The fire that engulfed Notre Dame cathedral in Paris has struck at the heart of the French capital’s sense of itself, devastating a building that has hosted scenes of pageantry, revolution and resistance for 850 years. Jose Antonio Gonzalez Zarandona and Cristina Garduño Freeman consider why the Notre Dame fire is seen as such a tragedy by so many people, while Alice Kelly looks back at how writers have recorded these major disasters, from Pliny and Pompeii to Pepys and the fire of London.

In the tragedy, there are echoes of the 1837 fire that took out the Winter Palace in St Petersburg. And, writes Paul W. Werth, France might learn from Russia when begins to look to recovering from the losses suffered this week.

When Narendra Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party swept to victory in India’s 2014 elections, much was made of its Hindu nationalist agenda. But what is Hindu nationalism and why has it become such a powerful political force in India? Find out more in the second part of the India Tomorrow series from our podcast, The Anthill. Listen to the full episode, or read the transcript here.

Testosterone is the main sex hormone in men, but plays an important role in women’s bodies, too. But is there such a thing as a “normal level” of the hormone? A definitive answer remains elusive, explains Daniel Kelly, as a host of factors can lead to variations throughout the course of a life, a year, or even a day. While too much or too little testosterone can lead to health problems, the only real certainty is that everyone is different.

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