Additional learning needs present a key challenge for the incoming Senedd
Rawpixel.com/Shutterstock The upcoming Senedd elections may shift the balance of power in Wales. Any new government must immediately grapple with the significant ongoing challenges of embedding educational reforms across the additional learning needs system. Recent policy proposals to change the system of support for children with special educational needs in England have brought a heightened […]
Why we need to treat Earth like a spaceship
ixpert/Shutterstock Four humans recently looped around the Moon. Their vessel, an Artemis capsule, was a thin metal shell whose life-support system kept them alive: it provided a carefully balanced atmosphere, a closed water loop, a finite supply of food and a means for disposing human waste. The life support was not optional. It was a […]
As David Attenborough turns 100, four experts explore his legacy, from science to storytelling
Sir David Attenborough has mastered the craft of storytelling. He has undoubtedly inspired generations of people around the globe to love and care for the natural world. And in doing so, he’s become one of the most recognisable – and most trusted – faces on our screens. Now, he’s celebrating his 100th birthday and a […]
Vitamin C and cancer: was Nobel laureate Linus Pauling on to something?
Piece of Cake/Shutterstock.com Linus Pauling was one of the most brilliant scientists of the 20th century. He won two Nobel prizes and transformed our understanding of chemical bonds and the structure of proteins. Late in his career, though, he became famous for something very different: a passionate belief that very high doses of vitamin C […]
Even in Japan, robots are a long way from being fully-fledged carers – here’s why
The robot pauses at the edge of the room as an engineer checks its sensors. Then, with a soft mechanical hum, this humanoid machine begins to move. It lifts a mannequin from a bed, slowly and carefully. The engineers hold their breath. I am in a robotics lab in Tokyo, Japan, as part of my […]
How to build cities for wildlife, not just people – new research
The Avon River in Christchurch, New Zealand runs through the city’s botanic gardens Adele Heidenreich/Shutterstock In central Seoul, South Korea, a motorway once covered a buried urban stream. Today, that same stretch has been uncovered – a process known as daylighting – and this river is home to plants, fish and insects. This flowing water […]
The Epstein Files: the AI podcast that sounds like journalism but isn’t
Podcasting has become one of our most intimate cultural forms. We often listen alone, through headphones, to voices that guide us through complex or deeply personal stories. Over time, we come to trust these voices not just for the information they convey, but for the sense that someone has listened, selected and shaped what we […]
What working-class boys need to succeed at school: respect and open conversations
Monkey Business Images/Shutterstock Across the UK, working‑class boys are navigating an unprecedented convergence of pressures. There are entrenched gaps between working-class boys and their peers in their levels of attainment at every stage of education. Often, however, the solutions for addressing this gap in attainment have roots in assumptions and stereotypes. These tend towards positioning […]
School dinners are changing: the strong emotions and memories around these meals reflect their social, economical and cultural importance
The UK government has launched its first review of school food standards in over a decade, alongside plans to extend free school meals to an additional 500,000 children in families receiving universal credit. Much of the coverage has focused on specific menu changes, including the possible removal of sugary desserts such as steamed sponge. The […]
Probiotics: what are we swallowing?
BearFotos/Shutterstock.com Standing by the counter at the pharmacist waiting to pick up my prescription, I couldn’t help noticing the prominent display of probiotics on the counter. It was two years ago, and I was reading everything I could find on microbiomes and probiotics – whether in books, journals or in shops – in preparation for […]