CATEGORIES

“[THE RESEARCH IS] AKIN TO FINDING A WAY TO TALK WITH AN ASTRONAUT WHO IS ON ANOTHER WORLD”

By now the researchers had broken exciting new ground, successfully achieving two-way communication with participants while they were dreaming.

A NICE CUP OF TEA

Worker shortages and the pandemic have left our supermarket shelves emptier than usual. What will it mean if supplies of our favourite drink start to dwindle?

Mysteries Of The Abyss

The deep sea is Earth’s last unexplored domain. For the longest time, this enigmatic ecosystem has held within it answers to some of the most important questions in science. Now, a new wave of technologies are powering discoveries that will help us put together the story of Earth’s final frontier

Can A Corpse Filled With Trapped Gas Explode When Cremated?

Duru Günel and Kerem Günel, Turkey

So You Want To Be A Scientist?

Millions of people now use virtual courses to get a taster of what it’s like to learn from experts. Here’s our pick of some of the best STEM offerings out there

Unlocking The Secrets Of Lucid Dreamer's Minds

Even today, scientists don’t know why we dream. But now psychologists have found a way to communicate with lucid dreamers – people who can take control of their dreams – in the hope that they might help us explore what goes on with our brains at night

Star Profile Polaris

The more we find out about our guiding star, the more it fascinates us

Dogs won't give you food, even if you gave them some first

They may be your best buddy, but they won’t go out of their way to do you a favour

Astronomers spot moon-forming rings around a baby exoplanet

For the first time, astronomers have detected a dusty ring around an exoplanet where moons could be born. They hope the discovery will teach us more about how both planets and moons are formed.

The Amazon Now Emits More Carbon Than It Absorbs

Fires burned in the forest tipped the balance this year

A Revolution In The Making

Scientists will soon have the tools to rewrite the book of life, and in doing so, edit out sections that cause disease, piece by piece. But is the technology safe and will all of us get the benefits, or will it be the preserve of those who can afford it?

WILL WE WORK IN THE FUTURE?

A job is an important part of how we find happiness in our lives (even if we don’t always enjoy the work). But what if the machines start doing everything for us? HELEN RUSSELL finds out if our working days are numbered

HOW DO HORSES GET TO THE OLYMPICS?

While the coronavirus pandemic has made things increasingly difficult for world-class athletes to travel, spare a thought for all the horses that cross continents for the Olympic and Paralympic equestrian events.

SHOULD WE EDIT THE NATURAL WORLD?

A process that began centuries ago with selective breeding has developed into genetic modification. HAYLEY BENNETT explores the consequences of using these controversial tools

ARE WE THINKING ABOUT DEATH WRONG IN THE WEST?

Everyone who’s alive now – you, your friends, your family – one day won’t be. It’s an unavoidable fact and yet we often go to great lengths to avoid acknowledging it. JULES HOWARD explains why that might be a mistake

ARE WE GETTING HAPPIER?

Enjoying more good days than bad? Feel like that bounce in your step’s getting bigger? HELEN RUSSELL looks into whether we’re all feeling more cheery…

How Many Senses Do We Have?

Is there such as thing as a sense of timing? What about a sense of direction? Dr Lisa Feldman Barrett delves into the different ways we’re able to perceive the world that go beyond sight, sound, touch, taste and smell…

How Much Of Psychology Can We Trust?

Can we still have faith in psychology in the face of the ‘replication crisis’? DR LISA FELDMAN BARRETT believes so

How Can We Deal With All The Dead?

More people die every day, but our graveyards aren’t getting any bigger. So what happens when we inevitably start running out of places to put the bodies? Jules Howard takes you through the options

Are We Living In A Simulation?

Could computers ever become sophisticated enough to build a convincing facsimile of the real world? What if they already have and we’re living in that facsimile? Dr Peter Bentley looks into the likelihood of us being trapped in the Matrix

Should We Look For Aliens?

Even if all we learn is that we’re alone, the search is worth the risk, argues LORD MARTIN REES. Besides which, anyone we do end up finding probably knows about us already

Have Scientists Discovered A Fifth Force Of Nature?

Revolutionary experiments may point to a new force, or an undiscovered subatomic particle

MASKING THE ISSUE

Even when the pandemic is over, you shouldn’t shove your face coverings to the back of the drawer

SPIDERS: SHOULD I BE WORRIED ABOUT BEING BITTEN BY A FALSE WIDOW?

A study has found that numbers of the spiders are increasing, along with the number of people being bitten. But what risk do they really pose?

BEYOND THE MEDAL

A Paralympian and their guide form a partnership based on more than winning

WHY DO I ALWAYS WALK INTO A ROOM AND FORGET WHAT I'M DOING?

Fear not, you’re far from the only one to have had this rather unsettling experience.

ALEXA, WHERE' S MY ROBOT BUTLER?

A machine that does the jobs we don’t want – that’s what was promised to us by the science fiction of the last century. Unfortunately, goof high-tech helps in hard to find - but that's about to change. Jennifer Pettison Touhy reveals how ho our homes are about to start looking after us, and not the other way around

Why Does The Universe Exist?

Stephen Wolfram is trying to find a rule that dictates the Universe. And in doing so, he might even become the first person to finally devise a complete, fundamental theory of physics. Elegant, or what?

The Explainer: Why Are Mountains So Formidable?

The explainer

A Scientist's Guide To Life - Indoor Air Pollution

Cleaning products… candles… cookers… how much does indoor air pollution really affect us, and what can we do about it? Respiratory specialist Dr Jonathan Grigg explains all -