Latest Stories
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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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Probable number of alien civilisations is 36
Would the discovery of alien life change anything? A philosopher says it would have huge implications for us and for our ideas of morality, and that aliens may have kept quiet for a reason.
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Germany: England’s spot-kick curse is a myth
Do we focus too much on the negative? For 30 years, England’s national football team has been losing penalty shootouts. But new research shows English players are far better than we think.
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How to tell a black swan from a red herring
Is Nassim Nicholas Taleb a modern-day prophet? The Lebanese-American statistician, author, and philosopher predicted the 2008 financial crash – and the current coronavirus pandemic.
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Coronavirus: the maths behind the panic
How worried should we be? The headlines shout: “killer virus”, “crisis”, and “confusion”. Italy accuses misleading media of creating an “infodemic”. But what do the numbers say?
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Site of Earth’s oldest asteroid discovered
Should we embrace randomness? As scientists discover more evidence that we are the product of many million-to-one chances, perhaps we should give up trying to plan our lives so much.
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China shuts down as new virus goes global
Can the coronavirus be contained? As the number of infected rises, the world is racing to isolate the disease and prevent a global pandemic. But some experts believe it is already too late.
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Maths: the secret to the game of life
Are there any problems maths can’t solve? It is the secret of success in chess and fantasy football; it is why computers are making more of our decisions. But is life only a numbers game?
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Everything we know about maths could be wrong
Is maths best described as an art or a science? A top academic fears that modern theorems are riddled with errors. Computers could fix them. But if they did, would the result still be maths?
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Maths theory holds the key to nature’s beauty
Is maths the secret of beauty? Scientists have discovered that the world’s most famous codebreaker was right when he proposed that natural shapes and patterns were ruled by a hidden formula.
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You are part of the royal family. Probably.
A leading geneticist has calculated that almost every Briton is directly descended from Edward III. But many find facts like this scarcely believable. Why are we so bad at probability?
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Exclusive: youth vote would not stop Brexit
Our survey of UK students carried out over the past 72 hours suggests that young people voting for the first time in a second poll would fail to tip the balance in a second referendum.
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Big guns fire blanks in World Cup week one
Can a new team win the World Cup? Germany lost; Brazil drew; Argentina are on the brink — the minnows now have a chance. Here are five things you may have missed from the matches so far.
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How data has transformed the World Cup
Are statistics killing the magic of football? The upcoming World Cup will be the most analysed ever, as football has finally started to take data seriously. How much does it matter?
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How the EU plans to transform data privacy
Who should own our data? With just days to go before Europe introduces tough new privacy laws, yesterday Mark Zuckerberg apologised (again) for any “harm” caused by Facebook.