Editor's note

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.

Josephine Lethbridge

Interdisciplinary Editor

Top stories

Mohamed Abdulraheem/Shutterstock

Plastic is now part of our planet’s fabric – a scientist and archaeologist discuss what happens next

Sharon George, Keele University; Matt Edgeworth, University of Leicester

Academics from different disciplines come Head to Head in this series to tackle topical debates.

Planet Earth. Triff/Shutterstock

What planet Earth might look like when the next supercontinent forms – four scenarios

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?

Wild game. Rockstar Games

Red Dead Redemption 2: Virtual ecology is making game worlds eerily like our own

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.

MPs have suggested a working definition of Islamophobia for the first time. John Gomez/Shutterstock

Why UK’s working definition of Islamophobia as a ‘type of racism’ is a historic step

Chris Allen, University of Leicester

For the first time the UK has a working definition for Islamophobia.

Health + Medicine

  • Could this be a solution for the obesity crisis?

    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?

Science + Technology

Business + Economy

Environment + Energy

Arts + Culture

Politics + Society

 

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