How super-skinny red carpet trend at Met Gala clashes with own its body-positive Costume Art show
Organised by Vogue, the Met Gala this year was based around the theme of “costume art”. An accompanying exhibition of the same name opens at New York’s Metropolitan Museum of Art on May 10, with a focus on the dressed body. Responses to the Met Gala – the US fashion event of the year – […]
Five reasons to add peas into your diet
Peas are seriously underrated. masa44/ Shutterstock Peas aren’t often seen as a particularly exciting vegetable. They tend to be treated as a basic side dish or something people eat out of habit, rather than choice. But they’re also cheap, widely available and contain a combination of nutrients that can have a positive impact on our […]
A handpicked history of floral art, kabuki on screen and a poetry competition – what to see, do and create this week
Caroline Walker is one of my favourite working artists. The observations in her work are so exquisitely rendered that they often feel almost uncanny. Such was the case when I encountered her 2025 painting Kitchen Table. It shows a young girl, perhaps five or six, drawing with quiet concentration, a pink felt tip gripped firmly […]
Elections 2026: Experts react to the Reform surge and Labour losses
The 2026 elections are shaping up to be a seismic moment for politics in the UK. Across England’s local elections, Labour is facing up to a devastating result while Reform UK has picked up hundreds of seats from a standing start. Throughout the day as results come in from across England, Scotland and Wales, our […]
How musical instruments have informed stage design over Eurovision’s history
Digital techniques like projection mapping, holograms and interactive performance now define the Eurovision contest’s production values. But this year’s UK act Look Mum No Computer has a more retro approach to technology. A musician and YouTuber, Look Mum No Computer builds experimental synths from vintage equipment, sometimes even parts from toys and games consoles. His […]
How a repurposed medical device is helping us investigate ancient climate tipping points
Asja Radja / wiki, CC BY-SA Imagine being tasked with counting every blade of grass in a field, noting every single species as you go. This is not far from the challenge many scientists face when analysing microscopic samples packed with thousands of tiny particles. Imaging flow cytometry (IFC) solves this by guiding particles single-file […]
Our Land: who owns the countryside? New documentary explores the access divide in England and Wales
Directed by Orban Wallace, Our Land explores the countryside access debate in England and Wales through interviews, pastoral shots, lavish illustrations and a walk in the country where the sun always seems to shine. One percent of landowners own 50% of English and Welsh land. But the right of open access to land by the […]
Why climate action stalls, despite widespread popular support
Workers in developing countries, like these men on a building site in Bangladesh, are more likely get heat stress as temperatures rise. Mahmud Hossain Opu/ Royal Holloway, University of London, CC BY-NC-ND What’s the link between the global economy and the climate? Consumption drives extraction and carbon emissions. But there is more. The inequalities of […]
Why politicians can’t fix potholes permanently
David Michael Bellis/Shutterstock Potholes are a safety risk, source of vehicle damage and recurring annoyance in the UK. They gain special visibility at times of local elections, given that the vast majority of roads are maintained by local authorities. A survey conducted in April found that road condition was the top local issue for voters […]
The ocean is fighting climate change and we’re trying to help it – here’s how
Diliana Nikolova / shutterstock We replaced the stove with plywood, turning the kitchen of the dive boat into an impromptu research lab. Plugging in wires and connecting tubing, we assembled a scientific instrument within the cramped cabin. Then we cast off into Halifax Harbour, Canada, surveying the turquoise waters for signs of an unusual test: […]