Is this love? Don’t be Heathcliff and Cathy – what you should watch, read and play this weekNaomi Joseph, The Conversation
The five most romantic paintings of all time – according to art historiansYashaswini Chandra, University of Edinburgh; Daniel Fountain, University of Exeter; Emma Barker; Marius Kwint, University of Portsmouth, and Pippa Catterall, University of Westminster
Inside Aardman at the Young V&A: the creative magic behind Britain’s beloved stop-motion pioneersChristopher Holliday, King's College London
Little Amélie: a tender and creative exploration of the formation of childhood identityRayna Denison, University of Bristol
Fall in love Roman-style by playing board gamesTim Penn, University of Reading and Summer Courts, University of Reading
Vinegar Valentines: how cruel Victorians sent insulting cards to their unwanted suitorsGrace Marks, Edge Hill University
An existentialist philosopher on why we should not let fear dictate loveHenry Somers-Hall, Royal Holloway, University of London
Love stories of the Berlin Wall – couples reunited via tunnels, hot air balloons and zip wiresKelly Hignett, Leeds Beckett University
Why Aristotle would hate Valentine’s Day – and his five steps to loveJanset Özün Çetinkaya, University of Nottingham and Ian James Kidd, University of Nottingham
Vinegar Valentines: how cruel Victorians sent insulting cards to their unwanted suitorsGrace Marks, Edge Hill University
Italy hosted the Winter Olympics 70 years ago. What was it like, and what’s changed?Richard Baka, Victoria University
Winter sports scream glamour, but women’s ski-wear falls short when it comes to actually skiingTamsin Johnson, Nottingham Trent University
What Olympic athletes see that viewers don’t: Machine-made snow makes ski racing faster and riskier – and it’s everywhereKeith Musselman, University of Colorado Boulder and Agnes Macy, University of Colorado Boulder
I wrote a BBC drama about hope in a ‘left-behind’ town – but Britain changed faster than I could script itSteve Waters, University of East Anglia
What If I had Legs I’d Kick You tells us about mothering and thankless sacrificeBillie Anderson, Western University
Bridgerton: three true tales of love at first sight at Regency masquerade ballsMeg Kobza, Newcastle University
Fantasy writer Brandon Sanderson has retained rare control over screen adaptations of his Cosmere universeCassie Brummitt, University of Nottingham
What a Renaissance plate reveals about a woman who shaped literary historyMaria Clotilde Camboni, University of Oxford
How much can we really know about Jane Austen? Experts answer your questionsAnna Walker, The Conversation
Ali Smith’s Glyph is an exhilarating and excoriating follow-up to GliffSarah Annes Brown, Anglia Ruskin University
Industry’s Faustian pact, a Welsh detective drama, and the return of Bridgerton – what to watch, read and listen to this weekAnna Walker, The Conversation
Netflix’s killer new Agatha Christie mystery – what to watch and see this weekJane Wright, The Conversation
A story about North Korea and Japan, an exhilarating political film and a funny spy thriller – the three best releases of 2025Anna Walker, The Conversation; Jane Wright, The Conversation, and Naomi Joseph, The Conversation
Persuasion, Paddington and Patti Smith: what to listen to, read, see and sing along to this weekJane Wright, The Conversation
Forget flowers: lovers in 18th- and 19th-century Ireland exchanged hairLeanne Calvert, University of Limerick
My unsung hero of science: Frank Malina – fearless rocket engineer, groundbreaking artist and communist ‘traitor’Stephen Roddy, University College Cork
Olives have been essential to life in Italy for at least 6,000 years – far longer than we thoughtEmlyn Dodd, School of Advanced Study, University of London; Macquarie University
Not an artefact, but an ancestor: why a German university is returning a Māori taongaMichael La Corte, University of Tübingen and Annika Vosseler, University of Tübingen
How Tate Modern is serving up Frida Kahlo – from canvas to cuisineBenedict Carpenter van Barthold, Nottingham Trent University
Rediscovered photograph sheds light on Jeanne Duval – Manet’s Lady with a FanMaria C. Scott, University of Exeter
UK earmarks £1.5 billion in arts funding until 2030 – expert panel respondsAdam Behr, Newcastle University; Charlie Gregson, Nottingham Trent University, and Wanja Kimani, University of the Arts London
V&A East: the spirit of the 19th-century cultural campus of ‘Albertopolis’ lives onBill Sherman, School of Advanced Study, University of London
How Bad Bunny brought activism to the Super Bowl stageBelinda Zakrzewska, University of Birmingham; Flavia Cardoso, and Jannsen Santana, TBS Education
Four symbolic moments in Bad Bunny’s Super Bowl halftime showNatalia Rodríguez Vicente, University of Essex
Bruce Springsteen’s Streets of Minneapolis: how digital circulation boosts the impact of a protest songAdam Behr, Newcastle University
Men rule the Grammys as women see hard drop in wins at 2026 awardsLuba Kassova, University of Westminster
Malorie Blackman’s Noughts and Crosses uses critical dystopia to challenge us to build a better futureBlanka Grzegorczyk, University of Cambridge; Manchester Metropolitan University
The story of Apollo and Daphne in Ovid’s Metamorphoses needs a new translation for the #MeToo eraAlison Habens, University of Portsmouth
Caravaggio’s Medusa: why we need to look the Gorgon in the eyeMarie-Louise Crawley, Coventry University
Animal Farm at 80: why the animals really matter in Orwell’s parable about communismCharlotte Sleigh, UCL
Why returning to sport after childbirth is tougher than it looks for triathlete mothersEleri Sian Jones, Bangor University
We studied the walking habits of young men in Cape Town and London – and debunked a mythBradley Rink, University of the Western Cape and Gina Porter, Durham University
How walking football is helping older adults stay fit, connected and competitiveIan Varley, Nottingham Trent University and Philip Hennis, Nottingham Trent University
Blood, bruises and belief: how England’s women’s rugby team embody physical and mental enduranceHelen Owton, The Open University
The BBC once made the arts ‘utterly central’ to television – 100 years later they’re almost invisibleJohn Wyver, University of Westminster
Inside Uganda’s video halls, ‘video jokers’ transform Hollywood blockbusters into local entertainmentDamien Pollard, Northumbria University, Newcastle
Why British Museum has ended 15-year Japan Tobacco deal – and what it means for future partnershipsAllen Gallagher, University of Bath; Duncan Thomas, University of Bath, and Sophie Braznell, University of Bath
After the licence fee? Three alternatives to the BBC’s current modelDeborah Wilson David, Nottingham Trent University
How scientists and artists can collaborate to cut through ‘ecofatigue’ and inspire positive actionIan Williams, University of Southampton
Climate storytelling often ignores young people – arts-based research can change thatBobby Smith, University of Warwick
How politics, technology and the environmental crisis turned these movies into horror films in 2026Alexander Sergeant, University of Westminster
How romanticised images of London fog shaped the way we see polluted airMichelle Henning, University of Liverpool
Bad Bunny is a controversial pick for the Super Bowl – and that’s the pointBelinda Zakrzewska, University of Birmingham; Flavia Cardoso, and Jannsen Santana, TBS Education
What the Beckham family feud reveals about social media and our love of ‘mess’Carolina Are, London School of Economics and Political Science
Valentino: the Italian designer who broke into French haute couture with his elegant style and signature redNaomi Braithwaite, Nottingham Trent University
I was a designer for RuneScape – its comeback reveals how old games can be rejuvenatedMatthew Holland, Anglia Ruskin University
Walking through the North York Moors National Park – a place of adventure, conservation and healingTom Ratcliffe, York St John University
Ex Machina: could “superintelligence” challenge the idea of creativity as a uniquely human activity?Anthony Downey, Birmingham City University
