New research has pinpointed the genetic boost behind one of the biggest transformations of life on Earth.
Academic rigour, journalistic flair
Analysis and Comment
Research suggests that scientists' understanding of biological age may not be as robust as we thought.
Ancient frescoes suggest Europe and south Asia had trade links as long as 3,600 years ago.
We may be able to send microchips to investigate Alpha Centauri c up close.
Traditional companies need to embrace high-quality data gathering to avoid being left behind by the next industrial revolution.
If Betelgeuse explodes, it will become as bright as the full moon in a matter of days and be visible during day time.
The Earth may be crawling with undiscovered creatures with a different biochemistry to life as we know it.
"Super-recognisers" who can identify a range of ethnicities could help increase fraud detection rates at passport control and decrease false conviction rates that have relied on CCTV.
Crash investigators never give black boxes to aircraft makers but involve them in the process.
We claim not to trust social media yet it seems to shape our political opinions.
The age of the Industrial Revolution also saw a fitness revolution in Britain.
Connecting every house to a fibre network is expensive and time-consuming.
Scores of jobs could be affected by the fourth industrial revolution – and not enough is being done to guard against this.
Douglas Adams claimed the answer was 42. But there are other interpretations.
Those who are leaving the platform represent a small, but by no means insignificant, counter current to the norm.
The drone probably used to kill Iranian general Qassem Soleimani doesn't take away all risks and responsibilities from military personnel.
20 years ago, who could predict how much more researchers would know today about the human past – let alone what they could learn from a thimble of dirt, a scrape of dental plaque, or satellites in space.
If it's impossible to accurately predict the future then there may be limits to how smart artificial intelligence can become.
Cancer survivors face physical and psychological barriers when returning to work.
From alien life to human spaceflight, 2020 may deliver some exciting news.
A big year ahead for some of the meteor showers this year. Here's your 2020 guide on when and where to look to catch nature's fireworks.
Overhunting of megafauna such as mammoths may have force us to take up farming, ultimately leading to modern society
Scientists can't expect the unexpected if they're not open-minded about how their theories might be wrong.
Cross-country skiers are 50% less likely to develop depression than the general population.
Academic language wasn't always rigorous – and it led to people hugging trees to cure their illnesses.
The trick is changing our actual behaviour, as well as our intentions.
Anti-vaxxers and climate change deniers love Y2K for all the wrong reasons.
The scientific understanding of our internal experiences is changing and it now seems likely that 'Christmas cheer' may be an emotion in itself.
Humans spend a lot of time during social occasions masking their real emotions. Why?
New research could help you win an argument.
'Use the reinforced concrete, Luke.'
The science of the Christmas drinking binge.
'They might be a liar but at least they're honest.'
Our extinct, distant cousins still lived in Indonesia 110,000 years ago.
There are many forces in nature, but they may one day be united into The Force.
Whether you're a human, a dog or even a horse – how you handle pain will depend on how emotionally stable and guarded you are.
Researchers used advanced chemical analyses to study breastfeeding in some of the world's first farming communities.
New research shows how rock features that look like fossilised microbes can form without life.
New research suggests that Earth's oxygenation didn't require difficult and complex evolutionary leaps forward.
Being accepted by others matters more to us than being factually correct – and this is the key to tackling our post-truth society.
Understanding why the great auk went extinct could help protect species still living today.
Scientists don't just want to unravel the mysteries of slug sex for voyeurism.
Leafcutter ants, Komodo dragons and even your nose are potential sources of new antimicrobial compounds.
Our new book explores the autistic mind -- and shows that we're not as different as we might think
Parents shouldn't fear putting tech under the tree. In fact, it could bring families closer together.
All food is processed – and that’s a good thing.
Wildlife TV producers used to think that focus on environmental issues could only be structured around doom and gloom stories – scaring away large audiences.
Research suggests three factors equally contribute to whether people stay committed.
Despite celebrity endorsements and growing popularity of the practice, there's still little scientific proof to support these claims.
Your taste for cheese and yoghurt may never have been satisfied were it not for illicit microbial sex.
Newly discovered extinct ape Danuvius has some human-like features, but that doesn't mean it could walk like us.
Collecting samples from Mars and brining them back to Earth will be a hugely complicated task, but it may be our best bet of finding alien life.
The Parker Solar Probe makes it closest-ever approach to the sun.
Ideas from economics might help us decide the most ethical way of using gene editing technology for human enhancement in the future.
The Santa myth tells us more about adults than children.
New research on landslides on Mars could help protect against devastating landslides on Earth.
New technology means museums can return items to their countries of origin while still representing those cultures in fair, interesting ways.
Post-earthquake aftershocks are often assumed to be less violent, but that's not always the case.
There are more efficient ways to stop addictions than fasting from rewards.
Public and community-owned websites and apps that value morality over profit could revitalise online culture.
'Problematic smartphone use' has similar features to a behavioural addiction – and may potentially lead to poorer mental health.
Your pup may be older than you think. Another reason to let sleeping dogs lie.
Many Deaf people worldwide face inequalities when it comes to accessing health services and information. Our study of Deaf people in Wales shows what improvements still need to be made.
From the subatomic to the cosmic, don't think for a second that we're at the end of scientific history.
Can we make the web more inclusive or will our online reality always be a lawless wasteland of trolls and lies?
We interviewed 12 female head coaches working in all levels of English football. Gender discrimination and sexism were only two of the reasons women don't reach top spots.
Running has become a way for people to show how productive they are, using their achievements to build personal brands and to compete with others for status.
As record running times drop, what role is footwear playing?
Radio flare may be the result of a giant star orbiting some unusual object – a combination we have never seen before.
Not all pets will make good house cats, but there are ways to make a life indoors more fulfilling.
300,000 years ago, there were lots of different species of human. Now it’s only us – and we're probably the reason why.
The evolution of reading clearly demonstrates that nature and nurture are intimately linked.
An AI trained to look at heart scans was able to successfully predict risk of death. But one expert cautions we still need to be careful about designing -- and using -- AI for medical diagnosis.
Although research can provide us with useful evidence to help inform our decisions, underfunded research areas still mean that women are being left in the dark.
Privacy and fact-checking are still big issues but risks from bots and foreign influence have been overblown.
Somewhere out there, just maybe, an alien – probably stranger looking than in our wildest imagination – might be pondering this very question.
Saturn's largest moon has been fully mapped for the first time.
Guaranteed internet access is now crucial for everyone to equally exercise their political rights.
The trait can bring mental strength and resilience.
A quantum experiment raises deeply philosophical questions about the fundamental nature of reality.
What can we learn about cats from their faces?
A study has suggested that the universe is curved like a sphere rather than flat, which may unleash a major crisis in cosmology.
Simple policies, such as the free bus pass for older adults, not only reduce loneliness but also help older people maintain cognitive function.
Scientists have worked out a new way to scan beneath the ground for footprints – and it's revealing traces of an ancient world.
Scientists claimed they knew what this bizarre creature was – our evidence suggests the question is still open.
Dark sky sites can inspire new generations of stargazers, but a better long-term solution would be connecting people with the night sky where they live.
The landscape artist bravely left her aristocratic life behind to help save lives on the Italian front.
We found that current indicators underestimate nearly 6 million children suffering from malnutrition.
Scientists have for the first time created shown how the precursor to living cells could have formed around deep-sea hydrothermal vents.
Many people might want to choose how, when, and under what circumstances they die – but diseases like dementia can complicate advance euthanasia directives.
What ancient crop genomes can tell us about our history.
Small regional flights will soon start going electric but batteries are unlikely to ever fully power large airliners.
Scientific advances are allowing forensic archaeologists to shed light on mysteries long thought unsolvable.
Children between 12 and 16 years old with mild-to-moderate hearing loss showed differences in their brain responses.
Spiny lobsters with deadly PaV1 virus are found in seagrass habitats more than any other - but the seagrass may actually be helping to combat the disease.
A new group – Tsunami Democràtic – are using technology to create civil disobedience that is more organised and creative than ever.
Can running shoes make the difference that breaks a record? Nike's new trainers are neither the first nor last examples of technology causing a stir in competitive sport.
Initial research found witness pupils got bigger when correctly identifying a criminal.
We found that 13- and 14-year-old teens from deprived areas already showed signs of developing heart disease – but also made some surprising discoveries about what factors can lead to a healthy heart.
One day we will have a science of consciousness, but it won’t be science as we know it today
It's likely our species doesn't actually have a single origin.
Genetic analysis has traced the evolutionary footsteps of modern humans all the way back to a prehistoric wetland that spanned parts of modern-day Botswana, Namibia and Zimbabwe.
To the moon and beyond
CC BY-ND30.8 MB (download)
The fifth episode of the To the moon and beyond podcast series explores where we will be travelling in 2069.
By 2069, we could be seeing the start of regular journeys from the moon to Mars.
Any base on the moon would need very thick walls.
CC BY-ND49.4 MB (download)
Episode four of To the moon and beyond, a podcast series marking the 50th anniversary of the moon landings.
We have the Apollo missions to thank for a lot of our geological knowledge about the moon.
CC BY-ND44.7 MB (download)
Episode 3 of the To the moon and beyond podcast takes a look at who some of the key players are in the 21st century space race and what they are competing for.
Farewell, Cassini!
As Cassini’s titanic mission comes to an end, we need to start thinking ahead. A combined mission to explore Saturn's moons Titan and Enceladus would be a good place to start.
Cassini may be gone but the data it left behind could help reveal how long Saturn's day is and how its magnetic field is generated.
Humour and laughter
Laughing at inappropriate moments could be an early sign of dementia, while injury to the front part of the brain could make you lose your sense of sarcasm.
CC BY-ND26.5 MB (download)
In this episode of the podcast, we take in the history of Victorian humour, why kids find poo so hilarious and whether academics should try and be funny.
Wild chimpanzees are hard to find, but their DNA – left-behind genetic traces – are opening up a new way of studying them.
Killing insects, as the Big Wasp Survey asked people to do, contributed to many vital advances in science.
Our series to read and listen
Research and Expert Database
We all like to think of ourselves as heroes. But according to science, the vast majority of us wouldn't be prepared to rebel against totalitarian rulers.
K2-18 b is now the exoplanet most likely to be habitable.
Even if we can prevent a global warming apocalypse, our planet won’t be safe forever – the sun will one day expand. So should we try to move the Earth to a wider orbit?
Forget about dark matter and dark energy, new research suggests that the existence of 'dark fluid' may solve some of the biggest mysteries in physics.
We previously thought mitochondrial DNA could only be passed on by mothers.
Bullies have traditionally been viewed as having low IQ and social problems, but this often isn't the case.
New research shows how 'teleological thinking' means that conspiracists are more likely to also be creationists.
Why do some people love roller coasters while others hate them?
An expert gives a few tips on what makes the perfect penalty football kick.
Hawking wasn't able to give his students a gentle introduction, but he did provide a lot of inspiration and support.
Psychological phenomena have long been thought of as universal. But it turns out scientists may have been blinded by their own culture.
We can see at a finer resolution than the spacing between individual photo-receptors in the eye – and it's all down to our brains.
Events
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Brexit and the future governance of the United Kingdom — University of Bath
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Masterclass guest lecture: Richard Hughes — University of York
How we are different
10 reasons
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- Alien life is out there, but our theories are probably steering us away from it
- We found the genes that allowed plants to colonise land 500 million years ago
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