Science

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

Astronomy Biology Biotechnology Chemistry Complexity Computing and artificial intelligence Cosmology Deep time Earth science and climate Ecology and environmental sciences Engineering Evolution Genetics History of science Human evolution Human reproduction Illness and disease Mathematics Medicine Oceans and water Palaeontology Physics Quantum theory Space exploration

Latest Popular

Silhouette of person reaching towards vibrant colourful light patterns on a wall.

videoTeaching and learning

Museum-goers toy with reality in this Oscar-nominated short

16 minutes

Black and white photo of a man in a prison uniform surrounded by security personnel in a courtroom setting.

essayPersonality

There are no psychopaths

Virtually everything you think you know about psychopathy has been thoroughly debunked. Why does this zombie idea live on?

Rasmus Rosenberg Larsen

A fox walking through dry grass in a natural setting with its mouth open and ears perked up.

essayEcology and environmental sciences

Conservation’s prejudice

Ecology is pervaded by a nativist dogma against invasive species that distorts the science and undermines wildness

Carlos Santana

Abstract digital art with vertical lines and dark shapes, text overlay saying “why did you write it” in the centre.

videoInformation and communication

AI isn’t merely bad at writing. It does not and cannot write

40 minutes

Painting of abstract blue and orange shapes on top of a pink and beige background with black plants

videoArt

Transforming landscape painting into a portal through time

10 minutes

Image of a digitally rendered icy Earth-like planet in space with shadowed left side and visible landmasses.

essayEarth science and climate

The snowball effect

Our planet was once a harsh, alien, icy world. Yet this deep freeze may have shaped you, me and all life on Earth

Graham Shields

Black and white photo of a street scene with a heated discussion involving a traffic officer and men near cars.

essayPolitical philosophy

Guarding the guardians

Good institutions are social technologies that scale trust from personal relations to entire nations. How do they work?

Julien Lie-Panis

Illustration of a clock pierced by an arrow in a space with small pink spheres on a purple background.

videoPhysics

Time is real – if you view it through the lens of heat

6 minutes

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

Photo of a truck on a narrow bridge with people balancing and pushing it under a clear sky.

essayHuman evolution

How selfish are we?

An age-old debate about human nature is being energised with new findings on the tightrope of cooperation and competition

Jonathan R Goodman

Photo of abstract light trails in yellow and white on a dark background, creating a swirling, dynamic pattern.

videoPhysics

Our Universe has light not by chance but by necessity

59 minutes

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

Photo of two silhouettes walking by fountains with bokeh effect in the foreground, Arc de Triomphe in the background.

essayComputing and artificial intelligence

Computers can’t surprise

As AI’s endless clichés continue to encroach on human art, the true uniqueness of our creativity is becoming ever clearer

Richard Beard

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

Photo of a snow leopard looking up with a mountainous background and some foliage in the foreground.

videoAnimals and humans

There’s a gentle artistry to a museum taxidermist’s craft

8 minutes

essayHistory of ideas

The shape of time

In the 19th century, the linear idea of time became dominant, forever changing how those in the West experience the world

Emily Thomas

Photo of a person with glasses holding a clarinet, finger to lips in a shushing gesture, blue sky background.

videoNature and landscape

A breezy ode to wind ponders its power, beauty and utility

10 minutes

People lowering a wicker coffin into a grave in a green landscape with hills and a river in the background.

essayDeath

How to become a tree

Many people today want to commit their remains to rejuvenating the planet. But are these green deaths just greenwashing?

Hannah Gould & Georgina Robinson

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

Photo of seven scuba divers exploring an underwater rocky area with bubbles rising in a clear blue ocean setting.

essayOceans and water

Red tape on a blue planet

Do the laws and rules that once protected coral reefs now stand in the way of radical interventions that could save them?

Irus Braverman

3D rendering of a DNA strand with proteins interacting, featuring colourful molecular structures on a dark background.

videoBiology

Groundbreaking visuals capture how our bodies repair damaged DNA

4 minutes

essayIllness and disease

The spiral of suffering

For people with chronic illnesses, the relief and recognition of online communities can set up a toxic psychological trap

Siddhant Ritwick & Tomi Koljonen

Digital illustration of a human skeleton scan on a futuristic medical interface, showing data and analysis metrics.

essayMedicine

Are doctors replaceable?

Medical error kills hundreds of thousands yearly. If AI is sophisticated enough to help, doctors must not stand in the way

Charlotte Blease

Photo of hornbill perched on a tree trunk with vibrant beak, surrounded by green leaves under a clear sky.

videoEcology and environmental sciences

How a beautiful bird helps Southeast Asia’s rainforests flourish

16 minutes