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Editor's note
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We're a busy bunch here at The Conversation. The 10th episode of our podcast, The Anthill, featured the story of the Italian futurists and how they shaped the aesthetics of modernity in the 20th century. Some of you were keen to also have the transcript – so to find out how Umberto Boccioni went on to feature on the Italian Euro 20 cents coin despite the links to fascism that marked the rest, you can read it all about it here. And if you're keen to test your own knowledge on the stories we've published through the week, have a go at the questions in our
first weekly quiz.
Science marches ceaselessly forward. But the journey from early medical discoveries to aviation, nuclear fission, genome sequencing, and the potential of gravitational waves, isn't as linear a story as you might think. Ideas are adapted, forgotten, and rediscovered again – and this evolution means that the next discovery could come from the history books.
And look away if you're squeamish. Eyeball tattoos, skin implants, tongue splitting and ear pointing are just a number of augmentations undertaken in extreme body modification. But a recent case in which a practitioner was charged for carrying out procedures suggests that even if consensual and carried out on licensed premises, the law may not be so understanding.
Have a great weekend.
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Jo Adetunji
Deputy Editor
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Top story
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Visions of the future, from the early 20th century.
Umberto Boccioni: Dynamism of a Cyclist
Selena Daly, University College Dublin
A transcript from a segment of The Anthill podcast about the futuristic visions of Filippo Marinetti.
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Science + Technology
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Giles Gasper, Durham University; Hannah Smithson, University of Oxford; Tom McLeish, Durham University
The case for neoclassicism in science.
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Stuart Thompson, University of Westminster
Do androids smell electric roses?
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Bradley Elliott, University of Westminster
Large mammals such as elephants and whales are among the most long-lived of animals, but very tall humans don't enjoy the same benefits.
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Arts + Culture
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Samantha Pegg, Nottingham Trent University
The law isn't clear on whether someone can even consent to eyeball tattoos, skin implants, tongue splitting or ear pointing.
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Andrew Ross, Northumbria University, Newcastle
The Lego Batman Movie is a worldwide box office smash – but have the filmmakers delved too much into the character's more 'toxic' elements?
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João Florêncio, University of Exeter
Exploring the role and limits of photography is a task that appears all the more relevant in the era of fake news.
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Nick Clifton, Cardiff Metropolitan University
The UK's smallest city is bidding to be UK City of Culture 2021 – but how can it compete with its larger counterparts?
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Ashvin Immanuel Devasundaram, Queen Mary University of London
This is not (quite) Downton-Abbey-in-India.
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Ben Edwards, Manchester Metropolitan University
Torcs found in the Staffordshire hills can reveal a lot about Iron Age society.
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John Thornes, University of Birmingham
Why a mysteriously placed rainbow made perfect symbolic sense – and how weather experts knew the exact date that it appeared.
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Adele Pavlidis, Griffith University; Simone Fullagar, University of Bath
This rough and tumble sport has smashed through gender stereotypes – can it now be a force for social change?
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Education
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Paul Aleixo, Sheffield Hallam University
Saving students through the medium of comics.
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Juliane Kloess, University of Birmingham
Moves to make sex education compulsory cannot come quickly enough.
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Politics + Society
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James Koranyi, Durham University
EU citizens are being treated as pawns ahead of Brexit negotiations. This has happened before, at the height of the Cold War.
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Peter Hopkins, Newcastle University; Gurchathen Sanghera, University of St Andrews; Katherine Botterill, Edinburgh Napier University ; Rowena Arshad, University of Edinburgh
The lives of young non-Muslims are being shaped by Islamophobia in public and private spaces.
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James Rodgers, City, University of London
When new technology coincides with political instability and conflict, disinformation thrives.
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Judith Townend, University of Sussex; Richard Danbury, De Montfort University
The US president's attack on confidential sources is one of many legal and technological threats to public interest journalism, as a new report shows
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Dominic Smith, University of Dundee
You can't check if a statement is accurate if it's too incoherent to understand.
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Tom Harper, University of Surrey
The One Belt One Road programme is much more than just a freight line to new customers in the West.
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Paul Smith, University of Nottingham
When the presidential candidate pulled out of an important photo opportunity, everyone thought he was quitting the race.
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Stijn van Kessel, Loughborough University
A large number of parties are in the running, which could make forming a coalition a complicated task.
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Business + Economy
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Sonia Falconieri, City, University of London
Demand has surged for Snapchat's stock but the loss-making company's long-term success is far from certain.
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Alexander Tziamalis, Sheffield Hallam University
The largest economy on the planet is quickly moving to a protectionist stance in its international trade.
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Iain Fraser, University of Kent
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Karin Alton, University of Sussex; Francis L. W. Ratnieks, University of Sussex
Every new batch of bees needs the equivalent of eight hectares of lavender fields to prosper.
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Health + Medicine
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Adam Watkins, Aston University
Thinking of having a baby? It's not all down to women to get healthy in preparation.
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Nicola Logan, Aston University
Short-sightedness is a growing public health problem. Luckily, scientists are starting to find solutions.
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Pam Ramsden, University of Bradford
Psychologists believe that something called 'online disinhibition effect' might partly explain trolling behaviour.
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Edward Emmott, University of Cambridge
We have an awful lot in common with the viruses that infect us.
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Simon Cotton, University of Birmingham; Laura Finney, University of Nottingham
Nitrogen trichloride makes swimming pools smell and is a good indicator of plenty of pee.
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Ian Hamilton, University of York; Mark Monaghan, Loughborough University; Wayne Hall, The University of Queensland
Smoking cannabis can cause addition, impaired memory and even psychosis.
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Environment + Energy
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Andrew King, University of Melbourne; David Karoly, University of Melbourne; Geert Jan van Oldenborgh, Royal Netherlands Meteorological Institute ; Matthew Hale, UNSW; Sarah Perkins-Kirkpatrick, UNSW
New South Wales has just had its hottest summer on record – an event that was made 50 times more likely by humans' impact on the climate.
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Peter Horton, University of Sheffield
The main source of global warming isn't baking or transport, but fertiliser used to grow wheat.
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Dénes Csala, Lancaster University
The country's ambitious plans for sustainable transport and renewable energy must work in sync.
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Featured events
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Wivehoe Park, , Colchester, Essex, CO4 3SQ, United Kingdom — University of Essex
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Room AG21, College Building, City, University of London, St John Street, London, Islington, EC1V 4PB, United Kingdom — City, University of London
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Egham Hill, Egham, Surrey, TW20 0EX, United Kingdom — Royal Holloway
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