Japan’s earthquake shows extreme heat can turn one disaster into two
Emergency workers attempting to rescue survivors after a recent earthquake in Kyushu, Japan, also had to cope with extreme summer heat. After the earthquake killed at least 38 people and left thousands homeless in late July, daytime temperatures climbed into the high 30°Cs and in some places hit 40°C for the first time ever, with […]
Fields, greenhouses or vertical farms: what is the best way to grow food in a changing climate?
Aaron Watkins/Shutterstock When most people picture British farming, they probably imagine fields of wheat, potatoes or vegetables stretching across the countryside. But some of the food on supermarket shelves is produced in environments that look very different. A tomato might spend its entire life inside a glasshouse, growing more than 20 metres tall with water […]
Who does sport really belong to – the fans or the funders?
Under fire: Gianni Infantino, president of football’s world governing body, Fifa. Jose Breton/Pics Action/Shutterstock Football’s world governing body, Fifa, has come under fire for attempting to “sell the World Cup”. Its president, Gianni Infantino, had plans to sell a stake in future World Cup profits to investors, with substantial incentives offered to member associations if […]
Scientists have designed a functioning virus from scratch using AI – what you need to know
ART-ur/Shutterstock.com Artificial intelligence has designed viruses that can infect bacteria and reproduce – a first that shows AI is beginning to do more than analyse the genetic code of living things. It can write new versions of it, too. The viruses in question are bacteriophages, or phages – viruses that infect bacteria rather than people, […]
Why do some people feel life is so unfair? Understanding this may help explain conspiracy beliefs
HimelVector/Shutterstock Most people set out in life wanting to believe the world is fair. They expect people to wait their turn in queues, to be treated equally in their job, and to be rewarded for hard work. These expectations influence how they understand the world around them, and shape their responses to it. But what […]
In a more devolved UK, should London still be in charge of broadcasting?
The BBC Cymru Wales headquarters in Cardiff. meunierd/Shutterstock What we watch on television, hear on the radio and see on our screens is shaped by decisions that are still largely made in Westminster. That includes the rules governing broadcasters, how public service media are funded and regulated and how the UK’s nations and regions are […]
Saudi defence pact with Turkey and Pakistan is a verdict on the reliability of US security guarantees
Commentators predictably reacted to the news of the signing of a mutual defence pact between Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Pakistan on August 7 by reaching for the label “Islamic Nato”. The Mecca Joint Defence Agreement stipulates that an armed attack on any one of them would be treated as an attack on all. Jerusalem went […]
A decade of Pokémon Go: how nostalgia and community keep the game alive
When Pokémon Go celebrated its tenth anniversary in July 2026, much of the reaction from players around the world was less about the game’s future than its past. Social media was flooded with screenshots from 2016, with memories of first “catches” and stories of crowded parks filled with players discovering an entirely new way to […]
How medieval Scottish kings kept unrest at bay with populist policies
Medieval king Robert the Bruce spotted the power of populism. Ulmus Media/Shutterstock Governments have always had to strike a balance between actions that are unpopular but thought to be necessary, and laws and policies that win them support from the public. In the UK, the new prime minister Andy Burnham has set out to grab […]
The difference between heat exhaustion and heatstroke explained
New Africa/Shutterstock.com With temperatures forecast to climb to 36°C in parts of the UK, heat health alerts are once again in place – and for many people it will mean more than an uncomfortable few days. The human body normally keeps its core temperature at around 37°C, and when the air around us heats up, […]