Â鶹´«Ã½

Culture

Explore the latest science non-fiction books and sci-fi novels, plus science and technology-related theatre, exhibitions, games, movies and TV programmes with reviews and recommendations from Â鶹´«Ã½.

Comment

Our verdict on Annie Bot: This novel about a sex robot split opinions

Members of the Â鶹´«Ã½ Book Club give their take on Sierra Greer's award-winning science-fiction novel Annie Bot, our read for February – and the needle swings wildly from positive to negative

Culture

Environment

Read an extract from Juice by Tim Winton

Culture

Comment

Tim Winton: ‘Sometimes I think we use the word dystopia as an opiate’

Culture
BEIJING - AUGUST 11: (L-R) Eamon Sullivan of Australia, Michael Phelps of the United States and Amaury Leveaux of France compete in the Men's 4 x 100m Freestyle Relay Final held at the National Aquatics Center on Day 3 of the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games on August 11, 2008 in Beijing, China. The United States finished the race in first place in a time of 3:08.24 and wins the gold medal and set a new World Record. Eamon Sullivan of Australia set a time of 47.24 in the first leg, a new World Record. (Photo by Adam Pretty/Getty Images)

Physics

Engaging look at friction shows how it keeps our world rubbing along

Culture
Health workers wearing face mask stand in front of a triage tent for suspected COVID-19 patients outside the Santa Maria Hospital in Lisbon on April 2, 2020. - Over 500 people have died in Portugal after contracting COVID-19 among more than 6,000 recorded cases of the disease. (Photo by PATRICIA DE MELO MOREIRA / AFP) (Photo by PATRICIA DE MELO MOREIRA/AFP via Getty Images)

Health

Fascinating but flawed book explores how sickness shapes our lives

Culture
Ryoji Ikeda, data-cosm [n?1], 180 Studios, 2025. Photo by Alice Lubbock.

Comment

Â鶹´«Ã½ recommends pioneering artist Ryoji Ikeda’s new work

Culture
Plastic bottle in a breaking wave

Physics

A remarkable book on quantum mechanics reveals a really big idea

Culture
Jockeys compete in a race for purebred Arabian horses at the Liwa International Festival 2023, some 250 kilometres west of the Gulf Emirate of Abu Dhabi, on December 23, 2022. (Photo by Karim SAHIB / AFP) (Photo by KARIM SAHIB/AFP via Getty Images)

Life

A fascinating book reveals the ancient story of horses and humans

Culture
Directly above view of a chef chopping tomatoes

Society

Can we battle the downsides of a rule-based world, asks a new book

Culture
Oona Chaplin as Varang in 20th Century Studios' AVATAR: FIRE AND ASH. Photo courtesy of 20th Century Studios. ?? 2025 20th Century Studios. All Rights Reserved.

Space

Â鶹´«Ã½ recommends Avatar: Fire and Ash – especially the whale

The books, TV, games and more that Â鶹´«Ã½ staff have enjoyed this week

Culture

Space

Peter F. Hamilton’s latest is an epic slice of sci-fi – with one flaw

Culture

Comment

Alex Garland’s The Bone Temple is brutal, brilliant – and mind-blowing

Culture

Health

As Ozempic goes global, a powerful book reframes how we see obesity

Culture

Technology

We’re getting intimate with chatbots. A new book asks what this means

Culture