Science
Science & technology
How the Gulf’s rulers want to harness the power of science
A stronger R&D base, they hope, will transform their countries’ economies. Will their plan work?
Science & technology
Cancer vaccines are showing promise at last
Trials are under way against skin, brain and lung tumours
Science & technology
New firefighting tech is being trialled in Sardinia’s ancient forests
It could sniff out blazes long before they spread out of control
Science & technology
Can Jeff Bezos match Elon Musk in space?
After 25 years, Blue Origin finally heads to orbit, and hopes to become a contender in the private space race
Science & technology
Why some doctors are reassessing hypnosis
There is growing evidence that it can help with pain, depression and more
Leaders
Global warming is speeding up. Another reason to think about geoengineering
Reducing sulphur emissions saves lives. But it could also be hastening planetary warming
Science & technology
Academic writing is getting harder to read—the humanities most of all
We analyse two centuries of scholarly work
Science & technology
Giving children the wrong (or not enough) toys may doom a society
Survival is a case of child’s play
Science & technology
Earth is warming faster. Scientists are closing in on why
Paradoxically, cleaner emissions from ships and power plants are playing a role
Science & technology
Humans and Neanderthals met often, but only one event matters
The mystery of exactly how people left Africa deepens
Science & technology
Machine translation is almost a solved problem
But interpreting meanings, rather than just words and sentences, will be a daunting task
Science & technology
AI can bring back a person’s own voice
And it can generate sentences trained on their own writing
Science & technology
Carbon emissions from tourism are rising disproportionately fast
The industry is failing to make itself greener
Science & technology
Why China is building a Starlink system of its own
When it is finished, Qianfan could number 14,000 satellites, rivalling Elon Musk’s system
Science & technology
Lots of hunting. Not much gathering. The diet of early Americans
What they ate is given away by the isotopes in their bodies
Science & technology
Stimulating parts of the brain can help the paralysed to walk again
Implanted electrodes allowed one man to climb stairs unaided