Learner profile: Thinkers
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Tell us your secrets – it’s for your own good
Is loss of privacy a price worth paying? An app designed to trace the spread of Covid-19 launches, today, on the Isle of Wight. But will it make our personal details too easily available?
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US military confirms UFOs are known unknowns
Should we embrace the unknown? After years of secrecy, the US government has released astonishing videos of UFOs, admitting it still doesn’t know if Earth has been visited by aliens.
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The man who can’t stop getting richer
Is Jeff Bezos a genius or a monster? He has built digital companies that seem ready-made for the post-pandemic world. But such success leaves a sour taste in the mouths of many.
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Germany: England’s spot-kick curse is a myth
Do we focus too much on the negative? For 30 years, England’s national football team has been losing penalty shootouts. But new research shows English players are far better than we think.
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A millennial love story for ‘Normal People’
Do ‘normal people’ exist? The 2018 literary sensation by Irish author Sally Rooney has been turned into a 12-part TV drama. What’s all the fuss about and what does it mean to be normal anyway?
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As lockdown eases, ‘better future is possible’
Could life after lockdown be better than before? Many thinkers are saying the world has a chance to reinvent itself. Health, the environment, and inequality can become political priorities.
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The great escape: reading booms in lockdown
Is reading fiction escapist? With half of the world’s population under lockdown, sales of novels have rocketed. People are turning to stories to keep themselves company and pass the time.
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Now you can help see into the mind of God
Is this the path to a fundamental theory of physics? The computer scientist Stephen Wolfram has unveiled an ambitious new project: crowd-sourcing an all-encompassing theory of everything.
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Trump announces ban on immigrants to USA
Was yesterday the day America died? Founded by immigrants and a beacon of hope and freedom to the rest of the world, the United States is closing its borders and cutting off its aid.
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World faces worst crisis since Great Depression
Will there be another Great Depression? Experts warn that the coronavirus pandemic will provoke the most significant economic collapse in decades. But others argue that the crisis is unique.
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The niggling question that just won’t go away
Could Covid-19 have been man-made and escaped from a lab in Wuhan? The overwhelming majority of serious scientists are pouring scorn on the notion. But the argument is still very much alive.
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Now for the final round – fingers on buzzers!
Do quiz shows really test intelligence? We love watching them and trying to beat contestants to the right answer – but experts say there is much more to winning than being a mere brain box.
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What you need in a crisis: a woman in charge
In a crisis, is a woman leader more effective? It is certainly one of the most striking factors that seems to be shared by the countries that are responding best to the coronavirus pandemic.
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We’re just the same as you – only more famous
In a real crisis, do celebrities help? Some have been praised for leading by example during the pandemic, but many have shown an extraordinary inability to relate to ordinary people.
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UK may be worst-affected country in Europe
Should Britain’s virus response get the wooden spoon? A government advisor warns that, despite its famed National Health Service, it could be a case study for poor public health management.