There are so many negative numbers and statistics flying around at the moment, it's a little overwhelming. So let me tell you an inspiring story about numbers: it will be a relief to think about ...

If you’ve ever flown across the world, you’ll know one thing for sure: it’s a very, very long way. It’s not the biggest planet in our solar system by a long way, but in terms of the perspective of a ...

Born around 276 B.C. in Cyrene, Libya, Eratosthenes soon became one of the most famous mathematicians of his time. He is best known for making the first recorded measurement of the Earth’s ...

Every once in a while, a hoax or claim that's so spectacularly absurd goes viral that even the most circumspect bystanders can be taken in. Yet science doesn't stop being true just because some people ...

Some days the world feels really big and some days it feels quite small, but as you might suspect, it doesn't actually change size. Here in the 21st century, we know the circumference, density, and ...

In the mid-20th century, we began launching satellites into space that would help us determine the exact circumference of the Earth: 40,030 km. But over 2000 years earlier, a man in Ancient Greece ...

You might have heard that the Earth was earlier believed to be flat. You might have even laughed at the thought, but if you try and empathise with those who lived thousands of years ago, it would not ...

IN Sky and Telescope of September, under the heading “Saluting an Astronomer”, Joseph R. Habes has an article which describes the method adopted by Eratosthenes for measuring the circumference of the ...

From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or ...