All posts tagged: explores

NSS event explores what cohesion strategy means for secularism

NSS event explores what cohesion strategy means for secularism

Published by Sam Flores

Member-exclusive event examines the Government’s new social cohesion strategy and its potential impact on free speech The National Secular Society has held an online event for its members on the Government’s new social cohesion strategy and its proposed definition of “anti-Muslim hostility”. “Secularism and Social Cohesion” took place last Monday. NSS chief executive Stephen Evans was joined by academic and author Steven Greer to discuss the implications of the strategy for secular values and free expression. The event was hosted by NSS engagement officer Fódhla Brady. Stephen Evans opened by welcoming the strategy’s candid tone, including the Government’s explicit rejection of “passive tolerance” on extremism. But he was also critical of several omissions. He described the strategy’s proposals to strengthen Standing Advisory Councils for Religious Education (SACREs) as “completely the wrong direction”. SACREs oversee the agreed syllabus for religious education and must include representatives of religious groups. Evans argued the Government should instead integrate religious education into a broader citizenship curriculum. He also noted the strategy’s silence on faith schools and failure to acknowledge the …

Beating the heat: study explores the search for cool during heatwaves | Extreme heat

Beating the heat: study explores the search for cool during heatwaves | Extreme heat

Published by Jenni Sidey

Heatwaves are now an increasingly expected part of summer for many. But how people stay cool varies from place to place. A new study uses mobile phone location data to track where people go when the mercury climbs, and assesses how we need to adapt to live better with the inevitable heatwaves to come. During the summer of 2025, a 10-day extreme period of heat across Europe led to 2,300 deaths. Globally, governments are implementing heat action plans, but social inequalities mean some people are more vulnerable to heat than others. Researchers used mobile phone location data across seven countries – Brazil, China, France, India, Nigeria, Turkey and the US – to assess how people stayed cool during heatwaves in 2022 and 2023. Not surprisingly, the results, published in Environmental Research Climate, show people tend to withdraw into their homes during heatwaves. However, places such as shopping malls and parks also became important refuges, particularly for people without air conditioning at home. In Mexico, people aged between 18 and 35 were disproportionately likely to die …

Mirror review: Compelling dance piece explores how AI is warping human relationships

Mirror review: Compelling dance piece explores how AI is warping human relationships

Published by skeptic

A scene from Mirror by the Alexander Whitley Dance Company Oskein Traditional ballet with tutus and pointe shoes is my preferred night at the theatre, but I enjoyed a contemporary piece recently at London’s Sadler’s Wells East. The piece, Mirror, by the Alexander Whitley Dance Company, will also be at the city’s Royal Opera House on 4 June. It is inspired by the book The AI Mirror by Shannon Vallor, a professor in the ethics of data and artificial intelligence, in which she argues for and against the use of AI. Vallor wants us to find a middle ground between passively resigning ourselves to AI as a replacement for our agency, and seeing it as an existential threat that must be defeated. As a science journalist, I like the balance of Vallor’s book, but, for me, this didn’t translate to the dance piece. Instead, its compelling (and slightly unsettling) choreography and staging seemed to show how our deepening interactions with AI and other tech are warping human relationships. Go see it for yourself, and make …

NSS event with More In Common explores British views on religion

NSS event with More In Common explores British views on religion

Published by Sam Flores

The National Secular Society teamed up with a social cohesion think tank to present joint research on British people’s attitudes to religion and society. Last Thursday, the NSS and More In Common presented their recently published findings from polling and focus groups. Watch a recording from this event: More In Common’s Andrew Fowler called the research one of the most “existential” the organisation has worked on, because “it gave us the opportunity to ask some of the really big questions to Britons”. He said key “British values” demonstrated by the findings include a desire for equality, and everyone “equally able to live their own lives and express their religion how they want”. But he added that when religions “do things that we think actually limit other people’s freedom of expression”, or perpetrate “cruelty or oppressive practices”, this crosses “a red line” for Britons. Harmful practices most survey respondents opposed include forced genital cutting and non-stun slaughter. NSS head of campaign Megan Manson highlighted that few Britons are aware of the concept of secularism or the …

New study explores the link between mystical psychedelic trips and a reduced fear of dying

New study explores the link between mystical psychedelic trips and a reduced fear of dying

Published by José Betancourt

A new study published in the Journal of Psychedelic Studies has found that people who have had a meaningful psychedelic experience report a significantly reduced fear of death, alongside heightened feelings of connection to themselves, others, and the world around them. Furthermore, the degree of connection closely tracks the degree of relief from death-related fear. Researchers have long argued that anxiety about dying sits at the root of a surprisingly wide range of psychological struggles, from depression to broader existential distress. Studies have observed that psychedelic experiences—first noted in terminally ill patients in the mid-20th century and later confirmed in modern controlled research—can drastically reduce this fear, though the mechanisms behind why this happens remain unclear. One leading explanation is increased connectedness: a heightened sense of relationship to oneself, others, and the wider world. Because psychedelics reliably enhance these feelings, researchers sought to investigate whether greater connectedness might be one of the specific pathways through which psychedelics reduce the fear of death. Led by Noah N. Barr at the University of Wollongong in Australia, the …

New study explores what drives sexual well-being in BDSM and kink subcultures

New study explores what drives sexual well-being in BDSM and kink subcultures

Published by José Betancourt

A recent study published in Psychology and Sexuality suggests that relational context and the frequency of sexual practices play a central role in the sexual satisfaction of people who engage in BDSM and kink. The research provides evidence that sexual well-being in these communities is shaped by a mix of relationship status, education, and specific behavioral roles. These findings highlight the complexity of non-traditional sexual expressions across different cultures. Understanding what contributes to sexual satisfaction helps professionals improve sexual health frameworks and overall human well-being. Much of the existing scientific literature focuses almost entirely on mainstream sexual behaviors. Practices such as BDSM, which involves bondage, discipline, dominance, submission, sadism, and masochism, often fall outside these conventional frameworks. Scientists note that these non-traditional sexual practices are sometimes misunderstood or pathologized by broader society. Because of this societal stigma, the sexual well-being of individuals who participate in BDSM or kink communities remains under-explored. Past data tends to show that these practitioners experience equal or even higher levels of sexual satisfaction compared to the general public. “We wanted …

Japan’s SoftBank explores homegrown AI servers with Nvidia, Foxconn, Nikkei reports

Japan’s SoftBank explores homegrown AI servers with Nvidia, Foxconn, Nikkei reports

Published by Sam Flores

May 8 : SoftBank Corp has begun discussions with U.S. chip giant Nvidia and Taiwanese contract manufacturer Foxconn as it weighs plans to build “made-in-Japan” artificial intelligence servers, the Nikkei newspaper reported on Friday. The Japanese telecom company wants to build a production system by initially assembling externally sourced components by the end of the decade, before eventually taking charge of the entire server manufacturing process, Nikkei added. The unit will focus on high-performance servers capable of running advanced graphics processing units at high speeds, the report also said. The project will be part of SoftBank’s medium-term management plan, which, according to Nikkei, could be announced as soon as Monday. The development comes after Masayoshi Son-led SoftBank Group poured in more than $30 billion in investments in OpenAI so far, for about an 11 per cent stake, in an “all-in” bet that it will emerge as a winner in the battle among developers of large language models. Source link

new undercover drama explores tense clash between state loyalty and criminal credibility

new undercover drama explores tense clash between state loyalty and criminal credibility

Published by Sam Flores

Netflix’s latest drama Legends offers a compelling window into the criminology of undercover policing, covert surveillance and organised crime. Inspired by a real UK customs investigation, the six-part drama follows ordinary British customs officers sent deep undercover to infiltrate drug trafficking gangs. Written by Neil Forsyth (also creator of Brink’s-Mat robbery drama The Gold), Legends balances tension and realism with a measured, slow-burn pace that prioritises character over spectacle. Steve Coogan plays Don, a former undercover police officer tasked with recruiting customs officers to go undercover themselves to infiltrate drug gangs. Much of its strength rests on the central performance of Tom Burke, whose portrayal of the lead undercover officer, Guy, anchors the series emotionally. Burke brings a quiet intensity to the role, capturing the unease, vulnerability, and moral ambiguity of someone living between identities. The supporting cast also does an exceptional job, reinforcing the drama’s grounded and realistic tone, capturing the collective pressure, uncertainty and emotional toll of undercover work. Becoming a legend Unlike elite operatives, these are everyday officials thrust into extraordinary criminal …

Study explores how virtual “girlfriend experiences” tap evolved relationship motivations in the digital age

Study explores how virtual “girlfriend experiences” tap evolved relationship motivations in the digital age

Published by José Betancourt

Virtual “girlfriend experience” platforms may be booming because they give people easy, customizable access to intimacy in ways that speak to some of our deepest psychological drives for connection, attraction, and control. This is the argument at the heart of a new review published in Evolutionary Psychological Science. Désirée Popelka and colleagues offer a broad theoretical account of how intimacy has transformed alongside technology. They trace the girlfriend experience (GFE) from in-person escort services to online platforms like OnlyFans and, more recently, AI companions. What unites all of these, across every era and format, is the simulation of a romantic relationship: emotional attention, conversation, the feeling of being valued by someone. What shifts is how you access it. In-person GFE comes with real costs in money, effort, physical presence, and selectivity. Online versions strip away physical contact and scale up through subscriptions. AI companions go even further, offering interactions that are continuous, on-demand, and molded entirely around the user. The authors argue that this progression matters because it lets people have something resembling a relationship …

A new study explores the boundary between everyday caffeine and panic

A new study explores the boundary between everyday caffeine and panic

Published by José Betancourt

A standard cup of coffee will likely not trigger a panic attack in people diagnosed with panic disorder, though it may make them more likely to avoid uncomfortable situations. A new study published in the Journal of Psychopharmacology shows that consuming a moderate amount of caffeine does not elevate subjective anxiety levels in susceptible individuals. The research provides practical guidance for people managing their anxiety symptoms while navigating everyday dietary habits. Panic disorder is a psychiatric condition recognized by sudden attacks of intense fear. These attacks bring a rush of physical symptoms, including a racing heart, shortness of breath, dizziness, and a feeling of numbness. People diagnosed with this condition also carry persistent worry about when the next panic attack might strike. This worry often leads to maladaptive avoidance behavior. A person might stop going to the movie theater or the gym for fear that these environments will trigger a panic episode. By avoiding these places, the person misses out on rewarding experiences and loses the opportunity to learn that their physical symptoms are not …