The autonomy paradox: how more freedom at work can leave you feeling powerless
VH-studio/Shutterstock You may know the feeling. You’re supposed to have finished work for the day, but later, during your evening meal, you start mentally preparing for tomorrow’s meeting. Or just having a quick check of your emails while you half watch TV. You might not mean to, or even want to. It’s just something that […]
Why the government’s debt is growing – current public spending pressures explained
The UK has seen the cost of its bonds rise more quickly than other major economies. Westlight / Shutterstock Pressure to make cuts in public spending has intensified in recent weeks, with increased calls on Prime Minister Andy Burnham to find savings urgently. The need to reduce expenditure has become more pressing as the cost […]
Too hot to learn: how climate change hurts children’s chances from birth
Costea Andrea M/Shutterstock Children across Europe have returned to school after a summer of extreme heat. As the climate warms, one question is becoming harder to ignore: how can students learn when classrooms become dangerously hot? Extreme weather is likely to disrupt schooling more often in the years ahead. But climate change can influence a […]
The Bayeux tapestry is really an embroidered comic strip
The Bayeux tapestry is many things: a public statement, a massive work of collaborative art, a staple of the teaching of British history. The 70-metre-embroidered cloth depicts the events of the Norman conquest, culminating in the 1066 Battle of Hastings and the death of Harold II. Since its creation in the 11th century, the Bayeux […]
Iran war: Tehran’s assertive rhetoric signals a new and dangerous phase in conflict
Iran’s threat to target American warships with an enhanced ballistic missile appears to mark a new and potentially more dangerous phase of the Middle East conflict, six months in. Tehran says its solid-fuel Qassem Basir missile enables it to “take action against any threat, even before it is carried out”. Reports have suggested that the […]
Humanoid robots can sprint and box – but the real test is doing the laundry
At the recent World Humanoid Robot Games 2026 in Beijing, robots sprinted, boxed, played football and tackled tasks inspired by factories, restaurants and emergency situations. The robot Tiangong Ultra even completed the 100 metres in 8.64 seconds, quicker than Usain Bolt’s 9.58-second world record. But if we really want to know whether humanoid robots are […]
Compulsory grammar tests in England’s schools aren’t improving children’s writing
Rawpixel.com/Shutterstock For over a decade, children in year six – the final year of primary school in England – have taken the grammar, punctuation and spelling test as part of their Key Stage 2 Standard Assessment Tests (Sats). This GPS test has shaped how grammar is taught in primary schools. It is mostly a multiple-choice […]
How ‘egalitarian’ Sweden became more comfortable with wealth
valkird/Shutterstock Sweden is imagined as the land of equality, modesty and Jantelagen – the unwritten rule that no one should think they are better than anyone else. But there has also been a fascination within Sweden with its billionaires, especially those who abide by these dominant cultural norms. In the case of Ingvar Kamprad, the […]
How the chemistry of Star Trek changed my life – from a gunpowder plot to ‘red hellfire’
I’ll admit it, I’m a Trekkie. I blame my mother. It was on her insistence that my brother and I watched endless re-runs of the original Star Trek series, which is now celebrating its 60th anniversary. She took us further into the unknown with The Next Generation – and I’ve stayed loyal to the franchise […]
Why should we care if there aren’t any squished insects on our windscreens?
CLP Media/Shutterstock This summer you may have wondered why you are seeing so few insects squished on your car’s windscreen, compared to a road trip several years ago. This is because insects are declining globally at an alarming rate. One extensive citizen science survey looked at insects numbers over several years by looking at insect […]