Science
Standing The Test Of Spacetime
The greatest scientists, such as Einstein, often made their greatest discoveries by thought experiments
The Ultimate Space Explorer
Alexander Grothendieck was a genius who reshaped mathematics but then withdrew from society
The Prime Numbers Have It
New mathematics prizes show the public that the subject is constantly renewing itself with new ideas
High pressure
A new play shows how weather forecasting affected the Normandy landings
The Scientific State
The state is crowding out private funding of scientific research
Antediluvian Ark
An extraordinary cuneiform tablet has provided a mine of information about pre-biblical flood legends
Overrated: Ptolemy
The Egyptian astronomer’s dubious methods dominated the science for over a millennium
Underrated: Tycho Brahe
This great Danish astronomer made a heliocentric theory credible
Three-Parent Babies — Miracle Cure or Eugenics?
The HFEA’s proposal to permit mitochondria replacement would alter our genetic constitution—a risky and unethical step too far
Is the Brain the Key to Understanding Religion?
The neuroscience of human nature now treats mind and body as a single integrated entity
Will the green agenda be killed off by the pandemic?
‘Will the green agenda be killed off by the longer-term coronavirus recovery? Or might the closure of so much business, and the cleaner air that results from planes not flying and factories not working, give us extra years to gain control of our environment?’
Why T.S. Eliot still matters
His contemporaries’ reputations have diminished. But Eliot’s has grown: he is the poet who shows us what can be saved from the ruins
Music’s in the house
Rappers have found a role in lockdown: chronicling coronavirus with topical tunes. Most people, though, are rushing to the safety of the past