Playing God
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
Science & Technology
Rationalism’s dirty secret
John Appleby unravels the history of humanism’s dalliance with eugenics.
Two-faced Moon
Photographs of Saturn’s third largest moon taken by the Cassini probe reveal an explanation of its mysterious two-toned appearance, says Marcus Chown
Inside the mind of Scientology’s Messiah
Twenty-five years after his death, Michael Bywater revisits the sacred texts of the pulp science writer turned prophet L Ron Hubbard
Science, God’s Philosophers and the Dark Ages
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
Q&A: Harry Kroto
Nobel-prize winning chemist Harry Kroto talks Buckyballs and belief
In defence of God’s Philosophers
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
Heathen’s greetings
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
Cloudy with a chance of hexagons
Why is there a six-sided cloud on Saturn’s north pole? wonders Marcus Chown
Why God’s Philosophers did not deserve to be shortlisted for the Royal Society prize
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.