Advanced techniques to analyse the Dead Sea Scrolls and Eastern papyri are revealing vibrant secrets about daily life in the ancient world. BY ETHAN BILBY Around 2 100 years ago, a Judaean scribe deftly swirled a stylus to dab the final strokes of black ink onto a piece of parchment. His work, a copy of the … Read more
Char from ancient fires and stalagmites in caves hold clues to the mysterious disappearance of Neanderthals from Europe. BY SARAH WILD For more than 350 000 years, Neanderthals inhabited Europe and Asia until, in a sudden change by evolutionary standards, they disappeared around 40 000 years ago. This was at around the same time the … Read more
Between doomscrolling and disinformation, our media-saturated world makes it difficult to know who to trust. To mark today’s International Day of Democracy we spoke to a journalism researcher about the role of media in a healthy democracy. BY KEVIN CASEY Media is this layer that exists everywhere in our lives’, said Dr Tanya Lokot as … Read more
A special opera performance in Lisbon improves inclusivity for the marginalised while digital literacy will create new artistic opportunities. Four professional Portuguese singers performed the main roles in a new opera based on Homer’s “Odyssey” at a packed concert hall in Portugal’s capital Lisbon in mid-June. Also on the stage that evening were 16 amateur … Read more
Lack of trust in health authorities, combined with the fear and uncertainty about the disease, created fertile ground for false rumours to spread about Covid-19 vaccines. Countering the rumours may be about attitude as well as facts. False assertions about Covid-19 vaccines have had a deadly impact – they are one reason why some people … Read more
Jean-Eric Paquet has been at the helm of the Horizon programme and DG Research and Innovation for the past four years. He will shortly leave to take up the role of the EU’s ambassador to Japan in September 2022. In his final interview with Horizon Magazine as Director General, Paquet reflects on European research and … Read more