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The Conversation

The Conversation is an independent source of news and views, sourced from the academic and research community and delivered direct to the public.

How to write a love poem

For many, this year’s Valentine’s Day will be like no other. If you are spending the day apart from your loved ones, and don’t fancy the card selection at your local Tesco, writing a poem can be a more personal…

Pasha 97: Everything you need to know about ivermectin

Ivermectin has become one of the most talked about drugs in the world. A highly effective treatment for fighting parasites in animals, it was later also shown to be effective in humans. In 2015 the Nobel Prize in Physiology or…

Germany may not give the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine to over-65s, but that doesn’t mean it won’t work

The Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine has been receiving a lot of attention recently. The EU has been dissatisfied with production hold-ups, while the German health ministry has raised questions over its efficacy in older age groups. As a result, Stiko – the…

No country is an island: collective approach to COVID-19 vaccines is the only way to go

As countries across the world begin to purchase and roll out COVID-19 vaccines, a key question is how far the vaccine is from reaching Africa and how accessible it will be for the continent. Moina Spooner, Commissioning Editor with The…

The fascinating story of placebos – and why doctors should use them more often

Plato’s cure for headaches involved: a certain leaf, but there was a charm to go with the remedy; and if one uttered the charm at the moment of its application, the remedy made one perfectly well; but without the charm there was…

Six ways to ‘reboot your brain’ after a hard year of COVID-19 – according to science

There’s no doubt that 2020 was difficult for everyone and tragic for many. But now vaccines against COVID-19 are finally being administered – giving a much needed hope of a return to normality and a happy 2021. However, months of…

Brexit deal done: what’s in it and where next for the UK and EU?

To misquote Shakespeare, our Brexit negotiating revels now are ended. The tempestuous talks did not lead to a dramatic walkout, even if at times the UK government gave the impression this was a feud worthy of the Montagues against the…

Coronavirus new variant – genomics researcher answers key questions

A new variant of SARS-CoV-2, the virus which causes COVID-19, is thought to be driving increased transmission of the disease in parts of the UK. The government has placed some regions including London under new, stricter coronavirus restrictions, known as…

The profile of South African entrepreneurs surviving against unbelievably heavy odds

South Africa is battling one of the highest unemployment rates worldwide. A concentrated number of unemployed people live in marginalised and under-resourced communities, where the estimated unemployment rate is 60%. Entrepreneurship is proposed by a number of socioeconomic researchers working…

Juukan Gorge: how could they not have known? (And how can we be sure they will in future?)

How could they not have known? That was the question on everyone’s lips after leaders of the Australian defence force claimed not to have known about the atrocities committed by special forces in Afghanistan. It is now being asked about the leadership…

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