Topic description and stories

Cave painting, Isla de Mona

'Extreme sleepover #17' – going underground in search of zombies

04 Mar 2016

Lucy Wrapson reports on her fieldwork analysing the curious cave paintings found on Isla de Mona, in the Caribbean, and their equally enigmatic...

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Detail of Kingfisher, woodblock printed in colour, Kitagawa Utamaro

Why does the kingfisher have blue feathers?

12 Aug 2015

The Cambridge Animal Alphabet series celebrates Cambridge's connections with animals through literature, art, science and society. Here, K is for...

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Santas

Who colour-coded Christmas?

18 Oct 2011

The conventional colours of Christmas – red and green – are not, as many might suppose, a legacy of the Victorians. Instead, they hark back to the...

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Detail from Westminster Retable

Dragonsblood: the alchemy of paint

01 Sep 2009

Through his exploration of the science of art, the recipes of medieval artists and the writings of alchemists, art conservation scientist Spike...

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