Charlotte Hodgman's blog

Scientists using advanced nanotechnology have successfully located traces of blood from Ötzi the Iceman, whose frozen body was found in Italy in 1991, 5,300 years after he was killed by an arrow. Scientists have already mapped Ötzi’s DNA and discovered that he suffered from Lyme disease and a weak heart, and ate venison and ibex as his last meal, but have only now found tiny traces of blood on the body.

Sixteenth-century playwright Thomas Middleton was the most likely co-author of William Shakespeare’s All’s Well That Ends Well, according to academics from Oxford University. Analysis of the play's vocabulary, rhyming, style and grammar, as well as differences in style and inconsistencies in the text, have led experts to believe that the play was the work of two authors.

The latest issue of BBC History Magazine is now on sale. In our new edition Paulina Kewes considers the sources that contributed to William Shakespeare's portrayal of Richard III.

Elsewhere in the magazine, Matthew Hughes considers the Jewish revolt against British rule in the 1940s.

The May issue also features Tom Holland who examines the role of Abd al-Malik in the establishment of Islam in the Middle East.

Historian Dave Barter has been speaking about Tommy Goodwin, the man who cycled 75,065 miles in a single year. Goodwin, who would have celebrated his 100th birthday this year, cycled for around 18 hours a day, covering 200 miles, in his attempt to set the endurance riding record in 1939.

Research by the University of Oxford has revealed that fatal accidents were more likely to take place in the agricultural peak season during the 16th century, making summertime the most dangerous time of year for Tudors.

Scientists examining the fossilised bones of a foot found in Ethiopia in 2009 believe the remains indicate that the human ancestor from whom they came could walk upright at times. The specimens, which consist of eight elements from the forefoot – bones such as metatarsals and phalanges – are thought to be more than 3.4 million years old. Experts believe they demonstrate that there was more than one pre-human species living in East Africa between three and four million years ago.

The latest issue of BBC History Magazine is now on sale. In our new edition Mary Beard explores the nightlife in the ancient city of Rome, while Gillian Hovell considers the Roman conquest of Britain in AD43.

Elsewhere in the magazine, Christopher Grey explains why Alan Turing was not the only star of Bletchley Park.

Human and animal fossilised footprints that may date to the Bronze Age have been discovered in an area of exposed peat at Borth beach in Ceredigion. A range of footprints have been identified at the site, including those thought to have belonged to a four-year-old child. The area was cover with forest between 3000 and 2500 BC, which gradually became waterlogged with peat growth. A team of archaeologists is now racing against the changing tides to record and excavate the find.

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A 12-month subscription to our iPad edition is just £37.99, while a six-month subscription will cost you just £18.99. Single issues can also be purchased for £3.99 each.

A document announcing the birth of the future Edward VI in 1537 and a letter written by King Henry VIII asking landlords to recruit troops from their tenants to go into battle against the Scots, have been found among papers at Dunham Massey near Altrincham. The letter concerning the birth of Henry VIII’s only male heir appears to have been written on behalf of the king’s third wife, Jane Seymour, who died less than two weeks after Edward’s birth.