
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Sherilyn MacGregor, University of Manchester
The strategy's focus on rotten apples seems destined to fail.
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Education
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John Butcher, The Open University
If education really is for all, more must be done to help people of all ages to access it.
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The Anthill Podcast
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Annabel Bligh, The Conversation; Gemma Ware, The Conversation; Miriam Frankel, The Conversation; Stephen Harris, The Conversation
From the man who gave away his genome under open consent, to the 'Mathematikado', this episode of the podcast features highlights from the British Science Festival in Brighton.
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Featured events
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Zoological Society of London, Regent's Park, London, Camden, NW1 4RY, United Kingdom — UCL
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The Enterprise Centre, University of East Anglia, Norwich, Norfolk, NR4 7TJ, United Kingdom — University of East Anglia
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Julian Study Centre, University of East Anglia, Norwich, Norfolk, NR4 7TJ, United Kingdom — University of East Anglia
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Architecture Studios (M410 – M413), University of Westminster, Marylebone Campus, 35 Marylebone Road, London, NW1 5LS, London, London, City of, NW1 5LS, United Kingdom — University of Westminster
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