18 October 2022
Ecologists have started to recognise the competition between younger and older generations within the same species, with some startling conclusions about nature’s requirement for mortality
18 July 2022
From an Ancient Egyptian plague to the Black Death and Spanish flu, epidemics have often spurred societal transformations. Understanding why can help us create a better world after covid-19
9 February 2022
From Amazon warriors to pugilistic matriarchs, stories of female fighters abound. Where do they come from and what can they tell us about gender equality, past, present and future, asks Laura Spinney
3 November 2021
An ambitious directory of elephant behaviours and vocalisations offers amazing insights into their minds and culture – and could help save these magnificent beasts from extinction
9 June 2021
Urban populations are exploding. If we want future cities to be more sustainable, we need to think of them as complex, dynamic systems with their own metabolism, says Anu Ramaswami
24 February 2021
Proto-cities built from 6200 years ago in eastern Europe upend our ideas about when civilisation began and why people made the move from rural to urban living
24 June 2020
Electrical signals coming from your heart and other organs influence how you perceive the world, the decisions you take, your sense of who you are and consciousness itself.
6 November 2019
A debate between countries over who can access and exploit the planet’s genetic resources will have ramifications for all of us, says Laura Spinney
25 September 2019
A US trial is bringing the questionable practice of forced medication into the spotlight – but in the UK and elsewhere voices are growing for its use, says Laura Spinney
28 August 2019
Genetic testing is undermining medical norms as people sue their doctors for either telling them or not telling them a relative’s diagnosis, says Laura Spinney
