|
|
|
|
People who live past 100 must be sick of being asked what the secret to their longevity is. Most of us are, after all, endlessly curious about it – is it exercise, diet or maybe genetics? But the truth is not even the world’s leading experts have a clear answer.
While most of us can extend our lives a significant number of years by watching our weight, avoiding smoking and exercising, this can’t guarantee we’ll keep going past 100. In fact, in one population of centenarians, 60% had smoked heavily most of their lives, half had been obese and less than half had done even moderate exercise.
Scientists are now working hard to try to crack this puzzle, believing it may be one of our best bets to understand ageing. So far, there are signs that genes regulating growth and cholesterol may play a role in why some of us can live so long.
Meanwhile, Black Friday is upon us. But beware, it has a dark side – not least for the environment. Here’s how to navigate the dangers – including why click-and-collect might be your best bet for reducing your shopping’s carbon footprint. And in the latest Marvel film, Eternals, superheroes have learned to speak the ancient Iraqi language Babylonian – with a little help from an academic.
|
|
Miriam Frankel
Science Editor
|
|
Centenarian buddies in Sardinia.
Sabino Parente/Shutterstock
Richard Faragher, University of Brighton; Nir Barzilai, Albert Einstein College of Medicine
Many centenarians haven’t lived healthy lives, so are they genetically different?
|
Golib Golib Tolibov
Sarah Schiffling, Liverpool John Moores University; Nikolaos Valantasis Kanellos, Technological University Dublin
Most people do it online – here’s how to buy without wreaking havoc.
|
Marvel/Disney
Martin Worthington, Trinity College Dublin
Babylonians were quite formal in their written records, so working out how to be chatty in their long-dead language was an exciting challenge.
|
Politics + Society
|
-
Janette Rutterford, The Open University
The case for introducing a limit on how much people pay for their own care is clear. Figuring out how to calculate that cap, though, is complicated.
-
Yan Bennett, Princeton University; John Garrick, Charles Darwin University
What happens when a Chinese #MeToo moment meets authoritarian legality?
-
Carole Concha Bell, King's College London
Three decades after the Chilean people toppled the notorious Pinochet regime, a new standard bearer for the far right is leading the polls.
-
Gemma Ware, The Conversation; Daniel Merino, The Conversation
Plus, a forensic scientist explains how he uncovered the mysteries behind deadly lightning strikes. Listen to The Conversation Weekly.
|
|
Science + Technology
|
-
Ed Manley, University of Leeds; Mengdie Zhuang, University of Sheffield
We analysed mobility data provided by almost one million people in England between January 2020 and May 2021, seeking to understand trends in residential visits during the pandemic.
-
Robyn Grant, Manchester Metropolitan University
Lo, a California sea lion, was able to control what she perceives using her whiskers — a highly cognitive skill.
-
Jacco van Loon, Keele University
We have to look back to the Big Bang to find out.
|
|
Arts + Culture
|
-
Stephen Langston, University of the West of Scotland
Beyond just his music, Freddie Mercury’s performances, style, and fluidity influenced both his generation and those that followed.
-
James O'Sullivan, University College Cork
New research shows that literary relatives tend to share a similar writing style.
|
|
Health + Medicine
|
-
Nathan Abrams, Bangor University; Anaïs Augé, Bangor University; Maciej Nowakowski, Bangor University; Thora Tenbrink, Bangor University
How the pandemic is reported by the media can influence people’s behaviour.
|
|
Business + Economy
|
-
Mobolaji Alabi, University of Reading; Adrian R Bell, University of Reading; Andrew Urquhart, University of Reading
An effort to protect clubs from going into administration.
|
|
Environment + Energy
|
-
Joseph Chambers, Sheffield Hallam University; Caitlin Robinson, University of Liverpool
Many vulnerable people are unable to engage with their energy usage online, leading to higher bills and even debt and illness.
|
|
| |
Featured events
|
|
— Egham Hill, Egham, Surrey, TW20 0EX, United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland — Royal Holloway University of London
|
|
— Online event, Online event, Leeds, LS2 9JT, United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland — University of Leeds
|
|
|
— Egham Hill, Egham, Surrey, TW20 0EX, United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland — Royal Holloway University of London
|
|
— Centre on the Dynamics of Ethnicity (CoDE), Manchester, Manchester, M13 9PL, United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland — University of Manchester
|
|
|
|
| |
| |
| |
| |
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
