New study: Salmonella thrives in salad bags
Don't panic: just follow these basic rules.
Academic rigour, journalistic flair
Science + Nature
Do people lie about their music tastes on Desert Island Discs?
When researchers looked at how people's music choices and professions lined up, the results were intriguing.
What will the world actually look like at 1.5°C of warming?
By the time we hit that temperature, further climate changes will already be locked in and unavoidable.
Analysis and Comment
The surprising origins of ‘post-truth’ – and how it was spawned by the liberal left
Brexit and Trump aren't to blame. The rise of 'post-truth' is rooted in the middle-classes, not the masses.
How the International Criminal Court can survive Russian and African scorn
Rumours of the ICC's imminent demise have been greatly exaggerated.
How getting rid of ‘black money’ has driven a digital treasure hunt in India
The removal of 500 and 1,000 rupee notes is pushing India to look for new ways to spend its money.
What is a ‘blind trust’ and will it remove Donald Trump’s conflicts of interest?
Trump must demonstrate that his presidential decision making will not be influenced by his business interests across the US and the globe.
Are aliens trying to tell us something? Brightest burst of radio waves detected
New studies take us a whole lot closer to understanding what fast radio bursts are.
Health literacy can be a matter of life or death
Most healthcare information is written at a level more advanced than the reader's ability.
How the Israeli-Palestinian conflict resisted Obama’s efforts
A Middle East in meltdown forced the Obama administration to give up crucial leverage.
Biscuit for breakfast – trench warfare was hard on soldiers’ teeth
We know all about World War I's terrible conditions, tactics, tear gas. But what about the teeth?
Improving gender equality is the key to tackling Britain’s male teacher shortage
Like so many other countries, the UK is experiencing a shortage of primary school teachers - especially ones of the male variety.
How ‘right to be forgotten’ puts privacy and free speech on a collision course
EU law needs to recognise that privacy and free expression are matters of colliding rights which can’t be wished away.
Why nurses should undertake more research
Nursing is more than just a caring profession, it is also a science.
Expedition reveals how the dinosaur-killing asteroid shook and shaped the Earth
New research suggests how asteroids may have helped create conditions for life on Earth. But we shouldn't get too carried away with the idea – yet.
A second Brexit vote is a real possibility now – here’s why it should happen
Given that a hard Brexit currently looks to be the most likely outcome, the British people need to be given another say.
Snow leopard ‘rape’: what was really going on?
The most recent episode of the BBC's Planet Earth II has got people asking some hard questions about the world's most mysterious big cats.
How the world reached the brink of nuclear war not once but twice in 1983
New book describes how the American war game Able Archer 83 put Soviets on high alert at the height of the Cold War era.
How UK’s weather obsession obscures a proper understanding of key economic data
We have got stuck in a rut. Every month we explain away changes in retail spending with a lazy look to the skies.
Medieval women can teach us how to smash gender rules and the glass ceiling
Women have always had to fight gender rules in order to gain power.
The uncomfortable truth about social mobility
If we really want social mobility, we need to talk about family privilege.
The real future of supersonic flight doesn’t depend on Richard Branson – but it might depend on Trump
The president-elect's taste for private jets could be just what the aviation industry needs.
Prison violence is not about staffing: they’ve always been dangerous for prisoners
Problems in the UK prison system go back decades, if not centuries.
Why Pluto may have a large ocean beneath its icy surface
Astronomers are excited about sub-surface oceans in the solar system, as they may support life. Now Pluto joins the club.
Is Italy about to feel the Trump effect? Matteo Renzi’s referendum and the populist threat
The PM came to power as the anti-establishment candidate. Now he could be the next victim of populist ire.
President Trump signals a return to the Wild West days of finance
Donald Trump may be a populist, but his policies are set to be particularly popular with the banking industry.
Why it’s time for a rethink on flu vaccination
Universal flu vaccines have reached the stage where they are no longer just a 'hopeful hypothesis'.
Britain is becoming more diverse, not more segregated
And it's largely to do with sex, death and moving house.
Think the world’s in a mess? Here are four things you can do about it
You might feel small, but there are plenty of ways you can make a more positive contribution to the world.
Trump and why emotion triumphs over fact when everyone is the media
The US election has highlighted the waning influence of evidence-based journalism.
The things you remember best happened when you were between 15 and 25 – here’s why
Known as the reminiscence bump, memory scientists are hotly debating what causes it.
No, this isn’t the 1930s – but yes, this is fascism
Hateful movements were able to grow in the early 20th century because the centre right let it happen.
Trump’s US could give up the fight to stop nuclear arms spreading
The global nuclear non-proliferation regime depends on American leadership. What if Donald Trump loses interest?
How Swedish literature reflects the benefits of a shorter working day
Sweden's switch to a six-hour working day is doing it the world of good.
Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them: a history of monsters, from werewolves to hippogriffs
In the world of Harry Potter, beasts are to be protected, not feared. But this concern for monsters is hardly modern.
Climate change ‘hotspots’: why they matter and why we should invest in them
Some areas expecting big environmental changes already have large, vulnerable populations.
British prisons must now recognise gender fluid and non-binary inmates
A new policy announced by the Ministry of Justice will help transgender prisoners to be treated with respect.
The huge political cost of Blair’s decision to allow Eastern European migrants unfettered access to Britain
In 2004 the Labour government allowed citizens of the 10 new EU states labour market access. Why did Blair make this decision?
Jungle boogie: five dancing animals who know how to strut their stuff
Planet Earth's bears have nothing on these critters.
A common virus could help fight liver cancer and hepatitis C
How we solved the 1,000-year-old mystery of the Druze people’s origin – with a genetic sat nav
Big housebuilders won’t dig a way out of the housing crisis on their own
How Planet Earth’s ice-skating flamingos collectively get ‘in the mood’ for sex
A Brexit strategy that could unite UK’s parliaments – and keep Britain in the single market
Huddled mice could change the way we think about evolution
Podcasts
The Anthill
We unearth some of the best and brightest research from the world of academia.
Listen to the podcast
Discover
The Crown may be inaccurate but it’s a cracking period drama
Netflix’s most ambitious and expensive original drama is historical fiction at its most lavish.
How genetics could help future learners unlock hidden potential
Educational genomics could mean tailor-made curriculum programmes can be created based on a pupil’s DNA profile.
Biological vs chronological age: how old are you really?
Various tests claim to be able to tell your true age. Here's how they do it.
Why CSI: Space will be a far greater challenge than forensic science on Earth
Using terrestrial forensic science to point the finger of blame to criminals in space will be much harder than it looks.
Why the media got it so wrong on Trump and Brexit
If we're living in a 'post-truth' world, the press must take much of the blame.
British red squirrels are suffering from an outbreak of medieval leprosy
We’ve found a new family of stars in the Milky Way that could help us work out how galaxies formed
In defence of racer snakes – the demons of Planet Earth II (they’re only after a meal)
Why Airbnb is welcome in some cities and not in others
Brexit
A Brexit strategy that could unite UK’s parliaments – and keep Britain in the single market
Nearly six months on from the UK's shock vote, there looks very little room for manoeuvre in negotiations.
Why the media got it so wrong on Trump and Brexit
If we're living in a 'post-truth' world, the press must take much of the blame.
What happened to integrating immigrants in Britain?
Immigrants used to be told to make themselves at home. Not any more.
Why Indians aren’t impressed with Theresa May’s business offer
Theresa May is looking to India for trade and investment, but it's undermined by her anti-immigrant rhetoric.
Hard, soft, smooth, rough – we need better words if Brexit is going to work
Remain means remain: Nicola Sturgeon cannot be ignored on Brexit
Why British aid for trade deals after Brexit will not be so simple
Britain’s first post-Brexit by-election a triumph for Liberal Democrats
A hard Brexit and reduced migration won’t benefit UK workers
Why Britain cannot bank on India for post-Brexit business
Ireland: Brexit sparks diplomatic imagination over territorial borders
Shout loud, Remainers – democracy means giving the majority a hard time
Explainer: what’s the difference between ‘hard’ and ‘soft’ Brexit?
Hard Brexit, tough times – Theresa May’s Britain will be stretched at the seams
Fact Check: would Brexit help or hinder young people who want to buy a house?
Why London won’t lose its crown as Europe’s financial capital
How reliant is Britain on EU migrant workers?
Global development
Here’s what happened at Habitat III – the world’s biggest conference on cities
As many as 30,000 delegates gathered to decide the future of cities for the next 20 years – here's how it played out.
Brexit threatens Britain’s reputation as an agenda-setter for foreign aid
Britain uses its aid for soft power. How will that change after it leaves the EU?
When world leaders thought you shouldn’t need passports or visas
In the 20th century, governments considered the “total abolition” of passports as an important goal and discussed the issue in several international conferences.
President-elect Donald Trump
Research and Expert Database
Editors’ Picks
Elena Ferrante has her reasons for anonymity – we should respect them
The unmasking of the real author of the Neapolitan series was an act of vandalism.
Why Bruce Springsteen’s depression revelation matters
With stigma about mental illness still pervasive, The Boss' frank admission helps shatter some of the most common stereotypes about depression.
Tasmanian devils are evolving rapidly to fight their deadly cancer
New research suggests devils are evolving rapidly in response to their highly lethal transmissible cancer, and that the devils could save themselves.
Still standing: how an ancient clock tower survived Italy’s deadly earthquake
Amatrice's still-standing ancient clocktower has become an iconic image from last week's deadly earthquake. But it is not the only unusual survivor.
Incredible images from Rio 2016, as photographers rise to meet social media challenges
Photographers can't pay the bills with Instagram likes – but it's pushing them to capture more spectacular images than ever before.
Just how unpredictable is the Premier League? Scientists have done the maths
Turns out the English Premier League is a lot more unpredictable than Spain's La Liga, which could be why it attracts so much funding.
Memory and attention are affected by much lower levels of dehydration than previously thought
Feeling thirsty could be affecting your brain function more than you realise.
How to stop a zombie apocalypse – with science
What could we do if a real-life zombie disease started to spread?
Titter ye not – Swallows and Amazons goes all Victorian
The film's exchange of Titty for Tatty is very much in line with Victorian censorship of profanities for children.
Events
How we are different
10 reasons
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