A cool flame: how Gaia theory was born out of a secret love affair
Scientist James Lovelock gave humanity new ways to think about our home planet – but some of his biggest ideas were the fruit of a passionate collaboration. By Jonathan Watts. Help support our indepen...
25 Nov 202431min
‘You tried to tell yourself I wasn’t real’: what happens when people with acute psychosis meet the voices in their heads?
In avatar therapy, a clinician gives voice to their patients’ inner demons. For some of the participants in a new trial, the results have been astounding. By Jenny Kleeman. Help support our independen...
22 Nov 202447min
10 years of the long read: The disastrous voyage of Satoshi, the world’s first cryptocurrency cruise ship (2021)
As the Long Read turns 10 we are raiding the archives to bring you a favourite piece from each year since 2014, with new introductions from the authors. This week from 2021: Last year, three cryptocur...
20 Nov 202442min
The cement company that paid millions to Isis: was Lafarge complicit in crimes against humanity?
The French cement giant started operating in Syria just before the civil war erupted. When Islamic State took over the region, Lafarge paid them protection money so it could keep trading. The conseque...
18 Nov 202452min
Journalist or Russian spy? The strange case of Pablo González
As a Spanish reporter, Pablo González charmed his way into Russian opposition circles and covered Putin’s wars. Then, in 2022, he was arrested on suspicion of espionage. Many former associates now bel...
15 Nov 202448min
10 years of the long read: The invisible city: how a homeless man built a life underground (2020)
As the Long Read turns 10 we are raiding the archives to bring you a favourite piece from each year since 2014, with new introductions from the authors. This week from 2020: After decades among the hi...
13 Nov 202444min
Has poppymania gone too far?
Over the past 20 years, the symbol of remembrance for the war dead has become increasingly ubiquitous – and a culture of poppy policing has grown with it. By Samira Shackle. Help support our independe...
11 Nov 202430min
Slash and burn: is private equity out of control?
From football clubs to water companies, music catalogues to care homes, private equity has infiltrated almost every facet of modern life in its endless search to maximise profits. By Alex Blasdel. Hel...
8 Nov 202437min
