How bringing back predators can change the way prey behaves
Mar 18, 2016 06:04 am UTC| Insights & Views
Large predator numbers are declining across the globe. These declines have considerable ecological knock-on effects, many of which are currently unknown. Novel conservation techniques are required to reverse predator...

Corporate tax: why conflict between firms and states is hard to crack
Mar 18, 2016 05:58 am UTC| Insights & Views Law
Benjamin Franklin, the former US President, is reported to have said: In this world nothing can be said to be certain, except death and taxes. This statement couldnt be more true today. The recent row over...
Relationship reality TV: entertainment masquerading as science
Mar 18, 2016 02:49 am UTC| Insights & Views Entertainment
Over recent years weve seen an increasing number of reality TV shows on the topic of relationships. Much of the viewing audience understands these shows sensationalise relationships and that, in the real world, romantic...

Google's Go victory shows AI thinking can be unpredictable, and that's a concern
Mar 18, 2016 02:27 am UTC| Insights & Views Technology
Humans have been taking a beating from computers lately. The 4-1 defeat of Go grandmaster Lee Se-Dol by Googles AlphaGo artificial intelligence (AI) is only the latest in a string of pursuits in which technology has...

Will cheap gas at the pump stall progress on car emissions?
Mar 18, 2016 00:12 am UTC| Insights & Views Nature
Retail gasoline prices are now as low as they were in the roaring 90s. The 1990s, that is, when the energy crisis of the 1970s had faded from American consumers memories, the economy was strong and the market share of...
If we can't prove the internet makes children unhappy, we shouldn't lay the blame at its door
Mar 17, 2016 23:33 pm UTC| Insights & Views Technology
Children and youngsters spend more and more time online (as do we all), often alone or at least only in touch with others remotely through the internet. This poses various questions for parents concerned about what their...
Why a drop in unemployment doesn't add up – literally
Mar 17, 2016 23:18 pm UTC| Insights & Views Economy
Unemployment has decreased, according to the latest figures. Here is a question: if the unemployment rate drops, is everyone happy? Suppose that, in a very small country, 380 people are either working or would like to...