The Joy of Six 1422

"The British physicist has dedicated herself to increasing diversity and accessibility within the STEM community, with a special emphasis on women of all backgrounds. Among her many advocacy initiatives are, of course, her Wikipedia biographies, which she began writing in her 20s. In less than a decade, she has created more than 2000 articles for the online encyclopedia, focusing on women and underrepresented scientists who have been overlooked or forgotten by history." Eva Baron on Jessica Wade's work to further the recognition of women scientists.

Clive Simpson says the Lincolnshire Fens desperately need new flood defences: "Most of the area’s pumping stations and sluices were commissioned in the 1960s and recent Environment Agency studies show what would happen if those pumps stopped: vast swathes of Lincolnshire and Cambridgeshire would be under 1.5m of water. Combine this with rising sea and tide levels, and it’s clear why the issue is urgent."

The Riyadh comedy festival was an ultimately doomed attempt by the Saudi government to buy the kind of authentic grassroots culture it is unwilling to countenance, argues Jonathan Liew.

"For centuries, such creatures were cast as messengers of fate, straddling the boundary between the natural and the supernatural. Yet today, the omens these animals bring are no longer warnings of ghosts or witchcraft, but of something far more tangible: their own survival." Jessica Lloyd May and Matthew Jones find the medieval folklore of Britain’s endangered wildlife – from hedgehogs to nightjars – is developing a new meaning.

Nicola Skinner finds pet-sitting provides the ideal single-parent holiday.

Ben Finlay chooses ten autumnal British albums – I strongly approve of his number 1.