business

From ancient star streams to the innards of white dwarfs, the Gaia space telescope has seen it all. On Thursday, mission specialists at the European Space Agency will send Gaia, which is low on fuel, into orbit around the sun, and switch it off after more than a decade of service to the world’s astronomers. … Read more

The vermilion, amethyst and jade ribbons of the northern and southern lights are some of Earth’s most distinctive features. But our planet doesn’t have a monopoly on auroras. Scientists have spied them throughout the solar system, weaving through the skies of Mars, Saturn, Jupiter and even on some of Jupiter’s fiery and icy moons. Lights … Read more

Oatcakes are that glorious thing: portable porridge – a high-fibre, high-energy, pocket-friendly snack that’s almost as good on its own as it is on a cheeseboard with a wedge of Hebridean blue. Commercial versions, however (which often contain some very un-Scottish palm oil), can be so sturdy that they could double as chipboard, but once … Read more

Twenty years ago I had a bad breakup with the mother of my children. The stress and guilt of our split caused me to experience erectile dysfunction. I consulted a doctor and was prescribed Viagra. The day after getting the meds I had very good sex with my girlfriend, but after about a month I … Read more

Childbirth groups have reacted angrily to advice that new mothers should take two hours of exercise a week and avoid using screens before bedtime in the three months after their baby’s birth. Mumsnet, the social network, said that the recommendations – which also include daily pelvic-floor exercises – “seem wildly optimistic about what looking after … Read more

It’s easy to tie yourself in knots trying to find the perfect Mother’s Day gift – but I’m here to tell you that a decent bunch of blooms is still hard to beat. Take it from me – the very tired mum of three young children. All I really want is a long lie down … Read more

Researchers believe they have found a solution to makeup for darker skin tones often appearing ashy or grey once applied. In recent years the market for beauty products designed for people with darker skin tones has boomed, with some brands now offering consumers a huge variety of shades. Now researchers say they have found a … Read more

Non-monogamous people are just as happy in their love lives as those with only one partner but are not “significantly” more sexually satisfied than traditional couples, research suggests. Polyamory, open relationships and swinging are among the many forms of consensual non-monogamy. Polyamory has become increasingly mainstream, with a recent poll showing that one in 25 … Read more

‘The first thing to say is that I’m a terrible swimmer,” says Amber Butchart, curator of a new exhibition on swimming that opens at the Design Museum in London this week. Growing up, school swimming lessons were “horrible, traumatic” – the cold water, the humiliation, the scrutiny from teenage boys. But something shifted when she … Read more

Of all the teenage anxieties that can take root, beard growth – or the lack of it – was the one that really got to Vikram Arora. His facial hair was patchier than a drought-hit lawn and by the time he went to college he was very self-conscious. “You’d have older guys coming in with … Read more