Polynesians

The mystery of Rapa Nui’s moai may be solved

20 September 2025 9:00 am

The vast, painstakingly carved stone figures are thought to represent ancestors – and their partial destruction to signify punishment for their failure as guardians

Are all great civilisations doomed?

4 May 2024 9:00 am

If plague, war or natural disasters don’t destroy our own, then ‘a cascading systems failure’ seems likely, on past evidence, says Paul Cooper