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Editor's note
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From enormous garbage patches in the oceans to baby whales choking to death, most people will be somewhat familiar with today’s great plastics problems. But how did we get here – and what happens next? In the latest instalment of our new series Head to Head, environmental scientist Sharon George and archaeologist Matt Edgeworth consider the matter. They discuss where plastics come from, where we’re disposing of them, and what will remain for
millennia.
The world’s continents are on the move. Though it will take millions of years for them to really get anywhere, scientists have already been able to predict four different scenarios of how the planet will look when the land collides to form the next supercontinent. Mattias Green, Hannah Davies and Joao C Duarte describe what the future planet may look like.
Video games have come a long way from 2-D blocks playing “tennis”. Today in-game worlds like that in Red Dead Redemption 2 abound with hundreds of species of wildlife – each with their own habits and behaviour. Alligators lurk, vultures scavenge and bears ambush in virtual ecosystems which simulate the complexity of the (real) natural world. Umran Ali explores the virtual ecology of videogames and imagines what lies ahead in this brave new
frontier.
Meanwhile, the first ever working definition of Islamophobia has been published by a group of MPs. Chris Allen explains why defining Islamophobia as a “type of racism” can bring about a more coherent approach to tackling it.
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Josephine Lethbridge
Interdisciplinary Editor
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Top stories
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Mohamed Abdulraheem/Shutterstock
Sharon George, Keele University; Matt Edgeworth, University of Leicester
Academics from different disciplines come Head to Head in this series to tackle topical debates.
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Planet Earth.
Triff/Shutterstock
Mattias Green, Bangor University; Hannah Sophia Davies, Universidade de Lisboa ; Joao C. Duarte, Universidade de Lisboa
Scientists have predicted four supercontinent scenarios - but which is the most likely?
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Wild game.
Rockstar Games
Dr Umran Ali, University of Salford
Games have come a long way since their genesis in the 1970s. Today, games designers consult with ecologists and other experts to create worlds that feel alive and real.
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MPs have suggested a working definition of Islamophobia for the first time.
John Gomez/Shutterstock
Chris Allen, University of Leicester
For the first time the UK has a working definition for Islamophobia.
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Health + Medicine
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Samuel Virtue, University of Cambridge; Antonio Vidal-Puig, University of Cambridge; Vanessa Pellegrinelli, University of Cambridge
Scientists manage to boost brown fat in mice with a molecule called BMP8b. Could this be the future for treating obesity?
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Science + Technology
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Ian McLoughlin, University of Kent
AI advancements can learn a lot about us from our tone of voice -- which could have dark consequences for the future of personal privacy.
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Business + Economy
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Andreas Winkler, University of Oxford
In the shadow of the pyramids of Giza, lie the tombs of the courtiers and officials who built these vast structures.
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Environment + Energy
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Paula Kover, University of Bath
It can actually be very tricky to define a species, but in the 1900s, scientists found a pretty good way.
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Marcelle McManus, University of Bath
The UK's "illegal" backup power subsidy scheme effectively subsidised fossil fuel power generation. Lets use the hiatus to build a more flexible, low carbon energy system.
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Arts + Culture
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Andrew Dix, Loughborough University
McQueen's choice of genre raised eyebrows in the movie establishment, but similar ideas run through all his films.
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Sheldon Hall, Sheffield Hallam University
The pair never worked together, but their controversial depiction of sex links them in the minds of movie historians.
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Politics + Society
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Alison Murphy, University of South Wales
Since 1997, the ways people in the UK define their nationality has rapidly changed.
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João Florêncio, University of Exeter
The tombstone, revolver and grim reaper imagery of the 1980s and early 1990s have cast a long shadow.
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Featured events
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Windsor Building Auditorium, Egham, Surrey, TW20 0EX, United Kingdom — Royal Holloway
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ARRC Auditorium, Alcuin College, York, York, YO10 5DD, United Kingdom — University of York
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The University of Manchester, Oxford Road, Manchester, Manchester, M13 9PL, United Kingdom — University of Manchester
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Windsor Building Auditorium, Egham, Surrey, TW20 0EX, United Kingdom — Royal Holloway
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