As I was reading this week’s article analysing the effectiveness of campaigns aimed at deterring migrants trying to reach Europe, a chilling memory came to mind from my trip to Gambia in 2016.

We were visiting Tanji beach, where fishermen were returning with the day's catch. We were talking to a man, the father of a teenage boy, who insisted that his most important goal was to get his son to learn to swim. “Why?” we asked - not because swimming is not a useful skill, but because he was putting so much emphasis on it. “So that he won’t drown when he migrates to Europe,” he replied forcefully.

Many of the migrants who seek to illegally cross European borders do so knowing, at least in part, the risks they will face. However, as Antoine Pécoud and Mélodie Beaujeu explain in their article, a lot of money is spent on wide range of information campaigns that try to dissuade them by explaining those dangers. But do such campaigns work? And if not, why?

Cristóbal Balenciaga is trending. A Disney+ series has led many viewers to discover, or rediscover, the work of the elusive Spanish couturier, a genius who shunned public exposure and let his work speak for him.

A few years ago, an exhibition in Madrid detailed the influence that Spanish art had had on Balenciaga's designs. It paired paintings with dresses and traced the links perceived in his work based on the observation and interest that the genius from Guetaria had shown throughout his life in the history of Spanish art.

These influences also extend to abstract art. The use of colour of Ad Reinhardt or Mark Rohtko, as well as the solid and geometric forms of the architecture of the first half of the 20th century, can be found in many of Balenciaga’s creations, pieces of textile craftsmanship that continue to provoke admiration and desire - and I speak for myself as much as other people.

And new research adds evidence for the first time to the growing concern that microplastics are making us ill. The study found patients who had microplastics and nanoplastics in their arteries were also at an increased risk of cardiovascular problems.

Claudia Lorenzo Rubiera

The Conversation Spain / The Conversation Europe

Why EU information campaigns are failing to deter migrants from leaving

Antoine Pécoud, Université Sorbonne Paris Nord; Mélodie Beaujeu, Sciences Po

The argument is a familiar one: African citizens are unaware of the risks tied to the perilous journey across the Mediterranean and the West must therefore enlighten them.

Balenciaga and the influence of abstract art

María Villanueva Fernández, Universidad de Navarra

Cristobal Balenciaga’s work developed alongside abstract artistic movements, which had a profound influence on his designs.

Microplastics found in artery plaque linked with higher risk of heart attack, stroke and death

Meiru Wang, Leiden University

The findings of this recent study adds to a growing body of evidence linking microplastics with health harms.

Honey is said to help with hay fever symptoms – here’s what the research says about this claim

Samuel J. White, Nottingham Trent University; Philippe B. Wilson, Nottingham Trent University

Honey has long been used as a natural remedy for many ailments.

Do employees slack off after receiving their bonuses? Our research tells a more optimistic story

Argyro Avgoustaki, ESCP Business School; Hans TW Frankort, City, University of London

Bonus afterglow led to boosted sales revenues and greater customer satisfaction across the board, research carried over three years shows.

Gaza war: if there’s a lesson from the Berlin airlift it’s that political will is required to avoid a humanitarian catastrophe

Claudia Milena Adler, University of York; Abdullah Yusuf, University of Dundee

A repeat of the Berlin airlifts of 1948 and 1949 would require a unity of political will that doesn’t exist in the west – at least, not yet.

English dominates scientific research – here’s how we can fix it, and why it matters

Elea Giménez Toledo, Centro de Ciencias Humanas y Sociales (CCHS - CSIC)

Around 98% of all research is published in English, posing a serious problem for the global scientific community.

Long reads
Refugees in line for food outside a ‘wild camp’ in Loon Plage in 2023. Frédérique de Bels

I’ve spent time with refugees in French coastal camps and they told me the government’s Rwanda plan is not putting them off coming to the UK

Sophie Watt, University of Sheffield

Despite the relentless hardships and suffering, one thing appeared to unite the refugees I met: they wanted to seek sanctuary in the UK, no matter what.