The Week Unwrapped: Author names, Thai protests and galaxies far, far away

Olly Mann and The Week delve behind the headlines and debate what really matters from the past seven days. 

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In this week’s episode, we discuss:

Thai protests

Thai student protesters have taken to the streets in the largest public gatherings since the military coup in 2014. The demonstrators are demanding a new constitution, but are also demanding that the power of the monarchy be suppressed. Criticism of the king can currently see people jailed for 15 years. So could he who should not be named be on the verge of having his power reigned in?

Distant galaxies

Astronomers are baffled by the discovery of an extremely distant galaxy that bears a striking resemblance to our own Milky Way, throwing into doubt our current understanding of the formation of the early universe and humanity's place in it. But could it also bring us one step closer to solving the mystery of extraterrestrial life?

Rewriting authors

George Eliot, along with 24 other female authors, will have their works republished under their real names as part of a project to mark 25 years of the Women’s prize for fiction. Will this give the authors “the visibility and credit they deserve”? Or has the campaign already caused more damage than it intended?

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