Zero hours contracts, zombies, Beyoncé

Editor's note

Zero-hours contracts divide opinion. For some, they are the oil that greases the burgeoning gig economy. For others, they allow employers to exploit a precarious workforce. Theresa May has rejected calls to ban this type of contract, echoing the finding of a new report that doing so would “harm more people than it would help”. But is there any evidence for that? We asked Jason Heyes and Keith Bender to fact check the claim. For more on the gig economy, read Aude Cefaliello’s take on how unions might evolve as work becomes flexible.

“Godfather of the dead” George A. Romero, who has died aged 77, has left behind one of the greatest ever horror film legacies. Xavier Aldana Reyes remembers how Romero unleashed a wave of truly terrifying sentient zombies, a far cry from the shuffling, brain-craving beings of the past.

Pop superstar Beyoncé Knowles has published the first pictures of her twins Rumi and Sir Carter, but it’s the singer’s own image which has grabbed the most attention, referencing both Boticelli’s Venus and the Virgin Mary. As Katie Edwards writes, Beyoncé has taken aim at negative stereotypes of black women and motherhood and scored another important hit.

Gemma Ware

Society Editor

Top story

Theresa May: not bowing to pressure to ban zero-hours contracts. Matt Dunham/PA Wire

Fact Check: would banning zero-hours contracts harm more people than it would help?

Jason Heyes, University of Sheffield

Two experts assess the prime minister's claim and what the evidence says about the impact of a ban.

Business + Economy

Forget workers going out on strike – in future it should be consumers

Aude Cefaliello, University of Glasgow

Not only did trade union membership peak in the 1970s – so did their way of doing things.
How companies should fend of attacks from activist investors

Stefan Petry, University of Manchester

When rowdy shareholders start battering at the door, CEOs should take a leaf from their playbook.

Arts + Culture

How George A. Romero made humans of violent brain-devouring zombies

Xavier Aldana Reyes, Manchester Metropolitan University

The world will be a less scary place without the don of the dead.
Black Madonna: Beyoncé projects positive image of 'good' motherhood

Katie Edwards, University of Sheffield

The singer has been criticised for 'fetishising' motherhood. But by disrupting stereotypes she is striking a major blow for black women.
Jane Austen and Germaine de Staël: a tale of two authors

Catriona Seth, University of Oxford

Two women writers died in July 1817. One was Jane Austen. The other was much more famous.

Politics + Society
Abuse of women MPs is not just a scandal – it's a threat to democracy Laura Bliss, Edge Hill University Faced with the prospect of constant online attack, why would anyone want to get into politics? Why upward social mobility means some people move downwards Geoff Payne, Newcastle University The tricky truth is that change goes in both directions.

Science + Technology

How giant atoms may help catch gravitational waves from the Big Bang

Diego A. Quiñones, University of Leeds

Atoms blown up in the right way could signal when a gravitational wave is passing through.
Social media genie won't go back in the bottle, so we must teach youngsters to use it wisely

Vladlena Benson, Kingston University

If children and teenagers are comfortable with social media, we should use it as a means to reach them and ensure they understand the do's and dont's.
Why has healthcare become such a target for cyber-attackers?

Myrsini Athinaiou, University of Brighton

Confidential data and even human lives are at risk thanks to the huge spread of connected technology in healthcare.

Health + Medicine
New Home Office drug strategy, same old rhetoric Ian Hamilton, University of York; Harry Sumnall, Liverpool John Moores University The Home Office issued its last drug strategy seven years ago. A lot has changed in that time, except the Home Office's ability to ignore the advice of experts.

Environment + Energy
Humanity's 'sustainability' is no excuse for abandoning planet Earth Stephen Allen, University of Hull We need a positive vision for humanity, not tech-driven life on Mars.