By Chris Doyle, Lecturer in Ancient and Medieval History, University of Galway
Who owns a swarm of bees? And what happens when they stray onto a neighbour’s land?
In early medieval Ireland, such questions were addressed by a remarkable set of laws known as the Bechbretha, which set out the rights and responsibilities associated with beekeeping. Also known as bee-judgments, these laws formed part of the wider medieval Irish legal system, Brehon law (known in Old Irish as fénechas…
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By Helen Vassallo, Associate Professor of French and Translation, University of Exeter
Cathedrals is the latest work by Argentinian crime writer Claudia Piñeiro to be published in English by Charco Press, in a translation by Frances Riddle. The crime is the murder and dismemberment of 17-year-old Ana Sardá 30 years ago. Yet, as ever in Piñeiro’s work, nothing is quite what it seems.
Each section is written from the perspective of a key character, and the truth emerges gradually as the stories intertwine. The first section is narrated by Lía, Ana’s middle sister. Cathedrals opens with Lía’s loss…
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By Ahmed Elbediwy, Senior Lecturer in Cancer Biology & Clinical Biochemistry, Kingston University
Nadine Wehida, Senior Lecturer in Genetics and Molecular Biology, Kingston University
As more people look for ways to stay younger for longer, the supplement industry has moved beyond creams and cosmetic fixes to something more ambitious: products that claim to slow ageing by acting on cellular processes.
Among the most heavily marketed compounds are NAD+, NMN and resveratrol, often described as supporting cellular repair, energy production and healthy ageing. But what do they actually do, where are they being used, and how strong is the evidence?
To make sense of the claims,…
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By William Alexander Donald, Professor of Chemistry, UNSW Sydney
Deborah Yates, Conjoint Professor, Medicine & Health, UNSW Sydney
Have you ever baked or decorated a birthday cake?
Interest in elaborate cakes is booming, driven by social media trends and television shows such as Is It Cake?.
This means products such as edible glitter and colourful dyes are becoming…
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By John L. Hopkins, Professor of Management, Deakin University
All but one of the companies researchers studied decided to continue with a four-day work week. And none reported a loss of productivity.
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By Human Rights Watch
Click to expand Image Armenian law enforcement officers stand outside a police station Yerevan on March 24, 2024. © 2024 Karen Minasyan/AFP via Getty Images The death of Armen Hovhannisyan by suicide on May 16, hours after Armenian police transferred him to a psychiatric institution, should prompt urgent scrutiny of how authorities respond to people in psychosocial distress. Police in Artashat, about 30 kilometers from Yerevan, detained Hovhannisyan after he allegedly tore down an election campaign poster. Authorities opened criminal proceedings for “obstructing or coercing…
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By Human Rights Watch
Click to expand Image An anti-immigration protest in Johannesburg, South Africa, on April 29, 2026. © 2026 Themba Hadebe/AP Photo (Johannesburg) – Vigilantes in South Africa have carried out violent xenophobic attacks targeting African and Asian foreign nationals in recent weeks, with little or insufficient apparent response from the police and other authorities, Human Rights Watch said today.In April and May 2026, a citizen-led movement, March and March, that advocates more stringent immigration enforcement in South Africa organized demonstrations against undocumented migrants…
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By David Rowe, Emeritus Professor of Cultural Research, Institute for Culture and Society, Western Sydney University
The 2026 World Cup is likely to reveal a deep ethical poverty at the heart of ‘the world game’ thanks to two leaders who have much in common.
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By Timothy Welbeck, Director of the Center for Anti-Racism, Temple University
Ona Judge was 1 of 9 people George Washington owned when he lived in the President’s House in Philadelphia. The city will recognize her legacy each May 21.
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By Christopher Blyth, Paediatrician, Infectious Diseases Physician and Clinical Microbiologist, The Kids Research Institute Australia, The University of Western Australia
Allen Cheng, Professor of Infectious Diseases, Monash University
Winter is coming, and with the cold weather comes respiratory viral infections, including influenza.
So now’s a good time to protect yourself and others with the flu vaccine. It’s effective, free and widely available for many…
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