Jeremy Corbyn’s route to Number 10: a few hurdles that need clearing
The Labour leader has hit his stride during 2017, but Brexit remains a strategic challenge.
Academic rigour, journalistic flair
Labour conference
Why Labour’s future depends on cities
Winning over urban areas is the surest route to success for Jeremy Corbyn.
Analysis and Comment
How did dinosaurs evolve beaks and become birds? Scientists think they have the answer
New research shows how dinosaurs suppressed their teeth and grew beaks, and then back-shifted this process from adult to embryo stage.
Why Amazonian forest peoples are ‘counter-mapping’ their ancestral lands
They are contesting the maps that deny them territorial rights.
There is a serious staff crisis in nursing – and men are the solution
Men represent a virtually untapped resource that could help relieve the NHS nursing crisis
Most milk substitutes are low in iodine – here’s why it matters
The low iodine concentration in milk substitutes may mean consumers are at risk of iodine deficiency.
At last, young people’s voices are being heard about the future of the NHS
Youth forums are valuable in giving young people a say about health provision in their communities.
The world needs a new generation of citizen lobbyists
At a time when our political future is uncertain, the only way to guarantee change is to do it yourself.
North Korea and Iran aren’t comparable – but Trump can’t tell the difference
Trump seems to think all potential nuclear agitators are alike. He's wrong, and perhaps disastrously so.
Why US sports stars are taking a knee against Trump
Donald Trump’s ill-timed comments on protests by America's elite athletes have given legitimacy to claims of his racial animus.
It’s important to keep tourism afloat in areas that experience natural disasters
The interests of future holiday-makers are far from important in times of crisis, but tourism is economically key to these countries.
Berliners vote to keep Tegel airport open but its days are numbered
Berliner's may have won the latest battle to keep Tegel airport open, but they are unlikely to win the war.
London Uber ban: regulators are finally catching up with technology
A rebellion against the technology which triggered the industrial revolution changed the way we understand technology.
Uber in London: firm must value its drivers as well as its customers
Why Uber needs to address the values that are embedded in its technological success.
How Uber can save its place in London’s taxi market
How the ride-sharing company responds to a licence refusal in the UK capital will show if its culture has genuinely changed.
From the classroom to the frontline – schools must be careful what they teach kids about the army
What are the ethics of teaching children about the army as part of the national curriculum?
Happy faces really are healthy faces
Is a smile really the best accessory? Science says yes.
What it means to raise the Palestinian flag in today’s America
In a poisonous atmosphere of Islamophobia and xenophobia, Palestinian-Americans are finding ways to belong.
We’re building a 1,300km-long underground science experiment to study the world’s most elusive particles
The Deep Underground Neutrino Experiment (DUNE) could help unravel the mysteries of antimatter and complete scientists' next model of the universe.
BCAA supplements are just hype – here’s a better way to build muscles
Gym-goers are going crazy for these products. It's time for a reality check.
Does colour really affect our mind and body? A professor of colour science explains
The brain processes colour in more ways that just creating visual images – here's how.
‘Wear red, get noticed’ – and other subtle psychological ways colour affects us
Colour can have surprising effects on us, which we are only now beginning to understand.
Citizen aid – and why ordinary people are founding their own development projects
We can all play a direct role.
‘Sound of a dog barking’: history reveals the significance of this North Korean insult to Trump
The Korean peninsula has a lengthy history of exchanging insults.
Angela Merkel wins a fourth term in office – but it won’t be an easy one
The chancellor wins again, but the rise of the populists will probably force the next administration to the right.
What happens when a bird strikes a plane?
It's not as dangerous as you might think.
Germany’s AfD: how to understand the rise of the right-wing populists
After taking more than 13% of the vote, this young party is entering parliament for the first time. And a lot of people are upset about it.
Britain’s National Health Service: one model, four systems
The UK has a gold-plated health service, but for how much longer?
How hurricanes such as Irma and Maria can devastate the Caribbean marine environment
It's not just the land and people that have been badly affected by hurricanes.
Theresa May in Florence: little room and no view
The British PM finally acknowledged the need for a transition deal, which will play well in Brussels. But her vision for the future continues to amount to vague platitudes.
New Zealand votes for conservatism and the status quo
New Zealanders have given the centre-right National Party a fourth consecutive term in office, despite a strong showing from Labour's Jacinda Ardern.
Theresa May in Florence: what advice would Machiavelli have for Brexit?
Pearls of wisdom for a prince will serve a prime minister, too.
Europe is training military forces in weak states – and that’s seriously risky
A well-trained military is crucial to a functioning civil democracy, but it can be a liability too.
In defence of great crested newts: why these elusive amphibians are worth the worry
Building work on brownfield sites is often delayed while newts are moved to ponds elsewhere.
This is not a drill: how 1985 disaster taught Mexico to prepare for earthquakes
Earthquake drills, advance warning systems and higher building standards all help to save lives.
Podcasts
The Anthill
We unearth some of the best and brightest research from the world of academia.
Listen to the podcast
Long reads
A visit to Pyongyang: the Kim dynasty’s homage to Stalinism
As despotic personality cults go, Stalin's example still leads the pack. But North Korea's ruling family have taken it to a new extreme.
Why people believe in conspiracy theories – and how to change their minds
Rational arguments and myth busting often won't help you change the mind of a conspiracy theorist. But there are other ways.
Brexit
What new barriers can EU citizens expect in their daily lives after Brexit?
Britain is likely to become an increasingly hostile environment for European newcomers.
How the UK can benefit from a free trade future after Brexit – even outside the single market
Too many economists have refused to take seriously the idea that Brexit could economically benefit the UK.
Yanis Varoufakis: a progressive Brexit transition can be built – on both sides of the Channel
A clueless Tory government and a degenerate EU bureaucracy are locked in a pointless conflict. There must be something more than this.
Donald Trump
Does poor spelling really mean Donald Trump isn’t fit to be president?
In a language as idiosyncratic as English, linguistic pedantry is futile and misguided.
The anthropology of Trump: what to do when the court jester takes charge
His particular brand of foolery is proving highly effective – and destructive.
Trumpslation: why Donald Trump’s words give translators so much trouble
Donald Trump has put translators and interpreters the world over in an ethical quandary. Sad!
Charlottesville, Donald Trump, and the dark side of American populism
Having stoked white resentment for his own benefit throughout his campaign, Trump is still emboldening it.
Discover
What if Antarctica’s dormant, ice-covered volcanoes wake up?
More than 100 volcanoes lie beneath the continent's ice sheet.
How a baby’s brain prepares for the outside world
Baby's brains have special activity to help them develop – now researchers have found where some of this happens.
A game of drones: why some bees kill their queens
New research shows stingless bees will assassinate their queen if she makes the wrong royal match.
How to build the perfect sandcastle – according to science
There is a direct correlation between the age of the builder, spade size and the speed at which boredom sets in.
Podcast
Research and Expert Database
Editors’ Picks
To me, golliwogs are racist – but a tearoom tangle and a new poll shows Britain disagrees
Some 53% of British people think it's acceptable to display these dolls – and the difference between remainers and leavers is particularly surprising.
Margarine vs butter: how what we spread on our toast became a weapon of class war
Margarine has long been mocked as a symbol of poor taste.
Five ways ancient India changed the world – with maths
High school students can blame ancient India for quadratic equations and calculus.
How Taylor Swift became a femme fatale … with a little help from Sylvia Plath
If Swift's new single is anything to go by, the poet and the former 'pop princess' have an awful lot in common.
Why Rod Stewart’s gay ballad ‘Georgie’ was ahead of its time
Rod Stewart, one of the greatest rock 'n' roll singers, is still current with his new DNCE co-release. What many don't know is 40 years ago he wrote the first pop song to address gay rights.
Our controversial footprint discovery suggests human-like creatures may have roamed Crete nearly 6m years ago
A new study can't rule out the possibility that human ancestors lived on Crete at the same time as they evolved in Africa.
The KLF are back – but are they any closer to answering that burning million pound question?
Was setting fire to all that money immoral waste, ritual sacrifice or artistic statement?
Introducing ‘dark DNA’ – the phenomenon that could change how we think about evolution
Some animals seem to have missing genes – but the reality is a lot more intriguing.
Driverless cars could see humankind sprawl ever further into the countryside
Autonomous vehicles have many benefits, but they may be bad news for nature conservation.
Is Spain really facing a new migration crisis?
The number of people arriving has risen, but is not the highest on record.
Events
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How to Deploy Psychometrics Successfully in an Organisation — Cambridge Judge Business School
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Connecting the dots: who pays the cost of networks? — University of East Anglia
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'Arguing around Toussaint': The Black Jacobin in an Age of Revolutions — UCL
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Launch of the Lancet Commission: Stem cells and regenerative medicine — UCL
How we are different
10 reasons
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- Five ways ancient India changed the world – with maths
- A visit to Pyongyang: the Kim dynasty’s homage to Stalinism
- How Uber can save its place in London’s taxi market
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