Aug 13, 2022Earth Will Not BurnOver 10,000 years ago, Earth went through a monumental, global climate shift. Entire species were wiped out, continent borders were redrawn, and the world changed forever. Prehistoric human civilisations were split, stranded on different sides of oceans that hadn’t existed before. It was the most recent Ice Age. …Climate Change4 min readClimate Change4 min read
Apr 5, 2022How Words and Numbers Are the SameThis article originally featured in U-Lingua Magazine, a quarterly publication all about language and linguistics that’s run entirely by students. Amongst certain subfields of Linguistics exists the tendency to rely upon tools or methods developed within mathematics for linguistic analyses. This style can be traced back to the work of…Mathematics5 min readMathematics5 min read
Mar 2, 2022Russia and Ukraine: The West’s Lacklustre ResponseOn September 3rd, 1939, Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain gave a momentous radio address to the British public. With a sombre but upright cadence, and the air of a man shouldering the responsibility of failing to maintain peace, Chamberlain announced Britain’s declaration of war against Germany for their invasion of Poland. …Russia6 min readRussia6 min read
Jan 4, 2022The Philosophical Value of Big DataLinguistics departments across the world have a secret. Somewhere in their buildings — perhaps in a basement, a disused teaching room, or an old office — they keep confidential equipment. You may have seen such areas yourself. Perhaps you noticed a suspicious ‘DO NOT ENTER’ sign, spotted boarded-up windows, or…Data Science9 min readData Science9 min read
Oct 1, 2021Is Human Language Unique?Lots of people have pets. More have at least interacted with animals at some point. They are ubiquitous in our lives in many ways — as livestock, as companions, and as cohabitants of the Earth. Children grow up memorising species’ names, enthralled by the abundant ecological variety offered by the…Language7 min readLanguage7 min read
Sep 20, 2021Is Britain Running Out of Food?The U.K. is facing a silent crisis: our supply chain is haemorrhaging. Lorry drivers are becoming harder to recruit. Deliveries are failing to arrive to supermarkets on time. Shelves are being left empty. While some people, like Scotland’s First Minister Nicola Sturgeon, are blaming Brexit, the Government has pointed to…Politics5 min readPolitics5 min read
Aug 15, 2021Where Darkness Can GoLook into yourself. Examine the characteristics you assume to compose who you are. What do you see inside? Do you see optimism? Do you see shame? Perhaps there is nothing palpable you can make out. Perhaps it’s more of a feeling; of contentment, or disgust, or embarrassment. I’m sure you…Philosophy5 min readPhilosophy5 min read
Aug 3, 2021The Problem with Quantum Computers (and What Google’s Doing About It)Picture yourself in a supermarket. On your shopping trip, you walk along aisles to search for items, taking the ones you desire off shelves, and placing them in your basket. Once you have everything you need, you head for the checkout, where, ordinarily, somebody scans all your items’ barcodes. The…Science4 min readScience4 min read
Jul 1, 2021What Words MeanWhen I write or speak or gesture something to you, how do you know what it means? How is it that I am able to act, with my hands or mouth or body, in a way that encodes some significance that you are able to grasp and interpret and understand…Philosophy12 min readPhilosophy12 min read
Sep 14, 2020We Could Talk To AliensWhat’s really out there? Are we alone in the universe? Do aliens exist? I gamble that no person ever to live has not thought at least once of these questions. In our lifetimes, who hasn’t looked up at the stars and wondered ‘what’s up there?’. Many still must have imagined…Philosophy11 min readPhilosophy11 min read
