Latest Stories
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Meet the world’s largest known prime number
How important are prime numbers? The largest known prime number has just been discovered by an engineer from Tennessee. It is 23 million characters long and is known simply as M77232917.
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No end in sight for meteoric bitcoin rise
Could bitcoin replace traditional currency? The cryptocurrency’s value has doubled in a fortnight. One bitcoin is now worth over $15,000. But some believe the revolution has only just begun.
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A tax cut that could change America forever
A wage rise for all or simply a gift for the super-rich? Republicans passed their sweeping tax overhaul through the Senate at the weekend. It could reshape whole areas of American life.
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Man City on course for footballing history
Will Manchester City stay unbeaten? They have been hailed as the “best football team in Europe,” and some think they will not lose a game all season. Stats show that this may not be true.
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‘The Atlas of Beauty’ hopes to redefine looks
Can beauty be defined, or is it in the eye of the beholder? The photographer Mihaela Noroc has travelled the world, photographing ordinary women to challenge “unachievable” beauty standards.
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Slanging match over Boris EU sums continues
Is the foreign secretary’s claim that the UK will “take back control of £350m per week” true? The UK’s stats watchdog says it is a “clear misuse of statistics”. Johnson insists he is right.
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Winston Churchill: alien life is out there
A newly-found article shows the man who led Britain to victory in the second world war arguing life may exist on other planets. Most scientists agree. So what are the chances they are right?
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‘How winning the lottery ruined my life’
Jane Park was 17-years-old when she became the UK’s youngest Euromillions winner. Four years later, she says the £1m prize changed her life — for the worse. Now she wants to sue. Why?
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Criticism adds up over Oxfam inequality claim
Eight men own as much as the world’s poorest 3.6 billion people, according to anti-poverty charity Oxfam. Free trade advocates have hit back at the charity’s maths. Are the claims valid?
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Just eight days to go and too close to call
A week ago it seemed Clinton had victory sewn up. Then the polls started to narrow. Then the FBI announced a new inquiry into her misuse of emails. Now some are predicting a shock Trump win.
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Voting patterns mean Trump could win (really)
There are 99 days until the US presidential election. Many consider the prospect of a Donald Trump victory unthinkable. But now one industry-leading pollster says it is very possible.
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Three weeks to go: polls say UK could leave EU
The latest surveys say Britain could be on the verge of quitting the EU. Commentators have learnt the hard way to be wary of opinion polls. Who should really take comfort from the data?
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Silver linings: the EU referendum and money
Our series about teenagers’ concerns and the EU referendum continues. Today: both sides say they will make Britons wealthier. Amid dire warnings and uncertainty, who is more convincing?
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UK reaches tipping point on service charges
The British government is planning to force restaurants to let staff keep tips and to make it clear that service charges are optional. Some say that it is now time to ban tipping entirely.
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Against all odds, man killed by meteorite
When a man died in a strange blast, officials blamed a meteorite – a first in recorded history. Should we believe them? More importantly: the next time we leave the house, should we look up?