Writer
Laura Spinney is a science journalist whose work has been published in The Economist, National Geographic, Nature, New Scientist and The Telegraph, among others. Her latest book is Pale Rider: The Spanish Flu of 1918 and How it Changed the World (2017). She is also the author of two novels, and Rue Centrale (2013), a portrait of Lausanne. She lives in Paris, France.
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Nations and empires
What big history says about how royal women exercise power
Laura Spinney
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Illness and disease
Who names diseases?
Swine Flu, Naples Soldier, Ebola. Disease names express fear, create stigma and distract attention. Can they be improved?
Laura Spinney
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Human reproduction
The twin boom
The proportion of twins in the population has waxed and waned in human history. For the first time we understand why
Laura Spinney