The enchanted car park

Jul 2, 2025 | Articles

Once a hangout for sex workers and drug addicts, a parking lot in Medellín, Colombia, has been reborn as a green haven for all. We meet the ‘social urbanists’ credited with reducing crime – and even temperatures.

How humanity is losing the night sky

Jun 21, 2025 | Science

Losing the dark isn’t just about the stars. It has dire consequence for human health as well as the natural world.

First view of the Sun’s south pole filmed by spacecraft

Jun 11, 2025 | News, Science

The first ever video and images of the Sun’s south pole have been taken by the European Space Agency’s Solar Orbiter spacecraft. The new images will enable scientists to learn how the Sun cycles between periods of raging storms and quiet times.

We’re close to translating animal languages – what then?

Jun 1, 2025 | Science

AI may soon be able decode whalespeak, among other forms of communication – but what nature has to say may not be a surprise.

The Omnivore’s Deception

May 22, 2025 | Books, Opinion

Interview with Jon Sanbonmatsu about the issues he addresses in his book The Omnivore’s Deception.

How the chestnut traced the rise and fall of the Roman Empire

May 17, 2025 | History

The chestnut trees of Europe tell a hidden story charting the fortunes of ancient Rome and the legacy it left in the continent’s forests.

My VE Day was nothing like our image of it today

May 3, 2025 | History

Our street party tea was a muted celebration, full of uncertainty. Then, as now, we faced a long struggle towards a better world.

The cat that wouldn’t die

Apr 28, 2025 | Science

The weird paradox of Schrödinger’s cat has found a lasting popularity. What does it mean for the future of quantum physics?

Why scientists are worried about de-extinction of species

Apr 25, 2025 | Science

The creation of three “dire wolf” pups has raised hopes that it may be possible to resurrect extinct animals. But some scientists have grave concerns.

Telescope finds promising hints of life on distant planet

Apr 17, 2025 | Science

Scientists have found new but tentative evidence that a world orbiting another star may be home to life. A Cambridge team studying the atmosphere of a planet called K2-18b has detected signs of molecules that on Earth are only produced by simple organisms.

The rise of end times fascism

Apr 13, 2025 | Opinion, Politics & Human Rights

The governing ideology of the far right has become a monstrous, supremacist survivalism, say Naomi Klein and Astra Taylor. Our task is to build a movement strong enough to stop them.

Hawaiian island’s ‘freakosystems’ are a warning from the future

Apr 4, 2025 | Science

Ecosystems that have never been seen before are being accidentally created by humans. They offer a stark look into the nature of tomorrow.

‘Bonobo genius’ Kanzi dies at 44

Mar 20, 2025 | News, Science

The bonobo Kanzi, who learned to make stone tools, play Minecraft, and communicate using lexigrams, has died.

‘Spreadsheets of empire’: red tape goes back 4,000 years

Mar 15, 2025 | History

Ancient Mesopotamian stone tablets show extraordinary detail and reach of government in cradle of world civilizations.

Mine copper without destroying the planet?

Mar 2, 2025 | Science

Experts hope research can create greener methods of extracting the metal vital for the renewable energy revolution and the boom in electrical devices.

What to do in the face of global collapse

Feb 18, 2025 | Opinion, Politics & Human Rights

There are many ways Trump could trigger a global collapse. The super-rich will flee to their bunkers – the rest of us will have to fend for ourselves.