Latest Stories
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Silence, the world’s most precious commodity
Should we have a right to quiet? An ingenious invention promises to protect us from unwanted noise, returning us to a state of calm which has been prized by thinkers across the centuries.
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Earth to invade Mars with a summer of rockets
Are we all Martians? Three spacecraft will soon begin a hazardous journey to the red planet in search of life. Some dream of colonising Mars – but the Martians may already have colonised us.
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Scientists baffled as monster star vanishes
Are you literally a star? It is a fact that humans are made of stardust. Nearly all the elements in our bodies were made in a star – and will eventually be returned to a “cosmic ash heap”.
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The 450-million-year-old crab saving humanity
Does it all come back to nature? A substance key to making a Covid-19 vaccine is only found in horseshoe crabs. But conservationists are worried declining numbers will threaten ecosystems.
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New fighter plane heralds era of robot wars
Should robots be used in war? The US Air Force wants to stage a battle between a robot fighter plane and a piloted one. But many warn that any use of AI in war could lead to disaster.
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Eight rules promise wisdom and happiness
Does life need rules? The School of Life says that you should “know your insanity” and “accept your idiocy”. But countless thinkers have tried and failed to convince us to follow rules before.
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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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Face masks on: A society without smiles
Do masks increase alienation? As the UK follows much of the world by having mandatory face coverings on public transport, some fear it may harm our ability to form connections with others.
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History made as astronauts enter space station
Is our obsession with space wrong? Elon Musk’s company SpaceX has triumphed with its first manned US space rocket in a decade. But many believe humans have a moral duty to focus on Earth.
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Coronavirus witch-hunt sets Europe ablaze
Is witch-burning back? Fear of the coronavirus has stoked the flames of the anti-5G movement, drawing parallels with the mass hysteria and witch-hunts of the 16th and 17th centuries.
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Science in the dock for ‘biggest failure’
Is wisdom truer than science? As a former health secretary accuses the UK of the “biggest failure of scientific advice for a generation”, some are questioning scientific truth itself.
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Confusion as ‘stay alert’ replaces ‘stay home’
Is hope a moral duty? Britain may be exasperated and divided by its PM’s guidance last night. Critics say the government’s strategy lacks clarity. But wise voices say we have to keep hoping.
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US military confirms UFOs are known unknowns
Should we embrace the unknown? After years of secrecy, the US government has released astonishing videos of UFOs, admitting it still doesn’t know if Earth has been visited by aliens.
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Wanted: a scapegoat for the coronavirus chaos
Should Matt Hancock be fired? With the opening of Britain’s first ‘virtual’ Parliament, attention is fixed on the government’s mishandling of the pandemic – and who is most to blame for it.
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Now you can help see into the mind of God
Is this the path to a fundamental theory of physics? The computer scientist Stephen Wolfram has unveiled an ambitious new project: crowd-sourcing an all-encompassing theory of everything.