Pachyderm politics and the powerful female
Behind every successful elephant dynasty you'll find a wise old matriarch. What does it take to lead the herd?
CultureLab pans for gold in 2014 reads
Here is our preview of the coming crop for lovers of good books and fine ideas
Japan's ageing population could actually be good news
The population of Japan has fallen for the fifth year in a row, but far from doom and gloom, the decline may have benefits – which the rest of the world could learn from
India's hefty 'naughty boy' rocket comes in from cold
Previously feared unreliable, the rocket could allow the country, which is a fledgling space power, to send a robot, and even people, to the moon
The gory details: Pictures of surgery through the ages
Operations used to be a painful and often fatal last resort. We've come a long way – from crudely drilling holes in skulls to brain surgery without breaking the skin
Breast cancer impersonates neurons to invade the brain
Metastatic breast cancer cells evade the brain's defences by evolving characteristics unique to neurons and co-opting their energy source
Ancient hunter-gatherers had rotten teeth
Tooth decay is supposed to be a modern disease, caused by eating starchy crops, but it first became common thousands of years before the origin of farming
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