Science

This week’s science picture

Our regular science column

This week’s science picture

With Euro 2016 in full swing there is no better time to explore the science of football. Why are some players such as Cristiano Ronaldo naturally gifted whereas others need to work hard in nurturing their skill? Dr. Manning, at the University of Liverpool, published research that suggests football skills may be genetic. The ring to index finger ratio might hold the genetic key. Plyometric training targeting muscle and the nerve fibres controlling it is required to enhance skill, because it enables footballers to switch between concentric contractions that shorten muscles and eccentric contractions that lengthen and hold them under tension. Science is also involved when it comes to scoring goals. Bernoulli’s principle and the Magnus enable a ball with the right amount of power and spin to pass the wall of defenders as it slows into laminar flow before reaching the goal keeper.

Read more

An interview with the Imperial student hunger striking for Palestine

News

An interview with the Imperial student hunger striking for Palestine

This interview has been edited for length and clarity.  On Tuesday 10th June, Imperial Action for Palestine, and Imperial Friends of Palestine, two of the groups protesting the actions of Israel in Gaza, posted an announcement that a student had begun a hunger strike following a meeting with Imperial’s

By Mohammad Majlisi
New data on Imperial professors’ salaries reveals gender and faculty differences

News

New data on Imperial professors’ salaries reveals gender and faculty differences

A recent Freedom of Information request has revealed the highest professorial salaries endowed by Imperial are mostly attributed to males and Business School professors. Beyond the outsized numbers of male professors, gender discrepancies in earnings stood out. While the salary distribution for professors of both genders is comparable for pay

By Guillaume Felix