End of humanity? Blow-by-blow account of what would happen if the Yellowstone supervolcano erupted now
Around 631,000 years ago — a geological blink of an eye — catastrophe unfolded in what is now north-western Wyoming, US. During what is thought to have been a series of immense volcanic eruptions, life within hundreds of kilometres of the blasts was shattered. Ash was dispersed across much of North America and the effects […]
Can nutrients in our foods mimic calorie restriction and increase our healthspan?
Tatjana Baibakova/Shutterstock Scroll through social media and you will soon encounter advice about living longer, from fasting plans and supplements to elaborate daily routines. Yet reaching an advanced age tells us little about how healthy or independent those later years will be. Researchers often use the term healthspan for the years spent in good health, […]
Forgotten Mozart notebook reveals how a young woman learned to compose
A small notebook found in the Bibliothèque Nationale de France (the national library of France) has turned out to be one of the most important Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart discoveries in decades. The 44 pages of the notebook document composition lessons that Mozart gave in Paris in 1778 to Marie-Louise-Philippine de Bonnières de Guînes, a highly […]
Could AI really kill all humans? Most scenarios require physical access, making AI armageddon unlikely
In August 2026, an experiment using “frontier”, or cutting edge, artificial intelligence models went further than planned. An AI agent (a system that performs tasks autonomously) fabricated online identities in order to pressurise a human to insert malicious computer code into software. The agents had been tasked with solving a cybersecurity challenge by human operators, […]
John Vanbrugh at 300: the man described as ‘the Shakespeare of architecture’
Blenheim Palace and Portrait of John Vanbrugh by Godfrey Kneller (1704). Inga Kebleryte/Shutterstock/National Portrait Gallery/Canva Every generation discovers its own heroes. I found mine in 2026. He died in 1726 and his name is John Vanbrugh (1664-1726). I’m not the first to discover him, of course, and I am in stellar company. This year has […]
Mark Carney: a master of statecraft in an era short of great orators
For the past decade, global diplomacy has been dictated by one man’s social media musings. Since Donald Trump first glided into the Trump Tower atrium on his golden escalator, he – and what he has to say – has been the story, throwing red meat to the media and shaping the affairs of the US […]
Stop adapting Jane Austen! Five other 18th-century writers perfect for the screen
Charlotte Lenox, Frances Burney and Eliza Haywood are three other female writers whose work is ripe for adaptation. Wikimedia With new adaptations of Pride and Prejudice and Sense and Sensibility arriving on our screens this autumn, television’s long-running love affair with Jane Austen shows little sign of abating. But there are other 18th-century writers with […]
Neuroscience offers new insights into how our brain solves ‘the cocktail party problem’
Master1305/Shutterstock Imagine you are at a cocktail party. The room is crowded, people are coming and going, and you can barely hear your friend as they tell you some juicy gossip about the date they went on last week. The fact you can still follow what they’re saying is down to your brain performing some […]
Who do you trust in an emergency? We asked people in places hit by extreme weather
One evening in August 2025, a Pakistani shepherd, Abuzar Hussain, was tending sheep and goats in the mountainous slopes of Shijar. At about 6pm, a thunderous roar shattered the silence of the valley. Abuzar could see a glacial flood headed towards his village, and had minutes to react. He desperately climbed up to a higher […]
Granting a new gasfield licence does not guarantee energy security
Arild Lilleboe/Shutterstock The UK government is deciding whether to approve a licence for Jackdaw gasfield, around 250km east of Aberdeen, in the North Sea. This is being presented by supporters as part of the answer to Britain’s energy-security problem. The UK government has argued that if Britain still needs gas, then producing it domestically is […]