Editor's note

All eyes are on the US senate where Donald Trump has become the third president to be impeached after Andrew Johnson in 1868 and Bill Clinton in 1998. It’s a highly politicised affair which has its roots in medieval English history as parliament sought to curb the powers of the rich and powerful. They didn’t come more rich and powerful than the Duke of Buckingham, a royal favourite, who, in 1626, was impeached on a long list of charges that can be summed up with the phrase “abuse of power” (similar to the main charge facing President Trump).

Buckingham was lucky (for a while at least): King Charles I was incensed by this attack on his leading courtier and dissolved parliament to prevent impeachment. Buckingham was assassinated two years later and we know what happened to Charles I – a cautionary tale. Impeachment gradually became less common in Britain – the last instance was in 1806, two decades after the Founding Fathers included the process in the US constitution. From our colleagues in the US we have five important reads about impeachment.

Mosquitos are responsible for the spread of some of the nastiest diseases, but a skin cream already on the market is proving to be an efficient way of preventing the virus infecting the body. We’ve also got some new research into how to brew the perfect cup of coffee.

All the best.

Jonathan Este

Associate Editor, Arts + Culture Editor

Top stories

Overweening ambition: George Villiers, first Duke of Buckingham. Peter Paul Rubens

Impeachment: a political weapon that went out of fashion in England just as it was adopted in the US

Mark Knights, University of Warwick

Impeachment was a common political tool in early modern England, but its use lapsed 20 years after it was adopted in the US constitution.

Where the action is: The capitol building in Washington, D.C. Aurora Samperio/NurPhoto via Getty Images

What to think when you’re thinking about impeachment: 5 essential reads

Naomi Schalit, The Conversation

Did you know that senators shouldn't be called 'jurors' in an impeachment trial? Here's a roundup of stories that give behind-the-scenes facts and context to the news event of the year – so far.

Researchers discovered a cream could stop the spread of deadly viruses from mosquitoes. frank60/ Shutterstock

Mosquito bites: widely available skin cream found to prevent the spread of deadly viruses – new research

Steven Bryden, University of Glasgow; Clive McKimmie, University of Leeds

The cream was found to boost the body's anti-viral immune response, stopping mosquito-borne viruses in their tracks.

Burst/Pixabay

How to make the perfect cup of coffee – with a little help from science

Jamie Foster, University of Portsmouth; Christopher H. Hendon, University of Oregon

For consistently great espresso, use less coffee and grind more coarsely, suggests a new study.

Health + Medicine

  • Snakes could be the original source of the new coronavirus outbreak in China

    Haitao Guo, University of Pittsburgh; Guangxiang “George” Luo, University of Alabama at Birmingham; Shou-Jiang Gao, University of Pittsburgh

    A new coronavirus related to SARS and MERS has now traveled from China to the United States. A genetic analysis reveals that this deadly pathogen may have originated in snakes.

Science + Technology

Arts + Culture

Politics + Society

Environment + Energy

 

Featured events

Research at Tate Modern

Bowland Auditorium, Berrick Saul Building, Campus West, York, York, YO10 5DD, United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland — University of York

Night Will Fall

Room SLB/118, Spring Lane Building, Campus West, York, York, YO10 5DD, United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland — University of York

Making climate science human

Room ENV/005, Environment Building, Campus West, York, York, YO10 5DD, United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland — University of York

Between the Sand and the Sea: Oman's architectural heritage

School of the Arts, 19-23 Abercromby Square, Liverpool, L69 7ZG, United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland — University of Liverpool

More events
 

Contact us here to have your event listed.

For sponsorship opportunities, email us here