In the early 1950s, a team of primate experts studied the behaviour of a troupe of Japanese monkeys inhabiting the tiny island of Kojima. One

Three types of outcomes Unexpected benefits (serendipity, windfall, luck) Unexpected drawbacks Perverse results – contrary effects; the solution made the problem worse (perverse incentives; perverse

One of the most compelling magic tricks is making objects vanish right in front of our eyes. The larger the object, the better. We exclaim

Hype – extravagant, intensive promotion, marketing – also ‘puff’, puffery, propaganda, plug, razzmataz, ballyhoo, fanfare, hoopla, an ingenious or questionably claim to intensify an effect.

The Greek poet Archilochus observed: ‘a fox knows many things, but a hedgehog one important thing’. Two and a half thousand years later this remains

Few words are as contentious in healthcare as rationing. The ‘r’ word conjures up emotive images of inequality, discrimination, cuts to services and avoidable suffering.

My grandfather grew up farming and hunting for sustenance in a wild, dangerous but also achingly beautiful corner of Africa long before the age of