CATEGORIES

Could We Travel Through A Black Hole To Take A Shortcut Into Another Galaxy?

Ever since a trip through a wormhole was first portrayed in 2001: A Space Odyssey 50 years ago, the idea of them has captured the public imagination. And small wonder: they’re the ultimate form of cosmic travel: a way of zipping across galaxies in an instant.

Wildlife In A Warzone

Army ranges on Salisbury Plain are England’s greatest hidden wilderness, awash with rare species. Ben Hoare sees a vision of England's wildlife-rich past.

The Hedgehog Whisperers

Everyone’s favourite prickly mammal is vanishing from rural areas, but as Hugh Warwick discovers, gardens offer hope.

The Flawed Genius

To his modern admirers, Isambard Kingdom Brunel is the man who “built the world”. A cigar-smoking, top hat-sporting genius whose creations stand as testimony to all that was most innovative about Victorian Britain. So why, asks Crosbie Smith – did so many of his projects turn into commercial disaster zones that left investors cursing his name and their luck?

You Are Not Alone

Loneliness is worse for you than smoking, and more harmful than obesity. As the number of lonely people swells, we investigate why feeling alone literally hurts, and how we can stop it from making us ill.

Anglo-Saxon Beasts Of Death

For 10th-century warriors, the appearance of wolves, ravens and eagles on the battlefield meant an unlucky few had been chosen to die. Eric Lacey digs into a grisly superstition

My Brain Made Me Do It

A growing body of research has found that head injury can make people more prone to criminal behaviour…

Are Cookies As Addictive As Pizza?

It’s common to hear people describe themselves as ‘chocoholics’, or say they’re ‘hooked’ on a particular fizzy drink. But is it really possible to be addicted to food? 

Can You Catch The Plague?

We think of the plague and other medieval diseases as relics from the past. Russell Deeks investigates how scientifically likely you are to catch them.

Thrilling Escapades In Eastern Australia

These three states on the east coast of the Australian continent can be the perfect source of adrenaline for your next vacation.

We Need Better Experiments To Find Out What Dogs Know

Dogs don’t recognise changes to their own appearance – the ‘mirror test’ of intelligence. But as dog cognition expert Dr Alexandra Horowitz explains, there’s a reason they fail.

Antidepressant Could Help Fight Dementia

Researchers have found a drug that reduces brain shrinkage, prevents cell death and improves memory

A Brief History Of Hawking

Earlier this year, renowned theoretical physicist Stephen Hawking turned 75. Here’s our pick of his career highlights…

Helen Czerski ... How Rain Affects Tyre Noise

“BUT WHY WOULD A CAR ON A WET ROAD SOUND DIFFERENT TO A CAR ON A DRY ROAD?”

Positive Effects Of Lactobacillus Casei Strain Shirota on our Immune System

A study conducted at the Department of Public Health and Department of Immunology at the Jutendo University School of Medicine, Japan, sought to study the effects of Lactobacillus casei strain Shirota (LcS) on the immune system of healthy human beings.

My Life Scientific

Helen Pilcher chats to Andrew Farke, curator at the Raymond M. Alf Museum of Paleontology, about his two loves: dinos and home brewing

An Educational Tour Of Melbourne, Victoria

Malaysia BBC Earth School Challenge 2017 winners embark on an educational trip to Melbourne, Victoria

Churchill's Days Of Destiny

The film Darkest Hour focussed on a few crucial days when Britain’s war cabinet weighed an immense question – to seek terms with Germany or fight to the last. Allen Packwood reveals how Winston Churchill carried the argument to seek “victory at all costs”

Creativity Boosted With Electric Brain Stimulation

Struggling to get your creative juices flowing? A team from Queen Mary University of London may have a solution – zap your brain with a blast of electricity.

What Does The Withdrawal Of The Us From The Paris Agreement Mean For Climate Change?

On 22 April 2016, in an attempt to prevent global temperatures from raising to 2°C above pre-industrial levels, the world’s largest emitters of greenhouse gases banded together to strike the Paris Agreement.

Moisture Control

Life in the Namib Desert is harsh, and water is hard to come by. But evolution has equipped species that live in this challenging environment with a range of unique adaptations that are essential for survival

Tango In Patagonia

On one remote windswept lakes near the tip of South America, the world’s rarest grebes have been given their own bodyguards

Raiding the Ocean's Medicine Cabinet

Antibiotics are losing their effectiveness against disease. But the world’s waters could be full of new drugs, just waiting to be discovered.

Glam Rocks

You don’t have to visit tropical climes to see Britain’s tompot with an enormous personality.

Robert Matthews on Animal experiments

“Animal experiments sometimes predict what’ll happen with humans, but often fail to do so”

Cairo Battleground Of Empires

The city of Cairo is an architectural masterpiece 5,000 years in the making, created by some of humanity’s greatest empire-builders. From the pharaohs to Napoleon, Michael Scott reveals how five civilisations left their mark on Egypt’s teeming capital.

Dolphins Are Phenomenally Good At Using Echolocation, Much Better Than Man-made Devices

Dolphins echolocate with two-part acoustic beams. Dr Josefin Starkhammar of Lund University explains how this could help us improve ultrasound technology.

The Trials Of Writing Modern History

Fallible memories and a surplus of sources mean that the most challenging era for historians to tackle is the one in which we now live.

Invent Everything

In his latest book How To Invent Everything, Canadian computer scientist and comic writer RYAN NORTH takes a look at the 200,000 years of inventions and discoveries that have helped to shape our society and humanity itself. He talks to HELEN GLENNY

Helen Czerski On...Sand

Why Does Sand Go Dry When You Step On It?