Rough and tumble

Mankind may be tribal and sociable by nature, yet the ‘bliss of solitude’–a state previously reserved for hermits– is the key to achieving inner peace, says Laura Parker

What supernatural folklore reveals about human nature

STEVEN POOLE

Establishing the facts in the sex–gender debate

Jenny Ackland criss-crosses the world to take a look at the clever ways that humans and animals can live together.

My mind does a strange kind of somersault whenever I’m reminded of my approaching 40th birthday. It’s as if the turning of the decade is a complete surprise – when I have, of course, had half a lifeti