The Conversation

Hundreds of ISIS militants are rumored to be disillusioned. Handout/ReutersBy John Horgan, University of Massachusetts Lowell“Feet first”. That’s how one terrorist leader told recruits was the only way out. It makes sense. Allowing members to just walk away wouldn’t be good for the group’s image.

Well, maybe it's not quite this electrifying, but the  electrochemical cell prototype is pretty cool. Florian F.  (Flowtography)/Flickr, CC BY-NC-NDBy Tessa Evans, The Conversation

When all your appliances are internet-enabled, whose hands are holding the remote control? Hands image/ ShutterstockBy Temitope Oluwafemi, University of Washington

An Ochre starfish, in healthier times. Amanda Bates, Author providedBy Amanda Bates, University of SouthamptonWe live in a time when our climate is warming more rapidly than ever before. Rising temperature and associated changes in weather are driving shifts in the distributions of species on Earth. Some are thriving in these new climate conditions and have even moved into new regions that were historically inhospitable. One concern for us humans is how harmful species – diseases or pests – are responding to a changing climate.

By Sue Thomas, Bournemouth UniversityLooking over the landscape I could see an old tree standing frozen and seemingly dead, its branches coated with icy rime. Around it, mossy grass and small rocks lay beneath a coating of snow and in the distance glistening waterfalls tumbled down the sides of whitened mountains. It looked like the wilds of Ireland in wintertime, but the view existed only in my phone. My task, using a handheld biosensor called PIP, was to bring summer to this deeply cold outdoor scene by the powers of mental relaxation.

Oh, no, wait – it's the 21st century! Carl GuderianBy Camilla Nelson, University of Notre Dame AustraliaIt’s official: men are better writers than women. The news came as something of a shock to a hardened feminist such as myself, but a quick survey of prescribed and suggested texts set for senior English in most Australian states demonstrates this is a fact routinely taught to teenagers in school.

Dr. Fletcher (J.K. Simmons) and Andrew (Miles Teller) in WhiplashBy Lauren Rosewarne, University of MelbourneA decade of piano lessons with a woman who never allowed my lack of passion, prowess or practice ruin a good thing, exists as a mere red herring. A good woman, a sane woman, but even ten years with her wasn’t enough to ameliorate the (mis)education I got from music classes in primary school.

Where it begins. NatureBy Andy Tattersall, University of SheffieldDirty Harry once said, “Opinions are like assholes; everybody has one”. Now that the Internet has made it easier than ever to share an unsolicited opinion, traditional methods of academic review are beginning to show their age.We can now leave a public comment on just about anything – including the news, politics, YouTube videos, this article and even the meal we just ate. These comments can sometimes help consumers make more informed choices. In return, companies gain feedback on their products.

A new America? Warner Bros. PicturesBy Peter Bloom, The Open University"Interstellar" has been praised for its attempt to make the “hard science” of astrophysics both accessible and exciting to a popular audience. Through cutting-edge special effects, it takes audiences on a journey through space and time. It does so by drawing on groundbreaking scientific theories involving relativity, wormholes, black holes and the power of gravity.

You're twice as likely to chat about vaping than you were in 2013. Tibanna79By Robbie Love, Lancaster UniversitySelfies were so 2013. But vaping’s in: Oxford Dictionaries have announced vape as its international Word of the Year 2014. The runners up are bae, budtender, contactless, indyref, normcore and slacktivism.

E-cigarettes should not be sold in Australia, as a therapy or a consumer product. gdvcom/ShutterstockBy Ross MacKenzie; Benjamin Hawkins, London School of Hygiene&Tropical Medicine, and Thomas Novotny, San Diego State University

Jimi Hendrix is a member of the so-called 27 Club. A very exclusive club, as it turns out. EPA/Eduardo MirandaBy Dianna Kenny, University of SydneyI refuse to join any club that would have me as a member. – Groucho MarxNow he’s gone and joined that stupid club. I told him not to … – Kurt Cobain’s mother upon hearing of the death of her sonWhat do Otis Redding, Gram Parsons, Nick Drake, Jimmy McCulloch, James Ramey (aka Baby Huey), Bryan Osper, and Jon Guthrie have in common?