"Science does not always advance by rewarding the best ideas, but too often by amplifying the loudest voices"

Have you ever changed your mind about something *big*? A fundamental value, a religious conviction, or your direction in life?

How to change your mind

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At 90 years old, Laurie Taylor has changed his mind about lots of things - from Trotskyism, to Christianity, to his purpose in life. What prompted these changes of heart? Usually, it was nothing monumental. Instead, he finds, it often hinged on a single

"Saraswati" follows seven interconnected characters – all descendants of a 19th-century intercaste couple, Sejal and Jugard, who elope to Punjab in 1878. Buffeted by war, empire and the need to survive, their children end up scattered across the world in different diasporas...

“God is a mathematician of a very high order”

Archaeological sites in Italy or Greece are often surrounded by snack shops, trinket sellers and tourist traps. In Libya there is nothing but the wind, the cry of birds and the faint whisper of the Mediterranean

How an "open conspiracy" of humanist intellectuals changed Britain

Why is the Universe mathematical? It's all a bit of a mystery

We're going to press with the new issue of New Humanist, in which we unpick the lies behind the health and beauty industries and ask the big question: Are we pushing our bodies too far? Take a sneak peek at our cover and sign up now to get a copy delivered to your door: newhumanist.org.uk/subscribe

Katalin Karikó's pioneering work on mRNA was repeatedly ignored, ridiculed and defunded. Then, it helped to save millions of lives during the Covid-19 pandemic. A new book asks: Why are some revolutionary scientific discoveries overlooked?

"I soon found that every step on my itinerary had to be pre-cleared, and that I would be shadowed by my guards at every turn ... Yet even through the narrow window given to me, the country’s beauty shone through – the marble and ruins gleamed with a serenity that made me gasp aloud"

Tackling themes of climate change and Hindu nationalism, "Saraswati" is an ambitious novel that heralds a bold new talent, writes @lucyjpop.bsky.social

Laurie Taylor: "Over my nine decades, I’ve learned that life-changing rethinks can hinge on a single word"

If you were to go on holiday in Libya, here's what you might find

"Science does not always advance by rewarding the best ideas, but too often by amplifying the loudest voices"

"Over my nine decades, I’ve learned that life-changing rethinks can hinge on a single word"

“The most incomprehensible thing about the Universe”, said Einstein, “is that it is comprehensible.” Decades later, we still only have a few mind-boggling theories as to why that's the case: #science #scicomm #physics

Here's what our reporter discovered on a highly-restricted yet awe-inspiring tour of Libya

✨️ New online: Thinking Allowed's Laurie Taylor on the art of changing your mind

Katalin Karikó's pioneering work on mRNA was repeatedly ignored, ridiculed and defunded. Then, it helped to save millions of lives during the Covid-19 pandemic

This is a lovely article.

How a network of humanist intellectuals - including Bertrand Russell, Barbara Wootton and Julian Huxley - brought social change to Britain

"I soon found that every step on my itinerary had to be pre-cleared, and that I would be shadowed by my guards at every turn ... Yet even through the narrow window given to me, the country’s beauty shone through – the marble and ruins gleamed with a serenity that made me gasp aloud."

The mind-boggling theories behind why the Universe is comprehensible

"How religious control in Britain was broken by a group of 94 humanists, atheists and a few friends”

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Louis Pasteur was a scientific giant and a gifted communicator. But, according to a new book, he was also deeply unethical in how he presented his work and marginalised his competitors

Tales from a tourist in Libya

Was a humanist network of free-thinking intellectuals behind the dramatic legal and social liberalisation that took place across Britain in the mid-20th century?

“The most incomprehensible thing about the Universe”, said Einstein, “is that it is comprehensible.” What exactly did he mean?

Ignaz Semmelweis demonstrated as early as the 19th century that simple hand hygiene by medical staff dramatically improved maternal health outcomes. So why did no-one listen to him?

"I soon found that every step on my itinerary had to be pre-cleared, and that I would be shadowed by my guards – equal parts friendly and suspicious – at every turn." If you were to go on a tour of Libya, this is what you might find:

✨️ New online: How a humanist network of free-thinking intellectuals transformed Britain in the 20th century

How "Stranger Things" was a meeting point of generations

Louis Pasteur was a scientific giant and a gifted communicator. But, according to a new book, he was also deeply unethical in how he presented his work - freely appropriating others’ ideas and using his fame to erase rivals from the story

"You can’t just go on holiday to Libya. I had to obtain a letter of invitation, two separate visas and a pre-paid personal security attachment for each side of the country, which is split between rival factions"

Why are the laws of nature mathematical?

Love what you read in New Humanist? Subscribe to our FREE newsletter to make sure you never miss a story - from bold coverage of human rights around the world to revelations about the scientific developments set to transform our lives: newhumanist.org.uk/newsletter

"Archeological sites in Italy or Greece are often surrounded by snack shops, trinket sellers and tourist traps. In Libya there is nothing but the wind, the cry of birds and the faint whisper of the Mediterranean."

Tales from a tourist in Libya

From "moral climate" to "climate action", poet and author Michael Rosen digs into the evolution of the word "climate" in his latest language column for New Humanist:

Your genetic data is being collected from hospital rooms, wastewater, prisons, care homes and detention centres. Here's what you should know

Ignaz Semmelweis demonstrated as early as the 19th century that simple hand hygiene dramatically reduced deaths from puerperal fever, an infection that killed vast numbers of women after childbirth. Why did no-one listen to him?

In @michaelrosenyes.bsky.social's language column for New Humanist, he explores the history and meaning of words that are central to our current discourse - from "climate" to "refugee" and "genocide". Subscribe now, from just £10, to get access to his latest column, and the full archive:

A new book asks why some scientists and their revolutionary discoveries are overlooked

"I wanted to visit a country that holds such a peculiar place in the western imagination." Read these thoughts from a tourist in Libya:

Genetic data collected in hospital rooms, wastewater, prisons, care homes and detention centres can and is being used for people’s benefit. But it could also be used against them

"You can’t just go on holiday to Libya. I had to obtain a letter of invitation, two separate visas and a pre-paid personal security attachment for each side of the country, which is split between rival factions"