The flowers are blooming and everyone’s loving the first signs of warmer weather in the garden, especially the birds and slugs Gardening ups and downs! One warmer May morning I arrive with seeds for sowing but find something’s eaten all but one of the baby pea plants. I feel almost tearful, and fear for the…
Neoprene is made from toxic chemicals, hard to recycle and, with 400,000 tonnes made a year, a growing problem. So can surfers and swimmers find green wetsuits? I have been hesitating for months. The wetsuit I swim in every week to keep me toasty warm in the winter and safe from jellyfish stings in the…
The research shows that getting back in touch with old friends is easier, and more welcome, than you might think, says David Robson, in his new evidence-based advice columnThe research shows that getting back in touch with old friends is easier, and more welcome, than you might think, says David Robson, in his new evidence-based…
Dali L Yang’s critique of China’s response in the early days of the Covid pandemic is thoroughgoing if academic, while poet Liao Yiwu’s account mixes fact and fiction to extraordinary effect Cast your mind back, if you will, to the beginning of the pandemic, before the World Health Organization had coined the term Covid-19. Back…
National flags might seem like a riot of colour, but there is one colour that you will almost never see on a flag and the reason comes down to the ancient trade in rare sea snails.National flags might seem like a riot of colour, but there is one colour that you will almost never see…
A new exhibition at the Natural History Museum in London includes ‘tragic’ tales of species wiped out from their natural habitats Douglas Russell, a senior curator at London’s Natural History Museum, was examining a collection of nests gathered on the island of Guam when he made an unsettling discovery. “The nests had been picked up…
Science Museum’s Secret Life of the Home collection, including tea-making machines, early microwave cookers, gramophones and the first flushing toilets will close on 2 June They changed our parents’ and grandparents’ lives by using technology to tackle the curse of household drudgery. Thanks to the vacuum cleaner, fridge, washing machine and microwave, the lives of…
The long-running series in which readers answer other readers’ questions on subjects ranging from trivial flights of fancy to profound scientific and philosophical concepts Why are bodies of water so calming? In my experience, this is true whether they are placid or tempestuous. Mary Vogel, Vancouver Post your answers (and new questions) below or send…
The long-running series in which readers answer other readers’ questions on subjects ranging from trivial flights of fancy to profound scientific and philosophical concepts What was the first word that humanity uttered? There must have been one … Raymond Simms, Hull Send new questions to nq@theguardian.com. Continue reading…The long-running series in which readers answer other…
Britain’s railways are spending billions on bolstering the tracks against geological movements caused by extreme weather. But technology and new infrastructure will not save every service Under the chalk cliffs east of Folkestone sits the Warren, a coastal wilderness largely owned by the railway, hosting a nature trail for walkers, as well as the Victorian…