General Election Nowcast - 13/09/26: LAB: 253 (-158) | 25.7% (73 Short) RFM: 136 (+131) | 23.5% CON: 101 (-20) | 19.7% LDM: 72 (=) | 10.5% SNP: 43 (+34) | 2.7% GRN: 13 (+9) | 10.6% PLC: 7 (+3) | 1.1% RES: 1 (+1) | 3.6% Oth: 5 (=) | 2.7% electionmaps.uk/nowcast

'Phylochronology' is my word of the day 🏺 This paper ticks two research interests for me: Ancient DNA #aDNA, and #Chronology construction using #Bayesian techniques to combine multiple dating sources. doi.org/10.1073/pnas...

A refined phylochronology of the second plague pandemic in Western Eurasia | PNAS

The origin and spread of consecutive outbreaks of the second plague pandemic in Europe (14th to 18th c.) are still poorly understood, although over...

doi.org

'Humanities & social sciences research is central to ask questions about how and in whose interests technology is being developed, how it can be adopted, deployed & governed and how to create a world where AI can benefit the many, not the few' My blog for @ukri.org ukri.substack.com/p/why-ai-wil...

Why AI will fail without the humanities and social sciences

AI can transform society. But only if society has a say in shaping it, writes Hetan Shah, Chief Executive of The British Academy.

ukri.substack.com

A Victorian thrill seeker enjoying the volcanic gas on the island of Vulcano, just off the coast of Sicily. View more photographs by the pioneering volcanologist Tempest Anderson here: https://publicdomainreview.org/essay/tempest-anderson-pioneer-of-volcano-photography

Quite a few journeys alone in the car recently. An opportunity to catch up on #InOurTime from BBC Sounds, including this excellent, if distressing episode on the impact of European colonisation on the Americas www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/...

In Our Time - The Columbian Exchange - BBC Sounds

The impact of the spread of animals, crops and diseases between continents after 1492.

bbc.co.uk

Sometimes (again SOMETIMES) I question the nostalgia with physical books. Historians - Was there a generation lamenting the loss of clay tablets when papyrus came around?

Some really useful thoughts on the value of counterfactual history here. I'd welcome recommendations of card driven games with an ancient or medieval Europe theme.

Historical Games Network@historygamesnet.bsky.social · last wk.

New post! For Analogue, Ian Greener explores the way Card-Driven Games engage with history, the choices they present the player when engaging with a known past or diverging from it, and how they play with historical contingency and uncertainty: www.historicalgames.net/history-in-c...

"A fair world begins with a fair map" - Robert Dussey. BBC News - UN votes to adopt new world map to reflect Africa's true size www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

UN votes to adopt new world map to reflect Africa's true size

The Togo-sponsored resolution was backed by 164 nations - with the US as the only nation to vote against it.

bbc.co.uk

Data point for tracking an aging population. Today for the first time I spotted a '100 years' birthday card on sale in a village post office in Gloucestershire. Are these common now?

Global warming is set to cross 1.5°C, pushing climate risks and impacts to increasingly dangerous heights, a new UNEP report warns.   Predicted impacts include extreme weather and threats to human health and economies.

I've written to the Prime Minister ahead of his first statement later today, with a clear message: Our politics is broken and we can’t fix our country until we fix our politics.

#Historia #Roma Los nombres de dos mascotas sobreviven 1.800 años en un mosaico romano descubierto en Turquía. Un hallazgo en una villa romana de Turquía revela cómo una familia de la antigüedad quiso preservar para siempre a sus mascotas. historia.nationalgeographic.com.es/a/nombres-do...

I'm sure the #MosaicMonday crowd would welcome a sweeter cat related mosaic story ... Looking at you @romanpalace.bsky.social 😸 1,800-Year-Old Roman Villa Mosaic Discovered in Türkiye Preserves the Names of a Cat and Dog | Arkeonews share.google/AhwfkLJjxkbe...

1,800-Year-Old Roman Villa Mosaic Discovered in Türkiye Preserves the Names of a Cat and Dog | Arkeonews

An 1,800-year-old Roman villa mosaic discovered at Adramytteion in Türkiye preserves the names of a cat and dog alongside striking mythological imagery.

share.google

If you haven't found it already, I can recommend #wildflowerhour for a Sunday evening timeline cleanse. 🌼

And remember, it isn't just about how FPTP distorts elections to Westminster. It's about what MPs go on to pass into law once elected, even though they represent a minority 👇 bsky.app/profile/prop...

Proportional Commons@propvoting.bsky.social · 3mo ago

Votes on legislation should never pass if the MPs opposing them represent more people, right? Not with FPTP 🤷‍♀️ These bars 👇should all be zero - legislation should never be passed unless a real majority agree. This is why we need proportional representation. @makevotesmatter.bsky.social

‘Burnham and PR voting: Will he deliver? Or will he renege like Canada’s Justin Trudeau did?’ The need for electoral reform could not be more urgent after Labour gained 63 % of the seats on a mere 34% of the overall vote in the last general election. theleftlane2024.substack.com/p/burnham-an...

Burnham and PR voting: Will he deliver? Or will he renege like Canada’s Justin Trudeau did?

The need for electoral reform could not be more urgent after Labour gained 63 % of the seats on a mere 34% of the overall vote in the last general election.

theleftlane2024.substack.com

The way we elect our MPs must sit above party politics. An independent review, with input from experts and citizens, creates the potential for lasting change. electoral-reform.org.uk/what-does-an...

What does an independent commission on electoral reform need to succeed?

The idea of an independent commission on electoral reform has been gaining traction lately, with nearly 200 MPs calling for one. But with a prime minister who understands the need for a

electoral-reform.org.uk

"What was once a constitutional nice-to-have, has become an essential safeguard in the face of real danger to democracy." 💯 @pollytoynbee.bsky.social is right. Electoral reform can't wait any longer. We're calling on Andy Burnham to act and announce a National Commission within his first 100 days.

Burnham electrified the Labour party by talking about electoral reform – now he needs to act on it | Polly Toynbee

The prime minister has lifted the spirits of the public and party members, and must use that goodwill to push through change, says Guardian columnist Polly Toynbee

theguardian.com

Agreed, time action on electoral reform @andyburnham.bsky.social www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...

Burnham electrified the Labour party by talking about electoral reform – now he needs to act on it | Polly Toynbee

The prime minister has lifted the spirits of the public and party members, and must use that goodwill to push through change, says Guardian columnist Polly Toynbee

theguardian.com

#Onthisday in 1883, the culmination of the #Krakatoa eruption: one of the deadliest volcanic events in recorded history. Read Gerard Manley Hopkins' letters describing the odd optical effects made by the ash cloud that were seen as far away as UK: publicdomainreview.org/essay/t... #otd

💥 BREAKING: A majority of MPs want a National Commission on Electoral Reform - finds @yougov.co.uk poll of MPs 🏛️ All MPs: Support: 53% Oppose 34% 🌹 Labour MPs: Support: 55% Oppose: 29% 📰 Read the full story on @labourlist.bsky.social 👇

Majority of Labour MPs back review of voting system, poll reveals - LabourList

More than half of Labour MPs support establishing a National Commission on Electoral Reform to review Britain's electoral system, according to a poll of parliamentarians.

labourlist.org

Andy Burnham should rip up our undemocratic first past the post system. Well said Neal Lawson 👏https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2026/aug/26/andy-burnham-undemocratic-first-past-the-post-system-labour?CMP=share_btn_url

Andy Burnham should rip up our undemocratic first past the post system – even if some in Labour disagree | Neal Lawson

Rearguard reactionaries may try to block the idea of a national commission into proportional representation, but we should want more not less democracy, says Neal Lawson, director of Compass

theguardian.com

This is the letter kids got at the end of Dolly’s Imagination Library. I defy you to read this and not cry.

📢 Historic England and English Heritage announce joint Collaborative Doctoral Partnership Landscape Award! The two organisations are inviting expressions of interest (EOIs) from academic supervisors for these projects. Funded by UKRI's AHRC. ⏰ 15 October 2026 (4pm) Learn more: buff.ly/PwGBjGy

Collaborative Doctoral Opportunities | Historic England

AHRC funded co-supervised PhD research projects between Historic England/English Heritage and higher education institutes.

historicengland.org.uk

Under First Past the Post, it doesn't matter how many votes you get. All that matters is how split or united your opponents are. Elections shouldn't feel like a guessing game. It's time to make seats in Parliament reflect how the country votes. It's time for PR.

Meanwhile, as the political sideshow in #Clacton winds down, #LibDems getting on with the real work of winning council seats to represent local communities from Reform in Devon and Labour in Yorkshire 🔶

Honiton St Michael's (East Devon) Council By-Election Result: 🔶 LDM: 45.4% (New) ➡️ RFM: 25.0% (New) 🌳 CON: 20.3% (-10.2) 🙋 Ind: 4.6% (-16.0) 🌹 LAB: 3.4% (-22.4) 🙋 Ind: 1.2% (New) No LIB (-23.0) as previous. Liberal Democrat GAIN from Labour. Changes w/ 2023.

Almondbury (Kirklees) Council By-Election Result: 🔶 LDM: 43.9% (+14.5) ➡️ RFM: 27.0% (-10.0) 🌳 CON: 13.2% (+4.4) 🌍 GRN: 8.7% (-8.0) 🌹 LAB: 4.5% (-3.4) 🙋 Ind: 2.6% (New) Liberal Democrat GAIN from Reform UK. Changes w/ 2026.

#SolarEclipse = Moon-scrolling

Feed: "LBV Magazine English Edition" By: Guillermo Carvajal on Wednesday, February 26, 2025

The Roman Empire Gave Rise to the Viking Age and the First Scandinavian Kingdoms

The period between AD 180 and 550 was an era of great transformations in Scandinavia, where ancient tribal societies faced significant challenges and the first forms of organized kingdoms began to take shape. A new book published by historian Dagfinn Skre, based on six years of research across vario

labrujulaverde.com