Latest Stories
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UK cut in aid to Yemen is ‘death sentence’
Should the Yemen crisis be the only big story this week? Despite the UN warning that it faces the worst famine the world has seen for decades and is ‘falling off a cliff’, aid is drying up.
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‘Schools have failed us on climate crisis’
Should climate change be on every school curriculum? Teen activists say green education is woefully inadequate. Now, they want to change the law before time runs out to save the planet.
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Polar vortex puts world into deep freeze
Will there be another ice age? Many believe the answer is yes – but scientists say that global warming caused by human activity may have delayed it by over 50,000 years.
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Aung San Suu Kyi toppled in military coup
Is Xi Jinping behind the Myanmar coup? As ruthless generals squash the country’s young democracy, some see the hand of China’s autocratic leader steering events from across the border.
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Savage mountain finally beaten by teamwork
Is it madness? A team of Nepali climbers has risen to the ultimate mountaineering challenge, becoming the first to conquer K2 in the depths of winter. But some wonder what the point was.
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Scientist says French beans may be conscious
Could plants be sentient – a basic form of consciousness? A stunning breakthrough at Spain’s minimal intelligence lab suggests that beans may have goals and purposes, just like humans.
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The future: get ready for the 15-minute city
Are we on the verge of a completely new way of living? As part of a series on different visions of the future, we look at an exciting proposal to create small, super-convenient cities.
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Scientists spot ‘impossible’ new whale species
Are we killing species faster than we thought? Naturalists discover thousands of new animals and plants each year. Yet, at the same time, countless more are wiped out by humans.
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Italian farmers furious with furry fugitive
Can humans live alongside dangerous animals? As bears are reintroduced to northern Italy, some worry that they pose a threat to humans – while others worry that humans are a threat to bears.
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The post-pandemic city: China bets on the new normal
Has the pandemic killed the city as we know it? In the Chinese “new area” of Xiong’an the state is backing an ambitious plan for a more self-contained way of living. Will others follow?
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The super-cow v the old-fashioned plough
Was farming better 1,000 years ago? Scientists believe they have discovered how to breed “super-cows”. But others argue that agriculture was far more sustainable in medieval times.
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Thousands of wildfires devastate California
Are California’s wildfires a warning to all of us? As the state fights some of the worst infernos in its history, experts argue that global warming makes them an ever greater threat.
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The not-so-slow death of Earth’s wildlife
Should we blame humanity for the coming age of extinction? A new report surveying the decline of global biodiversity offers a stark reminder of how people have changed the world.
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Hidden secrets of the Doomsday glacier
Does our survival depend on the Thwaites Glacier? Scientists monitoring the immense sheet of Antarctic ice warn that if it melts, the effect on global sea level could be catastrophic.
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The Disney film whipping up a desert storm
Should entertainers steer clear of politics? The makers of Mulan hope it will draw audiences back to cinemas. But critics say that it and its star are endorsing a brutal Chinese regime.