Angela Merkel to run again: why she’s the antithesis of Donald Trump in a post-truth world
The past few years have been tough for the German chancellor, but she has confirmed that she will be standing in the next election.
Academic rigour, journalistic flair
Politics + Society
Shock loss for Sarkozy puts outsider François Fillon ahead of the pack for 2017
The former president has lost out to his own prime minister in the first round of the Republican primary.
India’s crackdown on cash corruption is really all about politics
The Indian government recently demonetised 86% of its country’s cash – and kicked off a logistical nightmare.
Analysis and Comment
Questions you should ask yourself before getting cryogenically frozen
It's uncertain whether we'll ever be able to bring cryogenically frozen people back to life. Should we even try?
A ‘sapphire rush’ has sent at least 45,000 miners into Madagascar’s protected rainforests
The island's latest mining boom threatens a critically endangered lemur – and puts human lives at risk.
The Singing Detective at 30: never mind the modern box sets, here’s a true TV masterpiece
Dennis Potter's 1986 story of a writer in need of psychological renewal rewrote the TV drama rulebook.
Five extraordinary poems that inspired Bob Dylan
He was criticised for leaning on the crutch of his guitar, but if Dylan leaned on anything, it was his love of poetry.
How to climb the social ladder in ancient Rome
One swashbuckling charioteer earned the equivalent of US$15 billion.
Assisted Suicide: a musical that asks us to think critically about the portrayal of euthanasia
There's a problematic bias in the way that assisted suicide is portrayed in the media.
How lab-made diamonds are stealing market share from natural ones
More than 95% of industrial diamonds are synthetic so why aren't more people using them in engagement rings?
New device to help police catch cocaine-using drivers
Researchers have created a new kind of 'drugalyser' that's less likely to give false positive readings.
A circular fashion economy is about more than clothes
How we can change the business model of a £50 billion industry to make clothing work better for everyone.
How artificial intelligence can help journalists tell the truth
Technology can help identify and weed out fake news.
Free speech is at grave risk on university campuses
Highly restrictive speech codes are now the norm in some of the world's universities.
The ongoing effect of empire – in Britain
The disdain for human life that underpinned the British Empire has been brought home.
Why it is useful to understand the role of genetics in behaviour
Understanding how genes influence people's behaviour doesn't lead to fatalism.
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.
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.
New study: Salmonella thrives in salad bags
Don't panic: just follow these basic rules.
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
Medieval women can teach us how to smash gender rules and the glass ceiling
The uncomfortable truth about social mobility
The real future of supersonic flight doesn’t depend on Richard Branson – but it might depend on Trump
Prison violence is not about staffing: they’ve always been dangerous for prisoners
Why Pluto may have a large ocean beneath its icy surface
Is Italy about to feel the Trump effect? Matteo Renzi’s referendum and the populist threat
President Trump signals a return to the Wild West days of finance
Podcasts
The Anthill
We unearth some of the best and brightest research from the world of academia.
Listen to the podcast
Discover
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.
Jungle boogie: five dancing animals who know how to strut their stuff
Planet Earth's bears have nothing on these critters.
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.
Brexit
Britain is becoming more diverse, not more segregated
And it's largely to do with sex, death and moving house.
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.
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?
Why Indians aren’t impressed with Theresa May’s business offer
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
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?
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
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