Rembrandt and Saskia: a love story for the ages
In 2019, exhibitions across the Netherlands will mark the 350th anniversary of Rembrandt’s death. And at their heart lie the portraits of his wife, charting their short, doomed marriage
Read moreThe New Review
Keep on running with this smart sport tech
Five of the best aids for athletes, from sophisticated monitors and tracking apps to shoes that promise to boost your performance
Read moreSri Lanka, the land of the disappeared – a photo essay
Moises Saman’s latest work captures the terrible aftermath of the country’s civil war among its Tamil minority
Read moreAkram Khan: Xenos review – a work of defining greatness
Sadler’s Wells, London
Khan’s final solo performance, as an Indian ex-soldier reliving the horror of the trenches, is a dazzling test of endurance
‘Painting is a high-wire act’: Olivia Laing on sitting for the artist Chantal Joffe
While being painted, author Olivia Laing pens her own portrait of Chantal Joffe and hears why painting is like hairdressing
Read moreThe One Who Wrote Destiny by Nikesh Shukla review – funny and fascinating
This tale about a British-Asian family tackles trauma and intergenerational relationships with wit and wisdom
Read morePsychologist Ellen Hendriksen: ‘We are each our own worst critic’
The clinical psychologist’s new book studies the negative effects and benefits of social anxiety in the age of social media
Read moreChina’s great leap forward in science
Chinese investment is paying off with serious advances in biotech, computing and space. Are they edging ahead of the west?
Read moreCancer, Clare and me: actor Greg Wise on the death of his sister
A year after the death of his beloved sister, Wise talks about caring for Clare in her last days, and the blog, now a book, they wrote together
Read morePad Man review – one man’s life-affirming crusade for women
The tale of one man’s mission to bring sanitary towels to millions in India gets the Bollywood treatment
Read moreBook clinic: recommended literary page-turners
This week, our expert suggests a selection of books to rekindle the joy of reading in even the most battle-hardened litterateur
Read moreThe search for the perfect painkiller
Millions of Americans are hooked on painkillers – thousands die as a result. Scientists are striving to design a new, safer generation of opioids
Read moreI’m drunk, shrunk and still shunned by Virgin
‘Dear R Branson… now the Observer is tabloid-sized, would you consider stocking it?’
Read morePyeongchang 2018: welcome to the future…
In the first of a new series on ideas and advances in science, nature and tech, we look at the innovations coming to this year’s Winter Olympics
Read moreHow to get the best out of exercise
Conflicting theories on how to maximise exercise would stretch anyone to the limit. As New Year fitness plans begin in earnest, here’s a scientific response to some frequently asked questions
Read moreSophie Scott: ‘Laughter works as a behaviourally contagious phenomenon’
The neuroscientist giving this year’s Royal Institution Christmas lectures on doing standup comedy and why rats laugh
Read more