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It’s not been a good week for the EU. The European Commission has rather publicly fallen out with pharmaceutical firm AstraZeneca over delays to the EU’s order of COVID-19 vaccines, which the company expects to be 60% lower than expected this spring.
This is down to problems at a vaccine-production site in Belgium. AstraZeneca has set up many production sites to prevent these sorts of issues making a big dent in global supplies, but leaves Europe facing a shortfall. The EU’s leaders think supplies should be topped up from elsewhere – namely, the UK.
But the relative slowness of Europe’s vaccine rollout isn’t just down to technical issues at the factory, and EU institutions are now taking the blame for the potential shortage. Ultimately, the Commission fears the delays could erode popular support for the union.
Drinking, swearing, breaking the rules – believe it or not, there may be benefits from doing these “bad” behaviours. And while it’s said that you should do 10,000 steps a day, research shows that you get the health gains from doing just half that amount.
We’re also excited to announce that next week we’re launching a new podcast, The Conversation Weekly, which will bring you expert analysis and explanations of widely reported (and perhaps misreported) news. The first episode will be on February 4.
And it’s your last chance to let us know your thoughts on this newsletter through our reader survey, which closes on January 31.
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Rob Reddick
Commissioning Editor, COVID-19
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shutterstock.
Liz Breen, University of Bradford; Sarah Schiffling, Liverpool John Moores University
Production limits the rate at which vaccines can be rolled out, and is at the heart of the current disagreements between the UK and EU.
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We can’t all be saints all the time.
Kaspars Grinvalds/Shutterstock
Richard Stephens, Keele University
Drinking, swearing and social transgressions can lead to good things.
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The 10,000 step target has more to do with marketing than scientific fact.
Brocreative/ Shutterstock
Lindsay Bottoms, University of Hertfordshire
Even half the amount of steps shows health benefits.
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Politics + Society
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Aditya Goenka, University of Birmingham
Lower than expected deliveries of AstraZeneca vaccines are exposing the bloc's slow rollout.
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Wolfram Kaiser, University of Portsmouth
The conflict shows just how high the political stakes are on all sides.
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Bahar Tunçgenç, University of Nottingham; Martha Newson, University of Kent; Ophelia Deroy, Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich
Studies have shown that highlighting individual responsibility isn’t quite as effective as it seems
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Elisabeth Schimpfössl, Aston University; Ilya Yablokov, University of Leeds
A new generation of investigative journalists is revealing the depth of corruption in Russian public life.
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Business + Economy
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Gavin Brown, University of Liverpool; Richard Whittle, Manchester Metropolitan University; Stuart Mills, London School of Economics and Political Science
Contactless payments may be convenient – but they also make it easier to overspend.
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Graeme Roy, University of Strathclyde
Economics is set to dominate the debate, just like last time around.
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Education
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Grace Allen, The Conversation
Join The Conversation as we answer children's questions on the rainforest.
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Paul Cowell, University of Stirling
University teaching has been incredibly hard – but some practices have changed for the better.
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Environment + Energy
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Neil Kellard, University of Essex
Can we work together to answer global challenges, or will national agendas get in the way?
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Chelsea Haith, University of Oxford
Cultures worldwide are awash with tales of great floods. What can they tell us about the reality of a wetter world?
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Science + Technology
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Lauren Napier, Northumbria University, Newcastle
The shift toward mega-constellations is a challenge for global space governance.
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Chris Jiggins, University of Cambridge; Kathleen Darragh, University of California, Davis
The stench was once thought to originate from plants, but scientists have now pin-pointed its true origin.
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Arts + Culture
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Anthony Bonato, Ryerson University
Our social connections and interactions form networks. Studying these networks reveal the ways in which both memes and viruses travel through populations
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Podcasts
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Gemma Ware, The Conversation; Daniel Merino, The Conversation
🎧 Listen to the trailer for The Conversation Weekly, a new podcast.
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Featured events
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Online Oxford Martin School Event, Online, Oxfordshire, N/A, United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland — University of Oxford
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Online, Birmingham, Warwickshire, B15 2TT, United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland — University of Birmingham
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East Road, Cambridge, Cambridgeshire, CB11PT, United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland — Anglia Ruskin University
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Wivenhoe Park, Colchester, Essex, CO4 3SQ, United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland — University of Essex
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