Stories

Our words and pictures explore the connections between science, medicine, life and art. Dive into a story no matter where in the world you are. (Want to write for us? Here's how.)

A slice of Gifts comic by Rob Bidder. Someone wearing a Christmas hat is leaping with their hands outstretched, from a basket filled with gifts.
  • Comic

Gifts

Gifts. We all get them. Even when we'd rather not.

Part of Body Squabbles

Photograph of a ripped up board game where three board pieces are visible, facing upwards. scattered around the orange table are pieces of the board game, including green houses, red hotels, the board pieces and some fake money. The game title in the money reads "Tantrum". Other squares on the board game read "Collect your keys as you exit the door", "don't chance it", "board-flip station", "community conflict resolution", and "turn on the water works".
  • Serial
Part6

How not to play

Here are seven ways to sidestep doing as you’re told in a game. But strangely, they seem to be as much a part of playing as the game itself.

Part of How to play

Photograph of a woman next to a window which is covered over the outside in rain drops. On the window sill are an assortment of seashells. The woman is looking straight to camera, wearing a grey jacket. Hanging from her jacket pocket are about 10 tampons.
  • Story

Bloody capitalism and the cash flow of the menstrual cycle

Once they thrived on taboos and shame. Now period-product manufacturers are finding new ways to flourish in this era of period activism – but products aren’t the end of the story.

Photograph of an open book on a grey textured background. The book is at an angle with only part of the left hand page visible. The right hand page has a full page illustration of a woman's head, revealing the layers of tissue and bone between her mouth and right eye. Below her head is a floral illustration.
  • In pictures

Our bodies inside out

A series of exquisite ink and watercolour illustrations reveal the incredible things going on under our skin.

Part of Inside Our Books

A slice of Roots comic by Rob Bidder. A figure is checking the soil of a houseplant with their finger.
  • Comic

Roots

What would your houseplants say to you?

Part of Body Squabbles

Revolutions in Surgery

Six pioneering surgeons, six brave patients, six major organs – in six essays: each looks at the human stories behind a revolutionary turning point in surgical history.

Books

Get stuck into one of our books, and explore the complexities of the human condition.

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Photograph of a game of texas hold'em poker. Three cards reading eight of spades, ace of spades and eight of clubs have been dealt face up. To the side are four other hands of two cards which are hidden. A pack of cards waiting to be dealt is visible in the bottom left of the frame. Chips are present for each player, along with the dealer, big blind and small blind tokens. The lighting is moody and picks out the upturned cards. The ace has been decorated with the eye of the illuminati. The backs of the players cards also show the eye of the illuminati in a pyramid.
  • Serial
Part5

How to play in secret

In secret games the strangers around you are playing too. They just don’t know it. Read on for some great ideas for undercover fun at work, school – or almost anywhere.

Part of How to play

Illustration using a montage technique combining monotone photographs and colour graphics, showing a man with a crazed smile and hands and legs going in all directions. He is surrounded by wine glasses and bottles, palying cards and the words, give me more, want, money, now, buy, new, sex. Behind him against a red background are orange streamer and yellow stars. Either side of the frame are yellow and black hazard tape strips.
  • Article

Dating on dopamine

Drug treatment for Parkinson’s can come with an unwanted side serving of compulsive behaviour, as Pete Langman discovered. Read about his dating journey in a dopamine cloud.

Photograph of an open page of a book showing an inserted booklet open at a double page with an illustration of a woman on each page. The illustration contains the colour palette of red, purple and violet. In each illustration the woman is using a wired handheld apparatus held against her scalp and upper arm.
  • In pictures

Tesla, quacks and violet rays

Imagine a device that can treat everything from baldness to gout. Too good to be true? Yes, and it was banned – but not before hundreds were hoodwinked.

Part of Inside Our Collections

Slice of socialisation comic by Rob Bidder. The slice depicts a sponge wringing itself, with a pool of water forming below it.
  • Comic

Socialisation

We are sponges in the sink of society.

Part of Body Squabbles

Photograph of a scrabble board filled with high scoring words to the left of the frame. In the centre there are several words interlaced with each other that read 'Try Harder Loser'. The background colour is apple green.
  • Serial
Part4

How to play with people who are better than you

It’s frustrating to lose a game to the same player every time. But help is at hand. Discover the ways you can make a game respond dynamically to participants so everyone has a chance of winning.

Part of How to play

Photograph of the corner of a room showing the walls and a section of the wooden floor. On the floor is an arrangement of cardboard boxes. Onto the whole scene is projected an image of a forest and an elephant. The boxes have assumed the shape of the elephant and have its image projected onto their sides.
  • Book extract

Why make-believe matters

Michael Rosen explores the point of play, and reveals why we should all do a little more daydreaming.

Part of Inside Our Books