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Editor's note
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The collapse of the Ponte Morandi viaduct in Genoa has left Italy reeling, led to calls for government resignations, and taken the lives of 37 people. There’s much work to be done before any conclusions can be drawn as to the cause of the disaster, but bridge engineering expert Marios Chryssanthopoulos reminds us that while modern bridges are huge constructions built to last a century, only through constant care and attention to the effects of
the environment and growing traffic can they be kept in service over that long life.
Our latest Anthill episode is live and it’s all about nothing – from the importance of doing nothing to the ill-effects of time spent in solitary confinement. We also speak to Astronomer Royal Martin
Rees about the physics of nothing: namely empty space. Intriguingly, physicists have discovered that even empty space cannot be strictly empty – it is made up of a field of fluctuating background energy in which virtual particles can pop into and out of existence. This may in fact be how our universe started and how it will end.
Assuming the Trump administration gets its way, the US will soon have a Space Force – a central command structure for all its missions above the atmosphere. It’s been met with predictable worries about an arms race in space. Cameron Hunter and Bleddyn Bowen see it differently: far from a shadowy project to unleash satellite-borne lasers and space marines, they explain that the Space Force is far more mundane than it seems.
“Cwtch” is probably one of the best-known Welsh words – but it is more than just a cuddle or hug. This unique south Wales term is a perfect example of how dialect words come into being. Rob Penhallurick traces its journey back in time, through languages and across continents.
Pop diva Madonna turns 60 today, and as some cynics highlight her advancing years, Leah Kardos celebrates the manner in which the superstar singer seems to have been able to tap the zeitgeist through more than three decades at the top.
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Miriam Frankel
Science Editor
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Top stories
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The Ponte Morandi bridge, Genoa, after its collapse, which has claimed dozens of lives.
Luca Zennaro/EPA
Marios Chryssanthopoulos, University of Surrey
Bridge engineering does not end when construction finishes and traffic starts to flow.
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shutterstock.
Annabel Bligh, The Conversation; Gemma Ware, The Conversation; Miriam Frankel, The Conversation; Holly Squire, The Conversation
A podcast all about nothing. From the importance of doing nothing to the ill-effects of time spent in solitary confinement and what nothing means in space.
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A US Delta IV rocket lifts off.
United Launch Alliance/AFSPC
Cameron Hunter, University of Bristol; Bleddyn Bowen, University of Leicester
A new name on a few military badges doesn't imply an escalating arms race.
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Arthimedes/Shutterstock
Rob Penhallurick, Swansea University
Probably the most famous 'Welsh' word, 'cwtch' is the perfect example of a dialect term.
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Style icon: Madonna at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in May 2018.
EPA-EFE/Justin Lane
Freya Jarman, University of Liverpool
Happy birthday Ms Ciccone – you redefine age.
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Science + Technology
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Martin Rees, University of Cambridge
From a mysterious energy of empty space to parallel universes, cosmology's view of 'nothing' is anything but boring.
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Ben Garrod, Anglia Ruskin University
Was Darwin inspired by the tropical wildlife of his travels to discover natural selection? Actually, pigeons, worms and barnacles were far more prominent in his thinking.
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Jean Boubli, University of Salford
How can there be boom in new species discoveries while others are dying out at unprecedented rates?
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Juan Bernal-Sanchez, Edinburgh Napier University
Researchers are using a rubber-soil mixture to make earthquake-proof foundations.
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Health + Medicine
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Joanna Wakefield-Scurr, University of Portsmouth
Here's how to choose a bra that's right for you.
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Jahnavi Daru, Queen Mary University of London; Ewelina Rogozinska, Queen Mary University of London
Iron deficiency anaemia is an under-recognised condition, but one that can have serious health consequences.
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Jeanette Littlemore, University of Birmingham; Kate Rumbold, University of Birmingham; Sarah Turner, University of Birmingham
It's hard to know where to start. But using the right language can help.
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Duane Mellor, Coventry University
A nutritionist's expert view on barbecue success.
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Education
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Paul Tiffin, University of York; Lazaro Mwakesi Mwandigha, Imperial College London; Lewis Paton, University of York
Research shows that 80% of medical students come from just 20% of the UK's secondary schools.
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Elvira Ismagilova, University of Bradford; Daniele Doneddu, Swansea University
Students across the world are using social media to research and choose their university.
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Politics + Society
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Faye Skelton, Edinburgh Napier University
Most people on juries assume suspects only confess when they are guilty, and the consequences can be disastrous.
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Robert Alexander Innes, University of Saskatchewan
Should statues of historical figures be removed or replaced? That debate has been rekindled in Canada after Victoria took down a statue of John A. Macdonald, the country's first prime minister.
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Arts + Culture
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Dilip Menon, University of the Witwatersrand
Nobel prize winning author Vidiadhar Surajprasad Naipaul was as hard on himself as on others.
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Hugh McLachlan, Glasgow Caledonian University
What 69-year-old philosopher Hugh MacLachlan made of Russia's premier protest group.
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Business + Economy
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Seán McLoughlin, University of Leeds
A look at Hajj-going among British Muslims shows how modern transport and marketisation have led to huge changes.
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Featured events
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G11, Henley Business School, Whiteknights campus, University of Reading, Reading, Reading, RG6 6AH, United Kingdom — University of Reading
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University of Bath, Claverton Down, Bath, Bath and North East Somerset, BA2 7AY, United Kingdom — University of Bath
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Manchester Cancer Research Centre, Wilmslow Road, Manchester, Manchester, M20 4GJ, United Kingdom — University of Manchester
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National Concert Hall, Earlsfort Terrace , Dublin, Dublin, Dublin 2, Ireland — Leeds Trinity University
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