Features
Cover story Tech & Science
Recently declassified top-secret documents reveal the many bizarre—and occasionally scary—schemes behind the frantic scramble to win the space race
The End of the Party
The performance of the Yes campaign in Scotland is just the latest sign of a deep revolution in modern British democracy
No Man Is an Island, but This Woman Is
The Fogo Island Inn is an economic revolution masquerading as a five-star resort
The Scottish Spring: How Did It Happen?
Alex Renton looks at how the Nationalists achieved a revolutionary victory, even in defeat
Spain's Queen Letizia: Divorcee, War Reporter, TV Journalist... Republican?
Letizia Ortiz Rocasolano is an unlikely monarch, but she may be the lifeline Spain's royal family needs
The Dirty Secrets Behind the Race to Put a Man on the Moon
The polished-smooth history of the lunar landings is in fact a tale of bumbling and bickering, full of outlandish schemes that even included nuking the moon
In Focus
Everyone a Winner
There is no medals table. Coming last is as much of an achievement as finishing first - and you can joke around with the organiser afterwards at the Invictus Games. Competitor David Henson puts an arm around Prince Harry before the two of them head off for a pint of beer to celebrate their respective 30th birthdays. The games, dreamt up by the prince, ended after four days of competition between injured servicemen and women from 17 nations.
Launch Slideshow 7 PHOTOS
Periscope
The jihadists that beheaded James Foley were willing to barter him for a 42-year-old neuroscientist
Leaks Claim 40 ISIS Cells Are Waiting to Strike Lebanon
Yet the country's shock-absorption capacity has surprised everyone, even the people who live there
Gay Conversion Therapy Lives On in China
When Xiao Jun thought of his boyfriend, he was zapped with electricity. Now he's suing.
The Looming Gas War Between Europe and Russia
Gas is the Kremlin's biggest weapon, but leaving Europe shivering could backfire on Putin
Addiopizzo: The Grassroots Campaign Making Life Hell for the Sicilian Mafia
Set up by a group of idealistic youths, a popular civic movement is putting Sicilian crime bosses out of business
The Golan Heights May Drag Israel Into Syria
A once peaceful border may drag Israel into the Syrian civil war
Why Europe's Super Rich Are Resorting to Smuggling Cash
Customs officials are seizing a million euros a day from a wealthy elite that is desperate to avoid the taxman's claws
Horizons
Forget black solar panels: the future is transparent and comes from reflective glass on our buildings and our gadgets
A Real-Life Invisibility Cloak Built Out of Nanoscale Metamaterials
Scientists have figured out a way to use nanoparticles to bend light around objects, rendering them invisible
Bad Cops Can Be Fixed With More Video... Maybe Even the Ones in Ferguson
Videos are more visceral than any after-the-fact journalism, and hard to deny.
Cyber Moths With Backpacks Set to Fly Into Disaster Zones
In a game of catch up with the natural world, half-insect, half-machine drones are big news in computer engineering
Is Cancer Lurking in Your Toothpaste? (And Your Soap? And Your Lipstick?)
Colgate Total contains the antibacterial agent triclosan, which mounting evidence suggests may cause cancer
Downtime
Once the game's spiritual home, the country's national sport has been marred by corruption and violence
Beauty in Tragedy
The ruins of the Catskills great resorts make for stunning photographs and grim history lessons
'Your Hour May Be at Hand': Winston Churchill's Letter to Boris Johnson
Via the medium of our political editor, Sir Winston Churchill dictates a remarkable letter to the London mayor, bursting with pithy advice about ambition, enemies and champagne
The Ghosts of Petrograd
A century ago today, St. Petersburg, Russia's most Western city renounced its name
A Bridge to Maher
The host of Real Time With Bill Maher has repeatedly told us the sky was falling, and the events of August have sort of proved him right