Long reads Wandering in the heavens: how mathematics explains Saturn’s rings Ian Stewart shows how maths is changing cosmology, and explains why the best way to reach a comet near Mars is to go round the back of the… By Ian Stewart
Can we stop the government criminalising protest? With Jodie Beck of Liberty The Public Order Bill is a worrying assault on basic freedoms. By Adrian Bradley, Rachel Cunliffe and NS Podcasts
Now you see it, now you don’t: what optical illusions tell us about our brains Illusions can offer insights into how the visual system processes images. By Ian Stewart
The memoirs of Richard Dawkins and Stephen Hawking: Evolution in the head Two of the most visible of today’s scientists are Stephen Hawking and Richard Dawkins. Their autobiographies present an opportunity… By Ian Stewart
The third culture: The power and glory of mathematics In 1959 C P Snow delivered a celebrated lecture in which he decried the man-made gulf between the arts… By Ian Stewart