The best of the long read in 2025

"When fossilised remains were discovered in the Djurab desert in 2001, they were hailed as radically rewriting the history of our species. But not everyone was convinced and the bitter argument that followed has consumed the lives of scholars ever since The rise and fall of the British cult that hid in plain sight Barbara Speed Philippa Barnes was a child when her family joined the Jesus Fellowship. As an adult, she helped expose the shocking scale of abuse it had perpetrated"

"Many of his supporters hoped the prime minister would restore the UK's commitment to international law. Yet Labour's record over the past year has been curiously mixed The Black Swan follows a repentant master criminal as she sets up corrupt clients in front of hidden cameras. But is she really reformed and is the director up to his own tricks? From murder scenes to whale blubber, Ben Giles has seen it and cleaned it all. In their stickiest hours, people rely on him to restore"

Victor Pelevin continues to sell millions despite earlier satirical opposition to authoritarianism, raising questions about his stance toward the Kremlin. Mustafa joined regime forces to escape prison and now faces mortal danger after years as an Assad fighter. The Toumai fossil finds provoked fierce scholarly disputes that persist decades after discovery. The Jesus Fellowship concealed widespread abuse that a former member helped expose. The prime minister's human-rights restraint and Labour's mixed record complicate the UK's international-law commitments. A film examines a repentant criminal's moral ambiguity. A crime-scene cleaner restores order in extreme situations. The British Museum confronts colonial controversies, financial strain and internal theft.

Read at www.theguardian.com