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In Alberta, far-right populism fuelled by conspiracy theories and alienation drive bid to separate from Canada
In the western Canadian province of Alberta, a political battle is playing out on people’s front lawns. Separatists are flying the royal blue Alberta flag, others the red and white maple leaf of Canada to show their support for a united Canada. It’s all because a populist right-wing political movement wants Alberta to break away from the rest of the country. On October 19, Albertans will vote on whether to have a binding referendum on independence. “Public opinion polls show quite consistently over the last two yea
Cannabis doesn’t make you violent – despite what recent reports have claimed
In what looked like a return to the dark days of Reefer Madness – a 1936 film that portrayed cannabis as a drug that could drive people to madness and murder – a recent article in the Daily Telegraph claimed that cannabis users are “twice as likely to be violent”.
How did Mars get its moons? Japan’s MMX space mission aims to solve the puzzle
The Earth got its Moon when a small planet collided with our planet more than four billion years ago. This impact hurled molten rock into space, which eventually coalesced to form the satellite we can see every night from across our planet.
Is the US limiting Starlink in Ukraine? The risks could be catastrophic
The drone has become the signature weapon of the Russo-Ukraine war. On any day in Ukraine, tens of thousands of drones are out hunting the battlefield for targets. These could be individual enemy soldiers or vehicles, or they could be larger targets such as depots, headquarters, bridges or power plants.
The little-known 14th century battle that has shaped English, Scottish and French relations
On October 17, 1346, the battle of Neville’s Cross was fought outside Durham in the north-east of England. It was a decisive moment in Anglo-Scottish history that led to the capture of King David II of Scotland. Yet few have heard of it.
Early humans in America endured climate chaos – new research
Some 23,000 years ago, during the coldest part of the last ice age, people walked across the muddy margins of an ancient lake in what is now White Sands national park, New Mexico.
Experts have voted to stop adding extra seconds to clock time – the outcome favours big tech
On June 30 2015 at 23:59:59 UTC (19:59:59 EDT), artist Sara Morawetz was standing in the middle of New York’s Times Square with a pair of cymbals. As the clock ticked to the next second, she struck the cymbals together.
I discovered a Roman fort in Wales – it may hold the key to the ancient Welsh legend of Macsen Wledig
My recent discovery of a Roman fort and its extraordinary connection with medieval folklore was the fruition of many hours of painstaking research.
Can the Greens stick to their democratic principles?
The Green Party of England and Wales’ prospects have fluctuated dramatically in recent years. At times, it has appeared on the cusp of becoming a major force at Westminster.
Why adoptive families can struggle to get help until they reach crisis point
In a deeply personal passage of his first Labour Party conference speech as UK prime minister, Andy Burnham paid tribute to the care workers who had looked after his father, Roy, who had Alzheimer’s disease and had died just two weeks earlier.
DIY healthcare is on the rise – here’s why it’s so dangerous
Need treatment fast? Many people now turn to Google before a healthcare professional. From checking symptoms online to buying medicines online and taking advice from social media influencers, healthcare is increasingly becoming a do-it-yourself activity.
Cities are sinking – but citywide averages hide the real problem
Cities worldwide are sinking at alarming rates, but that doesn’t mean the ground is sinking at the same rate everywhere. Some neighbourhoods may be far more affected than others close by, with serious consequences for their residents.
Night of a Thousand Hells: a subversive, shapeshifting tale of sisterhood, violence and grief
Making the longlist this week for the US National Book Award for translated literature, Intan Paramaditha’s Night of a Thousand Hells is a subversive, shape-shifting novel in which family tragedy becomes political reckoning, horror exposes social violence, and familiar stories turn sinister.
Five types of disinformation – and how to spot red flags that trigger climate inaction
We’re living in an age of constant information: tweets, headlines, reels, reports. It’s everywhere, all the time. But here’s the challenge: not all of it is true. Some of it is intentionally misleading. A lot is AI-generated. From outright climate denial to more subtle greenwashing, disinformation is not just a digital nuisance – it’s a real threat.
‘Sodcit’ – after battlefield setbacks, Russia returns to destroying Ukraine’s morale
Ukrainian president, Volodymr Zelensky, recently told journalists that the Russian president, Vladimir Putin, has instructed his military commanders to abandon the rules of war that protect civilian targets. “He said there are no rules now,” Zelensky said – reporting that this information had been picked up by intelligence intercepts of Russian communications.
What’s behind the BBC’s funding crisis? An expert explains
In the run-up to the renewal of the BBC charter in January 2028, the corporation is facing perhaps its greatest ever funding crisis. It is staring down cost hyper-inflation across most programme genres and, unlike online-only streamers such as Netflix, it will still have to fund traditional broadcast networks until at least 2034. And of course, it will also have to pay for new digital services to keep pace with trends, especially among younger audiences.
What an ancient volcanic eruption teaches us about resilience today
When a massive environmental disaster strikes, do societies simply collapse and disappear? Or do people find a way to adapt, rebuild and recover?
Doing a short cardio session after weight training probably won’t boost your gains – here’s why
Spend long enough on fitness social media and you’ll see the same tip. Finish every weight training session with about 15 minutes of cardio to boost your “gains”. But does it actually work? Probably not as much as you’d think.
A crackdown on online shopping tricks is welcome, but doesn’t go far enough
Hurry! Only two left! Fourteen people bought this in the last hour! Fifty people are looking at this item!
A drug can make children with the most common form of dwarfism taller – but height isn’t the same as a better life
A drug that helps children with the most common form of dwarfism grow taller has sparked an ethical debate within the dwarfism community.
Her Son’s Wife by Dorothy Canfield Fisher finds profound meaning and emotion in domestic life
UK publisher Persephone Books are continuing to reintroduce “lost” 20th century novels by women to the 21st century, featuring what they term “domestic feminism”.
A record-breaking El Niño is still developing – likely bringing a cold winter to the UK
The UK could be in for a wet and stormy autumn followed by a colder, calmer winter – and an unusually powerful El Niño may be partly responsible.
Winter of the Crow: this taut escape thriller explores life under martial law in cold war Poland
It’s surely no surprise that amid today’s geopolitical turmoil, filmmakers are turning to the events of the cold war for inspiration. A flurry of productions set in the 1980s have been released just this year.
Can AI help ‘humanise’ museums? New report reminds us why art matters in a changing world
The cover of a new report on AI from a US museum thinktank restyles the Sistine Chapel’s Creation of Adam, with the hand of God replaced by a Terminator-style robotic one. So far so obvious.
Animal life may be far older than its most ancient fossils – here’s how we uncovered its hidden history
The question of when animals first evolved is one that has confounded scientists since the time of Charles Darwin. Studying rocks in north Wales in the mid-18th century, Darwin found the sudden first appearance of animal shells and skeletons in layers dating back over 500 million years perplexing. He had predicted a long history of evolution, with animals slowly gaining complexity through time, rather than this apparent instantaneous appearance of complex animals.
Operation Vivaldi: success of Ukraine’s counteroffensive shows it has learned to manoeuvre on a drone-filled battlefield
Russia’s drone and missile attacks on Ukraine’s population and infrastructure continue to dominate coverage of the conflict. But on the ground, Ukraine has been making significant, if still limited, gains.
Councils that restrict harmful advertising won’t lose out on profits
For cash-strapped councils, turning away much-needed income by restricting adverts for junk food, fossil fuels or other harmful products might seem like a policy they can ill afford.
Early flu season: why you should get your jab sooner this year
Data from the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) shows more flu activity in September than in the same month of the past four years. However, flu is still circulating at relatively low levels in the community. If cases continue to rise over the coming weeks, this would suggest the flu season is starting earlier than usual.
French school protests: a rite of passage – and the result of genuine concerns
Across France, school students have taken to the streets to protest about teacher shortages, dilapidated school buildings and long school days. While the tradition of student protest has long roots in France, the country’s current fiscal crisis combined with entrenched structural problems with teacher recruitment, sickness absence and a backlog of school maintenance means this is unlikely to be something the current government can easi
Can memoirs ever tell the whole truth?
In July 2025 a literary scandal erupted when The Observer journalist Chloe Hadjimatheou claimed that Raynor Winn, author of the award-winning memoir The Salt Path, had omitted significant facts and invented key parts of her story. This much-loved account of Winn’s transformative and healing coastal walk with her terminally ill husband after they lost their home, had recently been made into a film.
What happens in your brain when you can’t stop laughing?
Do you remember the last time you were laughing and simply could not stop? Perhaps it was a situation when you should not have been laughing at all.
How the ‘geopolitical stigma’ associated with Putin’s Russia is affecting ordinary Russians
Russia’s international standing collapsed within weeks of its full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Sanctions swept across Russian banks, businesses and political elites, while western companies exited the country en masse. For those living inside Russia, it was the everyday, tangible shifts that made this feel real.
Here’s how to find the learning strategy that makes AI work for you
Generative AI can explain a difficult concept, solve a problem, correct a sentence or produce an answer in seconds. That creates enormous opportunities for learning.
Chronic pelvic pain treatment should focus on quality of life, not pain alone
For many women living with chronic pelvic pain, finding an explanation for their symptoms can take years. Getting a diagnosis may bring some relief, but treatment does not always bring an end to the pain. Even when symptoms improve, their effects on sleep, work and everyday life can continue.
Cecilia Vicuña’s radical eco-feminist vision comes to London
Living Threads at Whitechapel Gallery is the first major UK exhibition of eco-feminist activist contemporary artist and poet Cecilia Vicuña.
Spider-Man’s 1,000th issue: the enduring appeal of the tortured Hamlet of superheroes
This autumn marks a special occasion in the Marvel universe: Spider-Man, perhaps the most popular superhero of all time, has reached issue #1,000 in the comics series.
Life in Gaza after 12 months of ‘ceasefire’
It’s one year since the US-brokered ceasefire for Gaza formally came into effect. On October 9 2025, Hamas handed over the 20 remaining hostages and the bodies of four Israelis who had died while being held captive. In return, Israel released almost 2,000 Palestinians held in Israeli jails.
How electric vehicles could help pollinators find flowers again
A hidden threat is making it harder for bees, butterflies and other pollinators to do their job: air pollution is scrambling the floral scents they use to find flowers.
Air conditioners contribute to climate change – this 40-year-old treaty aims to limit the harm
A decade ago, the international treaty that shapes what’s inside our cooling systems was amended to favour gases that contribute less to global warming.
First case of teeth growing out of an eye socket – what you need to know about ‘ectopic teeth’
A 16-year-old boy in India has had a tooth removed from his left eye socket, between the eyelid and the eyebrow. He had noticed a painless swelling for about a month, but was only taken to hospital when two hard, whitish points began poking through. A scan revealed a fully formed canine tooth – an extremely unusual example of an ectopic tooth.
Inside two prison systems: why Denmark and the UK punish so differently
It has been said that a society should be judged not by how it treats its outstanding citizens but by how it treats people who break the law.
Can NAD+ supplements help us age more healthily? Here’s what the science shows
Anti-ageing supplements are everywhere, from advertising campaigns to social media feeds. Promising everything from increased energy to a longer life, they come in many forms, from powders containing multiple ingredients to single-nutrient capsules.
Messy, risky outdoor play is important for children, but adults can stop them enjoying it
There is growing evidence that children today have fewer opportunities for independent, adventurous outdoor play and fewer chances to make decisions and shape their own experiences than previous generations.
Are the UK authorities letting down survivors of modern slavery?
The adoption of the Slavery Convention 100 years ago was a landmark moment for the international prohibition of slavery. It also laid foundations for human rights movements across the world.
Cottage cheese, sunscreen and pimple popping: Strange Health is back for season two
What do cottage cheese, sunscreen and pimple popping have in common? They are all heading our way in the new series of Strange Health, the podcast from The Conversation that investigates the odd, awkward and occasionally disgusting questions raised by our bodies and the health trends surrounding them. We’re back for season two, with a new batch of questions that have been bothering us, fascinating us or sending us down unexpectedly strange research rabbit holes.
Economics Nobel: how this year’s winners helped to smooth the cycle of economic peaks and troughs
The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences has awarded this year’s Nobel Prize in Economic Sciences to the American economists Robert E. Hall and Michael Woodford. The prize was awarded in recognition of their development of macroeconomic models that helped to reduce the length and depth of economic downturns.
Escape rooms give healthcare students a safe place to get things wrong
The buzzer goes off. Three occupational therapy students are convinced they have worked out what should happen to their patient next. They are wrong.
An overlooked sci-fi movie shows how disruption by AI could be positive for society
The AI doomsday news cycle plays on anxieties about the future. The media has tended to prioritise sensational takes on the risk at the expense of more thoughtful opinions by, for example, experts in the ethics of AI.
Empathy can help make maternity care safer – here’s how
Poppy Russell lived for just 12 hours. She died in April 2021 at the Princess Royal Hospital in Telford after suffering a brain injury during birth. An inquest concluded that her death was preventable.
Why do some children become seriously ill with COVID? The answer may lie in their genes
Most children who are infected with SARS-COV2, the virus that causes COVID, experience only mild symptoms or no symptoms at all. But a small proportion develop severe illness which can sometimes even require hospital care.
Unpicking the pensions triple lock: where it came from, and what might happen next
Prime Minister Andy Burnham has made the politically risky decision to adjust the pensions triple lock from April 2030.
China and the EU could turn Morocco into a surprise global hub for electric vehicles
China now makes more than seven in ten of the world’s electric cars. In 2024 it produced over 12 million, 1.25 million of which were exported, mainly to Europe.
Donald Trump aligns with Vladimir Putin yet again, leaving Ukraine – and US relations with Europe – under pressure
The deal struck by Donald Trump with his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, on October 9 to allow Russia to sell millions of tonnes of diesel is a major departure from US policy and runs counter to Ukrainian and European interests. It also directly contradicts a law signed by the US president in September to authorise fresh US sanctions and tariffs on nations that import Russian oil and gas.
What Andy Burnham can learn from Sweden about defending against Russian disinformation
In his speech at the UN General Assembly in September, Andy Burnham announced that his security chiefs would begin work on a new National Centre for Information Defence.
Animals: Ben Affleck stars in this thriller about a politician who can’t hide his ugly side
As the new Netflix thriller Animals began, I wasn’t sure how its 106-minute runtime was going to keep me sympathetic to the plight of a wealthy American politician. Ben Affleck, directed, co-wrote and stars in the film as Mark Kimball, a Los Angeles mayoral candidate.
When Europe’s monastic libraries were looted, Britain’s richest book collectors went hunting
In 1790, the London bookseller Thomas Payne sold a copy of the Gutenberg Bible, the earliest printed book, to George John, 2nd Earl Spencer. He charged him £370 – an enormous sum at the time, roughly equivalent to £878,000 today – as part of a package deal which included two other early theological works. As part of the deal, Payne had the old book rebound in sumptuous midnight blue goatskin.
How dyspraxia can exhaust children and exclude them from social activities
Ask a parent of a child with dyspraxia what happens around 4pm, and many describe the same scene. Their child has spent a whole school day gripping pencils, fastening buttons and keeping up in the playground. By the time they get home, they are exhausted.
Will AI be good or bad for the climate? Here’s what the latest evidence on energy use suggests
Is AI a climate change villain, whose insatiable hunger for electricity will roast the planet? Or will it help predict where the next climate disaster will strike and what to do about it?
China’s panda diplomacy: how Beijing combines conservation and trade
Two giant pandas recently landed in Atlanta, a week after Donald Trump and Xi Jinping met in Washington.
How bionic eyes are becoming a reality
If you’ve delved into the worlds of Star Trek, The Terminator or William Gibson’s cyberpunk novel Neuromancer, you’ll know that enhanced, electronic vision is a staple of science fiction. Now, what was once futuristic fiction is becoming a reality.
Autism and ADHD: people need support before diagnosis, but getting one can change their lives
I hated myself so much…and now I love myself. I’m not perfect. But I’ve accepted myself now. That was how one person described the impact of receiving an autism and ADHD diagnosis when my colleagues and I interviewed them about their mental health. For this participant, finally understanding why they had struggled for so long had transformed how they felt about themselves. Their experience highlights an important issue as the NHS considers changes to how people receive support for autism and ADHD.
What was going on with the dancing in Sense and Sensibility? A Regency expert explains
The two dance sequences – a hop and a ball – capture the spirits of Dashwoods more than they evoke the atmosphere of the period.
Art imitates art in Barbara Kingsolver’s new book – what to read, see and watch this week
Barbara Kingsolver’s new book is a canny feat of art imitating art. Partita is about a pianist, Livia, looking back at her life and trying to understand what art means to her.
The gut-muscle link: why fermented foods could boost muscle health
Gut health and muscle health are often thought of as separate concerns. The first brings to mind eating fibre and probiotics, while the other centres on, exercise and protein.
The Holborn and St Pancras byelection doesn’t answer the big questions about British politics – but it provides hints
Holborn and St Pancras is a very unusual constituency. While often referred to as being in “north London”, a significant chunk of it covers the west end, including parts of Covent Garden, Fitzrovia and all of Bloomsbury. It is also home to three of the UK’s largest mainline train stations, two of the three Inns of Court and the British Museum – and, for the time being, the Bayeux Tapestry.
Mecca pact: Pakistan and Turkey have answered Saudi Arabia’s call for help – but don’t expect them to fight the Houthis
Within two months of it being signed, Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Pakistan invoked the Mecca mutual defence pact in response to attacks by Yemen’s Houthi rebel forces.
Jane Eyre: a Musical – an intimate Brontë adaptation that misses the novel’s darkness
Jane Eyre may describe herself as “plain, and little”, but how do you make a little musical about a literary heroine who looms so large? That question lies at the heart of Jane Eyre: a Musical, currently on at London’s Southwark Playhouse.
When Burnham went to Berlin: Germany the key to future UK-EU relationship
Andy Burnham’s decision to choose Berlin for his first trip to an EU member state on October 8 will have delighted many in the German capital’s political circles.
Loved The Uprising? Discover the real story of the peasants’ revolt in these ten reads
Just as Christopher Nolan’s blockbuster The Odyssey sent sales of Homer’s original text surging, cinematic epics have a way of reigniting our appetite for the history behind the drama.
England made organ donation the default, so why are fewer families saying yes?
England changed its organ donation law in 2020. All eligible adults are now presumed willing to donate their organs after death unless they opt out. The change was intended to increase the supply of donated organs, but 8,746 people in the UK are still waiting for a transplant, and just 1,650 transplants have taken place since April 2026.
Zack Polanski loses his byelection bid – and the Green party’s Zionism motion has outraged its closest allies in Europe
It has been a rollercoaster year for the Green Party of England and Wales. It’s little more than 12 months since the election of the charismatic Zack Polanski as party leader. And months later, the equally charismatic Hannah Spencer became the Greens’ fifth MP. But Polanski couldn’t repeat this win in Keir Starmer’s former constituency of Holborn and St Pancras in London, losing to Labour’s Sagal Abdi-Wali.
‘Tenzing biopic made me wonder what he would think if he could return to the mountain today’ – glaciologist and mountaineer
Seventy three years ago Tenzing Norgay stood on top of Everest, known as Chomolungma in Tibetan, which roughly translates as “Goddess Mother of the World”.
How military exercises help the UK and its allies prepare for a future war
The past few weeks have seen aerial duels being fought over the North Sea and a naval vessel being sunk off Scotland’s west coast. Fortunately this was not a case of hostile combat – these episodes took place during two major multinational military exercises: Exercise Atlantic Thunder and Exercise Cobra Warrior 26-2.
American military bases in the UK – controversial, but seen as vital
The recent incidents concerning RAF Fairford in Gloucestershire have highlighted that fact that the US military does have quite a significant presence on UK soil. What this presence fully amounts to, though, is unclear. According to news reports there are “at least” 15 US military bases in the UK, while other sources have the figure at 12 or 13. The UK government says that there are only 11. In 2024, the Pentagon defence headquarters in the US listed 16 American military locations along with six un
Women are more emotionally intelligent than men, and that’s a problem – landmark study
Who comes to mind when you think of someone emotionally intelligent? Someone who can read a room, defuse an argument, and who knows exactly what to say when a friend is struggling? For many people, that person is a woman. It’s such a widely held belief that popular psychology treats it as fact.
Some climate tipping points are being studied far more than others – new research
Parts of the Earth’s climate system can change abruptly once warming pushes them beyond critical thresholds. The Greenland and Antarctic ice sheets, the Amazon rainforest, coral reefs and major ocean currents are all among the systems containing potential climate tipping points.
How much noise should we put up with? London and Copenhagen have different answers
A noise researcher compares London and Copenhagen and takes a closer look at what the countries’ different regulations say about how much noise we accept in cities.
How to meal prep safely: a microbiologist’s step-by-step guide
Meal prepping is a great way to save money, spend less time in the kitchen and stick to a meal plan. But while cooking meals for the week ahead may be convenient, there can be real risks associated with eating bulk-cooked meals.
Robert Ryman: The Real Thing at the Barbican – these mesmerising paintings must be seen in person
Robert Ryman: The Real Thing is the American artist’s first major retrospective in the UK for over 30 years.
Almost 300,000 people now live in flood-prone areas in the Nepalese Himalayas – new research
On August 26, a rock and ice avalanche triggered a huge flood that swept through a steep valley in Nepal, leaving thousands dead and missing. It was an extreme example of a growing problem across the Himalayas. As glaciers melt, glacial lakes expand, and mountain permafrost thaws, the risks from floods, landslides and other high-mountain hazards are increasing. At the same time, more people and infrastructure are moving into the valleys where these hazards are most likely to strike.
What’s your apocalypse skill? Finding a future-proof hobby can bring fulfilment today
In online “prepper” communities – where people discuss ways to prepare for potential emergencies and disruptions – members often jokingly refer to their “zombie apocalypse” skills.
Three of the UK’s four nations are led by parties advocating a split. Which is most likely to go?
For the first time in its history three of the four nations of the UK are led by parties that advocate holding referendums on breaking away from the UK. Recently, the first ministers of Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland signed an agreement to work together on this agenda.
Nobel laureate Karl Deisseroth on how light is changing what we know about the brain
When Karl Deisseroth was studying to be a doctor in the 1990s, he took a rotation working with psychiatric patients. It would start him down a path of discovery about how the brain works that would eventually lead him to become a Nobel laureate.
The Social Reckoning is a true American horror story
In 2010, screenwriter Aaron Sorkin’s The Social Network charted the birth of social media. Sixteen years later his sequel, The Social Reckoning, is tracing the mutation of Meta founder Mark Zuckerberg (played by Jesse Eisenberg in the first film and Jeremy Strong in this sequel) from an awkward nerd into a sinister billionaire.
Wildlife populations have declined 73% since 1970 – but many of the world’s animals still aren’t being counted
Wildlife populations around the world have declined by an average of 73% since 1970. That’s according to the WWF’s new 2026 Living Planet Index – a major estimate, updated every two years, of the changing state of nature. This does not mean that 73% of the world’s animals have disappeared. Rather, it is the average decline in the size of wildlife populations that is being monitored.
School protests focus attention on the chequered history of public order policing in France
A placard held by a young man as school protests continued across France appeared to capture the mood on the streets. Young people, it said: “want the Bac (high school diploma), not the BAC”. The Brigade Anti-Criminalité (BAC) is a police unit widely known for its aggressive tactics in tackling street crime.
‘Airport malaria’ is rare, but can be deadly when doctors don’t expect it
A few days after landing at Frankfurt Airport, several people who had never left Germany developed a fever. None had travelled anywhere near a malaria zone – but the mosquitoes that infected them had.
Florence Buchanan: the pioneering physiologist whose face was lost to history
For more than a century, we could see Florence Buchanan’s science but not Florence Buchanan. Her papers and electrical traces survived, and her work placed her alongside some of the most influential physiologists of the early 20th century. Yet until recently, no authenticated portrait of Buchanan was known.
Israel’s political rivals play the blame game as country marks years since October 7
The Israeli prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, and leading opposition figure Gadi Eisenkot took to social media as their country marked three years since the devastating Hamas attacks of October 7. As the country mourned, the rival politicians played the blame game.
Anne Carson wins Nobel prize in literature – how she discovered new possibilities within language
For over four decades, Anne Carson has been quietly redrawing the map of contemporary literature. Poet, translator, classicist, essayist, performer and visual artist, she has produced a body of work that refuses easy categorisation.
A biologist queries whether AI ‘borrowed’ his work to make major discovery – an expert explains the rules
AI company Anthropic recently announced that its popular system Claude had identified an unusual family of biological molecules. These molecules were enzymes, a type of protein that speeds up chemical reactions in living organisms.
Hospital appointments can make greener travel harder
The timing of a hospital appointment does more than tell you when to see a doctor. It can also shape how you get there. For some older patients, an early appointment can fall before their concessionary bus pass, which provides free bus travel, becomes valid. An unreliable bus service can mean having to leave much earlier than necessary. And an appointment at a specialist hospital rather than the one closest to home can turn a straightforward journey into one that involves several connections.
Social media provides valued community spaces for autistic young people
Autism is a neurodevelopmental condition which influences how people communicate and process information. A significant proportion of autistic children do not speak, or only speak a few words. Many find it difficult to communicate face to face, especially when interaction is fast moving or dependent on interpreting bodily cues.
Andrew Garfield plays a ploughman in The Uprising – but the real medieval rebels weren’t all peasants
The Uprising is the first film inspired by the peasants’ revolt of the summer of 1381 – the largest popular rebellion in medieval England.
Kemi Badenoch is gearing up for a ‘battle of ideas’ with Labour
Kemi Badenoch’s closing conference speech to the Conservative party conference sought to galvanise the membership by framing the coming years as “a battle of ideas” over how Britain is governed.
French student protests: comparisons with 1968 will only serve the political extremes
The student demonstrations that have spread across France in recent weeks are not unprecedented. Indeed, commentators have been quick to point to comparisons with the events of May and June 1968, where, at their peak, more than 10 million students and workers took to the streets.
Russian plague scare: an expert explains what we know so far – and why there’s no need to panic
A laboratory worker at the Irkutsk Anti-Plague Research Institute in Siberia, Russia, has died just days after falling ill with an undisclosed illness.
Five ways to enjoy fashion as a hobby without indulging in overconsumption
Fashion lovers are generally associated with bursting wardrobes and chasing the latest trends. But that reputation is beginning to shift.
Energy price cap: the cost of your coffee could be about to go up
This autumn, the cost of gas and electricity for a typical UK household is expected to rise from £1,663 to £1,723 a year.
Zack Polanski’s Urdu video: multilingual campaigning is good for politics
The Holborn and St Pancras byelection takes place on October 8, in the London constituency vacated by former prime minister Keir Starmer. Labour might be hopeful of holding the seat, but the leader of the Green Party Zack Polanski is also on the ballot paper.
Nobel prize in chemistry awarded for work on mirror-image molecules
The 2026 Nobel prize for chemistry has been awarded to two researchers for their work on mirror-image molecules.
Coolcations: tourism boom is taking a toll on chillier destinations
Holiday destinations in northern Europe saw a boost in tourist numbers this summer, but for some this throws up new problems.
Parasitic worms could hold the key to treating immune system diseases – here’s what we know
For millions of years, parasitic worms have had to survive inside animals without being destroyed by their hosts’ immune systems. To do that, they have evolved remarkably effective ways of dampening the immune response.
Tabis are so over – what the mainstreaming of the split-toe shoe says about how fashion loses meaning
The tabi shoe, a divisive style which features a cloven hoof-like split, has its origins in 15th-century Japan. In 1988, fashion designer Martin Margiela reimagined the split-toe silhouette for a high-fashion boot for his brand’s inaugural runway collection. While the style became synonymous with Margiela, because of its historic origins, it could not be legally or culturally copyrighted by a single fashion house.
Inside the industrial incinerators tasked with ‘respectful disposal’ of anatomical waste
Awkwardly smiling, a chemist at a waste site is telling me about industrially incinerating corpses. We are crammed into a claustrophobic funnel at the entry point to a rattling shed with high-vis-jacketed workers scurrying to and fro.
The circumstances you grow up in are linked to how long you live
Poorer people, on average, live shorter lives. This pattern can be seen even in wealthy countries with extensive welfare systems. In Norway, for example, 40-year-old men in the richest 1% could expect to live almost 14 years longer than those in the poorest 1%. In the US, the equivalent gap is nearly 15 years. A 2025 World Health Organization report warned that international targets for reducing health inequalities by 2040 are likely to be missed.
Can picking up a book really improve your brain?
Picking up a book for half an hour may feel like simple downtime, but reading for pleasure appears to do more than just entertain us. Research suggests it can support aspects of cognition and wellbeing, while also helping us understand and connect with other people.
Prosecution of Kosovan leader Hashim Thaçi illustrates the challenges of bringing war criminals to justice
More than 27 years after the end of the Kosovo war, former prime minister and president Hashim Thaçi and three other leaders of the Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA) have been found guilty of war crimes and sentenced to up to 25 years in prison. Thaçi and his fellow defendants faced charges including arbitrary detention, cruel treatment, torture and murder committed during Kosovo’s struggle for independence.
Success for Andy Burnham’s national care service will depend on home essentials
With Prime Minister Andy Burnham’s plans for adult social care reform in England, including a move towards a national care service, much of the focus has been on who receives care and who provides it.
Smokers have a lower risk of Parkinson’s – we may have found out why
Smoking is one of the biggest causes of ill health and early death. Yet smokers seem to have a lower risk of developing Parkinson’s disease than non-smokers – by around half according to some studies.
Measles is spreading across the US – and officials can’t agree on the death toll
New York has just declared a state of emergency as measles cases continue to rise. So far this year, the US has recorded 3,887 cases of measles, the highest annual total since 1991. That is about 70% more cases than were recorded during the whole of 2025.
From food to fuel, AI helps pinpoint how to grow ‘microalgae’ at scale
Microalgae (microscopic organisms that use light and carbon dioxide to grow) can be used to make ingredients and food for animals, pigments and potentially renewable fuels. But growing microalgae efficiently at an industrial scale is difficult.
HIV treatment has transformed lives in the UK, but stigma lingers
Nearly half a century has passed since the first recognised case of Aids in the UK in December 1981. During that time, perceptions of HIV and people living with HIV have been transformed by medical advances and changing cultural attitudes. Yet the stigma created during the early years of the epidemic has proved much harder to leave behind.
How geopolitical tensions tainted the 2026 Asian Games
The 2026 Asian Games in Japan drew to a close on October 4 following two weeks of competition between 45 countries and territories across 43 sports. Despite the official slogan “imagine one Asia”, fragmented regional politics came to the fore as the event unfolded.
Digger channels Kubrick’s Dr. Strangelove for the climate crisis – until its twist
Warning: this article contains major spoilers for Digger. In director Alejandro González Iñárritu’s new film Digger, the eponymous Digger Rockwell (Tom Cruise) puts on his Stetson first thing in the morning. It’s an embodiment of his credo: “Rise early, work hard, strike oil.” He is rarely without it as he rides roughshod through the extinction-level environmental catastrophe his drilling company has caused.
Rebel Rebel the Musical stages David Bowie’s dystopian vision
“If you can listen to Rebel Rebel and not be a tiny bit glad you’re alive,” the Irish writer Joseph O’Connor once claimed, “you’ve got an answering-machine for a heart”.
The ick: the psychology of why a romantic partner can suddenly repulse you
Ever felt a sudden wave of cringe toward someone you were into – all because they wore questionable shoes or chewed a bit too loudly? Congratulations, you’ve caught “the ick”.
Why antidepressants can stop working after initially helping
Antidepressant use continues to rise. In England, 96 million antidepressant prescription items were dispensed to an estimated 9.1 million patients in 2025 to 2026. These medicines are prescribed for depression and other conditions, including anxiety and some forms of pain.
Did the hot summer make more people worry about climate change? Here’s what the latest indications show
This summer broke records around the UK for maximum temperatures and dry weather. According to the UK’s Met Office, while it was rare to hit 35°C in the 20th century, that temperature has been surpassed in six out of the past ten years. And it’s only expected to get higher. Rising temperatures not only contribute to illness and deaths, but also to wildfires, water shortages and the collapse of infrastructure and services. So has this changed the public’s attitudes at all? According to
Nobel physics prize awarded for discovery of ‘ghostly messengers’ from the cosmos
The 2026 Nobel prize for physics has been awarded to Francis Halzen for his discovery of high energy neutrino particles from space.
Taylor Swift’s new video marks her ghostly return to Daphne du Maurier’s Rebecca
In 2020, Taylor Swift told us she read Daphne du Maurier’s Rebecca, the 1938 bestseller about a young bride haunted by the memory of her husband’s glamorous first wife. Swift described how it inspired her while she was writing Tolerate It for her ninth studio album Evermore, which came out the same year.
The UK and Denmark: a dentist assesses the state of the nations’ teeth
England and Denmark are both wealthy, welfare-minded nations – so why is one catching dental problems early, and the other catching up?
What helps children feel safe at school?
The issue of children missing school in England remains an urgent problem. New data shows that in the 2024-25 academic year, 18% of pupils were persistently absent, meaning that they missed 10% of their morning and afternoon sessions at school – around 19 days.
Why endometriosis pain can continue after treatment
Treatment for endometriosis can bring relief, but some women continue to have pelvic pain even after hormone treatment or surgery. For those who have spent years seeking help, continuing pain can be distressing and difficult to understand.
Partita by Barbara Kingsolver: the touching story of a musician striving to bring the movements of her life together
A partita is a musical composition, often for a soloist. As Livia, the protagonist of Barbara Kingsolver’s new book, explains to Sigurd, as they begin an all-consuming romance, it’s “made up of a lot of parts with different paces and moods. […] The parts are all different, and the artist’s work is to make them all add up to something that feels whole.”
Does increased childcare funding help mothers into work?
Since Labour won the 2024 general election, policy focused on children in the early years – from birth to school age – and their parents has moved sharply up the political agenda.
Rhinos and elephants can cause huge problems if reintroduced badly – here’s how to get it right
Moving large animals around is a seductive idea in conservation. If there are plenty of animals in one place and too few in another, moving some between the two seems an obvious solution. Sometimes it is. But with animals as large, mobile and socially complicated as elephants and rhinos, the move itself can turn out to be the straightforward part.
Unusual senses: the secret superpowers of amphibians and reptiles
The Surinam toad is one of the strangest frogs on Earth. Flat-bodied, tiny-eyed and adapted to the murky waters of the Amazon basin, it hunts well despite having very poor vision. When a fish swims close, the frog suddenly opens its mouth and sucks the prey inside in a fraction of a second.
The curious case of the bear in the Bayeux tapestry – what it tells us about baiting in medieval England
New research reveals how bears became more common in English towns after 1066, helping illuminate the history of bear baiting.
How pond algae led to a Nobel prize and a new way to study the brain
Scientists who worked out how to control brain cells with light have won this year’s Nobel prize in physiology or medicine. Karl Deisseroth, Peter Hegemann and Georg Nagel were honoured for their research into “light-gated ion channels and optogenetics”.
Why some Indigenous communities don’t resist oil extraction in their territories
More than half of the Ecuadorian Amazon has been marked for oil drilling, overlapping with Indigenous territories and areas of high biodiversity. The ecological and cultural impacts of oil extraction are well documented, and have fuelled some of Latin America’s most prominent environmental movements. Yet at the local level, extraction is not always met with resistance.
Andy Burnham wants beer back in the stands – but football’s traditional fans have larger concerns
Andy Burnham, Everton fan and prime minister, has declared the ban on drinking pitch-side at football games to be discriminatory given that fans of other sports, even in the same ground, could happily enjoy a beer while watching a game.
How will humans of the future be augmented? Six striking ideas from science fiction
The transformation of the human body has been a recurring concern of science fiction for more than 200 years. It has reflected both our hopes of overcoming physical limitations, and our fears about how technology may change what it means to be human.
Russia is using Ukraine’s children to win its occupation – and the wider war
A year or so after the full-scale invasion of Ukraine, the city of Murmansk in Russia’s Arctic north-west marked its annual regional day with a celebration for children. Alongside the sons and daughters of Russian soldiers stood children taken from the occupied Prymorskyi district of Ukraine’s Zaporizhzhia region.
Daily doses of ‘digital ibuprofen’: how burnt-out Chinese youth soothe their anxieties
In China, young people are encountering myriad challenges, from societal pressures around success to existing in a highly surveilled society, that have made them turn to the internet in search of a balm to soothe their pain. What has emerged is a host of content called digital ibuprofen – viewed as a way to numb the anxieties of modern living.
The many ways young care leavers are being failed by society – expert panel
Care leavers in England aged 18-24 are dying at three times the rate of their peers, according to a recent report. From mental health support shortcomings to the lack of a housing safety net, our experts examine the struggles these young people face – and what is needed to help them.
Eat well to age better at a biological level – new research
When it comes to healthy ageing, the overall quality of a person’s diet matters more than eating any one “superfood” or nutrient. From the Mediterranean diet to the Nordic diet, specific eating patterns have been shown to reduce the risk of heart disease, physical frailty and cognitive decline.
Medetomidine: the dangerous animal sedative turning up in Scotland’s street drugs
A sedative developed for cats and dogs is turning up in Scotland’s illicit drug supply. Medetomidine has been found in a fifth of heroin samples in Scotland, and there is no proven antidote if someone overdoses.
Secret chambers in Tutankhamun’s tomb could hold the burial of a lost Egyptian queen – we may get answers soon
A growing body of research is generating renewed interest in potential hidden spaces beyond the decorated walls of Tutankhamun’s burial chamber in Egypt.
Plans to tamper with the pension triple lock might not be as dangerous for Labour as some believe
When Prime Minister Andy Burnham told the Labour conference that he is going to change the state pension’s triple lock mechanism, the backlash was immediate. For 15 years, the triple lock has been one of the few genuinely untouchable policies in British politics.
Burnham has said the unsayable on Brexit. What happens now?
Andy Burnham’s revelation that he was prepared “to go all the way” in terms of the UK’s relationship with the EU came as a shock to many. While a commitment to rejoining the EU in the next Labour manifesto is far from a given – and the prime minister’s language was non-committal – the statement broke a taboo in the party.
Seaweed strandings cause a stink – here’s why they harm your health
When free-floating patches of seaweed are pushed together by currents and winds, seaweed strandings can inundate the coastline with often devastating consequences.
Renoir and Love is a wonderful celebration of the fleeting joys of life
Pierre-Auguste Renoir (1841 to 1919) is popularly misunderstood as a slightly dodgy painter of kitsch nudes. Renoir and Love at the National Gallery in London sets the record straight. As Chiara di Stefano, co-curator for the exhibition admits, she grew up “hating Renoir somehow”. She says it can “be troubling for some, especially women viewers, to see his nudes”.
Mangrove restoration is becoming big business, but benefits don’t always reach local people
On Pakistan’s Indus delta coast, a 350,000-hectare mangrove project is turning a growing forest into something that can be sold to companies thousands of miles away: carbon credits.
Substance-use disorders linked to sixfold higher risk of suicidal behaviour – new study
In my work as an addiction psychiatrist, I meet people whose lives have been severely affected by alcohol or drug use, often alongside other forms of mental distress.
Marie Antoinette at 20: Sofia Coppola’s playfully postmodern period drama is finally getting the praise it deserves
This autumn, a unique event is taking place in the Petit Trianon, the small summer house tucked among the formal flowerbeds of the sprawling Château de Versailles estate.
Women in architecture: the damaging workplace culture pushing talented professionals out
It’s been more than 20 years since the Royal Institute of British Architects (Riba) and the the Fawcett Society published a landmark 2003 study, Why Do Women Leave Architecture? And one thing is unmistakably clear: the profession has not moved far enough or fast enough to support women.
National Year of Reading: linguistic diversity should be central to reading for pleasure intiatives
The UK’s National Year of Reading is asking people across the country to “go all in” on reading. But this invitation raises questions for many families: reading what, in which language and in what form?
The mental health of politicians is a critical issue - we should all care
When political leaders disclose mental health challenges, the public debate usually focuses on their personal experiences, resilience and even electoral prospects.
What space travel teaches us about sleep and circadian rhythms
On Earth, most of us rarely have to think about the signals that keep our internal clocks aligned. The Sun rises, daylight changes, darkness arrives and morning comes again.
What Denmark and Britain have in common: football, beer and betting
The new Premier League season is now well underway and for many football fans, that means crowded pubs, beers with friends and betting on favourite teams. These rituals can often feel like a natural part of the game.
Lab-grown ‘mini-bladder’ helps explain why urinary tract infections keep coming back
For many people, a urinary tract infection (UTI) doesn’t really end when the antibiotics run out. The burning and constant trips to the toilet fade, then return weeks or months later.
What your eyes could reveal about your heart health
More than 2,000 years ago, the Greek mathematician Euclid began his treatise Optics with an assumption that now sounds peculiar: visual rays travelled out from the eye towards the objects we see.
Evidence of the very real trauma of war in Ukraine
Overnight on Wednesday, which marked 1,680 days since Vladimir Putin launched his full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Russia unleashed a heavy barrage of strikes against energy infrastructure in Kyiv and other major cities. As weather forecasters predict freezing overnight temperatures in coming days, many suspect this is the beginning of a campaign to knock out Ukraine’s grid and leave people in the cold and darkness as winter approaches.
The UK’s pension triple lock has done its job and needs to be retired
The UK’s pension triple lock has only been in place for 15 years. But it’s done the job it was brought in to do, and now it should be scrapped.
Social media hasn’t killed personal style, it’s killed how we communicate it
This summer, social media was filled with posts declaring that almost anything was “kinda chic”. Repeating outfits was kinda chic. Being overdressed was kinda chic. Doing something unfashionable could, apparently, also be kinda chic.
How deep do AI relationships really go? An expert in attachment theory explains
Can AI-human connections ever meet the psychological criteria of attachment – the relationships that hold people’s lives together?
One in three Ukrainian civilians estimated to meet the criteria for PTSD or complex PTSD – new study
Resilience is a word frequently used to describe the way Ukrainian society has responded to the war with Russia. It’s a term that can inspire sympathy and mobilise support. But it also risks overshadowing effects of war that require both domestic and international attention to enable Ukraine to withstand Russia’s invasion and manage long-term recovery.
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