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Opinion
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- The Conversation (UK) Read
Five ways to enjoy fashion as a hobby without indulging in overconsumption
Fashion lovers are generally associated with bursting wardrobes and chasing the latest trends. But that reputation is beginning to shift.
- The Conversation (UK) Read
Energy price cap: the cost of your coffee could be about to go up
This autumn, the cost of gas and electricity for a typical UK household is expected to rise from £1,663 to £1,723 a year.
- The Conversation (UK) Read
Zack Polanski’s Urdu video: multilingual campaigning is good for politics
The Holborn and St Pancras byelection takes place on October 8, in the London constituency vacated by former prime minister Keir Starmer. Labour might be hopeful of holding the seat, but the leader of the Green Party Zack Polanski is also on the ballot paper.
- The Conversation (UK) Read
Nobel prize in chemistry awarded for work on mirror-image molecules
The 2026 Nobel prize for chemistry has been awarded to two researchers for their work on mirror-image molecules.
- The Conversation (UK) Read
Coolcations: tourism boom is taking a toll on chillier destinations
Holiday destinations in northern Europe saw a boost in tourist numbers this summer, but for some this throws up new problems.
- Opinion | The Guardian Read
The Greens may yet win in Holborn and St Pancras – but what happened to the party set to ‘replace’ Labour? | Andy Beckett
On the eve of the byelection, Polanski’s pledge is to keep the government ‘in check’. It may not be enough to stop a drift back to the political margins, says Guardian columnist Andy Beckett
- The Conversation (UK) Read
Parasitic worms could hold the key to treating immune system diseases – here’s what we know
For millions of years, parasitic worms have had to survive inside animals without being destroyed by their hosts’ immune systems. To do that, they have evolved remarkably effective ways of dampening the immune response.
- The Conversation (UK) Read
Tabis are so over – what the mainstreaming of the split-toe shoe says about how fashion loses meaning
The tabi shoe, a divisive style which features a cloven hoof-like split, has its origins in 15th-century Japan. In 1988, fashion designer Martin Margiela reimagined the split-toe silhouette for a high-fashion boot for his brand’s inaugural runway collection. While the style became synonymous with Margiela, because of its historic origins, it could not be legally or culturally copyrighted by a single fashion house.
- The Conversation (UK) Read
Inside the industrial incinerators tasked with ‘respectful disposal’ of anatomical waste
Awkwardly smiling, a chemist at a waste site is telling me about industrially incinerating corpses. We are crammed into a claustrophobic funnel at the entry point to a rattling shed with high-vis-jacketed workers scurrying to and fro.
- The Conversation (UK) Read
The circumstances you grow up in are linked to how long you live
Poorer people, on average, live shorter lives. This pattern can be seen even in wealthy countries with extensive welfare systems. In Norway, for example, 40-year-old men in the richest 1% could expect to live almost 14 years longer than those in the poorest 1%. In the US, the equivalent gap is nearly 15 years. A 2025 World Health Organization report warned that international targets for reducing health inequalities by 2040 are likely to be missed.
- The Conversation (UK) Read
Can picking up a book really improve your brain?
Picking up a book for half an hour may feel like simple downtime, but reading for pleasure appears to do more than just entertain us. Research suggests it can support aspects of cognition and wellbeing, while also helping us understand and connect with other people.
- The Conversation (UK) Read
Prosecution of Kosovan leader Hashim Thaçi illustrates the challenges of bringing war criminals to justice
More than 27 years after the end of the Kosovo war, former prime minister and president Hashim Thaçi and three other leaders of the Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA) have been found guilty of war crimes and sentenced to up to 25 years in prison. Thaçi and his fellow defendants faced charges including arbitrary detention, cruel treatment, torture and murder committed during Kosovo’s struggle for independence.
- The Conversation (UK) Read
Success for Andy Burnham’s national care service will depend on home essentials
With Prime Minister Andy Burnham’s plans for adult social care reform in England, including a move towards a national care service, much of the focus has been on who receives care and who provides it.
- The Conversation (UK) Read
Smokers have a lower risk of Parkinson’s – we may have found out why
Smoking is one of the biggest causes of ill health and early death. Yet smokers seem to have a lower risk of developing Parkinson’s disease than non-smokers – by around half according to some studies.
- Opinion | The Guardian Read
Zack Polanski had the chance to show real leadership. He blew it | Rafael Behr
A toxic debate over anti-Zionism leaves the Green leader looking like a passenger in the movement that carried him to the top, says Guardian columnist Rafael Behr
- Opinion | The Guardian Read
Kemi Badenoch is the most rightwing leader in Tory history. Isn’t it time she got some actual scrutiny? | Owen Jones
Farage’s scandals have allowed Badenoch to get her party back in the race. But her programme would be no less ruinous for our country, says Guardian columnist Owen Jones
- The Conversation (UK) Read
Measles is spreading across the US – and officials can’t agree on the death toll
New York has just declared a state of emergency as measles cases continue to rise. So far this year, the US has recorded 3,887 cases of measles, the highest annual total since 1991. That is about 70% more cases than were recorded during the whole of 2025.
- The Conversation (UK) Read
From food to fuel, AI helps pinpoint how to grow ‘microalgae’ at scale
Microalgae (microscopic organisms that use light and carbon dioxide to grow) can be used to make ingredients and food for animals, pigments and potentially renewable fuels. But growing microalgae efficiently at an industrial scale is difficult.
- The Conversation (UK) Read
HIV treatment has transformed lives in the UK, but stigma lingers
Nearly half a century has passed since the first recognised case of Aids in the UK in December 1981. During that time, perceptions of HIV and people living with HIV have been transformed by medical advances and changing cultural attitudes. Yet the stigma created during the early years of the epidemic has proved much harder to leave behind.
- The Conversation (UK) Read
How geopolitical tensions tainted the 2026 Asian Games
The 2026 Asian Games in Japan drew to a close on October 4 following two weeks of competition between 45 countries and territories across 43 sports. Despite the official slogan “imagine one Asia”, fragmented regional politics came to the fore as the event unfolded.
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