Articles from category Humanities

The Iliad and the Odyssey: Homer in our times

Why do we keep turning to stories written nearly 3,000 years ago when the world is in turmoil? In his latest book, Homer in our times, Prof. Marek Węcowski of…

Pooh’s honey is gone, and Eeyore gets depressed: The Hundred Acre Wood talks climate change

What does a bear with a very small brain have in common with global warming, agricultural drought, and an invasion of Asian crabs? Quite a lot, as it turns out.…

A tax scandal from 1,500 years ago: What new inscription fragments reveal about corruption in the Roman Empire

In 480, Roman officials in western Asia Minor were defrauding taxpayers during tax collection – a practice that had continued for more than a decade. The authorities eventually responded with…

Trolling: How to spot digital provocation

“Drinking lemon juice cures cancer,” “Reading books is overrated,” or “The Moon landing never happened” – each of these claims sounds like typical internet absurdity. Yet the goal is often the…

Will authors become redundant? Probably not, although their role will evolve. Photo: s

When AI writes a book: The future of authors in the era of artificial intelligence

Writing a book is no longer an activity exclusive to humans. Nowadays, artificial intelligence (AI) can develop a plot, analyze readers’ tastes, follow market trends, and even create illustrations and…

Just another job? Talking about “dirty work”

What happens when your job isn’t exactly the kind people brag about? Dr. Gabriela Jarzębowska of the University of Warsaw’s Faculty of “Artes Liberales” set out to explore how people…

Silkworms, preserves, and menageries: How people cared for animals in old Poland

Were people in the 17th century concerned about the health of their dogs, cows, and bees? Absolutely. On manors and folwarks, caring for animals was part of everyday life. Research…

Drone view of layers in Wee Jasper.

Could the 395-million-year-old Devonian reef explain modern climate change?

Might a fossil reef serve as a kind of geological Pompeii – preserving traces of a world that existed hundreds of millions of years ago almost like a freeze-frame? Although…

Voltaire (born François-Marie Arouet). Source: Musée Carnavalet

Manufacturing fake news: Voltaire in the service of Russian propaganda

Voltaire – an Enlightenment icon of liberty – helped legitimize Russia’s military intervention in Poland. Research by Dr. Jacek Kordel of the University of Warsaw shows he not only corresponded…

Mound K8 as viewed through the treetops.

Twice buried: A forest barrow cemetery at the crossroads of belief

At first glance, it looks like an ordinary forest. But beneath the surface lies a story of death, belief, and ancient ritual. In Nowy Chorów, a small village in Słupsk…

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