In our world beyond nations, the future is medieval Islamic State is more like a postmodern network than a nation state - so we’ll need new tactics to deal with it Opinion
Life Taming of the bunny rewrote rabbit genome Just a few genetic tweaks from running wild When humans tamed rabbits, we changed around 100 regions of their genome. The shifts were subtle, but they may have made domestic rabbits less fearful than wild ones. Pet rabbits will happily sit in their owner's lap, but wild rabbits are famously timid, fleeing at the slightest … 51¶¯Âþ
Life No ghosts, no gods, no aliens on my atheism channel Viewers in the US are bombarded with nonsense masquerading as fact. They should switch to AtheistTV, says its founder Opinion
Technology Targeted TV ads sell different people different stuff Networks are tapping into your personal data to show you ads based on your demographic or even your voting record 51¶¯Âþ
Earth See all the copper from a mine in one giant ball (Image: Dillon Marsh) IT'S not an alien invasion or a scene from Doctor Who . For over a hundred years, the West O'okiep Mine in South Africa yielded large amounts of copper. This eerie image, created nearly half a century after it closed, represents the copper extracted throughout the mine's lifetime – all 284,000 tonnes … Regulars
Humans End of nations: Is there an alternative to countries? Nation states cause some of our biggest problems, from civil war to climate inaction. Science suggests there are better ways to run a planet Features
Life A manifesto for playing god with human evolution "Would you be willing to exchange your clothing for plumage?" (Image: Erik Madigan Heck/Trunk Archive) Fancy living forever, or uploading your mind to the net? The Proactionary Imperative embraces transhumanist dreams, but reminds why we need medical ethics IN THE early 1960s prank comedy duo James Coyle and Mal Sharpe wandered the streets of San … CultureLab
Feedback: Taking Einstein's name in vain Feedback is our weekly column of bizarre stories, implausible advertising claims, confusing instructions and more Taking Einstein's name in vain QUOTATIONS, Albert Einstein said, "do not give your Tweets even the dubious benefits of the Argument from Authority". Except, of course, that he didn't say that . We nevertheless predict that any day now our … Regulars