Category Archives: Previews

Research Preview: Nature Magazine – August 15, 2024

Volume 632 Issue 8025

Nature Magazine – July 24, 2024: The latest issue features Mobile Stone – Scottish origin for Stonehenge’s altar hints at societal organization in Neolithic Britain…

Cobras and mambas and coral snakes, oh my! DNA shows their origins

A snake family that includes many venomous species arose in Asia, despite fossil evidence pointing to an African origin.

How expert skateboarders use physics on the half-pipe

Athletes can achieve greater speed with just the right ‘pumping’ motion, modelling shows.

Engineered brain parasite ferries useful proteins into neurons

Microbe found in cat poo could be harnessed to deliver large, complex proteins across the blood–brain barrier.

Arts/Books: Times Literary Supplement – Aug 16, 2024

Times Literary Supplement (August 14, 2024): The latest issue features ‘Guy vs the Spies’ – Robert Cecil’s secret intelligence network; The new Cold War; On annihilation; What anxiety means; G.K. Chesterton’s Notting Hill…

Los Angeles Review Of Books – Summer 2024

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LA Review of Books (August 13, 2024) – The latest issue, No. 42, features Gossip. The editors start a group chat on group chats, inviting Daniel Lavery, Summer Kim Lee, Whitney Mallett, Natasha Stagg, Sarah Thankam Mathews, Tal Rosenberg, Sophie Kemp, Hillary Brenhouse, Sophia Stewart, and Jamie Hood;

Zoe Mendelson puts a dollar sign and a public spin on the phrase “daddy issues” in an online-only exclusive;

Rhian Sasseen swipes right on behalf of a fictional porn addict;

Francesca Peacock roots through the archives for a deeper understanding of scandal and speech;

Ruth Madievsky closes the gate on her college rumor mill;

and Emmeline Clein recounts an “American Icarus story” spelled out in diet pills and rhinestones.

Gossip as a Literary Genre, or Gossip as “L’Écriture feminine”?

Francesca Peacock roots through the archives for a deeper understanding of scandal and speech in an essay from the LARB Quarterly issue no. 42, “Gossip.”

Previews: Country Life Magazine – August 14, 2024

Country Life Magazine (August 14, 2024): The latest issue features ‘Save the Albion Cow’ – It’s rarer than a Giant Panda; Old houses, new technology; Hot and Steamy – Why the pressure cooker is back and Whizz kids – What made Elizabeth I, Brunel and Nelson special…

Breed for victory

Our treasured native livestock breeds are in danger of being lost, yet they have a crucial role to play, believes Kate Green

Levelling up

Anyone waiting with trepidations for the A-level results should take heart from the likes of Nelson and Brunel, says Alice Loxton

If walls could talk

Old houses with poor wifi need not be denied new gadgets, from wireless lighting to kettles that can be switched on remotely. Julie Harding taps her screen

What makes you click?

From a hollowed-out cow to autofocus and gyro-stabilised cameras, clever ideas continue to transform wildlife photography. Amie Elizabeth White takes a look down the lense.

Full steam ahead

Neil Buttery fires up the pressure cooker, back in our kitchens and tenderising those bones

Paint your wagon

Sturdy, hardworking and now prized for their rarity, farm wagons were key to rural life in times past. Jack Watkins rolls out the surviving examples.

Country Life’s tech commandments

Follow thou Toby Keel’s wise advice for digital life and thou shalt not be shunned in society

Planting for the future

The new generation is building on a fine legacy of gardening and travel at Bryngwyn Hall in Powys, where Caroline Donald wanders among trees gathered from far-flung countries

Foraging

John Wright sets off into the woods in search of meaty rot fungi, the magnificent chicken of the woods and its cousin, joy-inducing hen of the woods

Waiter! My soup is cold

It might be an acquired taste, but gazpacho — recipe of your choice — is worth tasting again. Tom Parker Bowles dips his spoon into a Spanish favourite

Harvard Business Review – September/October 2024

September–October 2024

Harvard Business Review (August 12, 2024) – The latest issue features Embracing Gen AI at Work: How to get what you need from this new technology…

Tom Brady on the Art of Leading Teammates

In this article, NFL great Tom Brady and Nitin Nohria, of Harvard Business School, present a set of principles that people in any realm can apply to help teams successfully work together toward common goals.close

When our society talks about success, we tend to focus on individual success. We obsess about who is the “greatest of all time,” who is most responsible for a win, or what players or coaches a team might add next season to become even better.

Where Data-Driven Decision-Making Can Go Wrong

Let’s say you’re leading a meeting about the hourly pay of your company’s warehouse employees. For several years it has automatically been increased by small amounts to keep up with inflation. Citing a study of a large company that found that higher pay improved productivity so much that it boosted profits, someone on your team advocates for a different approach: a substantial raise of $2 an hour for all workers in the warehouse. What would you do?

AI Won’t Give You a New Sustainable Advantage

History has shown that technological innovation can profoundly change how business is conducted. The steam engine in the 1700s, the electric motor in the 1800s, the personal computer in the 1970s—each transformed many sectors of the economy, unlocking enormous value in the process. But relatively few of these and other technologies went on to become direct sources of sustained competitive advantage for the companies that deployed them, precisely because their effects were so profound and so widespread that virtually every enterprise was compelled to adopt them. Moreover, in many cases they eliminated the advantages that incumbents had enjoyed, allowing new competitors to enter previously stable markets.

National Geographic Traveller (September 2024)

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National Geographic Traveller Magazine (June 11, 2024): The September 2024 issue features a look beyond Istanbul and the Turquoise Coast in Turkey to descend into the subterranean cities of Cappadocia, a feast in the blossoming culinary region of Urla, and a marvel at Edirne’s age-old oil wrestling festival. Plus, trekking in Sri Lanka, a weekend in Montenegro and a guide to Miami.

Also inside this issue:

Sri Lanka: The Indigenous Vedda people are leading immersive treks in the jungled highlands 
Valencia:Journey through the parks, wetlands and groves of 2024’s European Green Capital 
Austria: Drink up the views from Carinthia’s lakeside restaurants and lofty mountain trails 
Japan: Itineraries to experience the archipelago’s urban life, scattered islands and more 
Miami: Explore the influences that have shaped Florida’s sun-soaked capital 
Dublin: A guide to the Irish capital, from big-ticket attractions to intimate audiophile bars 
Bay of Kotor: From medieval towns to national parks, this is Montenegro at its prettiest 
PerthThe capital of Western Australia is fresh out of an unprecedented hotel boom 

Plus, a Silk Road adventure in London’s British Museum; Spain’s Parador hotels unveil new tours; the global influences behind Guyanese cuisine; fine dining in Sorrento; the inside scoop on St John’s, Canada; canal boating trips in the UK; a bucolic escape in the Forest of Dean; the best autumn literary festivals; and portable kit for your next adventure.

We talk with author Oliver Smith on finding peace at Britian’s holy sites, and former astronaut José Hernández on reaching for the stars. In our Ask the Experts section, the experts give advice on digital nomad visas, planning a music-themed road trip in the US and more. The Info sets sail for Venice’s historical regatta, while Hot Topic explores the rise of tiger mosquitos across Europe and the Report asks whether costlier safaris really mean more money for conservation initiatives. Finally, photographer and writer Simon Urwin discusses capturing the otherworldly landscapes of Algeria in How I Got the Shot. 

Finance Preview: Barron’s Magazine – August 12, 2024

The Stock Market's Wild Week: Lessons, How to Protect Your Portfolio, and  What to Do Now - Barron's

BARRON’S MAGAZINE (August 10, 2024): The latest issue features..

The Stock Market’s Wild Week Was a Wake-Up Call. What to Do Now.

The Stock Market’s Wild Week Was a Wake-Up Call. What to Do Now.

Long-term investors shouldn’t be spooked by a one-day rout or the market’s churning. The S&P 500 and Nasdaq are still up more than 11% on the year.

The Market Is Scary. These Stocks and Bonds Can Protect Your Portfolio.

Adding defensive stocks can allow investors to stay invested while protecting themselves if the economy goes into recession.

As Robo-Advisors Top $1 Trillion in Assets, Banks Pull Back

Robo-advisors continue to pull in new assets, but the revolution has hit a snag. Plus, our latest ranking of best robos.

Chinese Companies Are Everywhere Now—and Setting Off Alarms

Behind China’s export push is increased competition and slowing growth at home, and a move by its leaders to use exports to boost the economy.

Preview: Archaeology Magazine – Sept/Oct 2024

September/October 2024 - Archaeology Magazine

Archaeology Magazine (August 9, 2024): The latest issue features ‘Egypt’s Island of Many Gods’….

Ancient DNA Revolution

How the rapidly evolving field of archaeogenetics is unlocking secrets of the past

Hunting for the Lost Temple of Artemis

After a century of searching, a chance discovery led archaeologists to one of the most important sanctuaries in the ancient Greek worldRead Article

Trees of the Sky World

Why Australia’s Indigenous Wiradjuri people carved sacred symbols into trees to mark burials of their honored dead

Research Preview: Science Magazine – August 9, 2024

Current Issue Cover

Science Magazine – August 8, 2024: The new issue features ‘Righting Old Wrongs’ – How science is shedding a colonial legacy…

Explosive claim about ancient burials challenged

Controversy over intentional burial by Homo naledi extends to new publishing models

Eliminating a gut microbe could slash gastric cancers

Mammoth study in Chinese villages shows antibiotics that kill Helicobacter pylori reduced cancer risk

Fire-against-fire HIV therapy passes key test in monkeys

A stripped-down HIV genome can interfere with normal virus replication

In sweeping geological theory, mantle waves lift up plateaus

Underground churn from ancient continental breakups can explain highlands in Brazil, India, and South Africa

London Review Of Books – August 15, 2024 Preview

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London Review of Books (LRB) – August 7 , 2024: The latest issue features ‘Henry James Hot-Air Balloon’ – “The Prefaces” by  Henry James; Trivialized to Death – “Reading Genesis” by Marilynne Robinson; Different for Girls By Jean McNicol

Trivialised to Death

Reading Genesis 
by Marilynne Robinson.

By James Butler

The first time​ the man heard God, he uprooted his entire life, though he was very old. Then God appeared to him in person, an event which would embarrass later thinkers. God made the man an impossible promise in the shape of a son. His wife was ninety, and she laughed. When the child arrived, it was hardly unreasonable to think it a miracle. They named the child after the laughter.

Just say it, Henry

The Prefaces 
by Henry James, edited by Oliver Herford.

By Colin Burrow

In 1904​ Henry James’s agent negotiated with the American publisher Charles Scribner’s Sons to produce a collected edition of his works. The New York Edition of the Novels and Tales of Henry James duly appeared in 1907-9. It presented revised texts of both James’s shorter and longer fiction, with freshly written prefaces to each volume. It didn’t include everything: ‘I want to quietly disown a few things by not thus supremely adopting them,’ as James put it. The ‘disowned’ works included some early gems such as The Europeans. The labour of ‘supremely adopting’ the stuff he still thought worthy was grinding. He worked on the new prefaces, which he described as ‘freely colloquial and even, perhaps, as I may say, confidential’ (though James’s notion of the ‘freely colloquial’ is perhaps not everyone’s) during the years 1905 to 1909. In some respects, the venture was not a success. ‘Vulgarly speaking,’ James said of the New York Edition, ‘it doesn’t sell.’

Different for Girls

By Jean McNicol

A week​ before the start of the Paris Olympics, Shoko Miyata, the 19-year-old captain of the Japanese women’s gymnastics team, was forced to withdraw from the competition by her national association. She had been reported to the Japan Gymnastics Association for smoking and drinking (on separate occasions, once for each offence). The president of the JGA, Tadashi Fujita, announced that Miyata had been sent home, and bowed deeply.