| Read time: 6 minute(s)

Debate of the Week: Should we all refuse to watch?

THE NEWS: Qatar’s attitudes towards homosexuality, women’s rights and labour law violations are provoking international outcry. Now some are calling for a boycott of the World Cup. A fire-breathing spider made from fifty tonnes of steel. Seven glitzy new stadiums. Ice rinks just miles from beach clubs; theme parks next to circuses; light shows which […]

| Read time: 5 minute(s)

Could human’s teleport?

What if you could instantly transport yourself from one place to another? Instead of circling the same old neighborhood, you could walk the streets of Shanghai, China. Instead of eating the same old takeout for dinner, you could dine in Paris, France. You could even visit the moon or the rings of Saturn. Science fiction […]

| Read time: 2 minute(s)

A 2,560-pound Minnesota pumpkin was crowned the winner at this year’s weigh-off.

Some people turn into temporary pumpkin enthusiasts during the fall season, but for others, their passion for pumpkins is so giant that it draws them to a unique type of competition. On Monday, the Safeway World Championship Pumpkin Weigh-Off commenced for the 49th year in Half Moon Bay, California. The winning gourd weighed in at […]

| Read time: 5 minute(s)

Debate of the Week:Is India the World’s Next Superpower?

THE NEWS: Rishi Sunak’s election as Conservative leader makes him the UK’s first British Asian leader. And he has family connections to a country that is quickly gaining influence. It was a historic moment. Sunak will be the first prime minister of Asian origin, and the first Hindu. “I am thoroughly British,” he has said: […]

| Read time: 5 minute(s)

Debate of the Week:Has Iran protest gone global?

THE NEWS:Hajipour’s Baraye received 95,000 submissions to win a Grammy, or 83% of the fan vote. Is the Iran protest going global? A new hit song has taken social media by storm and brought awareness to the uprising. Some are hopeful that it could help the movement to expand beyond Iran’s borders. Users clicking onto […]

| Read time: 9 minute(s)

Five ways to practice gratitude this festive season.

For many people, the festive season can bring on the blues. Science shows that, while it’s no fix-all, nurturing gratitude can help by shifting our attention to what’s positive. For some it’s instinct, others have to practise it, but giving thanks is good for our bodies, minds and our relationships. Scientists at the University of […]

| Read time: 9 minute(s)

Asteroid’s path altered in NASA’s first test of planetary defense.

The spacecraft NASA deliberately crashed into an asteroid last month succeeded in nudging the rocky moonlet from its natural path into a faster orbit, marking the first time humanity has altered the motion of a celestial body, the U.S. space agency announced on Tuesday. The $330 million proof-of-concept mission, which was seven years in development, […]

| Read time: 7 minute(s)

Debate of the Week: Do mushrooms rule the world?

IN THE NEWS: The largest living organism on our planet lives under a forest in Oregon. It glows eerily in the dark, and scientists believe it’s about 2,500 years old. A huge organism is growing beneath your feet. Every second, it tangles further into the soil, building an extraordinary invisible web. Fungi are all around […]

| Read time: 4 minute(s)

End of an Era: Serena Williams and Roger Federer changed tennis forever. So will their retirement.

Williams, 40, and Federer, 41, have both announced in short succession their plans to retire, leaving the tennis world without two iconic competitors who were among the best the sport has ever seen and whose appeal eclipsed the game. Williams announced on Vogue magazine’s website that she would retire after this year’s U.S. Open, saying […]

| Read time: 6 minute(s)

Debate of the Week: Do we all have superpowers?

IN THE NEWS: A Scottish woman who can smell Parkinson’s has inspired experts to create a new test for the disease. Now, scientists are looking for others with amazing secret talents. The mystery was finally solved. Les and Joy Milne had come to their first Parkinson’s disease support-group meeting. “I walked into the room,” says […]