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Game of Thrones Throws Light on ‘Face Blindness’: Prosopagnosia (face ignorance) or the inability to recognize one familiar face from another affects 1 in every 50 people. After observing the brain activity of two controlled groups — one with neurotypical participants and the other comprised of those with face blindness — during a viewing of ‘Game of Thrones,’ it was concluded that recognising faces is at least partly about using non-visual knowledge. Senior author of the study, Tim Andrews, said: ‘Our ability to recognise faces relies on what we know about people, not just what they look like.’
China’s Crackdown on Wealth Flaunting: Calling the popular practice of luxury product promotion ‘vulgar’ the Chinese government has been closing social media accounts of ‘online wealth show-offs.’ Luxury goods sales in China have since steadily declined, with fashion brands like Burberry reporting significant losses.
Is Honesty the Best Policy? Breaking from tradition, Prince William has chosen not to reveal how much tax he pays on income from his private property portfolio which yielded a £23.6 million profit in the last financial year.
Art as an Olympic Sport: From 1912 and until 1948, you could get an Olympic medal in the arts category. Named the ‘Pentathlon of the Muses’ artworks needed to be sports-inspired and could be from any of the following categories: architecture, literature, music, painting and sculpture.
Is Space Tourism Safe? The potential rise of space tourism, or commercial space travel, raises questions about health risks and the need for safety guidelines. SOMA (Space Omics and Medical Atlas), offers important insights. From DNA changes and reduced immunity to losses in bone density, space travel should not be taken lightly and may not be for everyone.
Do These Young MPs Signal Change? The House of Commons boasts ten MPs born after 1995 — up from two before the election. Until recently, age has not been associated with specific political behaviour. It is now understood that younger voters tend to care more about the environment and issues that specifically affect their age group, making the inclusion of young MPs an important step towards better political representation.
A Collapse in ‘Interfaith Dialogue’: Speaking in the House of Lords this week, the Archbishop of Canterbury said ‘Interfaith dialogue in this country has almost collapsed since October 7 last year,’ adding that, ‘tensions are high … as a result of overseas matters.’ He also called on the need for ‘cross-border solutions’ to domestic problems.