Latest Stories
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Teenager goes blind after living off chips
Has modern society forgotten how to eat? We know that, despite hardships, many of our Stone Age ancestors enjoyed a great diet. Today, we live in luxury but lose touch with necessities.
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Humiliation for Johnson as MPs take control
Does defeat create an opportunity for the PM? The theory goes that he always wanted to be forced into a snap election, even if made to delay Brexit. Enemies warn he is playing with fire.
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Tourists hit Birmingham in Peaky Blinders mania
Why are we so fascinated by gangsters? The hit TV series about a violent mob is inspiring baby names, fashion lines, and putting the West Midlands on the global “screen tourism” map.
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General election as Johnson faces Commons blow
Could a general election heal Britain’s wounds? The prime minister made it clear last night that an early October ballot was on the way if MPs succeed in seizing control of the Commons today.
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Scientists create first human-monkey hybrid
Should animals ever be part-human? Faced by a deadly shortage in human organs for life-saving operations, our only hope may be animals with human DNA. But there are serious ethical concerns.
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Massive study reveals there is no gay gene
Are experiments like this harmful? Human sexuality is far more complex than previously thought, say scientists. But some in the LGBT community say the research should never have taken place.
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The bank manager: ‘Believe in yourself’
What does it take to work in banking? Selina Vernon wasn’t sure what to do when she left school with few GCSEs. Today, she is managing her own bank branch and “loving every minute of it”.
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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.
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Amazon on fire: ‘All you can see is death’
Who is to blame for the destruction of the Amazon? Man-made fires are raging across the world’s largest rainforest, burning down areas the size of five football pitches every minute.
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England basks in glorious Ashes comeback
Is Ben Stokes England’s greatest sportsperson? Stokes led the England cricket team to a thrilling, improbable victory against Australia on Sunday. It is his second spectacular feat in six weeks.
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The lawyer: ‘Get all the experience you can’
What does it take to be a lawyer? Claire Leadbeatter is a trainee solicitor at one of the UK’s top law firms. She doesn’t think she’d be where she is today without her teenage summer jobs.
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Scientists declare gene-editing war on pests
Should all pests be wiped out? New Zealand’s government plans to kill all rats and invasive predators by 2050. Some want to use genetic modification, but others warn of ecological disaster.
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Zero: the idea that changed the world
Has the number “zero” done more to advance humanity than any other idea? Many mathematicians think so — for, without zero, we could not ponder either the concepts of the void or the infinite.
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‘Woolly mammoths could walk the Earth again’
Scientists in Japan have made a “significant step” towards bringing the ancient species back from the dead using the DNA of a frozen mammoth. But is it the right thing to do?
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The plan for a green, clean, fair new world
Could the Green New Deal actually work? The plan would transform the USA into a zero-emissions economy in 10 years, whilst building a fairer society. Is it too good to be true?