Sky Views: ‘Astronomy Photographer Of The Year’ Finalists (2023)

Royal Museums Greenwich (July 6, 2023) – See a selection of the incredible space images shortlisted in Astronomy Photographer of the Year 2023. 

Image of decayed diamond mining processing plant with the Milky Way stretching out in the sky behind it

Sperrgebiet by Vikas Chander

Bogenfels, Namib Desert, Namibia

Astronomy photograph of the Moon, lit up silver with lots of craters visible and light blue mare

Ball of Rock by Rich Addis 

Wallasey, Wirral, Merseyside, United Kingdom

Image showing WWI trenches at bottom lit up with lights, a line of trees in the distance, and a purple, blue and yellow sky behind with star trails making curved diagonal lines

Celestial Equator Above First World War Trench Memorial by Louis Leroux-Gere

Vimy, Pas-de-Calais, France

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Museum Reviews: Cézanne And Van Gogh’s Influence On The Rise Of Modern Art

The National Gallery (July 6, 2023) – The exhibition, ‘After Impressionism: Inventing Modern Art’, celebrates the achievements of three giants of the era: Paul Cézanne, Vincent van Gogh and Paul Gauguin and follows the influences they had on younger generations of French artists, on their peers and on wider circles of artists across Europe in Barcelona, Berlin, Brussels and Vienna.

Explore a period of great upheaval when artists broke with established tradition and laid the foundations for the art of the 20th and the 21st centuries.

News: Sweden And Turkey Discuss NATO Membership, Spain General Elections

The Globalist Podcast, Thursday, July 6, 2023: A discussion of the future of NATO – will Sweden be in it?

Also, campaigning for Spain’s general election begins and Japan Airlines launches a clothing rental service. And the latest technology news.

The New York Times – Thursday, July 6, 2023

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Ruling Puts Social Media at Crossroads of Disinformation and Free Speech

The government’s actions at the heart of the case were intended largely as public health measures.

The case, which could alter how the government battles disinformation, is a flashpoint in a broader effort by conservatives to document what they contend is a liberal conspiracy to silence their views.

‘Dig, Dig, Dig’: A Russian Soldier’s Story

A soldier seen from the knees down, in uniform and boots, on a stained tiled floor.

An inmate hoped to start over with a clean slate by fighting in Ukraine. Instead, he was confronted by the drudgery of trench work and the terror of battle. “You’re going in as meat,” he said he was told.

The Surprising Striver in the World’s Space Business

With at least 140 registered space-tech start-ups, India stands to transform the planet’s connection to the final frontier.

China Took Her Husband. She Was Left to Uncover His Secret Cause.

He was brilliant, quirky and intensely private — and also, she now suspects, an anonymous dissident blogger who had won fame for years of evading the surveillance state.

Arts/Books: Times Literary Supplement – July 7, 2023

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Times Literary Supplement (July 7, 2023): The national religion – NHS at seventy-five; The history of female combatants from ancient times to the present; The temptation for Romantic writers to tip into over-familiarity, and more…

You’re over-sharing, Mr Hazlitt

Portrait of William Hazlitt by William Bewick, 1825

The temptation for Romantic writers to tip into over-familiarity

By Corin Throsby

Authorship and Romantic readers by Lindsey Eckert

In times of uncertainty, hardship or illness, re-reading a favourite novel can be a source of immense comfort. Even when we read something new, elements of familiarity – in plot, character and theme – can make us feel that the words have sprung from our subconscious. Familiarity connects us to our past and gives a sense of belonging to a community of readers. It can turn fictional characters into friends, make authors feel like confidants and render imagined settings as reassuring as a childhood home.

Research Preview: Nature Magazine – July 6, 2023

Volume 619 Issue 7968

nature Magazine -July 6, 2023 issue: Shape shifters – DNA origami allows useful supramolecular structures to be created from templates. But the process has its limitations, with most structures confined to two configurations: folded or unfolded.

Fungi bacon and insect burgers: a guide to the proteins of the future

Stylised illustration showing a shop display of alternative protein products with signs saying 'New' and 'Try today'.

Humanity needs to eat less meat. Here are seven alternatives.

Would you eat a burger enriched with mealworms? Fake bacon sliced from a mass of fermented fungi? Milk proteins extruded by microbes? Maybe you already have. Dozens of companies are now banking on these alternatives to animal protein becoming a regular part of your diet.

Mini-antibodies given mighty powers can stave off influenza

Influenza A virus, TEM image.

Complexes formed from ‘nanobodies’ and an antiviral drug halt infection in its tracks.

A dynamic duo comprising an antiviral drug joined to an antibody fragment provides strong protection against the two main types of influenza that infect humans, according to research in mice.

Travel Guide: What To See And Eat In Copenhagen

DW Travel (July 5, 2023) – Copenhagen, Denmark’s capital, sits on the coastal islands of Zealand and Amager. It’s linked to Malmo in southern Sweden by the Öresund Bridge. Indre By, the city’s historic center, contains Frederiksstaden, an 18th-century rococo district, home to the royal family’s Amalienborg Palace.

Video timeline: 00:00 Nyhavn 00:44 How to get around? Public transport 01:05 Rent a bike 01:35 What to see? Free sightseeing tour 02:33 Museums: Ny Carlsberg Glyptotek 02:49 What to eat and drink? 03:10 Reffen street food market 03:25 Pastries 03:36 Danish fastfood: Pølser 04:00 Where to stay? 04:22 Discover Nørrebro, Vesterbro and the harbour 05:16 Harbour boat tour 05:28 Parkin garage and gym Konditaget Lüders 05:58 Tivoli and Bakken amusement parks

DW reporter Aisha Sharipzhan has some ideas about how to have a good time there without splashing the cash. Her tips range from city sights, through public transport to lunchtime deals.

Culture: Country Life Magazine – July 5, 2023

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Country Life Magazine – July 5, 2023 issue: The seashore as artistic inspiration, from Constable’s wild skies to Gormley’s lonely figures; Puffins -the parrots of the sea; A history of mermaids, and more…

A shore thing – Michael Prodger examines the seashore as artistic inspiration, from Constable’s wild skies to Gormley’s lonely figures

Meet the parrots of the sea – The colourful puffin inspires amused adoration in everyone, but the big-beaked birds have a tough side, finds Ian Morton

Tripping the light fintastic – Sinister sirens who lure sailors to their deaths or beautiful beings who drag men from watery graves? Carla Passino combs history for mention of mermaids

Travel In Switzerland: From Kleine Scheidegg To Lauterbrunnen By Train

AKSense – Zurich Films (July 5, 2023) – Train driver’s view of a journey from Kleine Scheidegg mountain station of Switzerland to Lauterbrunnen village, passing through beautiful mountainous landscapes and charming chalets of Wengen.

The Wengernalp Railway is a 19.11 kilometres long rack railway line in Switzerland. It runs from Lauterbrunnen to Grindelwald via Wengen and Kleine Scheidegg, making it the world’s longest continuous rack and pinion railway. The name refers to the alpine meadow of Wengernalp, above Wengen. 

Filmed on June 25, 2023

News: Ukraine Nuclear Plant Threats, China & U.S. Semiconductor Standoff

The Globalist Podcast, Wednesday, July 5, 2023: Threats to the Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant after Russian workers are told to evacuate.

Why are China and the US limiting exports of each other’s semiconductors? Plus, the mail-order catalogue that changed perceptions of masculinity in the US.