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I often say that music kept me alive as a teenager, and I’m serious. But it wasn’t sunny dance tracks that worked for me: it was bleak, introspective (though very funny, actually) music penned by people who seemed almost as moody and miserable as me. In the years since, I’ve tried not to think too hard about what was going on in my brain at that time, but our latest Insights long read explains a lot.
Neuroscientist Leigh Riby reveals how different parts of our brain are triggered by different kinds of music – sad or happy, classical or pop. The results of this work have important implications for us all, because they could help develop more personal ways of treating mental illness through the growing field of music therapy.
In the UK last year, around 1 million children lived in households experiencing destitution. The implications for the remainder of their lives – not least in terms of their mental health – are deeply troubling, but their prospects could be improved by changes in government policy.
And we explain what the new ad-free Facebook and Instagram option could mean for your pop-ups and your privacy.
The Conversation is hosting a live, in-person event on the topic “Should I have children?” If you’ve ever struggled to answer this question, and can be in London on Thursday, 30 November, join us for a discussion with academic experts and journalists. Together, we will explore the many factors that influence the choice of whether or not to have children, from fertility to climate change, to the cost of living and societal pressures.My
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Mike Herd
Investigations Editor, Insights
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Sangoiri/Shutterstock
Leigh Riby, Northumbria University, Newcastle
Music therapy has been shown to help people suffering with cancer, chronic pain and depression. Our research is testing which parts of the brain are affected by different kinds of music
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spixel/Shutterstock
Emma Louise Gorman, University of Westminster
Destitution causes children immediate suffering – and can affect them throughout their lives.
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metamorworks/Shutterstock
Renaud Foucart, Lancaster University
Facebook and Instagram users in some parts of the world can now pay for an ad-free experience – but at what price?
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Politics + Society
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Despina Alexiadou, University of Strathclyde
While UK governments last longer than average, cabinet secretaries have below average tenure.
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François Nel, University of Central Lancashire
Media companies should set up guidelines for how they are using AI.
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Marc Collinson, Bangor University
Some former leaders provide a much needed steady hand. Others just steal the limelight.
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Kurt Mills, University of St Andrews
Without a ceasefire and a negotiated peace there will be no end to the killing of civilians in Gaza.
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Christopher Byrne, University of Nottingham
Sunak recently attacked ‘30 years of the status quo’ and promptly appointed a man who governed for six of those years to his top team.
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Arts + Culture
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Tom Grimwood, University of Cumbria
A series of psychological experiments found that knowing the end of a story did not diminish readers’ enjoyment.
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Marica S. Tacconi, Penn State
On the wall of an orphanage in Venice, a musicologist encountered a fresco featuring an aria written for an opera. She’s since embarked on a project to bring this forgotten music back.
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Environment
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David Lindenmayer, Australian National University; Chris Bousfield, University of Cambridge; David Edwards, University of Cambridge
Satellite data shows wildfires are destroying large areas of timber-producing forests around the world. These fires are becoming more destructive with each passing year.
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David Pyle, University of Oxford; Tamsin Mather, University of Oxford
Evidence suggests magma is close to the surface in south-west Iceland, prompting evacuations.
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Scott McGrane, University of Strathclyde ; Christopher J White, University of Strathclyde
Relative to the long-term average, this autumn has been even hotter than summer.
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Health
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Gemma L. Williams, Swansea University
Autistic people are not only more likely to feel lonely but are also more likely to experience it more acutely than non-autistic people according to new research.
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Christian Yates, University of Bath
A mathematician explains the important difference between absolute risk and relative risk.
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Science + Technology
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Amy Dawel, Australian National University; Ben Albert Steward, Australian National University; Clare Sutherland, University of Aberdeen; Eva Krumhuber, UCL; Zachary Witkower, University of Amsterdam
AI-generated faces are now readily available, and have been used in identity fraud, catfishing and cyber warfare.
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Alina Patelli, Aston University
There’s recognition that AI needs to be used responsibly.
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14 November 2023
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Glasgow
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22 November 2023
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Swansea
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25 November 2023
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Cambridge
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