Data assembled by Pierre Bréchon on French people’s relationship to the European Union provides a fascinating illustration of my fellow citizens’ amour vache (tough love) for the bloc. Deeply European (62% of French people identify as European citizens), and yet also deeply critical, with 48% describing themselves as very pessimistic about the EU’s future – the highest percentage of the 27-country group. In his article surveying European statistics as well as history, Bréchon argues it all started to go wrong in the 1990s.

Michaela Hruskova and Katharina Scheidgen have been considering how Europe might catch up with Silicon Valley. The entrepreneurship academics point out the US has a culture in which venture capital only flows to startups when they have already gained traction and revenues. In contrast, startups in tech hubs such as Berlin usually only require a strong team and a good idea to receive funding. Here again, could more tough love power Europe’s tech sector?

For a moment of wonder, we highly recommend reading the article by astronomer Henk Hoekstra, who recounts his work for the Euclid space telescope. He writes about his quest to map out the distribution of matter in our universe. “Clumps of dark matter reveal their presence by distorting the shapes of more distant galaxies, just like waves on the surface of a swimming pool distort the pattern of tiles on the bottom.” It’s like setting sail for an infinitely distant horizon.

Natalie Sauer

Editor, Paris

The French identify as Europeans – and yet are also notoriously Eurosceptic

Pierre Bréchon, Auteurs historiques The Conversation France

The French have an ambivalent relationship to the European Union, expressing a strong feeling of European belonging on the one hand, and Euroscepticism toward institutions on the other.

For Europe to emulate Silicon Valley’s tech success, it should change its startup funding model

Michaela Hruskova, University of Stirling; Katharina Scheidgen, Georg-August-Universität Göttingen

Silicon Valley investors insist that a startup is a credible business before they will part with funding. European investment hubs like Berlin and Scotland take a different approach.

Euclid telescope: A scientist tells us of his quest to understand the nature of dark matter and dark energy

Henk Hoekstra, Leiden University

Back when Henk Hoekstra started his PhD, atmosphere turbulence and optical imperfections prevented us from accurately observing dark matter. He tells us why Euclid is a game changer.

‘Lazy’, ‘messy’, ‘smart’: how labels affect a child’s personality development

Montserrat Magro Gutiérrez, Universidad Nebrija; Paula Contesse Carvacho, Universidad Nebrija

Linking kind or harsh words to a child’s personality – as opposed to one specific action or behaviour – can impact their self perception.

Pedro Sánchez’s ‘letter to the citizens’ of Spain assessed by a political communications expert

Carmen Beatriz Fernández, Universidad de Navarra

Pedro Sánchez has taken a controversial five day pause to reconsider his position at the head of Spain’s government. This ambitious gamble has put him in the spotlight once again.

What do the Turkish local elections mean for the country’s 4 million refugees?

Dilshad Muhammad, University of Freiburg

Refugees play a key role in Turkish politics. Last month’s electoral shock raises the question of how – or whether – elections can change the situation for displaced people.

Electric cars pile up at European ports as Chinese firms struggle to find buyers

Tom Stacey, Anglia Ruskin University

Chinese car makers are finding the road to succeeding in the EU slow and bumpy.