Theresa May in Florence: little room and no view
The British PM finally acknowledged the need for a transition deal, which will play well in Brussels. But her vision for the future continues to amount to vague platitudes.
Academic rigour, journalistic flair
Europe
Theresa May in Florence: what advice would Machiavelli have for Brexit?
Pearls of wisdom for a prince will serve a prime minister, too.
German election: Merkel safe but don’t underestimate the right-wing populists
The chancellor remains strong but right-wing populists are likely to enter parliament on Sunday.
The Angela Merkel model – or how to succeed in German politics
Few thought she'd go the distance when she first came to power. That was more than a decade ago.
Out of work and low on enthusiasm: young Germans are tuning out of politics
A survey of young voters reveals a lack of engagement in politics ahead of the national election.
Analysis and Comment
In defence of great crested newts: why these elusive amphibians are worth the worry
Building work on brownfield sites is often delayed while newts are moved to ponds elsewhere.
This is not a drill: how 1985 disaster taught Mexico to prepare for earthquakes
Earthquake drills, advance warning systems and higher building standards all help to save lives.
Banksy strikes again: Basquiat, graffiti, and the issue of copyright law
Guerilla street artist Banksy has livened up the new Basquiat exhibition in London with some choice murals outside. But is it an homage or infringement?
Tighter sanctions on North Korea could have a harsh humanitarian impact
Are harsher measures to squeeze North Korea's population worth it? Everything we know about sanctions says probably not.
A pay rise for prison officers won’t solve the wider crisis within the justice system
An overhaul of the probation system has left the justice system foundering.
Young people oppose Fitbits in schools
Digital fitness trackers may look cool, but many teenagers don't want them in PE lessons.
Ryanair’s red hot growth may have left its pilots in the cold
Did pride come before the fall for Ireland's budget airline?
Women and war: after Afghanistan, there’s a chance to deploy gender-led approaches to conflict
Successful counterinsurgency depends on winning the hearts and minds of men and women.
Obesity is about much more than an unhealthy lifestyle
But you wouldn't know it to look at a newspaper.
Why a ‘guest worker’ visa system is not the answer for Britain after Brexit
Comparisons with other immigration systems that deny rights to temporary workers raise questions over Britain's post-Brexit future.
British police dealing with mental health is a sticking-plaster solution that doesn’t get to the heart of the problem
Mental healthcare in the UK needs more integrated solutions, not patch-ups.
If Russia gets its war games wrong, Europe could be in big trouble
A round of ominous war games might not be cover for military action, but it could raise tensions to an explosive level.
Q&A: how cities can recover from natural disasters
An expert in post-disaster reconstruction explains what works, and what doesn't, when it comes to rebuilding a city.
Catalonia’s independence referendum: how the disputed vote led to crackdown
The Madrid government is doing everything it can to stop the planned October 1 referendum from happening.
Report from Mexico earthquakes: spotlight falls on politicians in aftermath of latest tragedy
Growing up with the threat of earthquakes, you learn how people can come together in the aftermath.
To me, golliwogs are racist – but a tearoom tangle and a new poll shows Britain disagrees
Some 53% of British people think it's acceptable to display these dolls – and the difference between remainers and leavers is particularly surprising.
Austerity’s enduring appeal has ancient roots in asceticism
Historically, there have been numerous cultural manifestations of austerity that shed light on its enduring appeal.
Dating apps make men unhappy and provide a platform for racism
Are dating apps destroying men's self-esteem?
Margarine vs butter: how what we spread on our toast became a weapon of class war
Margarine has long been mocked as a symbol of poor taste.
Sir Humphry Davy used poetry and theatre to bring science to life
Sir Humphry Davy was the Professor Brian Cox of the 1800s.
Five ways ancient India changed the world – with maths
High school students can blame ancient India for quadratic equations and calculus.
How geopolitics helped create the latest Rohingya crisis
A preoccupied US combined with India, China and Russia protecting their own interests created the perfect conditions for Myanmar to settle its Rohingya issue
Could Snapchat’s biggest selling point now be its downfall?
While every other social media platform seeks to tie users in through content-rich profiles, the transient nature of Snaps means the company needs to find a new hook.
What is a cohabitation agreement and do I need one?
Cohabiting couples can sign an agreement to avoid legal uncertainties in the case of a relationship breakdown.
It may not be possible to slow down fast fashion – so can the industry ever be sustainable?
Our behaviour is far more selfish than we might like to believe.
How Taylor Swift became a femme fatale … with a little help from Sylvia Plath
If Swift's new single is anything to go by, the poet and the former 'pop princess' have an awful lot in common.
Lessons from along the Irish border on north-south relations after Brexit
Since the Good Friday Agreement, political dialogue has opened up along the Irish border.
Native Americans won a vital battle at UN 40 years ago – they need help again
America's indigenous tribes put themselves on the map in 1977. Now they've got Donald Trump to contend with.
Newly discovered hermit crab species lives in ‘walking corals’
Scientists have just discovered an unusual symbiotic relationship between crabs and living corals.
Nothing matters: how the invention of zero helped create modern mathematics
Turning zero from a punctuation mark into a number paved the way for everything from algebra to algorithms.
Before you name your baby, consider this…
The latest UK baby name data is in. But a name is more than just a noun, it can reveal who you are and where you come from.
There are four options for forming a German government next week – here’s how they work
Angela Merkel is on course for victory but she will need to form a coalition, and there's more than one way to make that happen.
Lessons from the Doklam Pass: how little Bhutan faced down China over a border dispute
The world has much to learn from the maturity, restraint and negotiation skills of one small country facing two superpowers
Dark tourism can be voyeuristic and exploitative – or if handled correctly, do a world of good
Northern Ireland has a tourist circuit steeped in death and disaster – is this a good thing?
How Alberto Giacometti’s fragile world view still resonates
The artist's figures are alone and vulnerable.
Long-hidden World War II files offer another way to prosecute war crimes
Why would the US and UK want to suppress the work of a post-war human rights effort?
The end of the world is coming – just not this Saturday
The power of apocalyptic thinking isn't to be underestimated.
Too much information? More than 80% of children have an online presence by the age of two
Parents can cause privacy problems by oversharing their child's pictures online.
Failing medical implants are causing hundreds of thousands of people misery
Here's how we can change the system of approval for new medical implants.
How Greece’s gold mining trouble could derail CETA
Before CETA fully comes into effect, it must be ratified by each EU member state. Greece might have cause to stop it.
Smoking bans are sparking a rise in violence and disorder in UK prisons
Cigarettes are part of the social and economic fabric of prisons.
How the UK can benefit from a free trade future after Brexit – even outside the single market
Too many economists have refused to take seriously the idea that Brexit could economically benefit the UK.
Why Florence is the perfect setting for Theresa May’s big Brexit speech
With such a colourful political past, the British prime minister will be hoping for a show of substance in choosing the Tuscan city.
The Pap smear isn’t used to diagnose cancer – but it could be
The Pap smear test is used for screening for cancer, but it could be repurposed for diagnosing cervical cancer, according to new research.
Britain’s new political tribes need something different from their parties
Labour and the Conservatives need a broader bandwidth to appeal to the modern electorate.
Podcasts
The Anthill
We unearth some of the best and brightest research from the world of academia.
Listen to the podcast
Long reads
A visit to Pyongyang: the Kim dynasty’s homage to Stalinism
As despotic personality cults go, Stalin's example still leads the pack. But North Korea's ruling family have taken it to a new extreme.
Why people believe in conspiracy theories – and how to change their minds
Rational arguments and myth busting often won't help you change the mind of a conspiracy theorist. But there are other ways.
Brexit
What new barriers can EU citizens expect in their daily lives after Brexit?
Britain is likely to become an increasingly hostile environment for European newcomers.
How the UK can benefit from a free trade future after Brexit – even outside the single market
Too many economists have refused to take seriously the idea that Brexit could economically benefit the UK.
Yanis Varoufakis: a progressive Brexit transition can be built – on both sides of the Channel
A clueless Tory government and a degenerate EU bureaucracy are locked in a pointless conflict. There must be something more than this.
Donald Trump
Does poor spelling really mean Donald Trump isn’t fit to be president?
In a language as idiosyncratic as English, linguistic pedantry is futile and misguided.
The anthropology of Trump: what to do when the court jester takes charge
His particular brand of foolery is proving highly effective – and destructive.
Trumpslation: why Donald Trump’s words give translators so much trouble
Donald Trump has put translators and interpreters the world over in an ethical quandary. Sad!
Charlottesville, Donald Trump, and the dark side of American populism
Having stoked white resentment for his own benefit throughout his campaign, Trump is still emboldening it.
Discover
What if Antarctica’s dormant, ice-covered volcanoes wake up?
More than 100 volcanoes lie beneath the continent's ice sheet.
How a baby’s brain prepares for the outside world
Baby's brains have special activity to help them develop – now researchers have found where some of this happens.
A game of drones: why some bees kill their queens
New research shows stingless bees will assassinate their queen if she makes the wrong royal match.
How to build the perfect sandcastle – according to science
There is a direct correlation between the age of the builder, spade size and the speed at which boredom sets in.
Podcast
Research and Expert Database
Editors’ Picks
To me, golliwogs are racist – but a tearoom tangle and a new poll shows Britain disagrees
Some 53% of British people think it's acceptable to display these dolls – and the difference between remainers and leavers is particularly surprising.
Margarine vs butter: how what we spread on our toast became a weapon of class war
Margarine has long been mocked as a symbol of poor taste.
Five ways ancient India changed the world – with maths
High school students can blame ancient India for quadratic equations and calculus.
How Taylor Swift became a femme fatale … with a little help from Sylvia Plath
If Swift's new single is anything to go by, the poet and the former 'pop princess' have an awful lot in common.
Why Rod Stewart’s gay ballad ‘Georgie’ was ahead of its time
Rod Stewart, one of the greatest rock 'n' roll singers, is still current with his new DNCE co-release. What many don't know is 40 years ago he wrote the first pop song to address gay rights.
Our controversial footprint discovery suggests human-like creatures may have roamed Crete nearly 6m years ago
A new study can't rule out the possibility that human ancestors lived on Crete at the same time as they evolved in Africa.
The KLF are back – but are they any closer to answering that burning million pound question?
Was setting fire to all that money immoral waste, ritual sacrifice or artistic statement?
Introducing ‘dark DNA’ – the phenomenon that could change how we think about evolution
Some animals seem to have missing genes – but the reality is a lot more intriguing.
Driverless cars could see humankind sprawl ever further into the countryside
Autonomous vehicles have many benefits, but they may be bad news for nature conservation.
Is Spain really facing a new migration crisis?
The number of people arriving has risen, but is not the highest on record.
Events
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Dragon Hall Debates: Digital democracy or fake news? — University of East Anglia
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How to Deploy Psychometrics Successfully in an Organisation — Cambridge Judge Business School
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Connecting the dots: who pays the cost of networks? — University of East Anglia
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Cambridge Judge Business School Experiene Day — University of Cambridge
How we are different
10 reasons
Most Read past week
- The gig economy is nothing new – it was standard practice in the 18th century
- This map shows what white Europeans associate with race – and it makes for uncomfortable reading
- Five ways ancient India changed the world – with maths
- Why some people have trouble telling left from right (and why it’s so important)
- The end of the world is coming – just not this Saturday
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