Eleven types of cancer are on the rise in England’s under 50s – these factors might explain the trend
The overall number of cancers in people aged roughly 25 to 49 has risen by around a quarter since the early 1990s. Halfpoint/ Shutterstock Rising cancer rates in younger adults are real, worrying and still partly unexplained. A new analysis adds important detail for England, suggesting that 11 cancers are becoming more common in people […]
We found a lost copy of the earliest surviving English poem in a medieval manuscript in Rome
Elisabetta Magnanti and Mark Faulkner with a copy of Bede’s Ecclesiastical History of the English People. Courtesy of the authors, CC BY-ND Some medieval texts have barely survived. Beowulf, the Old English masterwork, exists today because of a single manuscript – one that narrowly escaped combustion in 1731. For such texts, the single manuscript is […]
A new exhibition explores empire, love and loss through paintings of flowers from 1900
The term “handpicked” suggests a bouquet that has been chosen carefully, each flower selected for its colour, form or meaning and relation to the others. The curators of this new exhibition at Kettle’s Yard in Cambridge have certainly achieved a complex yet complementary arrangement. This small but rich exhibition was picked and approved with the […]
How immigration is playing a role in the Scottish election, even though policy is set in Westminster
No single issue has dominated the agenda ahead of the Scottish parliament election in May. But immigration, despite being a matter not devolved to Holyrood, has been part of campaigns. This is because some parties use it to feed wider anxieties about housing, jobs, public services and identity. Glasgow has been a particular flashpoint because […]
How does the UK press report net zero? We studied 500 articles to find out
O.Bellini / shutterstock A glance at recent front pages of many British newspapers leaves no doubt about the stridency of their views on net zero. On January 13, for instance, the Express said the government must “Tell truth on ‘fantasy’ cost of net zero”, while the Mail’s headline on the same day used the same […]
The Devil Wears Prada 2: lots of frothy fun, not so much devilry
Twenty years after the first instalment catapulted Anne Hathaway and Emily Blunt onto Hollywood’s A-List, The Devil Wears Prada is back with a second incarnation. The sequel reunites the pair with Meryl Streep and Stanley Tucci for a fun, frothy – but not very devilish – time. Set at Runway, a thinly veiled fictional version […]
A five-day course of magnetic brain stimulation could help autistic children communicate better
New Africa/Shutterstock.com For children with autism spectrum disorder and with an intellectual disability, the options for improving communication and social skills are limited. Talking therapies and behavioural programmes can help some children develop these skills, but they depend on specialists who are in short supply – even in wealthy countries. Around 30-35% of autistic children […]
Exams: how to use exercise to boost your revision
Golubovy/Shutterstock It’s revision season. If you’re a student preparing for upcoming exams, you might be tempted to put aside sport or other physical activity for a while in order to dedicate more time to learning. But exercise is extremely important for academic success. Make time to be active. It may well help you revise better. […]
The UK’s ocean health report card is damning, and protected areas aren’t enough
Grey seal populations are relatively stable but a lot of marine wildlife is struggling in UK seas. Ellen Cuylaerts/Ocean Image Bank, CC BY-NC-ND The UK now protects 38% of its seas by law. Yet the government’s own assessment shows that our oceans are not thriving. In April, the Department for Environment, Food, and Rural Affairs […]
Is Trump losing the support of his Maga base?
In an interview with NBC News in January 2026, Donald Trump said: “Maga is me. Maga loves everything I do.” Until recently, this statement was true. But over the past several months, cracks have begun to appear in the loyalty of the US president’s “Make America Great Again” base. Two of the movement’s most prominent […]