Ukraine achieving its goal of ending the war depends much more on its allies than on itself. As this article reminds us, in 2024, a critical year for European, US and Russian politics, Ukraine will still need arms, as well as economic and political support to keep it going.

The question of wolf protection is not a black-and-white issue. Now that the European Commission has proposed a change in the international status of the species, from “strictly protected” to “protected”, it might be a good time to reflect on the work of Norwegian environmental philosopher Arne Næss.

We recently celebrated the centenary of Gustave Eiffel, the architect best known for the tower named after him. From its inauguration, the Eiffel Tower had a special place in silent films. But this is not the only affair between art and technology that we feature. As we published a few months ago, AI has helped us find new meaning to the Epic of Gilgamesh.

You may choose to see in the New Year with a fine wine. But if you find that good red wine gives you a headache, don’t worry – science has an explanation for it. And, alas, if you want to skip wine, we’ll always have champagne.

All the best for the rest of the holidays. See you in 2024.