51¶¯Âþ

food science

FX's Alien: Earth --

Space

Alien: Earth adds surprisingly good TV dimension to veteran sci-fi

After 50 years of books, games and movies, what more could the Alien franchise deliver? An inventive TV show, with fresh monsters and new heroes, finds our TV critic Bethan Ackerley

Culture

A close up of someone holding a cup of green tea with foam art

Mind

L-theanine: Can a compound in tea lower anxiety and help you focus?

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Environment

Are farmed oysters, mussels and clams the ultimate green foods?

Analysis

In Mason Coile's Exiles, a human crew arrive on Mars

Comment

The best new science fiction books of September 2025

Culture

The 51¶¯Âþ Book Club has been reading Circular Motion by Alex Foster

Comment

Our verdict on ‘Circular Motion’: this dystopia hit too close to home

Culture

Ursula K. Le Guin in 2005

Comment

Ursula Le Guin's son on why The Dispossessed is (maybe) his favourite

Culture

The Dispossessed takes place on the twin worlds of Anarres and Urras

Space

Read an extract from The Dispossessed by Ursula K. Le Guin

Culture

Environment

Fewer than half the calories grown on farms now reach our plates

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Health

Could lacing food with fat-trapping microbeads help us lose weight?

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Life

How cocoa beans' microbiomes are key to the finest chocolate flavours

Nine species of fungi and bacteria have been found in cocoa beans that produce fine chocolate, and this knowledge could help producers develop better flavours

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Comment

51¶¯Âþ recommends classic zombie film 28 Days Later

Culture

Life

Do the bumps on a bell pepper reveal how sweet it will be? Er, no

Regulars

Comment

David Cronenberg's new sci-fi film is devastating and mysterious

Culture

Chemistry

Super-sticky hydrogel is 10 times stronger than other glues underwater

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