Why do we grieve? The surprising origin of the feeling of loss
17 November 2021
The debilitating pain we sometimes feel at the loss of those we love is an evolutionary mystery. It could all come down to what happens in our childhoods
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Premium
Why are we good and evil? A single quality may be at the root of it
17 November 2021
The human capacity for both good and evil has long mystified philosophers. Evolutionary biology suggests they are both offshoots of one of our oddest character traits
Why do we exist? The meaning of life isn’t to be found in the stars
17 November 2021
We are tiny specks of life in a vast, indifferent cosmos – but to say that decreases the value of our existence is to measure ourselves against the wrong thing
The hidden rules that determine which friendships matter to us
3 March 2021
Evolutionary psychologist Robin Dunbar has found that our friendships are governed by secret rules, based on everything from your sex to your sleep schedule. Our unique social fingerprints help determine who we are drawn to, which friendships last and...
The reason we love to gather around the TV lies in Stone Age embers
16 December 2020
Watching TV and staring at flickering flames produce similar physiological effects, offering intriguing clues to the enduring power of entertainment – and the origins of sociability
Physics might create a backdoor to an afterlife – but don't bank on it
9 December 2020
Quantum information can never be destroyed, so some of the essence of you could live on after death – but it’s not going to help the physical you
If the multiverse exists, are there infinite copies of me?
9 December 2020
According to the many-worlds interpretation of quantum mechanics, the universe is constantly dividing and taking you with it – so would you recognise your other selves if you met them?
Why we’re in tune with our emotions – but suck at judging our smarts
9 December 2020
“Know thyself” is a piece of wisdom handed down from the ancients – but a slew of delusions and biases means you might be better off asking someone else
If we can't change the world, does anything we do matter?
9 December 2020
It’s easy to be disheartened by the puniness of our existence – yet perhaps for the first time in human history, everything depends on decisions each one of us makes
Why it’s the aliens living inside you that create your sense of you
9 December 2020
Foreign cells within our bodies help determine our mental states and even contribute to our immune defences – making it tricky to define where you end and the others begin
