King Charles III coronation: what the controversy over an ancient stone tells us about historical symbols in the modern age: The coronation of King Charles III will see history play out in the modern age. From the venue of Westminster Abbey to the coronation oath, the symbolism is steeped in centuries of tradition. One symbol, …
When England had a Spanish king – and what that tells us about Camilla’s title: Philip II portrait by Titian Wikimedia Commons As the coronation of King Charles III and Queen Camilla approaches, interest in the new queen’s title has grown – especially after the coronation invitations dropped the word “consort”, traditionally used to identify …
What King Charles III’s coronation quiche tells us about the history of British dining: King Charles III and Queen Camilla have announced a quiche as the official coronation dish. Devised by a Buckingham Palace chef, the idea is that people will cook it at home, as part of a Coronation Big Lunch, a nationwide and …
Child sexual abuse: what the data tells us about perpetrators and victims: Amir Bajric/Shutterstock The government has announced plans to make it a crime not to report child abuse. As part of this, the prime minister, Rishi Sunak, has vowed to “stamp out” grooming gangs who perpetuate child exploitation. Ending child sexual abuse is of …
Can Jeremy Corbyn go it alone in Islington North? What the evidence tells us: Labour leader Keir Starmer’s decision to block his predecessor Jeremy Corbyn from standing as a candidate for his party in the next election creates a dilemma. Corbyn, who has been the member of parliament for London’s Islington North since 1983 needs …
Is democracy on the ballot in west Africa? What the latest data tells us: An armed soldier at a polling station during the counting of votes in March 2018 in Freetown. Issouf Sanogo/AFP via Getty Images Democracy indices compiled by respected organisations have suggested that around the world, there’s an increase in authoritarianism or democratic …
AI will soon become impossible for humans to comprehend – the story of neural networks tells us why: Shutterstock/Valentyn640 In 1956, during a year-long trip to London and in his early 20s, the mathematician and theoretical biologist Jack D. Cowan visited Wilfred Taylor and his strange new “learning machine”. On his arrival he was baffled …
Lie detectors: body language tells us surprisingly little about whether someone is being honest: B-D-S Piotr Marcinski/Shutterstock Do you ever wonder if you could pass a lie detection test or imagine what it would be like to read people’s body language? Reading body language may be great for adding tension to action movie interrogation scenes, …
Blue ticks: what evolutionary theory tells us about the turmoil around social media verification: Paid-for verification can disrupt our expectations about the reliability of profiles on social media Shutterstock / Poca Wander Stock “Integrity,” “Professionalism”, “Creativity” — three of many words I used to see around one of the offices I worked in in New …
Over 90% of Rwandans have health insurance – the health minister tells an expert what went right: Xinhua/Cyril Ndegeya via Getty Images In 2015 the United Nations General Assembly adopted universal health coverage as one of the sustainable development goals. The aim of universal health coverage is to ensure that every person and community, irrespective …
Archaeologists have discovered a mummy wrapped in gold – here’s what it tells us about ancient Egyptian beliefs: In January 2023, a group of archaeologists excavating tombs in the ancient necropolis of Saqqara, near Cairo, discovered the mummified remains of a man named Hekashepes, who lived circa 2300BC. Found inside a limestone sarcophagus in a burial …
Long COVID: a range of diets are said to help manage symptoms – here’s what the evidence tells us: Creative Cat Studio/Shutterstock Most people who contract COVID recover within a few weeks. But for some people, symptoms can develop later, or persist for a long time after the initial infection. A recent review of the …
Ukraine war: the bloody battle for Soledar and what it tells us about the future of the conflict: The battle over the eastern Ukrainian town of Soledar has been raging for several days now, with claims and counter-claims about whether Russia now has full control there. As of the evening of January 11, Soledar was …
Spectacular Anglo-Saxon burial uncovered – here’s what it tells us about women in seventh-century England: A village with the Old English name “Filthy Pool” wasn’t an auspicious location to discover one of the most spectacular burials of the Anglo Saxon period. Nevertheless, excavations by the Museum of London Archaeology at Harpole, Northamptonshire, in England’s Midlands, …
The CIA and the new cold war: what history tells us about its influence today – podcast: Powerful politicians in the US once called for the dissolution of the CIA. How relevant is it today? Anelo via Shutterstock This episode of The Conversation’s In Depth Out Loud podcast tells the inside story of the CIA …
US politics: midterm elections have handed Joe Biden a divided Congress – history tells us that’s bad for good government: Contrary to the expectations of many observers, the “red wave” stopped at the House of Representatives and only delivered the Republican Party a small majority. The Senate, though, will remain under Democrat control. So the …
Autumn statement 2022: what Sunak’s first big announcement tells us about how he will lead the country: Understandably, much of the focus on the autumn statement – the plan for the UK’s finances outlined by chancellor Jeremy Hunt on November 17 – is on its economic impact. But all economic policy making has considerable political …
What psychology tells us about the failure of the emergency services at the Manchester Arena bombing: The second stage of the official inquiry into the Manchester Arena bombing in 2017 has produced a harrowing account of what went wrong in the emergency response. The terrorist attack resulted in the deaths of 22 innocent victims. Sir …