We are just one branch of a diverse human family tree. Aside from Neanderthals, who were they – and why did we replace them?

Smallpox went from a feared killer to a fading memory. Its eradication is one of humanity’s greatest collective triumphs ...

An optical poem featuring audio of W H Auden’s ode to trees paired with art from the Met and outdoor footage of New York state ...

The brain is much less like a machine than it is like the murmurations of a flock of starlings or an orchestral symphony ...

A captivating story from Aardman Animations about a ‘little thief’ turned career criminal who just can’t break the habit ...

is associate lecturer in moral, legal and political philosophy at the University of St Andrews in Scotland. He is the author of The Ethics of State Responses to Refugees (2024).