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Articles by subject: science

Burden of proof: should evidence determine policy? (by Richard Wilson, January/February 2012 ): A growing number of activists are calling for science to play a larger role in policy. But will it work? Richard Wilson asks the experts
Anything is possible (by Kitty Ferguson, January/February 2012 ): Stephen Hawking’s childlike glee in overturning assumptions, especially his own, is what makes him such an iconic scientist, says his biographer Kitty Ferguson
Book review: Evolution and Belief by Robert Asher (by Adam Rutherford, January/February 2012 ): Adam Rutherford tires of zombie arguments about creationism
Dawkins' new book impresses the kids (by Manjit Kumar, November/December 2011 ): With his new book The Magic of Reality, Richard Dawkins wants to introduce children to the wonders of science. He gets a resounding thumbs up from Manjit Kumar's resident young experts
Chown's Cosmos: Hoag's Object (by Marcus Chown, November/December 2011 ): A spiral galaxy has Marcus Chown's head spinning
The revolution is coming (by Sally Feldman, November/December 2011 ): Can orgasms change the world? Sally Feldman revisits the politics of the climax
Nine highlights from Nine Lessons and Carols for Godless People (by Editorial Staff, November/December 2011 ): The best bits and the inside scoops from three years of our seasonal rationalist jamboree
Book review: The Viral Storm by Nathan Wolfe (by Mark Pagel, November/December 2011 ): Mark Pagel faces the threat from pandemics
Briefing: Nine Lessons and Carols for Godless People (by Adam Rutherford, September/October 2011 ): Adam Rutherford remembers getting atheists reciting the Lord's Prayer at last year's rationalist jamboree
Chown's cosmos: Crack up (by Marcus Chown, September/October 2011 ): Marcus Chown wonders if there is life beneath Europa's icy surface
Book review: Humanity 2.0 by Steve Fuller (by Angela Saini, September/October 2011 ): Angela Saini is frustrated by Steve Fuller
Brain rot (by Sally Feldman, September/October 2011 ): What is neuroscientist Susan Greenfield on about? asks Sally Feldman
No doubt (by Mano Singham, July/August 2011 ): Since there is nothing useful about the God hypothesis, we can happily discard it. Physicist Mano Singham makes the scientific case for atheism
Diagnosis evil (by Caspar Melville, July/August 2011 ): Simon Baron-Cohen wants to redefine how we think of human cruelty. Caspar Melville meets him
Moon dance (by John Gribbin, July/August 2011 ): More than just a pretty face, our closest companion in space could be the reason we are here at all, argues John Gribbin
Chown's cosmos: Spiders from Mars (by Marcus Chown, July/August 2011 ): What causes the dust devils on the Red Planet’s surface? asks Marcus Chown
Book review: The Matter With Us by John Rawles (by Richard Norman, July/August 2011 ): Richard Norman explores the matter of the human predicament
Test-tube truths (by Kenan Malik, May/June 2011 ): Should science guide our moral decisions? Kenan Malik puts Sam Harris's latest argument under the microscope
Long road to renewal (by Jim Al-Khalili, May/June 2011 ): The Islamic world needs to recover its scientific spirit, says Jim Al-Khalili
Book review: The Address Book by Tim Radford (by Angela Saini, May/June 2011 ): Angela Saini feels at home with Tim Radford
Things that go bump in the night (by Richard Wiseman, March/April 2011 ): Why do people think they can see ghosts, ghoulies and gods? Richard Wiseman explains
Blood and guts (by Owen Hatherley, March/April 2011 ): Dublin Science Gallery’s latest exhibition Visceral crosses the boundaries between art and biology. Owen Hatherley pays a stomach-churning visit
The god confusion (by Angela Saini, March/April 2011 ): In trying to make religion sound more logical and scientific, are educated Indians actually having a crisis of faith? asks Angela Saini
Free to teach creationism? (by James Gray, March/April 2011 ): Under the government's education reforms, 15 per cent of groups applying to open academies are religious. How would those schools handle evolution? James Gray investigates
Book review: The Hidden Reality by Brian Greene (by Marcus Chown, March/April 2011 ): Brian Green's dizzying new book offers a window onto the cutting edge of theoretical physics. Marcus Chown goes in search of the multiverse
Chown's Cosmos: Cosmic Accelerator (by Marcus Chown, March/April 2011 ): Six hundred million light years away, the ‘active galaxy’ Cygnus A fires huge quantities of particles at unimaginable speeds, finds Marcus Chown
Natural history of the soul (by Caspar Melville, March/April 2011 ): Caspar Melville meets the man who thinks that spirituality is essential to consciousness, and science can tell us why
Mortal fear? Laurie Taylor interviews Lewis Wolpert (by Laurie Taylor, March/April 2011 ): Do we have to die? Biologist Lewis Wolpert talks to Laurie Taylor about the mysteries of ageing
Editorial: Creating confusion (by Caspar Melville, March/April 2011 ): Far from being an atheist straw man, Biblical fundamentalism poses a real threat to British schools
Editorial: Big books (by Caspar Melville, March/April 2011 ): Bibles, doubt and morality without God
Two-faced Moon (by Marcus Chown, January/February 2011 ): Photographs of Saturn’s third largest moon taken by the Cassini probe reveal an explanation of its mysterious two-toned appearance, says Marcus Chown
Rationalism's dirty secret (by John Appleby, January/February 2011 ): John Appleby unravels the history of humanism’s dalliance with eugenics.
Playing God (by Philip Ball, January/February 2011 ): With Danny Boyle's production of Frankenstein due to open at the National Theatre in February, Philip Ball looks at the timeless fascination, and consequences, of the monster myth
Delusions of grandeur (by Laurie Taylor, January/February 2011 ): Information systems professor Ian Angell tells Laurie Taylor where science has gone wrong
Book review: Self Comes to Mind by Antonio Damasio and The Tell-Tale Brain by VS Ramachandran (by Louise Foxcroft, January/February 2011 ): Can the brain be explained? Louise Foxcroft reads two of the world's leading neuroscientists to find out
Book review: The God Instinct by Jesse Bering (by Jake Wallis Simons, January/February 2011 ): Do we have innate religious tendencies? Jake Wallis Simons turns to a new book to find out
Behind the couch (by Alfred Tauber, January/February 2011 ): Was Freud really a rationalist? Lie back and let Alfred Tauber convince you
A many splendour'd thing (by Sally Feldman, January/February 2011 ): Moons and Junes, hearts, diamonds and red, red roses – this Valentine's Day, what could be more humanist than passionate romance? But, warns Sally Feldman, it may also be a dangerous delusion
Editorial: it just ain't natural (by Caspar Melville, January/February 2011 ): We shouldn't allow myth and dogma to cloud rational evidence-based argument
Chown's Cosmos: Cloudy with a chance of hexagons (by Marcus Chown, November/December 2010 ): Why is there a six-sided cloud on Saturn’s north pole? wonders Marcus Chown
Heathen's greetings (by Stephanie Merritt, November/December 2010 ): They thought it was a joke when Robin Ince said he was going to mix atheism, comedy and Christmas. But, reports Stephanie Merritt, he’s having the last laugh
Q&A: Harry Kroto (by Editorial Staff, November/December 2010 ): Nobel-prize winning chemist Harry Kroto talks Buckyballs and belief
Lies, damn lies and Chinese science (by Sam Geall, September/October 2010 ): The People's Republic is becoming a technological superpower, but who's checking the facts? Sam Geall seeks out the Chinese science cops
Diary: Giordano Bruno, my hero (by Stephanie Merritt, September/October 2010 ): Stephanie Merritt reveals why she made the Renaissance monk her leading man
Stargazer (by David Wootton, September/October 2010 ): David Wootton, author of a new biography, uncovers evidence that Galileo really was a heretic
Chown's Cosmos: The Sun at night (by Marcus Chown, September/October 2010 ): The 'Super-K' detector is built 3,000 feet down in a mine beneath Hida in Japan. This is one of its most famous images. Marcus Chown explains
Book review: Slaughter on a Snowy Morn by Colin Evans (by Louise Foxcroft, September/October 2010 ): Louise Foxcroft on a bloody murder and the birth of forensic science
Material errors (by Mano Singham, July/August 2010 ): In arguing that quantum physics challenges the materialist view of the world, Jay Lakhani gets his science wrong, says Mano Singham
Book Review: The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot (by Louise Foxcroft, July/August 2010 ): Louise Foxcroft on the oddest biography ever
Chown's Cosmos: The eye of Sauron (by Marcus Chown, July/August 2010 ): This image from NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope shows what will become of our own star, says Marcus Chown
It's Immaterial (by Jay Lakhani, May/June 2010 ): Hindu Council director Jay Lakhani is also a trained scientist. He believes science and religion meet at the level of the infinitely small
Chown's Cosmos: A star is born (by Marcus Chown, May/June 2010 ): Since its launch 20 years ago, the Hubble telescope has been sending back stunning images that have transformed our understanding of the universe. This is Marcus Chown’s favourite
Is anyone out there? (by Paul Davies, March/April 2010 ): Aliens, Martians, extraterrestrials – how do we find out whether there’s life on other planets? Paul Davies has a formula
Beyond nature (by Raymond Tallis, March/April 2010 ): The human finger points the way to what makes us truly human, say Raymond Tallis
Man & other beasts (by John Appleby, March/April 2010 ): Humanism is under attack in the academy for its assumption of man’s superiority over animals. John Appleby visits the intellectual borderland between humans and animals
Judgement day (by Lawrence M Krauss, March/April 2010 ): Is the world really getting safer? Lawrence M Krauss, the scientist who reset the Doomsday Clock, cautions against complacency
Cast away (by Paul Sims, March/April 2010 ): How humanist are the three main parties? With the general election fast approaching, Paul Sims has been canvassing
Dark Matter by Juli Zeh (by Stuart Sim, March/April 2010 ): Stuart Sim enjoys a metaphysical thriller
Alex's Adventures in Numberland by Alex Bellos (by Matt Parker, March/April 2010 ): Matt Parker visits Numberland with Alex Bellos
Editorial: Just believe (by Caspar Melville, March/April 2010 ): It seems that anti-science is on the rise, but hopefully we've found the antidote
Head to head (by AC Grayling, January/February 2010 ): When we heard that Tzvetan Todorov, author of In Defence of the Enlightenment, was coming to London we couldn’t resist getting him together with our very own contemporary philosophe, AC Grayling, to discuss the new book and the legacy of the great 18th-century republic of letters
In search of the G spot (by Raymond Tallis, January/February 2010 ): Is faith hard-wired in the the brain? Raymond Tallis scans some new claims
How to spot an AIDS denialist (by Seth Kalichman, November/December 2009 ): Rogues, pseudoscientists, snake oil peddlers – Seth Kalichman reveals the sinister tactics used by those who deny the link between HIV and AIDS
Neurotrash (by Raymond Tallis, November/December 2009 ): From ethics and art history to social policy experts are embracing neuroscience as the answer to understanding human behaviour. Raymond Tallis rallies the neurosceptics
Digging for Darwin (by Sally Feldman, November/December 2009 ): In our final tribute to Darwin year, Sally Feldman celebrates the life of Mary Anning, the woman whose work helped to lay the foundations for the theory of evolution
Bless this tiger (by Paul Sims, September/October 2009 ): Paul Sims visits a zoo with a difference
Makers by Cory Doctorow (by Bill Thompson, September/October 2009 ): Bill Thompson enjoys a sci-fi writer growing up
What’s the Worst that Could Happen? A Rational Response to the Climate Change Debate by Greg Craven (by Simon Singh, September/October 2009 ): Simon Singh on a rational look at climate change
Editorial: Bogus treatment (by Caspar Melville, July/August 2009 ): By supporting Simon Singh we can help change Britain's chilling libel laws
God’s Philosophers: How the Medieval World Laid the Foundations of Modern Science by James Hannam (by Nina Power, July/August 2009 ): Nina Power on a good Dark Ages argument made for the wrong reasons
Yield of dreams (by Angela Saini, May/June 2009 ): Don't swallow the scaremongering claims of the anti-GM lobby, urges Angela Saini. Modified foods are a rational alternative to mass starvation
The Pure Society: From Darwin to Hitler by André Pichot (by Benjamin Noys, May/June 2009 ): Benjamin Noys discovers the modern mutations of eugenics
The Earth Moves: Galileo and the Roman Inquisition (by Marcus Chown, May/June 2009 ): Marcus Chown learns how the Catholic Church silenced Galileo
Book Review: Questions of Truth: God, Science and Belief by John Polkinghorne and Nicholas Beale (by AC Grayling, March/April 2009 ): AC Grayling rips into the latest attempt to bridge the God-science gap
Lost in the maelstrom (by Eliane Glaser, March/April 2009 ): Fifty years after CP Snow’s celebrated lecture the ‘two cultures’ are further apart than ever, finds Eliane Glaser
Power struggle (by Angela Saini, January/February 2009 ): For decades, it was the scourge of the environmental movement. But now, discovers Angela Saini, the greens are going nuclear
Editorial: Fine lessons (by Caspar Melville, January/February 2009 ): Funny how atheists enjoying themselves can be so threatening to believers
Darwin's journey (by Ruth Padel, January/February 2009 ): For poet Ruth Padel the 200th anniversary of the birth of the great scientist, in 2009, was more than a historical milestone, it was a family celebration
Teenagers: A Natural History by David Bainbridge (by Bill Thompson, January/February 2009 ): Bill Thompson gets down with the kids
The Strangest Man by Graham Farmelo (by James Randerson, January/February 2009 ): James Randerson encounters a strange legend of physics
Changing our minds (by Norman Doidge, November/December 2008 ): Left brain, right brain, hard-wiring? Think again, says Norman Doidge
Nine Lessons and Carols for Godless People (by Robin Ince, November/December 2008 ): Now in its fourth year, our Christmas shows are becoming an institution. Curator Robin Ince explains the origins of our yuletide rationalist romp, and past performers Ricky Gervais, Simon Singh, Richard Herring, Natalie Haynes and Ben Goldacre with some seasonally inappropriate winterval witterings
How do I look? (by Richard Gregory, September/October 2008 ): Richard Gregory died on 17 May 2010. Here is something he wrote for us in 2008. Seeing is believing, it is said. But, asks Richard Gregory, could it be the other way round?
Origin of the specious (by AC Grayling, September/October 2008 ): AC Grayling dissects Steve Fuller's defence of Intelligent Design
The genius myth: Laurie Taylor interviews Lisa Jardine (by Laurie Taylor, July/August 2008 ): Lisa Jardine tells Laurie Taylor why she believes in doubt, precision and uncertainty
Crater of doom? (by Ted Nield, May/June 2008 ): In science, as in life, some stories are too good to be true, says Ted Nield
Western front (by Peter C Kjaergaard, May/June 2008 ): While secularists sleep well-funded creationists are on the march in Europe says Peter C Kjærgaard
ID: The Quest for Identity in the 21st Century by Susan Greenfield (by Bill Thompson, May/June 2008 ): Bill Thompson has mixed feelings about Susan Greenfield
The Sun and Moon Corrupted by Philip Ball (by Philip Womack, May/June 2008 ): Philip Womack enjoys a popular scientist's debut novel
Physics of the Impossible by Michio Kaku (by Bill Thompson, March/April 2008 ): Bill Thompson finds Michio Kaku's science impossibly bad
Editorial: Incredible Mr Darwin (by Caspar Melville, January/February 2008 ): The more science uncovers, the more brilliant the father of evolution is revealed to be
The Big Switch: Rewiring the World, from Edison to Google by Nicholas Carr (by Bill Thompson, January/February 2008 ): Bill Thompson is excited by the digital revolution
Dinner with Darwin (by Caspar Melville, January/February 2008 ): To celebrate the birthday of the father of evolution we asked a selection of scientific commentators, including Steve Jones and Jerry Coyne, what they’d like to say to him round the supper table.
Getting better all the time (by John Harris, November/December 2007 ): Genetic modification of humanity isn't just possible, argues John Harris. It's a moral duty.
Shock waves (by Ted Nield, November/December 2007 ): The idea that continents float deserves to rank alongside those of Galileo and Darwin as one of science’s most profound insights, argues Ted Nield
Quantum Theory Cannot Hurt You by Marcus Chown (by Bill Thompson, November/December 2007 ): Bill Thompson enjoys an introduction to quantum physics
When worlds collide (by Yves Gingras, September/October 2007 ): Scientists must not indulge mysticism, argues Yves Gingras
Scientists Confront Intelligent Design and Creationism by Andrew Petto & Laurie Godfrey (eds) (by AC Grayling, May/June 2007 ): AC Grayling cheers as the scientists vanquish Intelligent Design
A Guinea Pig's History of Biology (by Lewis Wolpert, May/June 2007 ): Lewis Wolpert learns the facts of life from plants
Diary (by Robin Ince, March/April 2007 ): Comedian Robin Ince is blinded by science
Bad vibrations (by AC Grayling, March/April 2007 ): AC Grayling reports on the battle for the soul of a science
The Comet Sweeper: Caroline Herschel's Astronomical Ambitions by Claire Brock (by Brenda Maddox, March/April 2007 ): Brenda Maddox is swept off her feet by an astronomical biography
Thinker: Francis Crick (by Matt Ridley, January/February 2007 ): Matt Ridley unravels the humanist code of Francis Crick
Genesis Machines: The New Science of Biocomputation by Martyn Amos (by Bill Thompson, January/February 2007 ): Bill Thompson investigates bio-computing with Martyn Amos
The Creation: A Meeting of Science and Religion by EO Wilson (by Jonathan Derbyshire, November/December 2006 ): Jonathan Derbyshire wonders if religion and science can get along
The Many Faces of God: Science's 400-Year Quest for Images of the Divine by Jeremy Campbell (by Michael Binyon, November/December 2006 ): Michael Binyon seeks the face of God
Editorial: Simply Human (by Caspar Melville, September/October 2006 ): It may have come as something to a shock to Darwin's contemporaries to be told that we're really just animals.
Diary: Darwin's heaven (by AC Grayling, September/October 2006 ): AC Grayling comes face to face with evolution in the Galapagos
The story so far: Laurie Taylor interviews Michael Frayn (by Laurie Taylor, September/October 2006 ): Counting, categorising, complexity. Michael Frayn offers Laurie Taylor his version of the human condition
The Goldilocks Enigma: Why is the Universe Just Right for Life? by Paul Davies (by Peter Woit, September/October 2006 ): Peter Woit reviews the latest book from astrophysicist Paul Davies
Spirited away (by Meera Nanda, May/June 2006 ): Some atheists start believing in anything after they give up believing in God, says Meera Nanda
Meme Wars (part 1) (by Adam Kuper, May/June 2006 ): Evolution cannot explain culture: there are limits to the uses of Darwinism, says Adam Kuper
Meme Wars (part 2) (by Susan Blackmore, May/June 2006 ): Natural selection applies to everything. Ideas evolve just as life does, says Susan Blackmore
Under the microscope (by Jonathan Rée, March/April 2006 ): Jonathan Rée on Daniel Dennett's attempt to do away with religion scientifically
Not the Natural History Museum: a trip to the Genesis Expo (by Padraig Reidy, May/June 2005 ): Padraig Reidy misses a few links in Portsmouth Harbour
Universal Idol (by Joseph Schwartz, March/April 2005 ): How did a stateless German Jewish physicist become the first pop star of science, asks Joseph Schwartz
Intellectual Treason (by Meera Nanda, January/February 2005 ): Meera Nanda uncovers an extraordinary coalition that is undermining science
All or nothing (by John Maddox, January/February 2005 ): John Maddox is fascinated by a never-ending story
The elephant bird's tale (by Richard Dawkins, September/October 2004 ): In an exclusive extract from his latest book, a Chaucerian pilgrimage to the remote past, Richard Dawkins roams the lost continent of Gondwana
Baby talk (by Jonathan Rée, July/August 2004 ): Jonathan Rée on the scientist in all of us
Bones of contention (by Robert Foley, January/February 2004 ): Robert Foley on why science still needs anthropological remains
God's goof - the universe (by John Maddox, January/February 2004 ): John Maddox reviews a godless collection
Bad News for Free Will (by Al Mele, January/February 2004 ): The Libet Experiments showed we have no control over our actions. Or did they? Alfred Mele still managed to write a critique of them
Brain Box (by Deire Brehan, Winter 2002 ): Susan Greenfield tells Daire Brehan why religion beats the void (and football)
Walking in the Dark: Laurie Taylor interviews Jonathan Miller (by Laurie Taylor, Winter 2002 ): Laurie Taylor discovers what it's like to be Jonathan Miller
Evolution Battles (by Matt Cherry, Winter 2002 ): Matt Cherry on 'dowdy Darwin and 'cool Charles'
Fight for Survival (by Mark Pagel, Winter 2002 ): Mark Pagel learns from an old master
Mother of DNA (by Brenda Maddox, Autumn 2002 ): Brenda Maddox celebrates the clarity of Rosalind Franklin
The Modern Meaning of Science (by Tony Gilland, Summer 2002 ): How much do we trust scientists? asks Tony Gilland
What in all creation? (by Stuart Clarke, Summer 2002 ): Stuart Clark on the danger creationism poses to British science
Creationism Expounded (by Editorial Staff, Summer 2002 ): Professor Andy C McIntosh & Dr Stuart Burgess, two scientists, explain here the scientific views of creation from a creationist perspective. Rationalists should be aware of the counter-evolutionary arguments put forward seriously by some scientists in order to understand a view with which they probably disagree.
Cloning: a choice for the future (by Richard Norman, Spring 2002 ): Professor Richard Norman looks at the issues - both fears and hopes - surrounding reproductive cloning.
Science Studies (by Stuart Clarke, Spring 2002 ): Stuart Clarke on the importance of bogs
Biological Birthrights (by Jonathan Cowie, Spring 2002 ): Jonathan Cowie looks at the potential dangers and benefits of biological enhancement
The Meccano Man (by Shirley Dent, Spring 2002 ): Professor Sir Harry Kroto talks to Shirley Dent about humanism, incredible molecules and building a better world.
Mis-Communicating Science (by Gill Watson, Spring 2002 ): Gill Watson, executive director of the Vega Trust, argues that the best communicators of science are... scientists.
Time to stand up (by Richard Dawkins, Winter 2001 ): Stop respecting religion and start submitting it to the same scutiny as any other idea or argument, says Richard Dawkins. And September 11th 2001 makes this scrutiny more urgent than ever.
Materialism, Mechanism and the Human Mind (by Kenan Malik, Autumn 2001 ): Are humans exceptional? That is have they developed beyond their evolved state? And what is the nature of human experience and behaviour asks Kenan Malik
God and the Modern Scientist (by Peter Landsberg, Summer 2001 ): How can we understand anything? asks Pater Landsberg
Editorial (by Jim Herrick, Summer 2001 ): Jim Herrick surveys the current issue
Science Studies (by Stuart Clarke, Summer 2001 ): Mars comes with a full complement of scientific myths says Stuart Clarke
To tell the truth (by Daniel Dennett, Spring 2001 ): Is belief in religion and belief in science the same kind of thing, asks philosopher Daniel Dennett
The Science of Fiction (by Bo Fowler, Spring 2001 ): What is science fiction, asks Bo Fowler
Ethics of the Embryo (by John Harris, Spring 2001 ): John Harris on the stem cell controversy
Science Studies (by Stuart Clarke, Spring 2001 ): Stuart Clarke reviews the history of scientific cassandras
Darwin's treasure trove (by Paul Sims, Web Exclusive, April 2008): As the great man’s private papers are made available for free online, project director John van Wyhe tells Paul Sims what’s in store for Darwin aficionados
Against the faith (by Steve Fuller, Web Exclusive, September 2008): In a world where Neo-Darwinism is the new dogma, Intelligent Design is right to challenge orthodoxy – sociologist Steve Fuller responds to AC Grayling
Bolus of nonsense (by AC Grayling, Web Exclusive, September 2008): In the third part of our their exchange, AC Grayling responds to Steve Fuller’s defence of his book Dissent over Descent
What ever happened to the future? (by Michael Hanlon, Web Exclusive, October 2008): Daily Mail science correspondent Michael Hanlon takes the long view
New Humanist Advent Podcasts (by Editorial Staff, Web Exclusive, December 2008): Richard Dawkins, Ricky Gervais, Dara O'Briain, Tim Minchin, Ann Druyan, Simon Singh, Marcus Brigstocke, Stephen Fry and a host of other atheist angels speak up for their scientific saviour in our 24-bite-sized podcasts
Six and out (by Philip Tonner, Web Exclusive, April 2009): Geologists have recorded five major extinctions throughout the Earth's history. Are we hastening the sixth, asks Philip Tonner
Pimping Ida (by Kenan Malik, Web Exclusive, May 2009): The real missing link in the Ida story is that between modern science and PR, says Kenan Malik
Bad dream (by Emma Hockridge, Web Exclusive, May 2009): Contrary to what Angela Saini argues, there are few demonstrable benefits from genetic modification of crops, and huge potential risks, says Emma Hockridge of the Soil Association
Beware the spinal trap (by Simon Singh, Web Exclusive, July 2009): As part of the Keep Libel Laws Out of Science campaign we republish here the article at the centre of the BCA's libel case against Simon Singh. Some practitioners claim it is a cure-all, but the research suggests chiropractic therapy has mixed results – and can even be lethal, says Simon Singh
Bless this tiger (by Paul Sims, Web Exclusive, August 2009): Paul Sims visits a zoo with a difference
Neuroscience can help tame the elephant (by Matt Grist, Web Exclusive, November 2009): Not all explorations of how the brain influences behaviour are neurotrash. Matt Grist, director of the RSA’s social brain project, responds to Ray Tallis
How to defend the Enlightenment (by AC Grayling, Web Exclusive, January 2010): A full transcript of the discussion between Anthony Grayling and Tzvetan Todorov in London, December 2009
I am not a God-spotter (by Bruce Hood, Web Exclusive, January 2010): Bruce Hood denies he is the reductionist Raymond Tallis claims
No brainer (by Sam Harris, Web Exclusive, January 2010): Raymond Tallis's criticism of my research either very stupid or a hoax, says Sam Harris
Pissing in the wind? (by Anne Rooney, Web Exclusive, May 2010): From brain surgery to climate change Ian McEwan has made scientific literacy fashionable. But will it save us, asks Anne Rooney.
Film review: Inception (by Fred Rowson, Web Exclusive, August 2010): Christopher Nolan has created a rare thing – an intelligent summer blockbuster. If only the details were as inspiring as the ideas, says Fred Rowson
Why God's Philosophers did not deserve to be shortlisted for the Royal Society prize (by Charles Freeman, Web Exclusive, October 2010): James Hannam's book is a good read but presents a distorted view of the medieval period and the development of science that suits his Catholic agenda, claims Charles Freeman.
In defence of God's Philosophers (by James Hannam, Web Exclusive, November 2010): Historian James Hannam responds to Charles Freeman's critique of his book on the medieval foundations of modern science, which was nominated for the Royal Society's prize for science books
Science, God's Philosophers and the Dark Ages (by Charles Freeman, Web Exclusive, November 2010): The claims made by James Hannam regarding the birth of modern science in the Middle Ages do not stand up to scrutiny, says Charles Freeman