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Butchers, bakers, candlestick-makers − and prostitutes: The women working behind the scenes in papal Avignon

In the medieval church, women’s roles were limited – usually some form of enclosure and celibacy, such as becoming an anchoress walled up alone for life, or a nun in a classic convent. On the other extreme were a few dramatic examples of women who made history for the church…

The Conversation

500 years ago, German peasants revolted – but their faith that the Protestant Reformation stood for freedom was dashed by Martin Luther and the nobility

Five hundred years ago, in the winter of 1524-1525, bands of peasants roamed the German countryside seeking recruits. It was the start of the German Peasants’ War, the largest uprising in Europe before the French Revolution. The peasants’ goal was to overturn serfdom and create a fairer society grounded on…

The Conversation

Making sex deadly for insects could control pests that carry disease and harm crops

Insects do a lot more harm than ruining picnics. Some insects spread devastating diseases, while others cause staggering economic losses in agriculture. To control some of these pests, scientists are developing males that make sex a deadly event.

The Conversation

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Friday essay: as the legacy media have dumbed down, The New Yorker has dumbed up

Like many, I entered The New Yorker through the cartoon door. The first cartoon I loved, and remember to this day, featured a New Yorker staple – two guys sitting in a bar – with one saying to the other: “I wish just once someone would say to me, ‘I…

The Conversation

Loss of forests brought new birds to NZ during the last Ice Age – we’re witnessing a similar process now

When people arrived on the shores of Aotearoa New Zealand and began to turn the land to their needs, they set in motion great changes.

The Conversation

Gut-wrenching love: What a fresh look at the ‘Good Samaritan’ story says for ethics today

The Bible story of the Good Samaritan is more than a mainstay of Sunday school courses. “Good samaritan” is the catch-all way to describe a do-gooder – someone who stops to change the tire of a stranded motorist, helps a lost child find their parents in a store and gives…

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Friday essay: a reinvention of self – the pleasure of literary journeys

In the hiatus that was COVID lockdown, the novelty of “staying put” had a peculiar grace and delight. To limit one’s trajectory to five kilometres meant homing in on the small and the local: the seasonal repetitions of a plant blossoming in a neighbour’s garden, new pale green leaves on…

The Conversation

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Why are rubies red and emeralds green? Their colors come from the same metal in their atomic structure

The colors of rubies and emeralds are so striking that they define shades of red and green – ruby red and emerald green. But have you ever wondered how they get those colors?

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Activists are warning of a return to the Jim Crow era in America. But who or what was Jim Crow?

Since becoming president, Donald Trump has issued a record number of executive orders. Several aim to dismantle federally funded initiatives based on the idea that “diversity, equity, and inclusion” (DEI) are goals worth achieving.

The Conversation

Unwritten rules: why claims of a missing ‘fourth article’ of the Treaty don’t stack up

I sign this Treaty with my hand, but with the mana of my ancestors.

The Conversation

12 pivotal moments in the history of robotics, from Isaac Asimov to self-driving cars

From Isaac Asimov's Three Laws of Robotics to bipedal machines you can buy today, here are 12 important milestones in the development of robots.

LiveScience

Supersonic jets are making a comeback – but despite the hype, don’t expect to book yet

Late last week, American company Boom Supersonic flew faster than the speed of sound with its XB-1 supersonic demonstrator aircraft. It’s now the first piloted non-military aircraft to break the sound barrier since the Concorde was retired from service in 2003.

The Conversation

Bauhaus and The Brutalist: the revolutionary immigrant architects whose stories inspired the film

László Toth, a Hungarian Jewish architect and Holocaust survivor, emigrates to the United States after World War II in search of a new life. After a rough start, a wealthy businessman recognises his talent and offers him a job that will change his life.

The Conversation

Women have finally achieved parity on VCE English reading lists, but there are fewer classics

What makes something worthy of study and inclusion on a school’s text list? Is it right to remove or add a literary work based on the attributes of the person who wrote it?

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80 years after the liberation of Auschwitz, amid rising antisemitism, the memory of the Holocaust remains contentious

On January 27 2025, political dignitaries and Holocaust survivors will gather in Oswiecim (Auschwitz) in Poland. They will attend the commemoration of the 80th anniversary of the liberation of the concentration camps by the Red Army.

The Conversation

Few Australians know the second verse of our national anthem – or how out of date it is

There are two verses to Advance Australia Fair, but do you know the second? Probably not.

The Conversation

Meet phosphine, a gas commonly used for industrial fumigation that can damage your lungs, heart and liver

In 1980, two children and 29 crew members aboard a grain freighter became ill. They had been exposed to phosphine – a chemical used in fumigation to kill pests in and on grain – for four days. In the end, one child died.

The Conversation

Guide to the classics: Aristotle’s Poetics is a bible for screenwriters – but it’s often misread

Aristotle’s Poetics has arguably influenced modern culture more than any other ancient text. The Greek philosopher’s 4th century BCE treatise on what constitutes the best form of poetry is our earliest surviving piece of standalone literary criticism. It has had a profound influence on storytelling ever since.

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Trump’s meme coin is nothing new: it takes a page out of the ancient world’s playbook

Nowadays, we probably never stop to think about why money was invented. If you are a cynical person, you won’t be surprised to learn the prime motivation was to make a profit for rulers.

The Conversation

Aboriginal message sticks are a fascinating insight into a complex system of written communication

When we think of writing systems we likely think of an Alphabetic writing system, where each symbol (letter) in the alphabet represents a basic sound unit, such as a consonant or a vowel.

The Conversation

Fruit and veg, exercise, frequent bloodletting and more tips on staying healthy from medieval travellers

Travellers have always faced health hazards when far from home. Medieval people were no exception. Pilgrims, crusaders and others were warned by preachers such as 13th century Jacques de Vitry of “dangers on land, dangers at sea, the dangers of thieves, the dangers of predators, the dangers of battles”.

The Conversation

In Our Evenings, Alan Hollinghurst takes an elegiac look at class, sexuality and race in post-Brexit Britain

Late in Alan Hollinghurst’s new novel Our Evenings, the narrator David Win, gracefully ageing doyen of the British stage, experiences one of those moments when the world is revealed to be other than he thought it was.

The Conversation

These 16 nuns were guillotined in the French Revolution. Now the Pope has declared them saints

The Martyrs of Compiègne, a group of 16 Discalced Carmelite nuns executed during the Reign of Terror in the French Revolution, were canonised by Pope Francis on December 18.

The Conversation

From tuxedos to tattoos, Eleanor Medhurst’s Unsuitable traces a hidden history of lesbian fashion

Blues singer Gladys Bentley was a dazzling star of the Harlem Renaissance, a period in the 1920s and ’30s when African American culture flourished in New York City. Bentley’s risqué performances intrigued audiences. So did the entertainer’s relationships with women.

The Conversation

Summer holidays haven’t changed much since ancient Greece and Rome (except maybe the sand wrestling)

Imagine a summer holiday at a seaside resort, with days spent sunbathing, reading books, exploring nature and chatting with friends.

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