Man convicted of causing his wife’s suicide – why this is a landmark moment for abuse victims
tonkid/shutterstock Kimberly Milne was 28 when she climbed over the barrier of a motorway bridge and jumped to her death. That night, witnesses saw her cowering from her husband, Lee Milne, in a retail park in Dundee, as he trapped her against a wall. CCTV footage showed her trying to get away while he shouted, […]
Could dark matter be made of black holes from a different universe?
A simulation of the ‘cosmic web’, the vast network of threads and filaments that extends throughout the Universe. Dark matter density is represented by the blue-purple colours on the left. Gas density is represented by the orange-red colours on the right. Esa New research suggests that relic black holes from before the big bang may […]
Viktor Orbán’s election loss shows the limits of his propaganda machine
Hungarian voters have overwhelmingly rejected the 16-year rule of authoritarian strongman Viktor Orbán, electing his one-time political ally, Péter Magyar, to replace him. Magyar’s Tisza party has secured a two-thirds majority in parliament and therefore a supermajority. This will allow the new government to roll back some of the illiberal measures introduced Orbán governments over […]
Jane Austen in pictures: two graphic biographies bring the novelist’s life to the page
To coincide with the 250th anniversary of her birth, last year saw the publication of two graphic biographies of Jane Austen. These books take different approaches to the novelist’s life. The Novel Life of Jane Austen: A Graphic Biography, by Janine Barchas and Isabel Greenberg, is a slim volume in a cartoony style that begins […]
‘Protected’ seagrass meadows aren’t necessarily healthy – because pollution doesn’t stop at the shoreline
_Zostera marina_ or common eelgrass is a type of seagrass. Ben Jones / Ocean Image Bank, CC BY-NC-ND I spent last summer wading through seagrass meadows across Northern Ireland, from the sheltered waters of Strangford Lough to the exposed coast at Waterfoot Bay. I was collecting seagrass leaves and testing them for nitrogen pollution. Every […]
What is the chance of a message in a bottle being found?
Jenny Sturm/Shutterstock Recently, a cheerful 100-year-old message in a bottle was found on the south-west coast of Australia. In it, a world war one soldier proclaimed to be “as happy as Larry”. If you’re a betting person, you probably wouldn’t expect great odds of this happening. A bottle cast into the ocean could end up […]
Gamblers don’t understand ‘free bets’ – and the costs can be huge
Gorodenkoff/Shutterstock “Welcome bonus: get 150% up to £150 on your first deposit”. It’s the kind of offer that greets anyone who visits a British online betting site. What it doesn’t say is that if you decide to spend £50 on this offer, you’d need to stake an additional £750 of your own money before any […]
Video game nostalgia is powerful – but it only works if developers understand the psychology behind it
Nostalgia is a powerful emotion for gamers. Gorodenkoff/Shutterstock When thinking back to the gaming experiences of your youth, it’s easy to get misty-eyed. Depending on your generation, you might yearn for Dizzy on the Commodore 64, marathon GoldenEye sessions with friends or your first Minecraft world. And games publishers know this. Recognising the nostalgic appeal […]
Catwalk: The Art of the Fashion Show reveals a spectacular 125 years of runway history
Fashion shows can often feel exclusive, reserved for the very rich, the very famous or the very well-connected. This perception has been aided by depictions of the catwalk in film and TV – think The Devil Wears Prada, Zoolander, Absolutely Fabulous – which simply confirm the widely held view of fashion as synonymous with artifice […]
It’s right under your nose – why some people can’t find things in plain sight
Andrey_Popov/Shutterstock.com Many households will recognise this familiar exchange. One person insists an object simply isn’t there: impossible to find despite what they describe as a thorough and highly competent search. Another walks in, glances briefly at the same spot and points to it almost immediately. “It’s right under your nose!” This frustrating (for both sides) […]