Science

How did humans put the planet at risk?

What is the Anthropocene and can it help us resist environmental destruction?

How Moon landings projected US power

Were moon landings a giant leap forward for humanity, or the culmination of a growing Cold War? Gabby Thorpe boldly goes in search of the legacy of the space race

New Blade Runner film takes on ethics of artificial intelligence

With stunning cinematography and a powerful plot, Blade Runner 2049 is a sequel with everything that fans will want, writes Gabby Thorpe

Westworld—gun-slinging robots turn fantasies into nightmares

Westworld depicts a society where the rich pay vast amounts to take out their basest desires on a virtual reality populated by synthetic humans and animals.

Are robots taking all our jobs?

As robots begin to do more of the jobs traditionally done by people, Tomáš Tengely-Evans asks if the relationship between worker and machine has fundamentally changed

Reviews round-up

Leonardo da Vinci: Mechanics of Genius at the Science Museum | America in Revolt: the Art of Protest at the Shapero Modern | The Glass Bead Game podcasts

Delving deep into our genes—the revolution in molecular biology

12 May 2015
There is a revolution taking place in molecular biology. Scientist John Parrington spoke to Dave Sewell about his new book that explores the issues for a mass audience

A health warning on dynamism and dirt

20 January 2015
John Parrington says antibiotic research needs proper state funding to remove the threat of dangerous industry practices

Artificial intelligence is not as close as its fans make out

25 November 2014
John Parrington looks at artificial intelligence, and says it will be a long time before computers are smarter than humans

Working together is part of what makes us human

28 October 2014
Capitalism continually pits people against each other, but that isn’t how human beings evolved, writes John Parrington

There's no automatic forward march of progress for humanity - a response to Brian Cox

21 October 2014
Dave Sewell welcomes Brian Cox’s new TV programme on evolution, but argues that we cannot ignore human agency

West Africa's Ebola crisis is a symptom of capitalism

14 October 2014
The Ebola outbreak in west Africa has cost thousands of lives. Ken Olende looks at how inequality and the legacy of colonialism lie behind the crisis. Marcia, an aid worker in Sierra Leone, writes exclusively from the front line

Imagination helps us understand the world - and change it

30 September 2014
Imaginative vision isn’t the preserve of a creative few—and mass struggles can unleash its potential, writes John Parrington

Struggle could change you, genetically speaking

08 July 2014
New evidence that our environment shapes our genes should spur us on to change the world, argues John Parrington

Lev Vygotsky: A revolutionary way of understanding how we think

27 May 2014
John Parrington looks at what the work of Lev Vygotsky can tell us about the working of the human mind

Fraud is a symptom of the profit motive in research

29 April 2014
John Parrington argues that recent allegations of fraud in stem cell research show the distorting influence of capitalism

Who will benefit from gene breakthrough?

04 March 2014
New gene editing technology offers humanity new ways to better treat disease, explains John Parrington

If obesity is rising, blame poverty, profit and stress

28 January 2014
The pressures of our sick society make healthy eating harder for ordinary people, explains John Parrington

Lise Meitner - a scientific pioneer who overcame prejudice

17 December 2013
Physicist Lise Meitner made major breakthroughs while contending with racism and sexism, explains John Parrington

Fred Sanger 1918-2013

21 November 2013
John Parrington pays tribute to the visionary geneticist who transformed our understanding of the human body and took a principled stand against fascism