How Aristotle Created the Computer
A piece looking at the history of computers through ideas, rather than through devices – tracing the path from Aristotelian logic to computer science.
From Russia With Blood
An in depth investigation by Buzzfeed News into the death of a British fixer in London points to Russian involvement, and to the death being the ninth in a series amongst a group of people linked to Boris Berezovsky, the oligarch who turned against the Kremlin. The piece also suggests that the British government did not investigate the death fully, rapidly naming it a suicide and moving on.
Inside the Glowing-Plant Startup That Just Gave up Its Quest
The grand vision was to bioengineer plants that emitted enough light for practical purposes such as domestic lighting or street lamps. The vision did not come to pass.
MIA
The remarkable reappearance in Vietnam in 2008 of an American commando whose helicopter went down in Laos half a century before was not all that it seemed.
How Science Is Putting a New Face on Crime Solving
A wide ranging look at recent advances in criminal forensics, from using hair for DNA matches, to the value of teeth bite matches, fingerprinting, arson investigations and facial reconstruction.
Deep Intellect
A thoughtful and engaging piece examining the remarkable intelligence of the octopus – followed by an interview with the author in National Geographic.
This Is the Way Paul Ryan’s Speakership Ends
A profile of Paul Ryan, soon to retire as Speaker of the House of Representatives, and constantly treading the fine and somewhat uncomfortable line between the Republican establishment and the incumbent of the Oval Office.
Viv Albertine on Dating Again in Her 50s
A songwriter and musician, who was the guitarist in the punk band The Slits (first formed in the 1970s), writes about love and life in her 50s.
I Played Fortnite and Figured Out the Universe
The author of this piece played one of the world’s most popular and talked about video games (cf Premier League footballers mimicking its virtual dances in their real-world celebrations) and thinks he has discovered something about the way humans work.