With talk of closer EU alignment, the UK is signalling to Europe that it’s a partner worthy of trust
PM Keir Starmer and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen have reset the UK-EU relationship – but UK alignment would take things a step further. Alexandros Michailidis/Shutterstock It is now almost a decade since the UK voted for Brexit and since the tariffs of US president Donald Trump’s first term increased global trade frictions. Brexit […]
Dan Dare is blasting off again: why, as a scientist, I’m excited for the comics’ return
Dan Dare: Pilot of the Future was a groundbreaking science fiction comic serial, first appearing in the UK comic The Eagle in 1950. Now, more than 75 years later, a reinvention of the series is underway, with the first new graphic novel written by Alex de Campi (Bad Girls and Madi) with art by Marc […]
Our Freedom: Then and Now explores what freedom means to Brits, 80 years after the second world war
Marking the 80th anniversary of the end of the second world war, Our Freedom: Then and Now is a nationwide photography project exploring how communities understand freedom. The show opened at London’s Southbank Centre in April and is now touring the UK. This exhibition offers an alternative perspective to the idea that this is currently […]
Who is calling the shots in Iran?
Following the last round of talks between the United States and Iran in Islamabad, Iran’s foreign minister and negotiator Abbas Araghchi declared in a post on X on April 17 that the Strait of Hormuz was “completely open”. This came after he also signalled that his government could be flexible over the issue of nuclear […]
Alzheimer’s drugs offer little benefit, major review finds – and the reasons go deeper than the science
PeopleImages/Shutterstock.com How is it possible to spend tens of billions of dollars developing drugs to treat a serious disease that affects millions of people, and yet end up with something that does not work? This is a mystery that has bedevilled Alzheimer’s research for years. A new review of the evidence has concluded that the […]
Why understanding autism means looking beyond spoken language – two autistic researchers of communication explain
The idea of the “autism spectrum” is widely used in diagnosis, education and public discussion. First developed by the psychiatrist Lorna Wing in the 1980s, the term was intended to reflect the wide range of autistic experiences and needs. But a growing body of research is questioning whether the concept still helps us understand autistic […]
How school grades can affect mental health – particularly for girls
LightField Studios/Shutterstock Schools increasingly rely on testing, grading and performance accountability. In England, Ofsted inspections and school league tables sharpen the focus on measurable performance. Similar developments have taken place in Sweden, where repeated reforms have introduced earlier and more detailed assessments. Performance-driven school environments shape young people’s wellbeing. Yet despite frequent reforms to evaluation […]
Golden eagles in England? Here’s the ecological case for bringing them back
England’s last recorded pair of golden eagles lived in the Lake District. After the female died in 2004, the male was left alone for 12 years before his death in 2016. This marked the end of golden eagles across English skies. Though they have lived on in Scotland, the birds were largely wiped out across […]
The fake disease that fooled the internet — and what it says about all of us
Damn! It looks like I’ve got bixonimania! monshtein/Shutterstock.com Until a few years ago, no one had heard of bixonimania. Then, in 2024, a group of scientists posted findings online announcing the condition, which they claimed affected the eyes after computer use. However, the scientists had made it up – not just the work, but the […]
The 10 pence pill that underpins diabetes care – and may do much more besides
pimpampix/Shutterstock Metformin has a strong claim to being one of the most influential medicines of the past century. For decades, it has underpinned the treatment of type 2 diabetes, helped millions of people control their blood sugar, and inspired a second life in research on everything from ageing and cancer to heart health and fertility. […]