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Editor's note
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When you hear someone say “only God can judge me!”, it’s generally a good indication that they’re about to do something stupid or mean. But when did gods start judging people at all? We generally accept the notion that religions are based around rewarding good behaviour, such as through the promise of a place in heaven, and punishing bad behaviour, such as with the threat of being packed off to hell. But a massive new historical database has revealed that gods started caring about our morality a lot later than previously thought. For a really long time, they didn’t care if we humans were good to each other or not. One of the team behind the database has explained these fascinating findings.
When Britain needs a break from fawning over how wonderful Meghan Markle is, there’s nothing it likes more than sneering at how awful Meghan Markle is. A particular point of contention has been whether the American actress has started to speak with a British accent since she became the Duchess of Sussex. A trio of linguists decided to wade into the debate with a scientific analysis of her speech patterns.
In a statement delivered from Downing Street this week, Theresa May proclaimed that she’s sick and tired of talking about Brexit. Those of us with enough mental resilience to still be able to watch her speeches suddenly felt really bad for banging on about Brexit relentlessly for the past three years. If only we’d known she didn’t like it. No, wait, that’s not right. We turned off the TV and went and screamed into a paper bag. Meanwhile, the prime minister headed to Brussels to talk about Brexit a bit more. Follow our rolling coverage of her antics ahead of what looks set to be another baffling week in British politics.
This week we’ve also seen archaeologists take on Cadbury’s chocolate in an epic battle to protect heritage sites and learned about why Britain is to build a new coal mine despite its climate
commitments.
Have a good weekend.
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Laura Hood
Politics Editor, Assistant Editor
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What came first – all-seeing Gods or complex societies?
God the Father and Angel, Guercino Giovan Francesco Barbieri via Wikimedia Commons
Harvey Whitehouse, University of Oxford; Patrick E. Savage, Keio University; Peter Turchin, University of Connecticut; Pieter Francois, University of Oxford
God only started watching over us quite recently, according to a new study that analysed 414 societies from 30 world regions.
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EPA-EFE/Facundo Arrizabalaga
Adrian Leemann, Lancaster University; Jane Setter, University of Reading; Sam Kirkham, Lancaster University
When you listen very closely, the Duchess of Sussex still sounds like she's from Los Angeles.
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Theresa May has been granted an extension, but not the one she wanted.
EPA/Stephanie Lecocq
Nieves Perez-Solorzano, University of Bristol
Decades of consensus building have enabled the EU27 to show remarkable resilience and flexibility, despite chaos on the UK side
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Doonagore Castle, which Cadbury incorrectly identified as Mooghaun Fort in its ad campaign.
Shutterstock.
Aisling Tierney, University of Bristol; Mark Horton, University of Bristol
A swift response from the heritage community prevented damage to sites of national heritage.
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Oscar Johns / shutterstock
Rebecca Willis, Lancaster University
Cumbria council has approved the £165m Woodhouse colliery – and highlighted the failings of national climate policy.
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Richard Tresidder, Sheffield Hallam University
Once derided, UK food culture has improved out of sight thanks to Europe.
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Cass Sunstein, Harvard University
From the French Revolution to #MeToo, social movements often burst into the mainstream with what seems like little warning. Cass Sunstein explains why.
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Hiu Man Chan, Cardiff University
A Chinese sci-fi epic is breaking box office records and exporting a vision of a new world order as it does so.
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Richard Metcalfe, Swansea University
Each extra hour of light activity above three hours cuts your risk of heart attack by 15%.
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Michelle Bloor, University of Portsmouth
The 1930s New Deal created a civilian army of conservationists who planted forests and restored wilderness.
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Amy Irwin, University of Aberdeen; Gabi Lipan, University of Aberdeen
When a degree is not enough, how can students make themselves more employable?
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Bertie Vidgen, University of Oxford
What can social media platforms do after terrorist attacks?
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Featured events
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East Road, Cambridge, Cambridgeshire, CB11PT, United Kingdom — Anglia Ruskin University
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Room 103, 51 Gordon Square, London, London, City of, WC1H 0PN, United Kingdom — UCL
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University of East Anglia , Norwich, Norfolk, NR4 7TJ, United Kingdom — University of East Anglia
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The Weston Auditorium, de Havilland Campus, Hatfield, Hertfordshire, AL10 9EU, United Kingdom — University of Hertfordshire
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