As the Christmas season approaches, the shelves are brimming with goods, yet the tills are not ringing as loudly as they should. Retailers across the country are taking action due to the frequent use of the five-finger discount. Concerned about the police’s response to shoplifting, many retailers are turning to controversial facial recognition technology to…
Introduction to the Alien Life Debate Are we really alone in this vast, silent universe? It’s a question humans have asked for centuries while staring at the night sky. Now, that age-old mystery has taken a bold turn. According to one of the UK’s top space scientists, alien life will be found by 2075, and…
Kevin Peachey Cost of living correspondent Convenient or dangerous? Shoppers react to a contactless card limit lift announcement. Millions of people will be able to set their own contactless card payment limits or even have no limit at all, a regulator has confirmed. Banks and card providers will be given the power, from March, to…
It was in the year 1914 that Indian mathematician Srinivasa Ramanujan arrived in Cambridge with a notebook filled with 17 extraordinary infinite series for 1/π. They were not only efficient but also gave accurate digits of the world’s most famous irrational number. For a century, the formulas were considered the best in number theory, but…
Western Washington has been hit by severe flooding after days of relentless rain inundated towns and forced evacuations. While heavy rain is common in the Pacific Northwest, officials and scientists say this event is different in scale and intensity. The main driver is a series of powerful atmospheric rivers. Understanding how they work helps explain…
Getty Images The Geminid meteor shower – one of the most spectacular in the celestial calendar – is set to peak this weekend and astronomers say conditions could make for an especially striking show if weather permits. The meteors are visible all over the world, though people in the Northern Hemisphere will get the best…
Branwen Jeffreys, Education Editor BBC Ofsted’s new ‘traffic light’ rating system for schools across England came into force this week – but does it mark meaningful change or, as one expert argues, ‘high-level tinkering’? Listen to Branwen reading this article When Nick Green quit teaching after 17 years, one factor drove him above all others: to…
