As tens of thousands return to the streets for the first national Palestine march of 2026, this movement refuses to be sidelined or silenced, says PETER LEARY
Latest editorial
Viruses: a new form of ‘life’?
The Science and Society team report on recent discoveries in the biology of viruses
If the government really wanted to address public finances, improve living standards and begin economic recovery, it would increase its borrowing for investment, argues MICHAEL BURKE
MATT KERR takes a winter journey through poetry, labour and memory, from Glasgow to Newcastle, arguing that our radical past isn’t something to revere from a distance, but a tool still meant to be used
One of Canada’s most revered politicians is a native of Falkirk but is relatively unknown in his original homeland. KENNY MacASKILL tells his story
Labour prospects in May elections may be irrevocably damaged by Birmingham Council’s costly refusal to settle the year-long dispute, warns STEVE WRIGHT
HENRY FOWLER and ROB POOLE explain the significance of today’s Megapicket
VIRUSES get a bad rap. Most of us only really think about them when they cause diseases, such as Ebola. They’re viewed as the quintessential hangers-on: bits of genetic material floating around that must leech off living cells to multiply and reproduce. As such, they’re often thought of as not “really” alive.
Indeed, the three of us can dimly remember from school a ridiculous mnemonic for the seven signs that supposedly distinguish life from non-life: “MRS NERG” (or “MRS GREN,” depending on your teacher).
Knowing that viruses fail on a number of those arbitrary metrics — eg R for respiration — would help you pass your biology GCSE.
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