Could humanoid robots replace soldiers on the battlefield?
Battlefield robots were once thought of as the stuff of science fiction. But the Ukraine war has put paid to that view, with uncrewed ground vehicles (UGVs) – or ground robots – taking on an increasingly visible role. In September 2026, Mykhailo Fedorov, the former defence minister of Ukraine – who is generally credited for […]
The greenest initiatives are often the most invisible – experts explain why that’s a problem
Katsiaryna Hurava/Shutterstock When a company wants to be more sustainable, adding an eco-friendly feature isn’t always better than taking something away. People often favour “more”. Studies suggest that statements framed around “more” are easier to process and remember than those framed around “less”. In experiments that involved modifying Lego structures, redesigning miniature golf courses and […]
Indonesia’s El Niño-driven peat fires are choking the region – and releasing centuries of stored carbon
Right now, people in parts of Indonesia are inhaling what may be the most polluted atmosphere on Earth. As the historically large 2026 El Niño intensifies, parts of south east Asia have been plunged into an air quality crisis of catastrophic proportions. Smoke from fires has driven concentrations of dangerous and tiny particulate matter, known […]
Three ways professional gaming is becoming geopolitical
Fans celebrate during a professional gaming competition in Moscow, Russia, in 2019. Roman Kosolapov / Shutterstock The competitive gaming industry has grown rapidly over the past two decades, transforming from a niche sub-culture into a global phenomenon watched by millions of spectators worldwide. More than 3 million fans attended the 2025 Esports World Cup in […]
Serbia’s leaderless student movement has won a historic election – but what happens next?
Serbia’s leaderless anti-corruption coalition, the Student List, defeated the group led by former president Aleksandar Vučić’s Serbian Progressive Party (SNS) by a comfortable margin in October 25 elections. Their 53.3% of the vote should get them 141 seats in parliament, well clear of the 125 seats needed to form a majority. The SNS can be […]
Migraine remedies are everywhere on social media, but the evidence needs a closer look
Migraine can disrupt everyday life, with symptoms extending beyond head pain. Roman Samborskyi/Shutterstock When you have a migraine, anything that might ease the pain can become very appealing. On social media, that might mean ordering chips and a Coke or pressing a cold spoon against your forehead. As someone who experiences migraine, I understand the […]
Gulliver’s Travels at 300: a satire of the Anglo-Irish and the folly of allegiance to empire
Gulliver Exhibited to the Brobdingnag Farmer (from Jonathan Swift’s Gulliver’s Travels) by Richard Redgrave (1836) V&A, CC BY-NC Gulliver’s Travels, first published on October 28 1726, is a masterpiece of satire that continues to have the power to provoke, to amuse, and to shock. Most readers familiar with it will know that its author, Jonathan […]
Harry Kane wins Ballon d’Or – a victory for sportsmanship over celebrity
First awarded by France Football magazine in 1956, the Ballon d’Or has grown from a relatively modest sporting honour into football’s most prestigious individual accolade. Its recent history has been dominated by the superstar rivalry between Argentina’s Lionel Messi and Portugal’s Cristiano Ronaldo, who combined have won 13 Ballon d’Or awards between 2008 and 2023. […]
Hailed as a 21st-century Greek masterpiece, Gjak retains its bloody power in English translation
Blood is the word. Blood in every sense. Gjak: Tales of Blood, written by Dimosthenis Papamarkos, was a massive success on publication in 2014. It won the prestigious Academy of Athens award and has become one of the most widely discussed works of 21st-century Greek literature. Now it has found its perfect voice in English […]
AI poses three big types of risk – here’s how worried we should be about them
The public is currently getting bombarded with warnings about AI, including about the possibility of machine intelligence causing human extinction. After nearly 40 years building AI systems, I find myself asking the same question: where is the evidence? That is not because I think there are no serious threats. There are, and we should address […]