On 14 January 1878, Queen Victoria welcomed a special guest and his newest invention to Osborne House, her private retreat on the Isle of Wight. In fact, the encounter was significant enough to warran

As the days stretch out, so does our sense of possibility – brighter mornings, longer evenings and more time to focus on ourselves

Such was George III’s passion for astronomy that he had an observatory built to observe the transit of Venus. Although his interest remains unrivalled, scientific curiosity gripped the Royal Family for centuries, as Matthew Dennison reveals

GLOBAL EYE Showcasing the incredible world we live in

What do our beloved hostelries have to do with the discovery of DNA, the D-Day landings and The Lord of the Rings ? Everything, as Ashleigh Arnott discovers

Jo Marchant In Search of Now The science and mystery of the present moment 336pp. Canongate. £20. Robert M. Hazen and Michael L. Wong Time’s Second Arrow Evolution, order, and a new law of nature 176p