Circle in a spiral
Saturn’s rings stumped the most famous astronomer of them all, but not Marcus Chown
Science & Technology
How Darwin took on Intelligent Design
The argument from design is often thought of as the most modern of objections to evolution. But Charles Darwin anticipated right from the start, says James Randerson
A sense of scale
Caspar Henderson marvels at airborne beasts great, small and microscopic
Big ask
Science, many argue, can answer the ‘how’ questions but can’t tell us anything about the ‘why’. Nonsense, says Michael Brooks
Hurricane Sandy and the allure of Armageddon
The storm that battered America's East Coast showed that forecasts of extreme weather need to be taken seriously. But the media's love of apocalyptic prophecy makes trusting the warnings difficult,…
Book review: Bad Pharma by Ben Goldacre
In his new book, the Bad Science author Ben Goldacre takes on the faulty practices of the pharmaceutical industry. Is it a battle he can win? asks Martin Robbins
Q&A: Alice Roberts
Alice Roberts’ career as a science broadcaster has flourished with a series of popular documentaries like The Incredible Human Journey, Are We Still Evolving? and Prehistoric Autopsy. She is also…
Naomi’s noo noo nonsense
If you thought it was what’s in your head that counts, think again. It’s what’s in your pants, at least in the world of Naomi Wolf’s Vagina. Louise Foxcroft dives…
The town that’s twinned with Narnia
The medieval Devon town of Totnes is the capital city of pseudoscience, but local rationalists are mounting a fightback. James Gray goes through the wardrobe
Footprints in the dust
Twelve men have left their footprints on the Moon. How long will they last? Marcus Chown explains