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 […]
Is Europe developing Ukraine war fatigue?
Volodymyr Zelensky is fighting a war on several fronts. Russia is ramping up its missile attacks with almost nightly bombardment of Ukrainian cities. A blockade of Ukraine’s Black Sea ports is choking its grain exports with a devastating effect on its agricultural economy. Now, just this week, the Ukrainian president has had to sack a […]
What if we stopped treating social care like a service? A small village community in Yorkshire showed me another way
Members of the Esk Valley Community baking bread. Esk Valley Community Within an hour of arriving in Botton, a small, picturesque village in the UK’s North Yorkshire moors, I was standing in a farm field shovelling hay. Alongside me were my friend Max*, his father, a co-worker named Richard, two volunteers and several learning-disabled residents […]
Does timing matter when you take supplements? Here’s what the evidence says
everydayplus/Shutterstock Supplement shelves can give the impression that almost everyone needs something. Yet for generally healthy adults, a review of 84 studies found that routine vitamin and mineral supplements offered little or no protection against cardiovascular disease, cancer or early death. Taking a supplement without a clear reason may also cause harm. High doses of […]
Aliens at 40: from wearable cameras to exoskeletons, here are the technologies the film predicted
Director James Cameron’s acclaimed sci-fi movie Aliens turns 40 in August. It’s a sequel to Ridley Scott’s claustrophobic breakout hit Alien, made in 1979. Where the original featured one terrifying creature, Cameron’s movie features hundreds – and pits them against a squad of space marines. A host of intriguing technologies make an appearance, including interstellar […]
Five fiction books that will help you understand Ukraine
Ukrainian literature offers a rich way into the country’s history, culture and identity. As more Ukrainian works become available in English translation, readers have an expanding range of voices and perspectives to discover. But where to begin? Here are five books to help get you started. These five books take readers through time and across […]