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The best new books, films and games to enjoy in 2020

Wondering what to read, watch and see this year? Here's our cracking cultural calendar of the most interesting non-fiction, films, games, events and sci-fi in 2020




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Lush island landscape in Polish lake captured from above

To find subjects to photograph, Kacper Kowalski takes to the air in a paramotor or gyrocopter, barely steering to allow the wind to dictate the direction




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How everyone decided trees will save the planet – and why they won’t

Everyone seems to agree trees are a major solution to climate change, but there is a danger that mass reforestation could see us to continue pumping carbon into the atmosphere




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Dazzling damselflies and a SpaceX plume commended by photo awards

An aerial view of crabeater seals in Antarctica, mating damselflies and a twilight rocket launch were among the most lauded entries to the inaugural Nature TTL Photographer of the Year award




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'Europe needs a break': EU plots to restart travel and tourism despite COVID

EU states should guarantee vouchers for travel cancelled during the coronavirus pandemic and start lifting internal border restrictions in a bid to salvage some of the summer tourism season, the bloc's executive will say next week.




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When Design Shapes Brand Identity: Q&A with Huemen’s Dario Distefano

Just like our individual identity makes us unique, brand identity helps a business set itself apart from its competitors in the market. An organization’s brand design shapes a company and its products. We recently caught up with one of our savvy lead...




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Delivering Beyond Expectations, HARMAN is disrupting the market with Audio and Voice technologies across the globe.

Companies across the globe are focused on delivering voice-enabled products to their customers. However, voice technology is a nascent, complicated one that few companies can develop internally, without any collaboration. Enter, HARMAN Embedded Audio. A...




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The fifth season of the ABB FIA Formula E Championship speeds toward a dazzling finale and Harman Kardon is along for the ride

The fifth season of the ABB FIA Formula E Championship has kicked off in style in December 2018 with the SAUDIA Ad Diriyah E-Prix. Since then, the Championship’s 22 participating Gen2 electric cars and drivers have been crisscrossing the planet in 13...




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Harman Kardon Citation Expands Home Audio Series

CES 2020 – LAS VEGAS, NV – JANUARY 6, 2020 – Following the Harman Kardon Citation Series announcement last year, the brand has expanded its wireless speaker series with additional form factors for every room and living space. Outfitted with Harman...




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Don't miss: Maternal artworks, blooming islands and rewarding maths

This week, catch the last few days of an art show that gives mothers their due, explore a land of orchids and discover how loving maths makes us better people




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70,000-year-old remains suggest Neanderthals buried their dead

A Neanderthal skeleton unearthed in a cave in Iraq shows signs of having been deliberately buried – more evidence our cousin species behaved a little like we do




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Don't miss: I Am Not Okay With This, aged brains, and invisible worlds

This week, watch Netflix's I Am Not Okay With This, catch up with positive stories about how our brains age, and listen as a podcast reveals the built world




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I scanned thousands of research images by eye to expose academic fraud

Elisabeth Bik is on a mission to detect duplicate images in scientific papers, exposing either genuine mistakes or signs of fraud. But her work isn't always appreciated, she says




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Thousands of Denisovan tools reveal their Stone Age technologies

A cache of Denisovan tools shows how these extinct humans moved from using sharp stone flakes 150,000 years ago to stone blades and chisels around 60,000 years ago




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Don't miss: Netflix's Altered Carbon, Reply All and our future fossils

This week, listen as Reply All goes down the internet rabbit hole, watch the second series of Netflix's Altered Carbon, and ponder what fossils our culture will leave for the far future




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How to make a sourdough starter and delicious sourdough bread

To make your own sourdough bread, you need to create an environment where wild yeast and bacteria want to hang out. Sam Wong explains how




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Gamifying hate: How alt-right extremists recruit and mobilise online

Julia Ebner infiltrated the hidden forums that extremists use. Her experiences lay bare how they hijack social media and video games to spread hate – and how to beat them




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Don't miss: War in Westworld, the power of sight and unearthly audio

This week, watch as Westworld breaks out of the park and into LA, discover why vision is so important and listen as a drama exploits the weirdness of sound




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Don't miss: Altered Carbon anime and Attenborough reads The Peregrine

This week, listen as David Attenborough reads nature classic The Peregrine, learn how skyscrapers and railway cuttings offer unlikely oases for wildlife, and watch an Altered Carbon anime spin-off




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How to make noodles: the art and science of manipulating gluten

It's easy and fun to make hand-pulled noodles, especially if you understand how gluten is acting inside the dough to make it stretch y and elastic, says Sam Wong




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Don't Miss: Sci-fi suburbia, star woman and London Games Festival

This week, watch a sci-fi film set in an infinitely recursive suburbia, read about the woman who cracked star chemistry and catch great new games




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Farming and art arose in New Guinea at same time as Europe and Asia

New archaeological finds show that New Guinea developed sophisticated cultural practices around the same time as they were emerging in Europe and Asia




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The science of pastry: Master a shortcrust and make a rhubarb tart

Many people feel intimidated by the prospect of making pastry, says Sam Wong, but a little understanding can go a long way to successfully making this beautiful rhubarb tart




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Don’t Miss: Interactive thriller, spring journey and human futures

This week, make your own ending to a thriller set in a locked-down lab, join a nature walk to track Europe’s spring and listen to the trends shaping our future




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Death researcher on pandemics and our fascination with dying

Pandemics of the past can teach us about the current one, says John Troyer, who studies how we use technology to alter the experience of death




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We may now know what our common ancestor with Neanderthals looked like

A prehistoric human species that lived in Europe 1.2 million to 800,000 years ago is emerging as a contender to be our last common ancestor with Neanderthals




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Don’t Miss: US on coronavirus, quake escape and the upside of slowdown

This week, listen as the US debates covid-19, play a struggling survivor of an earthquake-torn city and discover how the planet gains from human progress slowing down




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Oldest ever piece of string was made by Neanderthals 50,000 years ago

A piece of string found in a cave in France is the oldest ever discovered and shows that Neanderthals knew how to twist fibres together to make cords




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Why do so many people become obsessed with UFOs and aliens?

They Are Already Here: UFO culture and why we see saucers by Sarah Scoles tries to find out what's so appealing about hunting UFOs




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Don't Miss: Apple TV's See, cultural creatures and a virtual ISS

Watch Apple TV's See where vision becomes a heresy, discover non-human animals that also rely on culture and enjoy the International Space Station from your own home




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Don't Miss: absurd animals, the chemical age and DIY dancing

Watch Netflix's Absurd Planet explore weird animals, discover the powerful chemical industry and create dance using a choreographer’s motion-capture moves




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Can you really grow enough fruit and veg to be self-sufficient?

There's been a surge in people wanting to grow fruit and vegetables, but the path to self-sufficiency isn't as easy as some may have you think, writes James Wong




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Earth Day at 50: How an idea changed the world and still inspires now

Coronavirus will overshadow Earth Day's golden anniversary, but the movement's successes are worth celebrating, says Gary Paul Nabhan




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Don't Miss: Biohackers on Netflix and a book on social isolation

Medical student Mia gets more than she bargains for in German thriller Biohackers and former US surgeon general Vivek Murthy has a new book about loneliness




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Seagulls aren't menaces – they are fascinating and complex creatures

Gulls are often misunderstood. Many people think of them as chip-stealing pests, but that's just because they haven't spent the time to get to know them, says Madeleine Goumas




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Universal basic income seems to improve employment and well-being

Finland’s two-year test of universal basic income has concluded that it doesn't seem to disincentivise working, and improves recipients’ mental and financial well-being




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Coffee and croissants back on the menu in Italy

Romans flocked to the city's bars and cafes for their caffeine fix on Tuesday - but only takeaway options are permitted.




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Reuters Newsmaker full event: Ryanair’s O’Leary on growth, Brexit, the environment and executive pay

Ryanair Group CEO Michael O’Leary sits down with Reuters Tim Hepher to discuss challenges including industry-wide consolidation, environmental taxes, Brexit, the grounding of the Boeing 737 MAX and his 5-year, 100 million euro bonus package. Watch here the full event.




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Tories and Labour 'peddling fantasies', says Blair

Former British Prime Minister Tony Blair argued that the two major UK parties, Conservative and Labour, are 'peddling fantasies' ahead of the upcoming election.




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Marc Andreessen: Why I hate going public - Felix TV

The Netscape co-founder and high-profile venture capitalist tells Reuters' Felix Salmon that he hates selling companies -- nearly as much as he hates taking them public. What will his investors say?




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A Minute With: Tim Gunn on pajamas and post-quarantine fashion

Even Tim Gunn, the immaculately dressed fashion mentor from "Project Runway" and Amazon's new competition show "Making the Cut," is finding it hard to get out of his pajamas these days.




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Cuba's artists make music and dance on rooftops during lockdown

Cuba's artists are rising to the occasion during the coronavirus lockdown, taking to rooftops and balconies to create music or dance.




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5G and smart cities

As the number of connected devices within the Internet of Things grows, 5G technology could soon become the foundation for greener, safer, more sustainable cities worldwide.




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SpaceX, Blue Origin get contracts to build NASA's astronaut moon lander

NASA on Thursday selected space firms SpaceX, Blue Origin and Dynetics to build lunar landing systems that can carry astronauts to the moon by 2024, the White House's accelerated deadline under the space agency's moon-to-Mars campaign. Jillian Kitchener has more.




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Paving the Way for Autonomous Vehicles – Improving National Readiness through Smart (and Timely) Public Policy

In a new report, KPMG ranks countries' autonomous vehicle (AV) readiness by analyzing how policymakers perform on four pillars: policy and legislation, technology and innovation, infrastructure, and consumer acceptance. The top rankings? The...




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HARMAN Delivers Next-Generation Infotainment, Cybersecurity and OTA Solutions for Great Wall Motor Company

Shanghai Auto Show 2019 – SHANGHAI – April 16, 2019 – HARMAN , a wholly-owned subsidiary of Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd., focused on connected technologies for automotive, consumer and enterprise markets, today announced a continued partnership with the...




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HARMAN and Spotify Collaborate to Usher In New Generation of Automotive Streaming Experience

STAMFORD, Conn. –  SEPTEMBER 26, 2019 – HARMAN International, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd., focused on connected technologies for automotive, consumer and enterprise markets, today announced a new automotive partnership with...




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Quality 2020: Problem Solving to Connect People, Processes, and Technology

In business and in life, measuring progress is a crucial step to staying on track and achieving your goals. After all, how can you determine how far you’ve come without looking back to where you began? As HARMAN continues to celebrate World Quality...




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HARMAN Unveils the HARMAN Ignite Marketplace - Delivering Scalable Automotive Applications and Services

CES 2020 – LAS VEGAS, Nev. – January 6, 2020 – HARMAN, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd., focused on connected technologies for automotive, consumer and enterprise markets, today launched the HARMAN Ignite Marketplace, an...




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HARMAN introduces RCP, expands its Remote Patient Monitoring and Elderly Care offering powered by Intel

STAMFORD, CT –  January 16, 2020 –  HARMAN, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd., focused on connected technologies and solutions for automotive, consumer and enterprise markets, today announced HARMAN RCP, a remote patient...