Editor - The Deeping

Jun 6, 2025

Prime numbers, the building blocks of mathematics, have fascinated for centuries − now technology is revolutionizing the search for them

Ph. Prime numbers are numbers that are not products of smaller whole numbers. Jeremiah Bartz Jeremiah Bartz, University of North Dakota A shard of smooth bone etched with irregular marks dating back 20,000 years puzzled archaeologists until they noticed something unique – the etchings, lines like tally marks, may have represented prime numbers.

Jun 5, 2025

Airbnb scams: new book explores thriving criminal activity on big tech platforms

Julie Reid, University of South Africa Big tech sharing economy platforms like Airbnb and Uber are marketed as trustworthy, but a new book by a South African media scholar argues that they are highly vulnerable to scammers who spread delusive speech (a form of disinformation, designed to deceive by criminal intent). Julie Reid

Jun 4, 2025

Reform’s threat to the mainstream parties is unique in UK political history

Martin Farr, Newcastle University Labour’s former shadow chancellor John McDonnell has declared that Keir Starmer’s government has driven “a knife into the heart of what I believed Labour stood for” and called for party members, unions and MPs to take back control. The text was McDonnell’s, but the pretext was Nigel Farage. Earlier

Jun 4, 2025

Germany steps up to replace ‘unreliable’ US as guarantor of European security

Stefan Wolff, University of Birmingham Two statements from world leaders this week bear closer examination. On May 27, the US president Donald Trump took to his Truth Social social media channel to proclaim that if it wasn’t for him, “lots of really bad things would have already happened to Russia”. The following day

Jun 3, 2025

Why are the US and Israel not on the same page over how to deal with Iran? Expert Q&A

Scott Lucas, University College Dublin The US president, Donald Trump, claimed on May 28 to have personally stopped Israel from attacking Iran’s nuclear facilities. When asked if he’d intervened during a phone call with the Israeli prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, Trump replied: “Well, I’d like to be honest. Yes, I did … I

Jun 2, 2025

Reclaiming urban spaces: how cities are welcoming nature back

In an industrial quarter outside Buenos Aires, a hummingbird hovers over a vibrant bed of plants and flowers. Two years ago, the area was a stretch of grey streets and factory units. Today, EU-funded researchers are bringing nature to urban Argentina, in a collaboration between European and Latin American cities. The pavements of

May 30, 2025

Navigating growth: researchers use blockchain and AI to reclaim Europe’s inland waterways

The Douro River is one of Portugal’s best-known waterways. It flows through the region that produces the famous port wines, and attracts a growing number of tourists each year. That brings economic benefits, but also problems. “Passenger ships are becoming more popular as tourists discover the area,” said Filipe Martins from APDL, the

May 29, 2025

Funding terror: how west Africa’s deadly jihadists get the money they need to survive

Egodi Uchendu, University of Nigeria and Muhammed Sani Dangusau, Federal University Lokoja The west Africa–Sahel region has seen a proliferation of militant Islamist groups since the 1990s. One of the most vicious groups operating in the region is Jama’at Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin (Support Group for Islam and Muslims). The militant group emerged in

May 29, 2025

US gun trafficking to Mexico: Independent gun shops supply the most dangerous weapons

Ph. A gun shop display includes a variety of assault-style rifles. AP Photo/Andrew Selsky Sean Campbell, The Conversation and Topher L. McDougal, University of San Diego A gunsmith from a rural town, a former Marine, and half a dozen others were under investigation in San Antonio, Texas, starting in the summer of 2018

May 28, 2025

UK and EU sign new trade, fishing and defence deal – what do economists think?

Maria Garcia, University of Bath; Conor O’Kane, Bournemouth University; Kamran Mahroof, University of Bradford; Mausam Budhathoki, University of Stirling, and Phil Tomlinson, University of Bath The UK and EU have announced a range of historic and wide-ranging new agreements touching on trade, defence and borders. Since the 2016 Brexit vote, COVID and conflict

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