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The Nature vs. Nurture Debate in Modern ScienceThe Guardian's science podcast delves into one of the most enduring questions in behavioral science: to what extent are our behaviors shaped by our genetic makeup versus our environment? This exploration comes at a time when advances in genetic research are providing unprecedented insights into the biological foundations of human behavior.Understanding Genetic Influences on BehaviorRecent research in genetics has revealed that certain behaviors and personality traits have measurable heritable components. Studies of twins, family patterns, and molecular genetics have identified specific genes associated with various behavioral tendencies, from risk-taking to empathy. However, these genetic influences rarely operate in isolation, typically interacting with environmental factors in complex ways.The Epigenetics RevolutionPerhaps most fascinating is the emerging field of epigenetics, which studies how environmental factors can influence gene expression without changing the underlying DNA sequence. This research suggests that experiences, from early childhood nutrition to traumatic events, can literally turn genes on or off, potentially affecting behavior across generations.Implications for Personal ResponsibilityAs our understanding of genetic influences on behavior grows, so do important ethical questions. If certain behaviors have genetic components, how does this affect our notions of personal responsibility and free will? The podcast explores these philosophical questions alongside the scientific evidence, offering a nuanced perspective on this complex issue.The Future of Behavioral GeneticsWith advances in CRISPR technology and large-scale genomic studies, researchers are poised to make even more discoveries about the genetic basis of behavior. This podcast serves as an accessible introduction to these developments, helping listeners understand both the potential benefits and ethical considerations of this rapidly evolving field.

The LeadAs the UK gets ready to have its seventh prime minister in 10 years, the question arises: how long before a revolving door is installed at 10 Downing Street? With this in mind, we take a look at TV's best fictional British PMs. The Countdown of Fictional Prime MinistersFrom villainous schemers to beleaguered leaders, here's our countdown of the all-time top 20 fictional British PMs. 20. Stephen Fry as Alastair Davies – 24: Live Another Day (2014)Dammit, Chloe, I’m driving on the wrong side of the road! Jack Bauer came to London for this comeback series of the real-time preposto-thriller. The US president was in the UK to negotiate a treaty with PM Davies (Stephen Fry) – half David Cameron, half Boris Johnson, all horror – when assassins, hackers and armed drones all made nuisances of themselves. Only Kiefer Sutherland’s butt-kicking Bauer could save the day. 19. Hugh Laurie as Peter Laurence – Roadkill (2020)Anything Fry could do, his old comedy comrade Hugh Laurie could do more snakily. In David Hare’s conspiracy drama, corrupt Conservative populist Laurence was beset by scandal. He not only had affairs and illegitimate children but was culpable in the deaths of several tenants in properties he owned. 18. Robert Carlyle as Robert Sutherland – Cobra (2020-23)Robert Carlyle portrayed the beleaguered Tory PM in three series of Sky’s creaky political thriller. He was constantly packed off to the Cabinet Office Briefing Rooms for emergency meetings about power grid failures, cyber attacks or eco protesters. 17. Rory Kinnear as Nicol Trowbridge – The Diplomat (2023-present)Rory Kinnear has played two different TV PMs. A certain one ranks higher. In Netflix’s political thriller, tantrum-prone Trowbridge is a punchable leader who is suspected of orchestrating a terrorist attack on a British aircraft carrier and stirring up war with Russia to boost his public support. 16. Suranne Jones as Abigail Dalton – Hostage (2025)This twist-packed Netflix potboiler starred Suranne Jones as a plucky PM whose aid worker husband was kidnapped during a state visit by the French president. As Dalton steadfastly refused to give in to blackmail and raced to unmask the terrorists, what followed was a tangled web of military spending cuts, NHS drug shortages, and illegal migrant crossings. The Rest of the Top 20The article continues with the rest of the top 20 fictional prime ministers, featuring characters from various TV shows.

The Earliest Plague Outbreak RevealedThe earliest evidence for an outbreak of plague has been uncovered at late stone age cemeteries in south-eastern Siberia where dozens of hunter-gatherers and their children were buried. Ancient DNA collected from the remains suggests the disease tore through the sparse communities in devastating waves that began about 5,500 years ago, at least two centuries after the bacterium responsible, Yersinia pestis, first emerged.Transmission from Wildlife to HumansThe hunter-gatherers probably became infected after butchering or eating raw marmots, a risky practice that still causes plague deaths today. After spilling over from the chunky ground squirrels, the primary animal reservoir in the area, the disease spread from person to person, decimating families and others in close contact.Disproportionate Impact on ChildrenThe work resolves a longstanding mystery of why so many children were among the dead at one cemetery in particular, named Ust-Ida, on the bank of the Angara River north-west of Lake Baikal, the oldest and deepest lake in the world. While older hunter-gatherers might have survived past brushes with the disease and gained some immunity, young children were exceptionally vulnerable. At least two-thirds of the dead at two of the cemeteries were under 15 years old. Many who died shared graves with siblings or other family members.Scientific Analysis of Ancient RemainsThe international team, including researchers in Copenhagen, Alberta, Cambridge and London, analysed dental pulp in the teeth of skeletons excavated from the cemeteries. Tests on 42 hunter-gatherers buried at four cemeteries on the Angara river found that 18 of them (39%) contained Y pestis DNA, a higher proportion than is seen in some medieval plague pits. Given the high chance of false negatives, where infections are missed because the DNA is too degraded, the scientists suspect all those buried may have died from plague.Two Distinct Outbreaks IdentifiedWriting in Nature, the researchers describe how the ancient DNA points to two distinct outbreaks, with the first starting about 5,500 years ago and the second 400 to 600 years later. Further analysis showed that Y pestis emerged at least 5,700 years ago, after splitting from its ancestor, a bug called Yersinia pseudotuberculosis, which can cause abdominal pain, fever, diarrhoea and vomiting.Evolution of the Plague PathogenScientists have questioned whether the very earliest forms of plague were deadly, because they lacked virulence genes that allowed bubonic plague to spread through fleas and rodents. The Y pestis found at the Lake Baikal cemeteries carried a superantigen, or toxic protein, that could trigger severe immune reactions, raising the risk of the disease being particularly lethal for children, the researchers found.Implications for Understanding Disease HistoryPlague outbreaks conjure up images of densely populated, rat-infested cities in the middle ages, but the latest work shows that small communities of ancient hunter-gatherers were far from safe. "If you're a prehistoric hunter-gatherer, you're going to be in contact with a lot more wild species than an early farmer, and it's the wild species that are primarily the reservoirs of the disease, not the domesticated animals," said researcher Ruairidh Macleod.

The Lead Watching a comedian crumble onstage is hellish. In Ted Walliker's new play, the performer's breakdown is deliberate but the show's wider ambitions miss their mark. The Event Details Pitched as a standup set that swivels into an absurd faux-confessional, this first foray into co-production for Riverside Studios is a one-man tangent. The trouble starts with how quickly the framing device of a standup show is shoved aside. The Performance When bumbling posh-boy comedian Tony (Walliker) fails to get the laughs he wants, he tries on a tougher persona and launches into a violent story of misadventure with Mike, his best friend, long-time crush and all-round scoundrel. The Impact Analysis Into this second show we leap: a slapdash, Tarantino-esque odyssey told with non sequiturs and a total lack of consequences. The lightly told tale arbitrarily ticks off kidnaps, gangsters and cannibalism, with some thinly written nods to unrequited love as Tony avoids telling us what's really wrong. The Prediction There are big, bold expressions of creativity here. The most striking comes with the extravagant reveal of the set, hinting at the story coming to life around Tony, or at him falling too far into his own telling. Walliker has given himself a gargantuan task in writing, performing and co-directing the show (with Lev Govorovski, with whom he also designed the set and costumes), as well as doing the lighting and sound.

The Pinnacle: A Mumbai Murder Mystery In Abir Mukherjee's 'The Pinnacle', set in a Mumbai apartment block, the immensely rich and those who serve them exist side by side but worlds apart. Fading American actor George Abercrombie, married to superstar Sweety Sahota, discovers his wife stabbed to death in their marital bed with one of his blood-stained shirts in the laundry basket. Told from multiple viewpoints including George, his assistant Amit, and Sweety's PA Gemma, this novel weaves a tense, fast-paced tale of class, power and corruption with dry humor and social commentary. A Violent Masterpiece: LA's Dark Underbelly Jordan Harper's 'A Violent Masterpiece' is set in the dark, amoral world of LA. The story follows three protagonists: Jake, who livestreams crime scenes; Kara, who works for Sub Rosa, a concierge service for the wealthy; and Gibson, a public defense lawyer. When Kara's colleague goes missing and she suspects it's the work of the LA Ripper, their worlds converge. Harper's novel, told in apocalyptic language with shades of James Ellroy and Tom Wolfe, explores greed in all its forms in an intense, chaotic narrative. Murder on the Red River: A Native American Perspective Marcie R Rendon's debut novel 'Murder on the Red River' introduces Cash Blackbear, a 19-year-old Ojibwe woman living on the North Dakota/Minnesota border in 1970. When an Ojibwe man is murdered, Cash helps Sheriff Wheaton's investigation, putting herself at risk. Rendon beautifully writes not just about individual crime but also the systemic crimes committed against Native Americans, such as the forcible removal of children from their families. This first novel in a projected series features an appealing central character and promises more to come. The Devoted: Triad Secrets in Hong Kong Catherine Cho's 'The Devoted' explores generational trauma and limited choice among the rich and powerful in Hong Kong. The narrator Eunha, daughter of a key player in the Triad crime syndicate, has her pampered existence as a 'tai tai' (wealthy wife) disrupted when her young son is kidnapped. After being judged unfit to look after him, she takes a job as a nightclub hostess and begins to understand the extent to which she and her family have been caught up in her father's criminal world. Told in alternating chapters between present and past, this novel offers a female perspective on 'The Godfather'. The Repentants: 18th Century Scottish Domestic Noir Kate Foster's fourth historical mystery, 'The Repentants', begins in 1790 in St Monans on the east coast of Scotland. When Florrie Aitken, the underappreciated wife of important local businessman Jonny, is caught with a lover, she is forced into a humiliating public act of repentance where she meets Eliza Wood, similarly punished for failing to attend church. As Jonny plans revenge on his wife and takes both women to Iceland, a bond forms between them as they plot their escape. This intelligent, atmospheric novel offers a unique 18th-century domestic noir perspective.

Podcast Overview: Birds as Living Dinosaurs Release date: 20 June 2026 – The Guardian launched a science podcast titled “The dinosaurs who survived the asteroid” that examines why birds are considered the living heirs of the extinct dinosaurs. Episode Highlights and Expert Insights Interview with leading paleontologists who discuss recent discoveries about avian skull morphology. Reference to a Guardian article: Scientists believe birds’ skulls hold clues to inner lives of long‑extinct dinosaurs. Promotion of related reading: The Story of Birds (available from the Guardian Bookshop). Support link for the podcast series: theguardian.com/sciencepod. Scientific Evidence Linking Birds to Dinosaurs Recent studies highlighted in the episode show that the micro‑structure of modern bird skulls mirrors that of theropod dinosaurs, providing concrete anatomical evidence of a direct evolutionary line. Why This Changes Our View of Modern Fauna Understanding birds as surviving dinosaurs reshapes ecological narratives, emphasizing continuity rather than abrupt extinction. It also influences conservation priorities by framing avian species as living fossils with deep evolutionary significance. Future Research Directions in Avian Paleontology High‑resolution CT scanning of bird skulls to map evolutionary traits. Comparative genomic studies linking avian DNA to theropod sequences. Field expeditions targeting Cretaceous sites to uncover transitional fossils. Photograph: Pascal Goetgheluck/ESRF/PA

Top Ukrainian officials said they will return the Polish awards they received after President Volodymyr Zelenskyy was stripped of the Order of the White Eagle, intensifying a diplomatic row over the legacy of the World II Ukrainian Insurgent Army (UPA).Ukrainian Officials Announce Return of Polish DecorationsKyrylo Budanov, chief of staff to President Zelenskyy, Ukraine’s ambassador to Warsaw Vasyl Bodnar, and Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha confirmed on Saturday that they will relinquish the honors bestowed by Poland. The decision follows a decree on May 26 in which Zelenskyy named a military unit after the UPA, a group accused of massacring Poles during the war.Timeline and Key Decrees Highlight the Escalation2023: Zelenskyy received the Order of the White Eagle from former Polish President Andrzej Duda.May 26, 2026: Zelenskyy issues a decree naming a unit after the Ukrainian Insurgent Army.June 19, 2026: Polish President Karol Nawrocki announces the revocation of the Order of the White Eagle.June 20, 2026: Budanov, Bodnar and Sybiha publicly state they will return their Polish awards.Strained Polish‑Ukrainian Relations and Regional RepercussionsPolish officials, including President Nawrocki, emphasized that the UPA is seen in Poland as responsible for “cruel crimes against the citizens of the Polish Republic during World War II.” While Nawrocki stressed that the decision would not end Poland’s support for Ukraine against Russia, Ukrainian officials described the revocation as “an unfriendly act toward our people” and a “gift to the Moscow aggressor.” Prime Minister Donald Tusk warned that the conflict “delights Putin and shocks our allies,” urging both sides to calm tensions.Potential Paths Forward for Bilateral TiesThe return of the awards signals a willingness by Kyiv to de‑escalate, but the underlying historical dispute remains unresolved. Continued diplomatic dialogue, possibly mediated through NATO or the EU, will be essential to prevent further deterioration and to keep the broader security partnership against Russia intact.

The LeadEngland demonstrated a significant tactical shift under new manager Thomas Tuchel, unleashing aggressive, entertaining football in their World Cup opener against Croatia. The team's second-half performance marked a clear departure from the cautious approach of the Southgate era, signaling a potential new direction for English football.The Tactical TransformationWalking away from Dallas Stadium, feet throbbing in the heat of the late-evening Texas tarmac, it was tempting to picture the scene inside England's dressing room three hours earlier, the score 2-2 at half-time against a perky Croatia, with Thomas Tuchel's side in danger of slipping into a familiar tournament pattern of entropy and angst.There are no second acts in American World Cup lives. Except, it turns out, if your manager can find the right words after a first half during which England played episodic, mechanical football, when they seemed to be still in the old-mannered routines, assembling their siege towers and engines of war, football reduced to the status of stuff that happens in between corners.The Performance AnalysisThis was a genuine break from the usual narrative pattern of these occasions, those days when England fade and wilt, the football of the plodding drum. Instead, England had more, not less, energy as the game progressed. They took 22 shots at goal, three-quarters of them in that second half. In their last tournament opener, the 1-0 win against Serbia, they had four shots all game and played like a team trying to run a marathon inside a Victorian diving suit.The most notable part was the sense of seeing an era-shift happen in real time. If the first half felt like the least flattering notes of Southgate-ism, the second was something closer to whatever it is Tuchel wants England to do now, hunters not gatherers, a team that believes it can actively win games of football rather than waiting for its opponents to die of old age.The Impact on English FootballPlus, with all due respect to the cultural impact of Southgate's England, we got a glimpse in Dallas of what a genuinely elite tactical manager might do with that legacy. There will be a lot of talk about the Surge, that period after half-time when England basically ran all over Croatia, as the midfield pressed harder up the pitch and played more aggressive and more accurate vertical passes.Tuchel talked afterwards about England's fans enjoying this spectacle in the pub, and there is a point here about connection, the way people want to see their team play, the way England fans support the team. The Surge wasn't exactly pub football, four-pints football. It felt more chemical, more wired and wild-eyed, football of the pre-match buttock-launching firework party.The Road AheadNobody with any sense of scale is suggesting England are now ready to win a World Cup, or that they didn't look in Dallas like a team that could just as easily lose one. But there are positives. They have now played a proper fixture and beaten a good team, both firsts in the Tuchel era. Key attacking players have scored and assisted. Marcus Rashford, an excellent impact sub, looked happy and loose and frankly quite alarming to all those tiring thirtysomething defenders out there.The point has been made that England played like a Premier League team, but they were more like a Premier League team of the 2000s, all galloping adrenaline, running power, the can't-live-with-it thrusts. This is not in itself a recipe for victory against elite opponents. But the key is that this team has that in its chamber. The ability to overwhelm is in there. The backpack is loaded with ordnance. The Surge was a warning to the rest of the field that while you will have chances to take this team down, you're also going to get clipped yourself.

The New Blood Test A new maternal blood test that can detect thousands of serious genetic conditions in the developing foetus could limit the need for invasive screening during pregnancy, according to scientists. How the Test Works The test, known as non-invasive foetal sequencing (NIFS), relies on detecting tiny fragments of a foetus’s DNA that circulate in the mother’s bloodstream during pregnancy. Using advanced sequencing techniques, scientists were able to identify a very high proportion of genetic conditions, such as cystic fibrosis, that are currently only reliably diagnosed using amniocentesis or other invasive tests. The Data Analysis The researchers tested NIFS on 565 pregnancies at an average of 17 weeks of gestation. By sequencing the small fragments of DNA and using advanced computing methods, they were able to identify genetic variants across nearly 23,000 genes in each foetus. Checking their findings against those from either amniocentesis or CVS, they found that their test picked up 95-99% of the genetic variants found by the invasive methods and more than 97% of clinically relevant variants. The Impact Analysis The new technique could be used as a safer, equally accurate screening tool in all pregnancies, according to Dr Christopher Whelan, a senior computational scientist at the Broad Institute of Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Harvard University. The test could detect thousands of serious genetic conditions, including Noonan syndrome, Charge syndrome, Stickler syndrome, achondroplasia and dozens of other rare genetic disorders. The Prediction Prof Alexandre Reymond of the University of Lausanne said: “Sequencing the entire genome of a foetus without even getting a sample from that foetus is a tour de force. It immediately opens up treatment and prevention opportunities and means that reproductive medicine will be changed for ever.” However, Prof Angus Clarke, a clinical geneticist at Cardiff University, warned that using the test for exploratory screening could turn up genes of unknown significance, causing huge anxiety for parents and potentially placing babies on an unnecessary path of surveillance and medicalisation.