The Conversation

Artist's impression of an Earth-sized planet in the Kepler 186 system. But what makes one planet more habitable than another? NASA Ames/SETI Institute/JPL-Caltech

To Tolkien, the machine represents a means to attain power over others. His orcs -- deformed and ugly creatures, whose hands are sometimes replaced with weapons -- embody this lust for power. LOTR WikiaBy Richard Gunderman, Indiana University-Purdue University

Don't mobile payments make more sense? US NavyBy Ethan Zuckerman, Massachusetts Institute of TechnologyApple’s product launches are covered with breathless enthusiasm usually reserved for royal weddings and vaccines for dread diseases. The recent launch of the iPhone6 featured an exciting new technology - ApplePay - which, if widely adopted, will allow Apple’s discerning customers to make electronic payments from their phones in situations where they would have used credit cards or cash.

Okay, but that's not the way to extract it. fabriceh_com, CC BY-NC-SABy Benjamin Burke, University of HullIn the development of new drugs, taking something from nature and modifying it has been a successful tactic employed by medicinal chemists for years. Now, with the help of nanotechnology, researchers are turning once-discarded drug candidates into usable drugs.

The death of a three-year-old child caused by drinking unpasteurized milk late last year invited much commentary about food safety and regulation. But little has been said about the man who gave his name to the process that makes dairy products, and many other foods, safe for mass production: Louis Pasteur (1822-1895).

If we want to maximize creativity, tying cash to creative output is a bad idea. tanakawho/FlickrBy Dan Hunter, Swinburne University of TechnologyImagine you were asked to write a law that encouraged creativity. What would it look like? Whatever your answer, it’s pretty clear that it wouldn’t look like copyright.Which is weird, right? Because copyright is supposed to be the law that spurs creativity. The problem, it turns out, is that the central features of copyright are directly opposed to the things that support creativity.

It's never too late to start balancing the calorie ledger. rangizzzBy Lee Hamilton, University of Stirling

Marcus Aurelius.By Robert S. Colter, University of Wyoming

Have you made your 2015 New Year's Resolutions yet? Toni BlayBy Jayashri Kulkarni, Monash University“I will definitely give up smoking – that’s my New Year’s resolution,” she stated emphatically as she thumped her fist on the table to underline her determination. “All very well”, I thought, as I sat opposite her in my medical consulting room in October.What is it about New Year’s resolutions that we find so compelling?

By David Glance, University of Western AustraliaOne of the characteristic features of Massive Open Online Courses is the observation that no matter how many students enroll in a course, only between 5 to 10% of them will ever complete it. Setting aside the argument of whether this actually means that MOOCs are considerably less “massive” than the name suggests, the interesting question is what is behind this high level of drop-outs and why does it seem so consistent?

They should have stuck to white wine.By Laurence Totelin, Cardiff UniversitySlightly over-indulged in wine this festive season? Suffering from throbbing headache, dry mouth, and nausea after the office Christmas party? The hair of the dog somehow does not appeal? Are you looking for time-tested cures? Fear not: these Greek and Roman remedies to alleviate a hangover or prevent one will come in handy.