Apollo in 50 numbers: The workers
Richard Hollingham Features correspondent Nasa In the first of BBC Future’s stories recounting the Apollo program in 50 numbers, we look at the people who helped make the Moon missions reality. 400,000: Total Apollo workforce Neil Armstrong was one of Nasa’s most accomplished pilots. As he descended towards the lunar surface on 20 July 1969, […]
Can you ever change a violent psychopath’s mind?
Linda Geddes Features correspondent Alamy To make our streets safer, efforts are underway to devise new treatments for repeatedly violent offenders. For the purposes of this article, imagine this scenario. It’s a Saturday night in a busy city-centre pub. Feeling bored, Tony picks up the empty beer bottle on the table in front of him […]
The wall holding back a desert
Getty Images (Credit: Getty Images) There is a wall appearing across the African continent, dividing north and south. But this wall isn’t to keep migrants out, or to keep smuggled goods in check. It is holding back sand. You have to watch where you step in Paga, on the very edge of northern Ghana. Wander […]
How you can make better predictions
Getty Images A few individuals have a heightened ability to forecast what will happen to companies, the economy and politics. What traits do they share? Some people have a gift for predicting the future. Not a vague, ambiguous prediction, but reasoned, cautious and thoughtful foresight. These people can see the likelihood of a companies’ commercial […]
Countdown to Rio 2016: Olympic sport this week
Athletics: The 2016 World Half Marathon Championships, external take place in Cardiff on Saturday. All eyes will be on Britain’s double Olympic champion Mo Farah, who skipped last week’s World Indoor Championships to compete in Wales. Cycling – BMX: The opening round of the 2016 BMX Supercross World Cup (25-26 March) takes place in Argentina, […]
Wales’ Jade Jones wins taekwondo gold at London 2012
In the process Jones became only the third Welsh woman to win Olympic gold following 4x100m swimmer Irene Steer at the 2012 Stockholm Games and road cyclist Nicole Cooke in Beijing in 2008. Sport Wales chair Laura McAllister paid tribute to Flint-bred Jones, who won Team GB’s 25th gold, saying: “We are immensely proud of […]
What do the world’s media make of London 2012?
The opening ceremony and the way it told Britain’s far-reaching story was very striking and moving; the storytelling was unique and nuanced, and showed many sides of the British story. Jessica Ennis probably tops the list of athletes who have impressed me and will stick in my memory; she seems to so deeply enjoy her […]
Why millions of Chinese men are staying single
Rob Budden Features correspondent Getty Images The gender gap is a big problem in the Middle Kingdom – and its ‘leftover men’ are going to great lengths to find a wife. In China, there is a name for unmarried men over 30. Shengnan, meaning “leftover men” have yet to find a wife – and in […]
Cheesy? Yes. But here’s how a reunion could get you a job
Lennox Morrison Features correspondent Getty Images/Marc Romanelli Beyond retro? The idea of being frozen in time to your former classmates can help you if you know how to make the most of it (Credit: Getty Images/Marc Romanelli) Cheesy? Laughable? No longer just an opportunity to mock the people you once hated in school, the much […]
The people who play Pokemon Go at work, with the boss’s OK
Nick Clayton Features correspondent Socialfly Disha Singh and Rebecca Lipstein, interns at Socialfly, play Pokemon Go in New York City during their workday, with the boss’s blessing. (Credit: Socialfly) What’s behind Pokemon Go at work? Simple: ‘Work is boring. Games aren’t.’ A group of young women fall laughing and talking excitedly into a trendy office […]