Oxford's biggest student newspaper, produced by and for members of the University of Oxford, since 1991.
Image description: a model of the human brain on a deep-blue background, lit up with red and green neon lighting. Neuroscience is a field notorious for many things: amazing discoveries, thought-provoking debates, controversial findings. But ask any neuroscientist and they’ll tell you that it is also a discipline plagued by failed clinical studies. In fact, […]
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Image description: psychedelic graffiti showing a bright mushroom and abstract colourful painting Meaning “mind-manifesting” in Ancient Greek, psychedelic drugs such as LSD, MDMA and psilocybin (the active ingredient in magic mushrooms) are well-known for their hallucinogenic and psychotropic effects. Despite their reputation as party drugs, scientists have been trying to harness their mind-bending properties to […]
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Image description: a brown grasshopper. Large-scale insect breeding for human consumption is thought to represent a sustainable solution for growing food demand. With climate change, loss of biodiversity, and rising pressure on resources posing a threat to current food supply chains, new systems are needed to ‘future-proof’ meals and address food inequity. In order to […]
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Image description: a young woman sitting on a couch with a MacBook on her lap and an iPhone next to her. TW: this article discusses mental health issues, including mentions of suicide and suicidal thoughts. Shocking headlines such as “Instagram ‘helped kill my daughter’” (BBC) and “Mum’s torment over suicide of her Snapchat addict daughter, […]
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Image description: several small vials labelled ” Coronavirus Vaccine” laid out in a row. Two weeks ago, the UK reached its second vaccination target, with just under 50% of the population having received their first dose. Although this news did not attract much attention – perhaps due to the warm temperatures and open pubs serving […]
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Image description: a Hawaiian newspaper with the headline “Mass vaccinations begin” As vaccination proceeds apace in the UK and amongst high-income countries around the world, there are growing concerns over vaccine inequity in a global context. Countries in Europe, Asia and the Americas have begun vaccination campaigns, delivering more than 175 million doses since December […]
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Image description: a baby being fed from a bottle The view that formula milk is significantly inferior to breast milk, or worse, downright harmful for children’s health, has been causing a shortage of baby formula in food banks. This is an extremely alarming trend that puts the health of children in danger. It seems especially […]
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Image description: a graffiti painting of a laughing Mark Zuckerberg, accompanied by the caption “You’ve been Zucked” When WhatsApp was acquired by Facebook in February 2014, it led to a small exodus – rival messenger app Telegram claimed to see an increase of 8 million users. Ever since, Facebook has regularly inspired fear and concern […]
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Gone are the days when children used to spend their day out in the streets, exploring the outdoors. Now online education has children spending more time glued to the screen than ever. This is hugely problematic. Even prior to the pandemic, many scientists and parents expressed concerns about the negative implications of too much screen […]
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The words “digital currency” typically conjure up associations of financial gambles, high volatility, and questionable practicality, all characteristic features of existing cryptocurrencies such as Bitcoin. However, with a new generation of cashless payment methods emerging in China, this might soon be set to change. After more than five years in development and a number of […]
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Image description: a phone with the Twitter app open on its screen lying on top of a box labelled “HANDLE WITH CARE” There was a period of a few days in early January when huge civil unrest was not only possible, but likely. A base of millions of Americans across the country stood convinced that […]
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When Trump’s 2016 MAGA campaign promised to make America a global leader, we didn’t quite expect it to include its number of Covid-19 cases. Yet, here we are. The hot garbage that constitutes the White House’s pandemic management has so far resulted in 7.8 million confirmed cases and 217 thousand deaths, representing approximately 20 percent […]
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These are troubling times for America. With a pivotal presidential election looming and the current momentum of the Black Lives Matter movement, the country is in turmoil as politics takes control. Every day, videos of police brutality and racism are shared onto the social media sites that have become the main source of information for […]
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So, here we are – we made it – 2020, the age of robots and flying cars, a pandemic and unprecedented times. Automation is one of the many buzzwords of today (much like buzzword which is itself a buzzword); but what does it mean and how do we tackle this global issue? Will the ‘Rise of […]
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There are over two billion keyboards in the world. They are one of the most used objects in daily life. Yet the trillions of words written every day are largely conveyed through dull, black, plastic varieties that proliferate offices everywhere. The average person will spend five years of their life typing – more than they […]
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Across the globe, scientists are working tirelessly to produce a COVID-19 vaccine, with over 100 potential candidates in development. A successful vaccine could prevent millions of deaths worldwide and allow devastated economies to begin the road to recovery. But with an estimated minimum timeline of 18 months, is it possible that a vaccine will be […]
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There is no doubt that technology has stepped in to attempt to fill the many voids in our lives created by the Lockdown restrictions. From education to socialising to entertainment, we all rely on technology now more than ever to allow us to continue with our daily activities. One of the most obvious ways in […]
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Image description: Russian dolls illustrating social distancing “It seems like a pretty standard interview question”, I thought to myself. Back in 2017, I was preparing for my Oxford interview by taking part in mock ‘Oxbridge-style’ interviews organised between a group of Bristol schools. Testing my ability to apply maths in a real-world context, the interviewer […]
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Image description: A mask and a vial of vitamin D Amid the coronavirus pandemic the demand for vitamin supplements has skyrocketed as millions seek to ‘boost their immunity’ to combat infection. Although evidence underlying their efficacy in reducing case incidence and severity is sparse, a link between vitamin D deficiency and COVID-19 mortality has emerged […]
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