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When I think of psychopaths, it’s easy to write them off as people who will always lack empathy or the motivation to behave with more kindness. So I was fascinated to read forensic psychologist Steven Gillespie’s perspective on whether psychopaths can change.
It’s true that psychopaths seem to have a hard-wired empathy deficit – they simply don’t show the normal physiological responses to other people’s suffering – and early treatment programmes were marked by failure. But therapy designed for other personality disorders, like borderline personality disorder, are showing promise. The real question may be: are we willing to get close enough to psychopaths to understand them?
Speaking of changing your mental state, cognitive psychologist Michiel van Elk explores the evidence on whether mystical, psychedelic experiences can help lift people out of depression, anxiety and addiction. He warns that psychedelic therapy may turn out to be more complicated than whether or not someone has achieved a kind of spiritual transcendence.
Meanwhile Nigel Farage has announced his “shadow cabinet”. Read our analysis of his choices and what they reveal about his leadership style.
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Jenna Hutber
Commissioning Editor, Science
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Ormalternative/Shutterstock
Steven Gillespie, University of Liverpool
And how our understanding of psychopathy is changing.
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Yavuz Meyveci/Shutterstock.com
Michiel van Elk, Leiden University
Psychedelic therapy often promises transcendent mystical experiences. But research suggests context and expectation may matter more than the trip itself.
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Nigel Farage claims he has formed a ‘shadow’ cabinet.
Alamy/Guy Bell
Richard Johnson, Queen Mary University of London
Reform has eight MPs, but not everyone has been given a job in the top team.
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World
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Damian Tobin, University College Cork
Donald Trump said he would ‘unleash’ the country’s resources.
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Lewis Eves, University of Nottingham
Anti-Japanese sentiment aside, China’s diplomatic strategy has moved past ‘wolf warrior’ diplomacy.
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Liam Kennedy, University College Dublin
Seamus Culleton was detained by US immigration agents in Boston in September 2025.
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Politics + Society
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David Mead, University of East Anglia
The court found Palestine Action’s activities had not yet reached the level, scale and persistence that would justify proscription.
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Arts + Culture
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James Clark, University of Exeter
The recently discovered heart-shaped locket may offer a rare glimpse into the king’s personal affections.
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Sam Illingworth, Edinburgh Napier University
AI literacy has become synonymous with prompt engineering. It should mean something else entirely.
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Mal James, University of Edinburgh
The brand revolutionised retail with its lifestyle-focused department store, setting a precedent for experiential luxury shopping that continues today.
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Gregory Krippa, Loughborough University
If political neutrality means never making political decisions, then the Olympics wouldn’t work because deciding which countries are eligible to compete is inherently political.
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Karin Book, Malmö University
For the Olympics to be viable in a warming world, new models of planning and hosting are necessary. Milano–Cortina 2026’s geographical dispersion could be a solution
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Business + Economy
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Meilan Yan, Loughborough University; Dalu Zhang, University of Leicester
And the cost of new cars may not even come down.
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Environment
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Jessica Irving, University of Bristol; Elizabeth Day, Imperial College London
How good are our current seafloor maps?
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Jack Shelbourn, University of Lincoln
If flights dominate emissions, then the biggest wins won’t come from menus or outfits.
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Health
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Nicole Whitworth, York St John University
This rare speech motor disorder prevents effective speech planning, leaving some children persistently difficult to understand without specialist support.
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Ahmed Elbediwy, Kingston University; Nadine Wehida, Kingston University
New research suggests cancer develops through detectable biological changes years before a tumour forms.
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Dipa Kamdar, Kingston University
From painkillers to nasal sprays, some over-the-counter medicines carry hidden risks when used incorrectly or for too long.
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The most clicked links from yesterday
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18 February 2026
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London
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