When Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, the European Union faced a crisis that demanded a swift and unified response. A new study by Professor Elena Baracani from the University of Bologna examines how Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Commission, used her leadership role to shape the EU’s reaction during the crucial first 10 weeks of the conflict.

Ever wondered why letters look the way they do? Dr Hana Jee at York St John University in the UK investigates intriguing connections between how languages sound and how they are written. Using a number of methodologies, she has conducted innovative research to quantify these relationships. Her work began with Korean Hangul, a writing system intentionally designed to be highly logical and systematic. Dr Jee has since expanded her research to include diverse scripts like Arabic, English, Hebrew and many others. Her findings suggest unexpected patterns across writing systems, opening several fascinating future research avenues.

Laura Perucchetti and colleagues at the British Museum have uncovered a group of skilfully crafted counterfeit ancient coins that may be one of the earliest examples of forgers using scientific analysis to dupe collectors. By examining the composition of the coins and comparing them with genuine artefacts, experts believe the forgers deliberately used ancient metal to avoid detection. The findings highlight the long history of a cat and mouse game between forgers and analysts, and the need for vigilance in verifying the authenticity of even the most convincing pieces.