Latest Stories
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2017 in review: the words that defined a year
What can “words of the year” tell us about the last 12 months? From fake news to fidget spinners to the robot apocalypse, 2017’s defining words vary from the playful to the deadly serious.
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What a rap musical can teach us about America
Is Hamilton good history? The musical is now open in London, where it is receiving rave reviews. It uses hip hop to tell the founding story of America. Here are five things we can learn…
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Furious backlash slams gender-neutral French
Should all languages be made gender neutral? The French prime minister has cracked down on new non-gendered grammar. But some say revolutionising the language will lead to greater equality.
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Thanksgiving tribe’s lost language is revived
Should we revive dead languages? As Thanksgiving approaches, the descendants of the Native Americans who originated it are remembering how to speak like their ancestors…
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Handwriting makes a comeback in US schools
Should handwriting be taught in schools? More American schools are putting cursive back on the curriculum. But for some, computers have made handwriting lessons a waste of time.
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Fury as Twitter doubles length of tweets
Is brevity really the soul of wit? This week Twitter gave all its users 280 characters to play with, instead of 140. But many believe the site has lost its “unique selling point”.
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The woman making The Odyssey feel new again
Is translation an art or a science? This week, Emily Wilson publishes a new version of Homer’s Odyssey, the first by a woman. But translation is “complicated”, as her...
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‘Fake News’ crowned Word of the Year 2017
What can the prize teach us? Every 12 months, rival dictionaries attempt to capture the zeitgeist by naming their top words of the year. The result is a bizarre snapshot of recent history.
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Why dolphins are even cleverer than we thought
Are we as unique as we like to think? According to a major new study, dolphins and whales have a comparable intelligence to us. This flies against centuries-old beliefs about human nature.
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Stalin satire is offensive, says historian
Is it right to turn Joseph Stalin’s brutal reign into comedy? That is what The Death of Stalin has done. The film, which opens today, has been...
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Philip Pullman: ‘human nature demands meaning’
Is it possible to be spiritual but not religious? Philip Pullman thinks so. After a 17 year wait, yesterday he finally published the prequel to the celebrated His Dark...
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Ex-FBI agent hunts for Anne Frank’s betrayer
Is it worth re-opening old mysteries? Ever since Anne Frank’s diary was published, readers have speculated about who betrayed her family to the Nazis. Now, Vince Pankoke intends to find out.
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Poems can be secret weapons, claims new book
Can poems change the world? Today is National Poetry Day, and according to a new book poems can improve our health. Some think poetry is even powerful enough to cause political change.
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Man Booker shortlist sets off literary storm
Does it make sense to rank novels like horses? The six nominees for the highly prestigious Man Booker fiction prize have been announced. As always, the choices are very contentious.
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#Winning: hashtags celebrate 10th birthday
Ten years have passed since the # symbol was lifted out of obscurity and turned into a revolutionary tool of communication. How have hashtags changed the world? And should we be grateful?