Ring of fire
Visitors flock to the Poles to observe the natural wonder of the aurora. But they witness a mere fraction of what can be seen from space, explains Marcus Chown
Science & Technology
Who wants to live for ever?
Thinking machines, eternal life, space colonisation, neon bunnies – no, not science fiction but soon-to-be-realised science fact, according to a new generation of futurologists. But who are they, and can…
A Green religion?
Anti-science dogma is damaging environmentalism, says James Gray
Reasons to be cheerful
The eradication of polio is a sign of India's progress, says Angela Saini
Film review: Prometheus
Beyond the slick production and big-budget hype, is Prometheus the philosophical blockbuster that was promised? Fred Rowson wonders what to believe
Alien sunset
It's dusk, but not as we know it. Marcus Chown explains
Geeks of the world unite
Mark Henderson’s new book calls for the pro-science lobby to get political. Adam Smith meets him
Curiouser and curiouser
It means both inquisitive and odd, and drives human discovery. Philip Ball traces a curious history
Is your brain right-wing?
Political differences have their origin in the way we are wired, according to research in cognitive neuroscience. It’s offering a whole new perspective on politics that we ignore at our…
Blueprint
Manjit Kumar talks to George Dyson, author of Turing’s Cathedral: The Origins of the Digital Universe, about the fathers of the digital age