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Join the Theology in the Raw community for as little as $5/month to get access to premium content! A. J. Swoboda (PhD, University of Birmingham) is an assistant professor of Bible, theology, and world Christianity at Bushnell University. He also leads a doctor of ministry program around Christian formation and soul care at Friends University. He is the author of more than a dozen books, including the award-winning Subversive Sabbath and After Doubt. Nijay K. Gupta (PhD, Durham University) is Julius R. Mantey Professor of New Testament at Northern Seminary. Gupta is an award-winning author of numerous books, including Tell Her Story, Strange Religion, and commentaries on Galatians, Philippians, Colossians, and 1 and 2 Thessalonians. He is also a senior translator for the New Living Translation. A.J. and Nijay cohost the Slow Theology podcast and co-authored the recent book Slow Theology, which is the topic of our conversation. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
There has been a renewed conversation regarding sex after childbirth following a recent episode of the CBeebies Parenting Helpline podcast which tackled the topic of libido in the time after having a baby. It can be a very confusing time when it comes to your relationship with your body, so how do you navigate those ‘blurred lines' between your roles as mother, partner, and sexual being. Nuala McGovern is joined by journalist and author Nell Frizzell, who's written about her own experiences, and consultant obstetrician and gynaecologist, Dr Karen Joash.Ruby Tui was the star of the last Women's Rugby World Cup, held in her native New Zealand in 2021. She's now regarded by many to be the star of the BBC's coverage of this year's World Cup, held in England. The tournament has broken records, from viewership to ticket sales and reflects the rapidly rising profile of the women's game. Ruby Tui reflects on the tournament and her own journey to the top of the sport.A form of family violence which receives minimal attention and is arguably the most hidden form of abuse within the home is known as CAPVA. This stands for child and adolescent to parent violence and abuse. Today the charity Action for Children has released a report with insights from their parenting support services, which suggests there has been a marked uptake in need for support on this issue. Nuala hears from Martha Hampson, Senior Policy Advisor on Early Help with Action for Children, and Dr Nikki Rutter, assistant professor in the department of sociology at Durham University and child parent violence researcher.Award-winning actor Juliet Stevenson takes the lead in a new play at the National Theatre, The Land of the Living. She plays Ruth, a UN relief worker in post-war Germany, trying to reunite children stolen by the Nazis from Eastern Europe, with their families. With one particular child it becomes a very personal mission. Juliet tells Nuala why she wanted to play this part.Presenter: Nuala McGovern Producer: Kirsty Starkey
In this Psychobabble episode with Edward Dutton, we explore how left-wing narratives manifest in mental health issues, and why wokeism may function as an adaptation to societal decline. Together, we discuss intelligence and IQ, the decline of cognitive ability, and the curious case of “woke eugenics”—a new form of social Darwinism shaping genetic and cultural health. Dutton closes with predictions for the future of the UK and Europe in light of these forces.Edward Dutton is a researcher based in Oulu in northern Finland. Born in London in 1980, Dutton read Theology at Durham University before completing a PhD in Religious Studies at Aberdeen University in 2006. He was made 'Docent' (Adjunct Reader) of the Anthropology of Religion and Finnish Culture at Oulu University in 2011. In 2012, however, Dutton made the move to evolutionary psychology. Since then, Dutton has published in leading psychology journals including Intelligence, and Personality and Individual Differences. He has been a guest researcher in the Psychology Department at Umeå University in Sweden and is academic consultant to a research group in the Special Education Department at King Saud University in Riyadh. In 2020, he was appointed Professor of Evolutionary Psychology at Asbiro University, a business-focused university of applied sciences in Łódź, Poland.
US President Donald Trump has made a disputed link between pregnant women using paracetamol and autism in children. He has warned women to not take the pain killer known as Tylenol in the US when they have a high fever. We get reaction to this with Dr Monique Botha, Associate Professor in Social and Developmental Psychology at Durham University.
US President Donald Trump has made a disputed link between pregnant women using paracetamol and autism in children. He has warned women to not take the pain killer known as Tylenol in the US when they have a high fever. We get reaction to this with Dr Monique Botha, Associate Professor in Social and Developmental Psychology at Durham University.
Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss the discovery in 1922 of Tutankhamun's 3000 year old tomb and its impact on the understanding of ancient Egypt, both academic and popular. The riches, such as the death mask above, were spectacular and made the reputation of Howard Carter who led the excavation. And if the astonishing contents of the tomb were not enough, the drama of the find and the control of how it was reported led to a craze for 'King Tut' that has rarely subsided and has enthused and sometimes confused people around the world, seeking to understand the reality of Tutankhamun's life and times. With Elizabeth Frood Associate Professor of Egyptology, Director of the Griffith Institute and Fellow of St Cross at the University of Oxford Christina Riggs Professor of the History of Visual Culture at Durham University and a Fellow of All Souls College, Oxford And John Taylor Curator at the Department of Egypt and Sudan at the British Museum Producer: Simon Tillotson Spanning history, religion, culture, science and philosophy, In Our Time from BBC Radio 4 is essential listening for the intellectually curious. In each episode, host Melvyn Bragg and expert guests explore the characters, events and discoveries that have shaped our world.
Welcome to the fifth series in the annual podcast programme from Academic Archers, bringing you papers from our 2024 conference.This episode looks at the connections between nature, gardening, and wellbeing, through research and the experiences of Ambridge residents.“If listening to the birds for five minutes makes you feel better, good for you”: Wellbeing, Gardens and Environmental Activity - Camilla Royle and Lily WhittleWhen Ambridge's local police officer Harrison took part in the Wildlife Trust's 30 Days Wild Challenge, he reflected a wider truth: many people turn to nature to cope with stress. Natural England reports that 90% of adults in England consider green and natural spaces to be good for mental health. But the relationship between gardening, environmental practice, and wellbeing is more complex.Drawing on interviews and surveys with gardeners, this paper explores how practices such as composting, water use and encouraging wildlife connect to wellbeing. Like Kirsty in The Archers, many gardeners find joy in sustainable approaches and in feeling they can do something in response to climate change. For others, the limits of gardening's impact can dampen the sense of control and reduce its mental health benefits.About the speakersDr Camilla Royle is a political ecologist and Teaching Fellow at Durham University. Her research explores how societies shape the environment and how environmental change in turn shapes human life.Lily Whittle is an undergraduate student at the London School of Economics, currently spending a year abroad in Social and Behavioural Sciences at IE University, Madrid. With a personal love of gardening, she is particularly interested in the links between gardening and mental health.If you enjoy our work and would like to support Academic Archers, you can Buy Us a Coffee – buymeacoffee.com/academicarchers.
In this Episode:Catholic Author, Cherie HughesFulton Sheen's Impact on CultureMaking the Lord Know as Fulton SheenCheryl C. D. Hughes holds a Ph.D. in historical theology from Durham University in England. Her books include Katharine Drexel: The Riches-to-Rags Story of an American Catholic Saint (2014) and Crossing Boundaries and Confounding Identity: Chinese Women in Literature, Art, and Film (2023) Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen: Convert Maker (2024). She and her husband live in Tulsa, Oklahoma.Watch Tulsa Time on YouTubeStream, Download, and Listen on Your Favorite PlatformFollow @dioceseoftulsa The Eastern Oklahoma Catholic Podcast is brought to you by The Diocese of Tulsa and Eastern Oklahoma.
Where is most of the universe? And why don't we know yet? Yes—we're talking about dark matter and dark energy, the mysterious stuff that's predicted by physical theory, but which still remains elusive in experiments.After speaking to an actual physicist, Tom and Stuart attempt to explain what dark matter and dark energy are supposed to be, and what physicists would have to see in their experiments to know that they exist. They also come down with a serious case of physics envy.The Studies Show is sponsored by Works in Progress magazine, which has just published this excellent new article on the history of French nuclear power. Why has France been so successful at building nuclear plants while other countries have dropped the (radioactive, probably flourescent green) ball? “Liberté, Egalité, Radioactivité” tells you everything you need to know. Find it and much more, all for free, at worksinprogress.co.Show notes* August 2025 Science article about a “big blob” of dark matter in the Milky Way* LIGHTS ALL ASKEW IN THE HEAVENS* Cosmic microwave background? Or pigeon droppings?* 1984 Nature paper about “cold dark matter” and the formation of galaxies* WMAP probe map of the cosmic microwave background* Two papers from 1998 on the accelerating expansion of the universeCreditsWe're very grateful to Prof. Andrew Pontzen of Durham University for talking to us for this episode (all mistakes are our own). The Studies Show is produced by Julian Mayers at Yada Yada Productions. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit sciencefictionspod.substack.com/subscribe
Researchers have created the world's first complete map of a crucial cellular system that helps plants respond to stress. The breakthrough could transform our understanding of how living things adapt to their environment and open the door to new ways of protecting plants against climate change. The study, led by researchers from Durham University and published in Science Advances, focuses on a process called SUMOylation. Mapping Plants stress cellular systems This is a form of protein tweaking that acts like a molecular switch, fine-tuning how cells grow, divide and respond to change. Despite its importance in plants, animals and humans, scientists have until now been unclear about how the many pieces of the SUMO system work together inside a living organism. Using the tiny model plant Arabidopsis thaliana, the team built a detailed SUMO Cell Atlas that shows, cell by cell, where and when each component of the system is active. They discovered that different tissues within the root use SUMOylation in very specific ways, allowing the plant to mount highly tailored responses to challenges such as salty soils, drought-like conditions or attack by microbes. One of the most striking findings is that a single enzyme, known as SCE1, appears to act as the central driver of the stress response across all conditions tested. Other enzymes, particularly specialised proteases, show distinctive patterns depending on the type of stress and the cell type, providing further layers of control. Study co-author Dr Miguel de Lucas of Durham University said: "Our study demonstrates the value of interdisciplinary partnerships between UK institutions combining diverse areas of expertise (Nottingham, Cambridge, Liverpool and Durham). "The findings highlight the crucial role of protein modifications in controlling cellular plasticity and future work should explore how these findings connect with other relevant protein modifications, such as phosphorylation and ubiquitination". Beyond its scientific importance, the discovery has practical promise. By revealing which parts of the SUMO system are most critical for survival under stress, the research highlights new targets for improving the resilience of crops such as rice and wheat. The ultimate aim is to breed or engineer plants that can better withstand heat, drought, salt or disease, helping to safeguard food supplies, and to implement biodiversity conservation approaches in a changing climate. The full SUMO map is freely available for researchers worldwide via the University of Toronto's online resource: https://bar.utoronto.ca/SUMO_ Map/ The research was supported by UKRI-BBSRC (BB/V003534/1). Dr Miguel de Lucas from Durham University are available for interview and can be contacted on miguel.de-lucas@durham.ac.uk. Alternatively, please contact Durham University Communications Office for interview requests on communications.team@durham.ac. uk or +44 (0)191 334 8623. Source 'Elucidating tissue and subcellular specificity of the entire SUMO network reveals how stress responses are fine-tuned in a eukaryote', (2025), Ari Sadanandom et. al., Science Advances. About Durham University Durham University is a globally outstanding centre of teaching and research based in historic Durham City in the UK. We are a collegiate university committed to inspiring our people to do outstanding things at Durham and in the world. We conduct research that improves lives globally and we are ranked as a world top 100 university with an international reputation in research and education (QS World University Rankings 2026). We are a member of the Russell Group of leading research-intensive UK universities and we are consistently ranked as a top 10 university in national league tables (Times and Sunday Times Good University Guide, Guardian University Guide and The Complete University Guide). For more information about Durham University visit: www.durham.ac.uk/about/ See more breaking stories here.
“There is no longer any debate that space is a war fighting domain,”These were the words of Commander General Stephen Whiting from the US government's Space Command at a conference earlier this year. China, the US, India and Russia have tested anti-satellite weapons in space, and technology is blurring the lines between civilian and military satellites.But will there be war in space?Joining us to discuss the threat of satellite warfare are: Dr Raji Rajagopalan, a resident senior fellow with the Australian Strategic Policy Institute in Canberra; Juliana Suess, an associate with the German Institute for International and Security Affairs; Saadia Pekkanen, professor at the University of Washington in Seattle, USA and Dr Bleddyn Bowen is an associate professor of Astro politics with the Space Research Centre at Durham University in the UK.Presenter: Charmaine Cozier Producer: Vicky Farncombe Researcher: Maeve Schaffer Technical producer: Nicky Edwards Production Coordinator: Tammy Snow Editor: Tara McDermottImage: Getty Images
Raphael Christian Cormack, is a British writer and scholar of the Arab world and Assistant Professor of Arabic at Durham University. He obtained his PhD in Egyptian Theatre from the University of Edinburgh. He has also been a visiting researcher at Columbia UniversityCormack's X: https://x.com/raphaelcormackBook link: https://www.hurstpublishers.com/book/holy-men-of-the-electromagnetic-age/---Become part of the Hermitix community:Hermitix Twitter - / hermitixpodcast Hermitix Discord - / discord Support Hermitix:Hermitix Subscription - https://hermitix.net/subscribe/ Patreon - www.patreon.com/hermitix Donations: - https://www.paypal.me/hermitixpodHermitix Merchandise - http://teespring.com/stores/hermitix-2Bitcoin Donation Address: 3LAGEKBXEuE2pgc4oubExGTWtrKPuXDDLKEthereum Donation Address: 0xfd2bbe86d6070004b9Cbf682aB2F25170046A996
Dr. Djuna Croon is Associate Professor in the Department of Physics and the Institute for Particle Physics Phenomenology at Durham University. Trained as a particle physicist, Djuna is interested in the most fundamental building blocks of nature. She studies dark matter, a mysterious type of subatomic particle that we don't yet know much about yet. Their work uses astrophysical measurements and particle physics experiments to better understand dark matter. Much of Djuna's free time is spent with her two young boys. They love going to playgrounds, visiting farms, and baking cookies together. She received her bachelor's degree in physics from Amsterdam University College and her master's degree in physics from Kings College London. Next, Djuna was awarded her PhD in Theoretical Particle Physics from the University of Sussex. Afterwards, Djuna conducted postdoctoral research at Dartmouth College and subsequently at the Tri-University Meson Facility (TRIUMF), Canada's particle accelerator centre. She joined the faculty at Durham University in 2021. In this interview, she shares more about her life and science.
An international history of the uncanny in the 1920s and 1930s. The interwar period was a golden age for the occult. Spiritualists, clairvoyants, fakirs, Theosophists, mind readers, and Jinn summoners all set out to assure the masses that just as newly discovered invisible forces of electricity and magnetism determined the world of science, unseen powers commanded an unknown realm of human potential Drawing on untapped sources in Arabic in addition to European ones, Raphael Cormack follows two of the most unusual and charismatic figures of this age: Tahra Bey, who took 1920s Paris by storm in the role of a missionary from the mystical East; and Dr. Dahesh, who transformed Western science to create a panreligious faith of his own in Lebanon. Traveling between Paris, New York, and Beirut while guiding esoteric apprenticeships among miracle-working mystics in Egypt and Istanbul, these men reflected the desires and anxieties of a troubled age. As Cormack demonstrates, these forgotten holy men, who embodied the allure of the unexplained in a world of dramatic change, intuitively speak to our unsettling world today Raphael Cormack is an award-winning editor, translator, and writer. The author of Midnight in Cairo, Cormack is assistant professor of modern languages and cultures at Durham University in the United Kingdom. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/history
Hannah Murray will start by looking at the bestseller lists on Amazon.co.uk and The Sunday Times, the oldest and most influential book sales chart in the UK, and seeing what new entries there are. Charles Boakye grew up in Ghana and graduated from the University of Ghana Medical School before emigrating to the UK. He became a member of the Royal College of Surgeons and also studied at City Law School in London. Currently, he's a GP Principal at Medicus Health Partners, the second largest GP practice in the UK. His novel 'How to Kill a Superbug' examines the ever growing threat of resistant bacteria and the rampant overuse of antibiotics. Hannah Brennan studied English Literature at Durham University. She is one of the organizers at the Greenwich Writing Group. She is also a trustee at the Royal Association for Deaf People. Hannah has has OCD since her teenage years, although she is now happily in recovery. Her debut novel 'No Safe Place' about two murders that take place on the same night, of a child psychologist and someone who was once his patient. B Fleetwood previously authored a YA science fiction trilogy, The Chroma Series. 'Dancing Fools and All That Jazz' is her first piece of UpLit Fiction, inspired by her own amateur dance group. ... Jane Scott Stuart was born in 1937 in Louisville, Kentucky, and for the first seven years of her life, was brought up in her grandmother's kitchen. She has lived all over the world, is a qualified yoga teacher and a drugs and alcohol councillor. She is married to a younger son of a Scottish Earl and divides her time between Scotland and France. Her book 'Not in the World' is a poignant and beautifully descriptive debut novel based on her real life story. Against a backdrop of 1930s Kentucky, it's a tale of survival, and the strong emotional bond between a little white girl and the young black man who was both her mummy and her daddy A.C. Adams is the nom de plume of co-authors Anthony Leigh Adams and Christina Adam, who have written, produced and developed film and TV projects for many different studios. Christina is a producer of the Emmy Award-winning series 'The Amazing Race' Their debut novel 'Chasing Shadows' is inspired by true events. When a renowned professor vanishes without explanation, he leaves behind a haunting message revealing that he has a new life and can never return. His devastated daughter embarks on a global search to uncover the truth behind his disappearance. What she finds is more shocking than she could have imagined... Sue Webb is an in-house editor, with her job largely featuring rewriting. Her latest crime fiction noe 'You Said She's Where?' is concerned with both the whodunnit and the whydunnit of murder. London is both the novel's kaleidoscopic setting and a prime mover in its main characters' dizzinging reversals of fortune.
Archives are not only sources for history but have their own histories too, which shape how historians can tell stories of the past. In Managing Paperwork in Mamluk Cairo: Archives, Waqf and Society (Edinburgh UP, 2025), Daisy Livingston explores the archival history of one of the most powerful polities of the late-medieval Middle East: the ‘Mamluk' sultanate of Cairo. Relying on surviving original documents, Livingston focuses on archival practices connected to waqf, the pious endowments that became one of the characteristic features of late-medieval Islamic societies. By centering a close exploration of documents connected to processes of endowment and property exchange, this book sheds light on a startling culture of document accumulation that was shared by the diverse social groups involved in founding and managing endowments: sultans and emirs, qadis, legal notaries, and scribes. Emphasizing the documents' life cycles from production, to preservation, to disposal and loss, it argues for the use of surviving documents to tell their own archival histories. Daisy Livingston is Associate Professor of Medieval Islamic History in the Department of History at Durham University. As a historian of the medieval Middle East, in particular Egypt between the tenth and sixteenth centuries, her research focuses on various aspects of documentary culture, especially histories of archiving. Jen Hoyer is Technical Services and Electronic Resources Librarian at CUNY New York City College of Technology. She is co-author of What Primary Sources Teach: Lessons for Every Classroom (2022) and The Social Movement Archive (2021), and co-editor of Armed By Design: Posters and Publications of Cuba's Organization of Solidarity of the Peoples of Africa, Asia, and Latin America (2025). Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/new-books-network
Archives are not only sources for history but have their own histories too, which shape how historians can tell stories of the past. In Managing Paperwork in Mamluk Cairo: Archives, Waqf and Society (Edinburgh UP, 2025), Daisy Livingston explores the archival history of one of the most powerful polities of the late-medieval Middle East: the ‘Mamluk' sultanate of Cairo. Relying on surviving original documents, Livingston focuses on archival practices connected to waqf, the pious endowments that became one of the characteristic features of late-medieval Islamic societies. By centering a close exploration of documents connected to processes of endowment and property exchange, this book sheds light on a startling culture of document accumulation that was shared by the diverse social groups involved in founding and managing endowments: sultans and emirs, qadis, legal notaries, and scribes. Emphasizing the documents' life cycles from production, to preservation, to disposal and loss, it argues for the use of surviving documents to tell their own archival histories. Daisy Livingston is Associate Professor of Medieval Islamic History in the Department of History at Durham University. As a historian of the medieval Middle East, in particular Egypt between the tenth and sixteenth centuries, her research focuses on various aspects of documentary culture, especially histories of archiving. Jen Hoyer is Technical Services and Electronic Resources Librarian at CUNY New York City College of Technology. She is co-author of What Primary Sources Teach: Lessons for Every Classroom (2022) and The Social Movement Archive (2021), and co-editor of Armed By Design: Posters and Publications of Cuba's Organization of Solidarity of the Peoples of Africa, Asia, and Latin America (2025). Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/middle-eastern-studies
Archives are not only sources for history but have their own histories too, which shape how historians can tell stories of the past. In Managing Paperwork in Mamluk Cairo: Archives, Waqf and Society (Edinburgh UP, 2025), Daisy Livingston explores the archival history of one of the most powerful polities of the late-medieval Middle East: the ‘Mamluk' sultanate of Cairo. Relying on surviving original documents, Livingston focuses on archival practices connected to waqf, the pious endowments that became one of the characteristic features of late-medieval Islamic societies. By centering a close exploration of documents connected to processes of endowment and property exchange, this book sheds light on a startling culture of document accumulation that was shared by the diverse social groups involved in founding and managing endowments: sultans and emirs, qadis, legal notaries, and scribes. Emphasizing the documents' life cycles from production, to preservation, to disposal and loss, it argues for the use of surviving documents to tell their own archival histories. Daisy Livingston is Associate Professor of Medieval Islamic History in the Department of History at Durham University. As a historian of the medieval Middle East, in particular Egypt between the tenth and sixteenth centuries, her research focuses on various aspects of documentary culture, especially histories of archiving. Jen Hoyer is Technical Services and Electronic Resources Librarian at CUNY New York City College of Technology. She is co-author of What Primary Sources Teach: Lessons for Every Classroom (2022) and The Social Movement Archive (2021), and co-editor of Armed By Design: Posters and Publications of Cuba's Organization of Solidarity of the Peoples of Africa, Asia, and Latin America (2025). Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/african-studies
Archives are not only sources for history but have their own histories too, which shape how historians can tell stories of the past. In Managing Paperwork in Mamluk Cairo: Archives, Waqf and Society (Edinburgh UP, 2025), Daisy Livingston explores the archival history of one of the most powerful polities of the late-medieval Middle East: the ‘Mamluk' sultanate of Cairo. Relying on surviving original documents, Livingston focuses on archival practices connected to waqf, the pious endowments that became one of the characteristic features of late-medieval Islamic societies. By centering a close exploration of documents connected to processes of endowment and property exchange, this book sheds light on a startling culture of document accumulation that was shared by the diverse social groups involved in founding and managing endowments: sultans and emirs, qadis, legal notaries, and scribes. Emphasizing the documents' life cycles from production, to preservation, to disposal and loss, it argues for the use of surviving documents to tell their own archival histories. Daisy Livingston is Associate Professor of Medieval Islamic History in the Department of History at Durham University. As a historian of the medieval Middle East, in particular Egypt between the tenth and sixteenth centuries, her research focuses on various aspects of documentary culture, especially histories of archiving. Jen Hoyer is Technical Services and Electronic Resources Librarian at CUNY New York City College of Technology. She is co-author of What Primary Sources Teach: Lessons for Every Classroom (2022) and The Social Movement Archive (2021), and co-editor of Armed By Design: Posters and Publications of Cuba's Organization of Solidarity of the Peoples of Africa, Asia, and Latin America (2025). Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Welcome to the last of the summer from the archives series! We're revisiting some much loved podcast episodes from the early months of the podcast. These are episode that are great to revisit at different points in your parenting journey. The majority of parents will bedshare at some point, some regularly and some occasionally. Yet we live in a culture that actively discourages bedsharing. Many parents struggle to find helpful bedsharing information or are too anxious to even ask. That's why this conversation on bedsharing tips and tricks is so important!Bedsharing is a wonderful parenting tool, but also one that comes with so many questions, decisions, and challenges in modern western culture. In this episode I'm joined by Tiffany from Cosleepy to talk about bedsharing tips and tricks. Our conversation ranges from worries and anxiety over choosing to bedshare to tips around comfort while bedsharing. Plus, we talk about some of the grey areas and tricky choices that come with the messiness of day to day bedsharing. We could have kept this conversation going for forever, and I hope you enjoy the tips and insights we discuss. About TiffanyTiffany Belanger attended UCLA and adventured in the film and television industry prior to parenthood. In 2020 she founded Cosleepy, a cosleeping one-stop shop to help modern parents keep their babies safe and close at night.Tiffany has completed training on normal infant sleep through Durham University and keeps up-to-date on emerging research. She's a frequent guest on podcasts and blogs, and she was interviewed in New York Magazine's viral article Are We All Secretly Co-sleeping?She lives (and cosleeps) with her husband and two little boys in northern California.Connect with Tiffany https://cosleepy.comhttps://instagram.com/cosleepyResources related to this episode My safe bedsharing episode: https://intuitiveparentingdc.com/podcast/2023/10/6/how-to-bedshare-safelyMy bedsharing safety and FAQ blog post:https://intuitiveparentingdc.com/blog/2022/1/6/bedsharing-guide-benefits-safety-and-faqs-for-cosleeping-and-bedsharing-familiesConnect with Kim Grab a free sleep myth busting guide and learn more about working with Kim: https://intuitiveparentingdc.com/Instagram: instagram.com/intuitive_parenting_dcFacebook: facebook.com/intuitiveparentingdc
The overlooked Olympian who was the resolutely unmarried goddess of the hearth and home. In fact, Zeus awarded her a glorious gift for remaining unmarried, a tradition Natalie very much feels should be continued. In Hestia's Roman form of Vesta her Vestal Virgins guarded the sacred flame in her temple. Edith Hall thinks she's like Nigella, a domestic goddess, which may explain why references to her are hard to find, but that her importance both to men and women at the time cannot be overestimated. 'Rockstar mythologist' Natalie Haynes is the best-selling author of 'Divine Might', 'Stone Blind', and 'A Thousand Ships' as well as a reformed comedian who is a little bit obsessive about Ancient Greek and Rome.Edith Hall is Professor of Classics at Durham University, specialising in ancient Greek literature. She has written over thirty books and is a Fellow of the British Academy.Producer...Beth O'Dea
Dr. Benjamin Houghton is a postdoctoral fellow at Lancaster University, UK, where he researches transnational repression. He holds a PhD from Durham University, UK, in Government and International Affairs. He is the author of “China's Strategy in the Gulf: Navigating Conflicts and Rivalries,” and has published two other books and several articles on global affairs. China intends to have friendly relations through its policy of “strategic hedging .” China launched the Belt and Road Project, one of the largest infrastructure programs in the world, with the goal of pursuing “soft power.” The recent dismantling of USAID, and withdrawal from WHO, has allowed China to fill a leadership void. The key to reducing the possibility of war between China and another country is to reenter the nuclear deal that Trump negated during his first term, and reinforce areas of cooperation, such as the reduction of piracy through the Red Sea Dialogue.
When people come to the UK seeking asylum they're supposed to be placed in homes all over the country while their claims are processed – not hotels. Jonathan Darling, professor of human geography at Durham University, tells Adam Fleming where this policy of dispersal came from, how it's evolved, and why it's broken down.
For centuries, the lodestone of the West's moral compass pointed to Jesus. Today, it points away from Hitler. That shift from a positive to a negative moral touchstone can be seen in popular culture's panoply of dark lords—Darth Vader, Sauron, Voldemort—each a rather unsubtle echo of Hitler himself.Join Sam Fornecker for a conversation with Alec Ryrie, Professor of the History of Christianity at Durham University and author of The Age of Hitler and How We Will Survive It (Reaktion, 2025). According to Ryrie, the story of the war against Hitler has become “not only our Trojan War, but our Paradise Lost." What Ryrie calls anti-Nazi values have set the agenda for the West since the war: but that moral consensus is fast collapsing. The question is, what will follow it? And what is the Church's role in preserving the moral lessons of the twenty-first century, while also—God willing—modeling a way of being in the world that leads to greater human thriving than anti-Nazi values on their own can sustain?Enjoying this podcast? To keep abreast of what's going on at The Ridley Institute, or to learn more about opportunities to grow and train for Christian discipleship and mission, connect with us online: Website: https://ridleyinstitute.com/. Twitter: @RidleyInstitute. To learn about training for Anglican gospel work, check out Ridley's Certificate in Anglican Studies, and other lay theological formation offerings.
An international history of the uncanny in the 1920s and 1930s. The interwar period was a golden age for the occult. Spiritualists, clairvoyants, fakirs, Theosophists, mind readers, and Jinn summoners all set out to assure the masses that just as newly discovered invisible forces of electricity and magnetism determined the world of science, unseen powers commanded an unknown realm of human potential Drawing on untapped sources in Arabic in addition to European ones, Raphael Cormack follows two of the most unusual and charismatic figures of this age: Tahra Bey, who took 1920s Paris by storm in the role of a missionary from the mystical East; and Dr. Dahesh, who transformed Western science to create a panreligious faith of his own in Lebanon. Traveling between Paris, New York, and Beirut while guiding esoteric apprenticeships among miracle-working mystics in Egypt and Istanbul, these men reflected the desires and anxieties of a troubled age. As Cormack demonstrates, these forgotten holy men, who embodied the allure of the unexplained in a world of dramatic change, intuitively speak to our unsettling world today Raphael Cormack is an award-winning editor, translator, and writer. The author of Midnight in Cairo, Cormack is assistant professor of modern languages and cultures at Durham University in the United Kingdom. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/new-books-network
An international history of the uncanny in the 1920s and 1930s. The interwar period was a golden age for the occult. Spiritualists, clairvoyants, fakirs, Theosophists, mind readers, and Jinn summoners all set out to assure the masses that just as newly discovered invisible forces of electricity and magnetism determined the world of science, unseen powers commanded an unknown realm of human potential Drawing on untapped sources in Arabic in addition to European ones, Raphael Cormack follows two of the most unusual and charismatic figures of this age: Tahra Bey, who took 1920s Paris by storm in the role of a missionary from the mystical East; and Dr. Dahesh, who transformed Western science to create a panreligious faith of his own in Lebanon. Traveling between Paris, New York, and Beirut while guiding esoteric apprenticeships among miracle-working mystics in Egypt and Istanbul, these men reflected the desires and anxieties of a troubled age. As Cormack demonstrates, these forgotten holy men, who embodied the allure of the unexplained in a world of dramatic change, intuitively speak to our unsettling world today Raphael Cormack is an award-winning editor, translator, and writer. The author of Midnight in Cairo, Cormack is assistant professor of modern languages and cultures at Durham University in the United Kingdom. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/intellectual-history
An international history of the uncanny in the 1920s and 1930s. The interwar period was a golden age for the occult. Spiritualists, clairvoyants, fakirs, Theosophists, mind readers, and Jinn summoners all set out to assure the masses that just as newly discovered invisible forces of electricity and magnetism determined the world of science, unseen powers commanded an unknown realm of human potential Drawing on untapped sources in Arabic in addition to European ones, Raphael Cormack follows two of the most unusual and charismatic figures of this age: Tahra Bey, who took 1920s Paris by storm in the role of a missionary from the mystical East; and Dr. Dahesh, who transformed Western science to create a panreligious faith of his own in Lebanon. Traveling between Paris, New York, and Beirut while guiding esoteric apprenticeships among miracle-working mystics in Egypt and Istanbul, these men reflected the desires and anxieties of a troubled age. As Cormack demonstrates, these forgotten holy men, who embodied the allure of the unexplained in a world of dramatic change, intuitively speak to our unsettling world today Raphael Cormack is an award-winning editor, translator, and writer. The author of Midnight in Cairo, Cormack is assistant professor of modern languages and cultures at Durham University in the United Kingdom. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
An international history of the uncanny in the 1920s and 1930s. The interwar period was a golden age for the occult. Spiritualists, clairvoyants, fakirs, Theosophists, mind readers, and Jinn summoners all set out to assure the masses that just as newly discovered invisible forces of electricity and magnetism determined the world of science, unseen powers commanded an unknown realm of human potential Drawing on untapped sources in Arabic in addition to European ones, Raphael Cormack follows two of the most unusual and charismatic figures of this age: Tahra Bey, who took 1920s Paris by storm in the role of a missionary from the mystical East; and Dr. Dahesh, who transformed Western science to create a panreligious faith of his own in Lebanon. Traveling between Paris, New York, and Beirut while guiding esoteric apprenticeships among miracle-working mystics in Egypt and Istanbul, these men reflected the desires and anxieties of a troubled age. As Cormack demonstrates, these forgotten holy men, who embodied the allure of the unexplained in a world of dramatic change, intuitively speak to our unsettling world today Raphael Cormack is an award-winning editor, translator, and writer. The author of Midnight in Cairo, Cormack is assistant professor of modern languages and cultures at Durham University in the United Kingdom. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/religion
An international history of the uncanny in the 1920s and 1930s. The interwar period was a golden age for the occult. Spiritualists, clairvoyants, fakirs, Theosophists, mind readers, and Jinn summoners all set out to assure the masses that just as newly discovered invisible forces of electricity and magnetism determined the world of science, unseen powers commanded an unknown realm of human potential Drawing on untapped sources in Arabic in addition to European ones, Raphael Cormack follows two of the most unusual and charismatic figures of this age: Tahra Bey, who took 1920s Paris by storm in the role of a missionary from the mystical East; and Dr. Dahesh, who transformed Western science to create a panreligious faith of his own in Lebanon. Traveling between Paris, New York, and Beirut while guiding esoteric apprenticeships among miracle-working mystics in Egypt and Istanbul, these men reflected the desires and anxieties of a troubled age. As Cormack demonstrates, these forgotten holy men, who embodied the allure of the unexplained in a world of dramatic change, intuitively speak to our unsettling world today Raphael Cormack is an award-winning editor, translator, and writer. The author of Midnight in Cairo, Cormack is assistant professor of modern languages and cultures at Durham University in the United Kingdom. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/science-technology-and-society
Volcanoes and earth science are a very visual field, where illustrations and sketches are critical for a targeted and simplistic understanding. In this episode we speak with scientific illustrator Annabelle Foster about the importance of accurate illustrations and schematics in Earth Science, as well as setting up her own business in this area.Annabelle is a scientific illustrator and Earth scientist with a PhD in volcanology from Durham University, where her love for turning complex science into visual stories first began. She specialises in illustrating Earth science research, but her freelance work spans a wide range of fields, including cardiology, neuroscience, immunology, physics, and bioengineering.Annabelle has travelled far and wide to study volcanoes up close. Her doctoral research focused on an obsidian-rich volcanic ridge in Iceland, where she investigated how obsidian can form from sintered volcanic ash, not just from rapidly cooling lava!Based in North Yorkshire, she works with clients around the world and is dedicated to making science more accessible, visual, and inspiring. Her illustrations have appeared in academic journals, education resources, public engagement projects, and international conferences.Website: www.annabellefoster.comInstagram: @geology_talk
Matt explores the human capacity for echolocation this week, dismantling the myth that this "biological sonar" is exclusive to animals. Revealing how peer-reviewed research shows all human brains possess the neural hardware to "see" with sound, Matt explains the physics of how sound creates detailed acoustic maps of our environment and introduces the brain's remarkable plasticity, setting the stage for this incredible sensory adaptation.The episode features stories of pioneers like Daniel Kish, who use echolocation to navigate with astonishing precision. Matt discusses groundbreaking studies from UC Berkeley and Durham University, where brain scans revealed the visual cortex rewires itself to process sound as spatial information. This evidence proves echolocation is not a rare gift but a learnable skill, forcing a reevaluation of the limits of human perception and the brain's adaptive power.Please note that Matt is not a medical doctor, and none of the content in this podcast should be considered medical advice in any way, shape, or form, nor prescriptive in any way.As a huge supporter of mission-driven companies, Matt recommends new partner Branch Basics. Their plant- and mineral-based ‘The Concentrate' is tough on kitchen grease yet gentle enough for baby toys, helping you create a toxin-free home. Get 15% off with code MattWalker at branchbasics.com/mattwalker.Another partner, AG1, is one that Matt relies upon for his foundational nutrition. Their new science-backed Next Gen formula features upgraded probiotics, vitamins, and minerals. Start your subscription today to get a FREE bottle of Vitamin D3+K2 and 5 free travel packs with your first order at drinkag1.com/mattwalker.In a supplement industry where trust is critical, Matt uses podcast partner Puori. Their protein powders are free from hormones, GMOs, and pesticides, with every single batch third-party tested for over 200 contaminants. For protein you can trust, save 20% at puori.com/mattwalker.As always, if you have thoughts or feedback you'd like to share, please reach out to Matt:Matt: Instagram @drmattwalker, X @sleepdiplomat, YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCA3FB1fOtY4Vd8yqLaUvolg
rWotD Episode 3018: Durham University Oriental Museum Welcome to random Wiki of the Day, your journey through Wikipedia's vast and varied content, one random article at a time.The random article for Friday, 8 August 2025, is Durham University Oriental Museum.The Oriental Museum, formerly the Gulbenkian Museum of Oriental Art and Archaeology, is a museum of the University of Durham in England. The museum has a collection of more than 23,500 Chinese, Egyptian, Korean, Indian, Japanese and other far east and Asian artefacts. The museum was founded due to the need to house an increasing collection of Oriental artefacts used by the School of Oriental Studies, that were previously housed around the university. The museum's Chinese and Egyptian collections were 'designated' by the Museums, Libraries and Archives Council (MLA), now the Arts Council England as being of "national and international importance".This recording reflects the Wikipedia text as of 01:09 UTC on Friday, 8 August 2025.For the full current version of the article, see Durham University Oriental Museum on Wikipedia.This podcast uses content from Wikipedia under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License.Visit our archives at wikioftheday.com and subscribe to stay updated on new episodes.Follow us on Mastodon at @wikioftheday@masto.ai.Also check out Curmudgeon's Corner, a current events podcast.Until next time, I'm neural Kendra.
Natalie is joined by Edith Hall and Nikita Gill to tell the stories of the Nine Earthly Muses, the most admired Greek women poets. They are Sappho, Myrtis, Corinna, Moero, Anyte, Nossis, Erinna, Praxilla and Telesilla. The idea was that these "divine voices" had been nurtured by the Muses themselves.Sappho's magnificent poetry offers a different perspective from Homer's. Her Helen of Troy feels no guilt at all about leaving her family to be with Paris. The poets provide funny, inventive and unexpected angles: Corinna writes about a contest between two local mountains to see which of them can play the best song on the lyre. The disgruntled loser, Mount Helicon, then rains down boulders like snow in displeasure. Praxilla writes drinking songs using her own meter and rhythms. But their work has been scorned and misunderstood by critics and Natalie wants to redress that.'Rockstar mythologist' Natalie Haynes is the best-selling author of 'Divine Might', 'Stone Blind', and 'A Thousand Ships' as well as a reformed comedian who is a little bit obsessive about Ancient Greek and Rome.Nikita Gill is an Irish-Indian poet whose work offers a shift of perspective which centres women in both Greek and Hindu myth as well as folklore. She has been shortlisted for the Goodreads Choice Award in poetry and the Children's Poetry Award and longlisted for the Jhalak Prize. Her new book is Hekate: The Witch.Edith Hall is Professor of Classics at Durham University, specialising in ancient Greek literature. She has written over thirty books and is a Fellow of the British Academy.Producer...Beth O'Dea
Topics include: How to find suitable journals; how to respond to reviews; the role of journals in acdemic discourse; the policies and politics of journals. Discussants: Silvia Figueirôa is Professor at the University of Campinas, Brazil, and has edited several collective volumes. Joseph D. Martin is Associate Professor at Durham University, UK, chair of the editorial board of Historical Studies in the Natural Sciences, editor-in-chief of Physics in Perspective, and book reviews editor for the British Journal for the History of Science. Doubravka Olšáková is Senior Researcher in History at Charles University in Prague, Czech Republic, and deputy editor of Centaurus. Tiago Saraiva is Full Professor of History at the Drexel University, USA, co-editor of History and Technology and a member of the Cambridge History of Technology editorial team. Recorded on March 27, 2025. For more information visit: https://www.chstm.org/node/78650
Hear from Rowan Douglas CBE, CEO of Climate Risk and Resilience at Howden Group, as we explore the vital role of insurance in the climate transition. When we talk about climate resilience, insurance often flies under the radar. But it's one of the oldest and most powerful tools we have for managing risk: pooling resources, spreading losses, and crucially, sending signals about where risk is growing too great to bear. That's why in this episode, we explore the vital and evolving role of insurance in supporting climate resilience. We discuss: How insurance acts as both a safety net for businesses and communities, and a driver of risk reduction and adaptation; The concept of “insurability,” and what it reveals about our growing exposure to climate risk; and How these dynamics are playing out in the real world, through a case study of climate risks facing Europe's agricultural sector. To find out more about the Sustainability and Climate Risk (SCR®) Certificate, follow this link: https://www.garp.org/scr For more information on climate risk, visit GARP's Global Sustainability and Climate Risk Resource Center: https://www.garp.org/sustainability-climate If you have any questions, thoughts, or feedback regarding this podcast series, we would love to hear from you at: climateriskpodcast@garp.com Links from today's discussion: Ex-CEO of Allianz Investment Management Günther Thallinger - “The math breaks down” quote: https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/climate-risk-insurance-future-capitalism-g%C3%BCnther-thallinger-smw5f/ GARP Natural Catastrophe Modelling Masterclass (for SCR® Certificate Holders): https://www.garp.org/scr/catastrophe-modeling-masterclass The Insurability Imperative: Using Insurance to Navigate the Climate Transition: https://www.howdengroup.com/uk-en/insurability-climate-report-2025 Insurance and Risk Management Tools for Agriculture in the EU: https://www.howdengroupholdings.com/news/eu-agriculture-faces-28-billion-annual-average-loss-from-extreme-weather Video summary of Insurance and Risk Management Tools for Agriculture in the EU report: https://www.fi-compass.eu/videos/interviews/insurance-and-access-finance-farm-resilience-and-adaptation-eu Speaker's Bio Rowan Douglas CBE, CEO Climate Risk and Resilience, Howden Group Prior to joining Howden, Rowan held a number of senior roles at Willis Towers Watson, including as Head of their Climate and Resilience Hub, and also at Willis Re, where he was CEO of Global Analytics. Until recently, he was also Chair of the Operating Committee of the Insurance Development Forum, a role he began in 2015, which focused on driving resilience in communities, business, and public institutions through insurance. Rowan holds a Bachelor's in Geography from Durham University, and an MPhil in Geographical Sciences from the University of Bristol.
Natalie is joined by Professors Islam Issa and Edith Hall to tell the story of the great library of Alexandria. It was included in Alexander the Great's original design for his city, located in the Nile Delta. Alexandria was to be a city of knowledge. The founders of the library were ambitious: they wanted nothing less than to collect all the books in the world. They were willing to pay huge sums, but they were also ruthless and unscrupulous. The Ptolemies would write to fellow rulers and wealthy friends and ask to borrow their priceless texts. Then the library would copy the scrolls, and return the copies. Or alternatively they'd just steal them. Handily, papyrus, the principal reading material of the era, grew in great abundance around Alexandria. So there was plenty of it for those copies. Less fortunately, it's extremely flammable. So in 48 BCE, when Julius Caesar's besieged army set fire to ships in the harbour in order to block the invading fleet, the fire spread and destroyed a significant part of the library.'Rockstar mythologist' Natalie Haynes is the best-selling author of 'Divine Might', 'Stone Blind', and 'A Thousand Ships' as well as a reformed comedian who is a little bit obsessive about Ancient Greek and Rome.Islam Issa is Professor of Literature and History at Birmingham City University. His book 'Alexandria, the City that Changed the World' is the Winner of the Runciman Award and The Times, Sunday Times, TLS, Booklist, Epoch Times and Waterstones Book of the Year.Edith Hall is Professor of Classics at Durham University, specialising in ancient Greek literature. She has written over thirty books and is a Fellow of the British Academy.Producer...Mary Ward-Lowery
Matt chats with Prof. David Wilkinson about his new book How Does God Act in the World? Science, Miracle, and Mission. This episode centers around a discussion regarding the various models of the universe, such as: Newtonian physics, quantum theory, etc. But how does science -- specifically, physics -- relate to biblical hermeneutics and theology? That's a good questions, and the answer is: More than one might imagine!Link to David's book: https://wipfandstock.com/9798385208838/how-does-god-act-in-the-world/ Bio: David Wilkinson is Professor of Theology and Religion and Director of Equipping Christian Leadership in an Age of Science based at St John's College, Durham University. He is author of several books on science and religion and a regular contributor to BBC Radio 4's Thought for the Day.+++Support the The Bible (Unmuted) via Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/TheBibleUnmutedRead Matt's blog: matthewhalsted.substack.comDon't forget to subscribe to The Bible (Unmuted)!
Natalie is joined by Professors Islam Issa and Edith Hall to tell the story of the ancient city of Alexandria. Located on the Nile Delta, this spectacular and highly innovative city was founded by Alexander the Great around two and half thousand years ago. And like all great ideas, it came to him in a dream.'Rockstar mythologist' Natalie Haynes is the best-selling author of 'Divine Might', 'Stone Blind', and 'A Thousand Ships' as well as a reformed comedian who is a little bit obsessive about Ancient Greek and Rome. Islam Issa is Professor of Literature and History at Birmingham City University. His book 'Alexandria, the City that Changed the World' is the Winner of the Runciman Award and The Times, Sunday Times, TLS, Booklist, Epoch Times and Waterstones Book of the Year.Edith Hall is Professor of Classics at Durham University, specialising in ancient Greek literature. She has written over thirty books and is a Fellow of the British Academy.Producer...Mary Ward-Lowery
Scientific Sense ® by Gill Eapen: Prof. Simon Hogg is Emeritus Professor of Engineering at Durham University in the UK. His Research Interests include Power generation, turbomachinery, and Wind power Please subscribe to this channel:https://www.youtube.com/c/ScientificSense?sub_confirmation=1
Eight babies have been born in the UK using genetic material from three people to prevent devastating and often fatal conditions. The method, pioneered by UK scientists, combines the egg and sperm from a mum and dad with a second egg from a donor woman. The technique has been legal in the UK for a decade but this is the first proof it is leading to children born free of incurable mitochondrial disease, which is normally passed from mother to child. Anita Rani is joined by Kat Kitto who has two daughters, one of whom has mitochondrial disease, and Louise Hyslop, consultant embryologist at the Newcastle Fertility Centre, to tell us more. Hit ITV crime drama Karen Pirie returns to our screens for a second series this weekend, based on the Val McDermid series of novels about a young Scottish detective. Anita is joined in the studio by showrunner, screenwriter and actor Emer Kenny to talk about bringing a new cold case to life for Karen to solve, juggling series two with a newborn, and how she's managed to combine acting and writing since landing her first big role as Zsa Zsa Carter in EastEnders at the age of 20.A Government review found that porn involving non-fatal strangulation was "rife" and its prevalence online was contributing to choking, filtering into some people's sex lives - particularly among young people. Last month it was announced that choking will be criminalised in an amendment to the Crime and Policing Bill. To discuss, Anita was joined by Professor Clare McGlynn, Professor of Law at Durham University who contributed to the review, and Dr Jane Meyrick, Associate Professor of Health Psychology at the University of the West of England, who specialises in sexual health and sexual violence. This week, throughout our series on women and gaming, we've heard about the influence that games can have in society. We've spoken to women working in the industry, and found out more about the impact gaming can have on women, but we can't shy away from the fact that there are still barriers stopping women from accessing games. Anita is joined by to Marie-Claire Isaaman, CEO of Women in Games, Nick Toole, CEO of Ukie, and Stephanie Ijoma, gamer and founder of NNESAGA, to discuss what still needs to change and how the industry can improve. Presenter: Anita Rani Producer: Corinna Jones
Childhood is a special time, a strange time. Children are adored and catered to—they're given their own menus and bedrooms. They're considered delicate and precious, and so we cushion them from every imaginable risk. Kids are encouraged to play, of course—but very often it's under the watchful eye of anxious adults. This anyway is how childhood looks in much of the United States today. But is this they way childhood looks everywhere? Is this the way human childhoods have always been? My guests today are Dr. Dorsa Amir and Dr. Sheina Lew-Levy. Dorsa is an Assistant Professor of Psychology & Neuroscience at Duke University, where she runs the Mind and Culture Lab. Sheina is an Associate Professor of Psychology at Durham University in the UK, where she co-directs the Forager Child Studies research group. Both Sheina and Dorsa have spent much of their careers thinking about how childhoods differ across cultures—and why. In this conversation, I talk with Dorsa and Sheina about their fieldwork with indigenous groups in Ecuador and the Congo, respectively. We discuss the different ways that childhood differs in these places—for instance, in terms of parents' attitudes toward risk, in terms of the social structures and activities in which kids are embedded, and in terms of the freedom that children are granted. We discuss developmental psychology's "WEIRD problem." We talk about about the quasi-autonomous cultures that children create among themselves—sometimes called "peer cultures"—and discuss how these kid-driven cultures end up shaping and benefit the larger community. Along the way, we touch on adult supremacy, adverse childhood experiences, walking the forest and climbing papaya trees, parenting norms, ding dong ditch and "nananabooboo", the pioneering work of the folklorists Iona and Peter Opie, teaching, toys, and the enduring question of what childhood is for. Alright friends, lots to think about here. On to my conversation with Sheina Lew-Levy and Dorsa Amir. Enjoy! A transcript of this episode will be posted soon. Notes and links 9:30 – For an overview of work on how culture shapes motor development, see here. 11:00 – The paper by Dr. Lew-Levy's and a colleague about “walking the forest.” 16:00 – Dr. Amir's TedX talk, ‘How the Industrial Revolution Changed Childhood.' 17:30 – For some of Dr. Amir's work on risk across cultures, see here. 35:00 – For a recent paper by Dr. Lew-Levy and colleagues about the evolution of childhood, see here. 39:00 – The popular article by Ann Gibbons, ‘The Birth of Childhood.' 41:00 – For the idea of the “patriarch hypothesis,” see here. 42:00 – For more on the “WEIRD problem” in developmental psychology, see here. 48:00 – A paper by Dr. Lew-Levy and colleagues about toys in hunter-gatherer groups. For more on the material culture of childhood, see our earlier episode with Michelle Langley. 52:00 – A recent paper by Dr. Lew-Levy on the prevalence of “child-to-child” teaching. 56:00 – A paper by Dr. Amir and a colleague about the concept of “adverse childhood experiences” in cross-cultural perspective. 1:04:00 – The paper by Dr. Amir and Dr. Lew-Levy on “peer cultures” and children as agents of cultural adaptation. 1:08:00 – For more on the idea of children as the "research and development" wing of the species, see our earlier episode with Alison Gopnik. 1:10:00 – For more on the Opies, see here. 1:13:00 – For the work of (past guest) Olivier Morin on children's culture, see here. 1:23:00 – For the paper by Dr. Camilla Morelli, ‘The River Echoes with Laughter,' see here. Recommendations The Lore and Language of Children, by Iona and Peter Opie The Gardener and the Carpenter, by Alison Gopnik The Anthropology of Childhood, by David Lancy Intimate Fathers, by Barry Hewlett Many Minds is a project of the Diverse Intelligences Summer Institute, which is made possible by a generous grant from the John Templeton Foundation to Indiana University. The show is hosted and produced by Kensy Cooperrider, with help from Assistant Producer Urte Laukaityte and with creative support from DISI Directors Erica Cartmill and Jacob Foster. Our artwork is by Ben Oldroyd. Our transcripts are created by Sarah Dopierala. Subscribe to Many Minds on Apple, Stitcher, Spotify, Pocket Casts, Google Play, or wherever you listen to podcasts. You can also now subscribe to the Many Minds newsletter here! We welcome your comments, questions, and suggestions. Feel free to email us at: manymindspodcast@gmail.com. For updates about the show, visit our website or follow us on Twitter (@ManyMindsPod) or Bluesky (@manymindspod.bsky.social).
If you felt like Coldplay's music became less bold over the years, it's not just A Rush of Blood to the Head - you may be right! Durham University's Nick Collins spoke to Corin Dann.
This week's guest, Thuy-vy Nguyen, PhD, is one of the world's leading researchers on solitude, and an associate professor at Durham University's dedicated research lab, Solitude Lab. Her interest is in ‘ordinary, everyday life solitude', the kind you're more likely to find in the corner of a cafe than on a 10-day silent meditation retreat. It's solitude in moderation – or what we on this podcast like to call alonement.This episode is an edifying exploration of the latest in solitude research, from how the experience of being alone affects our mental state to the pros and cons of labelling yourself an introvert/extrovert. We also talk about solitude skills, and how almost anyone can get better at it – no matter how much they hate it to begin with.You can find out more about Thuy-vy's brilliant work on the Solitude Lab website. Meanwhile, stay in touch with me on Instagram @chezspecter and on Substack – francescaspecter.substack.com Referenced in the show:Solitude: Seeking Wisdom in Extremes - A Year Alone in the Patagonia Wilderness by Robert KullSolitude: In Pursuit of a Singular Life in a Crowded World by Michael HarrisSolitude Skills and the Private Self – Research paper authored by Virginia ThomasA Room of One's Own by Virginia Woolf Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Freddie Sayers, Editor-in-Chief of UnHerd, interviews Dr Fiona Hill, renowned Russia expert and former Senior Director for European and Russian Affairs in the first Trump administration (2017–2019). A senior fellow at the Brookings Institution and Chancellor of Durham University, Dr Hill has advised three U.S. presidents (including George W. Bush and Barack Obama) on foreign policy, and recently guided UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer, authoring the UK Strategic Defence Review 2025, shaping UK defence policy and supporting NATO's increased spending commitments.Dr Hill analyses the ‘12-day war' between Israel and Iran in June 2025, ended by U.S. airstrikes on Iranian nuclear facilities, resulting in a fragile ceasefire. She explores the risks of increasing global nuclear proliferation and the defence ties among China, Russia, Iran, and North Korea, and debates NATO's 2025 Hague Summit pledge to raise defence spending to 5% of GDP and Western military preparedness against these threats.Dr Hill and Freddie Sayers examine whether foreign policy is turning more hawkish and realist, ask whether today's volatile world of hybrid warfare and global instability brings us closer to World War III. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
In this episode: Crusader Criminals - the knights who went rogue in the Holy Land, with Dr Steve Tibble, honorary research associate at Royal Holloway, University of London; the forgotten history of the occult, with Raphael Cormack, Assistant Professor of Modern Languages at Durham University; and how Ireland's sea connections brought new ideas, technologies and cultures to this land, with Geraldine Stout, archaeologist.
In conversations around Christian faith and sexuality, especially in the U.S., it can feel like everyone's expected to pick a “side.” But it's not the same—or at least the same lines being drawn—in other places.In this episode, we talked with Aogu Fujihashi and Kaz Okaya about their experiences in the Japanese Christian context, where the conversation around LGBTQ+ identity looks a bit different. We talk about how a culture of conformity impacts same-sex marriage ideas in Japan, how American evangelicals influence Japanese churches, and the quiet struggles many queer Christians face in some church communities. Join us for a thoughtful look at what gets lost—or gained—in translation, on faith and sexuality, in Japan.—Note: This episode uses the terms “Side A” and “Side B” (and X, Y) as shorthand quite a bit. If you're new to the conversation, you might find it helpful to check out episode #3, where we talk through the four “sides”: #3 - A-B-Y-X | 4 Sides on SSA/Gay Sexuality—About Our GuestsAogu Fujihashi is a gay Japanese Christian who served on staff with YWAM from 2020 to 2025, after volunteering with them in the 2011 tsunami relief efforts. He focuses on helping the Japanese church have healthier conversations about LGBTQ+ issues. Aogu helped edit the Japanese translation of Two Views on Homosexuality and wrote the foreword for Wesley Hill's Washed and Waiting. He's passionate about creating spaces where people can experience God's love and live whole lives. He can be found on Instagram at @aogufuji.Kazusa Okaya is a straight Japanese Christian, translator, and PhD student at Durham University. He translated Washed and Waiting and Andrew Marin's Love Is an Orientation into Japanese and contributed to Two Views on Homosexuality. Kaz formerly served as an IFES (International Fellowship of Evangelical Students) staff worker in Japan (KGK - “Kirisutosha Gakusei Kai", which means “Fellowship of Christian Students”). As a former staff pastor in student ministry, Kaz has been a thoughtful voice in ongoing conversations about faith and sexuality in the Japanese church. He participates in conversations on faith and sexuality at Dream Party dialogue.—★ Timestamps(00:00) #65 - Aogu Fujihashi and Kaz Okaya, Japanese Christians on Faith and Sexuality Convos (06:09) When the Japanese Christian bookstore has zero books on LGBTQ (17:31) Challenges of translating: "Christians who wish to be faithful..." (31:20) "Japan is the only G7 country that hasn't legalized same-sex marriage" (41:26) What is an "evangelical" in Japan? (44:21) How do Christians talk about being gay in Japan? Borrow US categories? (57:17) Japanese Christians "coming out", but rarely to a pastor (01:00:43) Kinship beyond marriage in Japan... is mainly outside the church (gang brotherhoods?) (01:08:16) We hope to keep dialogue open between progressive/conservative Christians (01:13:12) Who do we choose to dialogue with? When does it cause harm?—★ Links and ReferencesThe Bible study for LGBTQ+ and same-sex attracted people that Aogu facilitates meets every other week in Shinjuku, Tokyo. Follow on Instagram: @shinjukubaisutaAogu Fujihashi has an occasionally updated blog at https://aogufujihashi.wordpress.com/Kaz has an article in Christianity Today: Japanese Evangelicalism Was Once Nationalistic (May 2025)—★ Send us feedback, questions, comments, and support!Email: communionandshalom@gmail.com | Instagram: @newkinship | Substack: @newkinship | Patreon: @newkinship This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit newkinship.substack.com
Stephen Ridley comes from a small village in South Yorkshire, England, with a population of just 40 people. He began playing the piano at the tender age of two. Following the death of his father when he was a teenager, his family was plunged into deep poverty, a circumstance that profoundly shaped his drive. Despite these challenges, he excelled academically, graduating from Durham University with a triple first-class honors degree in Philosophy, Politics, and Economics. This led to a prestigious and financially rewarding job at a world-renowned investment bank. However, the security of his banking career came at a great personal cost, leaving him feeling numb and miserable. In a defining moment of clarity, he walked out of his job for good. Just 30 minutes later, he bought a £100 piano from a thrift store, pulled it onto a London street, and began to play. The spontaneous performance drew smiling crowds, and for the first time in years, he felt a sense of joy and purpose. This single act of rebellion launched an incredible international music career. Ridley went from playing on the street to performing in over 60 countries. His unique journey has seen him play for world leaders, at exclusive events like the Monaco Grand Prix, and alongside A-list artists on superyachts and in palaces. He has also shared his music in children's hospitals, orphanages, and shanty towns, and performed at the largest outdoor concert in Uzbekistan's history. Beyond his live performances, Stephen is passionate about making music accessible to everyone. He founded an online piano academy to help students worldwide experience the power and joy of music. Translating his passion into a thriving enterprise, his courses have generated over $60 million in sales, empowering countless others to find their own connection to the piano. For More Info: https://RidleyAcademy.com https://instagram.com/stephenridley/
Dr. Glenn Packiam is a pastor, author and practical theologian who currently serves as the lead pastor of Rockharbor Church in Costa Mesa, California. He earned a PhD from Durham University, is an ordained priest with the Anglican Church of North America, and is the author of several books, including The Resilient Pastor, Blessed Broken Given, and the recently released: “What's a Christian Anyway? Finding our Way in an Age of Confusion and Corruption,” which forms the topic of our conversation. Join the Theology in the Raw community for as little as $5/month to get access to premium content at patreon.com/theologyintheraw Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Listen to this episode commercial free at https://angryplanetpod.comPalantir, Anduril and a suite of other Tolkien-inspired tech nightmares want to integrate artificial intelligence into every aspect of the U.S. military. Both companies have software suites they're pitching as agents that will help make command decisions during combat. An AI general, if you will.Yes, that's a terrible idea.On this episode of Angry Planet, Cameron Hunter and Bleddyn Bowen will tell us why. Hunter is a researcher at the University of Copenhagen and Bowen is a professor of Astropolitics at Durham University. They've just written a paper that skewers the idea that AI will ever be able to make command decisions.The narrow definition of AIThe folly of the AI generalThe games AI can't win“Targeting things is a command decision”The IDF's use of Microsoft's use of AI systems“The enemy gets a vote”Killing more doesn't mean winning moreAmerican military as a “glass tank”Matthew gets lost in a rant“They don't even have an animal's intelligence”The very real military uses of AIWe'll never have a model of an AI major-general: Artificial Intelligence, command decisions, and kitsch visions of warPalantir's pitchPalmer Luckey on 60 MinutesScientists Explain Why Trump's $175 Billion Golden Dome Is a FantasyOpenAI Employees Say Firm's Chief Scientist Has Been Making Strange Spiritual ClaimsEastern Europe Wants to Build a ‘Drone Wall' to Keep Out RussiaHow Palantir Is Using AI in UkraineSupport this show http://supporter.acast.com/warcollege. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Philip Goff is a professor of philosophy at Durham University. His main research focus is consciousness, but he is interested in many questions about the nature of reality. He is most known for defending panpsychism, the view that consciousness is a fundamental and ubiquitous feature of the physical world. He is the author of Galileo's Error: Foundations for a New Science of Consciousness and Why? The Purpose of the Universe.This episode is brought to you by:Our Place's Titanium Always Pan® Pro using nonstick technology that's coating-free and made without PFAS, otherwise known as “Forever Chemicals”: https://fromourplace.com/tim (Get 10% off today!)AG1 all-in-one nutritional supplement: https://DrinkAG1.com/Tim (1-year supply of Vitamin D (and 5 free AG1 travel packs) with your first subscription purchase.)Helix Sleep premium mattresses: https://HelixSleep.com/Tim (Between 20% and 27% off all mattress orders and two free pillows)See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.