51³Ô¹Ï

Gary Day writes on David Attenborough versus God, Lord of the Flies Mark 2, and newspaper survival

By forcing academics to do R&D for industry, ministers stifle the type of curiosity-driven work that delivers the biggest bangs

Kevin Fong welcomes Obama's promise to restore the importance of science

Many academics have lived the migrant experience ¨C heading into the unknown, feeling the chill of xenophobia and the vagaries of state power but also finding rewards. Tara Brabazon considers the personal and professional costs and benefits

London Met has taken on the difficult job of widening access - it deserves support and backing in this tumultuous climate

A market-dominated culture fails to sustain social mobility, writes Alan Ryan

A tradition of dissent and self-rule among heretics and rebels makes Cambridge successful, says Ross Anderson

For his PhD, Daniel Bennett had built a unique set of faecal samples from a rare lizard. When it was destroyed, he really hit bottom

Gary Day wonders whether gratuitous cussing and killing are the keys to our evolutionary triumph

Although we might like to think it, music never causes social change. However, an intelligent multimedia reissue of a classic live recording reminds us that it can bear witness to society, writes Tara Brabazon

Darwin¡¯s insights have cast fresh light on staff meetings, writes Gloria Monday

International students may be called plagiarists because of flawed thinking and naive use of software, says Niall Hayes

To support excellent work however it is done, new AHRC fellowships will be more flexible than the leave scheme, says Shearer West

An exploration of the credit crunch offers little consolation to those battling it, writes Gary Day

Academics and students alike can gain by breaking with old thinking and moving beyond the traditional assessment methods

Hard work, creativity and luck are keys to accomplishment, says Tim Birkhead

It is important to recognise the original spark behind failures to stick to scholarly protocols, says Tara Brabazon

Gary Day contemplates poverty, teenage pregnancy, the lives of elephants and unusual butchery

The increasing use of English in higher education across Europe could cost the UK a vital competitive advantage

Privilege clings to wealth as mores change, says Felipe Fern¨¢ndez-Armesto

Both the academy and society will benefit if pockets of excellence identified by the RAE are funded, says Alice Hynes

The West believes China to be immutable and inscrutable, but in truth we are much more alike than we are different, says Peter Brady

Close and unobtrusive observations can reveal more to the open-minded researcher than focus groups and surveys, says Tara Brabazon

Duncan Wu takes a British view of Obama Day

The role of the corporate capitalist machine in the election of America¡¯s first black President does not promise a more ¡®liberal¡¯ society, but other forces unleashed in the campaign just might, says Mike Cole

Preparing graduates for work does not mean abandoning the ideal of a liberal higher education, argues Eddie Blass

Sally Hunt says the UCU will do what it takes to get an equitable pay agreement with employers, if only they will come round and talk

Outrageous fortune runs through the worlds of darts, particle physics and Dad's Army, learns Gary Day

Keeping faith in the academy's core missions of research and education is the best way to serve students, society and the sector

Sally Feldman urges partnerships with both Israel's and Palestine's academies

Technology can facilitate scholarship, particularly when it is intuitive and user-friendly, argues Tara Brabazon

An overseas applicant¡¯s woefully illiterate proposal on the feminine wiles of Olivia Cromwell nearly leads to civil war in the department. Gloria Monday rallies her fellow academics.

The passing of American singer, guitarist, songwriter and civil-rights activist Odetta reminds us of the power of music and the relevance of history, says Tara Brabazon

Insults toasting on an open flame test Kevin Fong's post-Christmas spirit

In a turbulent year, says Bill Wakeham, academic unions should join forces with institutions to survive the downturn

Soran Reader, a moral philosopher facing the prospect of losing her life, memory or thought, is outraged that the law bars living wills

Reincarnation is a theme of Gary Day's viewing over the new year, from former lives to world religions

Post-RAE, Bahram Bekhradnia calls for a renewed commitment to base public policy on evidence, not administrative convenience

It is not only academics who are snapped up by rival employers, but Jon Baldwin says strong organisations survive

Jonathan Adams says that even close scrutiny of the intriguing 2008 data gives no firm answers about who's better and who's best

Gary Day on the Time Lord's festive caper, Wallace and Gromit's latest escapade and the Nativity

The struggle for economic recovery will present the sector with opportunities - it must seize them and put them to good use

Alan Ryan declares "Bah, Humbug!" to resolutions for university funding

Managers have gone to work on the RAE figures, and now Gloria Monday does not know if her university has gone up, down or nowhere at all. But she knows she¡¯s unlikely to be any better off

The standard critical and academic response to the film Australia from the likes of Germaine Greer miss the point about the artificiality of cinema and the use of sentiment as style, argues Tara Brabazon

Gary Day finds a Santa lookalike in Egypt, bigotry in Kansas, sublime jazz and rapidly melting Arctic ice

Gary Day on life after the Army, teenagers and technology, lost childhoods and 90 years of the RAF

Tara Brabazon argues that popularising serious ideas enlightens no one

RAE 2008 has proved that UK universities are dominant on the world stage, but the proportion of staff submitted is still an issue

Journals want 'no ifs and buts' research, but Tim Birkhead wants honesty

Sheep have moved on since the nativity, says Frank Burnet as he ruminates on the ruminants with star quality to spare

By exerting steady upward pressure on quality, the RAE gave the UK much to celebrate and the world much to envy, says David Eastwood

Gloria Monday wonders about the dean¡¯s motives in choosing the evening of the RAE results day for his annual Christmas party

At a time when writing on technology and the future is banal, Tara Brabazon discovers a new source of trenchant critical commentary

John Ashworth wonders whether Cara's 75th anniversary is really a cause for celebration or a reason for reflection