Latest Stories
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Campaign focus narrows to key ‘swing seats’
With two days to go before the UK election, the result in most constituencies is a foregone conclusion. All eyes are on the scattered areas where the decision still hangs in the balance.
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Shops ‘special offer’ dirty tricks exposed
The consumer magazine Which? has published a damning catalogue of misleading offers used by supermarkets to lure shoppers into spending extra money. How can you avoid being duped?
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Twitter bamboozled as logic puzzle goes viral
A question from a Singaporean maths test left thousands of people scratching their heads after it was spread by social media. What on Earth is the explanation for this improbable scenario?
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Humans getting smarter, psychologists claim
Performance in IQ tests is rising drastically all over the world, leading some psychologists to talk of a ‘cognitive revolution’. Are we becoming more intelligent, or just better at tests?
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HSBC admits to helping customers avoid tax
The banking world is once again in trouble as HSBC admits helping its clients evade millions in tax. It claims to have changed its ways, but is justice soft on the rich?
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Pupils ‘held back’ by choosing arts over science
The UK education secretary argues that students — especially girls — who ditch science and maths for arts and humanities reduce their job prospects. Is one subject really better than another?
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Anger as ticket costs ‘price out’ football fans
Already expensive, English football tickets are becoming even more unaffordable, a new study shows. Is it ruining the ‘beautiful game’ and is there anything fans can do about it?
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Brazil’s home advantage claims first victim
The hosts defeated Croatia, who complained that the referee was swayed by the home supporters. Many think playing at home gives an edge, but does it really have such an influence in sport?
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World Cup sticker-mania sweeps the globe
As football’s biggest tournament draws near, millions of collectors are busy trying to complete their Panini sticker albums. Are they wasting their time and money or is it educational fun?
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New coin fires debate over money’s future
As a centrepiece of the new government economic plan, ministers have unveiled designs for a 12-sided British pound. It will be much harder to counterfeit, but are the days of cash numbered?
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Matchmaking maths holds the key to online love
Online dating sites are thriving, and their methods are now so advanced that they match couples by using mathematical formulae. Can analysing data result in the perfect date?
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Shock as PM calls EU immigration ‘reasonable’
Romanian and Bulgarian immigration to the UK since the borders opened up on 1st January has been nowhere near as high as some feared. But does public opinion respond to facts or emotions?
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Tech ushers in new era for New Year resolutions
Every New Year’s Day we promise ourselves to become fitter, healthier and more productive. Invariably we fail. But could a new wave of ‘lifelogging’ apps spark a resolution revolution?
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Stats spat over worldwide education rankings
Newspapers are bursting with grim data after Britain’s poor performance in a study known as ‘education’s world cup’. But how useful are sweeping international statistics like these?
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Stats guru says life is far better than we think
When Hans Rosling gave top students a questionnaire about the state of the world, their answers were less accurate than a chimpanzee’s. Why? Because they were far too pessimistic.