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Friday, December 12, 2025
TopicThe Conversation

Topic: The Conversation

Why Spotify Wrapped is genius marketing—it’s connected to fundamental human needs

Spotify Wrapped works because it nails the balance between competing human needs—the desire to belong and the desire to stand out.

How gut microbes impact sleep quality

A recent study suggested that concentration of peptidoglycan seems to increase in periods of sleep deprivation. This is a sign that the gut microbiota might play a role in sleep quality.

How treating a tooth infection can help manage your blood sugar

A tooth infection might seem like a relatively minor health issue, but its effects can reach far beyond the mouth.

Keir Starmer’s new political paranoia. What’s behind it

Since Brexit, the paranoid style has become normalised in Britain. A country once famed for its stability and broadly balanced civic culture is now dominated by a paranoid culture.

‘Our land is not for sale.’ Indigenous peoples finally have a voice at COP30

Indigenous lands deliver the world’s most effective responses to the climate crisis, from curbing deforestation to storing carbon. Yet they remain without formal recognition.

Why a drop in air pollution is warming northern oceans

Cleaner air benefits human health, but it also reveals the full force of greenhouse-gas warming, which has historically been 'masked' by the cooling effect of particulate pollution.

When chatbot sycophancy meets human loneliness—welcome to AI-induced psychosis

Chatbots simulate sociality without its safeguards. They are designed to promote engagement. When we type in our beliefs and narratives, they take them as the way things are.

Cummins’ injury will hurt Australia in the Ashes. His influence goes beyond bowling

The challenge deepened before the Ashes when star fast bowler Josh Hazlewood and Sean Abbott left a Sheffield Shield match with hamstring concerns.

For Iraqi people, voting no longer feels like participation. It’s just performance

The 2025 election reveals a crisis deeper than disillusionment. Iraq’s problem is the internalised belief that nothing will ever change. Psychologists call this state ‘learned helplessness’.

Why Artemis III mission is causing tensions between NASA and SpaceX

With a major US election every two years, Nasa’s direction hasn’t been stable enough to manage long-term planning. It's hard to see problems easing with the US Artemis lunar programme.

On Camera

Faiz Hameed conviction is a message from Munir. He won’t tolerate sympathy for Imran Khan

The political trajectory is clear. Asim Munir is now prepared to convict and sentence Imran Khan for instigating a rebellion against the army chief, with no possibility of mercy.

NITI Aayog flags what India needs for its ‘$30 tn by 2047’ goal—‘a developed corporate bond market’

Report looks at imbalance between equity & corporate bond markets amid India’s growth ambitions and diverse capital needs, while outlining strategy to unlock full potential.

US clears $686-mn package to breathe fresh life into Pakistani F-16s

Of the total package, $649 million will be utilised for additional hardware, software, and support services, and the remaining for Major Defence Equipment (MDE).

Asim Munir & Pakistan’s Failed Marshal Doctrine

None of Pakistan’s PMs has lasted 5 years. That the current PM has given Asim Munir 5 years shows that of all military dictatorships history has seen, Pakistan’s is most creative.