Latest Stories
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Joy and anxiety as vaccine jabs start today
Are we all ready to go back to social life? As the world gears up for mass vaccination programmes, a return to normality is in sight. But some are in two minds about the prospect.
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Snow mania descends as cold weather bites
Is it a form of madness to love snow? Britain is set to be colder than Moscow this week as the country dives into the chilliest December ever. Snow! Why is it a source of such joy for many?
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Fierce row over free speech at top school
Is Eton suppressing free speech? Tomorrow, Britain’s most elite school will face an appeal from a teacher it says it had no choice but to fire – over a controversial anti-feminist video.
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I’m a Celebrity hit with flood of complaints
Has “I’m a Celebrity” had its day? The finale airs tonight amidst a storm of controversy over cockroaches – among other matters. But public hunger for this kind of spectacle has deep roots.
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Elliot Page: I am transgender, says Juno star
Could this be a turning point for the film industry? A Hollywood icon has embraced his gender identity. Some say it is a landmark not only for him, but for the trans actors of tomorrow.
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‘Hi, honey – your dinner’s in the test tube’
Should we welcome laboratory-grown meat? Its advocates say it will help the environment and save animals from needless suffering. But first, producers have to overcome the “yuck factor”.
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UN chief warns of ‘suicidal’ war on nature
Do we value markets over morals? As we head towards climate armageddon, a prominent economist claims that we need to radically transform our understanding of value — or face extinction.
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AI unravels 50-year-old biological riddle
Was this the most important news story of 2020? Researchers at DeepMind have made a mind-boggling discovery that could eradicate diseases and put the brakes on climate breakdown.
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The monoliths from outer space (or maybe not)
Do we Earthlings NEED to believe in aliens? The appearance of strange monoliths in the Utah desert and Romania has fuelled speculation that creatures from another world want to make contact.
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‘Mr Greedy’ and the downfall of a tycoon
Is Philip Green a villain or a scapegoat? The Topshop boss is under fire for living it up while his employees lose their jobs – but isn’t a rotten society just as much to blame as he is?
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Dicing with death on the Grand Prix circuit
Are Formula One drivers the gladiators of our day? Roman Grosjean’s great escape has been hailed as a triumph for safety technology. But horrific accidents may also be a crowd-puller.
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Reboot Santa! Christmas rebels call for change
Is it time to rethink Christmas? The festival evolves gradually every year as new traditions are adopted – and now some argue it has changed so much that it needs to be reinvented.
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The epic battle to save Earth’s species
Is conservation the most important job? As the winners of a prestigious environmental prize collect their awards, some people say there is no more noble task than protecting our planet.
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Football genius whose flaws made him a hero
Are virtuous heroes boring? As the world mourns footballing legend Diego Maradona, some commentators argue it was not his sporting achievements that made him an icon – but his personal failings.
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Lockdown could be destroying your memory
Is memory a muscle? Lockdown could be causing forgetfulness, but humans have developed a number of ingenious methods to counter it, from memory palaces to mystical theatres to “chunking”.