Here in England, we are witnessing continuing rioting in our towns and cities. Police have been attacked, shops have been looted and hotels housing vulnerable asylum seekers have been put under siege by marauding crowds.

I say "here in England" because so far the unrest has been limited to England and Northern Ireland, and has not spread to Scotland or Wales. A particular kind of xenophobic, extremist English nationalism is at the heart of what is happening – and one of the most notable characteristics of the violent agitators is how many of them are middle aged. It’s been remarkable to see angry men in their 40s and 50s screaming racist abuse at mosques, passers by and police.

But a group of researchers got in touch with me a few days ago to tell me that while I might have been surprised, they saw this coming some time ago. They’ve been researching the online radicalisation of this older cohort and reveal for us this week that it’s a problem in dire need of attention across Europe, not just in England.

One driver of the criminality on display has been the legitimisation of Islamophobia among Britain’s political elites in recent years. We have a new government now but the shadow cast by the last one is long. We are still witnessing the damage caused by the now former Conservative ministers who routinely scapegoated immigrants and fuelled hatred towards Muslims during their time in office.

We all remember how the pandemic grounded flights and robbed us of international travel.  So what about life in the post-restrictions era? A study on our travel habits since lockdown has thrown up some interesting differences between European nations.

This research also shows that we are not doing a great job of breaking our addiction to cheap air travel, even though scientists have been warning us about climate change for some time now. What explains the difference between public opinion about the planet and the consensus among experts?

Laura Hood

Senior Politics Editor, Assistant Editor, The Conversation UK

Middle-aged radicalisation: why are so many of Britain’s rioters in their 40s and 50s?

Sara H Wilford, De Montfort University

Researchers are trying to understand what makes this group so vulnerable to falling for fake news online.

Refusing to call out Islamophobia has emboldened the far right – and the current violence is the result

Chris Allen, University of Leicester

Muslims and mosques continue to be targeted in the violence across the country.

Fewer car journeys and more flights: how Covid-19 has changed the way we travel

Ivan Savin, ESCP Business School; Helena Patiño de Artaza, UOC - Universitat Oberta de Catalunya

Europeans who experienced more relaxed Covid-19 policies tended to travel less and adopt more sustainable habits, while those suffering from strict lockdowns were keen to get away.

Eating quickly saves time, but it takes a toll on your health – here’s how

Esther Martínez Miguel, Universidad Nebrija; Silvia Gómez Senent, Universidad Nebrija

Eating too fast causes bloating, indigestion and trapped gas. It has also been linked to cardiovascular problems and metabolic syndrome.

Climate change: why is there still a gap between public opinion and scientific consensus, and how can we close it?

Manel Poch Espallargas, Universitat de Girona; Gonzalo Delacámara Andrés, IE University

Scientists are nearly unanimous on climate change, but public opinion

Forests destroyed by wildfires emit carbon long after the flames die – new study

Natascha Kljun, Lund University; Julia Kelly, Lund University

Carbon loosed by a 2018 fire season in Sweden could take 40 years to return to trees and soil.

From California’s bronzed surfers to China’s facekinis: A history of tanning around the world

Vincent Coëffé, Université d'Angers

It was Coco Channel who first made tanning fashionable. But South Californian and Polynesian surfers and American artists on the Côte d'Azur gave it its ‘raison d'être’.