Latest Stories
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Discovered! Secret formula behind every genius
Are there rules to becoming a genius? A Harvard academic believes that he has established the key ingredients – but warns that those with great minds are not always great human beings.
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NASA starts the search for life on Mars
Is the Mars story more about psychology than science? It is presented as the ultimate quest for knowledge but many believe it tells us more about our deepest desires and dreams.
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How a troubled tourist became a TV sensation
Is our obsession with true crime unhealthy? A new series about the disappearance of a young traveller has captivated millions. But critics say the genre harms victims and viewers alike.
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Power nap key to healthy brain say scientists
Is sleep the secret of success? A new study by Chinese scientists shows that napping could be the key to a healthy brain. But some still insist sleep is nothing more than a waste of time.
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Solar system may be ‘teeming with alien tech’
Are scientists refusing to face the truth about aliens? A top astronomer believes a strange object over Hawaii was an extraterrestrial craft – but claims his colleagues prefer not to know.
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The woman who died and lived to tell the tale
Is there life after death? For centuries, people have believed that consciousness continues long after our hearts stop beating. Now a new Netflix series searches for scientific proof.
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Learning to love our lives under lockdown
Can occasional lockdowns be good for us? Being confined to our homes by the pandemic has been a frustrating experience for many – but it has also produced some unexpected benefits.
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Joy and anxiety as vaccine jabs start today
Are we all ready to go back to social life? As the world gears up for mass vaccination programmes, a return to normality is in sight. But some are in two minds about the prospect.
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The monoliths from outer space (or maybe not)
Do we Earthlings NEED to believe in aliens? The appearance of strange monoliths in the Utah desert and Romania has fuelled speculation that creatures from another world want to make contact.
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Lockdown could be destroying your memory
Is memory a muscle? Lockdown could be causing forgetfulness, but humans have developed a number of ingenious methods to counter it, from memory palaces to mystical theatres to “chunking”.
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‘A breathtaking, beautiful day for science’
Was it pure science that saved us? Some are eagerly taking that as the lesson of yesterday’s new vaccine announcement – but it is worth asking whether there are other heroes in this story.
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Lockdown loneliness reaches record levels
Is it the leprosy of our times? The latest statistics show that loneliness is soaring to unprecedented levels. To make matters worse there is a powerful taboo around admitting it in public.
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Playing for laughs: how humour made us human
Is laughter a matter of survival? A new theory suggests that a good sense of humour might be a sign of intelligence, making us more desirable mates and giving us an evolutionary advantage.
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The unknown soldier remembered 100 years on
Should we embrace the unknown? Memorials to unnamed soldiers affect us on a deep psychological level, but there are also philosophical reasons to accept the unknown and welcome uncertainty.
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The Average Joe who could triumph over Trump
Is ordinariness the secret of his success? He is not always suave and sophisticated. But if he wins tomorrow, Joe Biden will become the oldest first-time American president in history.