Scotland’s future, Scotland’s past, and the perspectives in between

Land is a fundamental part of life on Earth, but the way we interact with it inspires complex conversations across disciplines. Thinkers across the ages have grappled with the question of how we ‘own’ land: how fencing off a section of land and calling it ‘ours’ leads to broad questions of identity, nationalism, and more. … Read more

Combining the sciences to tackle health challenges: UTI diagnosis, social science and SLIC

Urinary tract infections (UTIs) are among the most common infections investigated in clinical settings, affecting more than 404.6 million individuals in 2019. These bacterial infections are usually treated with antibiotics, but a global rise in antimicrobial resistance (AMR) has meant that diagnosing and treating UTIs increasingly requires a high level of specificity, in order to … Read more

Theology for a new conversation: disability and healthcare rationing

What comes to mind when you think of ‘the perfect human?’ Are they athletic, musical, intelligent – or just able-bodied? Whether we realise it or not, the concept of an able-bodied ‘perfect human’ is something that permeates our lives, from daily social interactions to healthcare – having deep-seated effects on how disabled and neurodivergent people … Read more

Lost Detectives no longer: ‘novel’ forms of Russian crime fiction

During the late imperial era of Russian history (1860-1917), crime fiction was a hugely popular literary genre. But with the exception of a couple of famous names, most of these stories’ authors have been forgotten to history – consequentially, copies of their work are available exclusively in Russian, and many have not even been reprinted … Read more

Museums for the people: how do we explore community heritage?

There are many ways to think about heritage. On the global stage, institutions such as UNESCO might understand heritage through national identity and legislation, with World Heritage Sites offering legal protection for locations deemed culturally or naturally significant. However, these understandings of heritage are challenging for smaller communities that lack national recognition, such as Indigenous … Read more