On a set of broken clay bowls from northern Mesopotamia, delicate flower patterns have turned out to be something far more radical than decoration. New analysis of this ancient art suggests that early ...

Whether it's Michelangelo's Sistine Chapel ceiling, Andy Warhol's Campbell's soup cans, or ancient humans' lustrous cave paintings, the creation of art is an inherently human story. By applying a ...

Mathematics is beautiful: intellectually elegant, exquisitely austere and pretty. Yes, pretty. Like, pretty to look at. That aesthetic beauty was easy to see at the 2009 Joint Mathematics Meetings in ...

Scientists analyze the world’s complexity to identify its underlying universal laws. Mystics immerse themselves in life’s complexity to experience a spiritual unity. And Arab artists from the eighth ...

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 ...