This year’s Bristol Radical History Festival focused on the persistent threats of racism, xenophobia and, of course, our radical collective resistance to it across Ireland and Britain, reports LYNNE WALSH

PEPTO-BISMOL, the US antacid drug, was first marketed in New York at the turn of the 20th century.
Its active ingredient is bismuth subsalicylate, technically a “salt” of bismuth. Bismuth salts have been known for their use in treating stomach upsets and bowel problems for centuries.
The medicine is effective for mild stomach ulcers, diarrhoea, and indigestion. One of the most surprising things about it is that it’s not known how bismuth subsalicylate actually works.

A maverick’s self-inflicted snake bites could unlock breakthrough treatments – but they also reveal deeper tensions between noble scientific curiosity and cold corporate callousness, write ROX MIDDLETON, LIAM SHAW and MIRIAM GAUNTLETT
Science has always been mixed up with money and power, but as a decorative facade for megayachts, it risks leaving reality behind altogether, write ROX MIDDLETON, LIAM SHAW and MIRIAM GAUNTLETT

