Brains and personality, Supreme Court, 'Welsh Valentine'

Editor's note

What is it that makes each of us different? Surely one of the most important characteristics of human individuality is personality, something we often think of as being strongly shaped by our values and past experiences. Now researchers have linked personality types to differences in brain structure. Luca Passamonti talks us through the findings.

The Supreme Court has ruled that the government cannot trigger Article 50 to begin Brexit negotiations without first winning a parliamentary vote. The judgment is unlikely to derail Britain's journey out of the European Union, writes Fiona de Londras, but it certainly piles the pressure on Theresa May. The PM is now preparing a bill to put before parliament which could be ready within days. And if she wants it to pass, she'll need something pretty impressive up her sleeve.

On January 25, the people of Wales celebrate St Dwynwen, the patron saint of lovers. While she may have been real, her story is anything but romantic – so how did she become known as the "Welsh Valentine"? Dylan Foster Evans explores the myths surrounding this medieval figure.

Miriam Frankel

Science Editor

Top story

Research can help explain why we get more chilled out as we age. Ruslan Guzov/Shutterstock

What your brain structure says about your personality

Luca Passamonti, University of Cambridge

Are you neurotic? This may be due to a thick cerebral cortex

Politics + Society

Government loses Brexit court case – so what happens now?

Fiona de Londras, University of Birmingham

It's not the end of Brexit but parliament could give the government a rough ride.
The real reason why Trident's missile fiasco is so scary for politicians

Nick Ritchie, University of York

The entire concept of nuclear deterrence depends on the assumption that everything will always work perfectly.
#spicerfacts: how the White House's relationship with the press will play out

Jon Herbert, Keele University

The relationship between the Trump administration and the press is off to a rocky start. This is a high-risk strategy for the White House.
From colonial Algeria to modern day Europe, the Muslim veil remains an ideological battleground

Katarzyna Falecka, UCL

The veil has long been a form of resistance.

Arts + Culture

How St Dwynwen wrongly became known as the Welsh Valentine

Dylan Foster Evans, Cardiff University

The Welsh legend of St Dwynwen is anything but romantic.
How nervy elites seized Robert Burns before radicals got there first

Christopher A Whatley, University of Dundee

Scotland's national poet was seen as having the potential to stir up revolutionary sentiment in the 19th century.
It's important to listen to imaginary voices – just ask Virginia Woolf

Patricia Waugh, Durham University

Virginia Woolf's archive can be seen as a serious resource for research into the experience of hearing voices.

Science + Technology

What trade deals can teach us about the animal kingdom

Lena Grinsted, University of Sussex

New research into how wasps divide up their jobs shows how economics can be key to understanding animal behaviour.
How we discovered that people have been cooking plants in pots for 10,000 years

Julie Dunne, University of Bristol

The proof is in the pottery.
'Peace and hope for all mankind': the stellar legacy of the last moon landing

Kathryn Harriss, University of Kent

Often eclipsed by Apollo 11, the final manned moonshot left far more than bootprints in the dust. In these troubling times, it also left us with a lasting message of hope.

Business + Economy

Can European football compete against China?

David Cockayne, University of Liverpool

The sleeping giant of of world football has started flexing its financial muscles. Can the Premier League and other European clubs compete with the might of China?
How to be an economist in 2017

Richard Whittle, Manchester Metropolitan University

Ridiculed and ignored in 2016, what can the 'dismal science' offer us now?

Environment + Energy

Research shows how to grow more cassava, one of the world's key food crops

Stephen P. Long, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign; Amanda P. De Souza, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign; Lynnicia Massenburg, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Cassava is a key food source in tropical countries, but yields have been flat for decades. New genetic research is identifying many options for boosting production of this valuable staple crop.
How GM crops can help us to feed a fast-growing world

Stuart Thompson, University of Westminster

Many people are suspicious of GM crops, but new techniques could massively increase food production.

Education
Seven academic books that helped to shape modern Britain Diarmaid MacCulloch, University of Oxford; Ian Kershaw, University of Sheffield; Richard English, Queen's University Belfast; Ruth Lister, Loughborough University; Simon Frith, University of Edinburgh; Veronika Fikfak, University of Cambridge In celebration of academic books.

Health + Medicine
What a child's humour reveals about their psychological well-being Claire Fox, Keele University Does your child use self-defeating humour? Researchers have found it can be linked to depression.