Richard Fisher

Senior Editor, Aeon

Richard Fisher is a senior editor for Aeon, an honorary professor in science communication at University College London, and the author of the non-fiction book The Long View. Previously, he was an editor at the BBC and New Scientist, and a Knight Science Journalism Fellow at MIT.

What I’m looking for: For Aeon, I commission essays about science and technology. I primarily focus on the physical sciences – geology, physics, cosmology, space, oceans, climate, paleontology, chemistry, mathematics etc. In technology, I’m looking for essays that offer a psychological, philosophical or historical lens on our relationship with tech. Most of the writers I work with are academics, expert professionals, or book authors. For more details about what Aeon is looking for in a pitch, visit aeon.co/pitch

See Richard Fisher’s profile on Psyche

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Edited by Richard Fisher

Video of orcas swimming underwater displaying distinctive black-and-white patterns in a serene blue ocean environment.

essayBiology

Orcas and ourselves

Sea pandas or sadistic killers? These enigmatic creatures invite contradictory labels that say far more about us than them

Jason Colby

A baseball with red stitching on a black background partially lit from the top left corner.

essayPhysics

Playing in flatland

Physicists believe a third class of particles – anyons – could exist, but only in 2D. What kind of existence is that?

Elay Shech

Black-and-white photo of a man viewing framed artworks on a wall in an exhibition setting.

essayHistory of science

A light from the periphery

The life of Indian physicist Satyendra Nath Bose illuminates how scientific genius can emerge from the most unexpected quarters

Somaditya (Soma) Banerjee

A humanoid robot holding a water bottle in front of parked cars under a partly cloudy sky.

essayAutomation and robotics

The synthetic self

In order to better understand our human nature, we must attempt to build a robot capable of robust subjective experiences

Tony J Prescott

Coloured scanning electron micrograph of yellow bacteria surrounded by dark grey particulate matter.

essayDeep time

Long live the aeonophiles!

The discovery of organisms that have been alive for many thousands of years requires a revolution in how we understand life

Karen G Lloyd

A black hole, showing a glowing orange-red ring surrounded by darkness, captured by a telescope.

essayCosmology

Cosmic imposters

We know that black holes are strange, but they could be hiding something even weirder beyond their horizons

Gideon Koekoek

Photo of rugged limestone formations at sunset with a partly cloudy sky and sea visible in the background.

essayEarth science and climate

Our phosphorescent world

This life-giving element, stored in rock and organic material, moves around Earth in an ancient cycle we have just broken

Jack Lohmann

Painting of a man with a spear through his eye and head, showing a surreal and dramatic portrayal with detailed features.

essayHistory of science

Monstrification

For centuries we’ve used the declaration of ‘monster’ to eject individuals and groups from being respected as fully human

Surekha Davies

Photo of a vibrant snack bar with colourful signs advertising beer, pizza, sausages and ice cream.

essayProgress and modernity

The explosion of choice

It’s only in recent history that freedom has come to mean having a huge array of choices in life. Did we take a wrong turn?

Sophia Rosenfeld

A field of dry grass cluttered with computer company signboards.

essayKnowledge

Holes in the web

Huge swathes of human knowledge are missing from the internet. By definition, generative AI is shockingly ignorant too

Deepak Varuvel Dennison

Underwater photo of a mother whale swimming with her calf in deep blue ocean water.

essayEvolution

Should we edit nature?

Countless species are dying from human-induced environmental change. Should we use genetic technology to alter and save them?

David Farrier

A volcanic crater lake with green water surrounded by mist and rocky terrain.

essayEarth science and climate

When sleeping volcanoes wake

The next global disaster may be triggered by a catastrophic eruption. How can we prepare for the fire beneath our feet?

Mike Cassidy