Skip to main contentSkip to navigation
Print subscriptions
Sign in
Search jobs
Search
The Guardian - Back to homeThe Guardian

Unanswered questions

Explaining the story behind the headlines

20 May 2017

  • Blood cells, SEM<br>Blood cells. Coloured scanning electron micrograph (SEM) of red blood cells and one white blood cell (upper centre). Red blood cells (erythrocytes) are responsible for carrying oxygen around the body, and for carrying waste carbon dioxide to the lungs for exhalation. White blood cells (leucocytes) are part of the immune system, which protects the body from invading micro-organisms. Magnification: x5000 when printed 10cm wide.

    Can you manufacture blood cells?

    Researchers may have found a way of making blood from human or mouse stem cells

13 May 2017

  • a child taking a exam

    Can split digraphs help children learn to read and write?

    It’s SAT season again, when many parents find themselves bewildered by the obscure grammatical devices their children must understand — thanks to Michael Gove

5 May 2017

  • Icebergs off the coast of Canada

    Could towing icebergs to hot places solve the world’s water shortages?

    The idea of towing an iceberg from Antarctica to the UAEs sounds fantastical, but might not be entirely beyond the realms of plausibility

28 April 2017

  • Candace Payne’s Chewbacca mask video

    Can Facebook make live video its future?

    Facebook Live makes everyone a broadcaster. But with content ranging from laughing mums to rape and murder, how can it manage the risks of open publishing?

21 April 2017

  • Is the world more dangerous now than during the cold war?

    With the rise of Trump, and unstable relations between the US, Russia and China – plus a dash of nuclear bellicosity from North Korea – are we all going to die?

14 April 2017

  • Robert Powell as Jesus of Nazareth in 1977.

    What is the historical evidence that Jesus Christ lived and died?

    Today some claim that Jesus is just an idea, rather than a real historical figure, but there is a good deal of written evidence for his existence 2,000 years ago

7 April 2017

  • Vehicles queue at the border of the British Colony of Gibraltar in La Linea de la Concepcion on April 7, 2017. Gibraltar on April 6, 2017 accused Spain of causing long traffic jams with tightened border controls, saying it was "clearly a response" to rising political tensions over the British territory. As Gibraltar emerges as a sore point in Britain's exit negotiations with the European Union, Deputy Chief Minister Joseph Garcia complained of traffic tie-ups on Wednesday on the border of the rocky British outcrop at Spain's southern tip. / AFP PHOTO / JORGE GUERREROJORGE GUERRERO/AFP/Getty Images

    Will the UK lose Gibraltar?

    Brexit has put the Rock back in the news, with Spain being awarded a veto over future EU deals on Gibraltar – effectively giving the country its strongest hand in the territory for three centuries. So what could come of all this?

1 April 2017

  • Bill Kochevar, who was paralysed eight years ago, but has regained some control of his arm thanks to neuroprosthetics.

    Can thought-control technology be used to overcome physical paralysis?

    A man paralysed from the shoulders down can now raise his arm to eat, thanks to neuroprosthetic implants – and there is hope that the technology will help many others in the future

25 March 2017

  • Various<br>Mandatory Credit: Photo by Garo/Phanie/REX_Shutterstock (1240065bn) Contraceptive pill Various

    Can the contraceptive pill protect women from cancer?

    New research backs up earlier claims that the pill may have some anti-cancer benefits, and suggests the protection might even last for decades

18 March 2017

  • nicola sturgeon holding big red cardboard heart with scotland written in it

    What would a second Scottish vote on independence mean?

    Polls suggest a tighter race than in 2014, and it seems a win-win so far for the SNP: either Nicola Sturgeon secures a compromise from Theresa May on Brexit, or she gets a referendum

11 March 2017

  • Man working out on rowing machine in health club

    Can high-intensity interval training delay the ageing process?

    Researchers have found that short-burst exercise might have rejuvenating effects – but there can be such a thing as too much intensity

17 February 2017

  • the House of Lords chamber.

    Can the article 50 bill be substantially altered or delayed by the House of Lords?

    The bill to trigger Brexit moves to the Lords next week, and a flurry of new amendments will be introduced. This could lead to the bill ping-ponging between the two Houses, and a high-stakes battle of wills

3 February 2017

  • Former French Economy Minister, founder and president of the political movement "En Marche !" (On the move!) and candidate for France's 2017 presidential elections Emmanuel Macron poses prior to a broadcast interview on a set of French TV channel TF1, on February 1, 2017 in Boulogne-Billancourt, near Paris. / AFP PHOTO / Patrick KOVARIKPATRICK KOVARIK/AFP/Getty Images

    Can Emmanuel Macron win the French election?

    With the Socialist party turning sharply left, and the centre-right stuck with a wounded candidate, the head of the youthful new movement En Marche! certainly has a route to the Elysée Palace, but can he beat Marine Le Pen?

21 January 2017

  • tiny premature baby lying on mother's chest in bed<br>AHM94X tiny premature baby lying on mother's chest in bed

    How risky are caesarean births?

    This week an inquest found that Frances Cappuccini, a 30-year-old primary school teacher, died unnecessarily when a caesarean went wrong. What are the dangers – and the facts?

13 January 2017

  • Theresa May and her husband wave outside No 10 Downing Street

    Blind trusts: what do Theresa May and Donald Trump have in common?

    It has emerged that May put her financial affairs into a blind trust on becoming prime minister, and Trump claims he’s done something similar. The idea is to avoid the appearance of any conflict of interest – but it’s never quite that simple

6 January 2017

  • Travelers disrupted by engineering works and delays during Christmas get away in UK<br>epa05687336 Network Rail staff work on tracks at a closed Paddington Station in London, Britain, 24 December 2016. Tens of thousands of people will have their Christmas travel disrupted over the festive period across the UK as Network Rail continues engineering works. Paddington Station is closed for such works with no Heathrow Express trains operating. EPA/ANDY RAIN

    Is Britain’s rail network getting worse?

    Strikes, delays and fare hikes are affecting many train users in the UK. Passengers have good reason to feel the system is falling apart – but this instinct is not necessarily borne out by the facts

23 December 2016

  • Copeland district Cumbria<br>Jamie Reed MP (labour) Copeland district Cumbria

    Who will win the Copeland byelection?

    A byelection in Cumbria triggered by the resignation of Labour MP Jamie Reed presents an opportunity for the Conservatives and Ukip – but Jeremy Corbyn’s party might have more of a chance than they are being given credit for

16 December 2016

  • man using a smartphone in a natural landscape

    Why is the UK's mobile phone coverage so bad?

    A report this week ranked Britain’s 4G service behind Romania and Peru. It’s not quite as simple as that, but patchy signal is still a problem in plenty of the country

9 December 2016

  • Pharmaceutical company Pfizer's HQ

    Could Pfizer's record fine for unfair prices change the industry's practices?

    This week Pfizer and Flynn Pharma were hit with maximum fines for hiking the price of an epilepsy drug by 2,600%. It’s not the first time the government has hit out at such practices in recent times, and it’s unlikely to be the last

18 November 2016

  • Inventor Isis Shiffer wearing her EcoHelmet.

    Is a paper cycle helmet really a good idea?

    The Ecohelmet, which looks a bit like a Christmas decoration, is designed to help users of city bike-hire schemes. But can it be robust enough – and how worthwhile are helmets anyway?
About 44 results for Unanswered questions
123
Explore more on these topics
  翻译：