Why I’m sceptical about a superconductor breakthrough

Matt Ridley

Ateam of South Korean scientists has pre-printed a paper asserting that they have achieved superconductivity at room temperature and atmospheric pressure. The paper has led to widespread speculation that this is the most significant physics discovery in decades, with huge implications for energy, medical technology and computing. Even Jordan Peterson is asking if room-temperature superconductivity […]

The BBC has co-opted bad weather to its alarmist climate crusade

Matt Ridley

Yes, heatwaves are getting more intense thanks to global warming, but the alarmism is shameless   On Tuesday this week in Northumberland, the mercury never even reached 16C. I gather from one or two gentle hints on the BBC – sorry, apocalyptic rants – that it’s a bit hotter in the Mediterranean. My point is […]

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Latvia is alive with song again

Matt Ridley

Every five years Latvia stages a week-long song and dance festival and this year my wife’s Latvian cousins got us tickets to two of the biggest events. I had no idea what to expect. The first evening, in a vast open-air arena in the Mezaparks forest outside Riga, while the light faded behind the tall […]

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Latvia 

Why I’ll be buying a brand new petrol car just before the 2030 ban

Matt Ridley

Britain’s electric vehicle transition and the ban on petrol car sales from 2030 are a slow-motion car crash. The technology is not ready, the cost will be vast, the logistics are forbidding, the reliance on China is worrying and the backlash from the public is likely to be harsh. Worst of all, the benefits are […]

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Sudan’s lab leak threat marks a terrifying new age of biological warfare

Matt Ridley

Labs have boomed in recent years, heightening the danger of a major accident – or indeed sabotage   Last week a horrifying report emerged from Khartoum, where poor Sudanese civilians are being terrorised by internal conflict. Fighters had seized a biological laboratory that houses samples of measles and cholera. It was said that power cuts may threaten the safe […]

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We are losing the war to save red squirrels

Matt Ridley

Two years ago I watched a red squirrel climbing a pine tree at my home in Northumberland. I fear it may be the last time I have that thrill. Twenty years ago they were everywhere in our woods and regular visitors to my bird table. Then in 2003 we saw the first grey squirrel. Almost […]

My unexpected lunch with Nigel Lawson – and Prince Philip

Matt Ridley

When I joined the House of Lords in 2013 I soon realised that, despite its poor reputation, the place contained plenty of wise, quick-witted and courageous minds. None more so than Nigel Lawson who died this week. An intellectual titan who had once almost become a philosophy professor, he was not content to rest on […]

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