Biologist Rosemary Grant: ‘Evolution happens much quicker than Darwin thought’
The evolutionary expert discusses the triumphs and challenges of the groundbreaking research on Galápagos Islands finches she undertook with her husband, Peter
Academic journals are a lucrative scam – and we’re determined to change that
Giant publishers are bleeding universities dry, with profit margins that rival Google’s. So we decided to start our own, says academic Arash Abizadeh
Sir John Boardman obituary
Archaeologist who became a leading authority on the history of Greek art, with a particular interest in gems and finger rings
The big idea: can you inherit memories from your ancestors?
The science of epigenetics suggests we can pass on trauma – but trust and compassion too
Freud’s Last Session review – what-if meeting of minds with Anthony Hopkins as the master analyst
Hopkins’ Sigmund Freud locks horns with Matthew Goode’s CS Lewis in an imaginary encounter that is watchable but not terribly profound
Climate scientist Susan Solomon: ‘Let’s not give up now – we’re right on the cusp of success’
The US atmospheric chemist on why she doesn’t share the pessimism of most climate scientists, fixing the ozone layer, and why Jacques Cousteau is her hero
‘We need other logics for our approach to nature’: the woman uprooting colonialism in botany
From plant names to notions of native species, many aspects of the natural world are shaped by empire. We need to decolonise, says the author of a new book – but not all experts agree
Wuhan: How the Covid-19 Outbreak in China Spiraled Out of Control; Wuhan: A Documentary Novel – reviews
Dali L Yang’s critique of China’s response in the early days of the Covid pandemic is thoroughgoing if academic, while poet Liao Yiwu’s account mixes fact and fiction to extraordinary effect
‘Money pervades everything’: the psychotherapist delving into our deep anxiety about finances
Do you find it hard to budget or, conversely, difficult to spend? Vicky Reynal reveals what our financial choices reveal about our psyches – and what can be done to ease our money worries
Storms, frogs and a kiss: how a group of scientists designed a message from humanity to aliens
When researching space objects and a far-flung message made for aliens, I was drawn to the question: what do we choose to memorialise – or forget?
Read me a story: why reading out loud is a joy for adults as well as kids
Sarah Manavis and her partner have a guilty secret. What they love to do most of all in private is… read out loud to each other. And, as she’s discovered, it has many surprising benefits
Chicken or egg? One zoologist’s attempt to solve the conundrum of which came first
The writer of a new book about life on Earth seen through the prism of the egg says the age-old paradox actually leads us back a billion years – to the bottom of the ocean
‘Eugenics on steroids’: the toxic and contested legacy of Oxford’s Future of Humanity Institute
Founded in 2005 and lauded by Silicon Valley, Nick Bostrom’s centre for studying existential risk warned about AI but also gave rise to cultish ideas such as effective altruism
Adventures in Volcanoland by Tamsin Mather review – fire and brimstone
A magical scientific exploration of volcanoes, and how they’ve shaped both nature and human destiny
The big idea: are we about to discover a new force of nature?
The wealth of emerging evidence suggest that physics may be on the brink of something big