Latest Stories
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The simple invention that could save the world
Is focus the key to success? Yesterday was World Toilet Day — and it was no laughing matter. Bill Gates has spent seven years and £155 million reinventing loos. They may save thousands of lives.
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America vows to crack down on vaping epidemic
Should e-cigarettes be banned? Vaping company Juul has slammed rival brands which sell flavours aimed at children. Meanwhile in the US, vaping has jumped by 80% among teenagers.
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New questions over Google’s ‘do no evil’ pledge
Is Google a force for good? Yesterday, staff around the world walked out of the tech giant’s offices over its handling of sexual misconduct claims. Does the company have a dark side?
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Four easy(ish) ways to help save the world
How much difference can one person make? It is easy to feel overwhelmed by the mammoth task of rescuing our planet, but there are some simple changes we can all practise.
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Bacon roll: 0, Avocado: 1 as radio ad banned
Is the ban patronising? Regulators have axed a Costa Coffee advert for characterising avocados as a “poor breakfast choice”, and promoting bacon rolls. Not everyone was pleased by the move.
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We believe in miracles say 72% of young people
Are miracles possible? According to a new survey, three in five British people think miracles can happen. If so, it could explain the remarkable survival story of baby Lily Groesbeck.
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‘Nobody else should suffer such a needless death’
Should we boycott Pret? Fifteen-year-old Natasha Ednan-Laperouse died of an allergic reaction after eating a Pret baguette. Some say the store is to blame, and now her parents want justice.
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I, Hunter: how a name can change your life
How much do they matter? The most popular baby names of 2017 have been revealed. Studies show that what you are named can influence everything from your exam results to your face.
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Shock report savages ‘cruel war’ on fat people
Should we be more fat positive? Yesterday, a widely shared article claimed that “everything you know about obesity is wrong.” It described a “futile war on fat people” that ruins lives.
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Bill Gates: ‘My biggest fears for the world’
How should we react? Yesterday, Bill Gates, the founder of Microsoft and former world’s richest person, outlined his greatest worries for the future of the world. Here are the big three.
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What humble termites teach us about humanity
Should we be more like termites? The insects are one of Earth’s most successful species. And philosophers and scientists have found some surprising parallels between their society and ours.
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One-fifth of meat contains unspecified DNA
Do we care too much about what’s in our food? Last year, more than one in five product tests found meat from an animal not on the label. Our diets are full of other surprises.
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Fire, floods, Trump: summer stories you missed
Did the world change over the summer? In the last six weeks the Brexit row became even more bitter, Trump became yet more bizarre, and two American icons died. And then there was the weather.
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Stop testing kids at 16, say neuroscientists
Should GCSEs be scrapped? Despite efforts to make exams harder, the nation’s 16-year-olds rejoiced yesterday as pass rates rose. But the stress of exam season took its toll on many.
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Earth uses a year of resources in seven months
How can we push back Earth Overshoot Day? As of today, humans have used more resources in 2018 than the Earth can renew in a year. Environmental disaster looms if the trend is not reversed.