InTuition

By Connie Chandler Global warming is one of the biggest threats to currently face our planet. Each decade since the 1980s has been warmer than all preceding decades on record with a global average temperature 0.61(±0.05) °C higher in the 2010s than the 1961-1998 average (Osborn & Jones, 2020). 2016 holds the record for the hottest year on record with a global average temperature 0.94 °C higher than the 20th century average of 13.9 °C (NOAA, 2017). 2020 only narrowly missed out the record by having an average temperature 0.02 °C cooler than that of 2016 (Thompson, 2020).  An increase in global temperature by less than one degree may not sound like a huge change, but it takes a huge amount of heat energy to heat up all the oceans, atmospheres and land by this much. For perspective, in the 17th century, global average temperatures were between 1 and 2°C colder than the period between 1951-1980 and this caused the ‘Little Ice Age’. During this time ice was extremely prevalent in th...

By Sophie Hopkins in Collaboration with the UEA Bloody Good Society Endometriosis UK defines endometriosis as a ‘condition where cells similar to the ones in the lining of the womb (uterus) are found elsewhere in the body.’ More simply, this means that these cells build up, then break down and bleed like the cells within the uterus do. The blood from these cells has nowhere to go, unlike the uterine cells that leave the body during a period, and it can be incredibly painful, causing inflammation and sometimes even the formation of scar tissue. It often causes heavy and painful periods. Affecting 1 in 10 women in the United Kingdom, 1.5 million women are currently living with endometriosis. Its side effects include fatigue, infertility, and bladder and bowel problems. Endometriosis can affect all women and girls that experience a menstrual cycle regardless of race or ethnicity. The impact can be felt for life. I spoke to a student, Maisie*, from the University of Cambridge about her exp...

 KF- Writer and Chief Editor In a year quite unlike any other, InTuition is turning 2! I would like to thank all of our writers and readers for continuing to support us- without you we could not continue. Since our first birthday a lot has changed. We've had many new writers, even a new Editor, had a couple of facelifts and found our new style. We've introduced our YouTube Channel , launched InTuition Revisited and we've begun our first collaborative article series with a university society.  We've split the blog into two main themes, starting a Wider Interest section to go alongside our classic  Academic content. We've added new categories like Society , Health , Natural World and University to better accommodate the amazing range of articles we publish.  We're excited to see what the future holds, but for now here's a look at some of our favourite articles from our second year: Drag: Theatrical Queer Performance Against Marginalisation in the Eighteen...

By Emma Fosker-  UEA Bloody Good Society collaboration Many of us may have heard of polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) whether that be on the front of one of many leaflets on the wall at the GP surgery (the front being as much as you have ever read) or from one of those posts on Facebook, with an image of a ribbon, raising awareness for yet another disease you have barely heard of. However, few of us may know what PCOS actually is.  What is it? In short PCOS is a condition affecting how the ovaries work due to abnormal hormone levels. It is a very common condition affecting as many as 1 in 10 women, although not everyone shows symptoms therefore some women do not even know they have it. For the women that do show symptoms possible symptoms include irregular or no periods, acne, weight gain, excessive hair growth on the body, thinning of hair on the head and difficulty getting pregnant. Different women experience different severity of symptoms meaning everyone has an individual e...

KF- Writer and Content Editor Depression is a word that has skyrocketed into familiarity over the last decade. While this widespread issue can take many forms in different people and is slowly, ever so cautiously starting to gather the recognition it deserves, there are still plenty of misconceptions about depression.  I often hear it said (particularly by the older generation) that such things simply did not exist back in the golden age of their memories. These people often say similar things about autism or dyslexia, speaking with an edge of suspicion as though these conditions simply manifested into existence the day the first millennial was born. To this argument, I find myself frequently reminding that we also used to believe that certain children were ‘born sickly’- whatever that catch-all term is supposed to mean?  It wasn’t for centuries later that we became aware of congenital heart conditions, growth malformations in utero or the plethora of other things we are now a...

By Annabel Purdy- UEA Bloody Good Society collaboration When you think of single use plastics, what comes to mind? Plastic straws, cups, toothbrushes and water bottles, most likely. The discourse surrounding environmentalism seems to routinely ignore menstrual waste as an issue, despite it being a largely contributive factor in the polluting of our planet.  It’s time we address it. The History of Plastic in Menstrual Products The original method for collecting menstrual blood was to use miscellaneous objects such as cloths and rags, which had to be washed and dried publicly. To remedy this, Earle Haas invented the first tampon in 1933. However, Haas, alongside many doctors and members of the public at the time, became “squeamish” at the thought of menstruators having to touch their genitals when inserting a tampon, and potentially experiencing sexual pleasure as a result.  Plagued with this distressing image, the plastic applicator was created in 1973, to ensure that menstruat...

By Niamh Brook Body Image. The dreaded conversation. I'm so glad to see that slowly but surely we are discussing and opening up about how not everything we see both online and in the media is always what it seems. I do, however, feel like there aren't that many personal discussions on body image and how to come out of the other side, so here's mine. Grab a cuppa and get ready for a bumpy ride.  My issues surrounding my body image started at around 10 years old. For context, I looked like this:  Also, please note the addition of bucked teeth and a severe lazy eye (which I still have to this day) which are not featured in this picture. When I look back at this picture obviously I cringe, as we all do when we look at old photos. But when I find myself looking back at this photo, I'm not horrified- I actually think I look quite sweet. The girl in the picture however, would definitely not agree.  Children all over the world, both male and female, are exposed at a young age t...

By Cameron Jones So, this isn’t the usual post that is somehow related to economics, this is a bit personal to me. On the 13 th of February 2020 I was diagnosed with a Grade 3 Anaplastic Astrocytoma: a brain tumour. What followed was 7 weeks of radiotherapy, chemotherapy, and intensive physical therapy, followed by double-dose chemo lasting up until November. Needless to say, I have not had the best 2020 out there, and this has been a rubbish year for all of us (rubbish year is putting it mildly).  Yet, through it all, I have learnt some valuable lessons that I thought could be of some use to you, the reader, to apply in everyday life. This is not a self help book or anything like that, you can choose to ignore it, but just have a read through and see what you think. The Value of Relationships Firstly, the true meaning of relationships and how they can really be a crutch for you when you are feeling at your lowest. To start off with, my every relationship became about the brain tu...

By Jonny Griffiths What do landlords actually do? Nothing.  Thanks for reading. Ok-ok-ok-ok I’ll explain why I think that, and if you disagree with me why not have a read! Hello and welcome to CommieRant™. I’m sure you don’t need me to explain what a landlord is to you but for the sake of this article having some sense of flow I’m going to do it briefly anyway. Landlords own houses and rent them out to people. Landlords are also responsible for maintenance and work performed on the property. Easy, landlords provide housing to people! Right? That’s a good thing! Wrong! You sweet summer child. Landlords do not provide housing. Landlords own housing. They did not build it, the housing would still exist and someone would still choose to live there even if the landlord didn’t own it.   “But renting is much cheaper than buying a house outright! People can’t afford houses!” You are right, renting is much more affordable for most people. However, it is making the problem worse, not be...