Sky Team’s secret manouevres make for nail-biting action Martin Labbe/Hachette Boardgames CHRISTMAS is a perfect time for sitting down with friends and family around a board game, whether it is an old favourite with half the pieces missing or something hungrily unwrapped and brand new. Here are Culture’s recommendations for 2023’s best new board games. Enjoy! […]
Is cannabis an effective painkiller? SciePro/Shutterstock Cannabis has a long history as a pain-reliever – it is mentioned in 3500-year-old medical texts from ancient Egypt. But there is still active debate over the extent of the drug’s analgesic properties. On the one hand, there is some evidence that cannabis can relieve certain types of pain. […]
A scenario that a mouse might see as it wears the virtual reality goggles Dom Pinke Tiny virtual reality goggles for mice create convincing worlds that allow scientists to study the animals’ brain activity in a range of scenarios. The technology takes rodent neuroscience closer to The Matrix, towards a simulation that is indistinguishable from […]
A section of the Great Wall of China made with rammed earth AtthameeNi/Shutterstock The Great Wall of China is being protected from erosion by a “biocrust” of moss, lichen and cyanobacteria, much as the wall once shielded the country from northern invasions. The wall, built and rebuilt many times between about 200 BC and the […]
There seems to be a link between the age you have children and your lifespan Halfpoint Images/Getty Images People who are genetically predisposed to having children earlier in life are less likely to live to the age of 76, according to an analysis of more than 270,000 people’s genomes. Why we age is one of […]
Regal jumping spiders in a courtship display before mating FLPA/Alamy Jumping spiders seem to be able to tell each other apart, putting them among just a few other invertebrates that are thought to have this skill. Recognising individuals within your species is important for social animals, such as primates, but just a handful of invertebrates […]
US astronaut Buzz Aldrin on the surface of the moon in 1969 NASA Humanity’s influence on the moon is so great that we should define a new geological epoch, just as we are doing on Earth with the creation of the Anthropocene, researchers argue. We should also create lunar “national parks” to preserve areas for […]
Cannabis has been linked to psychosis and schizophrenia Shutterstock/FGC Not only is cannabis one of the world’s most widely used recreational drugs, it is also generating excitement for its potential to treat a range of health conditions from cancer to insomnia. But there is another side to the drug – it is associated with psychotic […]
National Museum of Natural History, France. China Light Festival BV TROPICAL forests have rarely looked so dazzling. This is the entrance to the Jungle en voie d’illumination (“Jungle on the way to enlightenment”) exhibition, organised by the National Museum of Natural History in France. It is designed to showcase the unique diversity of the world’s […]
A composite of some of the science-inflected music albums out in 2023 The Fall (Komorebi)In this high-concept, anime-inspired album, Komorebi becomes her alter ego, Kiane, an alien who visits Earth on a voyage of self-discovery. Transported by delicate vocals and the sweeping orchestration, I felt punch-drunk by the end. Bethan Ackerley Complete Mountain Almanac […]