There have been many tedious discussions about the value of philosophy for modern science. I find it much more interesting to ask if and in what way modern science can advance philosophyThe Large Hadron Collider (LHC) at the European Organization for Nuclear Research CERN in Geneva is the world’s largest and most powerful particle accelerator and possibly the most complex scientific instrument ever built. The LHC has just begun its second three-year run, at the record-breaking collision energy of 13 TeV. About 10,000 scientists from 60 countries will search for new phenomena beyond the Standard Model of particle physics, in pursuit of a simple, beautiful and all-encompassing theory of nature.Related: Live webcast of the 13 TeV restart of the CERN Large Hadron Collider Continue reading...

Sense About Science talks about ‘perceived food allergies’. But I’m not just another muesli-belt middle-class neurotic who doesn’t understand scienceOn the bus the other day I watched a mother hand her toddler a packet of salt and vinegar crisps. The little girl obviously liked them, doubtless relishing their salty-sweet crunch, but suddenly her face reddened, her eyes watered and she began coughing and spluttering, an episode that must have lasted a good two minutes. The volatile pungency of the crisps was getting up my nose a couple of seats away, so was it any wonder that a child’s immature lungs reacted like that?Related: Why does the media have a blindspot on food science? | Robin Bisson Continue reading...

Scientists from Kew and Western Australia stumbled upon the as yet unnamed flower during a three week expedition to collect waterlily specimensA perilous expedition in northwestern Australia that had researchers wading through lakes, ponds and creeks stalked by meat-eating crocodiles has ended with the discovery of a stunning new species of waterlily.

The scale of the continent’s energy deficit often fuels a sense of fatalism and paralysis. Yet on the flipside of this crisis are enormous opportunities“We shall make electric light so cheap that only the wealthy can afford to burn candles,” said Thomas Edison, inventor of the modern lightbulb. That was almost a century and a half ago.

Criticism over branding of philanthropist as a ‘foreign agent’ as scientists say cuts and mismanagement are threatening the field. RFE/RL reportsOne of Russia’s largest scientific benefactors has cancelled millions of dollars in funding after the government branded his foundation a “foreign agent”, a label used to target organisations seen as hostile to the state.The move to alienate 82-year-old Dmitry Zimin has stirred Russia’s scientific community, which has watched with despair as mismanagement, dwindling budgets and a “brain drain” have eroded their capabilities. Continue reading...

What do pencillin, polythene and Mexican yam have in common?This article was first published on The Conversation.Did you know that the discovery of a way to make ammonia was the single most important reason for the world’s population explosion from 1.6 billion in 1900 to 7 billion today? Or that polythene, the world’s most common plastic, was accidentally invented twice? Continue reading...

Mathematician Jordan Ellenberg argues that maths can help all of us become sharper thinkersJordan Ellenberg is aprofessor of mathematics at the University of Wisconsin–Madison.His new book, How Not To Be Wrong, is an attempt to reconnect us with how maths can improve and inform our lives, deploying simple insights to get us thinking about real-life issues differently. Continue reading...

Reassessment of historical data and methodology by US research body debunks ‘hiatus’ hypothesis used by sceptics to undermine climate science Continue reading...

Nicknamed Hellboy, the dinosaur had short horns over the eyes and a long nose horn, the opposite of the features sported by its close relative triceratopsWhen fossil experts first clapped eyes on the skull, it was clearly from a strange, horned dinosaur. When they noticed how stunted the bony horns were, its nickname, Hellboy, was assured.

Misdiagnoses leading to unnecessary treatments and poor diets, sometimes causing malnutrition, says Sense About Science

We recently brought you our 10 best unsung female scientists. Here, we present your thoughts on the academics who should have made the listAstrophysicist (1943-) Continue reading...

Dwayne Johnson’s disaster drama might have other films quaking in their boots at the box office, but there are seismic cracks in its geological accuracy, writes a professor of earthquake engineeringFirst of all, San Andreas is a fun film. It’s interesting. But it has a bit of a fatalistic scenario of destruction – one we hope will never actually happen – and the film makes several scientific errors.Related: The word from Hollywood: sensible is the new sexy | Catherine Shoard Continue reading...

More electricity from renewables, fewer gasoline-powered vehicles and lower power consumption by buildings mandated under ‘50-50-50’ agenda Continue reading...

The new online test of life expectancy gives an encouraging answer – but why are only men asked about how many cars? Continue reading...

Scientists use questions on smoking, how briskly you walk and how many cars you own to find your risk of death Continue reading...

17th century widow Louise de Quengo, wearing her shoes and cap, was found along with heart of her husband in lead coffinFrench archaeologists have uncovered the well-preserved body of a noblewoman who died 350 years ago – along with the clothes in which she was buried, including her cap and shoes, still intact.The corpse of Louise de Quengo, a widow from an aristocratic family from Brittany, was discovered in an hermetically sealed lead coffin placed in a stone tomb at a convent chapel in the western city of Rennes.

However, critics suggest panel may be over-stating effectiveness of screening as debate over exact value of mammograms continuesWomen who undergo breast cancer screening cut their risk of dying from the disease by 40%, according to a global panel of experts attempting to end a long-running controversy about mammograms.IARC, the International Agency for Cancer Research, an arm of the World Health Organisation, has weighed in with strong support for mammography screening, which has divided scientific opinion in recent years. Some scientists argue that few lives are saved and that screening does harm by identifying some small slow-growing cancers which are then treated with surgery, radiotherapy and drugs, but which would never have disturbed the woman in her lifetime. Continue reading...

Nasa marked an historic milestone on Wednesday: 50 years since astronaut Edward Higgins White became the first American to step into space. That first spacewalk for the US happened on June 3, 1965, during the second manned spaceflight in Nasa's Project Gemini. Watch footage of White's historic venture and hear from those who followed Continue reading...

Harriet Minter writes (2 June, theguardian.com), of my campaign to see fertility issues added to the secondary school curriculum, that “the last thing we need is more scaremongering”. I am delighted that my call for fertility education has provoked such a widespread response. But this storm of opinion must not cloud focus on the underlying facts, and we need to correct some misconceptions and inaccuracies in media reporting.Harriet writes: “If you’re someone who is relatively fertile, your chances of having a baby in your 30s, or even your 40s, are not significantly lower than they would have been when you were younger.” This is inaccurate and references an article by Twenge in The Atlantic that itself misinterprets two important scientific papers. The first by Dunson and colleagues demonstrates significant reductions in a woman’s fertility with age. A second study by Rothman and colleagues shows that a couple’s fertility peaks around 30 years and at age 40 declines by approximately half with most of this decline attributable to the female partner. Both these complex academic studies clearly confirm the decline in fertility in women (and to a lesser extent men) over the age of 35. Continue reading...

Analysis of ten years of data from the space telescope has revealed the unusual trajectories, and also suggests Pluto might in fact be a binary dwarf planetPluto’s moons have been tracked closely for the first time, showing that they tumble unpredictably rather than keeping one face fixed on their host planet.Astronomers also observed that Pluto, whose status was downgraded to a dwarf planet in 2006, might be better regarded as a binary dwarf as it is locked in orbit with its largest moon, called Charon. Continue reading...

Stephen Hawking’s restated position on assisted dying poses important questions about how the rest of us mere mortals gain a sense of self-worthWhat’s a life worth, and to whom? Professor Stephen Hawking has said once more that he would consider ending his life if he felt he could no longer make a contribution to the world; and although it’s obvious that he means by the world his loved ones as well as the theoretical physics community, it does seem a high bar to set. Not many of us are much use to the world as a whole; almost everyone has a job in which they could be replaced without too much strain and that may nowadays disappear without warning.Related: Stephen Hawking: 'I would consider assisted suicide' Continue reading...

‘If you go to a store and buy a can, it is likely to have BPA,’ the study’s director says. Science linking BPA to harmful effects has been published for yearsThe world’s largest food companies and brands continue to coat their metal food cans with bisphenol A-based epoxy (BPA) – a chemical known to have links to breast cancer, reproductive problems, heart disease and other illnesses – a study has found.The study, published on Wednesday, is the first of its kind to conduct in depth research into food companies and their products for consumers. Continue reading...

Many tiny species reproduce without sex, but in the case of these larger, endangered creatures, it is inbreeding born from necessityThe news this week that sawfish have been found to have had virgin births in the wild is not a niche occurrence. For many of the planet’s animal species, reproduction is not always what it seems. Some, such as bdelloid rotifers have successfully reproduced for millions of years without sex. In others, such as stingless wasps, little fire ants and some fish, the need for sex to reproduce and even their gender, can be changed by fungal infection or bacteria.Related: Sex and the sawfish: the world of wildlife virgin births Continue reading...

Chimpanzees prefer their vegetables lightly roasted. Clever experiments reveal that if our closest living relatives could only control fire they would probably be cookingAs far as we can tell, chimps don’t cook. Yet a series of clever experiments show that Pan troglodytes have a taste for cooked food and the cognitive capabilities to cook. The implication is that the common ancestor of chimps and humans that lived around 2 million years ago was poised to cook. The lineage that led to humans figured out how to control fire. The chimp lineage did not.The Guardian’s science correspondent Hannah Devlin has already written an excellent article about the research, but I thought I’d share with you some of the video clips that accompany the study, published today in Proceedings of the Royal Society. Continue reading...

The gastrophysicists are coming to analyse your ‘flaves’, and mealtimes will never be the same again

Timelapse video of archeologists at the Rangueil forensic institute in Toulouse analysing the preserved body of 17th century widow Louise de Quengo. Her coffin was unearthed during archaeological excavations at the Convent of the Jacobins in Rennes. Louise de Quengo, of Breton nobility, died in 1656 when she was in her 60s. Her body will be reburied in Rennes in a few months

Physicist tells BBC programme he would consider ending his life if he had nothing more to contribute and was a burden to those around himStephen Hawking has said he would consider ending his own life if he became a burden to others or if he had “nothing more to contribute”.But the physicist and cosmologist told a forthcoming BBC programme he knows he has much more scientific work to do, despite his advanced motor neurone disease. Continue reading...

Every day, millions of people ask Google some of life’s most difficult questions. In this series, our writers answer some of the most common queriesMaybe we should ask the duck-billed platypus.Back in the 1950s, scientists working on humans identified a state marked by increased brain activation, accelerated breathing and heart rate, and muscular paralysis. But perhaps the most remarkable feature was a flickering of the eyes beneath closed eyelids – because all these physiological changes took place while the subjects were fast asleep. Continue reading...

Heart attack drugs significantly increased chances of survival from common cancers such as bone, breast, bowel and ovarian, researchers found

Niels Bohr, with his model of the atom, led physics into the quantum era. In the last of this season’s Perimeter Institute public lectures, his grandson Vilhelm will talk about personality and his influences

Scientists hope restart of particle accelerator at 13 tera-electronvolts will reveal new particles and possibly shed light on dark matter Continue reading...

Despite recent theories suggesting a common feathered ancestor or proto-feathers on all dinosaurs, new survey confirms that scales were the normResearchers have called time on a growing suspicion that many dinosaurs were not the dry, scaly animals of popular conception, but fluffy, feathered beasts instead.Remains unearthed in recent years have revealed feathers or proto-feathers on a range of dinosaurs, leading some paleontologists to wonder if all of the animals evolved from a feathered ancestor and sported some kind of plumage themselves.

Man, 62, taken to hospital after attack while photographing animal near Old Faithful geyser, where a teenage girl was gored a few weeks earlier Continue reading...