Learner profile: Open-minded
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Drama as England rejoice but Scotland are out
Is football better than Homer? Even the Greek poet’s famed, epic tales of the Trojan War struggle to compete with the lively, pulsating thrills of contests like the European Championship.
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Bullets fly. Blood is sucked. Oh what fun!
Does doing bad things in a video game make you a bad person? Today, the internet is abuzz at the close of the year’s biggest gaming convention. But isn’t all that killing bad for the soul?
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The ex-veggies eating beef to save the Earth
Should we eat meat to save the planet? Today, diners are feasting at the world’s first plant-based Burger King. But some argue you do not need to be a vegetarian to fight climate change.
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Rewriting the rules of British-US diplomacy
Is it time to ditch the term “special relationship”? As Boris Johnson and Joe Biden meet for the first time today, the nature of the UK’s dealings with the US could change dramatically.
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Meet Gunda, the muddy ‘Meryl Streep’ of pigs
Can a pig change your life? A film following a sow raising her piglets on a free-range farm opens today. Some hope the story of Gunda will change how we think about animals.
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The exhaust pipe that could change the world
Is nuclear fusion our best hope for the climate? Today, scientists are celebrating a remarkable breakthrough. But not everyone is convinced that nuclear is the safest way forward.
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An iconic plinth and one massive metal rocket
Should statues be elected? From today, people are being invited to vote for the next artwork to go on display in the heart of London – but some would rather leave it to the experts.
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Teenage brains are ‘weird but wonderful’
Should adults be more like teenagers? Children’s mental health has suffered during the pandemic, but experts are confident young people’s remarkable brains will survive and adapt.
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On the road to greater social inequality
Could self-driving cars be racist? Experts worry that the machines of tomorrow are being inadvertently programmed to reflect human prejudices, and could make existing divisions even worse.
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Sili nu speling rools set kritiks larfing
Should English spelling be simplified? Campaigners argue that its complicated rules hold too many students back, and the time has come to introduce some fundamental changes.
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First powered flight EVER on another planet
Do humans have a right to be on Mars? Elon Musk talks about colonising the Red Planet. And most people think there’s nothing wrong with exploration. But some are deeply worried.
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Belief in conspiracies ‘caused by evolution’
Could the popularity of conspiracy theories be caused by evolution, not ignorance? Recent research suggests that a belief in false stories descends from prehistoric self-preservation.
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How sexism is ‘built-in’ to most languages
Could many languages be holding women back? A growing movement argues that changes to grammar and vocabulary are an essential step towards ending the tradition of male dominance.
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New young faces join the billionaires’ club
Can we learn anything useful from the latest list of billionaires? It now runs to thousands of people, one of them still a teenager – but the editor who oversees it is worried.
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Alarm over growth of ‘human stock market’
Should selling the power to decide your personal choices be illegal? A new app allows people to pay for the pleasure of ‘controlling’ someone else’s life. Harmless fun? Or a slippery slope?