Christmas Specials

The wibbly-wobbly circle of life

Deadly, dirty, indispensable: the nitrogen industry has changed the world

It lays waste to ecosystems, allows wars to kill millions and has kept billions from starvation

When money dies

The great inflation of the 1500s is echoing eerily today

Inflations past have lessons for today

Take me out to the ball game

Why cricket and America are made for each other

The world’s second-most-popular sport and biggest sports market are about to meet

City planning

The decline of the city grid

The oldest form of city planning is falling out of fashion

Puppy love

What makes certain dogs popular in certain countries

Why a starring film role matters for particular breeds of dog

Hot spot

How will the haj change as global temperatures rise?

Keeping pilgrims safe will become harder and costlier as the world gets hotter

Through a crystal curtain

The Chinese celebrate Tang poetry as a pinnacle of their culture

Can poetry come alive to those who must read it in translation?

Crossword

Can you solve our Christmas crossword?

Test yourself with our cryptic challenge

A forced brotherhood

Why Russia has never accepted Ukrainian independence

It might have, had it chosen democracy

Teach your children well

Does good parenting in Hong Kong mean submitting to the Party?

Some say no. Some say yes. And some leave

It takes a village

Scenes from an almost vanished Singapore

Holdouts in a rich country’s last rural settlement

Gimme shelter

The rise and rise of corrugated iron

The past and present of an unfairly ignored building material