Recently described as a public health emergency, profound loneliness can affect anyone craving deeper connectionsIn the UK 25 million people report they are occasionally, sometimes, or often lonely, according to the Campaign to End Loneliness. In the US the surgeon general, Vivek Murthy, recently disclosed his own experience of “profound loneliness” as he released his national strategy...

People will often sacrifice a better experience and opt for one that's less enjoyable if it means they can do it alongside a loved one—whether that's a romantic partner, close friend or relative. That's the main finding of our research published in the Journal of Consumer Psychology in April 2023.

Climate change-driven shifts in the circulation of waters to the deepest reaches of the ocean around Antarctica, which could reverberate across the planet and intensify global warming, are happening decades "ahead of schedule", according to new research.

As Alaska's bleak winter sets in, arctic ground squirrels burrow deep into the ground to begin an eight-month-hibernation before popping up again in spring, famished and eager to breed.

Sand dunes are not an obvious place to find high-quality fire records. For a start, anyone who walks on the forested sand dunes of South-East Queensland will be impressed by the intensity of ant activity at their feet. The ant nests extend at least 2 meters below the surface. As the ants move materials around their nests, any charcoal from past fires that's preserved in the sand would be severely...

When this newspaper’s photographer and his 25-year-old daughter attempt the rarely climbed 1,700m spire in New Zealand’s Milford Sound the obstacles appear overwhelmingFive years ago, I stood at the end of a knife-edge ridge, a tangle of blue rope at my feet, my 25-year-old daughter Lilidh by my side. I knew we were beaten – we hadn’t made it anywhere near the top. I had pulled back from...

Threat posed by ‘provocative’ Russia and China has left US no choice but to prepare for orbital skirmishesThe US is ready for conflict in outer space, according to a senior military official, after developing anti-satellite technologies to counter the threats posed by “provocative” countries such as Russia and China.Brig Gen Jesse Morehouse at US Space Command, the arm of the military...

Seventy years ago, New Zealander Edmund Hillary and Nepali Tenzing Norgay Sherpa became the first humans to summit Everest on May 29, 1953.

With its golden hue, bittersweet notes and frothy head, Stefan Fritsche's latest brew looks and tastes like any other beer.

Saber Zouani lost his job as a waiter when the COVID pandemic ravaged the Tunisian tourism sector, so he decided to try something new and started a permaculture farm.

When Thomas Hertog was first summoned to Stephen Hawking's office in the late 1990s, there was an instant connection between the young Belgian researcher and the legendary British theoretical physicist.

The remarkable journey of Ben Abeles will be celebrated next week by the opening of a new archiveBen Abeles’ impact on science was out of this world. He helped develop alloys that were key components of the radioisotope generators that powered US robot space probes on their interplanetary journeys. Nasa was then able to reveal the wonders of the solar system, from the ancient river beds of Mars...

Frederick Cook claimed to have reached the top of the world, but a new book says he was lyingWho was the first person to reach the north pole? According to American adventurer Frederick Cook, it was him. But now a new book will set out the evidence that the explorer’s 114-year-old claim was an instance of fake news on a global scale.In The Explorer and the Journalist, author Richard Evans has...

Despite the demise of Virgin Orbit, the UK’s first spaceports should open in 2024‘Yesterday afternoon, shattering the moorland peace of Inverard, in North Argyll, powered jets burst into action. For the second time in two months a space ship took off, its fiery trail vanishing wisp-like into the blue autumn sky.”Thus Angus MacVicar began his novel Return to the Lost Planet, with words that...

Artificial intelligence algorithms are quickly becoming a part of everyday life. Many systems that require strong security are either already underpinned by machine learning or soon will be. These systems include facial recognition, banking, military targeting applications, and robots and autonomous vehicles, to name a few.