The dark psychology that can poison elites

The RAF’s Red Arrows are typically viewed as a paragon of skill, bravery and professionalism – the real-life Top Guns. But as a report recently uncovered, the squadron is rife with sexism, harassment and bullying.

This isn’t as strange as it may sound. Research has shown that members of elite groups, be they military or otherwise, often struggle with a range of psychological issues – including emotional coldness, narcissism and a poor moral compass.

Elsewhere, new research suggests that our risk of age-related illnesses such as dementia and stroke in the future can be better predicted by calculating our biological age than counting the number of years we’ve actually lived. And Just Stop Oil’s attack on Velázquez’s Rokeby Venus at the National Gallery in London suggests the group is taking a leaf from the suffragettes’ old playbook.

Miriam Frankel

Senior Science Editor

Sexism, harassment and bullying are rife in the UK’s Red Arrows. Watcharisma/Shutterstock

Narcissism, immorality and lack of empathy: the dark psychology that can poison elites

Geoff Beattie, Edge Hill University

Elite groups often become trapped in echo chambers.

tomertu/Shutterstock

Your biological age predicts dementia and stroke regardless of your actual age – new study

Jonathan Ka Long Mak, Karolinska Institutet; Sara Hägg, Karolinska Institutet

Why we should all try to be biologically younger.

The Rokeby Venus was slashed by a Suffragette and was chosen by Just Stop Oil for this reason. Chronicle/Alamy

Just Stop Oil attack the Rokeby Venus: how the group is using the suffragettes’ disruptive tactics to shape public opinion

Louise Coyne, University of Liverpool

The group of climate activists are drawing on a history of public action to show that what they are doing is not new at all

Politics + Society

Ukraine war: stalemate on the battlefield and shaky international support putting pressure on Zelensky

Stefan Wolff, University of Birmingham; Tetyana Malyarenko, National University Odesa Law Academy

Ukraine needs some successes on the battlefield if it is to maintain international support.
Gaza conflict: if the cycle of violence is to end we must not prioritise one side’s suffering over the other

Ilan Zvi Baron, Durham University

Blaming an entire nation for the actions of some of its people is unfair, unproductive and will perpetuate the hatred and suffering.
Why are US politicians so old? And why do they want to stay in office?

Mary Kate Cary, University of Virginia

Many years beyond the average American retirement age, politicians vie for power and influence. Their constituents tend to prefer they step back and pass the torch to younger people.
Matthew Perry: the power of celebrities speaking publicly about their addiction

Paula Corcoran, City, University of London

Famous faces sharing their struggles can inspire fans to seek help.

Environment

Why surging sales of large electric vehicles raises environmental red flags

Laura Lander, King's College London; Grazia Todeschini, King's College London

More and more motorists are opting for bigger EVs – but there are several environmental concerns to consider.
Planet Earth III: how cookie cutter nature programming could fail to educate and inform audiences

Leora Hadas, University of Nottingham

This season places environmental issues front and centre more than any BBC nature programme before it.
Abandoned oil rigs could scrape carbon from the sky and store it in empty undersea reservoirs

Ben Kolosz, University of Hull

This could be one reason to leave these rigs in the sea.

Science + Technology

Wildcats lived alongside domestic cats for 2,000 years but only started interbreeding 60 years ago – new study

Jo Howard-McCombe, University of Bristol; Daniel J. Lawson, University of Bristol; Mark Beaumont, University of Bristol

And a recent history of wildcat hybridisation.
Do you trust AI to write the news? It already is – and not without issues

Rob Nicholls, UNSW Sydney

The Guardian has accused Microsoft of reputational damage, after it displayed one of its articles alongside an inappropriate AI-generated poll.

Arts + Culture
Planet Earth III: how cookie cutter nature programming could fail to educate and inform audiences Leora Hadas, University of Nottingham This season places environmental issues front and centre more than any BBC nature programme before it.

Business + Economy
Energy prices: shipping hold-ups made the 2022 spike worse – and could do so again Stavros Karamperidis, University of Plymouth; Konstantinos D. Melas, University of Western Macedonia LNG carriers were delayed in unloading in EU ports because there weren’t enough terminals to process the fuel.

Education
Why term-time holidays can be a lifeline for children and young people with attachment needs Sarah Wall, Anglia Ruskin University Disability may place constraints on a family’s ability to take vacations during the school holidays.

Health
Fluoride: very high levels in water associated with cognitive impairment in children Robert Kalin, University of Strathclyde Very high levels of fluoride in well water in Ethiopia may affect children’s learning.

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