Skip to main content
I will survive
Working out the survival rates of medieval manuscripts needed surprise input from those studying animal diversity – and reminds us on the left to make sure we keep our own story safe, write ROX MIDDLETON, LIAM SHAW and JOEL HELLEWELL
I will survive

HISTORIANS must work with limited information about the past.

First, what is set down is a biased subset to begin with. The experiences of the working class in England before the Industrial Revolution, for example, are much harder to reconstruct than the royal court.

Second, even written records can be lost, crumble away in attics, or be burned in library fires. So the evidence that does survive today from the past is a proportion of what once existed. But what is that proportion?

Support the Morning Star
You have reached the free limit.
Subscribe to continue reading.
More from this author
cell
Features / 26 March 2025
26 March 2025
A small Japanese trial has reported some positive results for stem cell therapy to treat spinal-cord injuries
panama canal
Science and Society / 12 March 2025
12 March 2025
Man-made canals like Panama and Suez face unprecedented challenges from extreme weather patterns and geopolitical tensions that reveal the fragility of our global trade networks, write ROX MIDDLETON, LIAM SHAW and MIRIAM GAUNTLETT
HOW GREEN IS GREEN? Recycling solar cells safely is a major
Science and Society / 26 February 2025
26 February 2025
It’s sunny times for the solar industry which is expected to continue to grow rapidly — but there are still major environmental issues with how solar cells are made, explain ROX MIDDLETON, LIAM SHAW and MIRIAM GAUNTLETT
research group
Science and Society / 11 February 2025
11 February 2025
Fraud in Alzheimer’s research raises difficult questions about the current state of science, write ROX MIDDLETON, LIAM SHAW and MIRIAM GAUNTLETT
Similar stories
gaza
Book Review / 27 March 2025
27 March 2025
ALEX HALL is intrigued by a detailed history of Gaza that demonstrates its historic resilience and changing economy
vicuna
Features / 28 February 2025
28 February 2025
What has worked well – and what needs to change – for the convention that controls trade in endangered species? DAN CHALLENDER and MICHAEL ’T SAS-ROLFES explain
Antarctica moss
Science and Society / 9 October 2024
9 October 2024
Vegetation is growing at an alarming rate on Antarctica’s northernmost region, write ROX MIDDLETON, LIAM SHAW and MIRIAM GAUNTLETT
Farmer
Full Marx / 27 May 2024
27 May 2024
Marx and Engels’ concern with soil provides a focus for understanding the relationship between capitalism and the environment, argues the MARX MEMORIAL LIBRARY