Gloucestershire historian unearths photographs of John Daniel, lowland gorilla adopted by village of Uley in 1918John Daniel was no ordinary gorilla. For starters, he was called John Daniel. And he had his own bedroom, drank tea and cider, and could purportedly do his own washing up.The extraordinary tale of the village that adopted its very own gorilla a century ago is told in a new local history book by a Gloucestershire historian. Continue reading...

Astronaut makes announcement at the Science Museum, London, as the Soyuz capsule that brought him back to Earth in June goes on display for first timeTim Peake has announced he will return to the International Space Station for a second mission with the European Space Agency.The British astronaut unveiled his plans to revisit the space station at the Science Museum in London, where the charred Soyuz capsule that brought him and two spacefaring companions back to Earth in June has gone on display for the first time.

Large properties just inside city walls, identified using radar, would have been equivalent to homes worth millions todayFoundations of three large Roman houses preserved for almost 2,000 years have been discovered in a park in the centre of Chichester.James Kenny, an archaeologist at Chichester district council, believes that when fully excavated they will prove to be some of the best Roman houses found in a city centre in Britain. Continue reading...

The prime minister, Malcolm Turnbull, announces Alan Mackay-Sim as the 2017 Australian of the Year for his work with stem cells and the regeneration of the nervous system. ‘I hope that it stimulates people to think about science, stimulates young people to get into science,’ Mackay-Sim says after receiving the award. ‘It’s a great thing for biomedical science particularly; neuroscience, stem cell science.’ Mackay-Sim says he wants to work towards a long-term, bipartisan plan for science funding in Australia. ‘All the way round the world, budgets are going out of medical science,’ he says. ‘I don’t want to be party political about it but I want to talk about the long-term view and the long-term requirements of science.’• Australian of the Year named as biomedical scientist Alan Mackay-Sim Continue reading...

Little black dress uses ‘wonder material’ to translate wearer’s heartbeat into power for built-in LED lightsIt is the super-thin “wonder material” scientists think could revolutionise every aspect of human life.Now graphene – which is just one atom thick and a million times thinner than human hair – looks set to storm the catwalks of Paris, New York and Milan in a hi-tech twist on the little black dress. Continue reading...

The Western world is in a dark place right now. It may be Simon Cowell’s fault. No, honestly – just consider the psychological impact of reality TVDid Simon Cowell bring about the end of Western civilisation as we know it? Well, first some caveats to clarify this unhinged-sounding question. Firstly, Western civilisation clearly hasn’t ended entirely. The fact that you’re reading this is proof of that. If civilisation collapses, surreal Guardian blogs will probably be the first thing to go, along with excessively-frothy coffees and designer clothes for miniature dogs. But it’s looking a lot shakier than it has done in some time, so who knows where we’ll end up?Secondly, this isn’t some character assassination of Simon Cowell. I certainly don’t believe that he is some terrifying tyrant who set out to destroy our way of life. He may not even be that bad a person, he certainly has his empathic, philanthropic side. I don’t know the guy, so can’t comment really. I suspect he’s just a keen businessman who found a format and a shtick that worked, and went with it as far as he could. It’s just that that schtick may have lead to the end of the world as we know it. Continue reading...

How prevalent is narcissism in science? Has this changed over time? And how could it threaten the fundamental pillars of science?Subscribe & Review on iTunes, Soundcloud, Audioboom, Mixcloud & AcastWhen it comes to scientists, the stereotype of a socially-reclusive and tortured genius is one that, arguably, still remains. But in a new book Swiss immunologist Professor Bruno Lemaitre challenges this assumption, instead pointing to the recent rise of the narcissistic scientist. But is there anything specifically about modern science that may have encouraged this trend? Or is the supposed increase just a reflection of society as a whole? Continue reading...

It’s a popular holiday destination for many, but few know that the region’s ancient history extends well beyond churches and ruinsWith the sparkle of the holiday season now a distant memory, the fifty shades of January have many of us longing for the sun-soaked days of summer. The Mediterranean islands, rich in history and culture, fringed by sandy beaches and surrounded by deep blue waters, are a popular holiday destination. But few know that the earth below that picturesque tavern or idyllic beach holds exciting palaeontological discoveries.

Countering the ‘post-truth’ mentality with facts is great, but to truly engage with people, scientists and other experts need to be part of popular cultureThe uneasy tide of untruths has been rising, so subtly that we are up to our chins without being sure how it ever got to that point.The recent jaw-dropping performance of Donald Trump and his cronies, firing off random statements without even bothering to check whether they are true, is not as disturbing as the fact that they seem to be getting away with it. It is no longer enough for a reputable press outlet to cry foul – the corrections are shrugged off as partisan conspiracy theorists, and the exposé no longer leads to shame, or the mending of ways. Say something loud enough and often enough, and it starts to sound true. Get away with it enough, and it becomes a viable strategy. Continue reading...

Wright, whose films include Atonement and Anna Karenina, will take on Bertolt Brecht’s classic play Life of GalileoThe British director Joe Wright is returning to the theatre to direct an adaptation of Bertolt Brecht’s classic play Life of Galileo.Wright, whose films include Pride and Prejudice, Atonement and Anna Karenina, made his stage directorial debut in 2012 with Trelawny of the Wells at the Donmar Warehouse in London. Continue reading...

World-leading researcher honoured for a lifetime of work with stem cells and the regeneration of the nervous systemA biomolecular scientist whose groundbreaking research led to the first successful restoration of mobility in a quadriplegic man has been named 2017 Australian of the Year.Emeritus Professor Alan Mackay-Sim led the world’s first clinical trial using nasal cavity cells to treat spinal cord injuries. The findings from that trial led to world-first surgery on a paralysed man, Darek Fidyka, in 2014. Fidyka was able to walk again with the assistance of a frame after the procedure. Continue reading...

Atheists pride themselves on being rational and drawing their knowledge from the world of facts. But Dominic Johnson argues that even atheists display moral behaviour based on superstition. He says the feeling that we are being watched and judged has served an important evolutionary purpose

Suffering is difficult to describe and impossible to see. So how can doctors tell how much it hurts?One night in May, my wife sat up in bed and said, “I’ve got this awful pain just here.” She prodded her abdomen and made a face. “It feels like something’s really wrong.” Woozily noting that it was 2am, I asked what kind of pain it was. “Like something’s biting into me and won’t stop,” she said.“Hold on,” I said blearily, “help is at hand.” I brought her a couple of ibuprofen with some water, which she downed, clutching my hand and waiting for the ache to subside. Continue reading...

Campaigners hail ‘monumental leap forward’ in treatment of most lethal form of cancer, which kills 8,800 Britons each yearCancer campaigners are hailing a “monumental leap forward” in pancreatic cancer treatment after a new drug trial significantly extended survival from what is the most lethal form of the disease.The clinical trial found that 29% of patients given a combination of two chemotherapy drugs lived for at least five years compared with 16% who received the one chemotherapy drug that is still the NHS’s standard treatment. Continue reading...

Some lucky folk claim to never get a cold or take days off work. Can we become more like them?Every now and then one pops up at work, down the pub, in the park, outside the school gate, or in your own family’s mythology. The person who claims never to get sick. Colds brush past them without leaving so much as a sniffle. They laugh in the flushed face of flu, spray hand sanitiser in the rheumy eyes of infection, and never take a day off work. They appear to be superhuman, with the kind of kickass immune systems the rest of us mere ailing mortals can only dream about as we dissolve another 1,000mg vitamin C tablet and hope for the best. What are their secrets? Can we become more like them? Do they even exist?“I hardly ever get a cold, bug or infection,” says Lore Lucas, a 97-year-old Jewish refugee and Holocaust survivor who has lived in Glasgow since 1946. “I never drank or smoked, I sleep well and I like a little rest during the day, preferably in bed, or rather on the bed … just shoes off.” What about her diet? “I have been known to have a great dislike for cheese,” she replies, “and I really do not like the Scottish specialities mince, haggis, or porridge.” Continue reading...

We sort through some of the most persistent and pernicious myths surrounding cancer and its treatmentCancer is a topic with high emotional resonance – there is hardly a family in the world that has not been touched by this complex family of diseases. Yet cancer is still widely misunderstood. Given the sheer volume of information available on the internet and elsewhere it is often difficult to separate fact from fiction.This can leave patients, friends and family confused and vulnerable to dodgy information at best, and ready to undergo dangerous “treatments” and “cures” at worst. Just over three years ago, I tackled six common cancer myths; but as new myths arise and information moves on, it seemed a good idea to start the year off by debunking some new myths – as well as some that have refused to disappear.

A one-off dose of the drug could help alcohol addicts reduce their intake by ‘erasing’ drink-related memories, say psychologists testing treatmentScientists believe that a radical treatment involving the tranquilliser ketamine could help overcome alcohol addiction by “erasing” drink-related memories.Psychologists based at University College London are testing whether a one-off dose of the drug could help hazardous drinkers who are trying to reduce their alcohol intake. Alcohol addiction is notoriously difficult to treat, and there are few effective therapies available. Continue reading...

E coli microbes have been modified to carry an expanded genetic code which researchers say will ultimately allow them to be programmedFrom the moment life gained a foothold on Earth its story has been written in a DNA code of four letters. With G, T, C and A - the molecules that pair up in the DNA helix - the lines between humans and all life on Earth are spelled out.Now, the first living organisms to thrive with an expanded genetic code have been made by researchers in work that paves the way for the creation and exploitation of entirely new life forms. Continue reading...

Any new partnership is a challenge, but at Sparks medical research charity, we know we need to change to create bigger pots for research grantsAt one of our flagship fundraising events a few months ago, Heather and Andrew shared the story of Tom, their son who died three years previously, aged just 17 month, from the cruel and rare disease Krabbe.When Tom received his diagnosis, the family was told there was no treatment available that could stop, or even slow down, the disease. Our event fell on the anniversary of them finding out he had just days left to live. Continue reading...

Siamogale melilutra, which grew up to 2 metres long, frolicked in the country’s south-western wetlands about 6.2m years agoScientists have unearthed fossils of an otter as big as a wolf that frolicked in rivers and lakes in a lush, warm and humid wetlands region in south-western China about 6.2m years ago.

Collaboration between police from 18 countries leads to recovery of 3,561 stolen ancient artefacts and 75 arrestsPolice from 18 countries have recovered more than 3,500 stolen works of art and ancient artefacts of “great cultural importance” in an operation last year, according to the European police agency.

We may be entering the ‘alternative facts’ era – but psychologists have been studying how we develop an understanding of false beliefs for decadesFor decades, developmental psychologists have been fascinated with the question of how children develop theory of mind – in other words, how we come to understand that other people can have different types of thoughts, beliefs and knowledge to ourselves. A key milestone in this journey involves developing a notion of false belief; sometimes, the things that people believe about the world are very different from the reality of the situation, and this will have important consequences for how people act. But how do you measure something so seemingly esoteric? Continue reading...

The Changbaishan eruption, one of the most violent of the last two millennnia, has been dated to within three months of the winter of 946 ADThe fossilised remains of a tree killed more than 1,000 years ago when a volcano blew a four-kilometre-wide hole in the landscape, on the border between China and North Korea, have helped an international team of scientists date one of the most violent eruptions of the last two millennnia to within three months of the winter of 946 AD.The date matches a vivid description in a chronicle from a temple in Japan, far from any of that country’s active volcanoes, and 1,000 kilometres from the Changbaishan volcano. The monks recorded “white ash falling like snow” on 3 November 946AD. Another ancient record from 470km away, close enough to be within the sound of the eruption, said that in that year “the sky rumbled and cried out,” and recorded that there was an amnesty – presumably because it was taken as a dire omen – which led to prisoners being freed. Continue reading...

Roman British skeleton found buried face down in Northamptonshire has tongue mutilation seemingly unique for the periodA gruesome and seemingly unique mutilation has emerged from a Roman Britain burial site in Northamptonshire – the skeleton of a man whose tongue had apparently been amputated and replaced with a flat stone wedged into his mouth.The man had been interred face down, perhaps amid fears that his corpse would rise to threaten people once again, archaeologists believe. Continue reading...

‘Science’ appears to say a lot of things. But in this post-truth ‘alternative facts’ world, constantly implying that all of science agrees can only be harmfulToday, British watchdogs have warned people that roast potatoes can cause cancer. The rationale seems to be that roast/burnt foods contain acrylamide, which is believed to be a carcinogen. Makes sense. But the actual science hasn’t found any link between typical levels of acrylamide in the diet and cancer. And it’s not for want of looking.Related: What is the real cancer risk from eating roast potatoes or toast? Continue reading...

The Food Standards Agency has warned that overcooked starchy foods can contain acrylamide, a chemical liked to cancer. But should you be worried?The Food Standards Agency has warned that eating overcooked potatoes or burnt toast could increase the risk of cancer. They are urging people to reduce their intake of overcooked foods through a public health campaign, dubbed “Go for Gold” – essentially advising people to turn off the heat once your toast, potatoes or other starchy foods are lightly browned. Continue reading...

Other starchy foods such as crisps can contain acrylamide, a harmful chemical formed at high temperatures, says British food watchdogEating crisps, well-browned roast potatoes and toast that is more than lightly grilled can increase the risk of cancer, according to a public health campaign urging people to change their eating and cooking habits.The Food Standards Agency (FSA) says people are consuming too much acrylamide, a chemical produced naturally as a result of cooking starchy foods at high temperatures. Continue reading...

Our teams are involved with 70% of all NHS diagnoses but too few people understand what we do. I fear for the future

It’s something many people loathe and find awkward, but here’s how to do it well and make a good impressionThe idea of introducing themselves to a room of strangers fills many business owners with dread. They know networking is important for growing their business, however they loathe it all the same. But what is it that makes people feel so uncomfortable ?Paul Russell is the co-founder of training company Luxury Academy and has an MSc in occupational psychology. He says people get nervous before networking events because of a fear of rejection. The danger is that this fear can itself create an awkward situation. Continue reading...

The Glitoris is not only Amanda Palmer’s No 1 artwork in the fight against fascism, it’s also an educational tool, says Australian artist Alli Sebastian WolfOn Saturday night, Alli Sebastian Wolf delivered a sex-ed lesson in one of the world’s most famous performance venues. The Australian artist was pulled on to the stage of the Sydney Opera House’s Concert Hall at the request of the musician Amanda Palmer, who had seen Wolf’s recent piece “Glitoris” online.Can't resist @amandapalmer pic.twitter.com/pmItUSbF6N Continue reading...

Brian Neville, who has died aged 77, was a key figure in the development of paediatric neurology and neurodisability in Britiain. He was the first UK professor of paediatric neurology, appointed in 1989 at the Institute of Child Health, University College London, and Great Ormond Street hospital.Brian was born in Bexleyheath, south-east London, to Louie and George Neville. Brian and his mother moved out of London during the second world war, and his early years were spent in the idyllic setting of Brough, Cumbria. He later spoke fondly of the local women who taught him about farming life. Continue reading...

‘Nullius in verba’ is a fine ideal, but science is a little bit more complicated than that, as is the world in general‘Nullius in verba’ – roughly, ‘Take nobody’s word for it’ – is the motto of one of the world’s oldest scientific societies, the Royal Society. It neatly expresses the ideal that the credibility of information derives from evidence, observational or experimental, and not from the innate authority of the source. An important principle, for a Society with a royal patron, in a country which was still in the process evolving away from absolute monarchy.Despite instances of fraud, undue influence and genuine mistakes, good science still accumulates knowledge this way. Scientists can be just as venal, egotistical or biased as anyone else, and can argue indefinitely about the interpretation of data. (I have experienced this personally.) But arguments about the data themselves are finite. The experiment or observation can be checked and repeated, if there is the will. This usually settles matters. Continue reading...

Up to 50% of stroke diagnoses are inaccurate. What if a small biosensor could do the job precisely? Robert McCrum, who survived a ‘brain attack’ 22 years ago, traces one team’s long journey to a breakthroughStroke, or “brain attack”, is the third biggest killer in the western world, after cancer and heart failure. The life-changing effects associated with this simple, Anglo-Saxon word are readily explained: a stroke occurs when the blood supply to the brain is disrupted by a blood vessel either bursting or blocking, so that the part of the brain supplied by this blood vessel dies.The brain is a much more complex organ than the heart. While strokes are a common feature of everyday life, precisely how and why they occur is far from straightforward. Continue reading...

In the first episode of this new podcast, Dr Daniel Glaser asks what effect does music have on our brains? And how can it be harnessed for therapy?Subscribe & Review on iTunes, Soundcloud, Audioboom, Mixcloud & AcastIn the first episode of this new podcast, Observer Magazine columnist and neuroscientist Dr Daniel Glaser delves into the world of music, memory, and musical therapy. Helping him explore the neuroscience, Daniel meets old friend and collaborator Professor Lauren Stewart, a psychologist from Goldsmith’s University, and co-director of the Centre for Music in the Brain at Aarhus University, Denmark. Continue reading...

From a heartfelt chat on a long walk to Dynamic Running Therapy, motion moves mindsMovement is critical in our lives. Often, in order to grow or to overcome strife we need a sense of undergoing a passage or transition. Movement shifts perspective and, in so doing, provides clarity, firing up hope, drive and possibility.Anyone who has found themselves opening up to a friend on a long walk or road trip will be familiar with the sense of ease that comes from talking and moving at the same time. The words seem to flow, tumbling from story to story. Secrets, seldom shared before, can fall into the conversation with surprising ease. When silence comes it seems to be a natural part of the experience, too. Continue reading...

Continuing his account of his illness, Steve Hewlett suffers a setback as he waits nervously for new drugsNow sharp-eyed readers may have spotted that this diary starts the day before the last one was published! By way of a little back story, my doctors have been trying to get me on to a clinical trial featuring new immunotherapy treatments, on the basis that my first line of chemotherapy worked well initially and then failed completely, and the second-line chemo, while it did show signs of working, was proving pretty hard for me to tolerate. But getting on to clinical trials has proved more than a trial in itself! Continue reading...

In blaming human error for a self-driving car crash, US regulators have missed an opportunity to learn from such incidents

Blashford Lakes, Hampshire Dead trees don’t get much of a press. For each one remembered, a million will be forgottenOn a dry, dull-grey day, we have come to this popular local nature reserve for a gentle recuperative ramble and some birdwatching. The info board states that we may see bittern, water rail, great egret, and widgeon aplenty. It says nothing about the host of visitors like us who have congested the Blashford Lakes car park, and with whom we exchange pleasantries as our paths cross.

Our educational attainment and when we have children is determined a little by chromosomes but much more by social and environmental conditionsHuman intelligence quite obviously has some genetic component. Genes do constrain our fate, as does luck, even if development matters more. The way that our capacities develop is profoundly influenced by the environment and by the social situation in which a child grows up. Genetic influence is not genetic determinism and the interplay between genes and development is enormously complicated. A study based on the population of Iceland at first sight makes claims to show that some genes for intelligence are being pushed out of the population. On closer inspection it shows just how tangled these questions are. Researchers have identified a large number of gene variants – the evolutionary mutations associated with traits – which, taken together, correlate with educational attainment (with the caveat that some variants might simply improve self-control and foresight). The work shows these same variants are also associated with having fewer children.Since evolution can be defined as a change in how common these variants are found in populations over time, this looks superficially as if we are evolving to be less clever. Nature however is swamped by nurture: environmental pressures are working much more strongly in the other direction. There is in IQ testing a phenomenon called the Flynn effect, in which successive generations in every population tested have shown significantly higher IQ scores than their parents. In Iceland, the Flynn effect raises IQ points by about 10 points every generation, while the genetic process identified by the latest research is 30 times as weak. If we extrapolate the Flynn effect backwards in time, so that IQ diminishes in the past at the same rate as it has been increasing in our time, it appears that the Victorians would have trouble reading and writing while Elizabethans would scarcely have been able to produce articulate speech. So much for Shakespeare. On the other hand, the genetic curve, traced back the same way, would suggest that the Elizabethans were all towering geniuses among whom Shakespeare would have been completely unremarkable. Clearly we are not measuring fixed and long-term versions of intelligence in either case. Continue reading...

Twilight star among three authors of paper explaining how ‘neural style transfer’ method was put to use in her directorial debut, the 17-minute short Come SwimTwilight and Personal Shopper Kristen Stewart has co-authored a research paper on “neural style transfer”, an arcane technique that uses artificial intelligence to reconfigure an image in the style of another.Written with Bhautik J Joshi, a research engineer at Adobe, and producer David Shapiro, Stewart’s paper is related to work done on her short film directing debut Come Swim, which received its world premiere at the Sundance film festival on Thursday. Called Bringing Impressionism to Life with Neural Style Transfer in Come Swim, the paper was submitted on Wednesday on Cornell University library’s open-access arXiv.org website, an online repository for scientific research papers. Continue reading...

Syrian antiquities chief says militants have demolished structure and part of Roman theatre after seizing city for second timeIslamic State militants have destroyed a tetrapylon and part of a Roman theatre in the ancient city of Palmyra in the group’s latest attack on Syria’s heritage.Related: How the ancient city of Palmyra looked before the fighting – in pictures Continue reading...

Eclectic - it’s a pleasing word, and for this week’s science, the only word that seems to fit. Climate science has been a major part of this week’s coverage, given that climate change deniers are poised to enter the White House. And since there’s now compelling evidence that Greenland and Antarctica’s continental ice sheets are highly sensitive to slight increases in ocean temperatures, (which raises the prospect of sea levels continuing to rise dramatically for many centuries) it’s really something we need to engage with urgently. But if rising sea levels seem too distant a threat, it’s worth considering the sombre news that in the most bleak assessment of primates to date, conservationists found that 60% of wild species are on course to die out, with three quarters already in steady decline. The report casts doubt on the future of hundreds of primate species, including gorillas, chimps, gibbons, marmosets, tarsiers, lemurs and lorises. As Celine Dion would definitely say if she were here: baby, this is serious. If you won’t listen to scientists, listen to Celine (but just that bit, then get on with some primate conservation). Continue reading...

The internet is the source of many crimes against language – and these are among the worst offendersWe all have a watershed word – the word that tells us it’s all over, that the internet has won, and our youth is gone for ever. For me, it was Yolo, or You Only Live Once. It was born, I used it, and rooms fell eerily silent as soon as it left my mouth. Yolo belonged to the others, the younger people; it carbon-dated me and I was envious.You might call it snobbery but, for me, every delicious new bit of slang reminds me I’m being left behind, along with VHS cassettes, legwarmers and Lady Gaga. Susie Dent, Countdown’s resident lexicographer, tells me I should lighten up. “Slang has always moved this way,” she says. “From Cockney rhyming slang to codes swapped among highwaymen, they’re tribal badges of identity, bonding mechanisms designed to distinguish the initiated, and to keep strangers out.” The linguist and author David Crystal agrees: “Remember the old maxim – the chief use of slang is to show you’re one of the gang.” Continue reading...

Cut-throat atmosphere in world-class labs and conferences closer to House of Cards than Big Bang Theory, says Swiss academicIt is the enduring scientist stereotype: socially awkward, unkempt appearance, and more concerned with cracking the laws of nature than anything as trivial as social status.The reality could not be more different, according to an academic who says science is falling victim to a crisis of narcissism.

When Malcolm Turnbull deposed Tony Abbott as prime minister, serious action on global warming was hoped for – but almost nothing has changedAustralia’s January news has been full of official reports of record-breaking extreme weather devastating our ecosystems on land and in the sea and government ministers suggesting we build new coal-fired power stations, provide billion-dollar subsidised loans to rail lines for new coal mega-mines, increase coal exports to reduce temperature rises and reduce our ambitions for renewable power.The disconnect is glaring but perhaps dimmed in the eyes of some readers because Australian politicians have been dissembling on climate change for decades, pretending it will be possible to do what we must without any impact on our position as the world’s largest coal exporter or our domestic reliance on brown coal-fired power, or without incurring any costs. Continue reading...

Finding could bring about change of practice in NHS with ‘potential to save many lives’, says charityEvery man with suspected prostate cancer should have an MRI scan, which is twice as likely to identify the presence of dangerous tumours as the invasive biopsy used currently, say doctors.A major trial, which could influence a change of practice in the NHS, will amount to “the biggest leap forward in prostate cancer diagnosis in decades, with the potential to save many lives”, Prostate Cancer UK said.

Evidence that continental ice sheets are sensitive to slight increases in ocean temperature suggests ocean levels will continue to rise for centuriesSea surface temperatures today are strikingly similar to those during the last interglacial period, when sea levels were six to nine metres above their present height, according to research.The findings provide compelling evidence that Greenland and Antarctica’s continental ice sheets are highly sensitive to slight increases in ocean temperatures, and raise the prospect of sea levels continuing to rise for many centuries. Continue reading...

From Trump to Brexit, we are all fixated on more immediate news stories. We need to look at the bigger pictureTomorrow the world shudders as Donald Trump becomes US president. Hopes that wise advisers would mitigate the erratic, half-crazed stream of contradictions pouring from his lips have been dashed as he picks fake news purveyors and climate change-deniers for his close consiglieri.Related: Global warning: the saviour tech that can help turn the tide on climate change Continue reading...

With climate sceptics moving to the White House, it’s crucial the US right recognises free markets are uncomfortable for incumbents but essentialConservatives cannot properly be climate deniers. At the heart of their political stance is a desire to hand on something better to the future than they have received from the past. Now that climate science is so clear, a recognition of the duty to act to protect the next generation follows naturally. Of course, Conservatives have been somewhat cautious. Constitutionally, they don’t chase after novelty and it’s in their character to question fashionable theories.So we shouldn’t be surprised at the genesis of Margaret Thatcher’s commitment to fighting climate change. As a Conservative she wasn’t a pushover, but as a scientist, she rigorously tested the science and was convinced. Once convinced she saw the imperative to act, and that made her the first leader of a major economy to commit to the Rio Earth Summit. In turn, it was her influence that brought George Bush to the table. Continue reading...

What is the psychology behind climate change denial? Can it be overcome? And what communication tips can scientists take from political campaigns?Subscribe & Review on iTunes, Soundcloud, Audioboom, Mixcloud & AcastTomorrow, Donald J Trump will be inaugurated as the 45th President of the United States of America. He’s arguably the least-qualified candidate ever to take office, and uncertainty surrounding the next four years in global politics is at an all-time high, with immigration, healthcare, international relations, and climate change all in the spotlight. But what lies behind his – and many others’ - denial of anthropogenic climate change? And how can insight into human psychology help tailor more effective messages of persuasion? Continue reading...