TOK: Imagination
-
Superhero mania as Avengers: Endgame released
After 11 years and 22 films in the Marvel universe, Avengers: Endgame is finally here. It could be one of the most successful films ever. Why do...
-
What we discard: saving the planet by making less waste
The world generates 3.5 million tons of plastic and other solid waste a day—10 times the amount a century ago. How to reduce this is the final part of our Action on Climate Change series.
-
What we wear: Saving the planet each time we dress
Fashion is the world’s second-most polluting industry after oil, fuelled by our appetite for cheap, low-quality clothing. However, there are small changes you can make to take action.
-
Death of minimalism as home design runs wild and free
For decades, fashionable homes have been styled in muted colours and minimal design. But is our anxiety about the modern world spilling over into bold, disordered self-expression in our homes?
-
Gatwick drone chaos could be an inside job
Last year, a drone attack grounded over 1,000 planes at Gatwick airport. Now, police have concluded that the culprit had insider knowledge of how the airport operates.
-
The first-ever image of a black hole
This week, scientists released the first-ever picture of a black hole, compiled over the last two years using data from eight telescopes around the world. It is a major landmark in the history...
-
New robot ‘on the path to self-awareness’
Scientists at Colombia University have built a robot that learns about itself in the same way as a baby. It could be a major step towards machines that are fully self-aware.
-
NASA’s Parker probe makes daring flyby of Sun
The Parker probe has now completed two flybys of the Sun, coming closer to its fiery surface than any man-made object in history. Could the mission unlock the secrets of the Sun?
-
Record 541 new skyscrapers planned for London
Britain’s newest high-rise gets approval, sparking a war of words. Some think these superstructures are an abomination. Others find them breathtaking: “the point where art and the city meet”.
-
The day the dinosaurs died
A young scientist has found a record of the most significant event in the history of life on Earth. Stunning fossils show what happened when a huge asteroid slammed into the Gulf of Mexico.
-
US fires starting gun in new race to the Moon
The US has announced that it will put a woman on the Moon by 2024, sparking a new space race against Russia, China and India. The winner could dominate the next era of human history.
-
The misunderstood genius of Vincent van Gogh
Does genius go hand-in-hand with “some touch of madness”? Aristotle thought so. No one exemplifies the idea more than Van Gogh, who has a new exhibition in London. But is it really true?
-
Apple takes on Amazon Prime and Netflix
Last night, Apple announced that it will create original shows and films for its hotly-anticipated streaming platform, Apple TV+. Should traditional TV still have a place?
-
Operation Yellowhammer primed and ready
That is the colourful codename for the British no-deal plan — including 5,000 staff in an emergency command and control centre. The government is ready to launch it within 72 hours.
-
England faces ‘jaws of death’ in water crisis
Today is World Water Day. The head of England’s Environment Agency says we are set to run out of water in 25 years. Wasting it must become as wrong “as blowing smoke in the face of a baby”.