Learner profile: Thinkers
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‘A breathtaking, beautiful day for science’
Was it pure science that saved us? Some are eagerly taking that as the lesson of yesterday’s new vaccine announcement – but it is worth asking whether there are other heroes in this story.
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Female prodigies fuel the great chess boom
Is this the next big thing in sport? The Queen’s Gambit is adding glamour to a skill with a geeky reputation – and young women are flocking to a game that once was the preserve of men.
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Historians launch encyclopaedia of smells
Are smells the key to history? The EU is to spend £2.5m capturing ancient aromas. They hope this will help bring the past alive. Others say we will never know what it felt like at the time.
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‘Truth decay’ ripping us apart warns Obama
Is truth REALLY decaying? Barack Obama argues that without a universal idea of truth, society cannot function. Others argue that truth is simply getting more complex – and more interesting!
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The miracle that promises a return to normal
Will life ever return to normal? After a breakthrough in the hunt for a vaccine to Covid-19, many newspapers predict the world will go “back to normal” – but what will “normal” look like?
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‘Historically she is more important than Joe’
Will Kamala Harris become president? She is set to be the first female vice-president and first black person in the post. And at 56, she is number two to a man who is 78 in just eleven days.
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The judge who could change the face of the US
Is it right to call Monday “one of the darkest days in Senate history”? In the USA, the appointment of a right-wing Supreme Court judge days before a presidential election has sparked rage.
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Despite Covid, Halloween can be spooktastic
Is it time to rethink Halloween? Its opponents are delighted that the pandemic has put a damper on this year’s fun. But fans of the festival are determined to find safe ways to celebrate.
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Millennials losing their faith in politics
Can democracy survive? As national leaders worldwide move to curb local mayors and leaders, a new survey shows that millennials are losing faith in democratic systems altogether.
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Twitter and Facebook in censorship row
Should social media sites decide what news we read? Some argue that they play a key role in suppressing fake news – but others fear giving them too much power over the information we access.
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Society on the brink as second lockdown looms
Does loneliness threaten democracy? Charities warn of a mental health “time bomb” as lockdown drives soaring levels of alienation – leading to a surge in angry populism and social breakdown.
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World on edge as China flexes its muscles
Is Xi Jinping echoing Hitler? China is ramping up the aggression towards its neighbours, prompting some to liken it to Nazi Germany. Others say the West is deliberately stoking tensions.
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Man, 41, evicted in court by his own parents
Should parental responsibility end at 18? Judges all over the world are forcing young people to leave their parents’ homes. Now some argue it is time to redefine our notion of adulthood.
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The fighter who changed the world for women
Will her death also be the death of US justice? Many say Donald Trump's move to replace the late Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg before the presidential election is an abuse of power.
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Thousands of wildfires devastate California
Are California’s wildfires a warning to all of us? As the state fights some of the worst infernos in its history, experts argue that global warming makes them an ever greater threat.