The Arctic Dilemma
A piece documenting the opening up of Arctic sea routes, taking place as an unintended consequence of scientific exploration investigating the impact of climate change.
Inside the slimy underground hunt for humanity’s antibiotic saviour
Superbugs that are resistant to antibiotics are one of the major global health concerns today. This piece looks at scientists’ efforts to develop new antibiotics to combat them.
Deep Intellect
A thoughtful and engaging piece examining the remarkable intelligence of the octopus – followed by an interview with the author in National Geographic.
The Virus Hunters
A look at the challenges facing the teams based in the Democratic Republic of Congo searching for the next dangerous viruses. They are doing their work at a time when large scale outbreaks are ever more likely as humans encroach further into animal habitats.
The Stick Is an Unsung Hero of Human Evolution
An archaeologist takes a look at the part the humble stick has played in developing the cognitive processes of the human species – from our early origins, to Ronnie O’Sullivan’s record-breaking frame of snooker.
The Trees That Sail to Sea
A look at the trees that escape the loggers’ attentions, the epic journeys they sometimes undertake, and their importance to numerous natural ecosystems.
How Science Is Putting a New Face on Crime Solving
A wide ranging look at recent advances in criminal forensics, from using hair for DNA matches, to the value of teeth bite matches, fingerprinting, arson investigations and facial reconstruction.
Postpartum psychosis: “I’m afraid of how you’ll judge me, as a mother and as a person”
A piece on postpartum psychosis, by an author (and NHS Research Fellow) who experienced it herself after the birth of her daughter.
Why Earth’s History Appears So Miraculous
An ambitious piece looking at observer selection effect – where a data set’s composition or properties are correlated with the very existence of its observer. The first example the piece calls on is an analysis of planes returning from WWII bombing raids with the goal of identifying which areas of the fuselage to reinforce, but it rapidly expands in scope to extinction events for our world, and our universe.
The extraordinary life and death of the world’s oldest known spider
An obituary for a 43-year-old spider whose study was a career-spanning work for the zoologist that first found her. The spider was given a fitting epitaph in the scientific paper written after her death – “we can be inspired by an ancient mygalomorph spider and the rich biodiversity she embodied.”