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.

Environment

‘The book is in the future, but everything is seeded from our present’

Helen Phillips, winner of the Climate Fiction prize for her novel Hum, on if stories can make a difference, her anxieties and writing about the climate

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Luminous book jacket and author Silvia Park

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Our verdict on Luminous by Silvia Park: a fascinating take on robots

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PERUGIA, ITALY - NOVEMBER 24: Amanda Knox (C) is led away from Perugia's court of Appeal by police officers after the first session of her appeal against her murder conviction on November 24, 2010 in Perugia, Italy. American Amanda Knox and her Italian ex-boyfriend Raffaele Sollecito were convicted of the murder of Ms Knox's former British flatmate Meredith Kercher in 2007. Their trial took place in December 2009 with Knox and Sollecito receiving sentences of 26 and 25 years respectively. Rudy Guede, an unemployed man from Ivory Coast, was also convicted of the Meredith Kercher's murder. The case is also forming the basis for a film currently being shot in Italy entitled 'The Amanda Knox Story', with American actress Hayden Panettiere cast as Amanda Knox. (Photo by Oli Scarff/Getty Images)

Life

Â鶹´«Ã½ recommends Turi King’s expert book about DNA’s secrets

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Alexander Whitley Dance Company, Mirror.

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Unsettling dance piece explores how AI is warping human relationships

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Futuristic alien vessels float in formation over a vast natural valley lit by vibrant evening light.

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The late Ian Watson’s sci-fi The Embedding is intriguing – but dated

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How a visit to Stonehenge reminded me of deep time

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A honey bee flies with pollen balls stored in pollen baskets (corbiculae) on its hind legs. (Photo credit: Jennie Durant) Bitter Honey by Jenny Durant

Environment

Â鶹´«Ã½ recommends a devastating account of farming honeybees

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Editorial use only Mandatory Credit: Photo by 20thC.Fox/Everett/Shutterstock (1397228v) RISE OF THE PLANET OF THE APES Rise Of The Planet Of The Apes - 2011

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This is the most underrated sci-fi film franchise of the 21st century

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Oliver Sacks and The Man Who Mistook His Wife For A Hat

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After news about Oliver Sacks’s “lies”, we revisit his best-loved book

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Lascaux Cave is a Palaeolithic cave situated in southwestern France, near the village of Montignac in the Dordogne region, which houses some of the most famous examples of prehistoric cave paintings. Close to 600 paintings ??? mostly of animals - dot the interior walls of the cave in impressive compositions. Horses are the most numerous, but deer, aurochs, ibex, bison, and even some felines can also be found. Besides these paintings, which represent most of the major images, there are also around 1400 engravings of a similar order. The art, dated to c. 17,000 ??? c. 15,000 BCE, falls within the Upper Palaeolithic period and was created by the clearly skilled hands of humans living in the area at that time. The region seems to be a hotspot; many beautifully decorated caves have been discovered there. The exact meaning of the paintings at Lascaux or any of the other sites is still subject to discussion, but the prevailing view attaches a ritualistic or even spiritual component to them, hinting at the sophistication of their creators. Lascaux was added to the UNESCO World Heritage Sites list in 1979, along with other prehistoric sites in its proximity. Valley, France.

Life

Â鶹´«Ã½ recommends a smart new account of human exceptionalism

Why did humans decide they weren't like other animals, or animals at all? Has this exceptionalism twisted us out of shape? Michael Bond's book Animate offers a page-turning account of where we are now

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Environment

Suzanne Simard on the wood wide web, connectedness – and Avatar

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Life

Â鶹´«Ã½ recommends visiting the blooming corpse flower at Kew

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The best new popular science books of May 2026

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Life

Â鶹´«Ã½ recommends Attenborough documentary Making Life on Earth

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