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Science

Essays and videos exploring physics, evolution, cosmology and other frontiers in science

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Photo of a lone bench facing turbulent ocean waves under a cloudy sky. The area is partially flooded by the sea.

essayEarth science and climate

The model of catastrophe

The immense complexity of the climate makes it impossible to model accurately. Instead we must use uncertainty to our advantage

David Stainforth

Illustration of a blue baby with symbols of heart, ear, bone, eye, tooth, brain, and lips around it on a white background.

videoBioethics

When, if ever, is selecting a ‘designer baby’ ethical?

5 minutes

An ant on a twig against a pastel pink and purple background with its reflection on a glossy surface.

essayBioethics

The ant you can save

Should we simply assume that all animals can feel pain and are of moral concern? Or is that taking things too far?

Jeff Sebo & Andreas L Mogensen

Collage art of a man’s face with colourful lines and words on a vibrant pink and teal background.

essayMusic

Mapping Bob Dylan’s mind

Generative AI sheds new light on the underlying engines of metaphor, mood and reinvention in six decades of songs

Prashant Garg

A vast open-pit coal mine with excavation machinery surrounded by green hills.

essayEnvironmental history

Are you Confusedocene?

As a scientific concept the Anthropocene is dead. But it’s such a helpful idea to think with, should we use it anyway?

Ville Lähde

Photo of a close-up saltmarsh sparrow’s head against a blue sky and grassy landscape background.

videoEcology and environmental sciences

Racing rising tides, volunteers work to save a bird on the brink

25 minutes

A detailed NASA photo of Mars showing the Valles Marineris canyon system with cratered terrain and dust-streaked surface.

essayCosmology

Megastructures on Mars

Images of vast ‘canals’ rippling across the red planet inspired fears of alien ‘engineers’ and changed science forever

Dagomar Degroot

A man in casual clothes observes an indoor exhibit with lifelike animal and human statues surrounded by tropical plants.

essayKnowledge

Valuable misunderstandings

Scientific progress depends on disagreement. So why are vaccine sceptics and other science critics not worth listening to?

Collin Rice & Kareem Khalifa

Aerial view of a motorway intersection split by a pink line with abstract purple patterns below, in a photo.

videoMusic

Watch as the rhythms of traffic create a mesmerising score

2 minutes

Ancient codex illustration with figures and symbols in red and black ink on a weathered surface.

videoHistory of technology

The Americas’ oldest book is an intricate work of Maya astronomy

9 minutes

Photo of an orange caterpillar hanging from a green leaf against a turquoise background.

videoEcology and environmental sciences

Close-ups reveal how caterpillars live long enough to cocoon

9 minutes

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

Abstract organic matter with black circular patterns on a vibrant green background featuring various shapes and textures.

videoComplexity

A radical reimagining of physics puts information at its centre

13 minutes

essayMedicine

Learning to not-know

From late-night calls to unsolved symptoms, uncertainty is woven into every doctor’s day. They should learn to embrace it

Zoe Cunniffe

Photo of a humpback whale underwater, showing its head and eye against a deep blue background.

videoBiology

What would it mean if we were able to ‘speak’ with whales?

65 minutes

A person in blue jeans and black jacket resting in an alcove in an old red brick wall.

essaySleep and dreams

What sleep is

It is our biggest blind spot, a bizarre experience that befalls us every day, and can’t be explained by our need for rest

Vladyslav Vyazovskiy

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

Black and white photo of a young boy playing simultaneous chess against three suited men watched by a crowd.

essayNeurodiversity

The puzzle of the ‘idiot savant’

The convergence of singular talent and profound disability confounded scientists eager to place humans into neat categories

Violeta Ruiz

Photo of an older man in a checked shirt and brown jacket speaking, bar with framed photos in the background.

videoCosmology

Are observers fundamental to physics, or simply byproducts of it?

10 minutes

Graphic with a vertical split between a red and brown background, with a brown circle at the centre of each half.

essayNeuroscience

Brain man

How can you have a picture of the world when your brain is locked up in your skull? Neuroscientist Dale Purves has clues

Asif Ghazanfar

Microscopic images of cells showing vibrant colours in various patterns against a black background.

videoBiology

For 3 billion years, life was unicellular. Why did it start to collaborate?

4 minutes

Silhouette of a person sitting against a bright window with lens flare effects and a partial view of the outside city.

essayIllness and disease

I made it fun

Warren met his cancer diagnosis with tenacious optimism. But can positive thinking really affect the course of the disease?

Kirtan D Nautiyal

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 man in a white suit and bowtie standing in front of the Mark Twain Riverboat entrance by a river on a sunny day.

videoTravel

Retracing Mark Twain’s path, a filmmaker sets out to understand the mighty Mississippi

28 minutes