Crops grown in a high CO2 atmosphere are less nutritious, containing less protein, zinc and ironRising levels of carbon dioxide could make crops less nutritious and damage the health of hundreds of millions of people, research has revealed, with those living in some of the world’s poorest regions likely to be hardest hit.Previous research has shown that many food crops become less nutritious when grown under the CO levels expected by 2050, with reductions of protein, iron and zinc estimated at 3–17%. Continue reading...

This stellar ‘love letter to physics’ looks at the wonders of the universe – and asks if they can make you a happier personThe space probe Voyager 1 was launched on 5 September 1977. Its identical twin, Voyager 2, had a 16-day head start on their grand tour of the outer planets. Each had a computing system with about one-millionth of the capacity and capability of a modern smartphone. The Voyager missions were designed to take advantage of a planetary conjunction that happens once every 175 years when Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune are on the same side of the sun. A spacecraft launched at the right time could visit all of them in turn, using the gravity of each planet as a slingshot to make it to the next.Travelling at a million miles a day, the duo completed the grand tour in 1989. Voyager 1 became the first human-made object to leave the solar system and enter interstellar space in August 2012 and is heading towards a star called AC+79 3888. Some 17.6 light years from Earth, Voyager 1 should swing past it in about 40,000 years. Continue reading...

Gimme, gimme, gimme...a puzzle from StockholmUPDATE: Solutions can be seen here.Hallå guzzlers!Today, I’ve four puzzles from the country of Abba, courtesy of Swedish magician and puzzle author Fredrik Cattani. His most recent book was his highest ever release; he dropped a copy out of a light aircraft flying at 120m. (The pun might work better in Swedish). Continue reading...

US study of 12,000 people shows drug lorcaserin does not increase risk of serious heart problemsA weight-loss pill has been hailed as a potential “holy grail” in the fight against obesity after a major study showed it did not increase the risk of serious heart problems.Researchers say lorcaserin is the first weight-loss drug to be deemed safe for heart health with long-term use. Taken twice a day, the drug is an appetite suppressant which works by stimulating brain chemicals to induce a feeling of fullness. Continue reading...

The constellation Cygnus rises in the east this week and is high in the sky by the middle of the nightThis week look out for the glorious constellation Cygnus, the Swan. It is one of the finest constellations that the northern hemisphere has to offer. It rises in the east as the night draws in, and by midnight is soaring high across the sky. Cygnus is shaped like a cross. Its great neck stretches out towards the star Albireo and back towards the tail star: Deneb (which is Arabic for tail). The wings of the swan are longer, and stretch out along a line of fainter stars. Although it cannot be seen by eye, roughly halfway between Albireo and Deneb lies Cygnus X-1, the first black hole to be identified by astronomers. The body and neck of Cygnus lie right along the Milky Way. This misty band of light can be seen from rural locations and is the combined light from the millions of stars that make up our Galaxy. In 1612, Italian astronomer Galileo Galilei described raising his telescope to the Milky Way and seeing it was composed of myriad faint stars. Deneb forms the Summer Triangle, with the bright stars Vega in Lyra and Altair in Aquila. Continue reading...

Detectorists who found silver treasure led archaeologists to high-status site in 2015One of the earliest Roman settlements ever to be discovered in the Yorkshire region has been unearthed by a group of crowdfunded archaeologists.The exact location of the high-status settlement has been kept a secret to protect it from night hawkers (illegal metal-detectorists) and looters, but archaeologists have described it as astounding. Continue reading...

Research shows sleep deprivation or excessive hours in bed increase risk of coronary artery disease or strokeSix to eight hours of sleep a night is most beneficial for the heart, while more or less than that could increase the risk of coronary artery disease or a stroke, researchers have suggested.The study, presented at the European Society of Cardiology Congress in Munich, indicates sleep deprivation and excessive hours in bed should be avoided for optimum heart health. Continue reading...

Australian writer persuaded museum to convert gallery for run of acclaimed productionAn Australian writer has persuaded London’s Natural History Museum to turn one of its galleries into a theatre to stage his acclaimed puppet show for grownups about the early adventures of Charles Darwin.Following a sellout run in Brisbane, where the show was commissioned, David Morton’s The Wider Earth went on to play at the Sydney Opera House. Now it will be performed in the London museum’s Jerwood Gallery, not far from its Darwin centre, where many of the original specimens brought back by the naturalist are on display. Continue reading...

A 60-mile trek brought deep calm. So the author headed for Jerusalem, 5,500 kms awayIn the summer of 2012, on a whim and with no experience of long-distance walking, Guy Stagg decided to trek the 60 or so miles from his home in London to Canterbury. Three years out of university, where he had battled against depression and alcoholism, he’d recently sought medical help to overcome his problems, and wondered whether walking might be beneficial.Canterbury appealed to him, for its role “at the beginning of English literature” – he had been an English student at Cambridge. He set off having done virtually no planning, and arrived in Chaucer’s city two days later. He had walked under baking sun and driving rain with little protection, his heels bruised and his socks clotted with the blood from burst blisters. Continue reading...

We must exploit the power of positive thinking if we are to curb the effects of dangerous movements in our climateIn 1982, when I was having a bit of an existential crisis while campaigning for nuclear disarmament and heavily pregnant, my father-in-law related the story of a neighbour who’d shot dead his wife, children and himself during the Cuba crisis because he couldn’t face the prospect of inevitable nuclear war. “He could have been enjoying his grandchildren now.”Climate change (It’s the end of the Earth as we know it, Comment) appears to momentous, and not withstanding the depressing (and logical) thoughts that it’s too late, too complex, too difficult and so forth, I still reckon it’s a good strategy to act as if changes in human behaviour, individual and collective, on any scale – massive and radical would be good options – might make a difference. A growing body of scientific researchers, journalists, activists, politicians, ethical lifestylers and eco-warriors keeps going “despite”. Continue reading...

A shipping container complex in a Shepherd’s Bush market is the unlikely home to a community of startup research projectsIf there’s one place you wouldn’t expect a new biotech research lab to be built, it’s slap bang in the middle of a busy London market.Yet navigate through stalls selling fish, fabric and phone cases in west London’s Shepherd’s Bush market and you’ll find a brightly painted courtyard and a small A4 sign that reads: “THIS AREA MAY LOOK EXCITING, BUT IT’S REALLY NOT, SO PLEASE DON’T GO THROUGH! THANKS.” Continue reading...

When the reading brain skims texts, we don’t have time to grasp complexity, to understand another’s feelings or to perceive beauty. We need a new literacy for the digital age

I have a condition called aphantasia where I can’t visualise things. When I try to picture my daughter when she’s not there, I see nothingI was seven when, in hindsight, I first questioned my imagination. I remember watching the first Harry Potter film and my friend, who was a huge fan, was complaining that the characters weren’t how she imagined them to be. I couldn’t understand what she meant because, in my mind, they had never been images at all, just concepts. When I shut my eyes, I see nothing. It is black. I have no visual imagination.I thought everyone’s minds worked this way until about two years ago, when I stumbled across a blog post about aphantasia; a condition where you lack a functioning mind’s eye. I was 23, and it blew my mind to learn that others could visualise things. I’d never known any different but it was clear I had aphantasia, too, and a lot of things started to make more sense. Continue reading...

This degenerative illness has a few genetic quirks which scientists believe could cause secondary health benefits. Emerging research suggests that people with Huntington’s are less sickly, don’t get cancer as often and even have more brain cells. Hannah Devlin investigates.Subscribe and review on Acast, Apple Podcasts, Soundcloud, Audioboom andMixcloud. Join the discussion on Facebook and TwitterThe gene responsible for Huntington’s was identified 25 years ago. Patients with an especially long Huntington’s gene are more likely to develop this neurodegenerative disease. Continue reading...

Governments should consider advising people to abstain entirely, say authorsEven the occasional drink is harmful to health, according to the largest and most detailed research carried out on the effects of alcohol, which suggests governments should think of advising people to abstain completely.The uncompromising message comes from the authors of the Global Burden of Diseases study, a rolling project based at the University of Washington, in Seattle, which produces the most comprehensive data on the causes of illness and death in the world. Continue reading...

A satellite launched by rocket from French Guiana this week will be the first to directly measure winds around the globeThe European Space Agency launched the Aeolus mission at 10.20pm BST (18:20 local time) on 22 August from its spaceport in Kourou, French Guiana. It took 55 minutes for the Vega rocket to place the spacecraft into a 320km (198-mile) high orbit. Contact was then established through the Troll ground station in Queen Maud Land, Antarctica at 11.30pm.The mission carries revolutionary ultraviolet laser technology to measure the winds around the globe. It will be the first satellite to provide wind profiles that begin at the surface of the Earth and extend upwards to 30km. When fully operation the satellite will supply 64,000 profiles a day. Continue reading...

Study discovered several accounts, now known to belong to the same Russian trolls who interfered in the US election, tweeting about vaccinesBots and Russian trolls spread misinformation about vaccines on Twitter to sow division and distribute malicious content before and during the American presidential election, according to a new study.Scientists at George Washington University, in Washington DC, made the discovery while trying to improve social media communications for public health workers, researchers said. Instead, they found trolls and bots skewing online debate and upending consensus about vaccine safety. Continue reading...

Health authorities are tracing people who were in close contact with Middle East residentA person who was diagnosed with the first case of Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (Mers) in England since 2013 is said to be in a stable condition.Public Health England (PHE) said the patient is a resident of the Middle East, where they are believed to have contracted the infection before travelling to the UK. Continue reading...

The discover of a unique rooting anatomy from 407m years ago supports theory roots evolved at least twice, and step by stepMost of us do not spend much time contemplating plant roots. Not only do they suffer from the wider issue of plant blindness, but they are also the bit of the plant that is not visible. In terms of getting people excited about plant science, it’s a tough gig. This is a shame, because plant roots are critical to all of our lives: no roots means no food. Roots provide anchorage, and allow plants to gain water and nutrients from the soil. They also form a key symbiotic relationship with mycorrhizal fungi, which provide minerals from the soil in return for a steady supply of carbs from the plant.In the modern world, we can easily divide plants into the ones that have roots and the ones that don’t. The flowering plants (angiosperms) and the other vascular plant groups (conifers and other seed plants, ferns, horsetails and clubmosses) all have a recognisable root, defined by having a meristem of rapidly-dividing, undifferentiated cells, and by having a root cap, which protects the apex of the growing root and which is where the plant perceives gravity. Continue reading...

Next week the Guardian will be closing the Science Blog Network. We take a final look at the journey psychology has made toward becoming a robust and mature scienceWhen we launched Head Quarters five years ago, psychology was in a pretty dark place. The field was still reeling from the impact of the Diederik Stapel fraud case – the largest perpetrated in psychology and one of the greatest ever uncovered in science. At the same time, a cascade of failures to replicate major findings was just beginning, and as if to add insult to injury, one of psychology’s most prestigious journals published a study claiming to confirm, of all things, the existence of psychic powers.Psychologists were faced with one inescapable conclusion: that the research culture in the field was fundamentally flawed and needed urgent attention. Five years later, the field has taken some big steps forward toward righting the ship. Let’s take a look at some of those improvements. Continue reading...

Aeolus will boost climate research and weather forecasting, particularly in data blindspot of the tropicsEurope launched a rocket from French Guyana on Wednesday, to put a satellite into orbit as part of what company Arianespace called the world’s first space mission to map the Earth’s wind on a global scale.Related: Ice found on moon surface, raising prospect of lunar colony Continue reading...

Fellow captains of indolence, rejoice. A study of molluscs holds out hope for those of us of the laid-back persuasionBack when I was at university in Dublin, I once gave blood at a nearby donation clinic. They gave you a free sandwich beforehand to prevent blood-depleted fainting so it was a good deal in straitened, student times (I had the chicken). Post-lunch, a nurse hooked up my arm to get the blood; after a while a doctor came over to observe, and asked how it was going. “There’s not much coming out,” the nurse complained. “His blood is pumping too slow.”I can’t claim there is a direct medical correlation between this incident and a general sense of idleness and languor that I often feel, but it gives me comfort. Even when most of the world persists with the silly idea that sloth is a sin, there are plenty of us out there who are content with being lazy, laid-back or whatever ... It is with mild joy, then, that I receive recent news that researchers are hailing “the survival of the sluggish”. Analysing 300 forms of mollusc that lived and died in the Atlantic over a 5m-year period, scientists found the creatures that burned the most energy daily were more likely to die out than those that took it easy. “The lower the metabolic rate, the more likely the species you belong to will survive,” said Bruce Lieberman, the University of Kansas professor who led the study. Continue reading...

Is the environment secretary pandering to sentimentality – or on to the fact that our understanding of animals is changing?Ever since Michael Gove inadvertently found himself on the wrong side of a row over animal sentience at the end of last year, he has been all over animal welfare with the uninhibited enthusiasm of a python preparing its dinner. His latest move is a bid to stamp out the hideous cruelty of puppy farming by introducing a ban on the sale of kittens and puppies in pet shops. In future, would-be pet owners will have to go direct to the breeder or (so much better) to a pet-homing charity.The Mirror, which has run an energetic campaign calling for the ban, is thrilled. Earlier this year, Battersea Dogs Home was equally chuffed when the environment secretary promised tougher sentences for animal cruelty, and the Express has only just got its breath back from cheering Gove on after he posed with Finn, the police dog who nearly died protecting its handler, and pledged tougher sanctions against anyone who attacked service dogs or horses. True, he has been persuaded that a total ban on electric collars for dogs and cats, used for restraint and training, might have the unintended consequence of leading to more pets dying on the road, but the direction of travel is unmistakable: in a world polarised by Brexit, pets can be the new politics. Continue reading...

Disrupted sleep alters metabolism and boosts body’s ability to store fat, data showsLack of sleep has long been linked to obesity, but a new study suggests late night snacking may not be the primary culprit. The latest findings provide the most compelling evidence to date that disrupted sleep alters the metabolism and boosts the body’s ability to store fat.The findings add to mounting scientific evidence on how disrupted sleep influences the usual rhythms of the body clock, raising the risk of a wide range of health problems from heart disease to diabetes. Continue reading...

Discovery suggests that distinct ancient human species may have mingled and interbred happilyA small piece of bone found in a cave in Siberia has been identified as the remnant of a child whose mother was a Neanderthal and father was a Denisovan, a mysterious human ancestor that lived in the region.Researchers made the discovery when they examined DNA extracted from the bone and found that it contained chromosomes from a Neanderthal female and a Denisovan male. It is the first time that the offspring of such a coupling has been identified. Continue reading...

It is feted as a healthy choice but the oil, which is high in saturated fat, is ‘one of the worst things you can eat’ says expert

With the Science Blog Network closing, Hanneke Meijer reflects on her contributions to the Guardian’s Lost Worlds RevisitedDespite all the splendid fossils we have covered here on Lost Worlds Revisited, nothing lasts forever (apart from the cold November rain here in Norway). In my time on here, I have covered a range of topics, from Darwin’s finches, the peculiar nature of island faunas, and penguin feet, to chickens, the evolution of feathers, and Club Med. Although they may seem rather arbitrary at first, they reflect my main interests in island paleobiogeography and avian evolution.Lost Worlds Revisited allowed me to rave on about research and fossils I felt the world needed to hear more about. For instance, dodos were not dumb sitting ducks, but exquisitely well adapted to their environment (a hill I’m willing to die on), Komodo dragons may be dwarfs instead of giants, and precious baby birds in amber. But it also gave me the opportunity to delve into topics and ideas that I felt I needed to learn more about, such as the evolution of feathers, how bird eggs get their colours, and even frogs. Continue reading...

To doubt one’s every move as a doctor would compromise patient care but to never question it at all would be follyAfter many years of a firm and faithful association, the predictable has occurred. Her cancer has progressed, and she has gone from being a robust mother and devoted wife to a mere shadow of her former self, confined to her bed, in turn lamenting over and bewildered by how it has come to this. In hospital, my hand reaches out to her in sympathy and she clutches it as tears stream down her face. “Why, why, why?” The conclusions of scientific research whisper in my ears, “because it’s bad biology” but the consolation falls flat amid the visible devastation of illness. Our journey together has been difficult with the wins competing with the setbacks.Related: To treat or not to treat: find out what really matters to the patient | Ranjana Srivastava Continue reading...

Species which use the most energy in their daily lives die out quicker than less energetic animals, say evolutionary biologistsIt is the perfect comeback for those who are admonished for not pulling their weight. Never mind that work is piling up, being lazy is a winning evolutionary strategy that postpones the extinction of the species.That, at least, is one interpretation. Researchers who studied nearly 300 forms of mollusc that lived and died in the Atlantic over the past five million years found that a high metabolism predicted which species had gone the way of the dodo. Continue reading...

Patients in study had ‘exhausted all other options’ but new combination halted their cancer for an average of 5.8 monthsA new treatment for patients with advanced ovarian and lung cancer could give them months longer to spend with their loved ones, early trial results suggest.The combination of targeted drug vistusertib and paclitaxel chemotherapy stopped the growth of cancer for nearly six months and caused the tumours of some to shrink, according to the study published in Annals of Oncology. Continue reading...

Usually frozen waters open up twice this year in phenomenon scientists described as scaryThe oldest and thickest sea ice in the Arctic has started to break up, opening waters north of Greenland that are normally frozen, even in summer.This phenomenon – which has never been recorded before – has occurred twice this year due to warm winds and a climate-change driven heatwave in the northern hemisphere. Continue reading...

Calls grow for ban on fully autonomous weapons, following NGO coalition reportThe use of fully autonomous weapons in a theatre of war would breach international law, campaigners and experts say, as longstanding calls for a ban on “killer robots” intensify.These AI-powered guns, planes, ships and tanks could fight future wars without being subject to any human control, as high-tech nations step up investment in the weapons and inch towards full autonomy. Continue reading...

I found myself posting images of toned tummies. I was now complicit in an industry built on the exploitation of people’s insecuritiesIt was only seven months of my life, but a year on I still find myself unsettled by the experience of working for a plastic surgeon.We were a strange alliance from the outset – a midlife career change had left me with few employment options, and I’m certain my naturally lined face was not in keeping with his clinic’s aesthetic. But I had a background in digital marketing, and this plastic surgeon wanted in on the action online. Continue reading...

Large-scale cemetery in Africa points to shared workload without social hierarchyHerders in east Africa 5,000 years ago lived in peaceful communities that shunned social hierarchies, communicated intensively and worked together to build massive cemeteries, new research by archaeologists has revealed.

Patches of frost around moon’s north and south poles could provide a source of water for humans, say astronomersAstronomers have found patches of frost scattered around the moon’s north and south poles which could one day provide a source of water for human visitors.The scientists spotted the telltale signature of frozen water in infrared measurements taken by Nasa’s moon mineralogy mapper, an instrument that flew on India’s Chandrayaan-1 mission to the moon a decade ago. Continue reading...

The digital age will free us up not only for leisure activities but also to take on caring roles that can only be filled by humansSo we are doomed. Robots will steal our jobs. Algorithms will capture our children. Artificial intelligence will corrupt our free will. We are to be slaves to machines.The Bank of England economist Andy Haldane warns today that “large swathes” of current labour will disappear as AI takes over. For a man who lives and breathes statistics, large swathes is a poor percentage. These jeremiads attended the invention of computers, combine harvesters, spinning jennies and probably iron-age axes. But no one gets on the Today programme for predicting that AI might be good news. Continue reading...

Rising arctic temperatures mean we face a future of ‘extreme extremes’ where sunny days become heatwaves and rain becomes floods, study saysSummer weather patterns are increasingly likely to stall in Europe, North America and parts of Asia, according to a new climate study that explains why Arctic warming is making heatwaves elsewhere more persistent and dangerous.Rising temperatures in the Arctic have slowed the circulation of the jet stream and other giant planetary winds, says the paper, which means high and low pressure fronts are getting stuck and weather is less able to moderate itself. Continue reading...

The PM had seemed to recognise that you can’t have an energy policy without a plan to cut emissions. No longerA note to our prime minister: you can’t have an energy policy that assumes that climate change does not exist. By dumping the commitment to take emissions targets to the federal parliament the PM is signalling climate change is not real. This leaves the rest of us paying the price for another political capitulation on cleaning up our power sector.Some parts of the government don’t believe in climate change. Their ideological ties to the coal-based power systems built 40 to 50 years ago has scuttled every attempt to develop credible climate change energy policy over the past 10 years, leaving us where we are now. Continue reading...

The idea that lifestyle changes have made the disease more common is a gross exaggeration – but increasingly prevalent. We separate fact from fictionCancer is not up there with the most likely explanations for what caused the mass extinction 66m years ago of the T rex and the triceratops. That said, at least one species of dinosaur suffered from blood-vessel tumours – and a 1.7m-year-old toe with bone cancer was discovered in 2016 at a South African world heritage site.Cancer may have been more common in ancient times than we will ever know, because fossilisation will have obliterated most evidence of the disease. However, misinterpretations of some small studies and claims by self-styled wellness gurus that cancer is “a man-made disease” have fed the belief that cancer is modern. While that does not mean anyone concerned about cancer should visit their local natural history museum for information, thinking of cancer as a result of modern life causes unnecessary fear. Here are some modern myths about cancer. Continue reading...

The rapidly disintegrating ‘agreement’ to the Neg yet again sees the Coalition refusing to face up to the threat of climate changeHumanity has a big decision to make very soon about its future on warming planet, but the federal Coalition is still in denial that human-induced climate change even exists, let alone that the climate end-game is upon us.The national energy guarantee (Neg) is the latest manifestation of that denial. A third-rate complex, over-engineered policy that will most likely fail to contribute to meeting all three of its main objectives, namely increased reliability of electricity supply, lower energy prices and a long way third, reducing carbon emissions. A compromise upon compromise designed to placate the scientifically and economically-illiterate Coalition rightwing, which ignores the first priority of any government, to ensure the security of the people. For climate change is now the greatest threat to that security. Continue reading...

Research finds vitamin D deficiency was a widespread phenomenon 2,000 years agoRickets is mostly seen as a 19th-century disease, but research has revealed that the Romans also had a big problem with getting enough vitamin D.Researchers from Historic England and McMaster University in Canada examined 2,787 skeletons from 18 cemeteries across the Roman empire and discovered that rickets was a widespread phenomenon 2,000 years ago. Continue reading...

Find both Saturn and the moon above the “teapot”, the most familiar asterism in the the constellation of the ArcherThis Tuesday, keep an eye open for a nice conjunction of Saturn and the moon. They will be visible in the southern sky as twilight turns into night. Saturn was at its closest approach to the earth in June but remains a bright yellowish light in the sky. It is located in the constellation of Sagittarius, just above the topmost star of the so-called “teapot”. This grouping of stars, called an asterism, contains the central stars of the full constellation and resembles – you guessed it – a teapot. The chart shows the view looking south for 21:00BST on 21 August 2018. The moon will be in a waxing gibbous phase, heading towards full. This maximum illumination will take place on Sunday. Because of its proximity, the moon is the only celestial object whose features can be seen with the unaided eye. The most prominent features are the lunar maria or “seas”. These are the dark patches on the moon. Not water – the seas are in fact basaltic plains that cover just over one-third of the Moon’s surface. They are solidified lava and are immensely old, having formed around 3–3.5 billion years ago. Continue reading...

Report predicting spiralling global temperatures has been downloaded 270,000 times in just a few daysThe scorching temperatures and forest fires of this summer’s heatwave have finally stirred the world to face the onrushing threat of global warming, claims the climate scientist behind the recent “hothouse Earth” report.Following an unprecedented 270,000 downloads of his study, Hans Joachim Schellnhuber, said he had not seen such a surge of interest since 2007, the year the Nobel prize was awarded to Al Gore and the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. Continue reading...

Whatever Tim Peake thinks, human bodies are so flawed we’re lucky to be here at allTake a look in the mirror and examine your eyes. Are they blurry? Bloodshot from last night’s alcoholic excess? Or perhaps they remain clear, bright and healthy? Whatever their state, our optic organs can tell us a great deal – not just about our wellbeing but about the nature of our species and our place in the universe. Are we the product of billions of years of evolution or the handiwork of a divine creator? The eyes have it when we seek answers, it transpires.Such issues are again making headlines following last week’s remarks by the astronaut Tim Peake, who said he thought the universe could be the result of divine creation. “I’m not religious [but] it doesn’t necessarily mean that I don’t seriously consider that the universe could have been created from intelligent design,” he said. Continue reading...

After being told disease would destroy her vision, Paola Peretti wrote a children’s novel – and found a template for lifePaola Peretti is losing her eyesight and she wouldn’t have it any other way. When she was 14, she became very short-sighted, virtually overnight. Three years later came the diagnosis of Stargardt macular dystrophy, a degenerative disease that destroys central vision, damages colour perception and results in blindness. Two years ago, finding herself in a place of both “desperation and hope,” the 32-year-old Italian language teacher and debut novelist decided to step out from the shadow of her hereditary condition, which she only ever aired with her family, and confront her fear of the dark.The Distance Between Me and the Cherry Tree is the result: a captivating, wise and highly visual children’s novel about living in the face of fear. Its heroine, nine-year-old Mafalda, also has Stargardt disease. A bewitching, brave little girl, she will lose her sight completely within six months, as Peretti was expecting to do at some unspecified point in her own life when she began the novel. Continue reading...

Continued emissions could reach a tipping point that will drive the planet into an irreversible, self-reinforcing hothouse stateAchieving “cut through” is a nightmare for climate change science. It’s notoriously hard to get the mainstream engaged by changes in the concentration of an atmospheric gas, even if they’re life-or-death matters. So hats off to the crack team of Earth scientists, led by climate change professor Will Steffen, whose peer-reviewed report on how emissions are driving the Earth into an irreversible hothouse state has been downloaded more than 270,000 times to date.Wow. Academics are on holiday, so this means that people are probably reading this stuff on the beach. At this rate, the report could make the Altmetric Top 100. This is the list of the most discussed journal articles of the year and is usually dominated by research on grabby subjects such as the possibility of life on other planets, but definitely not emissions-generated feedback loops. Until now. Continue reading...

The key to feeling cheerful lies not in our inner wellbeing but in the world around usYour work gives me a feeling of joy,” one of the professors said. The others nodded. I should have been happy. Nine months before, I had left my career as a brand strategist to pursue a graduate degree in a field in which I had no experience: industrial design. Many times over the course of the year I had felt overwhelmed by the new skills I needed to learn, from drawing to colour-mixing to woodworking. But today I had passed the assessment, and I did feel relieved to know that my career shift hadn’t been a giant mistake.And yet, as I looked at those nodding faces, my heart sank in my chest. I wanted to be a designer because I believed design could solve serious problems. I volunteered with a non-profit organisation designing low-cost reflective backpacks to prevent roadside injury among schoolchildren in Ghana. Late at night, I pored over books on renewable materials and environmentally friendly manufacturing strategies. I had hoped the professors would see in my work a commitment to using design to build a safer, fairer, more sustainable world. Instead, they saw joy. Continue reading...

From the Voyager mission to detecting the merging of black holes over a billion years ago, an argument for the pleasures of theoretical thinkingA physicist friend of mine once had a terrible spate of misfortune. Her flat was burgled, her cat was run over, and her grandfather died, all in the same week. Needing a bit of TLC, she went to see her professor, who offered three words of advice: “Do some physics.” For most people who are in need of consolation, I suspect physics is among the last things they would consider. Tim Radford, a former Guardian science editor, wants to persuade them that the branch of science so many people find soulless and intimating can offer much spiritual balm. He makes his case in what he calls a “love letter to physics”.Radford is a much-admired journalist: graceful, witty and adept at squeezing human interest from the driest maths. I remember once hearing him declare on stage that the public are most interested in science that’s “either exceptionally useful or totally useless”. He focuses on the latter in this book, an appreciative survey of the vast canvas on which physicists do their creative work – the entire observable universe, from the beginning of time to its end (assuming there is one). Continue reading...

A physics PhD’s experience of a week at the largest science meeting in Europe.When I received an email last December stating that the EuroScience Open Forum (ESOF) was now accepting poster abstracts from early career researchers, I had no idea what EuroScience was nor what an ‘open forum’ was all about. Since it was described as a “great opportunity to network with scientists in research and business and raise your profile” I decided to investigate. Buzzwords like ‘networking’ make my hair stand on end – so much so that I have issued *trigger warnings below - but I also realise it is an inevitable path to walk for a young scientist like me, on the brink of finishing my PhD in physics and looking for my next job.Related: Life, Physics and Everything Continue reading...

Exhibition on how the sun has influenced humans to include a Carter White House solar panel Continue reading...