Posts in "Societal"

Did you eat breakfast this morning, or skip this meal to rush to work, or to sleep longer? If you don’t eat breakfast, is it because you don’t feel hungry and can’t face food first thing?

If you prefer to hit the snooze button for a longer sleep, or choose…

After Glasgow in 2021, the focus of global attention on international climate change negotiations has moved on to Sharm-el-Sheikh as Egypt takes on the presidency of the UN’s Climate Change Convention for COP27. The University of Aberdeen is represented at COP27 by a team of five staff and students, who…

I’ve been researching the ethics of farming animals for fifteen years now. That convinced me some time ago that industrial animal agriculture is highly problematic for farmed animals, as well as for human welfare and the climate and biodiversity crises. But details about the systemic cruelty current farming practice…

Dr David Watts, a Social scientist and historian based in the Rowett Institute, explores the story of the man behind the name of the Institute and how his generous gift a century ago has supported ground-breaking nutritional research for 100 years.   

Although most accounts date the founding of the…

In Scotland a consultation on Statutory School Uniform Guidance opened in May 2022 and closes on 14th October 2022. There is currently no national guidance on school uniform in Scotland. This was highlighted in a briefing in November 2020. There are five questions to answer in the online consultation and below suggestions on what to…

The food we eat affects not only our own health but that of our planet. Production and consumption patterns today are having a detrimental impact on the environment, threatening food security in many countries. The food system is said to be responsible for about 20-30% of global greenhouse gas emissions.

The University of Aberdeen was founded on the principle of being open to all, and this ethos remains as true today as it did at the time of its foundation in 1495.

We have a long-standing commitment to widening access to higher education. Our goal is to create an outstanding…

Have you ever bought something from Amazon? Used Google maps to get to your favourite restaurant? Watched a movie Netflix recommended? If so, you have interacted with Artificial Intelligence (AI).  Yes, that’s right. AI isn’t just robots and lousy chatbots.  

Simply put, AI is a ‘technology that exhibits human-like…

Professor Donald Hislop, from the University of Aberdeen Business School, and Dr. Luciana Blaha, from Heriot-Watt University, write about their research which has investigated how people interact with chatbots, and the many questions that still need to be answered if the use of this embryonic technology is to become widespread.

Addicted to Wordle? Professor Nir Oren, Director of Research at the School of Natural and Computing Sciences, has a formula that provides the answer to the question we are all asking: ‘What is the best word to start with?’

Wordle has intrigued and frustrated millions around the world. Articles…