The increasing sexualisation of men in films
The Economist Daily Dispatch: April 11th 2016
Genetic mutations: Real-life superheroes
A study of more than 500,000 people, published today, revealed 13 individuals who seem perfectly healthy despite carrying genetic mutations linked to severe childhood diseases. Ideally researchers would now sequence these individuals’ genomes to discover how they can carry mutations that are deadly in others. But this cannot be done: the consent forms used do not allow for the subjects to be recontacted, writes our science correspondent
Panama papers: David Cameron’s unforced error
The Panama papers revealed that David Cameron’s late father had a unit trust fund incorporated offshore. Nothing so far suggests that his family broke any rules. But Mr Cameron lost control of the story by insisting it was a private matter, which suggested he had something to hide and fuelled suspicion. His recent slip-ups prove that he is not as flawless a political leader as his admirers boast, writes our British politics columnist
Nudity in film: Taking off
The “hypersexualisation” of men in film has increased in the past decade. In 2014 8% of male characters wore “sexualised attire” (up from 4.6% in 2007), while 9.1% (compared with 6.6%) were shot “with some nudity”. Yet women are roughly three times more likely to be objectified on screen than men even though they make up less than a third of all speaking characters. They also get less than 25% of leading roles, writes our data team
The EU’s migration deal: Cold Turkey
Under a deal signed by the European Union and Turkey last month, “irregular” migrants arriving in Greece are now sent back to Turkey. EU states accept one Syrian refugee from Turkey in return for each one sent back. The flow of refugees to Greece has slowed since the agreement was struck. But human-rights organisations worry the deal will cause Turkey to prevent Syrians fleeing Syria in the first place, writes our deputy Europe editor
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Music to read The Economist by: This week’s playlist, loosely inspired by the stories in the weekly paper, includes songs by Van Halen, Air and Nina Simone, among others. Listen to the playlist in full here
