The US Environmental Protection Agency’s retreat from science endangers the health of people and the planet: Andromeda stock/Shutterstock Pollution causes more illness and early death than any other environmental threat, accounting for one in six deaths worldwide. For decades, the US Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Office of Research and Development (ORD) has driven many of …
Light is the science of the future – the Africans using it to solve local challenges: Light-based technologies have wide practical applications. Wikimedia Commons, CC BY Light is all around us, essential for one of our primary senses (sight) as well as life on Earth itself. It underpins many technologies that affect our daily lives, …
AI-driven motion capture is transforming sports and exercise science: In sport, the margin between success and failure is often measured in milliseconds. It could be a cricketer adjusting their foot positioning, a runner refining their sprint start or a footballer perfecting their passing. This is where motion capture comes in – among the many approaches …
Maladie des pêcheurs au Sénégal : comment la science a levé le mystère: Vedette de la gendarmerie mobilisée en 2020 par les experts de l'UCAD et de l'IRD, pour enquêter sur la maladie des pêcheurs. IRD/ Patrice Brehmer, Fourni par l'auteur En novembre 2020, une étrange maladie de la peau frappe des centaines de pêcheurs …
Ancient stone walls and power: what data science tools can reveal in African archaeology: Visibility has always been important in people’s decisions about where to live and how to arrange their spaces. People make connections with what they can see. Being able to see prominent landmarks, such as certain mountain peaks, rivers or ancestral sites, …
Can aching joints really predict the weather? Exploring the science behind the stormy debate: For centuries, people have claimed that their aching joints can predict changes in the weather, often reporting increased discomfort before rain or cold fronts. Given the scale and duration, there is a sense of legitimacy to these anecdotes – but this …
Brain implants, agentic AI and answers on dark matter: what to expect from science in 2025 – podcast: ZinetroN/Shutterstock In a special episode of The Conversation Weekly podcast to start 2025, we’ve brought together three science editors from The Conversation’s editions around the world to discuss what to look out for in the world of …
Would you trust an ant to amputate your limb? Science is showing they are skilled surgeons: Waffa/Shutterstock An insect bites off another insect’s leg. Is this predatory behaviour, aggression, defence, competition or something else? In the case of carpenter ants, it’s for the good of the amputee and to the benefit of the colony. A …
Inside the political struggle at the IPCC that will determine the next six years of climate science: rafapress / shutterstock The UN’s climate science advisory group, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), is currently meeting in Bulgaria to decide on a timeline for its next “cycle” of reports over the rest of this decade. …
We’re working out how to solve crimes in space – the final frontier of forensic science: Nasa’s Artemis program is scheduled to return astronauts to the Moon and establish a permanent orbiting laboratory by the end of the decade. Meanwhile, private companies are making significant steps in taking paying customers further into space. As humanity’s …
Dark energy is one of the biggest puzzles in science and we’re now a step closer to understanding it: Over ten years ago, the Dark Energy Survey (DES) began mapping the universe to find evidence that could help us understand the nature of the mysterious phenomenon known as dark energy. I’m one of more than …
Why some people don’t trust science – and how to change their minds: Nasa/wikipedia During the pandemic, a third of people in the UK reported that their trust in science had increased, we recently discovered. But 7% said that it had decreased. Why is there such variety of responses? For many years, it was thought that …
Dopamine menus: the science behind the trend – and how it might help people with ADHD: The 'dopamine menu' concep was first popularised in 2020. MMD Creative/ Shutterstock Menus are usually something you’d expect to come across in a restaurant. But one social media influencer went viral recently for sharing a different kind of menu …
COP28 president is wrong – science clearly shows fossil fuels must go (and fast): John Hanson Pye/Shutterstock According to the president of COP28, the latest round of UN climate negotiations in the United Arab Emirates, there is “no science” indicating that phasing out fossil fuels is necessary to restrict global heating to 1.5°C. President Sultan …
Why the man-hating feminist is a myth – according to science: As part of the “Women Against Feminism” campaign that launched in 2014, social media posts have featured young women holding placards with the message “I don’t need feminism because…” listing various reasons ranging from “I respect men” to “I am not a MAN-HATER”. This perception …
Florence Bell died unrecognised for her contributions to DNA science – decades on female researchers are still being sidelined: Almost 80 years ago, Florence Bell quietly laid the foundations for one of the biggest landmarks in 20th century science: the discovery of the structure of DNA. But when she died on November 23 2000, her …
How we’re building the world’s biggest optical telescope to crack some of the greatest puzzles in science: ESO’s Extremely Large Telescope. ESO/wikipedia, CC BY-SA Astronomers get to ask some of the most fundamental questions there are, ranging from whether we’re alone in the cosmos to what the nature of the mysterious dark energy and dark …
The best techniques for being a cricket fast bowler, according to science: Twenty years ago, Shoaib Akhtar became the first person recorded to bowl at 100mph (161km per hour) during the 2003 One-Day International Men’s World Cup match for Pakistan against England. There was an expectation afterwards that this feat would become a regular occurrence. …