Behind the Paper
The real stories behind the latest research papers, from conception to publication, the highs and the lows
Filtered by: Social Sciences
‘Person-Centred Process’: Why perceptions of fair process matter in social care
No one can receive state funded social care in England without first going through a needs assessment. Sitting at the centre of the social care system, needs assessments shape how an adult’s needs are understood, how wellbeing is defined, and what outcomes people are ultimately supported to achieve.
When a borehole becomes a stress sensor
Can a simple borehole deformation replace costly hydrofracturing tests? Our study shows that ovalization measurements may predict in-situ stresses in soft rocks with surprising accuracy, offering a faster and more affordable alternative for underground engineering.
From Crystal to Collapse
How a rare transparent gypsum turned a small Roman city into a mining powerhouse and how a simple technological shift made the entire industry collapse. Segóbriga’s lapis specularis reveals how geology can build economies and innovation can erase them.
How to distinguish a good socialist country from a bad one
Measuring biased representation on the world
Forecasting the Unforeseen: How a "Black Box" Failure Revealed the Inequality Crisis in Global Water Security
Traditional water scarcity models often treat inequality as a byproduct rather than a driver. By moving from a "black box" approach to interpretable machine learning, we discovered that technological efficiency alone cannot save us—in fact, without equity, it may make the water crisis worse.
Advancing Mental Health Research for Global Well-Being
Mental health is a cornerstone of human flourishing, social cohesion, and sustainable development. Yet, for millions of people mental health quality of life remains underexplored. The work shared here reflects a commitment to strengthening mental health quality of life research.
