By Alex Brown, Associate Professor of Medieval History, Durham University
The Uprising, a medieval drama directed by Paul Greengrass and starring Andrew Garfield, is set to hit cinemas this autumn. The film draws its inspiration from the Peasants’ Revolt of 1381 in England.
The studio’s synopsis presents the uprising as a “rebellion against the tyranny of King Richard II”, with Garfield leading “an army of the people to face the king’s might in a fight for justice and survival”. Yet medieval…
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By Akhil Bhardwaj, Associate Professor (Strategy and Organisation), School of Management, University of Bath
Don’t believe the hype about AI taking over all forms of work. Most of the evidence to date suggests large-scale job losses are limited. But what is changing is the way work is organised.
One area of increased…
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By Katharine Short, Archives and Special Collections Manager, De Montfort University
Carolyn Hardaker, Head of School of Design Innovation, De Montfort University
Rhodes donated her archive to De Monfort University, where it is being used to engage and inspire upcoming fashion designers.
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By Fay Bound-Alberti, Professor in Modern History and UKRI Future Leaders Fellow, King's College London
The tragic death of Jason Arday has provoked strong feelings across academia and beyond. The former University of Cambridge professor was found dead nine days after resigning from his post amid allegations of plagiarism and doubts over his life story. At the time of his resignation, he issued a statement saying: “I no longer wish to feel as though I am living under a constant spotlight, where every aspect of my life is subject to public examination and judgement.”
Debate has continued with the publication…
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By Sarah Ward, Lecturer in Education, Mental Health and Wellbeing, Edge Hill University
Trauma-informed approaches have become increasingly prominent within education policy and guidance, although the term is not always explicitly used.
Trauma-informed practice is the recognition and understanding that trauma – an event, series of events, or set of circumstances that is experienced by a person as harmful or life-threatening – can impact a person’s wellbeing.…
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By Kylie Thomas, Senior Lecturer (Radical Humanities Laboratory, University College Cork), University College Cork
The influential veteran photojournalist Ian Berry passed away on 13 September 2026. He covered conflicts across the world, but is best known for the photographs he made that documented the Sharpeville massacre in South Africa.
The massacre took place on 21 March 1960 when police opened fire without warning on a crowd of…
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By Michael Greenstone, Professor in Economics; Director, Energy Policy Institute, University of Chicago
The super El Niño could cause 31,400 extra heat deaths in Nigeria alone. Heat warnings, cooling centres and worker protections could help save lives.
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By Marc Hye-Knudsen, PhD Candidate in the Department of Management, Aarhus University
We all like to laugh. Not only is it entertaining and helpful for social bonding, but it also makes us feel good. When we laugh at something we find funny, our bodies release feel-good hormones.
Dopamine floods our system, which has an uplifting effect, and endogenous opioids, which are also naturally released by the brain, can make us feel euphoric.
But humour is…
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By Kevin Daly, Associate Professor, University College Dublin
Louis L'Hôte, PhD Candidate in ancient pathogen genetics, School of Agriculture and Food Science, University College Dublin
Humans and domesticated animals have lived together for millennia, and this relationship has shaped their destinies in countless ways. Animals offered people food, companionship, traction (pulling ploughs), clothing and transport.
They also provided something less obvious but extraordinarily important: parchment to write on. This robust, plentiful and portable material enabled many people to record and store their histories in the days before mass-produced paper.
Parchment was made with the skins of a range of animals. From first-hand experience in a workshop…
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By Shaun Phillips, Senior Lecturer in Sport and Exercise Physiology, University of Edinburgh
If you’ve ever pushed yourself through a hard workout, you’ve probably “felt the burn.” It’s that familiar sensation of pain and exhaustion in the muscles, where they almost feel like they’re on fire.
This feeling has long been said to be caused by a build-up of lactic acid in the muscles. In fact, this remains a common explanation from recreational exercisers to elite athletes.
But this belief is wrong –…
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