Is the new Galleri Test a major step in the battle against cancer?
A potentially revolutionary new blood test for identifying cancer is being developed. But let's withhold our excitement until its success is proven.
Subscribe to New Humanist!
We publish New Humanist, a quarterly journal of ideas, science and culture.
Humans: a special species? New Humanist winter 2021 is out now
Out now – featuring Julian Baggini on the unavoidable cruelty of nature, Peter Forbes on how to build an animal and Cal Flyn on talking with dogs.
A world in which everyone sounds the same
A Silicon Valley start-up has developed "accent matching" technology to enable better cross-cultural communication. But does it come with risks?
The hidden costs of the CO₂ shortage
Europe has lately been suffering from a carbon dioxide shortage. But why can't we just extract it from the air?
A funny old island
The current government often frames "Britishness" as imperilled by outsiders. Our "unique" sense of humour, so it thinks, is under particular threat.
Modelling mayhem
This year's Nobel Prize in Physics was awarded, in part, to two physicists who took on the unenviable task of predicting the unpredictable.
Reason needs you!
Join Humanists UK and help us support lasting change for a better society and a tolerant world where rational thinking and kindness prevail. Why not join today?
Predators in the Church
Revelations that Catholic clergymen in France abused 230,000 children over 70 years is irrefutable evidence of a deep rot within the Church
"Cave paintings of animals show a quest for knowledge, a sense of admiration and love"
We spoke with art historian John-Paul Stonard on the evolution of human image-making, from cave paintings to modern art.
The UK's solution to biodiversity loss is to outsource habitat destruction
Over three centuries, the UK has destroyed much of its native wildlife. But instead of fixing the problem, it has exported it.
Book review: Cardinal Sin
A new book on the disgraced Cardinal Keith O'Brien explores the Catholic Church's tortured relationship with same-sex desire.
"Britain's ancients shaped the land. Their remains fuel our imaginations"
We speak with Mike Pitts, author of a new history of ancient Britain, on human social transformation on these isles over a million years.
"Power shapes human health, and infectious diseases shape power"
We talk to Dr Kyle Harper about his new book, "Plagues Upon the Earth: Disease and the Course of Human History".
Afghan refugees in Europe: what "moral duty"?
When it comes to Afghanistan, the UK and EU have long favoured realpolitik over humanitarian values.
Want to become a space weather monitor?
If you have a smartphone, you can now help track the solar storms that cause major disruptions to electronics and satellites.
Are our intelligence agencies intelligent enough?
Secret services have long used scientists to help develop their strategic capability. But with new threats looming, can alternative fields of expertise further aid their efforts?