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 S40What happens if King Charles can no longer perform his duties?   King Charles III’s cancer diagnosis will turn minds to the question of what happens if he becomes unable to fulfil his constitutional duties. Buckingham Palace has announced he will continue performing his official paperwork and his weekly meetings with the prime minister throughout his treatment.But what happens if he becomes seriously ill?First, King Charles can delegate some or most of his royal functions to counsellors of state, as happens most commonly when he is travelling overseas. Two counsellors of state act jointly in exercising royal powers such as assenting to laws, receiving ambassadors and holding Privy Council meetings.
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S58Star Trek's Awards Sweep Proves Nostalgia Isn't a Dirty Word  For some science fiction fans, the genre is constantly in danger of becoming a beastly nostalgia-hungry ouroboros. But the march of time has proven that one generation’s outrage is another generation’s beloved memory. And that notion — that the upstart new thing will eventually become classic — is probably best exemplified by the journey of Star Trek: The Next Generation. In 1987, this radical reboot of the Trek franchise was widely treated with suspicion and scorn. But in 2024, this Enterprise crew is, in many ways, more beloved and famous than the original 1960s gang. At the 2024 Saturn Awards, the entire cast of The Next Generation was honored with a Lifetime Achievement Award, and the Star Trek franchise itself swept the awards in five categories including Best Science Fiction Television Series (Picard), Best Actor in a Television Series (Patrick Stewart), Best Supporting Actor in a Television Series (Jonathan Frakes), Best Supporting Actress in a Television Series (Jeri Ryan), and Best Guest Star in a Television Series (Paul Wesley).
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S25Children's high-impact sports can be abuse - experts explain why  Head Of Department in Department of Sport & Event Management, Bournemouth University Chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) is a brain disorder likely caused by repeated head injuries. It was first described as dementia pugilistica and punch drunk syndrome almost 100 years ago. CTE continues to be a serious risk associated with high impact sports, such as boxing, American football and rugby.
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S62The Grammys Doesn't Get What's Great About Video Game Soundtracks  For only the second time in its 66-year history, the Grammys presented an award for the Best Score Soundtrack for Video Games and Other Interactive Media this weekend. This time, the honor went to the score for Star Wars Jedi: Survivor, by Stephen Barton and Gordy Haab. Their soundtrack is pitch-perfect Star Wars mood-setting that wouldn’t feel a bit out of place in any of the series’ films. But while it’s a deserving win, I can’t help but feel that the award underscores how limited our idea of what makes good video game music is.Even aside from Star Wars Jedi: Survivor, the Grammys nominees — Call of Duty: Modern Warfare II, GOW Ragnarok, Hogwarts Legacy, and Stray Gods — mostly feel like they belong to the same club. Largely orchestral music from prestige games, none of those soundtracks would feel out of place in an award-winning film. The outlier of the bunch, Stray Gods, borrows from musical theater, but still it’s an homage to something other than games. Every one of them is a good soundtrack, but seen together, the nominees suggest that the best thing video game music can do is sound like it comes from the silver screen.
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S53Netflix Just Quietly Added Steven Spielberg's Most Underrated Sci-Fi Movie  Ready Player One, it’s been said, is a horror movie disguised as an uncanny nostalgia trip. The year is 2045, and a revolving door of conflict and recession has forced humanity into the bosom of virtual reality. Many people now live fulfilling lives on an interface called the OASIS; like everything the Metaverse hopes to be, the OASIS is a haven for the chronically online. You can create your own sexy avatar, or slip into the body of your favorite character (all the better if they’re owned by Warner Bros., who produced the film and populated it with its extensive catalog). You can enter the worlds of your favorite intellectual property — duke it out with King Kong, try to survive The Shining, or ride your version of the bike from Akira. Nothing is impossible; nothing is off-limits.
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S26Canada's military is 'too woke?' Hardly -- it must embrace diversity to survive  The publication of the latest issue of the Canadian Military Journal (CMJ) has angered some of Canada’s right-wing media commentators. The issue on the topic of diversity in the Canadian Armed Forces was branded as “woke” by the right. Furthermore, these commentators implied the military itself has been taken hostage by radical ideological “activists,” specifically the women involved with the issue.
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S63Hyundai's Tiny New SUV Will Be Its Cheapest EV Yet  To rub it in, Hyundai confirms that it will release an all-electric mini SUV based on the existing Casper, to European markets, as first reported by Auto Moto. Even better, Hyundai is targeting a €20,000, or around $21,500, price tag for the electrified Casper.Hyundai is hoping to stay competitive in the affordable EV market in Europe with the Casper, which will go against the likes of the Dacia’s Spring, Citroën’s ë-C3, or Volkswagen’s ID. 2all. Here in the U.S., we’re mostly stuck with the Chevrolet Bolt and we even have to wait for its comeback in 2025. It’s also not likely the Bolt will be as cheap as the upcoming Hyundai Casper.
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S6S16Pesticides urgently need reform - the UK's overdue action plan must make these drastic changes  Nature is in crisis, with a human-caused global mass extinction event well underway. There is widespread recognition that the ongoing global increase in pesticide use is a significant contributor to the biodiversity crisis. But we still haven’t heeded the warning that Rachel Carson’s book, Silent Spring, gave us in 1962. If we are to tackle the biodiversity crisis, then radical and specific action is needed by governments around the world to mitigate the impact of pesticides. But progress in the UK has not been picking up pace. It is deeply concerning that the UK national action plan for the sustainable use of pesticides is six years late.
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S17Thirty years of rural health research: South Africa's Agincourt studies offer unique insights  University of the Witwatersrand provides support as a hosting partner of The Conversation AFRICA.In 1992 a group of academics from the University of the Witwatersrand introduced a health and socio-demographic surveillance system in remote, rural South Africa to track and understand health and wellbeing in these environments. This initiative built on pioneering work by a Wits team to establish a health systems development unit in a typical rural setting. Agincourt, in the Bushbuckridge district in rural north-eastern South Africa adjacent to Mozambique, was a microcosm of the neglected health and socioeconomic systems in rural areas during apartheid.
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S10S23The UK's culture war is dying - but the next prime minister will have to stand up to plenty of populists overseas  British voters might have tired of the populist experiment that has strangled politics during the past few years, but, if he wins the next election to become UK prime minister, Keir Starmer will be be tested by a fresh wave of culture war distractions internationally.Elections in Europe and the US in 2024 seem set to be dominated by divisive, self-styled anti-establishment candidates. And that has worrying implications not only for the UK, but also for the west’s shared interests in an increasingly unstable world.
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S65'True Detective's Biggest Mystery Could Be Drawing From a Terrifying Myth  True Detective: Night Country is by far the most supernatural season of True Detective so far. From hallucinations, voices calling in the night, and even a zombie-like survivor awakening from his coma, a logical explanation for everything seems less and less likely. Supernatural explanations may be off-brand for True Detective, but in Night Country, they may be the only way to explain everything that’s happened satisfyingly. Part of that explanation may come from a local myth directly connecting the central mystery to the devastating death in Episode 4. In Episode 4, Detective Evangeline Navarro comforts her sister, Julia, who is dealing with supposed mental health issues that lead her to wander around Ennis on Christmas Eve, barely clothed. Navarro brings Julia to a residential treatment facility, but when she calls her later to check up on her, Julia is in the snowy wilderness, where she slowly undresses and folds all her clothes — much like the clothes of those who died in the Tsalal Station — and walks into the darkness. Later, we learn that she walked into the freezing ocean and drowned.
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S6650 Years Ago, the Most Ridiculed Sci-Fi Dystopia Ever Was Way Ahead of its Time  If you’re even remotely interested in kitschy sci-fi imagery, you’ve likely seen Sean Connery wearing what can only be described as post-apocalyptic red diapers, matching boots, and bandoliers. This is the enduring image of Zardoz, a bizarre 1974 science fiction film in which Connery’s most outrageous outfit is actually a wedding dress.Zardoz is the exact opposite of an instant classic; it’s such a slow burn that it may take another 50 years to be considered the 20th century’s most underrated sci-fi movie. When it was released on February 6, 1974, it was a bomb. As reported by Starlog, some people leaving the theater would supposedly advise others waiting for the next showing to not bother. Throw in mixed reviews, and Zardoz was DOA. But five decades later, parts of Zardoz are not only artistically brilliant but socially prescient.
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S68S12Stigma kills people with alcohol addiction  One of my patients, Emma (not her real name), recently told me that she didn’t seek help for her alcohol problem because she was ashamed. She said that she didn’t want to waste anyone’s time on a self-inflicted problem. She lived with it for years, hiding bottles of alcohol so her partner wouldn’t find out. Only when she turned yellow and vomited blood did she call an ambulance.What stopped Emma from asking for help? The answer, in large part, is stigma. The word stigma comes from ancient Greek, meaning a mark of shame or disgrace. Originally used to label slaves and criminals, these days, stigma is used to mean a sign of something socially undesirable – in this case, alcoholism.
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S44S1The Chinese millennials shunning Lunar New Year travel  For Lunar New Year on 10 February, Cassidy Yu has opted for a road trip with a friend instead of a family reunion. This won't be her first time skipping the trek home.
"Heading home for the occasion doesn't get me excited anymore," says Yu, a 32-year-old marketing professional from Shenzhen, a city in southern China. As a child, she relished simple rituals of the Lunar New Year: home decorations, firecrackers and feast after feast. Not anymore. "With so many entertainment options available today, I'd rather travel and have a quieter holiday."
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S13Spotify daylist: algorithms don't just react to your music taste, they shape it  As I sit at my desk writing this article, Spotify picks the next track on my algorithmically generated “daylist”. Today’s selection has the slightly strange – and yet very specific – title “lo-fi anti-folk wednesday early morning”. For the record, I’m definitely not anti-folk. Putting that odd label aside, it’s a fairly typical scene. We are familiar with algorithms on tech platforms choosing music, TV, products or even travel destinations for us.
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S45Newly identified prehistoric pterosaur will help us understand evolution of flying reptiles  When dinosaurs roamed the land, the skies above their heads were filled with a variety of soaring reptiles, which swept through the air on slender, membranous wings. These animals, pterosaurs, were not dinosaurs but their evolutionary cousins. We’ve just announced the discovery of a new species of pterosaur nearly 15 years after a fossil was found on the Isle of Skye. It is one of the most complete pterosaur fossils to be found in the UK since palaeontologist Mary Anning unearthed the first from the Dorset coast in 1828.
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S33Ecosystem restoration in the Scottish Highlands isn't going to plan - here's why  Peatlands store twice as much carbon as all the world’s forests. Scotland is endowed with vast areas of these wetland ecosystems. An estimated 20% of the Scottish landscape is covered in peat soils, but 80% of these are degraded and instead release stored carbon into the atmosphere.The Scottish government estimates that the carbon stored in its peatlands is equivalent to 120 years’ worth of the country’s emissions. Keeping it locked away is essential for moderating the climate crisis.
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S59Is 'Dune 3' Denis Villeneuve's Next Movie? An Investigation  The director is passionate about making the Dune franchise a trilogy — it’s just a matter of when we can expect to Dune: Part Three.With Dune: Part Two at long last within reach, all eyes are turning to the possibility of a Part Three. Director Denis Villeneuve has already expressed a keen interest in adapting the second book in Frank Herbert’s sci-fi saga, Dune Messiah, and has been hard at work on a screenplay — but a third film is not yet a guarantee. Producers at Warner Bros. would have to greenlight another sequel (which, admittedly, does feel inevitable), and Villeneuve would also have to finish the script. And enthusiasm aside, Villeneuve might to take a break before completing his trilogy.
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S11How bats 'leapfrog' their way home at night - new research  A silent ballet takes place above our heads at night as Britain’s bat populations leave their roosts to forage for food. Although their initial movement away from roosts is fairly well understood, until recently little was known about how they returned home. As they flit through the darkness, bats play a crucial role in the health of our ecosystems. From keeping insect populations in check to dispersing seeds and pollinating plants, they provide a multitude of benefits.
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S19Pakistan election: the military has long meddled in the country's politics - this year will be no different  Pakistan’s former prime minister, Imran Khan, has been sentenced to seven years in prison after a Pakistani court ruled his marriage un-Islamic and illegal. Khan had already been sentenced to 14 years in jail for corruption and barred from holding public office for ten years a week earlier and, a day before that, ten years in prison for leaking official state secrets.Khan claims that the cases against him are politically motivated. Since being deposed in 2022, Khan has taken aim at the country’s powerful military, which has a long history of interfering in politics. He has accused the army chief, the military establishment and the US government of conspiring against him.
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S21A new virus-like entity has just been discovered - 'obelisks' explained  Biological entities called obelisks have been hiding – in large numbers – inside the human mouth and gut. These microscopic entities, which were recently discovered by a team at Stanford University, are circular bits of genetic material that contain one or two genes and self-organise into a rod-like shape. Although the study is still in preprint form, meaning that it has not been peer-reviewed, it has already been extensively written about, including in two heavyweight journals: Nature and Science.
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S38Is it time for a Category 6 for super cyclones? No -  When a tropical cyclone forms, people who live in its path anxiously monitor news of its direction – and strength. If a Category 5 storm with wind speeds of 250 kilometres per hour is heading for you, you prepare differently than you would for a Category 1 with wind speeds of 65 km/h. What is worth exploring is how we can better communicate what specific threats a given storm poses. Is it carrying more water than average, making flooding a bigger risk? Or are unusually intense winds likely to bring more water ashore in storm surges?
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S43S50S5425 Years Ago, a Groundbreaking Farming Sim Taught Us How Cozy Video Games Can Be  If you’ve been alive and gaming in the past eight years, you’d be hard pressed to have not played at least one indie farming sim. Since Stardew Valley launched in 2016 and sold some 20 million copies, similarly cozy titles like My Time at Sandrock, Fae Farm, Coral Island, and Roots of Pacha have tried to repeat its success.Each took at least some inspiration from Stardew Valley, which, while influential, was hardly the first. The spiritual predecessor of the current boom belongs squarely to Harvest Moon, the series that created the farm sim genre and ruled it for 20 years. The franchise began on the Super Nintendo, but it was 1999’s Harvest Moon 64 that proved just how beguiling farm life could be.
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S3How one great sweater can last a lifetime  In the new Netflix comedy Good Grief, Emma Corrin knits a jumper in a London gallery while art patrons stare, transfixed. The whole scene takes less than five minutes, but fans have already turned the moment into a viral trend, with fervent comments in all caps, such as "EMMA CORRIN, I WILL HOLD YOUR YARN DRESS WHILE YOU SCREAM ANY DAY OF THE WEEK!" The enthusiasm for the comedy cameo makes sense, since Corrin is gorgeous, cool, and a fantastic actor. But as fashion weeks commence, the knitwear scene also fits nicely into a moment that puts jumpers at the centre of pop culture glory.No longer a basic granny staple, classic knitwear has gone big thanks to scene-stealing sweaters on Chris Evans in Knives Out and Harry Styles on stage. Taylor Swift named a song on the album Folklore after the humble cardigan, and Miuccia Prada embraced the lowly crewneck as a high fashion staple in her last few collections. Emerging British designer Molly Goddard elevated the Fair Isle, too, when she piled it on top of a tulle party dress for maximum whimsy – a look that street style starlets and fast fashion chains worldwide have copied.
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S9S20UK and US may recognise state of Palestine after Gaza war - what this important step would mean  The US and UK governments have indicated they are considering recognising Palestine as a state after the current conflict ends. On a visit to Lebanon on February 1, the UK foreign secretary, David Cameron, said this would be impossible while Hamas remained in control in Gaza, but that giving Palestinians the prospect of statehood would be “absolutely vital for the long-term peace and security of the region”.US secretary of state, Antony Blinken, meanwhile told US media site Axios that he had commissioned the State Department to review potential options for US and international recognition of a Palestinian state. Previously, US policy towards Palestinian statehood had been that this was a matter for negotiations between Israel and the Palestinian Authority.
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S22How Iceland takes better care of its foreign offenders than the rest of Europe  It is hard being a prisoner. It is even harder if you’re a foreign national. You may not speak the local language. You probably won’t have family nearby to visit you. The establishment might not make it easy for you to observe your religion. Criminologist Jason Warr has shown how foreign national prisoners not only suffer from the isolation and deprivation of liberty that all prisoners experience, they are also deprived of certitude. The way immigration systems intersect with criminal justice systems means that these prisoners often have neither certainty over when they’ll be released nor confidence in how that will be decided.
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S24Female food-delivery riders in China were recently falsely accused of selling sex -  Life isn’t easy for the approximately 1 million women working as takeaway delivery riders in China. Though their numbers appear to be rising as delivering food is convenient for fitting around childcare or retraining for new careers, these women have to live with gender pay gaps and various other inequities. These include juggling the workload with their families, sexual harassment and even violence, which might explain why they tend not to stay in the industry as long as men.
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S30'A deeply troubling discovery': Earth may have already passed the crucial 1.5  Global temperatures have already exceeded 1.5°C warming and may pass 2°C later this decade, according to a world-first study I led. The worrying findings, based on temperature records contained in sea sponge skeletons, suggest global climate change has progressed much further than previously thought.Human-caused greenhouse gas emissions drive global warming. Obtaining accurate information about the extent of the warming is vital, because it helps us understand if extreme weather events are more likely in the near future, and whether the world is making progress in reducing emissions.
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S32From rebel to retail - inside Bob Marley's posthumous musical and merchandising empire  The long-awaited Bob Marley biopic “One Love” will highlight important moments in the musician’s life – his adolescence in Trench Town, his spiritual growth, the attempt on his life. But as a music industry scholar, I wonder if the film is yet another extension of the Marley marketing machine.Marley died in 1981 at the age of 36. He’d achieved a level of mainstream success unrivaled by other reggae acts, and he did so while challenging global capitalism and speaking to the oppressed.
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S47Michelle O'Neill becomes first minister of Northern Ireland: how Sinn F  Addressing the newly restored Northern Ireland Assembly, Sinn Féin First Minister Michelle O’Neill assured everyone that she would be working equally for “Catholics, Protestants and dissenters”.This iconic quote from the founder of Irish Republicanism, Theobald Wolfe Tone, needs no contextualisation in Ireland. It was not just meant to reassure those among unionists who might have misgivings about a Sinn Féin-led government. O’Neill was also addressing her own rank and file. She was guaranteeing that while the party will do its utmost to make Northern Ireland work, it has not lost sight of the ultimate prize – Irish unity.
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S56Now Is the Perfect Time for Sony To Release a PS Vita 2  The handheld didn’t rake in sales for Sony back in 2012, but it could finally be the perfect time to bring some justice to the Vita name. Sony must be aware of the recent gaming handheld craze since industry leaker Moore’s Law is Dead has revealed that the company is in early development with its next PlayStation handheld. Sony may have just released the PlayStation Portal, but a portable, standalone PlayStation experience — not a streaming device for your PS5 — is an entirely different story. Considering the continued success of the Nintendo Switch and the Steam Deck, Sony would be wise to jump back into the handheld market with a follow-up to the Vita now that handhelds are back in vogue.
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