How a Victorian trip to Palestine spurred modern ornithology – and left it with imperial baggage

H.B. Tristram was a Victorian clergyman and ornithologist who categorised a list of birds he’d found in Palestine.

Jasmine Donahaye, Professor in English Literature and Creative Writing, Swansea University • conversation
Dec. 18, 2023 • ~7 min

How a colonial trip to Palestine spurred modern ornithology – and left it with imperial baggage

H.B. Tristram was a Victorian clergyman and ornithologist who categorised a list of birds he’d found in Palestine.

Jasmine Donahaye, Professor in English Literature and Creative Writing, Swansea University • conversation
Dec. 18, 2023 • ~7 min

Earthrise: historian uncovers the true origins of the 'image of the century’

Borman’s professionalism helped the risky Apollo 8 mission become a success.

Robert Poole, Professor of History, University of Central Lancashire • conversation
Nov. 17, 2023 • ~8 min

Modern medicine has its scientific roots in the Middle Ages − how the logic of vulture brain remedies and bloodletting lives on today

Your doctor’s MD emerged from the Dark Ages, where practicing rational “human medicine” was seen as an expression of faith and maintaining one’s health a religious duty.

Meg Leja, Associate Professor of History, Binghamton University, State University of New York • conversation
Nov. 2, 2023 • ~10 min

Can churches be protectors of public health?

Responses to COVID-19 health guidelines have been polarized, including in churches. But religious communities have a long history of involvement in public health.

Andrew Gardner, Visiting Faculty Associate of American Religious History, Hartford International University for Religion and Peace • conversation
Feb. 25, 2022 • ~9 min

Frankincense and myrrh have been revered since ancient times – but now they're under threat

Trees that produce resin for frankincense and myrrh – used for thousands of years in healthcare, worship and trade – are facing collapsing populations.

Eoin Lettice, Lecturer in Plant Science, University College Cork • conversation
Dec. 20, 2021 • ~7 min

In times of stress, turning to contemplation can be helpful – here's why religions emphasize rest

Most religions have periods of rest incorporated into their practice. Medical science has affirmed that short periods of contemplation can have benefits for one's physical and mental health.

Kristen Lucken, Lecturer in Religious Studies, Brandeis University • conversation
July 23, 2021 • ~7 min

How medieval Christian ideology changed the Polish environment forever – new study

Historians and scientists discovered how colonisation in eastern Europe changed ecosystems – and the societies embedded in them.

Amanda Power, Associate Professor of Medieval History, University of Oxford • conversation
Nov. 20, 2020 • ~7 min

At the evangelical Creation Museum, dinosaurs lived alongside humans and the world is 6,000 years old

A Kentucky museum tells the history of the universe according to the Bible in an effort to debunk evolution. Its owner, the Christian group Answers in Genesis, promotes right-wing political causes.

Susan L Trollinger, Professor of English, University of Dayton • conversation
July 27, 2020 • ~9 min

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