The scientific briefing with Luke Boulter

This week it surfaced in the news that a letter written by Charles Darwin - one of the original proponents in the theory of evolution - is to be auctioned at Sotheby’s. The letter was written in October 1980 in the aftermath of his landmark work Origin of Species, and shows Darwin’s modest view on what he had proposed and his lack of shock that his peers were dubious about this ‘new’ idea.

Having complained of the restrictions and boring nature of being in a rock band, Thom Yorke has put his experience with electronic music into an attempt to do something new. The only problem with this project is that this new album is far less original than his work with Radiohead from Kid A onwards.

A year on York’s claustrophobic campus is enough for most students who eagerly await moving into a house of their own. Toby Green examines this rite of passage
Moving off campus is almost like starting university all over again. After finally getting used to the concrete monstrosities and enjoying the brief summer moments, when campus becomes [...]

It seems the country is gripped with Dan Brown fever. I remember my last few years working in a bookshop, watching The Da Vinci Code fly off the shelves, lamenting every copy of the ill-written, trashy phenomenon. I detest the term “summer reading”.

Adam Sloan meets with Stanley Johnson to talk about his work protecting endangered species

More than 16,000 species worldwide are facing the threat of extinction, primarily as a result of human activity.

For 30 years, Stanley Johnson has been campaining for the protection of endangered species. As an MEP between 1979 and 84, he chaired the European Parliament’s committee on the environment and has since written more than ten books on environmental issues.

The end of another academic year; a year that has seen trials, tribulations, ups and downs. I hope for all of you that you have enjoyed the highs more than you have endured the lows.

It has been a mixed bag within the YUSU as well, we have faced bar closures, the death of one of our first Presidents, Tony Banks, and assessment boycotts, but managed to implement the most vital changes that the Union has seen in its forty year history. Many of you may remember the late night executive meetings over the ‘do they or don’t they’ abstention debate and if some of you thought that officers of the Union were the protagonists, you would be wrong.

Amy Scott braves the turbulent elements for some Shakespeare in the Park , while our book reviewers come up with three summer reading suggestions for the beach

Director: Paul Greengrass
With: Christian Clemenson, Trish Gates

Runtime: 91 minutes

This generation will, perhaps, never see an event which can affect the global conciousness as much as the events of 9/11. So shaken was the world by what transpired and so raw were the feelings created, that it has taken almost 5 years for anyone to feel comfortable enough to attempt a dramatisation of that day.

I reckon that I’m probably in the minority when I say that I’ve found finishing my degree to be a profoundly depressing experience. It’s down to various reasons, not least the fact that while I had work to do, there was a routine to my life, and I feel rather bereft without it: I woke [...]

Energy figures for the year 2004/5 obtained by Nouse show students on campus play a key part in the over-use of energy at the University, and in the generation of harmful emissions.
Of the total gas, water and electricity used at the University that year, 33% was used in campus residences. Campus residents alone were responsible [...]

Having read the recent article by Flora Bradwell regarding ‘the joys of alcohol and its place in university life’. I felt it necessary to clear up a few issues on behalf of Fact Monkey. The Social Norms campaign is not intended to jolt students into abstemious living, but to counteract the image of the borderline-alcoholic, hedonistic lifestyle so diligently portrayed via all forms of media. The message of the campaign is clear: the majority of students manage to drink without causing harm to themselves or to others.

Claire Yeo looks at the proposed boycott of Israeli insitutions by university teaching unions

It has been relatively under-reported that many of our university lecturers have been actively engaging in an academic boycott targeted against the state of Israel.

Hidden amongst the the tacky tourist shops, York harbours a number of more original artistic activities. Kirran Shah and Amy Blackmore explore the options
York City is packed with endless sights and attractions; it is possible to spend a week, never mind a day, browsing the galleries and not to see everything. In a search to [...]

After years of frequenting the library and Ziggy’s, post-degree life can seem daunting. Rachel Ringstead looks at how to get the most out of your last few days at university, and ease into real life
There are many things that a person should do when they finish their degree. However, once the basics have been covered [...]

After nearly forty years, The Who have returned to Leeds. They were playing at the University’s Refectory, the site at which their seminal Live at Leeds album was recorded, which is regarded by many as the best live album ever. Surviving members Roger Daltrey and Pete Townshend, together with their band, which included Ringo Starr’s son, Zak Starkey, played a set full of hits to an intimate crowd to kick off their national tour.