Latest Stories
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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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Wanted: a scapegoat for the coronavirus chaos
Should Matt Hancock be fired? With the opening of Britain’s first ‘virtual’ Parliament, attention is fixed on the government’s mishandling of the pandemic – and who is most to blame for it.
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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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‘Lives pulled apart for no good reason’
Who is more out of touch: the tabloids or Meghan and Harry? Exactly 100 days after Megxit, the couple are under vicious fire for announcing a boycott of four popular British newspapers.
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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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Brexit pushed UK to ‘sleepwalk to disaster’
Did Brexit undermine Britain’s virus response? A report in the Sunday Times claims to show an exhausted government with its eye off the ball in the key weeks when decisive action was needed.
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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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We are what we eat – and what we mistreat
Did our cruel treatment of animals lead to the coronavirus? Experts tell us that the conditions leading to new infectious diseases are the same ones that inflict horrific harms on animals.
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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.
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Denmark, Norway, and Taiwan reopen schools
Should schools reopen on 1 June? Some believe that keeping them closed is essential to controlling the coronavirus pandemic. Others, however, think it is doing more harm than good.
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Forecasters see a new world after the pandemic
After Covid-19, will the world be reborn as a better place? Though the crisis is taking a terrible toll, some predict it will bring about far-reaching changes that will benefit humanity.