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Secrets of medieval kings revealed by DNA from 900-year-old skeletons

New DNA evidence unsettles a nation’s founding myth

The Independent UK · Jun 12, 2025

What family firms like Rothschild can teach Canadian businesses about resilience

Family businesses constitute a vital component of Canada’s economic landscape. They make up 63 per cent of privately held firms, employ nearly seven million people and generate about $575 billion a year.

The Conversation · Jun 11, 2025

Lafayette helped Americans turn the tide in their fight for independence – and 50 years later, he helped forge the growing nation’s sense of identity

America is nearing the 250th anniversary of its revolutionary birth, the Declaration of Independence. July 4, 2026, will mark a milestone – and a time for reflection.

The Conversation · Jun 9, 2025

Christianity has long revered saints who would be called ‘transgender’ today

Several Republican-led states have restricted transgender rights: Iowa has signed a law removing civil rights protection for transgender people; Wyoming has prohibited state agencies from requiring the use of preferred pronouns; and Alabama recently passed a law that only two sexes would be recognized. Hundreds of bills have been introduced…

The Conversation · May 27, 2025

Semicolons are becoming increasingly rare; their disappearance should be resisted

A recent study has found a 50% decline in the use of semicolons over the last two decades. The decline accelerates a longterm trend:

The Conversation · May 21, 2025

Should AD stand for Alzheimer’s disease, or for Auguste Deter, the patient whose case was first described?

Auguste Deter was born 175 years ago on May 16, 1850. Though the story of her life is not widely known, it should be. Through her suffering and dignity, Deter puts a much-needed human face on the tragedy of Alzheimer’s disease (AD), one of the most important medical problems currently…

The Conversation · May 14, 2025

Australia’s ‘inconvenient’ women writers blazed a trail through the 20th century

In Inconvenient Women, Jacqueline Kent shines a spotlight on some of Australia’s most radical and influential writers.

The Conversation · May 14, 2025

What will the Antichrist look like? According to Western thought, an authoritarian king – or the pope

The US presidency and the papacy came together on May 3 when Donald Trump posted an AI-generated photograph of himself dressed as the pope to Truth Social. The image was then shared by the White House’s accounts.

The Conversation · May 9, 2025

Spacecraft can ‘brake’ in space using drag − advancing craft agility, space safety and planetary missions

When you put your hand out the window of a moving car, you feel a force pushing against you called drag. This force opposes a moving vehicle, and it’s part of the reason why your car naturally slows to a stop if you take your foot off the gas pedal.…

The Conversation · May 7, 2025

The election of a new pope is announced with smoke: what do the colours mean, and how are they made?

For nearly 800 years the Catholic Church has utilised the process of the conclave to elect a new pope. “Conclave” means “with a key”, indicating the cardinal-electors are locked up with a key to conduct their deliberations.

The Conversation · May 6, 2025