Latest Stories
-
‘We have a deal.’ (Now for the hard part)
Is it 13 days to Brexit? Yes, if you believe the Prime Minister. No, if you listen to the pundits. Now, it’s a numbers game and the focus is on a historic sitting of the Commons tomorrow.
-
Gentle giants of joy, anger, grief and love
Are elephants as emotional as humans? Six died trying to save a young calf from a waterfall in Thailand. Research on elephants is full of examples of the animals behaving empathetically.
-
The picture that gave Instagram a meltdown
What is it about Friends? It took one selfie of the show’s main cast to spark such delirium yesterday that Instagram crashed. Yet for many the comedy is sexist, offensive and outdated.
-
Baby in a bag: artificial womb project launches
Is it a dream come true or a science-fiction nightmare? Scientists in the Netherlands have been given €2.9m to build a prototype artificial womb. They say it could save millions of lives.
-
‘Football family must wage war on racists’
Should England have walked off the field? Despite high-profile resignations and UEFA charges over the Bulgarian fans’ racism, some say things will not change until teams refuse to play on.
-
New robot ‘on the path to self-awareness’
Will robots ever be self-aware? Scientists at Colombia University have built a machine that learns about itself in the same way as a baby. Could it become more intelligent than a human?
-
‘Almost three billion will go hungry by 2050’
Can we feed everyone? Tomorrow is World Food Day. We already make enough for 10 billion people, and yet one in nine humans does not have enough food. How did that happen?
-
Margaret Atwood joint winner of Booker Prize
Is Margaret Atwood a prophet? She seems to have foretold #MeToo, seen the climate crisis coming and predicted the rise of Trump. Yet she insists she sees only the present, not the future.
-
‘No human is limited,’ says marathon champion
Was it tainted by technology? Eliud Kipchoge has entered the pantheon of the greats alongside Roger Bannister who ran a four-minute mile, 65 years ago. A triumph for sport — or for science?
-
UK player makes history with £170m jackpot win
Does money bring happiness? Or is it a curse? Next week, a record fortune will land in a person’s bank account and their life will be turned upside down. Past winners have an ominous record.
-
‘I created Labradoodles and spawned a monster’
Are Labradoodles really a “Frankenstein’s monster”? That’s what their creator, 90-year-old Wally Conron, says. He believes the “unhealthy” dogs set a dangerous trend.
-
England star: We will walk off over racist abuse
Is this the right thing to do? England footballer Tammy Abraham has said that the whole squad may walk off the pitch if they hear any form of racist abuse during their Euro 2020 qualifiers.
-
Sci-fi comes true as China breeds giants pigs
Is this how meat-eating ends? In the face of severe shortages caused by infection and trade wars, a desperate regime starts breeding monster pigs to pacify its angry, rebellious masses.
-
Angry and alone, ‘Mad King’ Trump reigns
Is Donald Trump having a meltdown? After the US president unleashed his fury on Twitter, one Washington Post columnist argues that Trump’s demented rage echoes Shakespeare’s mad King Lear.
-
Climate uprising sparks a bitter war of words
Are they heroes or “uncooperative crusties”, as Boris Johnson said? Climate protesters are blocking roads in 60 cities. They say our future is at stake, but their methods are deeply divisive.