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Did Plunket founder Truby King really believe in eugenics? History isn’t that simple

Four days after Plunket founder Sir Truby King’s funeral on February 12 1938, the Auckland Weekly News printed a montage of photographs showing the scale of the event.

The Conversation · Nov 20, 2025

47 Incredible Moments From The Wild Captured By The Wikimedia Commons Community (New Pics)

Every year, Wikimedia Commons hosts its Picture of the Year contest, bringing together some of the most stunning images shared by photographers from around the world.

Bored Panda · Nov 20, 2025

A visual guide to 14 of the drones wreaking havoc in Ukraine, Russia and beyond

In the past five years, uncrewed aerial vehicles (drones) have become indispensable in modern warfare. The Russia–Ukraine war has accelerated their ascent: on any given day, there may be hundreds or even thousands of drones operating across the frontlines and behind them.

The Conversation · Nov 11, 2025

For birds, flocks promise safety – especially if you’re faster than your neighbor

As I walked along Bolivar Flats, just across from Galveston Island in Texas, I watched flocks of sanderlings forage along the frothy wavefront as it surged and retreated. Nearby, Caspian terns, American avocets, and black skimmers rested on the beach, each in its own group.

The Conversation · Sep 18, 2025

From a naked rider to icon of resistance, the legend of Lady Godiva lives on

Lady Godiva – an icon of protest, myth and sensual defiance – has galloped through centuries of our cultural imagination. She is most widely known for the legend of her naked horse ride, in which she supposedly rode through the city of Coventry, England, in nothing but her cascading hair.

The Conversation · Sep 18, 2025

The ancient Greeks and Romans grappled with housing crises, too

In many developed countries, the price of property has risen so high it’s meant the dream of home ownership has faded for many people. Often, renting isn’t a much better option, with an undersupply of affordable properties.

The Conversation · Aug 21, 2025

Man Tries To Renovate His Basement, Ends Up Finding Ancient Underground City Instead

The mysterious underground city rediscovered in Turkey has raised many speculations about its origins. Here's why!

Bored Panda · Aug 8, 2025

The Eiffel Tower gets bigger every summer – here’s why

The structure known today as the Eiffel Tower was originally dubbed the Tour de 300 mètres, the 300-metre tower. The name was proposed by engineers Maurice Koechlin and Émile Nougier to Gustave Eiffel, who oversaw the tower’s construction. It hinted at the desire to build something extraordinary, a technological feat…

The Conversation · Aug 6, 2025

Jane Austen was a satirist – why isn’t she treated like one?

From the pompous vanity of Sir Walter Elliot in Persuasion (1817), to the shallow reading habits of Isabella in Northanger Abbey (1817), few characters in the works of Jane Austen are spared the gentle satire of her famously ironic narrative voice. Similarly, some of her best remembered characters, like Elizabeth…

The Conversation · Aug 4, 2025

Plug-in solar panels are the latest green energy trend – here’s what you need to know

Solar power is the fastest growing source of electricity globally. Normally, anyone wanting to tap into it would have to rely on roof-mounted panels. But in many parts of Europe, people have found a simple alternative in the form of “plug-in panels” that can be arranged on balconies.

The Conversation · Jul 24, 2025