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When I think about what public transport will look like in the future, images of driverless cabs in California, flying taxis in Dubai or Japanese maglev trains come to mind. In Britain, I just think of rows about HS2, train strikes and cuts to local bus routes.
But believe it or not, there’s a quiet transport revolution going on in different corners of the UK, from “the world’s most ambitious and complex autonomous bus system” in Edinburgh, to a minibus network in Milton Keynes that picks you up and drops you off (almost) wherever you want. The lead author of our latest Insights long read, transport strategy expert Stephen Potter, has first-hand experience of Milton Keynes’ MK Connect, and gives it a mixed review. But in these new pilot schemes, he says, are clues to a “small vehicle-small infrastructure” vision of public transport that is likely to be a big part of all our futures.
Civil war has broken out in the field of consciousness research, with more than 100 researchers signing a letter accusing one of the most popular theories of consciousness of being “pseudoscience”. Thankfully, Philip Goff is on hand to explain whether they have a point.
And the arguments are getting more heated in the US too. Richard Hargy explains why the 2024 presidential election race looks extremely tight – and is growing increasingly vicious.
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Mike Herd
Investigations Editor, Insights
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Scotland’s CAVForth self-driving bus service began in May 2023, serving a 14-mile route that crosses the Forth Road Bridge on the outskirts of Edinburgh.
Stagecoachbus.com
Stephen Potter, The Open University; Matthew Cook, The Open University; Miguel Valdez, The Open University
Amid bus route cuts and rail strikes, can the answer to our future public transport needs be found in the hi-tech prototypes being trialled around the UK?
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Hubis/Shutterstocl
Philip Goff, Durham University
There’s a battle over consciousness research – and whether it can be understood purely through science.
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President Joe Biden talks to the widow of Republican senator John McCain at a speech he gave on democracy.
AP/Alamy
Richard Hargy, Queen's University Belfast
Biden’s team are about to launch a US$25 million television advertising blitz in key battleground states.
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Politics + Society
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Svante Lundgren, Lund University
If Azerbaijan is not punished for its aggression against Nagorno-Karabakh, there’s every chance it will try to capture more Armenian territory.
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Robert Oakes, United Nations University; Talitha Dubow, United Nations University
The 1951 convention underpins the human rights of people around the world.
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Rob Johns, University of Essex
The SNP are set to lose a seat in a vote triggered by a COVID scandal. But this is not one of their safer seats at the best of times.
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Arts + Culture
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Joanne Berry-Frith, Loughborough University
Artistic representations of scientific imaging can help illuminate complex ideas and help bring this knowledge to a wider audience.
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John Cook, Glasgow Caledonian University
Britain has lost one of its greatest actors in the Irish-born star who found fame in Dennis Potter’s groundbreaking TV drama The Singing Detective.
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Andrew Dix, Loughborough University
Coffy saw Pam Grier as the main propulsive force in a Blaxploitation movie, breaking ground for later female roles such as Ripley in Alien, Sarah Connor in Terminator and Nakia in Black Panther.
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Business + Economy
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Louise Crowley, University College Cork
Confronting a bully isn’t the only way to call out toxic behaviour at work.
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Environment
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Matthew Beach, Queen Mary University of London
Jellyfish have a reputation to stinging wild swimmers and huge population “blooms”. But it’s a mistake to dismiss these animals as ocean pests.
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Eleanor Harrison, Keele University
Shelling may have led to the killing of 7,000 noctule bats in the city of Kharkiv alone
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Alex Farnsworth, University of Bristol
A supercontinent could raise global temperatures to such a degree that it could wipe out mammals.
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Health
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Jen Wilson, Nottingham Trent University; Athalie Redwood-Brown, Nottingham Trent University
‘Rucking’ involves adding weight to a backpack while walking or hiking.
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Mark Patrick Taylor, Macquarie University; Hester Joyce, La Trobe University
The answer might surprise you.
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