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Heather Widdows

John Ferguson Professor of Global Ethics, University of Birmingham

Heather Widdows is a leading international researcher across applied ethics. In 2005 she was awarded a visiting fellowship at Harvard University, where she worked on issues of moral neo-colonialism. She has led a number of funded projects on issues of property in the body; reproductive rights; human tissue; war on terror and ownership and governance of the genome. Her primary project is on the moral philosophy of beauty and she holds a Leverhulme Major Research Fellowship (two years from Oct 2014) to complete her book Perfect Me! (under contract with Princeton University Press).

Currently Heather serves as a member of the Nuffield Council on Bioethics and is also on the REF Philosophy Sub-Panel. Previously she was a member of UK Biobank Ethics and Governance Council (2007 to 2013) and co-lead 'Saving Humans' one of the two inagural themes of the University of Birmingham's Institute of Advanced Studies.

New year, new you? Why we think a better body will be a better self

Jan 02, 2020 18:08 pm UTC| Health

Is a better body a better self? Is a perfect body our best self? In the visual culture we inhabit we increasingly believe that a better body will lead to a better life, one where we are happier, have a better job, a better...

How the duty to be beautiful is making young girls feel like failures

Jun 23, 2017 18:03 pm UTC| Life Insights & Views

From the daily application of high-tech lotions and potions to non-surgical procedures such as botox, fillers and peels, the beauty industry is booming like never before. With more products and treatments available...

Economy

Jackson Hole Symposium Focuses on Financial Innovation Amidst Inflation Concerns

Today, August 27, 2026, the annual Jackson Hole Economic Policy Symposium opens in Wyoming with a focus on Financial Innovation: Implications for Payments and Policy. The conference will explore key topics including...

Asian Currencies Mixed as Dollar Holds Firm Ahead of Jackson Hole

Asian currencies traded mixed on Thursday as the U.S. dollar hovered near a one-week high, supported by hotter-than-expected U.S. inflation data that kept expectations of another Federal Reserve interest rate hike alive....

US Stocks Finish Flat as Inflation Data, Nvidia Earnings Keep Investors Cautious

U.S. stocks ended Wednesday largely flat as investors digested July inflation data and remained cautious ahead of Nvidias highly anticipated quarterly earnings. The SP 500 closed unchanged at 7,677.00, while the Nasdaq...

Japan Firms Ramp Up Yen Hedging as Currency Weakness Persists

Japanese companies are increasingly turning to currency hedging as persistent yen weakness drives up import costs and creates uncertainty for businesses dependent on overseas goods. Taku Ueno, CEO of Takara MC, which...

Oil Prices Fall as Middle East Ceasefire Hopes Rise

Oil prices declined on Wednesday, extending their weekly losses as signs of diplomatic progress in the Middle East raised hopes that hostilities could ease and the Strait of Hormuz could gradually reopen to commercial...

Politics

U.S. Probes Apex Logistics Over Nvidia AI Chip Shipments to China

The U.S. government is investigating Singapore-based Apex Logistics over allegations that the freight company helped transport Nvidia AI chips and computer systems to China despite U.S. export restrictions, Bloomberg...

Pentagon Eyes U.S. Troop Cuts in Europe Amid NATO Review

A Pentagon review of U.S. military deployments in Europe is expected to produce at least four options for Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth by November 6, as Washington considers potentially reducing its troop presence across...

Judge Rejects Minnesota Bid to Force ICE Agent Extradition

A federal judge has rejected Minnesotas attempt to force Texas Governor Greg Abbott to immediately extradite a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer accused of shooting a Venezuelan man during a major...

U.S. Disrupts China-Linked Hacking Campaign Targeting Government Agencies

The United States has disrupted a China-linked cyber operation accused of targeting sensitive government agencies, including the Justice Department, NASA, Federal Reserve and U.S. Senate, authorities said Wednesday. The...

34 Australians Missing After Deadly Nepal Floods

At least 34 Australians are missing after catastrophic floods struck Nepal and parts of Chinas Tibet, Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong said Thursday, as rescue teams struggle to assess the full scale of the Himalayan...

Science

Blue Origin New Glenn Explosion Could Delay Launch Operations Until 2028

Blue Origin is facing a significant setback after a dramatic explosion involving its New Glenn rocket severely damaged a launch pad at Cape Canaveral, Florida. According to NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman, repairs to the...

Blue Origin New Glenn Rocket Explodes During Launch Pad Test, Delaying Space Ambitions

Blue Origin suffered a major setback after its uncrewed New Glenn rocket exploded during a launch pad test in Florida on Thursday, raising new challenges for Jeff Bezos space company as it competes with Elon Musks SpaceX...

SpaceX Delays Starship V3 Launch Ahead of Potential Record IPO

SpaceX on Thursday postponed the highly anticipated launch of its 12th Starship rocket test from Texas after technical issues interrupted the final countdown. The company now plans to attempt the Starship V3 launch again...

Trump Administration Releases New UFO Files and Apollo Mission Records

The U.S. Defense Department has released dozens of previously classified UFO-related files following an order from President Donald Trump, sparking renewed debate over unidentified anomalous phenomena (UAP) and government...

China vs. NASA: The New Moon Race and What's at Stake by 2030

The space race is back and this time, its a direct competition between the United States and China for dominance on the lunar surface. NASAs Artemis II mission recently made history when four astronauts flew farther into...

Technology

OpenAI AI Agent Swarm Behind Hugging Face Hack

A swarm of roughly 700 AI agents developed by OpenAI carried out a July breach of open-source AI platform Hugging Face, with some agents attempting to conceal their actions, according to reports released Wednesday. The...

Meta Agrees to $18 Billion Settlement, Tightens Teen Social Media Rules

Meta Platforms has agreed to pay up to $18 billion over the next decade and impose stricter protections for teenagers using Facebook and Instagram, settling claims from nearly all U.S. states that its platforms were...

Nvidia Revenue Soars 106% as AI Demand Hits ‘Inflection Point’

Nvidia reported stronger-than-expected quarterly earnings on Wednesday as booming demand for artificial intelligence hardware pushed revenue up 106% from a year earlier, prompting CEO Jensen Huang to declare that AI has...

Salesforce Shares Surge as AI Demand Powers Q2 Earnings Beat

Salesforce Inc. (NYSE: CRM) delivered stronger-than-expected second-quarter fiscal 2027 results, fueled by rapid growth in artificial intelligence products, improved profitability and rising customer demand. Salesforce...

HP Stock Drops 9% Despite Q3 Earnings Beat and Raised 2026 Outlook

HP Inc. (NYSE: HPQ) delivered stronger-than-expected fiscal third-quarter results, supported by robust Personal Systems sales and tariff refunds. However, HP stock fell more than 9% in after-hours trading Wednesday as...