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Science

  • A woman's mouth talking

    Language
    People around world associate rolled R with a jagged line, study finds

    Speakers of 28 languages linked sound and shape at least 88% of the time, in ‘strongest case of sound symbolism to date’
  • John B Calhoun in 1971 with his Utopia 25 mouse experiment.

    The long read
    The ‘mad egghead’ who built a mouse utopia

  • Movie still from Mary Poppins musical

    Accents
    Southerners among worst at spotting fake English accents, study finds

  • Icebergs in the Arctic Ocean

    Plantwatch
    Arctic microalgae perform photosynthesis in near darkness

  • People exercising on a beach

    Obesity
    Fat ‘remembering’ past obesity drives yo-yo diet effect, say experts

  • The wetlands and peat bogs of the Flow Country of Caithness and Sutherland, in Scotland.

    Environment
    Countries could use nature to ‘cheat’ on net zero targets, scientists warn

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  • A humpback whale

    Reduce whale-ship strikes by making 2.6% of ocean surface safer, study says

  • AI Jesus

    Deus in machina: Swiss church installs AI-powered Jesus

  • An artist's impression of the yellow star surrounded by a red oval

    First close-up image of a star outside Milky Way shows supergiant in ‘cocoon’

  • Older couple jogging together outdoor

    Physical fitness can lower risk of dementia, research finds

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  • man wearing grey suit and blue tie behind microphone

    Hear me out: RFK Jr could be a transformational health secretary

    Neil Barsky
  • Patrick Ruane

    Covid denier who posted violent threats against Chris Whitty jailed for five years

  • Devi Sridhar

    Britain has closed its eyes to long Covid – which means it will ravage even more lives and livelihoods

    Devi Sridhar
  • In an episode in April 2022, Mark Steyn gave a monologue on the rollout of Covid vaccine.

    Former GB News presenter ordered to pay £50,000 in legal costs

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  • Mona Nemer

    The world has responded too slowly to the new mpox outbreak – here’s what it needs to do now

    Mona Nemer
  • Melissa Davey

    There’s a buzz online about local honey being the ‘ultimate hay fever hack’ – but does it actually help?

    Melissa Davey
  • Emma Beddington

    Tom Hanks reckons 35 is the worst age. This is why he’s wrong

    Emma Beddington
  • Melissa Davey

    The sunscreen myth: could it really be causing skin cancer?

    Melissa Davey
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  • Calorie counting and yo-yo dieting

    The science behind yo-yo diets, bird flu news and which Brits can spot a fake accent – podcast

  • Rosemary Coogan.

    What does it take to become an astronaut? – podcast

    It’s a dream for many children, but what does it actually take to become an astronaut? Science correspondent Hannah Devlin tells Ian Sample about her trip on a zero gravity flight with the European Space Agency (Esa). Back on solid ground she also got to speak to Rosemary Coogan, one of Esa’s newest recruits, about the rigorous process that led to her being chosen from more than 20,000 applicants, to become an astronaut, and what she hopes to achieve in her role
  • Three coloured speech bubbles, each with an emoji face – one smiling, one blank, one sad.

    Secrets of happiness: the happiness hacks backed up by science – podcast

    In episode two, Ian Sample asks which happiness strategies are backed up by science. He hears from Elizabeth Dunn, a professor of psychology at the University of British Columbia, who recently scrutinised a whole lot of happiness research to work out which recommendations are most reliable
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Key issues

  • Marie Curie In Her Laboratory<br>Marie Sklodowka Curie (1867 - 1934) in her laboratory. She shared a Nobel Prize in Physics in 1903 with her husband Pierre for their work in radioactivity. In 1911 she became one of the few people to be awarded a second Nobel Prize, this time in chemisty for her discovery of poloium and radium. Her daugther and son-in-law also shared a Nobel Prize for Chemistry in 1935 for work in radioactive materials. He went on to become the first chairman of the French atomic energy commission. France. (Photo by © Hulton-Deutsch Collection/CORBIS/Corbis via Getty Images)

    Physics
    The Elements of Marie Curie by Dava Sobel review – the great scientist who created her own school

  • Aerial photo of green vegetation being eaten into as gullies form a serrated edge at the coastline

    Biology
    ‘The land is tearing itself apart’: life on a collapsing Arctic isle

    • Space
      First close-up image of a star outside Milky Way shows supergiant in ‘cocoon’

    • Genetics
      The Genetic Book of the Dead by Richard Dawkins review – the great biologist’s swansong

    • Medical research
      The world has responded too slowly to the new mpox outbreak – here’s what it needs to do now

      Mona Nemer
    • Psychology
      Does this banana scare you? The harsh reality of life with an unusual phobia

  • Undated film still from Paddington In Peru. Pictured: Paddington (voiced by Ben Whishaw). See PA Feature SHOWBIZ Film Reviews. WARNING: This picture must only be used to accompany PA Feature SHOWBIZ Film Reviews. PA Photo. Picture credit should read: StudioCanal. All Rights Reserved. NOTE TO EDITORS: This picture must only be used to accompany PA Feature SHOWBIZ Film Reviews.

    Alex Bellos's Monday puzzle
    Did you solve it? The knotty problem of Paddington in Peru

  • Film still: Paddington In Peru (2024). Directed by Dougal Wilson.

    Alex Bellos's Monday puzzle
    Can you solve it? The knotty problem of Paddington in Peru

  • Early voting begins in Florida ahead of 2024 US presidential eection<br>epa11673313 A sign points to a secure ballot intake station on Florida's first early voting day for the 2024 US presidential election at the Coral Gables regional library in Miami, Florida, USA, 21 October 2024. Voters in Florida can cast their ballots in person for the presidential election, starting on 21 October, avoiding long lines on Election Day on 05 November 2024. EPA/CRISTOBAL HERRERA-ULASHKEVICH

    Alex Bellos's Monday puzzle
    Did you solve it? How to outsmart a shy voter

  • North Carolina early voting in Black Mountain, North Carolina<br>epa11673900 Voters wait to cast their ballots during early voting for the US presidential election and other races at Buncombe County's Black Mountain Library in Black Mountain, North Carolina, USA, 21 October 2024. Former US President and Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump is running against US Vice President and Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris. EPA/ERIK S. LESSER

    Alex Bellos's Monday puzzle
    Can you solve it? How to outsmart a shy voter

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Multimedia

  • SpaceX Starship: sixth test successful but booster not caught by robot arms – video

  • Glastonbury, Somerset, UK, supermoon.

    Beaver supermoon around the world – in pictures

    The beaver moon, the final supermoon of the year, has appeared in skies across much of the globe
  • SpaceX capsule touches down carrying three Americans and a Russian who were scheduled to return in August

    0:58

    Astronauts return from nearly eight months on ISS after Starliner problems – video

    SpaceX capsule touches down carrying three Americans and a Russian who were scheduled to return in August
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