Humans Wise interventions – when your brain needs a stronger nudge You’ve probably heard of nudges. You’re probably been nudged. Now there’s a new way to make you a better person on the horizon Opinion
Technology Blockchain-based microgrid gives power to consumers in New York Solar power equals off grid electricity Something odd is happening on President Street in Brooklyn. While solar panels on the roofs of terraced houses soak up sun, a pair of computers connected to the panels quietly crunch numbers. First, they count how many electrons are being generated. Then, they write that number to a blockchain. … News
Earth Nature's fair share? Behind the call to hand back half of Earth Veteran ecologist E. O. Wilson is unleashing his big idea for staving off irreversible damage to the planet. Will conservationists embrace it, wonders Fred Pearce Opinion
Earth Will biggest danger from global warming be the change in diets? On the menu for now Global warming will make it harder for people to eat more fruit and vegetables, leading to 500,000 deaths in 2050 that would otherwise have been avoided, according to a modelling study. That means the biggest health impact of climate change in the short term could result from its effect on … News
Earth Little mountains of toothpaste highlight the plight of the Alps IF THE small mounds in the image above brings to mind the mountains below, that's deliberate. They have been arranged as a ghostly rebuke to their removal from the Apuan Alps in Tuscany, Italy. These mountains are the source of prized Carrara marble, the same pure white stone that was used to create Michelangelo's David … Regulars
Plastic fantastic: The quest to create the smartest materials Plastics transformed life in the 20th century, but we’re still amateurs at making them. Can we create another polymer revolution by mimicking nature? Features
Technology Art tries to pass the Turing test Manchester, the old hometown of artificial intelligence, hosts two exhibitions with very different takes on thinking machines and synthetic life CultureLab
Humans Feedback: most herbal remedies missing a key ingredient – herbs Feedback is our weekly column of bizarre stories, implausible advertising claims, confusing instructions and more Regulars