Classical music lovers can be as fanatical as Swifties – just read their letters
Composer and conducted Leonard Bernstein had a lot of ardent fans. Wikimedia/Canva There is nothing unusual about fans wanting to express their enthusiasm for the celebrities they adore. But there are always a few who take their devotion to unexpected extremes. The musician Taylor Swift received a turtle shell with her face painted on it. […]
‘Tree of justice’ protest: how Vietnamese youth are mobilising online to hold the powerful to account
Trees in some Vietnam streets are currently the site of protest. Andy.vietnam/Shutterstock A fatal car crash and a censored rap album, seemingly unrelated and a year apart, have sparked what could be the largest revolt of Vietnam’s youth in living memory. Over the past ten days, millions have mobilised around the death of an 18-year-old […]
The world’s biggest trees could hold the secret to coping with drought
Chui Wui Jing/Shutterstock Rising more than 70 metres above the rainforest canopy, a giant skyscraper of a tropical tree can seem almost invincible. Some have survived centuries of storms, droughts and competition. Large trees face a formidable engineering challenge, lifting water tens of metres from the soil to leaves high above the forest floor. A […]
Lymphatic walking: the social media trend explained
Any type of walking is good for you. Peopleimages/Shutterstock.com Walking is having a wellness makeover on social media. The latest trend, “lymphatic walking”, involves swinging your arms more, maintaining an upright posture and taking deeper breaths while you walk. These actions are said to help move lymph around the body. Its followers claim it can […]
Why the probe into Nigel Farage’s finances didn’t hurt him at the ballot box
Nigel Farage is the latest in a long line of politicians to face questions about his financial affairs. Despite this, the Reform UK leader comfortably avoided a binning by his constituents in the Clacton byelection – albeit in the absence of the main parties. This is perhaps unsurprising. The allegations against Farage include the claim […]
What three female figures in the Bayeux tapestry reveal about medieval women
The Bayeux tapestry is one of the most famous pieces of material culture produced in medieval England. The tapestry is fundamentally important for our understanding of the Norman conquest, telling us what happened and how it was remembered. The embroidery was most probably made by a group of English women, who were famed for their […]
‘The Sun was dark and its darkness lasted for 18 months’ – what we can learn from worst volcanic eruptions in history
Eruption of Vesuvius by Pierre Jacques Volaire in 1771. Europe was plunged into darkness and suffered from intense crop failures and famines in the years AD536 and AD1258, after massive volcanic eruptions. When many people think of volcanic eruptions, they envisage deadly lava flows and suffocating ash fall. The fate of the inhabitants of Pompeii […]
After a wildfire Britain’s moors and heaths can be green again within weeks – but the real recovery takes much longer
Wildfires that have swept across Britain’s upland moors and lowland heaths in unprecedented tinder-dry conditions have left behind expanses of smoking, blackened vegetation. Once the smoke has cleared, what is recovery going to look like? How long before the first green shoots of recovery will emerge? Remarkably, the answer to the latter question may be […]
We put cottage cheese through an evidence check – and the health claims didn’t stack up
New Africa/ Shutterstock Cottage cheese is having a moment. It’s being added to dips, mixed into batters and even used in pizza and brownies. It’s touted as a high-protein food that can help build muscle and lose fat. But the research supporting these benefits is not quite as abundant as the number of viral cottage […]
Football ticket crackdowns and price hikes are excluding traditional fans
Football fans have traditionally followed the same team as previous generations. Drazen Zigic / Shutterstock The new season of the English Premier League is almost ready to kick off, and with it another annual cycle of the national game. Each August brings hope and expectation for supporters with an opportunity to start anew. But, rather […]