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This article is part of The Conversation’s “Business Basics” series where we ask experts to discuss key concepts in business, economics and finance.

Plankton — tiny organisms that are present in salt and freshwater — account for about half of the photosynthesis on the planet. But what scientists have assumed for many years to be plant plankton (phytoplankton) may actually be voracious predators.

When teaching British political history, I usually stress two points. First, the British Conservative Party have been among the most successful office-seeking parties in electoral history. Second, British Labour struggles mightily to obtain power. Both throw into relief the earth-shattering nature of this landslide win for Keir Starmer’s Labour party.

A Labour landslide brings an influx of new MPs – and the potential for a seismic shift in the House of Commons. New MPs are likely to aspire for change in the Commons, an unequal environment that has seen numerous scandals and an attack on the expected standards of the…

The Conservative Party, which was finally pronounced dead from multiple unnatural causes on July 5 2024, was born in 1832. It was the product of an alliance between the Tory party (established in the 1680s) and members of the rival Whig party. Both wanted to defend the existing political and…

Democracies are no better than other forms of government at avoiding catastrophic mistakes. But they are much more effective at rectifying them. While the 2024 British general election might have seemed a long time coming, as the country meandered from one failure to the next, the utter scale of defeat…

All prime ministers bring their own personality and approach to the job. Each has a different style of leadership, which can shape how things work and what gets done. Herbert Asquith famously summed it up when he said being prime minister is all about “what the holder chooses and is…

Ukraine’s troops remain frustrated at delays in getting fresh supplies of arms and ammunition, according to reports from the frontline. It’s been several months since the US and the EU signed off on their massive aid packages to Kyiv, yet the bulk of the weapons have yet to find their…

Seagrass, a marine plant that flowers underwater, has lots of environmental benefits – from storing carbon to preventing coastal erosion. This 3D habitat is often a haven for wildlife but, with so many seagrass restoration projects now happening globally, success can be hard to quantify.