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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

Aerial view of a coastal area at dusk with multiple streaks of red light travelling over water and land, illuminating the landscape.

video

Ecology and environmental sciences

GPS tracking reveals stunning insights into the patterns of migratory birds

6 minutes

Close-up of a white sea star larvae against a black background.

video

Biology

A spectacular, close-up look at the starfish with a ‘hands-on’ approach to parenting

5 minutes

Two beetles with translucent wings flying against a pink background.

video

Biology

Beetles take flight at 6,000 frames per second in this perspective-shifting short

9 minutes

View from space of Europe at night, showing bright city lights and the Northern Lights in the distance. The image features a clear outline of countries and coastlines illuminated by artificial light, with a dark sky speckled with stars overhead.

essay

Ecology and environmental sciences

Dominion

To take care of the Earth, humans must recognise that we are both a part of the animal kingdom and its dominant power

Hugh Desmond

Image of an offshore wind turbine in the sea with a large LNG ship in the background under a partly cloudy sky in calm waters.

essay

The environment

Decoupling

We need to find a way for human societies to prosper while the planet heals. So far we can’t even think clearly about it

Ville Lähde

A person wearing a sun hat and sunglasses, standing in front of a snowy mountain range under a clear blue sky.

video

Earth science and climate

The only man permitted in Bhutan’s sacred mountains chronicles humanity’s impact

22 minutes

Artwork depicting a silhouette of a person wearing a floral headband, with a natural background of plants and blurred scenery.

video

Ecology and environmental sciences

The ancient Hawaiian myth that sparked a modern ecological breakthrough

10 minutes

Illustrated circle with colourful, abstract plant shapes and roots on a dark blue background.

video

Deep time

When algae met fungi – the hidden story of life’s most successful partnership

4 minutes

Aerial view of a snowy forest from a helicopter, with a person in a helmet and green jacket pointing downwards.

video

Ecology and environmental sciences

From helicopter flybys to trail cameras, there’s no one way to count a wolf

8 minutes

Close-up of tree roots and rocks on a forest floor, covered with moss and surrounded by dense greenery.

video

Nature and landscape

Take a serene hike through an ancient forest, inspired by a Miyazaki masterpiece

6 minutes

Illustration showing a grid of nine eyes, each uniquely stylised, depicting a variety of creatures, including a human with a blue iris, a cat with a vertical slit pupil, and a toad with a heart-shaped pupil.

video

Biology

To understand how an animal sees the world, start with the shape of its pupils

5 minutes

Person climbing a tall tree using a rope, viewed from the base looking upwards into the canopy of green leaves.

video

The environment

Tree-sit with activists as they fight industrial logging from 100 feet above the ground

25 minutes

Illustration of three beige horses standing in a field, with green grass at their feet and a soft grey and white sky background.

video

Animals and humans

Scientists brought a wild horse back from extinction. But is it truly the same animal?

5 minutes

A digital illustration of an ancient, twisted tree with sparse green leaves, set against a misty, green landscape and a bright, cloudy sky.

video

Ecology and environmental sciences

The grassroots project that’s restoring an endangered Hawaiian ecosystem

22 minutes

A gecko with grey and orange spots rests on a piece of bark against a black background.

video

Thinkers and theories

Is simulation theory a way to shirk responsibility for the world we’ve created?

13 minutes

Person in winter clothes looks up at a large metallic structure with triangle-shaped cutouts on a snowy day.

video

Architecture

Modern architecture should embrace – not ignore or repel – the nonhuman world

8 minutes

A misty, moss-covered forest with twisted trees and dense undergrowth, creating a mysterious, green and lush atmosphere.

video

Ecology and environmental sciences

In an ancient English rainforest, John creates charcoal and cultivates growth

12 minutes

Person with a notepad and pencil wearing a red hat, standing in a dense forest with fallen trees and foliage.

essay

Environmental history

Disturbance

How atomic doomsday experiments, fuelled by Cold War fears, shaped then shook ecologists’ faith in self-healing nature

Laura J Martin

Two stylised planets with blue oceans and brown land masses, surrounded by white clouds, float in a purple outer space background.

video

Biology

The idea that life on Earth originated elsewhere is not as far out as it seems

6 minutes

A close-up of a green and brown maple leaf with distinct veins, set against a black background.

video

Biology

Flicker through the eclectic beauty and biological diversity of 2,400 leaves

3 minutes

A large flock of birds fills the sky above a rural farmhouse surrounded by fields and trees under a pale blue sky.

essay

Nature and landscape

Home and the birdsong

In the dark, sylvan villages of medieval England, people named places after the birds that filled the night with music

Michael J Warren

Two people in winter clothing walk through a snowy landscape, with buildings and power lines in the background under heavy snowstorm conditions.

video

Knowledge

Yes, the Inuit have dozens of words for snow – but what does each one mean exactly?

6 minutes

Underwater view of a vibrant coral reef with various coral species in clear blue water near the ocean’s surface.

essay

Oceans and water

Tomorrow’s corals

A warming planet and acid oceans will radically transform marine ecosystems. How will our beloved reefs survive?

Klaus M Stiefel & James D Reimer

A vast heathland landscape with purplish-brown vegetation under a partly cloudy sky, featuring a distant hill on the horizon.

essay

Deep time

Mutual entrapment

As Neolithic people transformed prehistoric forests, they stumbled into an ecological trap. Domestication goes both ways

Mette Løvschal