Rich Text 29: Bonus Links

Some stuff there wasn’t space for in my Rich Text newsletter No. 29:

1. The swashbuckling, philosophical alchemist
   A typically well-researched, profusely illustrated piece by my mate science historian Thony Christie on Sir Kenelm Digby, ‘one of the most fascinating figures of the seventeenth century’.
2. Ancient DNA reveals secrets of Pompeii victims
   Researchers studying human remains from Pompeii have extracted genetic information from the bones of a man and a woman who were buried when the Roman city was engulfed in volcanic ash.
3. How do we solve the paradox of protection in Antarctica?
   The most protected place on Earth has become one of the most threatened—and threatening.
4. Supermassive black hole at centre of Milky Way seen for first time
   The Event Horizon telescope has captured an image from the turbulent heart of our galaxy.
5. Where science meets fiction: the dark history of eugenics
   Scientist and author Dr Adam Rutherford looks at how the study of genetics has been warped for political ends.
6. Tom Scott vs Irving Finkel: The Royal Game of Ur
   YouTuber Tom Scott takes on British Museum curator Irvin Finkel in the world’s oldest playable board game. (And what a fantastic game it is!)
7. Are you eating a credit card of plastic every week?
   (Spoiler alert: Nope!) A nice piece of sceptical investigation, showing how genuine scientific studies can be accidentally misrepresented in the re-telling.